Week 9 - Whitefish Chain - September 9, 2021

 No Walleye's? I don't recall that happening on the WFC before. Here is something else that has never happened; we had a three way tie for first. Brandon & Craig, Mark & Luther and Brandon & Steve (better known as team asshole) all had 22 points. Because of that there was no change at the top. Brandon & Craig still hold a 7 point lead heading to Rice Lake on Thursday, which BTW, looks awful weather wise. I don't think we can push it back a week, but if it is really stormy, we probably won't have any other choice but to do just that. If it's just rain, then we'll fish because we need to wrap this up, and with it being so close at the top, we can't not fish this last event. If it is storming, I will send out a text in the afternoon looking for a consensus to fish or not fish. Big fish was a tie as well between Team Asshole and Jamie & Chuck with a 27 inch pike. See you on Thursday...I hope.

For updated standings, click HERE

For event detail, click HERE 

Week 8 - North Long - August 26, 2021

Short and sweet because I wasn't there. Thanks to Craig for taking care of the score sheets. First time winners this year were Paul & Simon, with 37 points. Looks like they dominated the night, and they're kicking ass in the second half points total. Biggest fish was a 29 inch pike, boated by Troy & Brent. Congrats to the North Fn Long winners.

Up next is on 9-2 on the river out of Lum Park from 4:00-8:00. I'll see you there!

For updated standings click HERE

For event detail click HERE

Week 7 - Rabbit Lake - August 12, 2021

Hi guys. This is late because I had to give a lot of thought as to how and what to say about last Thursday. First off, this is all on me. I take responsibility for not remembering the slot regarding pike. Somewhere in the back of my mind I do remember there being something different than the statewide slot on Rabbit, but I didn’t look it up, and like I said that’s on me. Having said that, one of us did know about the slot, and didn’t say anything until the end of the night when we were measuring, and that made for an awkward situation. This goes for everyone. If you know of a special regulation regarding a lake we’re fishing, and I haven’t brought it up prior to the event; tell me about it, and I’ll pass it on to everyone. I don’t want to put any of us in jeopardy of being cited for something illegal if we’re stopped by a DNR officer. We have too much fun together for something like that to happen, and in this case, it could have been avoided. So, like I said, in the future, speak up. I never want this to happen again. Now, because we didn’t know/remember, I am not going to penalize anyone for bringing in a fish that they shouldn’t have. All of the fish were still in good shape, and they were all released successfully, so no harm done. It simply wouldn’t be fair to penalize those few teams that temporarily kept a fish they shouldn’t have. If for some reason you don’t like that decision, I don’t care…it stands. 

Now, onto the night itself. It was very windy, so I’m glad we weren’t on one of the big lakes that night. Can you imagine what the waves on Pelican would have been like? At least on Rabbit, we were able to find places to get out of the wind if we wanted too. In me and net boy’s case, I had forgotten my trolling motor remote, so we ended up just trolling with the big motor all night. I did have a foot pedal, but I hate that fucking thing. We ended up with a tri-fecta, so it was a good night for us. Not good enough to win though, because Chad & Jamie (minus Chad) had a great night scoring 36 points, edging out the defending champs by three. Big fish of the night was a 30.5-inch pike caught by team asshole, so congrats to the winners. 

There was no change at the top of the leader board because Craig & Brandon, as well as Mark & Luther, had 15 points each, so three points still separate those two teams. Team dick head scored 18 points more than the top two teams. If they keep that up, they’ll end up winning the league championship again this year, despite missing an event. With only three events left, it’s going to be interesting to watch. Out next event is on North Long, August 26^th, from 5:30-8:30. I’ll see you there. 

For updated standings, click HERE

For event detail, click HERE

Week 6 - Thunder Lake - July 29, 2021

 Last night was a first for this league. I looked back at the past records, and every year, at every event, at least one pike was caught; but not last night. In this land of 10,000 lakes and 10 billion hammer handles, how does that happen? I wonder what makes Thunder Lake different? I don't have a clue, but I thought last year was just a fluke when only three were caught. Three pike in two years. I find that astounding, especially when several of us were targeting them.

Thunder is a beautiful lake, with a lousy landing, and that is probably just how the locals like it. I'd hate to see a big double landing go in there, but the landing that's there needs some work done to it. It's steep and broken up and it's only going to get worse, so hopefully they can get it fixed.

So, who won last night? Before I get to that, Craig & Brandon's lead has shrunk to only three points over Mark & Luther. Brent & Troy aren't out of the picture either as they sit in third only 15 points back of our leaders. With four events left, it's a three way race for the 2021 league champion.

Last night's big winners were Brent & Troy, as they topped everyone pretty easily with 28 points. They had the biggest bass, and the biggest walleye, so those six bonus points helped a lot. The walleye was also the biggest fish of the night, so they cleaned up for the second time in three events. Congrats guys.

Our next event is on Rabbit from 6-9 on August 12th, so I'll see you then if not before.

For updated standings, click HERE

For event detail, click HERE

Week 5 - Whitefish Chain - July 15, 2021

 Hello men...I don't have much to say because I wasn't there last night, so first off thank you to Craig for dropping off the sheets. Second, in the case of team asshole (Steve & Brandon), how does 1/2 of the team live on the chain, and then get SKUNKED!?!?! That is one of the most amazing feats of ineptitude that I've ever heard of. I mean really, net boy and I weren't even there, and you only beat us by 2 points?!? Everyone caught fish except you two. Hell I even hit one that was running across the road on the way home from the concert last night. That's how easy it was to run into a fish, but team Asshole couldn't even pull that off. Amazing.

So, we have new leaders. Craig & Brandon now own the top spot by 7 points midway through the season, so we'll see if they can stretch their lead or barely hang on. The defending champs, team Dickhead (Jason & Brett) pulled off the win last night with 42 points, while sharing the largest fish pot with Craig & Brandon who weren't far behind with 37.

Next up is Thunder on the 29th, so I'll see you then!

For event detail click HERE

For current standings click HERE

Week 4 - Roosevelt - June 24, 2021

 When we go to Roosevelt each year, we are all excited with the anticipation of a new state, hell, probably a new world record being caught. You can feel the tension in the air as we line up for the shotgun start at 6:00 pm. (a few of the teams thinks 5:59:30 is the start time) Even though we're all friends, we're still competitors, so each of us is hoping our name will be forever more associated with a world record. After all, the Ambloplites Rupestris is a fish that is easy to catch, but catching the biggest one in the world isn't easy at all. You have to be in the right place at the right time, and Roosevelt is the place to be. Unfortunately, the Ambloplites Rupestris isn't a fish that will get you any points, so no one kept any, which is a requirement when going for a world record. So that abundant yet allusive world record will have to wait until next year, as we give it another go. 

Roosevelt is a beautiful lake, but last night without any wind, the lake wasn't giving up many fish of any size under it's smooth as glass surface. No one was skunked, but there were two or three that ended up being in single digits for the night. However, if last night was a 12 round heavy weight boxing match, the referee would have stepped in and stopped the fight in the 7th round. Brent, minus Troy, easily walked away with the victory scoring 34 points with a big Pike and Bass fill. The next closest team had 20 points, so Brent, minus Troy, had a pretty impressive showing. Also, as the trend has gone this year, they had the biggest fish as well, so they really cleaned up. 

So, we don't fish again until the 15th of July, as we try out best to avoid the busy 4th of July week, although anymore, it seems like it's as busy all summer as it used to be on holiday weekends. July 15th we're on the Whitefish Chain, putting in at the Lower Hay Lake landing. I won't be there for that one, so Craig will be keeping track of the points. Have fun and stay safe guys.

For updated standings, click HERE. 

For the event totals, click HERE.

Week 3 - Edward - June 10, 2021

HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT  HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT  HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT  HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT  HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT  HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT

In case you missed it, it was HOT on Edward. I'd be willing to bet it was the hottest event we've ever had. Temps in the low 90's, no wind and a dew point of 72. Awful. The fishing was awful too, but there were three pretty good sized pike caught. I think the slot is working.

I sure didn't need netboy number 1 last night, because we didn't catch a thing. Unlike last time when we had to use our winter gear to keep warm, last night was just the opposite. It didn't seem to bother Mark & Luther though. Those guys have been hot from day 1. They walked away with the win on Gull, missed winning on Pelican by 1 point, and on Edward they won by 8. They also had the biggest fish, so nice job guys!

Our next event is on Roosevelt on June 24th from 6-9:30 so I'll see in two weeks!

For event detail click HERE

For current standings click HERE

Week Two - Pelican Lake - May 27, 2021

I could sum up the night on Pelican with one word and walk away if I wanted to. That word would be Woozasuperduperstuperfied. Despite a no show by team "D" and another team missing it's Bass ace, we had the biggest points night in league history by a loooooooooooooong shot. 334 whopping points were scored after a cold front moved though making us all think it was going to be a tough night. It was colder than a (fill in your own colorful word or phrase here), but the fishing was hot, sizzling, scorching or blazing; times three. We didn't even realize this, but last week on Gull was the highest point total in history at 243 until tonight blew that away by 91 points with essentially two less teams than last week. It was unbelievable with bag after bag of big fish being counted. We had a 28.5 inch Walleye caught, a 31 inch Pike, a 19 + inch bass and a 28 + inch dogfish! There were 7...SEVEN trifecta's and 17 species fills. I mean what in the hell was going on? Didn't the fish know a cold front had moved through? During the first half of last year, we had a total of 860 points scored after five events...we're already sitting at 577 points: 283 points behind last year's first half of the season total, after only two events this year. Unbelievable.

BTW, in case you reading this don't know anything about us, we carefully adhere to all slot limits and fishing seasons. All Pike within 22-26 inches were photographed and released. The only Pike that were kept were Pike under 22 inches as per DNR request to take smaller fish out of the lake, and ALL Bass were photographed and released as well since the season has not opened yet, while still allowing us to fish for them. Even though it would have been legal to do so, the angler catching the 28.5 inch Walleye, chose to photograph and release it too.

I thought our team did well with 33 points (net boy only caught TWO out of the EIGHT fish...HA!) but tonight's big winners were Craig & Brandon with 51 points PLUS they had the biggest fish. They barely beat out Mark & Luther as they scored 50 closely followed by Paul & Simon with 45. I'm telling ya...you should have been there. I'm sure team D thinks this post is some kind of elaborate prank, but believe me, it isn't!

The only damper on the night was I had a $168 rod broken into 6 pieces...not happy.

We fish on Edward June 10th...I sure the hell hope it's warmer!

For updated standings click HERE

For event detail click HERE

Week One ~ Gull Lake Chain ~ May 20, 2021

 Despite all of us getting a little wet, it was sure nice being back on the water again and fishing with old friends. Even though it was a mild winter, it was still long, and there is nothing like opening league night. Earlier in the week, it wasn't looking like we'd be fishing because of thunderstorms and high winds, but the forecast turned out to be wrong, for a change (LMAO), and we were able to get opening night in without being blown out of the water.

This happens to be my fourth time on the water in 2021, and for the fourth time in a row, all I've done is put my partner's on fish, and watch them have fun catching, while I have the pleasure of playing netboy. Take this outing as an example. We're trolling in about 12-15 feet of water pulling a crankbait and my partner looks to the SE and says "is that headed our way?" "That" turned out to be a frickn' downpour with huge rain drops, and we barely had time to put our rain coats on. It was during this downpour, that I heard this: "I've got one" (I stop the trolling motor and start to reel in) - "no it's just a snag" (I re-start the trolling motor and stop reeling in) - "no, I think it's a fish" (I've heard this a million times now, so I ignore his latest communication and keep fishing) - "I can't tell, it feels like a big clump of weeds" (I decide to stop listening to what he says for the rest of the night) - "no, it's definitely a fish, and it's a good sized one" (I can tell by the way he just pissed himself with excitement, that I should probably start listening again, reel in and at least grab the net as to show some interest in watching what he's doing) While taking a look at his rod tip, it occurs to me that his "it's definitely a fish" statement, is actually true. So true in fact, that after I saved his ass by netting his fish, I realized this could be the biggest fish of the night, which it was. He had managed to reel in a 28.5 inch pike, during a downpour, and since it won the big fish pot of the night, I was happy to temporarily change places with him and play netboy for the time being.

There were quite a few fish caught by everyone else but us, and the team of Mark & Luther managed to squeak out a one point win with 32 points to start out the year. Last year's champions, team "dickhead" of  Jason & Brett ended up in 7th place, while returning 8 time champion's Craig & Brandon finished 5th. Everyone caught fish, so we're all off to a good start. 

Next week we fish on Pelican from 6-9:30 out of Stewart's Bay. Bass season still won't be open, so we'll be taking pictures of fish again. But this time, do us all a favor and state the actual length of the fish to the nearest eighth inch when telling me how long they are. We had three 19 inch bass caught, and as a result, three teams picked up biggest bass bonus points. That's fine if they were spot on 19 inches, but I have a feeling there could have been some rounding up going on there...just saying. I'll see you in a week!

For event detail click HERE ~ For standings click HERE.

2021 Open Water Fishing Is Here!

Hello everyone! It's that time of year again when we start to see boats behind pickups rather that ice houses, and I am excited to see that! It's also time to talk about firing up the league for another year. First off, as of right now anyway, restaurants are open so we can have a pre season meeting again. Plan on meeting at Billy's in Breezy Point at 6 PM on Thursday, April 29th, unless you hear from me other wise. Entry fees remain the same at $150 per team, so please bring your money to that meeting. If you're writing a check, make it payable to me. We will talk about any rules that are in question, welcome new members, etc, but I have already set the schedule for the year. Last year Thunder was a hit, so we'll be leaving that lake in as one of our ten scheduled events this year. Also, Fishing opener is about as late as I can remember, so we won't be starting until May 20th this year on Gull.

Here is the 2021 schedule:

May 20^th         Gull                6:00-9:00         Zorbaz Landing
May 27^th         Pelican           6:00-9:30         Stewart’s Bay Landing
June 10^th         Edward          6:00-9:30        
June 24^th         Roosevelt      6:00-9:30
July 15^th          Whitefish       6:00-9:30         Lower Hay Lake Landing
July 29^th          Thunder         6:00-9:00
August 12^th    Rabbit            6:00-9:00
August 26^th    N Long           5:30-8:30
Sept 2^nd           Rice                4:00-8:00
Sept 9^th           Whitefish       4:00-8:00         West Shore Drive Landing on Cross Lake
 
Here are the make-up dates if needed as well:
 
June 3^rd           6:00-9:30 Gull or Pelican
July 1^st            6:00-9:30 Edward or Roosevelt
July 22^nd         6:00-9:30 Whitefish
August 19^th    6:00-9:00 Thunder or Rabbit
Sept 16^th         4:00-7:30 N Long, Rice or Whitefish 

If you know of anyone wanting to be in the league this year, and they're wondering about the rules, have them click HERE for an updated version. I would encourage all of you to take a look at these again.

That will do for now. I'll see you on the 29th!

Brad

PS: This year, in addition to the prize money, the team winning a weekly event will receive a man cave wooden plaque. Here is what they will look like using Gull as an example.