Month: July 2017

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Hey, five more fish that fill one limit and give another a boost.  A very slow summer just got better, hopefully a sign of things to come…


Weight: 1-5
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 15
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: Buzzbait (chartreuse)
Angler Comments (actually my two cents): Had a good time when afforded an opportunity to fish with my brother.  I believe he had only been on one other outing this year, back in February when he nabbed a 3-2.  We couldn’t fool any “trophies” despite a darn good effort.  Oh well, filled out his Top 5 so I guess that gives us a reason to take another shot to boost the total.


Weight: 1-6
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 15
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (black with blue flake)


Weight: 1-5
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 15
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (black with blue flake)


Weight: 1-2
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 15
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (black with blue flake)
Top 5 Weight: 8-4 (3-2,1-6,1-5,1-5,1-2)


Angler: Randy Sampson, Sr.
Date: July 16
Location: West Central IL public water
Lure: Fluke (red and white flake)
Weather: partly cloudy
Top 5 Weight: 23-11 (6-0,4-14,4-12,4-11,3-6) culls 3-4

Good to see these guys get a boost, “been awhile” as Randy mentioned in the email he sent my way.  Here’s hoping for some more summer success.  Talk to you later.  Troy

Kids’ Fishing Report 7/8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After three and a half hours of “high impact” bass fishing last Saturday, Dad and I relocated, regrouped and reloaded our tackle in preparation of playing fishing guide to the pair of wild anglers in the shots that follow. Gramaw brought my boys, Jayce and Zac, out to Little John Conservation Club for a ride in Papa’s “big boat” looking for a few panfish. Of course, the fish they reel in are only part of the big adventure when these two guys show up.

It takes a little time and a little distance on the lake before both boys get on the board with a couple decent bluegill on good old waxworms hung from a bobber.

Okay, with the formality of landing a few fish out of the way, it was time to get a little closer to the world that those fish call home. The back of Dad’s bass boat rides much closer to the surface than our little johnboat and, well, the proximity of the water quickly proved to be too much to resist.

After a bit over an hour of trolling, splashing around and roughly double digits for the bluegill haul, we proceeded to spend nearly as much time out of the boat while fooling around at the boat launch. I’ve always shook my head and chuckled as it seems to never fail that when you are ready to trailer your boat, somebody or several somebodies show up to make things more interesting. I’m a bank angler too, so I get it, but sometimes it gets a little dicey dodging bodies and attempting to show some courtesy while sharing space on those specific spots on the water. On this day, we were those folks and luckily no one else showed up to launch a boat.

 

A few final pics after removing our catch from the livewell in the parking area with lots of excited fish splashing and three generations of Jackson boys laughing and admiring the results of an enjoyable couple hours at the lake.

And finally, do you think fifteen poles are suitable for a morning on the water? It’s how this bunch rolls and from the fishing reports detailing this day, looks like it works just fine.

A trip from July 11 is already in the log and looking to hit the water again this weekend at some point. Tune in next week for the reports and don’t forget to have a look at the regular Facebook postings for plenty of outdoor notes and pics. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Lowdown – Little John CC 7/8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Here we go with the first “Retro” fishing report since 2009 as introduced yesterday and included among my 2017 Resolutions detailed earlier this year.

Date: July 8, 2017
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Time: 6:00am-9:30am
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 71F-81F
Water Temp: forgot to check (not used to electronics)

Catch by Catch


Bass #1 – 6:08am 16” (1-8) Senko wacky rig (electric shad)
On the board eight minutes in with our first “keeper” after two regular spots let us down, spot number three is once again a winner.

 


Bass#2 – 6:27am 11.5” Senko wacky rig (smoke)
No shutout for Dad as bass number one comes on board working his Senko along the dropoff of an extended point.

 


Bass#3 – 6:29am 7” Senko
Wasting no time, Dad grabs the lead, but who’s counting?  And yes, for this project they all count and get their picture taken, even if they aren’t much bigger than the lure (5” Senko).

 


Bass#4 – 6:45am 9” Senko
Another short fish comes off a point featuring a reed patch bordering the dropoff.

 


Bass#5 – 6:55am 9.5” Senko
Bigger than the last one or more accurately, “less small.”

 


Bass#6 & #7 – 7:02am Dad 12” (0-14) and Troy 11” both on Senkos
Dad gets the first of our only double as I hook mine only seconds after he has set the hook.  He gets me by an inch with our second “keeper” boosting our weight to a whopping 2-6 and looking for three more to round out a Top 5.

 


Bass#8 – 7:10am 14” (1-4) Senko
A well placed cast to a spot that Dad said should hold one does indeed produce a bass and takes our weight up to 3-10.  Dad had hit the area seconds earlier from a different angle so this catch demonstrates that if a spot looks good or has produced in the past it is worth working over from a couple directions.


Bass#9 – 7:16am 8” Senko
I dig the take a pic of every bass aspect of this project as it shows that you typically have to wade through a bunch of “dinks” in search of the “keepers” and occasional “lunkers.”  The thing is though, you don’t really want to bother the other guy with one of these so you do the photo honors yourself.  Holding this one close to the camera still doesn’t make it look bigger, however.

 


Bass#10 – 7:19am 14” (1-3)
Now this one was cool as it came from an area that has produced in the past but I was going to skip due to cramped quarters in Dad’s Bass Tracker versus the old eight foot johnboat.  However, Dad got snagged on an underwater limb prompting a rescue mission into the area.  First cast to an overhanging bush after freeing his Senko and we had “keeper” number four, bumping our weight to 4-13.

 


Bass#11 – 7:28am 10.5” Senko
Flicking my Senko out to a submerged tree in about 12’ of water is a winner as this one nabs it after sinking near the wood for only a couple seconds.  A proven spot comes through again but not quite as big as a five-pounder the tree gave up several years ago.

 


Bass#12 – 7:31am 11” Senko
Had to get the dipnet for this one but more so due to weight of the accompanying grass and not the bass.  As Dad reeled in this bunch of salad he actually said, “I don’t know if the bass is still on there.” Took a little digging but there it was.

 


Bass#13 – 7:39am 10.5” Senko
I honestly don’t remember any details about this fish other than the logged time, length and lure.

 


Bass#14 – 8:11am 21.5” (5-0) Buzzbait
I do remember this one though as it ended our longest drought of the day at 32 minutes without a bass.  The buzzbait shutout also ends in a big way after intermittent casting for the first two hours failed to produce.  I had told Dad that it only takes one bite and this was it.  Throw in the fact that it came on the second visit to a spot that is historically productive including a couple other big ones and it really makes you feel like you know what you are doing.  Top 5 complete with a big jump in weight total to 9-13.

 


Bass#15 – 8:39am 20” (3-5) Senko
Dad joins the big fish parade with what he speculated was his “biggest Senko bass ever.”  A great fight featured a dive at the boat that had me poised and ready with the dipnet when the fish surfaced.  Crazy thing was, it surfaced about eighteen feet behind us having swam completely under the boat.  Dad deftly guided the fish back around to our side, dodging our rear trolling motor with his rod tip under water and we had another big boost to our Top 5.  This fish knocked out the earlier 0-14 and brought out total weight to 12-4.

 


Bass#16 – 9:00am 8.5” Senko
Dad’s seventh and final fish of the day doesn’t measure up to his previous catch but our day is already made with a couple good ones.  Time is winding down as we head towards the boat launch in preparation to relocate and meet up with my boys, Jayce and Zac, to chase some bluegills in Papa’s “big boat.”

 


Bass#17 – 9:30am 11.5” Senko
Not a keeper but a nice exclamation point on a solid outing and caught within casting distance of the boat launch so I call it a day with a bass on my last cast.

Totals: 17 bass (Troy – 10, Dad – 7)
Lures:
Senko wacky rig (electric shad) – 9 bass
Senko wacky rig (smoke) – 7 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 5-0 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-4 (5-0,3-5,1-8,1-4,1-3)

Running Totals for this project (8 trips since 2002)
45.25 hours
208 bass
Top Bass: 5-0 this trip tops Dad’s 3-7 from 6/16/08
Daily Top 5 Weight Record: 14-2 Lake Bracken 6/16/08
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 18-4 (5-0,3-7,3-5,3-5,3-3) culls 2-13 and 2-10

Well, there you have it, the reintroduction of old idea, Resolution accomplished and great to get it done with Dad.  Kind of a work in progress from here as not sure whether to keep this feature as a one-time deal each year or toss it out there again as I’ve got a couple ideas floating around upstairs.  Talk to you later.  Troy

Introducing “Lake Lowdown”

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Back in May, I ran down a list of “Outdoor Resolutions” targeted for completion in 2017. I have knocked a few out since then and last Saturday’s fishing trip with Dad provided an opportunity to take care of another one.

This Resolution was referred to as “Retro Fishing Report” and the May 31 posting described my stab at fishing reports aimed at mirroring a monthly Bassmaster magazine feature entitled “Day on the Lake.” That monthly article places a pro on an unfamiliar lake and documents the high and lows in chronological fashion as they spend seven hours on the water trying to figure things out.

From 2002 thorough 2009 I posted seven such reports featuring either Dad or my brother, Brent, as my fishing partner. Our version of these reports differ from the pros as we have fished known locations (with one exception in 2007) and I also photograph and document the details of every bass we land for usage in the final product. While I sure dig the Bassmaster version, I much prefer our reports. Not only because it’s firsthand experience but also because it’s the real deal with a couple guys in 30 or 40 year old boats using whatever fishing gear they’ve amassed since the 80’s and showing you every fish, not just the big ones thrust out at arm’s length as close to the photographer as possible (yes, I have been guilty in the past but these days I make sure to bend them elbows).  I’d like to think these are things to which more than a few fellow bass anglers can relate.

(Note: in the interest of further promoting “regular guy” fishing we do probably need to pull this stunt on public water more often although the bass just don’t jump in the boat at any of our stomping grounds, still takes some work.)

Below is a brief rundown of some of the numbers from each of our previous stabs at this project.

July 9, 2002 with Brent at Lake Bracken (private)
7.50 hours and 37 bass (Troy = 20 Brent = 17)
Top Bass: 1-9 Troy Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-12 (1-9,1-3,1-1,1-0,0-15)

June 13, 2003 with Dad at Lake Bracken (private)
5.25 hours and 35 bass (Troy = 19 Dad = 16)
Top Bass: 3-3 Dad Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-0 (3-3,2-2,1-1,0-14,0-12)

July 23, 2004 with Dad at Lake Bracken (private)
7.00 hours and 25 bass (Dad = 14 Troy = 11)
Top Bass: 1-14 Troy Buzzbait
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-5 (1-14,1-8,1-0,0-15)

July 13, 2005 with Dad at Lake Bracken (private)
7.50 hours with 20 bass (Dad = 11 Troy = 9)
Top Bass: 2-7 Troy Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 6-8 (2-7,1-5,1-1,0-14,0-13)

May 9, 2007 with Dad Snakeden Hollow strip pit (public)
2.0 hours with 21 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 Dad Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 7-1 (1-11,1-10,1-8,1-3,1-1)

June 16, 2008 with Dad at Lake Bracken (private)
6.50 hours with 38 bass (Dad = 26 Troy = 12)
Top Bass: 3-7 Dad Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 14-2 (3-7,3-5,2-13,2-9,2-0)

September 21, 2009 with Dad at Lake Storey (public)
7.00 hours with 15 bass (Dad = 8 bass Troy = 7 bass)
Top Bass: 2-10 Troy Creature Bait
Top 5 Weight: 8-11 (2-10,1-10,1-10,1-9,1-4)

Totals
7 outings
42.75 hours
191 bass
Top Bass: 3-7 Dad 6/16/08 Spinnerbait
Daily Top 5 Weight Record: 14-2 Lake Bracken 6/16/08
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 17-6 (3-7,3-5,3-3,2-13,2-10)

So there you have the basis, background and up to date recap regarding the resumption of the annual retro fishing report, deemed “Lake Lowdown” from this point forward. Tune in tomorrow for the 2017 version and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

June turned out to be a downer in terms of our Top 5 project as no new submissions joined the ranks.  I gave it a few shots, had a good time, caught a decent amount of fish but just couldn’t fool anything to give to give our totals a boost.  Back at it a couple days ago with July underway and me and Dad found several bites that got it done.


Weight: 0-14 (12”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 8
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Structure: Brush/drop
Angler Comments (actually mine for Dad): Part of our only double, Dad’s 12” bass outdid my 11” fish and got him on the board for the 2017 Top 5.


Weight: 1-3 (14”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 8
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Structure: Brush/drop
Angler Comments (actually mine for Dad): This bass came from a productive spot that I was originally going to skip as it is rather confined for a real bass boat as opposed to my regular eight footer.  But fortune smiled as Dad got hung in an underwater limb prompting us to go in after the snag.  One cast later, as soon as his Senko hit the water near some overhanging bushes he had Top 5 bass number two in the boat.


Weight: 3-5 (20”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 8
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Structure: Brush/drop
Angler Comments (actually mine for Dad): Dad noted that this was probably the largest Senko bass he’d nabbed.  It sure put a bend in his pole and stripped drag during a battle that included a pole submerging dive at the boat.  Dad and I were bent and ready at the side of the boat with pole and dipnet waiting for the fish to surface, and it did.  Only thing was, it was behind us about eighteen feet away, having swam completely under the boat. Somehow the 8-pound test held and we got both a good fish and a good fish story that we’ve already told a few times.
Top 5 Weight: 5-6 (3-5,1-3,0-14)


Weight: 5-0 (21.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: July 8
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait
Structure: Point/drop
Angler Comments: Took a couple hours of intermittent casting amidst a decent Senko bite and was the only successful strike I had all morning on a buzzbait (two half-hearted swirls otherwise). Definitely worth the effort in the end as I had told Dad a couple times that “all it takes is one bite.” Got it on this morning. Full report and then some later this week.
Top 5 Weight: 23-6 (6-2,5-9,5-0,3-6,3-5) culls 2-5

Fun day with Dad and a few Top 5 bass provide some icing on the cake.  On a personal note, my current tally of 23-6 represents my best limit since kicking off this project back in 2014.  From 2014 to 2016 I managed to rack up totals of 20-14, 22-12 and 21-3, respectively.  So, I guess from here it’s a matter of seeing how high I can push my limit with at least four months of casting remaining.  Looks like 26-2 puts me in the Top 10 all-time limits so I suppose that is a good number to target, two pounds and twelve ounces to go.  Pretty fun stuff, these stats, if I do say so myself.  Feel free to join the fun…Talk to you later.  Troy

Happy Birthday, Carly

Posted on by Troy Jackson

July is crazy in a good way as today we celebrate the second of four family birthdays, featuring our younger daughter, Carly. The following is an excerpt from an original posting back in the early writing days before officially becoming a blogger.

“Our top story is the latest addition to our family. Weighing in at 6-13 and measuring 19” in length, Carly June Jackson arrived at 6:28 pm on July 9th. Mom and baby are doing just fine. Big sister is also adjusting fine so far. Papa Jackson has again seen to it that she left the hospital with a fishing pole. This one is a Disney Princess model to go with Helena’s Mickey Mouse combo.”

Early bluegill on sister’s pole                                 Camping and air mattress destruction

Cheesing over bluegill                                                          Typical windy day at Emiquon, typical Carly 

Carly called this shot on a Senko                                                           Carly the cook enjoying camping cuisine

So, these days Carly has left the kiddie combos behind for a standard fishing rod received as an early birthday present as reported here a couple weeks ago. She has always been quite proficient wielding a fishing pole and possesses the best drive and dedication among our bunch when it comes to chasing some fish.

May 2016, me and my girl taking in our favorite girl band

She also lets me listen to “my” music on the way to the fishing hole as it has now become “our” music with a girl who can ID acts by ear such as Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Heart, Journey, Ozzy, ELO, Pat Benatar, David Bowie…you know, good music. She can also tell you which Beatle is on vocals most of the time without three or four guesses. And how many other eleven year olds know who is generally regarded as “The Fifth Beatle?”

Love you, Miss Carly, and talk to you later. Dad

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A new month means a new stat wrap-up for the Top 5.  A little lean of late, but here we go.

 2017 Totals (* = new record)
*January = 1 bass (no previous entries)
*February = 13 bass (old record 7 in 2016)
March = 10 bass (record 13 in 2014)
April = 11 bass
May = 13 bass
June = 0 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
*January = 2-11 (2-11) no previous record
February = 21-5 (5-2,4-14,4-2,3-15,3-4) record 22-9 in 2016
March = 22-15 (6-2,4-11,4-9,4-3,3-6) record 28-0 in 2016
April = 25-0 (6-0,5-15,5-9,3-14,3-10)
May = 26-14 (6-15,5-8,5-4,5-2,4-1)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 38 bass
Bank = 10 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 30-9 (6-15,6-2,6-0,5-15,5-9)
Bank = 20-2 (5-2,4-1,3-14,3-10,3-7)

Public vs. Private
Public = 28 bass
Private = 20 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 27-3 (6-0,5-15,5-4,5-2,4-14)
Private = 29-4 (6-15,6-2,5-9,5-8,5-2)

The Baits (* = new record)
Crankbaits = 15 bass (Top Bass 6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Jigs = 9 bass (Top Bass 6-2 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Jake Bresson)
Swim Jigs = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
Lipless Crankbaits = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Bruce Zilkowski)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Paul Kessler)
Underspins = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Mark Balbinot)
*Buzzbaits = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-9 Troy Jackson)
Old record 5-8 Terry Isbell 9/14/14
*Creature Bait = 2 bass (Top Bass 6-15)
Old record 6-1 Jeff Marshall 5/23/14
Plastic Worm = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-5 Troy Jackson)
Tube = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jake Bresson)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
*2-11 Mark Balbinot (no previous record)
February
5-2 Mark Balbinot
March
6-2 Troy Jackson
April
6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.
May
6-15 Mark Balbinot

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
*6-15  Mark Balbinot 5/13 (#7 all-time)
6-2   Troy Jackson 3/4
6-0   Randy Sampson Sr. 4/15
5-15 Mark Balbinot 4/14
5-9   Troy Jackson 4/25
5-8   Mark Balbinot 5/13
5-4   Jake Bresson Late May
5-2   Mark Balbinot 2/26
5-2   Jake Bresson 5/20
4-14 Randy Sampson Sr. 2/19

Angler Weights
27-10    Mark Balbinot (6-15,5-15,5-8,5-2,4-2)
22-3    Randy Sampson Sr. (6-0,4-14,4-11,3-6,3-4)
22-1    Jake Bresson (5-4,5-2,4-1,4-0,3-10)
20-11  Troy Jackson (6-2,5-9,3-6,3-5,2-5)
18-0    Bruce Zilkowski (4-9,4-3,3-15,3-0,2-5)
8-10    Paul Kessler (3-4,2-12,2-10)
3-2      Brent Jackson (3-2)

Bonus Species – Northern Pike
Total = 54.5” Jake Bresson (33.5”,21.0”) both on Tubes

Bonus Species – Green Sunfish
0-13 Jayce Jackson

Bonus Species – Muskie
Total = 131” Jake Bresson (47”,31”,29”24”) on Rapala X-Rap

Bonus Species – Walleye
Total = 118” Jake Bresson (26.5”,26.0”,25.5”,20”,20”) on Rapala X-Rap or jig & minnow

Lots of good fish but still a lean year in terms of participation.  I get it, modesty and/or secrecy sometimes outweigh the desire to join a “brag board.”  My advice is to just view our project as the modern equivalent of having that Polaroid picture of your latest catch on the counter of the local baitshop.  Just ignore the fact that the baitshop is pretty much available to anyone around the world.  Good luck and send them my way.  Talk to you later.  Troy

Lost Grove Lake Report 6/27

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Welcome to the fishing report that nobody really wants to write, but I’m gonna do it anyway (hopefully somebody will want to read). Many years ago, upon deciding to become a “writer”, I made a pact with myself that I would submit a report for every fishing trip I took. Sticking to that commitment, this is what you get today.

Stats
Date: June 27, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:25pm-8:25pm
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: mid-80’s
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 0 bass (yep, a shutout)


No bites from the bass and fortunate I spotted this nasty critter on my shirt before it tried to get a bite of me.

Notes & Nonsense

Uncharted Territory – Not every trip produces stellar results, that’s just fishing, but to get shutout is kind of embarrassing and, fortunately, rather rare. Even on tough days, I can usually find at least one dumb one to put me on the board. Not so this time around and although I am not absolutely certain, it may actually be my first shutout since 2009. That one was really hard to take as it occurred on The Emiquon Preserve less than two weeks after the bass factory opened to the public. The winds ran me and Dad off the lake on that day in about an hour but still an epic feat in failing to fool at least one of those uneducated fish, truly an amazing sort of achievement (yep, wrote a report on that one too).

Excuses – If there is such a thing as a summer cold front, we were in the midst as June neared an end with lows in the 50’s and highs in the 60’s. I’ve got to believe that this turn in the weather shut the bite down, particularly the topwater bite. What stinks is that the weedy conditions pretty much force your hand in this direction as it is difficult to work other subsurface presentations through the mess. I’m also missing my portable depthfinder which succumbed to water damage last summer after only a couple months of use. Working the existing creek channel would have definitely been worth a shot but flying blind just makes it too tough. Okay, nice try, right? In reality, it’s just a matter of failure to adapt and execute, that happens and get ‘em next time.

Rant – I wasn’t in any sort of foul mood based on my inability to fool anything but I did have a “moment” upon rowing back up to the launch. Shortly after I began my evening on the water, a group of a half dozen bank anglers showed up to try their luck at the launch area. When they left, they left behind a pile of trash including a worm box, stringer packaging and a few other pieces of tackle debris. A fellow who had just shown up to fish with a lady friend took the initiative to clean up the mess echoing my sentiments about folks that just don’t care. The parking lot is about 30 yards away yet these knuckleheads can’t carry their trash back to their vehicles. A few bad apples shouldn’t spoil the whole bunch but I sure get tired of these fools.

And Another Thing…– Along the lines of litter, I have found beer and soda cans miles from the nearest parking lot at some of my walk-in strip mine grounds over the years. It has always puzzled me that these folks can haul in the weight of full beverages yet can’t carry out the comparatively weightless empties.

Resolution #10 – Okay, I will admit that I have not always been the top crusader in hauling out the trash of others as opposed to Julie who does put forth such an effort. However, in the spirit of my batch of Resolution postings earlier this year, I guess I should add another one along with a plastic bag or two to my tacklebag.

Alright, thanks for hanging in there for an empty fishing report turned public service message. I’ll try and do better next time but I guess everything happens for a reason. This time the bass provided an opportunity to share a gripe that I’m sure a few others also have along with giving me a push to get my butt in gear and try to become part of the solution instead of just complaining about the problem. Talk to you later. Troy

Kids’ Fishing Report 6/25

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last Sunday I decided to take our youngest girl, Carly, out on a hunt for an early birthday gift (birthday is coming up July 9).  Earlier this year she had mentioned that she thought she could use a new fishing pole to take the place of Hannah Montana which was pole number two of her fishing career, replacing the original, stubby Disney Princess pole she got from her Papa the day she was born.  Certainly sounded like a good thing for the birthday list so off we went for a rig and then some fish with brother, Jayce.


Sweet when your kid wants a fishing pole for her birthday, my kind of shopping.

 

Brothers pitch in to get Carly set up 

Stats

Date: June 25, 2017
Location: Work Pond and Hennepin Canal (Colona, IL)
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Totals: 8 bluegill, 1 golden shiner (C = 6 bluegill, J = 2 bluegill, 1 shiner)
Bait: Waxworms on a jighead hung from a slip bobber

Notes & Nonsense

Like Ike, Sorta – Carly has become fond of one of my ultralight spinning rigs and has also become quite proficient in her casting while leaving the good old spincast model behind.  We hit a local sporting goods joint that features a good selection of rod and reel combos and she immediately found one to her liking, the only one of that particular model left on the rack.  The 6’, medium action Abu Garcia Mike Iaconelli rod looked to be just the ticket and I liked her choice.  I felt that it offered the versatility I foresee her needing as we expand beyond panfish one of these days and she has her eye on reeling in a catfish as well.  I’d also like to hook her up with a Senko wacky rig at some point and see her battle some of those strip pit bass that I’m a little fond of as long as she don’t get to hollering like Ike though, can’t take much of that as I prefer to celebrate a bit more quietly via fist pumps and blog entries.

Work Pond – So, me and the boys got her spooled up with some 8-pound Trilene and she hopped in the truck with Jayce and I to test out the new rig.  First stop was a pond where we’d enjoyed a couple decent days fooling some bass with our customary waxworms hung from a slip bobber.  However, after a half hour and two lost fish (one spit the jighead in the moss and another got snagged and busted off) my crew was ready to hit the road and a bit disappointed along with their dad.

Success amidst some fun scenery on the Hennepin Canal constructed over 100 years ago

Hennepin Canal – On the way home I decided to take a drive by the Hennepin Canal in Colona, IL just to have a look.  Well, a look was all it took and my young anglers’ batteries were recharged to go at it again.  This time around we found some cooperative fish to the tune of eight bluegill and a shiner.  But that was only part of the fun.

Introducing “Old McDeadhead”, catches don’t have to be alive to be enjoyed

First Catch – Our first fish was actually a dead minnow that I fished out of a bit of retaining wall.  Jayce named it “Old McDeadhead” and lugged him around for a while before hooking him up and casting until Old McDeadhead’s body eventually gave out.

This is why you take four poles for only two fisherkids.  Prepare for the unexpected or inevitable, tough call on the exact designation.

Brush With the Law – Shortly before we called it a night, a police vehicle with lights flashing came zipping down the road and pulled over to where we were trying our luck.  I was about to dig my fishing license out just in case, but instead, the lady officer asked if we had seen some sort of domestic incident with a couple in a red pickup.  Fortunately, we had not as my kids don’t need that kind of adventure on a field trip.  It’s tough enough explaining some of the fascinating “whys” associated with Mother Nature let alone tackling some idiot’s interpretation of human nature.


An exciting evening and some good family time in the great outdoors.  I had not fished the Hennepin Canal prior to this stop but I’d have to say that the location we chose not only saved the day but also bodes well for some future outings.  Certainly looks to have some potential for Carly to wind up with that catfish she’s after…we’ll see.  Talk to you later.  Troy

 

Happy Birthday, Helena

Posted on by Troy Jackson

So, we’ve got us a teenager under our roof as our oldest, Helena, officially meets the criteria today.

Helena meets bass (kept it small, less intimidating)                                     Helena meets fungus

 

Easter Sunday Fulton Co. fishing                    Color coordinated panfishing and love the barefeet in all the goose crap

 

The destruction of camping air mattresses begins

As kid number one in the chronological order there were many firsts as Julie and I took on the role of parents, still remember it being a little intimidating leaving the hospital and shortly thereafter walking into the house with a kid.  No real clue on actually being a Dad although I had a good role model.  Pretty much just hit the ground running, realized that the world didn’t revolve around me anymore and thanked my lucky stars that I married a wonderful lady who I have since addressed as “Mama.”

Found this write-up from the early outdoor writing days to share 13 year later:

“Julie and I welcomed Helena (second “e” pronounced as a long “a”) Grace Jackson to the world at 6:22 pm on July 1st.  She weighed in at 7-4 and was 20 inches long.  Here’s some statistics from the family record book for comparison:

Largemouth Bass Record        8-4   (only bass larger than our kid)
Channel Catfish Record          13-8  (three catfish larger than including 7-14 and 7-12)
Carp Record                          19-4  (Helena would be 24th on the list)
Muskellunge Record               7-14  (two muskies tied at this weight are larger)
In addition, all of these top fish would be longer than our little girl.”

Note: that muskie record stated above is bigger now…and so is that little girl.

Love you kiddo.  Talk to you later.  Dad