Lake Pepin Declared, Not Much Progress at the GOMH

And so it begins, a lake in MN is declared ice-free.  The snowmelt isn't having much of an effect that can be seen around here yet.

Looks the same as a couple days ago 

Not worried about it as the warm days are set to continue.  I did throw a few casts tonight.  There was one dead sunny floating in the bulrushes.

Still No MN Ice Free Lakes & GOMH Today

There might not be any lakes opening this week, but there will probably be an avalanche of them starting the end of next week.  As for around here, while not pleased with the snow we got it, the forecast is saying Spring is coming.   Here's what the Grumpy Old Man Hole looked like tonight.

The coming snowmelt should mean an increase in current which should mean a fairly rapid deterioration of ice in the GOMH and Sullivan Platte River Outlet area.  If the below forecast holds true then Platte should probably be ice-free by the first weekend in May.

Note To Self, Courtesy of 2013:

Seeing as how it's going to be a long time before open water I need to get my crap together so that these kinds of situations don't develop.  Once the ice goes off the fishing is probably going to be outstanding.  Be ready for it!

GOMH Tonight-Optimism With the New Forecast

The GOMH was more open than I expected it to be tonight and it looked like most of the snow on the ice is melted.  In another positive, it looks like the brunt this weekends snow storm is going to the South of us.  Also, there are now 50-degree temps in the long-term forecast after next week.  My anxiety level about ice on Platte/Sullivan for Opener went down significantly with these developments.  I now think we are about even with where we were in 2013 and should be pulling ahead of 2013 by the end of next week.  Hopefully, the warming forecast holds.

Major Award from Sportsman's Outfitters Arrived Today

Sportsman's Outfitters

The Lew's Custom Speed Stick and Lew's Tournament MB Reel were well packed.

6.8:1 Lew's Tournament MB Speed Spool Reel

I chose the 6.8:1 Reel and the 6'9"M Fast Rattle Trap Special Rod.  Once the ice clears and I get some time in with the combo I plan on doing a product review.  That might not happen until June.

6'9" M F Lew's Custom Speed Stick "Rattle Trap Special"

Big Thank You's go out to Sportsman's Outfitters, Bass Boat Central, and Basser Jim 

What the GOMH Is Looking Like

Platte was iced up

Fortunately, this latest snow storm didn't make it up this far North.  It looks like we actually might get some thawing in this week.

Will I Reach My Crappie Goal This Year?

Last year on today:

My goal for 2018 is to catch 300 again this year.  Right now I'm stuck on 181 and haven't been fishing in two in a half weeks.  It looks to me like I will not even get a weeks worth of fishing in open water before Opener this year.  Basically since bass opened to catch and release on Opener I have all but stopped fishing for panfish at that point except for with the nieces.  It's hard to catch a bunch of crappies on my regular bassin' lures.  While I haven't completely ruled out ice fishing for the season, I don't really have much motivation to go out and do it.  I want to be fishing open water, not on the ice.

So will I reach my crappie goal this year?  I highly doubt it.

Had to Have It!

Today, I went up to Brainerd to pick up a few things at Fleet Farm that were on sale.  I also stopped at the new Dick's Sporting Goods Store to check it out.  This Dick's doesn't have the biggest fishing section I've ever been in, but it did have a decent enough selection of bass lures.  When I saw the Plopper Trailer I just had to get me a pack.  The ones I've seen online usually have one Plopper and one rattle but as you can see it was the two Plopper pack.  In case you haven't figured it out these are made to be put on a double frog hook to make a frog into a Plopper.  I suspect it won't be the most weedless thing in the world, but will probably work great in reed beds. We'll see.  I put one on a Snagproof and one is going on a Spro.

SnagProof Kicker Frog minus the legs 

MN Late Ice Out's Past

Right now the MN Ice Out map is of course completely empty.  Here is what happened in 2014 and 2013. I think at this point we may actually be behind even 2013, but thank God it looks like our fortunes begin to change starting next week.  As of right now, I don't see Platte Lake free in April unfortunately.

2014

2013

"Average size fish you catch?"

That was the question asked on Bass Boat Central Message Board thread. It was a question I'd frankly never given a whole lot of thought to except in my Bass Snatcher tournament weights where that info is provided for me on the clubs website.  As I contemplated my thoughts on the matter a bulb went on in my head;  Fish Swami can answer that question for me.  Fish Swami is an online fishing log that I have kept on all my fish catches since 2011.  They even had a pre-formed database query that instantly popped out the answer on every fish species I've caught since 2011.

I thought that's pretty cool!  But what's really cool is that I can customize my search queries to break down the info by year or month with pattern information right down to individual lures and individually to the lakes where I caught them.  Holy treasure trove of info batman!  That average size info has been just sitting there all this time and up until now, I haven't made any use of it.

For instance, I learned that I caught a significantly better-sized largemouth on Terminator Frogs and Sprinker knockoffs.

Geese Moved In At The GOMH

Not much has changed after a couple of days in the 40's, now it cools down some.  We may or may not get snow in a couple of days.  Come on snow, stay South.

Ice free on the Southside, that's progress.

Water level about the same.

Muskrat #1

Muskrat #2

No major warm-ups in the forecast yet.

I'm (Not) Dreaming Of A White Easter

But it's looking like that's what I'm gonna get.  Temps not even getting above freezing on Saturday, C'mon Man!  There aren't any 50 degree days in the long-term forecast, but there is more snow and temps getting below freezing every night.  Ugh!  This weather situation needs to start turning around.  The average daily high temp is supposed to be 47℉ for today.  The snow on the ground has us stuck on cool too cold I'm afraid.

Today, I Can See My Driveway

We are ahead of April 6th like it took until in 2014 & 13.  However, there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow.  But the first Bass Pundit sign of spring is here as of today.

Bait Monkey Unhappy!

Academy put the new Booyah Toadrunner on this weeks add and apparently sold out.  Tackle Warehouse has them listed as in stock at $9.99 same price that Academy was selling them for.

While writing this post I made the executive decision to buy off of eBay for $10.95 per frog shipped.  Don't want to take the chance of there being a shortage and prices going through the roof like what happened with the Sprinker.

Bait Monkey Happy Now!