Month: August 2020

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Been a steamy couple weeks until the area heat wave recently broke. And this week we have another dog day Top 5 entry as we near the middle of summer.

Weight: 1-3 (13”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: July 30
Weather: Cloudy with intermittent rain showers
Water Temp: 84-85F
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Wacky worm
Top 5 Weight: 7-11 (1-15,1-13,1-6,1-6,1-3)

Thanks, John, for the submission as it is good to see someone out there giving it a go in some challenging summer conditions on a challenging body of water. Here’s to a solid August which has always been the slimmest warm weather Top 5 month (only January and December have fewer entries since the inception of the project back in 2014).

Good luck to those who get out and send ‘em my way when you catch ‘em. Talk to you later. Troy

Snakeden at 30 – “The Big Lake”

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Arguably the primary attraction at Snakeden Hollow is what has variously been called “The Big State Lake”, “The Big Lake” or “Snakeden Hollow Lake” over the years. And for about the first ten years of public access, it didn’t really have an official name. More on that after a look at some details about this interesting body of water.

A little internet research turned up the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Status Summary for the lake. That document indicated that the lake “was built in 1978 by Midland Coal Company as their water supply reservoir.” Interestingly, per the IDNR website it is cited as the only lake on the original Snakeden site that was not “formed as the result of surface mining operations.”

Entrance to the boat ramp on “The Big Lake”

At roughly 165 acres, it also happens to be the only lake on the site that features a boat ramp. The remainder of the lakes are walk-in/drag-in access only but those spots will have to wait until another week to get their due. Maximum depth is listed at 65 feet per the IDNR and the water clarity is downright amazing. In fact, it is rather eerie to sit amidst a patch of standing timber or look down into the water to view sprawling treetops as you sit in 50 or more feet of water. Back in 1990 I got to participate in a bit of fisheries data collection on the lake that included Secchi depth readings. Readings on the big lake at that time exceeded the 20 foot range in some locations, truly remarkable (see Secchi disk info below). Over the years, the turbidity of the lake has increased to some degree. However, it still sports the clearest water clarity that I have ever observed on any fishing hole.

A Secchi disk is lowered into the water and a depth reading recorded when it is no longer visible from the surface.

After more than a decade without a formal name, the lake was dedicated as Lake McMaster in late 1999. It bears the name of the late, longtime Illinois State Representative, A.T. “Tom” McMaster (1918-2002) who was instrumental in the state acquiring the Snakeden Hollow property from the Midland Coal Company in 1987. The naming of the lake was noted in the 2002 Illinois State Senate Resolution referenced below marking his passing.

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Representative McMaster was active in State and
 local politics for 33 years, starting in 1952 as township
 assessor, and served on the Knox County Board of Supervisors
 for 10 years, serving as chairman for four years; in 1971, he
 began the first of eight terms as State representative of the
 73rd District of the Illinois House of Representatives and
 was known for his work with land reclamation and strip mines;
 he retired in 1987; and

 WHEREAS, In November 1999, State Representative Don
 Moffitt and State Senator Carl Hawkinson worked with the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources to rename Snakeden
Hollow Lake after Representative McMaster;

A look to the southwest across Lake McMaster from the parking lot

Of course, there’s a lot more to the “The Big Lake” than just history, dimensions and water quality. You know, things like rules, species, structure and yes, some fish stories. And there’s also more to Snakeden Hollow than just “The Big Lake” so stay tuned to the blog for more Snakeden lore. Talk to you later. Troy

Ferne Clyffe Lake Report – July 24

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With a work trip to Georgia that required driving, I figured that I would pack along some fishing gear just in case. My plan was at least one brief stop during the substantial portion that covered Illinois and I was able to get it done. But, did I catch anything during my “lunch hour” on the way home?

Figured that I’d earned a fishing “lunch break” after a couple 12-hour days of this. 

Stats

Date: July 24, 2020
Location: Ferne Clyffe Lake – Johnson County, IL
Time: 1:20pm-2:05pm
Weather: Sunny/calm
Air Temp: 92F
Water Temp: warm bath like
Totals: 2 bass, 1 sunfish (unsure on species), 1 channel catfish
Lures: KVD Rattling Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass, 1 sunfish, Senko wacky rig (white) – 1 channel catfish

Trip Lyric

“I could feel the tension, I was longing for home.” – Long, Long Way From Home, Foreigner (1977)

Did see some wildlife on my work detail installing IT equipment.

Notes and Nonsense

Birthday Trip – Once upon a time, I tried to make it a point to get on the water on my birthday. Well, things are a little more complicated these days between work and family so it just doesn’t always pan out. In fact, this year I celebrated my birthday in Georgia on a work assignment. However, I did have some poles in tow for the lengthy stretch of the drive through Illinois (didn’t make financial sense to buy any sort of out of state permit) and briefly hit the water on my return home the day after my birthday.

On the board at 1:42pm and 92 degrees 

Belated Birthday Bank – I had a couple spots in mind to possibly try my luck from the bank that weren’t too far of a detour from my route. One was Rend Lake as I have never wet a line in the second largest man-made lake in Illinois. However, upon spotting a sign for Ferne Clyffe State Park on the way down it brought back memories of a southern Illinois trip with my wife back in the early 2000s. I recalled that the small lake on the site offered some solid bank access, a bit of riprap and relatively deep water along the dam. It turned out that my memory served me well as it was just as I had pictured.

1:46pm and icing on the cake

Belated Birthday Bass – Roughly 15 minutes of burning a Red Eye Shad over the riprap breakline along the dam failed to produce any bites in the blistering midday heat. Plan B consisted of going a little deeper and a little slower with a KVD 2.5 Squarebill crankbait and after only a handful of casts I had a bass. Another joined the log a few minutes later along with some sort of unidentified panfish (thought maybe a warmouth). But I wasn’t done quite yet.

Still not sure what I’ve got here, any suggestions?

Belated Birthday Bonus – Only a few yards down the bank from where I started, I spotted a catfish rooting amongst the riprap in about three feet of water. I pitched a Havoc Pit Boss in front of the fish and got it to pick up the bait twice. The second time it seemed that I had the fish hooked but it came loose and then disappeared into the depths. I gave the spot a rest and returned about twenty minutes later to find that the catfish had also returned (I am guessing guarding fry). This time I switched to a wacky rigged white Senko as I could not only see the lure better but also increase my odds of hooking up with an entirely exposed hook. Sure enough, I pitched out the worm and shortly saw the white lure completely disappear so time to set the hook. A brief battle ensued before I had a nearly three and a half pound channel cat in hand, the first catfish I have caught in a long time. And sight fishing of all things.

2:03pm An entertaining and unexpected catch

All in all, a fun “lunch hour” to break up the nine and a half hour drive I had from the previous night’s stop in Kimball, TN. No trophies, but hey, mission accomplished with a short fishing outing a long way from home. Talk to you later. Troy