First Fish of 2026 (1/7/26)

 

I finally got out fishing in 2026. I decided to go to Rock instead of Peavy. Ice fishing is such a PITA, when I am in exploring mode. I was inefficient and rusty, wasting good daylight, when I should have just set up when I found a pile of sunfish. 

1st Bullhead and Fish of 2025 (3/11/25)

 

Persistence paid off tonight, as I caught a bullhead just before I was going to quit for the night after not getting anything for 40 minutes. I thought for sure I was going to get skunked again. You just never know at the Grumpy Old Man Hole. I thought I hooked a stick and I had to bump it with the rod to get it to swim away.

1st Bullhead Of 2024 (2/20/24)

 It was a nice day, 44℉, but I was in turtle mode after I woke up, so ice fishing was out. I decided to pack up a tackle bag, and some long rods and head to The Grumpy Old Man Hole. I figured I'd be skunked, but you never know at the GOMH. I had been casting the spinnerbait around for about 10 minutes and was just about to switch to something else when the bullhead struck. No skunk, and a new record for my earliest open water bullhead; The previous record was February 27th, 2016. 

1st Bullhead of Open Water 2023 (Winter Kill)

 

There was a parade of floaters flowing in from Platte Lake today. So much so that I had to check things out at the cabin and see what was up there. Only saw a pike, sunfish, and bass there. Went back to the Grumpy Old Man Hole. Lost a toothy and, about 10 minutes later, snagged this jumper in the pelvic fin. A bullhead is a bullhead. The skunk streak is over. Stayed after dark and only saw a few baitfish.

1st Fish Of 2023

 

8" Cubby Mini-Mite (Glow)

Turns out I was wrong about no traffic on the lake. I guess it got pounded in December because the bite was on fire and then it really slowed down, probably due to the schools being atomized by Livescope.

1st Fish of 2022 Caught January 4th

 

This is actually the 2nd Fish

First Trip, First Fish, BOOM!

Got 22 Crappies for the trip. Missed quite a few bites as well. Full report at the Log Blog 

4/2, 1st Open Water Fish of 21 Comes From Rock!

13" THE Jig (Glow/Pink)

License On the Trophy today

Went down front after working on the boat.

 I fished 3 different times today. First was at the GOMH on my way to the Lake Place. Didn't get anything and had my hat blown off. I got the boat ready to go in the water tomorrow. I stopped at Rock Lake to see if the Rock Dock was in; it wasn't. I only had a few minutes before I had to get the car home. On my very last cast a bass took the jig and made 2021 fishing history being my first landed fish out of open water in 2021. Turns out when I got home that the rents decided not to go to Good Friday. I ate pancakes for dinner then headed back out after 7:00PM. I stopped at Bulldog, Rock, and GOMH. Nobody else out fishing surprisingly enough. It had calmed down enough that I was able to hear swans taking off on the other side of Rock Lake. I didn't get a bite, but I did get some clipping done at the GOMH.  

1st Fish of 2021

8" Glow Demon/Minnow

4:00-6:00PM 13' Platte Lake Access

33℉,  PC, 

Headed straight out from the access. There was one truck off to the East of the access. Didn't mark anything in the first set of holes. Marked stuff in the second set of holes. Couldn't feel the bites or wasn't patient enough. Got one crip on the Demon/minnow. And had the bobber taken down a couple times. I suck. Not enough visibility for the camera.

1 Crip

2020 Platte Lake Ice Out(4/8/20) (Also Rock and Long)

View to the West Platte Lake Access

View to the NE Platte Lake Public Access

View toward Jenny's

Scattered ice and foam off of West Point at the current break.  It was really rolling out there.

Rock Lake looking NE

Rock Lake looking SE

I hit my ice-out prediction on the nose, April 8th it is.  Today's heavy winds were enough to bust up the ice on all but the extreme north on Platte Lake.  Jenny's to the Public access was doable so it's official ice-out day on Platte.  Rock and Long went out as well.

I caught my first bullhead of the year as well.

I also got the Trophy vacuumed out.  Steve was working so I just vacuumed it in place in the garage. I also discovered two more Mad Maxx's (Big Sexy & Bluegrass) that I had given to Steve three years ago.  He had them down in storage in Florida when he moved up here the first time.

Yes A Big Sexy

Sullivan went on the 9th.

I Gots Me A Bullhead

7" Cubby Mini-Mite/Minnow

6:30-9:30AM GOMH, Bulldog, Rock
38-44℉, Partly Cloudy, 3-8mph W

So I took my first-morning open water trip of 2020 this morning.  I got a bite, finally. It was none other than a tiger bullhead; First time that has ever happened for a first fish in open water.  I got it on the SE side.  John W. showed up as I was posting to Instagram.  I ended up getting his phone # before he left.
I was back on the SW side ad I made a cast into the hay area.  The bobber was drifting at a steady pace in the wind when it just stopped moving and turned sideway.  Thinking it was caught on a weed I didn't set the hook.  I'm pretty sure I rolled a big jumper because I saw a lot of white.  That was my last bite.

I also tried Bulldog and Rock without any success.

In the afternoon I vacuumed out the Trophy and discovered some treasure I had given to Steve three years ago that he left in Florida when he moved up here the first time. Two Madd Maxx Frogs (Big Sexy and Bluegrass).

I should have done this last year before I put it in the garage

Score

Clear at Jenny's

Heavy Wave with a brisk SW Wind

The vacuuming took longer than expected.  It was filthy and I had to stop for a break to get something to eat.  Steve gave me an energy bar that did the trick.  After I was done I went down to the boathouse and discovered the rods that I accidentally left there last winter.  I had intended to go back and get them late last Fall, but it slipped my mind.

Because I didn't get out of there until after 5 o'clock I went straight home rather than fish.  I ended up eating a Porky Burger which held me up until after 7PM.  When I crossed 27 conditions turned nasty fast.  Heavy snow and wind.  I was like dang.  By the time I got to Church the sun was beginning to poke out.  I went to Bulldog first, nothing biting.  It looked like ice was still on 40-50%.  Then I went to Rock briefly, the ice was out.  I drove Platte Lake drive and could see ice in the North Bay and some along the NW side of the Big Island.  I then drove to the Platte Lake Public Access which was totally ice-free, so Platte Lake ice out is official at Bass Pundit

 

First Fish of 2020

7.5" VMC Fly & Maggies (Pink)

5:00-7:30PM Sullivan 25' Sun Spot
36-31℉, Cloudy, 2-5mph SW
25'

It was lightly snowing when I arrived at the NE Sullivan Access.  I elected to walk out, but I could have driven.  I'm lucky I didn't fall before I came to my senses and put the spikes on.  I used the GPS to find the 25' Sunfish Hole. I drilled two holes.  I originally had something come in at 15-feet. Didn't feel a bite.  After whatever it was moved out. I put the Aqua View down, not much visibility but I did see a pretty good-sized sunfish.  I missed a few bites on a spoon and the VMC fly before I finally landed one.  One was all I got and I threw it back.  Think I'm going to try Bulldog tomorrow.

1st Bullhead of 2019 (4/6/19)

20.5" Cubby Mini-Mite (Glow)

About the same as yesterday

7:35-8:20PM GOMH SW NE
45℉, Cloudy fog, 5mph NE

I stayed to watch Auburn go down to Virginia at the Final Four then headed out expecting to get another skunk, but that was not to be.  I started on the SW side and didn't get anything.  I switched to the NE side.  Sure enough, a bullhead pulled my bobber under and I landed my first fish of 2019.

The weather was once again running at least 5 degrees below the forecast.  It was foggy as well.  The one positive is that it didn't get under 40-degrees last night.  Maybe it will be warmer tomorrow.

1st Open Water Bullhead of the Year

19" STX

3:45-5:00PM
Conditions: 54 degrees, light S wind, mostly sunny, water level is really low.

My Fish Trap doesn't fit in the Kia Soul but my long rods do, so I went to the Grumpy Old Man Hole to try a little open water fishing.  I didn't expect to catch anything, but you never know at the GOMH.  I fished the SW side with a blue/silver STX and didn't see any signs of life.  I then fished the area with a bluegill D & M Piranha.  Still nothing.  Then I tried a chartreuse/white STX and a fish swiped and missed.  I let it sit for about 5 seconds then twitched it a couple of times and BAM! Fish On!  A 19" toothy bullhead is my first open water fish of the year on February 27th; The earliest first open water fish since moving North in 2003.  I fished a few more lures on the SW side and then tried the NE side where there wasn't very much open water.  Nothing on the NE side.

Fishing Season ends tomorrow for pike, bass, and walleye, so I may give the GOMH one last shot tomorrow, if it gets above freezing.  I might go ice fishing tomorrow as well.

All the open water I had on the Sullivan side.

No Fooling, 1st Bullhead of the Year!

19" Glow Cubby Mini-Mite

5:30-8:00PM
Conditions: Warm and breezy out of the South, some clouds, some sun.  Thunderstorms popping up to the East and SE.

Tonight I went to visit Jenny to see her quilts after that the plan was to look at the lakes and maybe throw a line in the water.  I was surprised by how open the water was at Bulldog Lake.  I would say it was 15% Open.

(Click to Enlarge Pictures)
Looking to the NE from Access

Looking SE from the Access

Rock Lake didn't look open at all; The same with the East end of Platte Lake.  I was surprised by how open Sullivan and Platte were at the GOMH.

Platte River Outlet Area 85% Open.  Ice was in the area by the river mouth. And water was open well into Sullivan Lake itself.

Chanel Inn Bay and all the way past the South Island

With the amount of water the lakes should be open by some time early next week.  I was planning to leave to watch Survivor tonight, but it was so warm I decided to stay and keep fishing.  I was fishing in shorts and a T-Shirt under my Cabela's jacket.

You can see how low the water level is in this picture.

On a whim I decided to go and fish the Platte side where it was calm.  That is where I got the fish.

 It was quite a night with swans, ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes flying over making a racket.  It finally calmed down and the moon came out for a bit.