You just can’t beat a good fishing partner and I had plenty in 2020. Too many tales and not enough time to write. But you know, they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Let’s go with that as this slideshow speaks volumes.
Talk to you later. Troy
No fishing recap would be complete without a look at the tools that fooled the bass. The full breakdown follows, working from fewest to most catches by lure type.
Stickbaits
Zara Spook (black shore minnow or natural frog) – 10 bass
Top Bass: 15” 1-9 May 3 & 15 Knox County. IL public strip pit
Comments: Me and the Zara Spook go back to the mid-80s. It is one of my legendary lure selections but that’s another story. Mid-spring, a shallow, expansive flat with scattered weeds and a sky with scattered clouds were just the ticket to tie on an old friend.
Jigs
Strike King Rattlin’ Jig (black/blue or green pumpkin) w/ craw trailer – 33 bass
Top Bass: 21” 4-12 April 26 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: I don’t slow down much, but when I do, it’s hard to beat a jig and trailer. These compact bottom bouncers are a winner, particularly early and late in the season. 2020 saw the jig land Top Bass, a lake record that kind of surprised me in a pothole and topped the old record by more than a pound.
Buzzbaits
Booyah Buzz (snow white shad or bleeding shad) – 34 bass
Top Bass: 20.5” 4-0 July 1 Snakeden Hollow
Comments: I force feed these topwater winners once the bass show interest in the spring. Throughout the summer, they are a mainstay with the anticipation of some explosions running high in those first few hours around sunrise. One of those explosions was a new personal best on an old lake at 5:32am on Snakeden Hollow’s 30th birthday.
Plastic Worms
Senko wacky rig (primarily smoke) – 39 bass
Top Bass: 20.5” 3-11 July 1 Snakeden Hollow
Comments: For various reasons, the Senko wacky rig just didn’t rack up the numbers like it has over the past 15 years. Other lures were productive and a strange year in terms of diminished water clarity on a lot of my fishing holes left the Senko on the bank or boat deck. However, come April I always have one ready and I don’t expect that to change in 2021.
Chatterbaits
Z Man Chatterbait (bluegill with various Zako trailers) – 43 bass
Top Bass: 19” 2-12 September 12 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: Despite glowing reports from many other anglers, I’ve never really relied too much on chatterbaits. However, in 2020 I did commit to tossing one around more frequently and was not disappointed. The 43 bass total and the 2-12 Top Bass both represent high water marks on the lure and here’s to topping both in 2021.
Spinnerbaits
Stanley Vibra Shaft or War Eagle (Blue Glimmer or white/chartreuse) – 70 bass
Top Bass: 17” 2-7 May 4 Knox County, IL private strip mine
Comments: The good, old spinnerbait seems to have seen a decline in publicity since its heyday in the 80s. That will never happen with me as I cut my bass fishing teeth on these lures. In fact, 42 of the 70 spinnerbait bass came on Stanley Vibra Shaft spinnerbait that I call the “Blue Glimmer” that is nearly 30 years old.
Lipless Crankbaits
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad or orange craw) – 89 bass
Top Bass: 17.5” 2-8 May 14 Knox County, IL private strip pit
Comments: If I can fish fast, I do. In terms of retrieve speed and effectiveness, it is tough to beat a lipless crankbait. They produce all through the year and have always amazed me at being able to nab a few in the cold water of early spring.
Crankbaits
Various (see above) – 100 bass
Top Bass: 19” 3-9 Aug 3 Lake Storey
Comments: A fair collection of these lures put this category on top as they fooled nearly one quarter of my 418 bass. From shallow (Mann’s Baby 1- and a new Strike King wake bait) to mid-depth (Shad Rap, Bomber Flat A and Strike King Squarebill) to deep (Strike King Pro Model) this crew of crankbaits found a lot of fish. Once again, these lures allow me to fish at a fairly rapid pace, cover a lot of water and bang into as much stuff as I can on the way back to the boat.
And the 2020 wrap-up is not quite done yet. I still have a look at my 2020 fishing partners and hope to post some video highlights when I get time to edit. Hope you will tune in again and talk to you later. Troy
418 bass in 2020 represented a new yearly record (416 in 2017) and an increase from 262 in 2019. Nearly all came from the regular regional haunts apart from a few that were landed during “lunch hour” on a pair of work trips. Today’s post takes a general look at where all those 418 bass still swim as all were released to bite and fight again.
Grand Totals
Bass = 418
Bodies of water = 37
Comments: Once again a big batch of little waters produced the vast majority of my bass. Those small waters consisted of the standard collection of public and private Knox County strip mine waters, many that I have been fishing since the 1980s. I also put in some hours on good old Lake Storey just north of Galesburg, Illinois. One southern Illinois fishing hole got a lunch hour pit stop during a work trip and perhaps the highlight of the year was the chance to make a few casts on legendary Lake Fork in Texas.
Access
Bank Bass (Northerner boots, biking and hiking) = 228 bass
Little Boat Bass (near 40-year-old 8’ johnboat) = 100 bass
Big Boat Bass (1987 Bass Tracker Pro 17) = 48 bass
Guest Boat = 42 bass
Comments: I continue to put more miles on a pair of boots and a set of oars than I have ever racked up on trolling motors or outboards. 2020 featured more of the same although I did take advantage of the “big boat” for several outings. In addition, I had the good fortune to get a seat in a boat with a friend on his impressive Peoria County lake.
The Waters (from least to most caught)
Plenty of water at Lost Grove Lake but a shutout in my two hours in 2020
Lost Grove Lake, IA (1 visit on 6/27)
0 bass
2.00 hours
0.00 bass/hour
Comments: This fishing hole not too far across the river from home continues to give me a hard time. On the lone trip for 2020, overcrowding on my stomping grounds and an impending thunderstorm wound up dealing me a frustrating summer shutout.
Some March Banner Marsh banter on my way to the area
Banner Marsh (1 visit on 3/7)
0 bass
3.00 hours
0.00 bass/hour
Comments: Top 5 angler, Jim Junk, and others continue to post impressive catches from this collection of waters crossing the Fulton/Peoria County line. I took my shot with Jim in early March and was humbled by a shutout. Cold, sunny and windy did not help matters but it was still exciting to know that any cast could be rewarded with a quality bass. Even Jim found the bass tough to fool on the day in landing only a couple. However, one happened to be a four-pounder that he landed as I was on the drive to meet up.
A rewarding Texas bass from legendary Lake Fork
Lake Fork, TX – (1 visit on 12/3)
1 bass
0.50 hours
2.00 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-7 (17”) Chatterbait
Comments: After putting the poles away upon meeting my annual goal of a November bass, I was fortunate to get a shot at a few casts on this legendary bass fishing hole. Conditions were less than favorable with a cold front and after about 30 minutes as darkness approached, I was about ready to give up on landing a Texas bass. Luck and location were on my side, however, and a stretch of riprap gave up a quality bite. To say I was happy would be an understatement. Having met my goal, I packed up my gear and headed for home, quite satisfied with my final cast of 2020.
Mission accomplished on a lunch hour stop in Southern Illinois
Ferne Clyffe Lake, Johnson Co. IL (1 visit on 7/24)
2 bass
0.75 hours
2.68 bass/hour
Top Bass: none at 12” or better
Comments: As I drove back from a Georgia work trip, I decided to stop at this southern Illinois fishing hole as it lies only a few minutes off the interstate just south of Marion. The lunchtime stop was a steamer with temps in the 90s and little breeze. But riprap along a dam is always a good place to try your luck and the stretch came through with a pair of bass. Neither bass was much to write home about, but I was pleased in being able to pull up, hop out of the vehicle and fool a couple on a body of water I had never seen before.
A solid Lake Storey bass during a fall shower
Lake Storey – Knox County, IL (4 visits – 8/22 through 10/12)
18 bass
13.75 hours
0.75 bass/hour
Top Bass: 3-9 (19”) Strike King Squarebill crankbait on October 12
Top 5 Weight: 9-0 (3-9,2-3,1-4,1-0,1-0)
Comments: I always enjoy me time on my “home” lake even though I’m 45 minutes away these days. It can be tough but that makes it even more rewarding when I fool a couple decent ones like I did last fall.
Best I could fool at the private strip mines were in the two-pound range
Knox County, IL Private Strip Mines (9 visits, 5 lakes – 3/7 through 11/3)
58 bass
26.00 hours
2.23 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-8 (17.5”) Lipless Crankbait on May 15
Top 5 Weight: 11-12 (2-8,2-7,2-6,2-4,2-3)
Comments: For the second straight year, I couldn’t find any real big bites on some lakes that I have fished for over 30 years. Even numbers were a struggle on most of the lakes except for one that I should rename “Two-Pound Lake” as my entire Top 5 for the area called it home.
Bass are bouncing back at “The Rock”
Peoria County Private Lake (2 visits – 6/13 and 9/20)
71 bass
8.50 hours
8.35 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-3 (17.5”) Crankbait on June 13
Top 5 Weight: 8-9 (2-3,1-14,1-10,1-8,1-6)
Comments: I was fortunate to make a couple visits to an outstanding fishing hole courtesy of a friend that I met several years ago through my employer. While the larger bass succumbed to some sort of kill a couple years ago, the population looks to be bouncing back well. An added bonus in 2020 was being able to take Dad down for an afternoon of bass fishing and he left impressed (and with bass thumb).
A quality catch on Snakeden Hollow’s 30th borthday
Knox County, IL Public Strip Mines (14 visits, 28 lakes – 4/4/ through 10/11)
268 bass
53.25 hours
bass/hour
Top Bass: 4-12 (21”) Jig & Craw
Top 5 Weight: 17-4 (4-12,4-0,3-11,2-12,2-1)
Comments: While I admit that my walk-in strip mine areas do wear me out a bit more these days, I’m not ready to give up quite yet. After landing a couple four-pounders and establishing three personal lake records, I’m hoping to get in plenty more hiking in 2021.
Knowing where to find some bass is only part of the equation. It is also necessary to find out what can fool ‘em. That aspect comes up in the next post. Talk to you later. Troy