Since work was out of the equation for us on Good Friday, Brent and I hit the Knox County strip mines for our second walk-in outing of the year. Would it be a good Friday or another struggle like our six bass first outing? Read on for the reveal.
Pre-hike predictions
Stats
Date: April 7, 2023
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (6 lakes)
Time: 10:45am-4:55pm (5.50 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 49-60F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 25 bass, 2 crappie (Brent – 13 bass, Troy – 12 bass, 1 crappie apiece)
Lures (Brent): Ned rig – 8 bass, Spinnerbait (white) – 4 bass, Mann’s 4- crankbait – 1 bass
Lures (Troy): Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin) – 6 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 3 bass, Rebel Ghost Minnow – 3 bass
Top Bass: 5-3 Troy (swimbait)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 8-10 (5-3,1-4,1-2,1-1)
Brent Lures
Troy Lures
Notes and Nonsense
Short Start – The bite was scattered to start our day and left much to be desired in terms of quality bass. Nearing the four-hour mark, we had a less than impressive haul of eleven bass and no “keepers” (our term for 12” or better bass and all are released). However, the next twenty minutes would result in three of our four keepers, including one that was a real winner.
Ned Rig Tip – As we coordinated our arrival, Brent texted me the above insight which would turn out to be a productive piece of advice. Brent opted for a Z-Man TRD for his version of the Ned Rig while I went with a Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait. These baits would produce over half of our catches, three of our four keepers, and Top Bass for the day.
Top Bass at 2:49pm on a Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait 22″ and 5-3
Top Bass – After wandering around five of our regular stops without anything to brag about, we decided to try another spot since we were in the neighborhood. Our Top Bass from the lake stood at 2-3, caught by Brent several years ago. Beyond that catch, a handful of bass in the one pound to one-and-a-half-pound range were the extent of our luck. That all changed about fifteen minutes into prowling the bank as I hauled in a surprising 5-3 on my version of the Ned Rig. I could go on about what led to the picture above, but I will save the fish story for an upcoming post instead.
Brent Top Bass on a Ned Rig
Top Four – The goal each time out is to fool five keepers to establish a Top 5 weight for the outing. Near simultaneous to the 5-3, Brent nabbed keeper number two at 1-1. Fifteen minutes later, I added a 1-2 and a 1-4 joined the log near the end of the day. While we fell one bass shy of our Top 5 goal, it’s tough to complain with a five-pounder in your creel.
Brent followed up on Saturday with some quality bites
Twenty-five total bass was a step in the right direction after a rough six bass outing to start the month. The bite should only get better as the warm, stable weather has stuck around and the bass are stocking up on energy in preparation for the spawn. We didn’t waste much time to evaluate that prediction as a Saturday outing for Brent produced four two-pounders as noted in the snip above. I opted to wait until Monday to test the bite, but it worked out well as well. But that’s a fishing report for another day. Talk to you later. Troy
Final Results – April 7
