Some may have seen a version of this report before on my previous blog but I’m going with a new run of the posting here so I provide a start to finish collection of fishing reports for 2017. Just kind of tough when I decided to kick this thing off one third of the way through the year.
Oh yeah, and I also like a rerun of this post as it’s got a pretty good catch (singular but solid).
Stats
Date: March 4, 2017
Location: Little John Conservation Club, Knox Co. IL
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 48F
Water Temp: 44F
Totals: 1 bass
Lures: Jig & Pig (black/blue) with #11 pork frog (black/blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: the only bass landed
Weight: stay tuned below
Notes & Nonsense
Company – As I pushed my boat into the lake, another pair of anglers arrived and I had a decision to make when faced with sharing water. The location lends itself to a couple options that I’ll just call a right turn or a left turn. Both directions have been productive over the years so it was not necessarily an easy decision on which portions of the lake to give up. I chose to take the figurative left and fate was on my side, winding up with no regrets or second guesses at the end of the day.
Old Faithful – Now the “Old’ part of Old Faithful is certainly apt when it comes to the pork trailer on my trusty black and blue jig and pig setup. I have no idea how old this piece of pig really is nor how many bass it has fooled but it has been through the wringer as I am about as frugal as it gets when it comes to fishing stuff (well, life actually). The photo above left shows the rig from the top, where it looks pretty normal. However, the photo above right shows the pig portion flipped over to reveal how much it is chewed up and faded to almost white. I’m sure some of those Bassmaster sorts would cringe or shake their heads at my unsophisticated presentation but it fooled another fish and yes, I put it back in the old weathered jar for next time once I decided to call it a day. (Note: the next outing I lost the setup on an unreachable snag while bankfishing, bummer)
Perseverance – On these early season days I go out with the mindset of getting one bite knowing that the conditions are such that it is unlikely I will be greeted by a steady stream of bass coming into the boat. A week long batch of cold weather, southeast wind, 44 degree water temps and a warm-up not forecast until the overnight meant it could be a challenging day but I was definitely glad to finally get on the water. I made my first stop at a productive area which allowed fancasting to a number of spots that have cooperated in the past. I spent 20 minutes anchored where I chose to start and fired away with the jig and pig, slow rolled spinnerbait, squarebilled crankbait, Shad Rap and underspin with a swimbait trailer all without so much as a bite. Finally, the jig and pig paid off with a bump and a slight sideways movement of the line prompting me to shake the winter rust and set the hook. Initially, I felt I had a decent fish but a dive near the boat left me wondering just how decent this fish was truly going to be. When it surfaced, rolled and shook its head, it was obvious that I had something pretty special.
2:57pm 2017 First Bass 22.5″ 6-2 Jig & Pig (black/blue)
Details – At 6-2, this fish was my first ever in the six-pound range and my second largest bass ever landed. As such it pretty much broke every personal record with the exception of largest crankbait bass. In addition, it got my 2017 Top 5 off to a pretty good start, doubt I’ll be culling this one when it’s all said and done.
Aftermath – Five days prior to this catch I had written a post about my quest for the elusive six-pounder including one fish that “might have been.” Fortune was smiling on me on this first outing of 2017 as I had now caught and released the bass that I’d been chasing after for a long time. After a brief weigh-in, photo session and texts to Julie, one of my brothers and Mom and Dad I just sat for several minutes letting it sink in. Maybe a little over the top, sappy or cheesy but those three ounces better than a 5-15 bass on my ledger from February 2002 sure meant a lot to this angler. Granted, many reading this posting have bigger personal bests, and I do too, but the six-pound monkey was now off my back.
After my catch I really didn’t care how the rest of the day panned out. Good thing too, as I never got another bite. Talk to you later. Troy