On the heels of an active bite the previous day, I couldn’t resist another stop at the Knox County strip mines. I happened to be in Galesburg visiting my folks and took “the long way home” to allow for a couple of hours of casting.
If you are not a fan of these creatures, you will want to steer clear of strip mine hiking as they are everywhere
Stats
Date: September 8
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 3:50pm-6:05pm (2.00 hours fishing)
Totals: 7 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 73F
Lures: 3.75” Strike King Rage Swimmer Swimbait (pro blue/red pearl) with a Twist Lock Flashy Swimmer jighead – 4 bass Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 2 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 (Whopper Plopper)
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 6-9 (2-8,1-11,1-9,0-13)
Winning Lures
Notes and Nonsense
4:23pm – Island Lake 1-11 (15″) on a Whopper Plopper
Island Lake – The first stop was a spot that was crazy good in 2023. Last year, I was able to do a complete overhaul on my Top 5 from the lake in boosting a meager weight of 6-11 up to 18-14 via a five-pounder, a four-pounder and three three-pounders. However, in my lone stop this spring, I failed to catch a single bass. On this day, I managed to fool a pair with the largest being 1-11.
5:08pm – Gazelle Lake 1-9 (15″) on a swimbait
Gazelle Lake – This small cut lies on the route between Island Lake and my final stop, Maiden Lake, so I decided to make a few casts. I do not fish this spot much as I have only caught one bass over a pound. Fifteen minutes on this outing produced three bass including a new lake record weighing 1-9, all on a swimbait.
5:38pm – Maiden Lake 2-8 (17″) on a Whopper Plopper
Maiden Lake – This lake has had my number in the eleven years that I have fished it. My first visit in 2013 produced a 1-14 and I had not caught another decent bass there until last year when I got a 3-10. However, Brent has fooled a pair exceeding four pounds including the lake (and site) record of 5-4 in 2022. Those kinds of fish keep me coming back for another shot. On this trip, I did land my best bass of the evening with a 2-8 on a Whopper Plopper. The catch gave my Maiden Lake Top 5 a significant boost from 10-3 to 11-7. Even better, it claimed the fifth spot in the overall Maiden Lake Top 5 (combined with Brent) which now stands at an impressive 18-15.
Not a bad haul for a couple of hours of rapid-fire casting. Many of the Knox County strip mines will close their gates in the next several weeks so I hope to get in a visit or two before the end of the line. I also have my sights set on boosting the numbers on The Canal and hitting Lake Storey for the fall drawdown. Stay tuned as the 2024 fishing year heads into the home stretch. Talk to you later. Troy