Snatcher Lake Edward Preview: Part 1

 

Yes, Part 1 is being written and released after Part 2. My prerogative as a blogger to do things that way.

My History with Lake Edward:

Today will be my third tournament on Lake Edward. I'm not sure why the club didn't fish the lake between 1989 and 2017. Access issues, maybe? I'm sure I have heard the story; I just can't remember it. My introduction to the lake in 2018 was positive. I recorded that I caught 18 fish that day.

Light bulb moment, just happened. I am going to add "Bass Snatchers Tourny" to my Fish Swami Fishing Partners list, so all of my Tournaments will be easily searchable once I get them all documented that way. I think I will also make a list of days I pre-fished as well.

The second tournament day, pre-fish and tournament, was plagued by wind. Not a good thing for Edward, which is just a wide open basin pretty much. It looks like wind will be a factor today. It isn't supposed to blow hard hard, but anything above 5 mph is going to have half of the lake rocking and rolling. It is also supposed to be cloudy to partly cloudy, which is usually a positive for clear bodies of water such as Edward.

I had some pretty good finishes in July and some real stinkers, like last year's Last-Place finish on Mission Lake. The 2025 Season has been off to a terrible start. Hopefully, Arnie's fish are there and chewing. That is the secret to success in July, drawing a boater on a school or pattern that is on and stays on long enough to put together a solid bag. 

Wish me luck!

Snatcher's Lake Edward Preview Part 2: Rods and Plan

 

The Plan: I will be blasting out in boat #1 with Ranger Arnie. He will forever be Ranger Arnie here at Bass Pundit, even though he is a part-time Snatcher now. This will be the first time I fish with Arnie as a Snatcher. I did draw him for my boater for the Challenge Cup on Platte/Sullivan back in 2019 when I got skunked. Arnie may have been skunked as well, but I think he caught one keeper bass. 

Arnie took two trips, prefishing for Edward, and did well fishing the cabbage, so that is where we will no doubt spend the majority of our time. I will start with a buzzbait, but quickly switch to a jig and Texas rig if Arnie is catching them and I'm not. If it's a tough bite, I'll go to a free rig, Ned, and Neko. 

Rods I'm bringing:

7'6" H Tatula (Jig)

7'4" H Tatula (Toad, Frog, Jig, Buzzbait) Just in case Arnie has a reed spot.

7'3" MH St. Criox Legend Tournament (Free Rig)

7' H St. Croix Avid (Texas Rig)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (FC) (Flukes, Neko,  Dark Sleeper, Chatterbait, Spinnerbait)

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

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Dark Sleeper)

6'6" GLX 783 (Jig Worm, Dark Sleeper, Ned, Jerkbait, Paddletail) 

Spinning:

6'6" Abu Veritas (Neko Rig, Ned Rig)

My Lake Edward Snatcher Tournament Recap

 

Mick Ziebell 19/03 Lunker 3/15

2/15oz R2S Bully Wa 2

What My Scale said I had

Conditions: 63-85℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-15mphSW

My Day: We got all the boats launched, then we headed to our starting spot, which was just to the South of the Public Access in the reeds. We worked our way South along the reed line with Beau pitching a jig and me throwing a frog. I think I got the first bite of the morning in some pads and reeds up by the shore. It was a small fish that got off after I had reeled it in about 10 feet. I am pretty sure it was a bass, but I'm not 100% certain. The reeds came to an end, and we worked the cattails and docks for a little bit with Beau catching two pike.  It wasn't happing, so we ran to some other reeds. I got the first keeper in the boat with the frog. Beau then caught a 2lber on a jig. Shortly after that, I got my final keeper of the day on the frog. As we worked the reeds. I would get hung up occasionally. I would put about 15lbs of pressure on my 50lb braid, and my line kept breaking, frustrating. After about the 5th time that happened, I switched to a different rod. Beau got his second keeper and missed some bites. Beau spotted what he swore was a muskie. I saw the fish but only saw its back.  I had a fish swirl on the frog but not get it. Neither Beau nor I could get it to bite again.  Beau switched to a Senko and got a couple of good fish. I switched to a Yum Dinger and missed one bite. The wind came up, and we headed to a weedline spot. I missed a couple of bites on the Havoc Pit Boss. Beau filled out his limit on the Senko. I switched to a Yum Dinger and got a couple dinks and a pike on that, and the day ended with me only getting two keepers. I thought maybe I was headed for a last-place finish, but it turns out lots of people struggled on this hot, windy day.

Results: My two fish weighed 4/05, which put me in 15th Place out of 21 anglers.   Mick Ziebell won the tournament with 19/03 and got Lunker with a 3/15 fish. Dave Smith got 2nd Place and won the Co-Angler Cash out of Dennis Lothspeich's boat. Great Job, Dave! Nate Steinbauer got 3rd. Beau came in 4th.

My Thoughts: What a frustrating day. I let the frustration get to me with Beau catching fish and me not getting bites. I think I just fished too fast and didn't concentrate on what I was doing enough. Once we left the reeds, I just couldn't get settled in mentally and didn't fish well at all. Thankfully we have two more tournaments this year for things to come together for me. On to Leech.

Snatcher's at Lake Edward, The Plan And My Rods

 

My boater Beau Bacon has spent a lot of time on Lake Edward. What we are hoping is that hawgs are up in the reeds. We will go out deep if it just isn't happening, but the hope is the reeds play.

The Rods I'm Bringing: 

7'4" H Zillion (Jig)

7'4" H Tatula (Frog)

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

7'2" H Tatula (Craw Tube)

6'6" MH 763GLX (Jig, Neko)

Spinning:

6'6"MH Veritas (Fluke, Ned)

Snatchers Lake Edward Tournament Full Report

3/1 Chigger Craw (Sapphire Blue)

Conditions: 67-87℉, Sunny turning partly cloudy, Calm for most of the day.

My Day:
We were the 2nd to the last boat to blast off in a 14 boat field.  Unfortunately, Dennis Lothspeich had found the same school of fish and was landing a fish as we arrived.  Dennis was sitting right on the juice, but there were fish all over the place in this weed bed.  I'm not actually totally sure what we were fishing.  It was quite a ways offshore and had cabbage and some coontail.  Dennis continued to catch fish as did his Co-Beau and my boater Nate over the first 20 minutes or so.  I missed one hit on the craw tube.  I switched to a much smaller sized sinker.  Still no fish.  Then Dennis clued me in me in when he said he switched from his jig and stopped getting bit.  He went back to the jig and got bit right away.  I picked up my rod with a 1/2oz Hack Attack Jig and had my first fish on within a couple of minutes (2.64lber). Unfortunately, the hook got caught in the net and it took me a while to get it free. The fish ended up dying with about 2 hours left in the day, oh well.  I caught a couple more 2lber pretty quick.  Beau had a really good fish come off right beside the boat before Dennis could get a net under it.  Then the action seemed to slow for everyone.  I put on a sapphire blue Chigger Craw and missed a fish on my first cast.  I threw right back to the spot and got my big fish of the day.  I got another fish on the Chigger Craw.  Nate had a really good one just come off.  Dennis and Beau left.  I switched back to the Hack Jig and got my limit fish.  After having fished the spot for a good hour and a half we left.

We went to an offshore spot where Nate got a 4lber pre-fishing.  He hooked up with a good one, but it jumped right away and threw the hook.  We then went to what I assume was a weedline spot and I think Nate caught a pike.  We then moved in to try some reeds and cane.  There were a number of Snatcher boats fishing this particular area.  Nate got his limit fish in the reeds, then got a cull on a dock.  We then went to another reed bed where Nate's dad, Snatcher Chuck was just leaving.  Chuck came over to see how we were doing.  He said he had about 11 or 12lbs.  Nate got one fish in the reeds, and we didn't stay long.

We went back to the starting spot.  I think Chuck was there catching a fish as we arrived.  I switched up to a Yum Dinger and started culling up by ozs at a time.  Dave Branum and Al Steinbauer fished through the general area.  Dennis showed up again, caught a couple of fish and then left.

We went back to the spot where the good one jumped Nate off earlier.  I got a small cull on the Dinger right after Nate said this is the spot.

We went back to the starting spot.  I think Nate got a small cull or two and maybe I culled up once on the Dinger. Then Chuck showed up and both he and his Co-Bruce landed good ones right in front of us.  "That no good, low down, spot stealing son of a ...".  I did pick up a tip about a lure to throw at our next tournament at Pelican Lake from Chuck.  I started throwing a breen chigger Craw and made a couple of more small culls as well as getting a few that didn't help.

We gave the spot where the fish jumped Nate off one more quick try, but there was a boat pretty much sitting on it.  And the day was over.

Results:  My limit weighed 15lbs 2ozs minus a 2oz dead fish penalty, which put me in 7th Place.  However, I had the top weight among all non-boaters, so I won the first ever Co-Angler Challenge and $37.  Nate had 16lbs 2ozs, which put him in 4th Place 4ozs back of his dad who came in 3rd.  The tournament was won by Dennis Lothspeich with 17/15.  Lunker weighed 3/11 and was caught by Conrad Bye.

What my scale says I had for the day. 

 My Thoughts:  If I had any idea about how the day would probably play out my rod selection would have been quite different.  I also wish I had thought to throw out the 1oz Hack Jig I had tied up in the boat with me.  I also could have experimented some with swimbaits and football head jigs which I had in the boat with me.  A big thank you to Dennis for letting the bit about how well they were biting on jigs out.  That spot truly did hold a super school.  Thanks to Nate for such a great day on the water.

Final Tournament Standings:

Next tournament is just up the road at Pelican Lake.


       

Snatchers Lake Edward Quick Report

Longtime Snatcher Chuck Fields had the idea to do a non-boater only side pot and call it the Co-Angler Challenge. He made up all little plaque to go with whatever money the winner gets.  Today I was fortunate to be the first ever Co-Angler Challenge Champion thanks to the super school my boater Nate Steinbauer found.  I think I came in 6th or 7th Place overall.  It was such a fun day I hardly noticed the heat.  Full report later this week once I have the official results.

My Snatchers Lake Edward Tournament Preview

Tomorrow I will be fishing a tournament on a lake I've never been on in my life, Lake Edward in Crow Wing County.  My boater Nate Steinbauer has been on the lake many times over the years and had a pretty decent pre-fish.  This will be the third time I've been paired with Nate.  I got a limit in both of the previous two. We have got warm/hot stable weather with light winds, but there isn't supposed to be a cloud in the sky tomorrow.  I'm really hoping there will be a topwater bite going on in the reeds;  I guess the lake is acres upon acres of them.  I'll just have to see how it goes.

The rods I'm bringing:
7'6" H LTB (Heavy Jig)
7'4" H Zillion (Jig)
7'4" XH Zillion (Frog)
7'4" H Tatula (Frog/Spinnerbait/Buzzbait)
7'4" H Avid-X (Sprinker Frog)
7'3" MH Lamiglas (Swimbait/Dinger)
7' H Avid (Texas Rig)
7' MH Mojo (ChatterJig)

6' MH Techna AV (Dock/Fluke)