Now, I like my standard format for my fishing report postings as I feel that they tell the tale just fine with an intro, a batch of stats, a handful of notes on the highlights, lowlights, observances, random happenstance and, of course, pics.  But several times in the pre-blog days I wandered off that path in borrowing a page from Bassmaster magazine’s “Day on the Lake” feature.

For those not familiar with the magazine’s monthly series, the concept is to put an angler on an unfamiliar body of water and then provide a chronological account of the decisions, results and conversation during a seven hour day.  The articles finish with the angler’s assessment of the day, what approach they would take were they to return “tomorrow” and yep, a Top 5 weight.  It has been my favorite feature in the magazine since its inception many years ago and is always my first read when the latest issue arrives.

2002 Day – Brent,action shot                                                                                               2003 Day – Dad, Top Bass

My kickoff date for my new website venture to start this month marked fifteen years of writing which all began with occasional fishing, trapping and general outdoor reports to family and friends prior to becoming a blogger back in April 2010.  Among those pre-blog postings were seven of the “Day on the Lake” type postings of my design, borrowing some of the concepts from Bassmaster along with inventing some of my own, including taking a photo of every fish we caught no matter the size.

2004 & 2005 Day – they all count and have a moment of fame for this project

My archives indicate that I kicked off this idea in 2002, posted a pair of these reports in 2003 and then made it an annual project with one a year through 2009 (skipped 2006 for some reason, probably had another kid or something).  Each of the outings were trips with a partner, either Dad or my brother, Brent, but unlike the Bassmaster version all but one were trips to familiar waters.

I just finished re-reading each of the old reports and while some are a bit lengthy, I still found them quite entertaining.  Of course, I had a front row seat and certainly possess a bit of bias as the author.  Still, it is fun to look back and reminisce over days spent on the water with your best fishing partners.  Some “Days on the Lake” were more successful than others in terms of fish but as I continue to put a few more years and fishing trips behind me I’ve come to realize that fishing is about a whole lot more than catching.

Yet again, a ringing endorsement for keeping a log/journal or in some way recording your day on the water.  For within those postings and log entries there are countless details that still bring a smile or a shake of the head, details that would have long been forgotten had they not been documented.

Good stuff then, good stuff now and good stuff for the future.

2007, 2008 & 2009 Days

So, this resolution is to take another swing at this approach at least once this year after being put on the shelf since 2009.  More details to come and perhaps a revisit of the past postings prior to kicking off the 2017 version.  After all, who doesn’t like a fishing report, even if it’s nearly 10 years old?

Hey, guess what?  My initial resolution of a blog a day for May is now officially completed.  And I’m having so much fun that I’m going to keep the string alive into June.  Talk to you tomorrow.  Troy

Destination…somewhere new.

In 2016 I landed bass in 22 different lakes as I manage to get around a bit without actually having to wander too far from home.  All of my bass were caught within roughly an hour of my driveway and most of my primarily public stomping grounds allow me to hit several bodies of water within the same trip.  Even so, there were just as many potential fishing holes on my list that did not get a visit in 2016.  Not surprisingly, when contemplating most of my trips I wind up having a little trouble devising a game plan when faced with so many choices; a nice problem to have.

2016 also saw the addition of two new bodies of water to the list, Boss Lake at Mautino SFWA in Henry County, IL and Lost Grove Lake in Scott County, Iowa (as noted in yesterday’s post).  And I’m looking to make it even more complicated by exploring some more new water in 2017.

Browsing the internet, I’ve got my eye on a few spots already.  The criteria I was looking at was to find new water located within about a 70 minute drive of home.  Initial research shows several possibilities on the other side of the river.  Sounds like a good way to get more out of my non-resident Iowa fishing license, the first of which I purchased last year prior to my two Lost Grove Lake visits.

As far as the Illinois side, I’ve got a couple walk-in lakes as possibilities at some sites that I already visit.  In addition, there are several lakes that I fished quite a few years ago that may get some consideration in Henry County’s Johnson-Sauk Trail, Rock Island County’s Lake George and Whiteside County’s Lake Carlton.  The Hennepin Canal also provides numerous access points within reasonable distance but not sold on the bass potential without some more research.

Sometimes it’s tough to wander away from some of my productive regular haunts but sure is fun to get a look at some new water.  Time will tell which new water(s) that will be as I often don’t make up my mind until I’m loading my gear.

I also thought it would be fun sometime to draw my destination out of a hat once I get behind the wheel of my truck but may have to throw that trick into the mix for something new in 2018.  Or perhaps a reader vote from a list of destinations would be interesting as well.  However, I do have some concern for other anglers who may be fishing the chosen location in having to contend with my expansive and rabid fan base showing up to see how it all plays out…tough call.  Talk to you tomorrow.  Troy

Okay, so we’re talking the lure not the band or the location despite what I considered an entertaining tease on Facebook yesterday.  If nothing else, I amuse myself, not really too hard to do, but hopefully also hooked a few of you to get you over here on the blog.

Anyway…

For as long as I’ve considered myself a bass fisherman, the blitz of can’t miss, latest rage, new thing lures have certainly caught my attention.  Slug-Gos, Banjo Minnows, Flying Lures, The Tornado, bladed jigs, giant sized (and priced) swimbaits and even a wacky looking worm rig have all sought to empty the piggybank with the promise of filling the livewell.

Skipped some, bought some, some worked, some didn’t, still got some of them stashed somewhere in the tackle collection and that crazy looking worm setup is on the end of one pole pretty much every outing.

Alabama Rig (note: hook clipped on top lure to meet Illinois’ two hook regulation on most bodies of water)

And I’ve also got me a lure that was banned by Bassmaster and restricted in my own home state of Illinois.  While referred to as an umbrella rig, multi-rig, 3-way rig, 5-way rig and a multitude of other names from various manufacturers I like to call it by the original designation, “Alabama rig.”

I threw it around last November without fooling anything and have only landed one bass on the contraption, an 11.5 incher back in 2014.

7/6/14 at 5:53am 11.5″, my one and only Alabama Rig bass, therefore, the record…for now.

So for 2017, my resolution is to set a new Alabama rig personal best.  As you can see from the above photo, size wise that ain’t a very tall order.  However, from a confidence standpoint it could be a challenge in selecting this lure when I’m used to throwing something else.  Yet I do have a handful of numbers lakes or off the beaten path fishing holes where I just might be able to pull off this proposed “record” catch as the fish are either unpressured, dumb, or both.

Hopefully the new record will be coming your way in a fishing report sometime down the road.  In the meantime, another resolution coming your way tomorrow.  Talk to you later.  Troy

A welcome refrain as I ready my gear these days on the eve of a bright and early fishing trip departure is the question, “Dad, can I go fishing with you?”

Music to a fishing dad’s ears but not always feasible or logistically possible.  Won’t get into the particulars on the reasons or excuses but last summer wound up with pretty much constant work from the Fourth of July through Labor Day really making a mess of things.  As a result, we only had two opportunities in June to get the kids on some fish but were quite successful during those outings.

But from a parent perspective it’s not simply about how many and how big the fish are.  It’s also been cool to see the progression from stubby Mickey Mouse kiddie poles to regular sized spincast combos and more recently getting the hang of a spinning rig.

The evolution from having mom or dad cast to nowadays winging out a slip bobber setup with increasing distance and accuracy has also been a treat.

And simply looking down a stretch of bank to see four young anglers casting, reeling, laughing, hollering, smiling and catching is about as good as it gets.

Looking forward to the day when they get the hang of baiting their own hooks and taking off their own fish so mom and dad can expand that line of anglers for a little friendly grown up vs. kid competition.

So for 2017 we gotta get in some more of that family fishing time.

Only six more days of school for this bunch and a summer with a few less activities this time around mean that there’s no excuse for anything short of a record year of reeling ‘em in.

Waxworms and bluegill beware…Talk to you later.  Troy