Friday Flashback – August 9, 1999

Posted on by Troy Jackson

August 9, 1999 still my Club Lake PB (personal best) at 4-12 and speaking of records, read on.

Looks like August from 20 years ago was an overachiever when it came to fishing as this is the third straight flashback from that time period. The August heat can often pose a challenge but those bass are still there, just sometimes a little harder to find and fool.

Early or late in the day can often be your best August options with this bass being a prime example. It was my third catch of the morning, coming ashore at 6:35am.

Topwater presentations can also be the ticket during those early and late windows. And what do you know? This fish came on a legendary lure known as a Zara Spook.

This bass also holds the distinction of being the largest bass that I have landed from a Little John fishing hole named Club Lake.

Each of the above aspects of this catch got me to thinking about the record book I’ve kept over the years so let’s take a look at where today’s bass stands in each of these categories and more.

Top August Bass
All-time: 6-8 Brady Junk Henry County Pond 8/29/10 Crankbait
Troy PB: 5-11 Little John Conservation Club 8/21/17 Senko wacky rig
Today’s Flashback Bass #5 all-time

Top Zara Spook Bass
5-8 Woody’s Middle Pond 9/1993
Today’s Flashback Bass #3 all-time

Top Little John Bass
All-time: 8-4 Tim Townsend Little John Conservation Club 4/4/2000 Jig & Pig
Troy PB: 6-2 Undisclosed Lake 3/4/17 jig & pig (black/blue)
Today’s Flashback Bass #14 all-time

Top 1999 Bass
5-1 Lake Bracken 9/18/99 Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (rainbow)
Today’s Flashback Bass #2 for the year

I don’t know about anybody else but it sure is fun for me to look back through a bit of the record book that I began compiling many years ago. In fact, that record book was the impetus for this whole writing obsession. Back on April 30, 2002 it all started with the line “Introducing the Family Fishing Hall of Fame Newsletter.” Still going strong at exactly 1,500 posts later with plenty more to come. Talk to you later. Troy

Bummer, So Long Summer

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As this post hits the blog, the family is nestled all snug in our beds awaiting the annual household wakeup call that signifies the end of summer. Much too early as summer still has six weeks remaining but for all intents and purposes, once school starts, it’s over. Sure, there are still plenty of summer type events to go but they just take on a different feel with the activities, planning and logistics that accompany “back to school.”

As usual, we’re left with that customary “where did the summer go” sentiment.

Well, looking back I guess these are some of the answers. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 6, 1999

Posted on by Troy Jackson

August 6, 1999 – Our 2019 Top 5 leader, Jim Junk, with an 8-1  Lake Bracken Spillway carp 

These flashbacks are always fun for me as while I have had the posts for the year lined up since February, I never really know where they will end up until I get around to writing them. In today’s case, I’m typing at about 8:30pm Thursday night on the deck with the Cubs leading the Reds on the radio.

A relaxing summer night just like today’s shots from 20 years ago. And the adventures with these friends and this fishing hole both go back even further.

August 6, 1999 – Mark Junk with a 5-10 carp

I’ve run around with some combination of the Junk brothers dating back to the early 80s. Kind of cool to say you’ve been friends with somebody for close to 40 years. In the case of the Junks in today’s flashback we’re talking Mark and Jim. These guys had it dialed in that night relegating me to photographer and eventually, 20 years later, documentarian.

August 6, 1999 – Mark with a 6-8 carp and note the cooler in the background, fluid intake is important in the summer and we definitely stayed “hydrated” back in those days

Mark left quite a mark on the basketball record books of Galesburg High School and Knox College during the 80s and early 90s. With today’s featured catches and more than a few others he also made a splash in my family and friends fishing record book.

August 6, 1999 – Jim with a 5-3 carp

Jim has made more than a few appearances on the blog via the Top 5 with his bassing success. For today’s haul though, it is fun to step back in time to get a glimpse of him fooling some other species.

August 6, 1999 – Jim with a bonus 3-8 catfish

My history with the fishing hole, Lake Bracken, and more specifically “The Spillway”, goes back even farther than my association with the Junks. The best estimate would be a 1978 or 1979 visit to “The Spillway” with some Little League teammates that indeed got me hooked.

As the saying goes, “the rest is history”, a whole bunch of it. But I’ll let you go for now with the latest in the 2019 Friday Flashback series. Plenty more to go as I’ve got one for every Friday through November so make sure you stop by as we’ll have a few more guests along the way. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake George Report – August 4

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Forgot I had an old topo map, lot of good it did me in the basement

Seems like about every year I get around to writing one of these blog entries.

Yep, the dreaded shutout.

It is what it is and I tell it like it is. Never claimed to be a better fisherman than anybody else, just like to fish and tell. And if you fish, you should tell the bad with the good.

So, here we go with the scant details, some notes and a little bonus reminiscing in advance of tomorrow’s weekly Friday Flashback.

61-mile roundtrip and 38 minutes ramp to driveway, a lesser commute than my Knox County dwelling days

Stats

Date: August 4, 2019
Location: Lake George – Rock Island County, IL
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 88F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 0 bass

Notes and Nonsense

Scenery – Lake George is a nice looking lake with an abundance of attractive shoreline cover, good water clarity and very few weeds. I took a couple shots in order to have something from the day to offer in lieu of zero bass. Also spotted an attractive young lady on one of those paddleboard things. May have to get me one of those (paddleboard) as they evidently get the paddler in some darn good shape.

Nice two lane boat ramp on east side of lake near one of the campgrounds

Excuses – Too hot, too deep too quick, too sunny, too long away to remember much about the lake, too much forage…too bad I failed to figure anything out.

Been a while, July 1997 and May 2000 but actually fooled a couple fish all those years ago

Flashback Logs – As noted by the original log entries and the database above, I did manage to fool a few bass at Lake George back in the day. Both were part of camping trips in 1997 and 2000 with my girlfriend and we’re still going strong headed towards wedding anniversary number seventeen.

July 8, 1997 camping trip on Lake George

Flashback Pics – Now I know the weekly flashback is on Friday but couldn’t resist a few bonus shots of the 1997 Lake George camping trip with Julie. Kind of fun as I just fished out of that very same boat last weekend and noteworthy that my camping buddy still looks the same just over 22 years later. Her companion, well…

July 9, 1997 – peaceful outdoor dining, who knew we’d one day share the picnic table with four kids?

Thanks for hanging in there for the more or less annual “shutout” report. Friday Flashback up next and hopefully I will break the shutout streak when I have another chance to hit the water. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – August 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Took most of the morning to warm up but then got hot in a hurry

After not being in the boat together for a long time, Dad and I wound up on the water for back to back weekends with a trip to Lake Storey last Saturday. Normally not a summer destination, I’d been intrigued after a few recent jogs around the fishing hole as well as the success of my boy Jayce during a quick visit a week prior. Thus, we decided to battle the weeds and green water in hopes of also battling a few bass.

6:34am – One brave bass bites a bulky bait, basic bass behavior

Stats

Date: August 3, 2019
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 5:40am-11:40am
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 64-84F
Water Temp: 79-81F
Totals: 8 bass, 1 bluegill (Troy – 8 bass, Dad – 1 bluegill)
Lures:
Strike King KVD 2.5 Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 3 bass
5” Yamasenko weighted wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate) – 2 bass
Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (bluegill) – 2 bass
Rapala DT10 crankbait (parrot) – 1 bass
Rebel Ghost Minnow – 1 bluegill
Top Bass: 1-12
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 3-11 (1-12,1-1,0-14)

Dad on the board with a feisty bluegill 

Notes and Nonsense

Front Ended? – For the second time in two weeks at Lake Storey, one angler came up bassless. In both cases, it sure wasn’t for lack of effort. And I can speak to one of the instances firsthand as my boy, Jayce, got me 4-0 during our couple hours on the water in late July. On that outing I was even up front on the trolling motor which is generally seen as advantage. Same spot for this outing and just one of those odd situations as Dad noted that he didn’t feel slighted on our targeted areas just couldn’t muster one of our target species although a bust off on a hookset left us to wonder.

8:24am (12.5″ 0-14) & 8:59am (13″ 1-1) trying to scrape out a Top 5 but only got a Top 3 at the end of the day

Snags – Beyond that busted bite that Dad experienced we did have a handful of snagged lures along the way but only lost one other bait. An errant cast of my Senko drilled it into a nasty stand of poison ivy where it became lodged. Rather than going all the way in after it I elected to clip the line as me and poison ivy have a long, ugly history. I did go in to retrieve a crankbait snagged at water’s edge to find that one treble was hooked into some old snagged fishing line, typically impossible to dislodge unless within reach.

Tech Break – Dad says “That’s not you, that’s me???” when I asked him to snap a pic of a catch

Top Bass – Prior to the last couple weeks it had been quite a few years since I had fished Lake Storey at full pool, instead opting for visits during the annual fall drawdown. As such there was a lot more fishable structure that was in the water as opposed to high and dry. Problem was, the abundance of shoreline vegetation made a lot of the brush and laydowns tough to fish. However, one particular piece of structure, a stump, sits deep enough to be submerged beyond the weedline and invisible to anglers not intimately familiar with the lake. I mentioned to Dad, “there’s a stump over there” as I cast my crankbait to find that there was also our Top Bass “over there.”

9:16am – Top Bass 15″ and 1-12 on squarebill crankbait 

Tiny Bass – There’s a baseball saying that “it looks like a line drive in the boxscore” when describing a blooper, Texas Leaguer, swinging bunt or seeing eye groundball that results in a hit. Such can also apply to catching a less than impressive bass as it still counts as a bass recorded in the log and the totals. As long as the angler is wise enough not to report the specific details or shoot a photo, nobody knows the difference. Well, I guess I suffer from some combination of not that wise and easily amused so what you see is what I catch.

10:56am – Last bass 6.5″, called it a day about 45 minutes later figuring we couldn’t outdo this one with a smaller catch

Nothing much to brag about but enough to keep us interested, actually a respectable quantity for us on a dog day Lake Storey trip. Definitely could have caught more and likely heavier on some of our strip mine water but there’s something to be said for a challenge. And Lake Storey always provides just that. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 2, 1999

Posted on by Troy Jackson

“Very superstitious…” – Superstition, Stevie Wonder (1972)

August 2, 1999 – Little John Conservation Club 20.5″ and 3-11 on a spinnerbait

Kind of fun when the lead pic is from exactly 20 years ago today.

And kind of weird when you look at the person in the mirror and ponder just how much superstition effects your routines and decisions. I suspect that for most of us it isn’t a question of “whether” but “how much.”

Participating in sports in my younger days, I employed “routines” aimed at repetition or consistency that were really just thinly veiled superstitions. Stand in the same spot on deck, three dribbles before a free throw, glove in the same place on the bench, that sort of thing.

Comfort type behavior, same applies to fishing, just have a look at today’s three fishing pictures from the summer of 1999. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

 

June 25, 1999 – 19.5″ and 3-3 spinnerbait and July 27, 1999 – 20″ 3-4 Zara Spook both from Little John

According to the old photo albums, the Bass Pro Shops shirt actually made its fishing trip shirt debut in 1995. And it came direct from Outdoor World when Brent and I made the nine hour pilgrimage to Springfield, MO back in 1992, a time when there was only one Bass Pro Shops.

As far as the original floppy hat, it broke onto the scene in 1999 and came from the Gurnee Mills Bass Pro Shops location. My girlfriend and I made that trek back in the day and me, her and the hat are still together over 20 years later. (Note: that would be Julie, now my wife, just to avoid any sort of weird, lurid confusion on the girlfriend thing).

Cool thing about the hat is that I had to bust it back out just last weekend as Floppy Hat V2.0 was in my truck at the local service station. Nabbed a near four-pounder on that trip, my largest bass of 2019, so maybe there truly is something to the whole superstition, good luck thing after all.

Just for fun, here is the old log entry from August 2, 1999

“Very superstitious, nothing more to say…”

Well, at least for today although I do have a whole pile of notes and a few old posts on the role of superstition in fishing. Some other time.

For now, give yourself a little escape and a smile today by clicking below. One fantastic, groovy cut written by a musical genius, performed by an eclectic, hip collection of players for an enthusiastic bunch of listeners (especially the youngster at the 4:10 mark). Trust me, you will not be disappointed, everything music should be.

Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Eleven more bass join during the month of July to bring our 2019 total to 60. And what’s pretty cool about those catches is that they came from six different Top 5 anglers. The more, the merrier, as the saying goes. And how about a new Top Bass for the year from our Top 5 leader, Jim Junk.

2019 Totals (* = new record)
January = 1 bass
February = no submissions
March = 8 bass
April = 14 bass
May = 12 bass
June = 14 bass
July = 11 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
January = 3-3 (one bass)
February = no submissions
March = 19-3 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-5,3-3)
April = 19 -10 (4-1,4-1,4-0,3-12,3-12)
May = 19-1 (4-6,4-0,3-15,3-10,3-2)
June = 19-15 (4-3,4-1,4-1,3-15,3-11)
July = 13-15 (5-3,3-14,1-15,1-8,1-7)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 17 bass
Bank = 43 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight (* = new record)
Boat = 14-0 (3-14,3-11,2-4,2-4,1-15)
Bank = 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-2,4-6,4-3)

Public vs. Private
Public = 47 bass
Private = 13 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3)
Private = 15-11 (3-14,3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7)

The Baits (* = new record)
Plastic Worm = 22 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Chatterbait = 11 bass (Top Bass 5-3 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbaits = 7 bass (Top Bass 4-8 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbaits = 8 bass (Top Bass 3-10 Chris Schwarz)
Buzzbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-4 Troy Jackson)
Jigs = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-10 Troy Jackson)
Crankbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 3-11 Chris Schwarz)
Underspin = 2 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
Livebait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jim Junk)
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-1 Landon Hannam)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
3-3 Jim Junk
February
No submissions
March
4-8 Jim Junk
April
4-1 Jim Junk
May
4-6 Jim Junk
June
4-3 Jim Junk
July
5-3 Jim Junk

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
5-3 Jim Junk 7/28
4-8 Jim Junk 3/28
4-6 Jim Junk 5/14
4-3 Jim Junk 6/14
4-2 Jim Junk 3/30
4-1 Jim Junk 3/31
4-1 Jim Junk 4/10
4-1 Jim Junk 4/13
4-1 Jim Junk 6/20
4-1 Jim Junk 6/28

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3)
Chris Schwarz 15-8 (3-11,3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7)
Troy Jackson 13-3 (3-14,2-10,2-4,2-4,2-3)
Brent Jackson 6-9 (1-12,1-10,1-2,1-1,1-0)
Landon Hannam 4-7 (1-4,1-2,1-1,1-0)
Terry Jackson 3-13 (1-15,1-1,0-13)
Jayce Jackson 2-13 (1-8,1-5)
John Kirkemo 2-12 (1-7,1-5)

Other Species
Bluegill 1-8 Teagan Mills 6/2/19 Private pond
Channel Catfish 13-0 Teagan Mills 4/20/19 Private Pond
Catfish 6-9 Chris Schwarz 6/12/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Catfish 34-35” Chris Schwarz 6/2/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Muskellunge 6-4 Chris Schwarz 6/28/19 Lake Storey

Always interesting to see what August holds in store as it is typically a down month in terms of contributions. The lingering “dog days” can have an effect and anglers with a full creel often find it to be a tall order to cull some of their catches. Including myself, most of us still have plenty of room for a 2019 boost. Here’s hoping some of us have an opportunity to get it done. And if you have any July stragglers, go ahead and send ‘em my way. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – July 27

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For the second month in a row I managed to get in back to back days on the water. The July version was extra cool as I fished the first day as Dad with my son, Jayce, while the second outing was spent with Dad as a son. Consult the “Recent Posts” menu if you missed the former report (shame on you) and read on for the latter report.

6:17am First bass 15″ 1-6 Buzzbait

Stats
Date: July 27, 2019
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Time: 6:10am-10:25am
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 70-80F
Water Temp: 80-82F
Totals: 29 bass (Dad – 17 bass, Troy – 12 bass)
Lures:
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (smoke or natural shad) – 17 bass
5″ Yamasenko weighted wacky rig (watermelon/creme laminate) – 7 bass
Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 4 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: Troy 3-14, Dad 1-15
Top 5 Weight: 9-13 (3-14,1-15,1-7,1-6,1-3)

6:44am This shot reveals Dad’s effective Senko wacky rig, responsible for all 17 bass he landed

Notes and Nonsense

Pliers Please – Dad never leaves home for a fishing trip without his pliers. Well, at least until this trip. All good though as I had him covered once he figured out that they were home in his garage. Right on top of his tackleboxes which he also forgot to pack. Had him covered there too although his lone Senko lasted nearly the whole trip. Good for a laugh and I made sure to shoot a pic of his gear once we returned home to share with all of you faithful readers.

Shot featuring the reappearance of the original floppy hat on this trip as detailed below 

Flashback Floppy – So, after poking a little fun at Dad for forgetting his pliers I must shoot straight and mention that I was without my lucky floppy hat. In my case, I had left it in my truck which was in the shop for the second major repair in as many months. Turns out that the old floppy hat still had some bites left in it, including a good one (pic below).

7:30am Top Bass of the outing at 20″ and 3-14 on a weighted Senko wacky rig

Old Olive Eye – If you are anywhere near mealtime as you read this post perhaps give it a break for the time being and whatever you do, don’t look at the picture below. Our Top Bass of the day weighed in at 3-14 and happened to be my Top Bass of 2019 as it has been a struggle to find some quality bites. I had to pat myself on the back for the precise presentation that was required to catch this one-eyed bass. The fish had a real ugly eye that to me resembled an olive. What are the odds that I could put that Senko in the right place for that bass to spot it? Then again, maybe it was just blind luck. Or would that be “half-blind” luck?

Sorry for those fond of olives, hope this doesn’t stick with you as you sip that next martini

Sinking Senko – Several of Dad’s bass came after his Senko had done some extra sinking as he attended to a loop or two in his spinning reel. Fishing 101 notes that the fish will tell you what they want in a presentation. In this case, those catches advised to slow the retrieve and allow the lure to sink deeper in the water column. Seen this happen on numerous occasions but as “fast” fishermen, both Dad and I still have a hard time sticking to what the fish are saying. But hey, a 29 bass morning does show that our speedier approach isn’t just blind luck.

10:18am Dad finishes strong, only minutes to spare with his Top Bass at 16″ and 1-15 on the home stretch

Another good day on some familiar water, a spot that we first fished together over 30 years ago. Was sure glad that Dad decided to give it a go as the last time we shared time in the boat was July 8, 2017. Understandably not as nimble or durable a team as we once were but still a dynamic duo on the water. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – July 26

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Gotta brag a bit and keep Julie and Gramaw up to speed 

Last week I had an opportunity to spend a couple hours on an old favorite fishing hole, Lake Storey. It’s always a fun visit with plenty of memories from over 45 years of testing its waters. And this outing was even made more special as I had a young fishing partner aboard looking to make some memories of his (our) own. Here’s a look at how it all played out with my ten-year old son, Jayce.

Definitely have to keep fellow Lake Storey and Top 5 angler, John Kirkemo, in the loop

Stats

Date: July 26, 2019
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 6:50pm-8:35pm
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 82F
Water Temp: 82F
Totals: 4 bass (Jayce – 4 bass, Dad – 0 bass)
Lures:
5” Yamasenko weighted wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 1-8
Top 5 Weight (2 at 12” or better): 2-13 (1-8,1-5)

Notes and Nonsense

Pre-trip Quote – As we headed out from my folks, Papa gave Jayce a little fishing advice. He said, “Don’t catch more fish than Dad or he won’t take you again. I know, I caught more bass than him last time and he won’t take me anymore.” All in good fun and truth in the numbers but not so much in the invitations. In fact, me and Papa shared a boat the next day. But that’s a fishing report for tomorrow (SPOILER ALERT: Dad caught more fish than me again).

The Score – my three proven baits = 0 bass, Jayce and his weighted wacky rig = 4 bass

Choices – Lake Storey receives a great deal of pressure and can be a tough one when it comes to bass fishing. Throw in some weedy and warm summer conditions and realistically I was hoping that our brief outing may at least produce one bite. As such, we stopped at a local gas station to pick up some waxworms for potential panfishing. Bad move when seeking Jayce’s input on which species to chase as he immediately replied, “Bass.” The next question was answered just as rapidly with “Senko” as his lure of choice.

Uncle Brent and Jim Junk were also on the list for text updates, great to have fishing family and friends

Post-trip Quote – Well, I sure had to brag on my boy’s domination of those tricky Lake Storey bass so I had provided text updates as our evening progressed and his catches continued to come aboard. Those receiving reports on the outing included Jayce’s mom, Jayce’s grandma, Top 5 angling buddy Jim Junk, fellow Lake Storey angler John Kirkemo and Jayce’s Uncle Brent. Congratulations abounded and I got a particular kick out of Brent’s comment “Back of the boat does it again.” You see, not the first time I’ve been outfished by a co-angler in the back of the boat at Lake Storey. Doesn’t bother me a bit and very rewarding to observe firsthand as Jayce develops into the sort of angler who may someday give his Uncle Brent a run for his money as the best Lake Storey bass fisherman I know.

A few items on the footage: yes, I made sure Jayce had his life jacket zipped up properly after noticing it undone on first catch, while he’s got the signature bass kiss down, we do need to work on a bit more gentle release in the future, all good, learning as he goes.

What a fun couple hours on the water and I believe my reply to Brent’s text message above told the tale of a kid flat out getting it done on the water. Being down 3 bass to zero at the time of our exchange, I still shot straight as I was indeed giving it my best shot with my best offerings. It seems the boy has got a knack for this bass fishing thing, looking forward to next time he gets a chance to outfish Dad. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A good summer turnout for this week’s update with five anglers in the mix. We’ll kick it off with a report from Top 5 angler, Chris Schwarz, who participated in a recent bass tourney on the Mississippi River followed by the other anglers and their catches.

Weight: 3-6
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Angler Comments: I fished in a Quad City Bass Club tournament on Sunday, July 14th. Me and my partner took 9th out of 26 boats. I caught a 3.38, which took 3rd for big bass of the tournament. This fish was caught on a bluegill colored square bill off of a lay down in 4 feet of water. We were fishing a section of Rock Creek, which is in pool 14. I didn’t have a picture of the fish, but I included our tournament results from the QCBC website.

Weight: 1-8 (14.5”)
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: July 26
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Weighted Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate)
Structure: Point

Weight: 1-5 (13.5”)
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: July 26
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Weighted Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate)
Structure: Point
Top 5 Weight: 2-13 (1-8,1-5)

Weight: 1-15 (16”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko wacky rig (smoke)
Structure: Point

Weight: 1-1 (15”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko wacky rig (smoke)
Structure: Point

Weight: 0-13 (12.5”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko wacky rig (smoke)
Structure: Point
Top 5 Weight: 3-13 (1-15,1-1,0-13)

Weight: 3-14 (20”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Weighted Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate)
Structure: Flat/overhanging bushes
Angler Comments: Fishing with Dad along one of the less appealing stretches of bank on an old favorite stomping ground and wound up with my Top Bass of 2019. While not a regular stop on our normal rounds, it will likely get a few casts in the future just in case.
Top 5 Weight: 13-3 (3-14,2-10,2-4,2-4,2-3) culls a 2-0

Weight: 5-3 (20.5”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: July 28
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Angler Comments: Was throwing a chatterbait with some kind of grub type trailer and sort of still getting used to new baitcaster. Clearing a small rat’s nest from spool and line started moving to right as I was reeling in slack. Set the hook and landed without incident.
Top 5 Weight: 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3) culls a 4-1

How’s that for a “dog days” report? An impressive batch of catches proving that the best time to go fishing is any time you can. I am hoping for a full week of posts through Friday with a pair of firsthand fishing reports, another round of Top 5 Stats as we leave July behind (will still take any July submissions if you missed this week’s deadline) and the weekly Friday Flashback post. Plenty of fishing stuff, can never have enough, hope you’ll stop by for a daily escape. Talk to you later. Troy