I Got Me a Dogfish!

We got dumped on my a thunderstorm this morning so I didn't get out until after 6:00am.  It was actually still sprinkling when I got there.  There was 1 guy on the SW side and that was it.  I decided to go to the NE side and try for some golden bullheads.  I quickly noticed that all the rain we got had cleared up the water.  No gold today.

While fishing with the Money Minnow I had a jumpin bullhead wrap me around the buoy marker line.  It eventually got off but my line was still stuck.  Fortunately my line broke at the bait, so I didn't lose my wire leader.  I started fishing with a parrot X-Rap and tied into this little dogfish.

 I caught a several jumpin bullheads on the X-Rap.

Then I went up and got re-tied.  All my Money Minnows are waiting for my new Mend-It bottle to arrive.  I accidentally left the cap on loose earlier this week, Oops.  I put on a white Grass Pig and got a couple of toothy bullheads on that.

I also of course got some jumpin bullheads on the Grass Pig.  This was the biggest at 17 inches.

I eventually decided to give the other side a try for some silver bullheads. I missed a couple of bites and got a  real small one before taking off at a little after 9:00AM.

We went into Little Falls to get my new glasses today, so I didn't get to bed until 3PM and I didn't wake up until 10PM.  So no fishing tonight

Golden Bullheads at the GOMH

This morning I got to the GOMH at 5AM in search of some gold.  I started on the NE side and it wasn't long and I was bringing in my first golden bullhead on a Berkley Powerbait Ripple Shad.

18.5"

 I missed another one and got a couple of jumpin bullheads.  I then went to try the SE side, but only got jumpin bullheads there.  Because it was cloudy and windy blowing into the N side I went back and scored my second golden bullhead of the day.  Here's both of them from this morning.

I did get a couple of toothy bullheads, including one that had a jig in it's mouth.  Here is the one that didn't have the jig.

Here is my biggest jumper of the morning.

17.75

I lost several other really nice jumpin bullheads and a couple that I don't know what they were.

For the evening trip I didn't arrive until 8:30PM and I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of people and within 20 minutes of me being there all but my friend Joe's buddies were gone.  I started on the NE side and only got a couple of jumpin bullheads.  I then tried the SE side for a while and once again only got jumpin bullheads.  I switched back to the North side and immediately got a golden bullhead on a Spro 25 crank in parrot.

I got my last 2 golden bullheads on the night on a Powerbait Ripple Shad.

16"

17"

I think I missed one or two more.  I gave the fish to Joe's friend and he gave me some minnows.  John W. showed up. He had something big on, probably a pike he said.  I left a little before 10:30PM

Another Good Night at the GOMH with Dad

Dad and I got to the GOMH about 7PM.  Everywhere was filled, so we took up on the bridge on the Sullivan side.  I started out by weed whacking.  I found out Chris from the Bass Snatchers was there again tonight.  He ended up giving us some minnows, which was nice.  CO Kuske pinched another person tonight for no license  Dad got a silver bullhead and a jumpin bullhead and missed several other bites.

9.5"

 As for me I got 2 silver bullheads, a toothy bullhead, and 10 jumpin bullheads.  I possibly lost a golden bullhead as well after it got dark.  I missed several bites tonight.

All in all it was a good night.

Golden Bullheads and Jumpin Bullheads, No Toothers

I got out early today to try for some golden bullheads.  I thought I wasn't going to get one.  I tried the NW side and nothing.  Then I tried the NE side and broke the front off my Frenzy crankbait when I hit the wall.  I  switched to a baitcaster and got another Frenzy.  I made several casts with nothing and was just about to give up when I got a hit.  Sure enough it was a golden bullhead and I managed to land it despite it not being very well hooked.

22"

I then got a jumpin bullhead on the Frenzy then nothing.  I switched to the YUM Money Minnow and had a bigger eye on but it got off somehow.  I don't know if I would have kept it, because it was at least 24 inches.  I got a couple more jumpers on the Money Minnow then I switched to the SW side.

All I could get there were jumpin bullheads, this 18" was the biggest.

No matter where or how far I cast all I could get were jumpin bullheads, not a toothy bullhead to be found.  I even tried for panfish bullheads and got jumpin bullheads.  I called it quits a 8AM my thumbs were raw.

Great Morning, Good Night at the GOMH

This morning I got to the GOMH around 5:30AM.  I set up on the SW side.  It was a little slow at first, but then I changed to the Grass Pig I got the fish on last night and my first fish was this toothy bullhead.

After getting a couple of jumpin bullheads the Grass Pig was trashed, so I went to the car and got a white Gambler EZ Swimbait.  On like my second cast I got this Golden Bullhead.

18"

A couple of casts later I got a nice jumpin bullhead.  Then a couple of casts later I got another toothy bullhead.  I remarked to the guy fishing on the SE side that I didn't know what I was gonna catch.
I got a couple of 4lb plus jumpin bullheads.

20"

 This fish was a bit on the skinny side.

19.75"

This fish was quite a bit more chunky and I'm sure weighed more.  I missed one more that I think was in that size class.

Eventually I went through the three Gambler EZ's I had and I switched up to a Yum Money Minnow in hitch color.  I got a couple of jumpin bullheads on that and 4 or 5 toothy bullheads.  I ended up with 16 jumpin bullheads, 9 toothy bullheads, and 1 golden bullhead.  Not a bad morning.  I quit at 8AM after the action slowed.

Note:  After catching each pike I washed my hands with a bar of Captain Knoll's Fisherman's Hand and Body Soap. I was quite impressed with it's ability to get the pike slime off of my hands and leave them smelling like anise.  The bar has a bit of grittiness to it  It's a great product and I'm guessing the bar is going to last a long time.  As I didn't even put a dent in it.  I recommend you go to their website and check it out.

In the evening I went back to the GOMH with Dad.  The place was full of people and they were catching a few bullheads but nothing spectacular.  Joe and Chris from the Bass Snatchers were fishing on the NW side. Dad and I set up on the bridge and I got a couple of jumpin bullheads and I missed a few hits as well.  We only had 2 minnows left and 1 was a stickleback, but Dad managed to get a small silver bullhead on T.H.E. Jig..

As it got later the bite picked up and I managed to get this golden bullhead.

21.5"

It was about the same size as the one I got last night.  A guy fishing on the NE side got 3 golden bullheads then he let me take the spot.  I got a couple of hits but couldn't keep them hooked up.  I decided that throwing a rap would work better and I went to the car to get one.  I should have called Dad over to come and fish, because right as I was getting back two guys cut me off and went right in the spot I was fishing.  Oops.  I managed to get one more jumpin bullhead on the South side and missed a couple of more hits on the Money Minnow.  We left at 10PM

GOM Willard Gets A Golden Bullhead

Tonight I got to the Grumpy Old Man Hole around 7:45PM.  John W. was just leaving.  He said he got a couple of little toothy bullheads.  I started fishing on the North side.  I had been casting for a little while when I noticed that Willard had snuck up behind me.  I was glad to see he made it through the winter.  I was beginning to wonder.  Willard told me that John also got a golden bullhead.  I just was telling him how I hadn't got anything on that side this year when something bit my Grass Pig but missed it.  A few casts later I got a nice jumpin bullhead.

Eventually I switched to the SW side.  Two guys were fishing there as well.  I got another nice jumpin bullhead on the Grass Pig.  They left and then I hooked this nice golden bullhead on the Grass Pig.  Willard was more than happy to take it from me when I offered.

20+ inches

Willard wasn't the greatest photographer in the world.

After that I got one more jumpin bullhead on the Grass Pig. A guy on the SE got a small toothy and missed another one.  Eventually I switched to try for silver bullheads, but I didn't get any.  I left at 10PM.

Walleye Opener- My 2nd Mille Lacs Trip

5-12-2013
I let it get too late on me on Sunday morning.  The temps were at or below freezing and so I decided not to go figuring my guides would be icing up.

5-13-2013

I headed out just before midnight and was fishing by 12:30AM.  I decided to throw the crawdad colored Berkley Frenzy Minnow instead of the rainbow trout one I threw on Sat.

I had gotten a tip to fish South of where I had been the night before, so I gave it a try.  I had a hit on my very first cast.  A few casts later I got hung up. I thought maybe I could wade out to the spot and took my jacket off.  The water dropped off to much and I couldn't get anywhere near it..  I moved quite a bit South and tried to pull it free.  Then I moved quite a bit North and thankfully it came out.  Turns out it was caught in an old reed stalk.  I resumed fishing at about 10 to 1AM and was hooked up immediately with this 23" fish.

About 15 Minutes later I was hooked up again.  With this 25 incher.

About 15 minutes after getting it released I got this 22.5 incher.

Things were going pretty well.  But then I missed a bite or two and things had slowed down.  I went in to change baits.  When I looked out on the water it kind of looked like some fog was forming.  Then I realized it wasn't fog but ice coming in.

 So basically my spot was wrecked.  I went and checked Cemetery Jetty and I could have fished there but I didn't see any fish.  Note to self- Bring a high powered flash light next time.

Next I went to Eddy's and it was fishable there.  I went quite a way South but I didn't see any thing.  I also fished off the middle Jetty. Nothing.  I called it quits a bit after 4AM.

Eye's For Opener On Mille Lacs

I didn't get headed out this morning until after 12:30AM.  I had a hunch that Eddy's Jetty wasn't gonna play tonight and I was right.

Ice was tight to the shore and the harbor was even less than 50% open.  As I tried to make my way North along the frontage road I had to turn around and come back as the road was blocked with ice.

I made my way to my back up spot and it was free of ice.  Thankfully I wore my neoprene waders and I went and scoped it out.  I saw some suckers and a couple eye balls, so I went to the truck and got my gear. I don't think I was in the water until right around 2:00AM.  I knew I was probably going to be fishing shallow water probably not deeper than 5 or 6 feet.  I decided to try a rainbow trout Berkley Frenzy Minnow because it was one of the few floaters I had with me and it casts pretty well.

I waded out in the water and had been casting for about 20 minutes when I had a hit really close to me.  It was on for a few seconds and got off.  I fished there for about 10 more minutes then I moved.  I was in the new spot about 10 minutes when a good eye just choked it.

24 Inches

I tried to go out to approximately the same spot and started fishing again. I had been at it about 10 minutes when  I hooked into another fish that felt really good but it got off after about 10 seconds.  My next bite came about 10 minutes later and stayed hooked up.

24.5"

Much to my surprise the fish was actually a half inch longer.  It didn't have nearly the shoulders the first one had.

Once again I went out and tried to fish from the same general area.  My feet started getting cold so I began to wish for a fish to end my night on.  I missed the first 3 bites I had before catching this keeper to end my night at about 3:50AM.

19"

All in all I consider this morning a smashing success.  3 eyes landed and 5 more bites, not bad for not knowing if I was going to be able to fish or not.

2 Slabber Bullheads & More Bullheads

13"

13"

 Tonight I got to the GOMH just before 5PM.  I was lucky that blog reader Mike B. was fishing down on the SE side and he called me over.  The bulheads were really going when I got there and apparently had been for a couple of hours.  I immediately started missing and sticking a few silver bullheads on a chartruese head with red and yellow T.H.E. Jig with a minnow on the Cubby Rod.  I got several on that, then I switched rods to the white head with red/white T.H.E. Jig. I started just slamming the silver bullheads.  I got my first Slabber Bullhead on that.  I caught more silver bullheads, a couple of jumpin bullheads, and I had a toothy bullhead up on the rocks when it broke my line and made it's way back into the lake.  That was my only one in that color.  I put on a white head with white and black feather T.H.E. Jig.  Things got considerably slower.  John W. showed up with his daughter and a little while after that Grumpy Old Man Bud showed up and started fishing.  Mike B. left.  I switched back to the Cubby Rod and got an occasional bullhead on that; One of which is the Slabber Bullhead on the right.  Lantern Man's son showed up and eventually John's daughter talked him in to going.  It seemed that the SW side had more action now.   I left around 9:15PM after Lantern Man showed up.

Click to Enlarge and See the Loon

I did stop at Rock and the Rock Dock was in.  I would imagine all area lakes with Docks have them in.

Limit Tonight at the GOMH

I went in to Little Falls today to get my eyes checked.  I should be getting new glasses in about 10 Days.  We didn't get back to Jenny's until around 5PM.  I went and checked Rock and it's 80% open.  I checked Bulldog and it's 90% open.  I then went to the Grumpy Old Man Hole and Peter had just gotten there.  He missed a really nice sized silver bullhead, then he caught one.  He threw it back because he wasn't going to keep fish tonight.  I had seen enough so I went home to get my rods.  But first I went to the NE access on Sullivan and it's wide open.  The NW access looked open as well.  I still think there is some ice on the SW shore line, but it should be gone by opener.

After getting my stuff together and some warmer clothes on I got out to the GOMH around 6:30PM.  Peter had a silver bullhead for me right when I got there.  I joined him on the SW side and  I caught a silver bullhead right away and in to the bucket it went.  I got another one about 10 minutes after that.  After a bit of a  lull I decided to try the SE side.  I wasn't there long and someone else showed up.  So I immediately went back to the SW side.  Not long after that I caught this 12.75" slabber bullhead.  I let it go.

Around that time some big floating weed mats started floating in giving us trouble.  We still caught an occasional fish.  Here are a couple jumpin bullheads that I got through that junk.

T.H.E. Jig in the bullheads mouth tipped  with a minnow is what I caught everything on tonight.  Peter also caught a 12.75"  slabber bullhead.  His also went back in the lake.

You can see the weeds we were fishing around behind him.  I ended up getting 3 jumpin bullheads and  I believe I caught 10 silver bullheads total two of which went back, one of them was to small.

All in all it was a good night of fishing.  Had it not been for the weeds we probably would have caught a lot more fish.

Tonight at the GOMH

10.5"

Tonight I fished from 4 to 6PM and from 8:30 to 9:50PM.

During the early trip I got 1 jumpin bullhead and a couple of bites that I missed.  It was raining out so lightly for a while I was in my T-shirt.  I went to the SE side and pulled some of the weeds up on the rocks.  I didn't get very much East of the steps where there is a ton of weeds.  That kid from last night, who I found out's name is Peter showed up with minnows.  He didn't get anything.  I did try the NE side for a little while and didn't get anything.  A guy showed up and fished for a bit off the bridge on both the N and S sides.  They all left around 5:30 and I left at 6PM to go check the lakes and have dinner.

During the late trip it was raining more heavily.   I missed a fish, presumably a silver bullhead, right away.  At about 8:45PM I got another hit and landed the 10.5" in the picture.  At about 9:20PM I got a hit with the lighted bobber and landed a 9.5 incher.  I got both fish on T.H.E. Jig red and yellow with a chartreuse head and a minnow.

Platte Lake Ice Out 2013!!!

Click to Enlarge

If you enlarge the picture you can see ice on the right hand side of the picture.  The ice that is left is in the North bay.  You can get from the public access to Jenny's, so that makes it official ice out for me.

Rock Lake looks to be at least a couple of days away yet  I would say it was maybe 10% open.  It may or may not be ready for Opener on Saturday.  It looked like Long was about 70% open to me.  Bulldog is 20% open. Sullivan looked to be about 20% open.

1st Silver Bullhead of the Year, Met Peter W.

11"

I got my first Silver Bullhead of the year tonight.  Only one, though.  Got it on a Red/White 1/64th T.H.E. Jig with a minnow.

I actually fished twice today.  Once from 4-6PM and then from 7:45 to 9:20PM.  On the 4-6PM trip, I bought minnows and immediately got a jumpin bullhead.  A kid showed up (Peter W.), and I went to the truck to get out the hoe I brought to clear out the weeds up against the shore.  The weeds were a hazard to get a fish through on the 4lb test.  I got a couple more jumpers, including one that tail-walked a bit.  Here is my biggest one of the day.

I'd say 17+."

I caught one more, and the kid asked if he could borrow a minnow.  He then got a jumper as well.  I think I got a couple more.  Then it got quiet, and I left for dinner.  The kid left as well.

After dinner, I came down with dad.  I got a jumper right away.  I got 4 jumpers and 1 silver, all on T.H.E. Jig, and a minnow.  Dad had a few bites but didn't hook anything on a pink Cubby and minnow.  The kid showed up.  I don't think he caught anything.  I stayed until it got pretty dark, but the S.B.'s were either not hitting or not quite in yet.

Ice Out Report: I think I will call Ice Out for 2013 on Platte Lake tomorrow.  It was open beyond the public access.  Some guy even had his boat out.  I'll check the area lakes tomorrow.

1st Bullhead of the Year

Tonight I got down to the GOMH around 7:30PM and no one was there fishing.  Although there was some young guy sitting in his car on the SW side.  I took up the SW side.  I had been fishing for about 10 minutes when I made a good cast off to my right.  The bobber started moving towards the current flow so I set the hook.  It got me tangled in all the junk up by shore, but I managed to get it in.  I'm gonna bring a rake down tomorrow to get that crap out of there.  Yep, it was my first ever jumpin bullhead on T.H.E. Jig and my first bullhead of the year.  The young guy locked the keys in his trunk and had to wait for his mom to show up with his tools so he could get into his trunk.   He said he's gonna go to Walmart tomorrow and get a spare made.  I caught another jumpin bullhead, this time on a white D&M Baits Piranha Swim Jig.  John W. showed up and said he thought it would be a couple of days before the silver bullheads showed up.  I'm guessing that there will be some tomorrow.  I stayed until about 9:30PM

Before I went to the GOMH I went and checked at Rock and it really didn't look any different than yesterday night.  Same thing at the Platte Lake access.  Platte had a bit more open water in some places but not nearly as much as I thought there would be.  I'm guessing ice goes off on Thursday now.