After a successful return to the strip mines with my brother on July 13, I was back again the following weekend for another shot. Flying solo on this trip, I also opted to do some exploring on less familiar water. Read on for how it all turned out.

5:41am – First bass and Top Bass Runner-Up at 2-15 (17.5″) on a Whopper Plopper

Spotted this odd funnel cloud in the partly cloudy, pleasant skies. Possibly a “fair weather” funnel cloud?

Stats
Date: July 20
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 5:35-8:20am, 9:10-10:55am, 5:20-7:05pm
Totals: 24 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino) – 11 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 6 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (pumpkin/black flake) – 2 bass, Whopper Plopper (bone) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-3 (Spro Frog)
Top 5 Weight: 11-7 (3-3,2-15,2-9,1-7,1-5)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Lake One – My first stop was a spot that we “discovered” last year, and it has been quite productive in terms of quality bass. In just under three hours, it continued to shine with a Top 5 right at 10-0 as five of my seven bass were “keepers.” Adding to the fun was the fact that six of the seven bass were landed on topwater lures.

6:36am – Top Bass at 3-3 (18″) on a Spro Frog

Lake Two – Next up was an hour and forty-five minutes on a lake that I had first explored back in March. That initial spring trip produced thirteen bass in an hour and a half but nothing much to brag about with a Top Bass of only 1-6. This time around, I added a dozen bass including a solid 2-9 to establish a new Top Bass for the spot. The larger fish was encouraging and reinforced not relying on a first impression on new water.

9:53am – New record on a newer lake at 2-9 (18″) on a buzzbait

Lake Three – After a visit to my folks, I decided to take the long way home for a night cap on a spot where I had never made a cast. It has been on my radar for several years, but it can be difficult for me to forego proven water for the unknown. Five bass in an hour and forty-five minutes was worth the effort and all on an evening topwater bite. This lake consists of three pools of water connected by shallow flats. All were quite murky and two of the three had water and vegetation that looked very ugly. Not surprisingly, all five bass came from the less ugly area.

 

A good day of fishing and fun exploring new spots in the vicinity of familiar waters that I have fished going back to the 1980s. Always something new to learn on the vast collection of Knox County strip pits. Prior to hitting Lake Three, I had also driven past several other waters that I had never fished. One of these days…Talk to you later. Troy