Month: September 2019

Lake Storey Report – September 8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A popular assessment over the years regarding my “home” lake, Lake Storey, was “there’s no fish in there!” Such a lament was always music to my ears and brought a grin. It can take some work to find them but there a few nice fish swimming in that old fishing hole. Last Sunday, me and my brother, Brent, found some during a shortened morning outing.

7:58am First Bass 1-3 Spinnerbait

Stats

Date: September 8, 2019
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 7:30am-11:00am
Weather: Overcast to partly cloudy/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 61-66F
Water Temp: 73-74F
Totals: 15 bass (Brent – 10 bass, Troy – 5 bass)
Lures:
Brent: Spinnerbait (white) w/ tandem hammered blades (copper) – 10 bass
Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (bluegill) w/ twin tail trailer (smoke) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 (Brent)
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (2-6,1-15,1-8,1-3,1-2)

                                                                                            8:08am  13.5″ 1-8 Spinnerbait                                                                                                     No shutout for either guy and nice to have a photographer aboard for some variety in shots 

8:17am 1-15 Spinnerbait

Notes and Nonsense

Abbreviated – Initially we were to meet up at 5:30am to head out from my folks but a torrential downpour greeted me at 4:45am as I rolled out of bed at their place. A quick look at the forecast and a text to Brent pushed our meet up back to 7:00am which worked out fine. On the other end, we had to be off the water around 11:00am to make a family reunion sort of lunch date. Thus, there was no time for fooling around with slow presentations or hitting any spots beyond our top haunts.

9:18am 1-2 Spinnerbait

Spot Success Rate – Rehashing our route as I composed today’s post, we hit fourteen of our regular stops. Of those areas, eight of them produced a bass with multiples in a couple spots. That works out to a 57% success rate which in my book is pretty solid no matter where we fish and definitely worth a self-congratulatory pat on the back for a run and gun Lake Storey outing.

Fishing Tip – Wear your rain pants to the lake to increase the odds that the rain will cease as opposed to leaving them at home which will pretty much guarantee you’ll get wet.

9:24am Top Bass 2-6 Spinnerbait

Nephew Needs to Know – As I edited GoPro footage from this outing, my son Zac asked, “Does Uncle Brent talk while you’re fishing?” Initially I told him that Uncle Brent lets his spinnerbait do the talking for him which my other boy, Jayce, thought was pretty cool (that boy does his talking with a Senko). I then told the boys that I do hear Uncle Brent talk while we are on the water but not to me. Jayce got the point and replied, “He talks to the bass, huh?” Zac then piped up, “What does he say to them?” Boy, if I only knew…

10:46am Last bass on last stop 13.5″ 1-1 Spinnerbait 

Deserted ramp all morning just as seen here…until it’s time to trailer the boat

Never Fails – At 7:25am we launched at a deserted ramp. At 10:45am we were headed across the lake to a still deserted ramp right on schedule to hit a final spot and have the boat back on the trailer just after 11:00am. Of course, two vehicles with boats in tow showed up at just that time. Fortunately, both looked as if they had launched a boat before so we were still able to make our scheduled departure time and nab one final bass in the process.

All you needed on this day, although there is a little more to it than just simply casting and retrieving

A good day on an old favorite fishing hole with a close to old favorite fishing partner (not quite 50 yet but won’t be long). Always a challenge to fool some of the highly pressured and wily bass that swim in that stained water. Here’s hoping for another visit or two before the fishing year draws to a close. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

September is rolling along with a pair of anglers adding three more Knox County bass. I’m also trying out a new Top 5 wrinkle with a video of one of the catches in addition to the required photo.

Weight: 4-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: September 7
Location: Knox County Strip Mine
Lure: Whopper Plopper
Angler Comments: Got a couple small ones on a Red Eye Shad and this 4-12 hit a Whopper Plopper about 15 or 20 yards from the shore.
Top 5 Weight: 23-15 (5-3,4-14,4-12,4-10,4-8) culls a 4-6

Weight: 1-15
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: September 8
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Spinnerbait (white)
Structure: Laydown/scattered weeds

Weight: 2-6
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: September 8
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Spinnerbait (white)
Structure: Brush/scattered weeds
Top 5 Weight: 10-9 (2-14,2-6,1-15,1-12,1-10) culls a 1-2 and 1-1

Good job guys, proof that you don’t want to put those poles away just yet. I suspect the Top 5 has a few more updates in store over the next couple months. More video to come this week in a Lake Storey fishing report and another Trip Tunes feature when time permits. Talk to you later. Troy

Labor Day Report – September 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

I am fortunate to get Labor Day off from work so after taking in the UTHS Marching Panthers and Color Guard at the local parade it was off to the fishing hole with a special guest. My boy, Zac, commented that it had been a long time since we’d been fishing. Actually, he commented on a lot of stuff as that fellow can be a chatty one.

So, we stop for waxworms and this guy ends up with a basketball, all good, season is just around the corner

Stats

Date: September 2, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (2 private)
Time: 4:30pm-9:00pm (2.5 hours driving, 1 hour fishing, maybe)
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 70s F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: about half a dozen bluegill
Lure: waxworms on jighead hung from a slip bobber

Bluegill success and of course, you have to test out the new boots by getting in the lake

Notes and Nonsense

Belly Flips – Hopefully more than a few out there can relate to a country drive up and down some hilly, low traffic roads which are ideal for producing that funny feeling in your belly. Me and Zac got plenty of belly flips once we left the beaten path to travel those last few miles to a couple new fishing holes. Why it seems like it was just forty five years ago that I was about his age enjoying the same treat with Dad at the wheel.

 

Questions 67 & 68 – I couldn’t help but think of this old Chicago tune and I kind of wish that I had actually counted as Zac may have exceeded these numbers. Sample questions included:
“How much is a fishing license?”
“Does everybody need a fishing license?”
“Is it funner fishing with me or Jayce?”
“Are those oars or paddles?”
“Can you see in the water with your glasses?”
“Will this boat tip over?”
“Is a kayak easier to tip over than this boat?”
“Why is it called a buzzbait?”
“How come you don’t have to wear a life jacket?”
“Who is a better fisherman, you, Papa or Uncle Brent?”
“Were you, Papa or Uncle Bubba a better basketball player?”
And while not a question, there was also a lot of “Dad, Dad, Dad.”

 

One on One – With four kids in the house and the resultant constant motion of daily responsibilities and activities, it really is rewarding to spend some “alone” time with a single kid. While it was billed as a fishing trip, we maybe spent an hour in the boat and even less time actually fishing. Along with catching a few bluegill, we caught the end of a Cubs victory, jammed on some 70s and 80s tunes, shot some hoops, made a Subway supper stop (complete with two cookies apiece) and one of us even got in a nap on the late night drive home. Good stuff no matter how the fish were biting.

Told Zac we’d hit Galva Subway at 8:02pm upon leaving the lakes. Yep, travelled this route just a few times before

Game over after some fresh air and a three day weekend

This trip concluded a busy and enjoyable three day Labor Day weekend with a good mix of family time and time on the water. And this particular angling journey was an entertaining combination of both. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – September 11, 2004

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today we take a second look back at Pat’s Creek from 15 years ago (click here for the July 25 flashback post). The timing on this one is kind of funny as my boy, Zac, just asked me the other day, “Dad, who is a better fisherman, you or Papa?” The best I could offer as a response was “It depends on what we’re fishing for.” Read on for some evidence via an excerpt from the original October 5, 2004 post.

September 11, 2004 – Dad and I headed for Pat’s Creek in hopes of matching the success from our trip in late July. Well, Dad did pretty well and I caught one fish. Guess I wasn’t holding my mouth right or something (a concept for a future article). However, the trip did have a few highlights.

Action shot and catch from Dad’s Top Carp as detailed below

Top Carp 2004 – Less than twenty minutes after our first cast, Dad nailed a 5-1 carp that stands as the current record for the year. The fish bested my 4-9 from Pat’s Creek on 7/29. The carp stands as number three from Pat’s with my 6-11 on top and Dad’s 5-12 at number two. The fish also established a new record for the month of September as no other carp had been entered for this month.

Early Fall – Though the season had another week and a half to arrive, I got to witness a fall firsthand. The last trip Dad and I made to Pat’s, we both took a tumble as we entered the creek as detailed in my 9/8 article. During our latest trip, only one of us went down and it wasn’t me. Things actually looked pretty good as I hit the creek stating “We both made it” only to watch Dad take a dive. No injuries other than pride and always good for a laugh at someone’s expense.

A pleasant and unusual catch from the creek described below

Smallmouth – While on the subject of falling, the creek had dropped considerably and was much clearer than normal. In fact, I was able to watch a school of minnows nibble on my shins as I stood in water just over my knees. Typically, you can feel something but can’t see anything below the surface. A pair of smallmouth bass fell to our offerings marking the first appearance of this species at Pat’s Creek. In speaking with Uncle Dick, this occurrence was not surprising considering the water clarity. Smallmouth prefer less turbid conditions and have moved in as favorable conditions arose. It was exciting to add a new species to the list of fish caught at Pat’s and if anyone could shed some light on the arrival of smallmouth, Uncle Dick would be your guy.

Dad doing what he does best, and considerably better than the other guy on this trip

Species Title – Dad nabbed the species title, easily outdistancing me six to one. While I managed only a smallmouth bass, Dad reeled in a redhorse sucker, a carp, a creek chub, a channel cat, a freshwater drum and a smallmouth. Actually, an argument could be made for a seventh species as he reeled up a small turtle that politely unhooked itself.

The log doesn’t lie as the “D” signifies Dad’s catches, the “T” my catch

So, I guess there’s Zac’s answer to his question and this outing was not a fluke. Hands down, Dad is the better creek fisherman. Zac also asked, “Dad, who is a better fisherman, you or Uncle Brent?” Well, I’ll save that answer for a couple flashback posts later this fall. However, next up in the Friday Flashback series is a fishing trip with another of Zac’s relatives. The boy didn’t ask if I was a better angler than his Mom. Tune in for that one next week and plenty more in between including Zac getting back on the water. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Starting to get a bit of that end of the fishing year feel during some recent cool mornings and shorter evenings. Still a ways to go but it’s in the air already with a mild finish to August. We did add seven more bass during the month from four anglers including our leader who managed to add just over a pound to an already impressive limit. Overall, not too bad for what has traditionally been a slow Top 5 month.

2019 Totals (* = new record)
January = 1 bass
February = no submissions
March = 8 bass
April = 14 bass
May = 12 bass
June = 14 bass
July = 11 bass
August = 7 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
January = 3-3 (one bass)
February = no submissions
March = 19-3 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-5,3-3)
April = 19 -10 (4-1,4-1,4-0,3-12,3-12)
May = 19-1 (4-6,4-0,3-15,3-10,3-2)
June = 19-15 (4-3,4-1,4-1,3-15,3-11)
July = 13-15 (5-3,3-14,1-15,1-8,1-7)
August = 19-4 (4-14,4-10,4-6,2-14,2-8)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 20 bass
Bank = 47 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight (* = new record)
Boat = 14-9 (3-14,3-11,2-8,2-4,2-4)
Bank = 23-9 (5-3,4-14,4-10,4-8,4-6)

Public vs. Private
Public = 54 bass
Private = 13 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 23-9 (5-3,4-14,4-10,4-8,4-6)
Private = 15-11 (3-14,3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7)

The Baits (* = new record)
Plastic Worm = 25 bass (Top Bass 4-14 Jim Junk)
Chatterbait = 12 bass (Top Bass 5-3 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbaits = 9 bass (Top Bass 4-8 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbaits = 9 bass (Top Bass 3-10 Chris Schwarz)
Buzzbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-4 Troy Jackson)
Jigs = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-10 Troy Jackson)
Crankbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 3-11 Chris Schwarz)
Underspin = 2 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
Livebait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jim Junk)
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-1 Landon Hannam)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
3-3 Jim Junk
February
No submissions
March
4-8 Jim Junk
April
4-1 Jim Junk
May
4-6 Jim Junk
June
4-3 Jim Junk
July
5-3 Jim Junk
August
4-14 Jim Junk

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
5-3 Jim Junk 7/28
4-14 Jim Junk 8/3
4-10 Jim Junk 8/20
4-8 Jim Junk 3/28
4-6 Jim Junk 5/14
4-6 Jim Junk 8/3
4-3 Jim Junk 6/14
4-2 Jim Junk 3/30
4-1 Jim Junk 3/31
4-1 Jim Junk 4/10
4-1 Jim Junk 4/13
4-1 Jim Junk 6/20
4-1 Jim Junk 6/28

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 23-9 (5-3,4-14,4-10,4-8,4-6)
Chris Schwarz 15-8 (3-11,3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7)
Troy Jackson 13-8 (3-14,2-10,2-8,2-4,2-4)
Brent Jackson 8-7 (2-14,1-12,1-10,1-2,1-1)
Landon Hannam 4-7 (1-4,1-2,1-1,1-0)
Terry Jackson 3-13 (1-15,1-1,0-13)
Jayce Jackson 2-13 (1-8,1-5)
John Kirkemo 2-12 (1-7,1-5)

Other Species
Bluegill 1-8 Teagan Mills 6/2/19 Private pond
Channel Catfish 13-0 Teagan Mills 4/20/19 Private Pond
Catfish 6-9 Chris Schwarz 6/12/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Catfish 34-35” Chris Schwarz 6/2/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Muskellunge 6-4 Chris Schwarz 6/28/19 Lake Storey

Welcome, September, and here’s hoping for a solid batch of submissions as we head towards the home stretch. Good luck if you get out there and send them my way. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 1

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Back to back days on the water with a trip to end one month and a follow-up to begin the next. It sure didn’t take long to get that September bass, first cast of the morning in fact. Read all about a crazy start, a lackluster finish and some new prospects below.

6:30am – How about a first cast bass? Will it last?

Stats

Date: September 1, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (2 private)
Time: 6:30am-10:40am (3.75 hours fishing)
Weather: Overcast/breezy to calm
Air Temp: 62-66F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 14 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 11 bass
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 (Buzzbait)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-0 (1-5,0-15,0-14,0-14)

6:39am – Are you kidding me? Four bass in less than ten minutes of casting and recording

Notes and Nonsense

The Fast and the Furious– Some unexpected rain on the drive continued once I made it to the fishing hole. As a result, I kicked off my casting from the bank as a light rain continued to fall and the skies still looked a little iffy. It worked out quite well with a bass on each of my first two casts and three on my first four. All told I spent fifteen minutes in one spot on the bank and reeled in six bass. I must say it had me pretty fired up about my prospects for the day.

 

The Frustrating – While that initial pace was no doubt bound to slow, the morning bite really diminished with only eight more bass in the next three and a half hours. Nothing much changed in terms of the conditions but it sure took a lot more work to find my fish.

In Search Of – From 1977 to 1982, Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame hosted a television program of this name and I was a big fan of those 30-minute journeys into speculation, conjecture and pseudoscience. Well, perhaps I should compile my own documentary detailing my quest for what seem to be mythical large bass here in 2019 as it has really been a struggle. Hey, I’m a credible witness to past “trophies”, even have photographic evidence going back for decades, for what that’s worth these days. Maybe I need to recruit that “River Monsters” guy to see if he can help me find something bigger than the 1-5 fish that was Top Bass on this day.

9:53am not much of a Top Bass for the day at 1-5 but that was the best I could fool

New Ground – Desperate times call for desperate measures so I finally pulled the trigger on a couple fishing holes that I’ve had in my sights for many years. Thanks to social media (never thought I’d say that back in the day) I was able to reach out to a Galesburg High School classmate to get the scoop. It required a $35 investment but I now have some more Knox County water to explore. And I did a little of that on the heels of this outing and the following evening with a special guest as a co-angler.

But that is a fishing report for another day. Plenty more fishing stuff as well so I hope you’ll continue to make the blog a regular stop on your internet wanderings. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – August 31

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Got in one more August outing to kick off the Labor Day weekend and it turned out pretty solid in terms of numbers and decent bass. 2019 has really been a struggle for me in regards to big bites and while no trophies on this trip I did find enough for a respectable Top 5 in my book.

7:26am 16.5″ 2-3 Buzzbait

Stats

Date: August 31, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (2 private/1 public)
Time: 6:45am-12:45pm (5.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Air Temp: 58-66F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 23 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 14 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (orange craw) – 5 bass
Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (salt and pepper) – 2 bass
Strike King 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (pumpkinseed) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 (Red Eye Shad)
Top 5 Weight: 10-1 (2-8,2-3,2-1,1-12,1-9)

12:00pm 15″ 1-9 Strike King Red Eye Shad

Notes and Nonsense

Hey Judy – Sunrise weather conditions and early success had an unusual soundtrack running through my head that made perfect sense, at least to me. The two hit combo consisted of Judy Collins’ “Clouds” and “Send in the Clowns” (with Clouds substituted). No doubt I was happy to see some cloud cover for the first time on a fishing trip in 2019. I’d been struggling all year to get my buzz on and the conditions had me confident that this would be the day. And it was but I sure wish that Judy would have recorded something about lunkers.

12:07pm 16.5″ 2-1 Strike King Red Eye Shad

Raydio – Before he became the “Ghostbusters” guy, Ray Parker Jr. had a successful stint with his band, Raydio. A 9:48am text from my brother, Brent, had me wishing I could be in “Two Places at the Same Time” as he sent a pic of a Top 5 qualifier from just a few miles from where I was casting. In thinking about the present state of technology though, you really can kind of be in two places at once via texting, Facetime and various social media applications. Certainly a far cry from the 80s when we first caught this fishing bug. (Note: Raydio also see – “You Can’t Change That”, “Jack and Jill”, “A Woman Needs Love”, and “That Old Song.”)

12:11pm 17″ 2-8 Strike King Red Eye Shad

Ring My Bell – I’ve been running around the Victoria, IL strip mines for over 30 years and used to work at Snakeden Hollow back in 1990 during a six-month temporary stint. In those days, at noon sharp there was a siren that would sound and ring across the old strip mine ground. I am not certain of the origin but I always called it the “dinner bell.” While I did not hear it from my location on this trip (if it truly still sounds), the bass turned on at exactly noon after a 30 minute fishless drought.

12:26pm 15.5″ 1-12 Strike King Rattling Squarebill crankbait

Overall a good day in terms of numbers and okay by me when my Top 5 weight enters double digits, even if only by an ounce. Just happy to get out one more time in August, enjoy some mild weather and find a decent bite. Bank beat boat this time around which is kind of fun for a blogger who leans towards a low tech and low budget approach. It’s not always easy but if you are willing to put in some work you can still track down those bites.

Plenty more posts on the horizon with a couple fishing reports from September, a Trip Tunes compilation, some Top 5 stats, the regular Friday Flashback post and perhaps a couple other ideas I’ve got in the works. So much fishing stuff but so much other stuff that sits up the priority list just a bit higher. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was sitting in the middle of a Knox County strip mine lake this past Saturday at 9:48am when I got a text message from an angler who had reeled in a Top 5 worthy bass. Now, it’s always cool to get the latest fish story but it’s even cooler when I’m busy fishing instead of just wishing. Turns out the guy was also in Knox County only a few miles away as noted below.

Weight: 2-14
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: August 31
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Spinnerbait
Angler Comments: Fished Snakeden for about three hours this morning, the first fish was the biggest, caught 16 all in the first two hours and nothing in the next hour, seemed like they came in spurts.
Top 5 Weight: 8-7 (2-14,1-12,1-10,1-2,1-1) culls a 1-0

Weight: 2-8
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 31
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (orange craw)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: After struggling without a bite for a half hour I hit a spot where five bass came in thirteen minutes on the Red Eye Shad. Not sure what turned them on but fast and furious for a bit and then only one more bite during the next half hour.
Top 5 Weight: 13-8 (3-14,2-10,2-8,2-4,2-4) culls a 2-3

Fun to have a Jackson brothers update this week as it’s not every day we’re both able to get out and chase some bass. I guess next time we get a chance to fish we should text beforehand so we can join forces and really give those strip mine bass a hard time like “back in the day.” Hope to get some fishing reports from the Labor Day weekend compiled so stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy