Uncle Sam Goes Off, Vikes 11-2

Put the tights and cape on the man, Uncle Sam turned into Super Sam; He along with Free 3, Jordan Addison, and Justin Jefferson, put on a show for Kirko, Viking Nation, and the world. It seemed to me that three weeks back, during the Titans game, things clicked for Uncle Sam and his play got locked in at a higher level. He was more confident, made better decisions, and let her rip every throw. With few exceptions, that has been Darnold ever since. Aaron Jones looked like he was close to being back to 100% yesterday. The O-Line had some problems early again but were rolling in the 2nd Half again.

The D continued to produce turnovers, but I'm a bit concerned about the lack of pass rush and leaky run game the last couple of games. Hopefully, an extra day before Da Bears tilt at home will give the D a "second-wind" that will allow them to get on a roll as the playoffs approach.

 

 

Vikes vs. Kirko Prediction

 

I believe Kirko gets the hook if he turns the ball over twice by halftime or three times by the fourth quarter.

Vikes 4th Quarter Comeback Gives Vikes 10th Win

10 And 2, Just Win, Baby!

The Vikes beat Kyler Murray and the Cards, who won the stat sheet except for the final score and turnovers. SKOL! 

Vikes Beat Da Bears, 9-2.

 

An insane comeback by the Bears results in the game going to OT. The Bears won the coin toss. The Vikes Defence came up big, and then Uncle Sam did work after getting sacked on first down taking us down the field quickly resulting in a Romo game-winning field goal.

3 Quick Thoughts:

1. Caleb Williams is an impressive QB. Just Wow! Lions better not sleep on him Thanksgiving Day.

2. Uncle Sam was locked in, and our Offensive weapons went off.

3. Aaron Jones looks healthy, and we need him to stay that way.

Final Thought:
The Cards and Kyler Murray are dangerous, but are they as dangerous as Uncle Sam and the Flores D. We will see next week. 

Bass Pundit's 20th Blogoversary Canceled

 I got a full hip replacement on November 19th and got out of the hospital the next day on my 20th Blogoversary. I had thought about the impending date and pre-publishing something but never got around to it.

It is now December 2nd. So I missed it. 

Vikes Win 3 In A Row, Now 8-2

 

I had a lot of questions three weeks ago, the last time I did some Vikings blogging. I still have quite a few questions, but as of right now, there are reasons for optimism. Cam Robinson is no Christian Darrisaw and Dalton Risner isn't a great run blocker, but these guys aren't to bad at pass pro. The O has not been hitting on all cylinders and the win 12-7 win in Jacksonville was ugly, but really was total domination by the Offence. The run game may be in a bit of a rut but if Darnold continues to be the guy we saw in Tennesee and not at Jacksonville, the sky is still the limit for this team. Hock and Addison are still getting acclimated to Darnold. 

The Defence with Cashman back in the lineup is dangerous and really tough to run on. 

Right now the Lions look unstoppable, but they have a trap game this week against the Colts, play the Bills in mid-December, and play the 9ers on the road the week before they play us. This horse race is far from over. We'll just have to see what the Vikes put on tape. 

Update: I didn't mention Green Bay at the Lions because I figured that Jordan Love's leg injury would be an ongoing impediment, but he got healed up after the bye week 

Trophy Out Of Platte For 2024

 I got my tackle out of the boat house in the morning. When I got home, I discovered the small pole barn garage door had been lowered too far, so I couldn't raise it. I was not happy.  Dad got home from church early, and I had the boat trailer hooked up and ready to go at the top of the driveway before the Vikings game started. The Vikes handled business in Nashville, and I headed to the Lake Place a bit after 3:30PM. I had a bit of a delay getting the Trophy started, and then off I went. Per usual, things didn't go totally smoothly getting the Trophy on the trailer, but we got it on the trailer and out of the water straight eventually. I was home before dark, and a couple of deer greeted me as I headed up the driveway.

On Monday evening, on his way home from work, Steve stopped by, and we got the pole barn door working again. It got dark quickly. I took the trolling motor off the boat, and Steve put the batteries in the basement. I got the cover on the boat as it started sprinkling. A couple of the long old bungee cords gave up the ghost, but I was able to get things strapped down. I managed to spill a little gas in the pole barn because of a moron chip malfunction when I tried to fill the boat's gas tank on an uneven surface. I wasn't a happy camper. I finally got things squared away and headed up to the house.

News On Minnesocold Bass Seasons

 

It looks like we have one more year of a closed bass season in MN before the state does away with a completely closed season for bass in favor of allowing catch and release fishing for bass year round.

My Final Fish of 2024

24.75" Jerk Shad (Chart Shad)

 

It turns out that this trip to the jetty on November 9th produced my final fish for 2024. Fall fishing pretty much sucked, and I didn't get out in the Trophy the final week I had it in the water, even though there were a couple of decent days I could have. My mind was distracted by the election and my upcoming hip surgery on the 19th. The 2024 Fishing Season was really good for big silver bullheads and that was about it. Not sure when I will get out fishing again, as I don't wnt to take any chance of injuring my new hip.

"And then depression set in"

 

I was still pretty high after the loss to the Lions; They barely beat us and Hockenson hadn't played yet. I figured Hock would be back for the Rams game except he wasn't. Puka Nacua was unexpectedly ready to play for the Rams. Son of a ... Just the spark the struggling Rams Offense needed. Cashman was a no-go at LB; The Defence struggled again with him out. The pass rush struggled to get pressure. Darrisaw tore his ACL and MCL. Uncle Sam nearly had his head ripped off on an uncalled Facemask Penalty in the endzone resulting in a game-sealing Safety for the Rams. Ridiculous! 

Oh, how the cruel winds of fate turned on my favorite team. Losing Darrisaw and the game basically assures that the Vikes will not be able to catch the Lions for the Division and the #1Seed. All my hopes and expectations went out the window with that loss. Losing one of the best Left Tackles in the NFL totally bites. How negatively will the running and passing game be affected? Right now, it's anybody's guess. 

Will the injury bug keep biting and bring down a once-promising season?

After the next three games, I think I will have a clearer grasp on where things are headed. Right, now things are muddied up. I think the picture is even darker for the Packers and their fate with a one-legged quarterback and the Lions coming to town this week.

Final Bass of 2024

 Despite several nice days between October 23rd and when I took the Trophy out of the lake on November 17th, I only went on two trips in the boat in that span, and I came up empty on Jumpers at the Grumpy Old Man Hole. So this little guy I caught off of the dock at the lake place was my last bass of 2024.

Huge Game This Sunday

 This is what I wrote over at IDO about the match-up with the Lions this Sunday. The Lions and Vikes are the premier teams in the NFC right now. The odds of the Vikes being the #1 Seed in the NFC go up significantly if the Vikes get the W. Will that happen? The Lions have to be the most feared team in the league right now.  I think the teams are fairly evenly matched with the Lions having the stronger Offense currently and the Vikes with the better Defense. It is a true toss-up from my perspective. This game could go in any direction at any time. It could be a blowout in either direction or be nip and tuck from start to finish depending on how the ball bounces and the success or failure of game plans on all sides of the ball. The teams don't play again in the final game of the regular season. Who knows what will happen between this week and that match-up in January? Either team could be injury-depleted or both could be the juggernauts they have been to this point. A Vikes win this week is a big step toward making that final game in Detriot meaningless, but there is a lot of football yet to be played between now and January.

SKOL Vikings!

 

Vikes Take Care of Business In London, Defeat A A Ron

 The Offense and aspects of the Special Teams did not play well, but the Defense and other aspects of the Special Teams were on point, so we won the game in a squeaker. Uncle Sam made bad decisions and bad throws. AJ got injured. We had the Jets Defence on the ropes and didn't press the advantage when we had the chance to impose our will in the running game when we were ahead in the first half. The Special Teams had multiple screw-ups that cost the team.  It was a sloppy, but we got the W. Now we have the bye week. Hopefully, AJ's hip injury isn't that serious and the team comes out refreshed and ready vs. the Lions in a couple of weeks.

Vikes D picked off A A Ron three times including the dagger in the final minute. Flores won the chess match vs. Rodgers pretty convincingly. If other aspects of the team could shoot straight they would have won easily. 

4-0, Vikes Win At Lambert

 

The ref's made this game closer than it was by not overturning the Darnold INT call. KOC needs to run more often. Addison is so fricken good as is Jets and AJ. Who is going to beat this team? The Jags, SeaChickens, or Lions at home maybe. I don't see this squad losing at home. This team is elite and the front-runner for the #1 Spot in the NFC.

Farm Island Plan And Rods I'm Bringing

If nothing else I plan to eat good

The Plan: We got out prefishing for a few hours on a cold Sunday morning, that warmed up quickly. We didn't find much. Basically, my plan right now is to fish some cabbage in the morning trying to get a limit; then hope I can frog up some pigs in the reeds and slop in the late morning and afternoon. I don't think getting a limit will be a problem unless the lake is really off.

Goals:

1. Catch a limit.
2. Somehow beat Tuma.
3. Be the top Co-Angler

4. Finish in the Top 5.

5. Catch the tournament Lunker

Rods I'm Bringing:

7'4" H Tatula Elite (Frog)

7'4" H Tatula (Spinnerbait, Swim Worm,Frog, Swim Jig)

7'4" H Tatula (ToadZ, Pop ShadZ)

7' MH Mojo (Wake, Chatterbait)

7' H Avid (Texas Rig)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Jig, Swim Jig, Chatterbait, Spinnerbait)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Buzzbait)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (FC) (Jig, Fluke, Texas Rig, Dinger, Ozark Rig)

6'8" M Avid (Topwater)

Bold indicates what I will have on the rod at the start of the day.

3-0 Vikes Dominate Texans, On to Packers Week

 

Vikes with a great team win. Next week we roll into Lambert to face the Cheese. Will Love be back in the drivers seat? Or will the Pack keep going with Willis? It should be a good game. Turnovers will be key.  

My Snatcher Tournament Recap of Sept 7th on the Crow Wing/Gull River

 

The Winning Trio

 Weather: 50-70℉, Mostly Sunny w/some fog in the morning, 2-9mph SSE

My Thoughts Going In: My boater was quite confident that we would both be able to get a limit. I have never done that in a Snatcher Tournament on a river, so I was hopeful but not counting my chickens yet. This has not been my year.

The Day:

It was a beautiful slightly foggy morning take-off. I wish I would have taken a photo. We should have stopped at the bridge because nobody was fishing off of it. At our first stop up the Gull River Tyler was getting bites immediately on his frog but missed the first two or three; then he got a pike. He said he got a bunch of pike prefishing on the frog. He continued to get blowups but wasn't converting any of them into hookups. I had a couple of fish swirl on me in the cheese and duckweed, but not actually make an attempt to eat the frog. Tyler finally hooked into a bass and got the skunk out of the boat. Shortly after that, I had a fish blow up and take the frog, but I came up empty on the hookset. We ended up reworking the area at my suggestion and Tyler got his second fish in the boat. 

We then went back downriver to another slop area where Tyler had some big fish show themselves. It was dead for quite a while. I finally got my first bass in the boat. It was right in the middle of a cheese mat and it took four attempts for it to get my frog. I should have told Tyler to cast to the spot a few times to make sure there wasn't more than one fish there. By the time I was ready to fish again, we had moved on. About 15 minutes later I got a small keeper out of some pads. 

We went back to the starting spot and came up empty, but then just went across the river into a little cut and I frogged up my third fish. We then headed to the rice at the confluence. A guy on the bridge had a three-pound smallmouth as we passed under.  There was some activity at the confluence, but we were not getting bit. I finally had a good bass blow up on my frog after I saw some movement behind my frog; I laid the wood to her, but she buried me in the junk and got off. I couldn't believe it. That coontail/milfoil was like getting stuck in concrete. Eventually, we went back up the Gull and refished the areas in the morning from closest to farthest. Tyler got a couple of keepers inside of the cuts and I got my fourth and final bass on a spinerbait. We both missed at least a couple of blow-ups in the final hour. I should have been throwing a frog instead of that Snag Proof Popper with little hooks. No limit for me yet again on a river.

Results: 14th Place, Ugh! But I'm lucky it wasn't far worse as Ludenia, Tim, and Larry didn't catch 'em.

Sarah won her second Co-Angler Challenge this year.

My Thoughts: It just wasn't my day yet again.  Hearing that Tuma, Smitty, and Sarah crushed them on frogs is a heart smasher. I should have known those little hooks on that Snagproof Popper made hooking fish risky.  Frustrating year. 

Grade: D When they are biting on frogs I should have gotten a limit.

2-0, Lions, Pack, And Bears Say "Oh Crap!..."

 

...the Vikes are one of the best teams in the league. 

The Vikings victory over the 49ers was hella impressive. The Vikes were the better team against the top of the class in the NFC, straight up. The Vike's composure held in the midst of taking haymakers from the 49ers on both sides of the ball. This was a heavyweight fight and the Vikes came out victorious. This wasn't a fluke, in my opinion, this Viking squad is impressive. If the team stays healthy the sky is the limit.

Let's Go Purple!

  

Vikes 1-0, Uncle Sam Performs Well

 

D Feasts, Van Ginkel Pick 6 for the Dagger! Aaron Jones is who I thought he was, thanks Pack! Uncle Sam gets it done in game one. 

Kirk is who he is Falcons 0-1.

Gull/Crow Wing River Plan and Rods I'm Bringing

 The Plan: I drew Snatcher Rookie Tyler for my boater. I think if we get any smallmouth it will be accidental. Plan A is to frog 'em up. Plan B: Jigs and spinnerbaits if they are not hitting on top.

Goals:

1. Catch a bass that goes at least 5/8 

2. Get a limit. (I have never caught a limit in any of the the previous four Snatcher tournaments on a river.)

3. Place in the Top 5

4. Win Co-Angler Cash, and both Lunker Pots

Rods I'm Bringing:

7'4" H Tatula Elite (Frog)

7'4" H Tatula (Frog)

7'4" H Tatula (Toadz)

7'4" H Tatula  (Worm)

7'4" H Zillion (Punching)

6'10" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Jig,Spinnerbait,Buzzbait,Chatterbait)

6'10" H Tatula Elite  (FC) (Jig,Spinnerbait,Craw Texas Rig)

6'10" MH Tatula (Swim Jig, Chatterbait)

As Unlce Sam Goes, So Does The Vikings Season

 The NFL season is almost upon us. The Kirk Cousins experiment ended in a whimper. I didn't think JJ McCarthy would start this year and his unfortunate knee injury ensures that is the case. So we are left with Uncle Sam to lead the Vikings to the promised land this season. I don't much about Uncle Sam other than he was Drafted 3rd in 2018 by the hapless Jets. This is probably Sam's last chance to prove he can be a trusted NFL starting QB. The Vikings O has weapons and a QB Guru Head Coach. I think he is going to open some eyes; His arm talent has always been there. It's decision-making and talent around him that have always held Sam back. Knowing this is his last best opportunity to make it will certainly concentrate his mind. He is older and wiser. If he stays healthy I think it will be a breakout season.

As Uncle Sam goes, so goes the team. Don't crash the car, man!

Snatcher Pelican Lake Plan and Rods I'm Bringing

The Plan: This is only the third time I've drawn "Smitty" as my boater. The first two times I struggled to catch them, so I think I'm due. The plan is to fish thick shallow cover, which is what I love to do. If the frog bite is on, it will be AWWWWWWWWN!

Tournament Goals:

1. Get a limit.

2. Finish in the Top 3

3. Be the top Co-angler
4. Catch the day's lunker.

Rods I'm Bringing:

7'4" H Tatula Elite (Frog)

7'4" H Tatula (Frog, Swimjig)

7'4" H Tatula (Toaz, Swimjig)

7'4" H Zillion (Jig,Craw Tube, Jig,Chatter)

7' H Avid (Craw Tube)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Jig,Fluke,Chatter)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (FC) (Jig,Fluke,Dinger,Chatter)

6'8" M Avid (Topwater)

Rick Clunn Calls It A Career At The Elite Level, Today

One of the greatest and most successful professional bass fishermen of all time announced he would not be back on the Elite Series next year. Rick Clunn fished at the top level of B.A.S.S. for an amazing 50 years. He still plans to fish a few select Bassmaster Opens and a few other events. Over the last few years I have grown to appreciate this man's wisdom and character. He is one of a kind.

You will be missed Mr. Clunn.

I hope the various bass fishing podcasters don't forget about Rick and will continue bringing him on as a guest. He is as thoughtful of angler as there ever has been. 
 

Lake Champlain Fantasy, Try, Try, Again

 It has not been a banner year for me in Fantasy Bass Fishing. For whatever reason, my picks just haven't been working out this year. There are two tournaments left over the next two weeks for me to find my mojo and win some cash and prizes; it has been a couple of years; I'm due. 

I predict the Sleepy Assassin wins this week.

 

BP Is Drinking The Purple Kool-Aid On JJ McCathy

 

What's the worst that can happen? I'm wrong, big deal. Go big or go home. Get a few Lombardi's for us just like that other Michigan Alum! Starting next year. I want Sam Darnold to drive the Ferrari like he stole it this year and keep JJ on the bench for a year.

Snatcher Mission Lake Plan and Rods I'm bringing

Snatcher Al And I Ride Again

 

The Plan: Catch me some big bass!

Goals:

1. Get a limit (I failed to do this back in 2020 on Mission, Al was my boater then as well.)

2. Win Co-Angler Challenge

3. Get the days Lunker

4.  Finish in the Top 5

Rods:
I'm bringing:

7'4" H Tatula Elite (Frog)

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

7'4" H Tatula (Chatterbait)
7'4" H Zillion (Swimbait)

7'4" H Tatula (Swim Worm)

7' H Avid (Craw Tube)

6'10" MH Tatula (Chatterbait, Ned, Ozark Rig, Neko)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (FC) (Jig,Chatterbait, Spinnerbait, Craw Tube, Ozark Rig, Fluke, Dark Sleeper)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Jig, Chatterbait, Spinnerbait)

I Give You Jay Kumar

 From the latest Bass Blaster eMail.

Jay commented on the Texas DNR equivalent about how they don't view forward-facing sonar as a threat to crappie populations in their state. Of course, the threat that FFS poses depends on the individual fishery itself with smaller bodies of water being the most susceptible to overfishing. Larger bodies of water are extremely tough to impact crappie populations if they are somewhat fertile for panfish. For example, there will be way more fish than fishermen on Lake Minnetonka here in MN. Only X percent of fishermen are going to shell out the money for FFS. X percent of those guys are dedicated crappie meat fishermen who eat crappie a couple of times a week. The vast majority of fishermen are not X. Smaller bodies of water are susceptible to overharvest of crappie, the population crashes, and then the lake's reputation among fishermen crashes; People ignore it for a few years until the population builds back up and the boom-bust cycle repeats. It has happened in smaller MN fisheries for years, even pre-social media. Word got out on a hot bite.    

Snatcher Little Boy/Wabedo Plan, Goals, and Rods I'm Using

 The Plan: Pre-fishing with Chuck didn't give me much to hang my hat on, and conditions will be different on tournament day. So the plan is to wing it and hope I can find something the fish want during the tournament.  Ideally bass will be hitting on a frog and buzzbait and I won't have to resort to finesse. I'm not sure how much attention we are going to smallies, if any.

Goals:

Catch a bass 5/8 or bigger

Win the Lunker Pot

Catch a limit

Finish in the Top 5

Win the Co-Angler Challenge

Rods I'm Bringing:

7'4"H Tatula Elite (Frog)

7'4" H Tatula Gen 2 (Frog)

7'4" H Zillion (Buzzbait, Swim Worm)

6'10" MH (FC15)(Chatter, Texas Rig, Ozark Rig, Ned Rig)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Jig)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (FC17) (Jig, Texas Rig)

6'8" Avid (Topwater, Jerkbait, Ned)

6'6" MH Abu Veritas (Fluke, Dinger, Ned)

My Snatcher Lake Osakis Tournament Recap June 1st

Pre-fishing with Darren, his first cast of the morning

Also some pre-fish

Top 3 (Tuma, Sarah, Darren)

Conditions: 50-74℉, Mostly Sunny, 2-9mph WSW

The Day:

I thought I had everything packed and ready to go, nope. Forgot to pack my terminal tackle fanny pack. I also forgot to bring my phone with me to the boat, so I had to walk back to the car and get it. Our Plan A spot in some reeds up the lake was not happening, so after a fruitless hour, we bailed and headed further up the lake and tried a few points and docks getting nothing. We did watch Snatcher Ludenia catch something during that stretch. We went to the smallie area and I got a short smallie on my very first cast with the Stunna. Dennis and Nate joined us in this area, both boats were struggling. I got a 2lb smallie on the Stunna as well as a Rock Bass on the Stunna before we left. It was now about mid-day so we went back to Plan A again; Darren got a keeper in the boat quickly and  I got a ToadZ keeper shortly after. This was the time of day Darren discovered his pattern and it held true. Slow but consistent throwing a jig in the deeper reeds.  Darren then caught the next 4 fish including some really nice ones. He got his fifth fish back where we started the day. I lost two Hack Attack jigs in short order We were just about ready to head South when we got into an active area. I was fishing with my life jacket on anticipating the move. I got my third keeper then lost two good blowups when my jerry-rigged ToadZ because the split ring on the Gami doesn't play well with a Power Clip. Shortly after that trainwreck, we headed South. Darren got a nice one to fill his limit or maybe it was a cull. He was in disbelief he got that bite. The day ended with me being extremely frustrated and angry over the blown opportunity for me near the end.

Results:

My 3 fish put me in a dismal 18th Place out of 20 anglers fishing. First Place and Lunker went to Snatcher Tuma 24/3 and 4/3 all smallies. 2nd Place and Co-Angler Challenge winner went to Snatcher Sarah "The Senko Queen"with 18/14, all largies, and 3rd Place went to my boater Snatcher Darren with 16/8.

My Thoughts:

High hopes dashed; I should have double-checked my stuff to make sure I had everything. Learning that Power Clips and those ringed  EWG hooks don't go together well was an unlucky break. Bad taste in my mouth from this one. But I am happy that Darren's pattern held up and was good enough to get some wood. I'm quite surprised nobody caught a 5lb bass. Hopefully, this will be my throw-out tournament for the year. 

Tournament Grade: D

Opportunity called at the end of the day and I missed it, sucks