Congrats To Hank Cherry On Winning Back to Back Bassmaster Classic's

 I have been really impressed with Hank Cherry the individual this season. He is well-spoken and seems to

be an all-around class guy. His fishing speaks for itself. He is a shark!

Congrats to you and your family!

2021 Bassmaster Classic Started Yesterday, Huh?

 

I was kind of asleep at the wheel on Day 1 of the 2021 Bassmaster Classic. I didn't even think about it until I unloaded the boat from the night's fishing trip. However, I did check my Fantasy Squads results before the day was out, just barely.

With a great Day 2, my line-up stands a chance. But, unfortunately, day 2 has not been good for me yet this year.

Panic Button: Pushed On 2021 Frog Fishing Platte/Sullivan

 Sure, I caught that pig the other night, but I've taken 3 trips since then. Instead of fishing improving or staying about the same, it has gotten tougher each time out. And last night, I only got one hit in two hours, a 13.5-incher that I caught. I think the low water and hot weather have driven the fish out of the froggy shallow cover.  The stuff should be alive with activity, but I covered water on both Tuesday and Wednesday night trips because I just wasn't finding much for signs of life. Thankfully, it looks like today is the last of the 90-degree plus heat for at least a couple of days. It would be really nice if a gully washer of a thunderstorm parked over Platte/Sullivan on Friday. Tough fishing when the bite is traditionally pretty good has me concerned.

Bass Snatchers Tournament At Whitefish Chain June 5th

 

Tuma's 27lbs 4oz is a new Snatcher Record

3/5 Yum Dinger (Gum/Orange)

14/2 My Best Ever Whitefish Weight

13.55lbs What My Scale Says I Had

Boater: Dwight "Hammer" Hammermeister (3rd Time I've fished a tournament with him)

Conditions: 72-96℉, Mostly Sunny to Mostly Cloudy, 0-4mph SW

The Day: We started off on the Southside of Lower Whitefish, where smallmouth spawn and Dwight had a bunch of beds GPSed. . Dennis was sitting there when we arrived. A good sign. About 10 minutes in, Dwight had his first smallie in the boat. He was sight fishing. I started throwing topwater because there was some activity on the surface, but I didn't get a hit.  Dwight put 3 or 4 smallmouths in the boat pretty quickly, and Dennis had his limit in the first half hour. I got a hit from something small on the 

Crackle Jerk Shad that came off about halfway back to the boat. I put on a Bluegill KVD Jerkbait and got a couple pike and a perch on that. After about an hour, Dennis left. Dwight got his fourth and fifth fish off of some deeper beds, both quality fish. I eventually tried throwing a Ned rig to bedders but didn't have any takers. The wind put a ripple on the water, so we got out of there around 9AM. We went to a nearby point where we could see largemouth swimming around, but I couldn't get any to bite other than one small fish that I threw back that I didn't bother to measure even though it was close to 12-inches.

By 9:30, we headed to Berth to fish docks.  We spent an hour and a half in there with only one fish for Dwight to show for it. We headed to the Pike River Inlet area, and I finally got on the board with a quality frog fish, but that was the only bite we got there. So next, we headed up to Arrowhead to see if maybe the slop was going there. Dwight got a frog fish in the first 10 minutes, then nothing. I switched to a swimbait and got a 13-incher on that, but that was the only bite. I tried a swim jig and missed a bite that felt pikey on that. With two hours left, we headed back to the starting spot in the hopes that Dwight could upgrade with a smallie and contend for the win. However,  Dennis was sitting there again. We went to a nearby secondary area. I ended up picking a solid 2.5lb largie off of a dock just letting the Dinger sit on the bottom. With that clue, we headed to some nearby isolated docks in search of my limit. I lost a really good fish right away but quickly rebounded with a two-pounder and two more keepers.   I ended up culling twice, including one off the last dock we fished in a Hay Lake.

Results: My fish weighed 14/2 which put me in 13th Place. Dwight had 19/1, which was only good enough for 8th😲. Keith Tuma blew the field away and the previous Club Record Bag taking 1st Place with 27/4 and Lunker with a 5/3 smallmouth. Dennis got 2nd with 21/10. I guess the key for Keith recognized that the big smallies were still pre-spawn; thus, he was looking for cruisers, not bedders. His Co-Angler Dave Smith also had a 20lb bag.

My Thoughts: I came in expecting the fishing to be pretty good, and it was, for the most part. I did, after all, catch one of my biggest bags as a Snatcher and my biggest of the 6 tournaments I've fished there. It just took me forever to get on the same page as the fish, which was frustrating. Thankfully the heat really didn't bother me, and I was comfortable all day.

Congrats to Tuma; that was impressive. 

Bonus Picture

Official Results

Snatchers at Whitefish, My Plan and Rods

 

Will Whitefish be on fire tomorrow?  It is going to be hot temperature-wise for sure. I wasn't able to get over there to pre-fish. Hammer, my boater, got out there twice. We will spend time going after large and smalls. If the smalls are chewing, it will probably take huge bags to compete, just like the last time we were there in 2019 when Chuck Fields set the Snatcher All-Time Record with 23lbs of fish. Hopefully, Dwight and I will hold up in the heat, and fishing is good. 

Rods I'm bringing:

7'4" H Tatula (Swimbait, Swim Jig)

7'H Mojo (Craw Tube/Jig)

7'2" MH Tatula (Chatterbaits)

7'M Avid (Swim Jig, Spinnerbait, swimbait)

6'8"M Avid (Topwater, Jerkbait)

Spinning Gear:

6'6" MH Abu Veritas (Flukes, Neko)

6'6" IMX 782 (Ned Rig)

2021 May Recap

 And just like that, Memorial Day is over, as is the month of May in 2021. The month started with so much promise due to the cold month of April. I thought the fishing was just going to bust wide open, but it really never did. Then I started having lower back issues, and when I finally got to the Chiropractor, which I put off when the parents were down in Florida, and the second adjustment didn't make things any better, I got concerned. I really don't want a replay of 2012 when lower back issues that developed around the same time ended up with me having to shut things down in August.  So I pulled way back on activity for the final week of May and mostly rested. I was out for over 3 hours on Memorial Day, and it definitely seems like my back is improving from where I was a couple of days ago.

Topwater fishing was mostly a disappointment in May. They just don't like falling water and low water levels. My top producing lure for the month was T.H.E. Jig, the lion's share of which was sunfish. The top bass producer was the craw tube.  Crappie numbers were dismal. Bass and walleye numbers were modest and below normal. Things aren't looking good for me, reaching my goal of 1,500 bass this year. May is the month that I usually rack the numbers up, and that didn't happen. Pike and sunfish numbers were good.

Highlights of the month were the two trips I took with Chuck and Lois Steinbauer on Platte Lake. Taking several trips with Steve, getting him a 4lb bass and 3 walleyes at the Jetty. And getting out a couple of times with Todd on opening weekend; We got on a good frog bite for about an hour on Sunday morning.

2021 Opener Recap: Tough/Disappointing

 

No Company at Midnight

I was pleasantly surprised nobody else was at the Jetty at Midnight, and there were plenty of eyeballs in the Harbor Mouth area, so that is where I started. It was basically calm. I ditched the plan to go with a Rippin Rap first to see if I could sight fish 'em first. Fish weren't interested. So I started blind casting and had a couple of bumps not hook up. I switched to a swimbait and had one on briefly. Then a couple guys showed up around 12:15 and started fishing off the Center Jetty. He was hooked up on his second cast. I decided to throw a Rippin Rap. The guy hooked up again, and I got a 20-inch eye on my first cast with the Rippin Rap. It was 20.5", so not quite a keeper. I forgot to bring a bucket and to take a picture. No big deal, the fish were going, and I would catch another, right? Wrong. I had a few more bites and lost two that were hooked up. One that I sight fished with a hair jig at the North Corner and one in the final 10-minutes that took the Frenzy Minnow that I fought all the way to the rocks. Probably a 23/24-inch fish. I did get my perch X-Rap back that I lost when I backlashed at about 12:30AM. It had drifted down to the North Corner when I caught the line and brought it in. When I left at 3:30, The other guys had caught 13 between them. I got a little spun out trying to catch the X-Rap rather than fish, and by the time I got back to fishing, they had shut off for the most part. So I left somewhat disappointed, but I got my X-Rap back, so I was a little lucky. 

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15.5" R2S Bubble Walker (Pearl)

2.75lbs/17" SK 3/16 Spin 

2.91lbs/17.5" Bully Wa 2

The first trip out in the Trophy was a mixed bag. I got started about 15-20 minutes later than I should have. Missed a hit on the Frenzy Popper on the second cast at the River Mouth, and the line and hook got fouled up on the hook set.  I did get my first bass on topwater on the Bubble Walker just as another guy entered the River Mouth. That was the only bite I got in the area. I started working my way down the western shoreline. Got a few bass and pike on a spinnerbait and chatterjig. Caught my first 17-incher and realized I hadn't prepared the scale like I had planned. So I stuck the fish in the livewell and got that situation straightened out. There were anglers out in front of me, so I started working toward the northern shoreline of the SPRO.  I had a big pike take that little spinnerbait. I had her all played out and in the net lifted halfway into the boat. The fish flopped out of the net into the lake and got off in an instant. That trainwreck turned what would have been a successful Opener into a disappointment. The pike had to be at least 37-inches long and the biggest I have ever had on at Platte Lake. I really wanted a picture with it. I could have had her in the boat but might have broken a rod had I let her flop out in the boat rather than over the water like I chose. Well, no crying over it. went back to fishing. Caught a few pike and bass on the flat. Came up to the curly left pondweed at the Intersection.  Got three 17-inchers there, including my first two frog bites. Lost the first one, got the second. Also lost a good fish on the LiveTarget Baitball Popper. Conditions were good, but I had to get home to take care of Kaylee, so I headed in at noon.

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16" Jackhammer

The DNR heading off in the distance

Todd and Steve had the dock in the water but didn't have most of the decking done. I got the boat ready and Todd and I headed out around 7PM. South Inlet Bay was a bust as was Access Across. We each got a bass in the SPRO. Todd's on the Jackhammer and mine on the LiveTarget Baitball Popper. Disappointing trip. Thought the fish would be suicidal. CO Vang came and checked us toward the end of the evening. He said it was really slow for most anglers. I think the falling clear water has them skittish and reluctant to get on the shallow flats. I missed far too many bites today. I didn't suggest Mille Lacs to Todd as I was tired and not happy with the evening's results. Steve had the dock finished when we returned.

 

 

Steve And I Hit the Jetty Tonight

22" Jerk Shad

21" Jerk Shad

21.5" Jerk Shad

18.5" Jerk Shad (Crackle)

I thought with the SE wind today things would be good at the Jetty. Steve was into it so off we went. Arrive at the Jetty, no wind no waves. I predicted it probably wouldn't be good until after 9PM and I was right. Steve got the first fish around 9:20PM and it was a 21.5" keeper. He would get two more, both in the keeper slot. I put on a crackle Jerk Shad with 3 minutes to go in the night and hooked into my only fish of the night on the first cast. I had Steve throwing the Ghost Shad Jerk Shad the whole time. Steve was fishing off of the Center Standing Rock. A native guy to the North of me at the North Corner got 4 fish as well. Steve lost a good one right before 10PM.

The Dock IS IN!

 Putting her in was a breeze with no decking reported Todd. Steve got the decking completed when Todd and I were out fishing. 

2021 Opener Plan

My Plan:

I have decided to leave for Eddy's at 11PM. That should assure I can get the North Corner on the Jetty. With a SE wind, that is the spot to be, and being there a half hour early should mean I get it. Todd isn't coming up until sometime tomorrow, and fishing at midnight for walleyes isn't appealing to Steve, so it will just be me. Unless the bite is ridiculously on fire, I'll be out of there by 3:30AM. That will give me enough time to get home to get a bite to eat and get reloaded to launch the Trophy by 5AM. I am doing that rain or shine, minus thunderstorms, of course. I want to be first at the river mouth. The first lure for Larry Bass is going to be a Frenzy Popper. But I think the star of the show could turn out to be hollow-body frogs in the dead rice, which is everywhere. If fish are going in the Sulivan Platte River Outlet, that is where I will spend the morning, fingers crossed. If not, I'll go to Platte and fish my way north. How long I stay out is totally dependent on the bite. I'll need to be back to take Kaylee out by noon, so I can't stay out forever. I will be out in the evening with Todd in the Trophy. I don't anticipate Todd wanting to give eyes a shot after dark at the Jetty, but I'll ask if he wants to give it a shot. Unless he wants to go, I think I will get some shut-eye and go at sunrise again in the Trophy with Todd on Sunday morning.  

2021 Opener Outlook

It looks like we are getting stable weather with a slight warming trend for the 2021 Opener. This should make for phenomenal fishing.

My Plan:

Sleep in on Friday, so I am raring to go come midnight. I should arrive at Eddy's at 20 to midnight if not sooner. I'm going to invite both of my brothers don't know if they are up for it or not.  I'll bring the spotlight and see what I can. I'm guessing water levels are up slightly from last Fall. If the North Corner is open that is where I will start. My guess is that there will be other people there fishing, but you never know. I expect to catch a few walleyes, but I don't think it will be a smash fest. If fishing is really good I'll stay until 3:30AM. 

Developing...More Later.

Fishing In April Was Disappointing

Screen Shot Taken 4/11

Taken 5/1

 I fished every day in April except for the 1st.  The weather was just too inconsistent for the fish to get comfortable. My Fish Per Hour number dropped by three and a half per hour. As tough as the fishing was I was rarely skunked and I caught 200 plus fish for the month thanks to the fact fishing picked up in the final few days. Disappointing, but not a disaster by any means.

My Neely Henry Elite Line Ups

 

Hoping Felix stays hot and Wendlandt bounces back strong.

Looking for home cooking for the Alabama Boys

One More Week Of April

 After the warm end of March, April just couldn't get its act together weather-wise to make for good fishing.  It was just about ready to start popping one week ago, and then that major cool-down happened. It looks like things are gonna change this week. I thought for sure we would be full-on post-spawn by Opener on the 15th, but the Full moon is tomorrow, and there is very few bass in shallow right now. It looks like the fish are set up to go gangbusters in May. Sucks that Opener doesn't happen this year until the month will be half gone. 

Got the Garmin 7sv on the Trophy Today

I finally got my act together, got the Garmin 7sv mounted on my carrier, and discovered that the Brocraft Transducer Arm and Scotty Mounts are compatible. If I had known that, I would have had the Garmin 7 ready right after I got the transducer arm a couple of weeks ago.  Now I've got to learn side imaging. Clear View is pretty self-explanatory.  
 

 Yep, my team had a solid Day 1. I can see Cox getting and Clark getting better on Day 2. I think Felix and Zaldain are the wild cards I need to be worried about. Zaldaingerous is a fitting nickname for that guy. 

My Lake Fork Fantasy Bass Fishing Squads

 

Drain The Lake Roster

Day 1 weigh-in is going on right now.  Feeling good about my main squad. If Felix has a solid Day 2, I may be headed somewhere. Drain the Lake not so much.

Rock Dock In

 The Rock Dock was in today. I think it may have been in the lake yesterday, but I absent-mindedly forgot to check yesterday. I had two bites tonight but didn't hook either one.  There was quite a bit of baitfish activity on the surface. I didn't get a fish at the GOMH either.  

The Cool Weather Snag Continues

 

For the next three days, we will be 10plus degrees under the average for high temps. Some bullheads had moved up on Saturday and Sunday apparently (Silver numbers were same ole same old). Will they stay? I am going to test that out this Monday morning.  I didn't get the Garmin side-imager in the boat this weekend. The second Covid shot messed with my energy levels. I've felt anywhere from 10% to 100% with most of the time being 60% and under. Hopefully, I'll be over the after-effects by Thursday when it warms up. 

We Have Hit A Snag In the Weather Dept.

 Looks like we are in for a slightly below-average stretch in the weather for the foreseeable future. As of today, the average high temp should be 54℉. We are still more than a month away from Opener, which isn't until May 15th this year. I am catching fish and am OK with struggling for a couple of weeks. I didn't start really getting fish last year until the 27th, though I did have a couple of double-digit days previous to that on April 19th (14 fish) and April 21st (11 fish). I hope to have my Garmin Side-Imager in the water by this upcoming weekend. That could possibly be a gamechanger for me in locating schools of crappie. I should probably start looking at Youtube videos to get me started on the learning curve. Better fishing lies ahead. I am confident of that.

Congrats to David Pecháček BFL Champion

 

David Pecháček is a young guy from MN that moved to Florida to pursue his bass fishing dreams. This weekend he won the Gator Division Phenoix Big 5 BFL on Lake Okeechobee.

Congrats Dave on the big win!

Josh Douglas And Pat Schlapper Giving SCHEELS Online Seminar On Tues. April 13th at 7PM

 

They will be giving good info and giving away prizes. Sign up here.

Top Review Geek

 

Top Review Geek is a website with the beginning fisherman and hunter in mind. From my short review of the site; It has a wealth of information available.

My Sabine River Fantasy Team

 

Some Silver On the 7th

 

12" THE Jig/Minnow (G/Pink)

Had my crap in order tonight, and Bear Trax got minnows. I got a couple silvers to pull my bobber under.