Once upon a time I had a lake in my backyard.

A big lake, like 170 acres big.

Also had a two man bass boat on the dock at the ready and a little something called “free time.”

And that free time allowed me to get on the water at Lake Bracken just south of Galesburg, Illinois for a series of quick afternoon/evening October 1998 trips in pursuit of my favorite species, the largemouth bass. Pretty cool in looking back that when I decided to fish it was simply a matter of hauling some gear down the hill and it was on.

Original log entries from October 8 through October 21, 1998 – quick trips of two or three hours were winners.

For the time period of 1994 through 2002 when I called the lake “home”, those bass did not disappoint. Have a look below at a batch of bass from October of 20 years ago along with some notes on the items in the periphery from my days prowling the spot in that old two man boat.

October 8, 1998 at 4:44pm 17.5″ 2 lbs 9 oz on my old faithful Blue Glimmer spinnerbait and, as usual, probably too much stuff in the boat starting with the five poles and two tacklebags.

October 8, 1998 at 6:13pm 19.5″ 3 lbs 15 oz, Blue Glimmer spinnerbait, 20 years later that lifejacket and boat cushion are still around while I passed along the boat to a young family friend many years ago.

October 14, 1998 at 5:52pm 20″ 3 lbs 15 oz, Blue Glimmer spinnerbait.

October 16, 1998 at 5:43pm 20″ 4 lbs 8 oz, Blue Glimmer spinnerbait and there was a time or two that the livewell was filled with ice and beer instead of a bass posing for a pic. Fun to see my old Shimano Fightin’ Rod on the left, a favorite pole, long gone as well after a run-in with a trunk lid.

October 21, 1998 at 2:45pm 17″ 2-7 on, you guessed it, the Blue Glimmer spinnerbait.  Shimano Fightin’ Rod in view again, log book hiding underneath and a look at one of my maps that I made back in the day. Still got those maps stashed away in the event I ever get another shot at the one-time “home lake.”

As always, fun for me to look back at the fish, the gear and the logs to remember stuff that would otherwise be forgotten.  All told I spent close to 30 years chasing fish at the lake.  Starting around 1978 as the guest of a Little League teammate, through the 80s as part of our family membership, into the 90s and 2000s as a homeowner and concluding in 2008 as Dad’s guest before he gave up his membership as well.  Many memories and stories for another day.  Talk to you later.  Troy