Here’s a highlight reel of sorts from last Monday’s walk-in strip mine adventure. Looking to do it again real soon so stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy
Month: April 2019
Friday Flashback – April 4, 1999
Lake Storey on Easter Sunday 1999 – 20″ and 4-0 on a spinnerbait
There are some catches that stick with you and this bass is one of those. I remember it like it was yesterday although it was actually 20 Easter’s ago. And 20 years ago I could actually get away with joining forces with Dad for a Lake Storey Easter Sunday morning fishing trip.
Yep, the days of Easter egg hunts were still several years away.
I can tell you exactly where and how it was caught too and I suspect Dad can as well. A sunken Y-shaped tree in a cove in about three feet of water. A perfect setup for my Blue Glimmer spinnerbait run parallel to the structure at a pace just fast enough to keep the blades moving and the bait hugging the tree. Textbook bassing and always a great feeling when it works, makes you think you know what you are doing.
Throw in the fact that it was the largest bass I’d landed at Lake Storey up to that time and it makes for an even more memorable tale.
Original log entry
However, it was not our largest Easter bass of all-time.
Nope, that distinction still belongs to my fishing partner on this day, Dad. Not so surprisingly, I was also his fishing partner on an Easter morning in 1987. And just like today’s flashback I know exactly how and where that one was caught too, shoreline stump on a purple spinnerbait. It is the only bass I ever recall seeing caught on a purple spinnerbait. I suppose that Dad likely fooled a few others with it on that day but they kind of fade in comparison to the family Easter bass record of 5-4 (unfortunately no picture exists of this fish so you’ll just have to trust us on this one).
And that, folks, is what fishing is all about. Still telling stories about a pair of bass that were caught 20 and 32 years ago. Won’t be all that surprised if we’re telling them again in a couple weeks. After a backyard Easter egg hunt these days, however. Talk to you later. Troy
Top 5 Bass #600
I don’t know about you, but I sure think that there just aren’t enough fish pictures on the internet. So, five years ago, instead of just griping about it, I decided to do something about it. Now, I’ve been sharing my own fish pics for almost seventeen years but figured the more the merrier. After all, if you’ve seen my level of fishing and the limited time I have to get away, well, you are aware that I need some help.
Enter the Top 5 Project back on March 21, 2014 to provide an assist via the catches of fellow anglers. Just over five years later our dynamic group continues to do its thing to address the dearth of fishing pictures (and stories).
Which brings us to a milestone, Top 5 bass #600, caught by Jim Junk and detailed below.
Weight: 4-1 (20”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 31
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Minnow hung from a bobber
Angler Comments: Had some minnows left over so hung one from a bobber and then cast the bank with a swim jig for a while. Look back and don’t see the bobber so reel in slack and set the hook on something with some weight to it. Started stripping line and we went back and forth for about 15 minutes. Finally got it to the bank and grabbed its mouth. I am pretty sure that reel has 4# line on it, 6# at the most. It was really fun!
Now that’s what it’s all about, a good fish, a good story and a couple good lessons. First lesson being the old adage that says “the best time to go fishing is anytime you can.” And Jim’s catch is proof that as long as you’ve got a bait of some sort in the water, anything can happen.
A shout out to Jim and the others who have joined the pursuit over the years. I’m proud that we have contributed something worthwhile to the vast landscape of cyberspace. Part education, part entertainment, part escape and just good clean fun with the only kind of drama being the right kind of drama. Here’s to the quest for Bass #1000, feel free to play along (click here for details). Talk to you later. Troy
Strip Mine Report – April 1
I took a vacation day from work to fish the April Fool’s Day opener on some public Knox County strip mine ground. The weather was a little cooler than I had hoped but it was dry and that was more important than warm when walking through the wild and weedy strip mines. Took some work to get on some cold front bass but got it done as detailed below.
Get what you get and don’t throw a fit when taking an April Fool’s vacation day
Stats
Date: April 1, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines
Time: 9:30am-5:30pm (5.25 hours fishing, the rest hiking)
Weather: Sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 34-48F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 16 bass
Lures:
Strike King Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange) – 7 bass
Chatterbait (brown/black) with Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee shad) – 6 bass
Bomber Flat A crankbait (baby bass) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-3,2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12)
11:06am First bass ends up being Top Bass 17″ and 2-3 on a chatterbait
Notes and Nonsense (with an April Fool’s theme)
Find Another Fool – Quarterflash (1982)/The Fool on the Hill – The Beatles (1967)
I actually spotted two other anglers walking a ridge somewhere around 10:00am and found a bit of appreciation for their dedication amidst the near sub-freezing morning windchill. I must admit it was a bit unexpected as I rarely see anyone even on pleasant days.
Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was A Fool) – Foghat (1979)
After a pair of bassless stops on some potholes I finally scored my first fish at 11:06am. I knew that things might be a little slow with temps in the 30s-40s over the weekend and only 34F when I started my trek but I was still a little worried. Bass #1 at 2-3 got the blood pumping again although little did I know at the time it would be Top Bass of the day.
11:30am 14.5″ and 1-13 on a jig and craw
12:45pm 16.5″ and 2-0 on a jig and craw, just a little windy
Foolin’ – Def Leppard (1983)
“Cause baby I’m not f-f-f-foolin’”
So, once I found a bite I decided to quit fooling around pond hopping and invest some time on the spot. I guess it didn’t hurt that the first bass came from my best fishing hole on the site. All told, I would actually make a pair of stops on the lake for a total of 2.00 of my 5.25 fishing hours. During that time I landed 7 of my 16 bass including all of my Top 5 while alternating between a chatterbait and a jig and craw.
1:12pm 15″ and 1-12 on a chatterbait
1:16pm 15.5″ and 1-13 on a chatterbait
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I – Elvis Presley (1959)
The day encompassed 5 miles of walking which equated to more than 12,000 steps. A lot of work for those bass but it’s a stunt that I have been pulling for a long time and one I will likely continue to pursue until my body says otherwise. I was certainly spent by the time I got back to the truck after being mobile and on my feet non-stop from about 9:30am until 5:30pm. The good news is, I’m not particularly sore as I type up this report on the day after. Got a little video that I hope to share at some point to convey what the walk is all about.
Kind of fun to track but there are times when I’m not sure I want to know it was 759 steps/bass
No Top 10 Trip Tunes this time around as too much of a good thing may wear the feature thin. Besides, while I dig weekday fishing, weekday radio is too much talk and not enough tunes (especially during the morning drive). In addition, I caught the start of the Cubs game on the ride home and it proved to be the most shameful yet of a very disappointing start (6 errors and shutout in this one).
From the looks of the coming warming trend the bite should just get better. You may have to dodge a few raindrops, however, but the rewards likely will outweigh being a “Fool in the Rain” (Led Zeppelin – 1979). Plenty of fishing stuff to come. Talk to you later. Troy