Author: Troy Jackson

Johnson Sauk Trail Report 9/11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I took a recent Monday off work after the previous week wound up lengthier than normal due to being on the road for four days to Lincoln, NE and Wichita, KS. With Julie working and the kids in school I essentially had no responsibilities from about 8:00am when the last kids boarded the bus until around 3:00pm when they got back home. Guess what I did.

Stats
Date: September 11, 2017
Location: Johnson Sauk Trail Lake, Henry Co. IL
Time: 10:15am-1:15pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 64-74F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 5 bass
Lures:
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 3 bass
Booyah Counterstrike Spinnerbait (salt & pepper) – 2 bass
Weight (only two bass at 12” or better): 2-1 (1-2,0-15)


11:06am Short bass but on the board after 50 minutes of searching

Notes & Nonsense

Dilemma – Public and private, I have a fair amount of fishing holes to choose from so sometimes it gets to be a challenge when deciding where to go on a day off with roughly seven hours to escape, travel and fish, combined.  I’d hit the Knox County strip pits pretty hard and gave my Iowa stomping ground a go a few days prior so I was up for a change of scenery to do some research.  The family had visited Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation Area earlier this summer and the lake looked inviting so I figured that this day was my opportunity to give it a shot. Funny thing is, while driving down the interstate I completely missed my exit as autopilot had me headed back to Knox County.  Only cost me maybe 10 minutes and good for a laugh.

Impression – I had not been on the water at this lake since 2002 as my first impression was not favorable. When fishing with my brother, Brent, that year we found it to be so weed-choked that it was essentially unfishable. On this return visit, I still found one half of the lake to be rather difficult to fish due to being extensively shallow and weedy with virtually no shoreline cover having deep water access in close proximity. Venturing to the other half of the lake I was able to find a steeper contour containing some visible structure that resulted in four of my five bass.


11:09am Top Bass 13.5″ 1-2 Red Eye Shad


12:50pm Only other “keeper” 12″ 0-15 Red Eye Shad

“Accident” Potential – Although I was targeting bass as usual, I did have visions of crossing paths with a muskie as the 58-acre lake does have some history when it comes to large specimens of these toothy fish. The camp store on site has a mount of a 48-inch muskie along with a couple photos or recent and released mid 30”+ fish. And then there’s a fish sampled by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources back around 2002 that weighed in at just under 43 pounds, easily topping the 38-8 state record. Nothing of the sort for me on this day but the “what if” factor is always a bonus.

Assessment – I was a bit frustrated with a slow start and the shallow, weedy conditions coupled with a late morning launch had me wondering if I made the right choice. However, two bites in three minutes and finding some water to my liking turned things around. I did have a contour map which provided some clues but rowing around in an eight foot johnboat without a depthfinder on an unfamiliar lake can be a challenge. But that’s how I roll, so no complaints, just takes some work.

Five bass between 10 and 13.5 inches in three hours was not quite the smashing success I was looking for but a reasonable day on the water for this amateur angler.

Will I be back?

Tough call, as I’ve got a lot of other fishing holes that I know a lot better. Still, always fun to see and learn some new water and at 58-acres this one isn’t very overwhelming. Perhaps as a joint trip with another fishing hole in the vicinity, we’ll see. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A pair of belated entries push our Top 5 leader over the 30-pound mark for the second consecutive year. Hey, if you’ve wavered on submitting any fish, don’t sweat it as it’s not too late for some earlier 2017 catches.

Weight: 6-3
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: June 18
Location: Fulton Co. IL strip mine lake
Lure: Spro Frog (white)
Water Temp: 80F
Structure: Open water about 15’ of water
Angler Comments: I realized that I had forgotten to send a catch from a Father’s Day trip with my daughter this past June. We have fished together the past few years on this day.

Weight: 6-6
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: August 27
Location: Fulton Co. IL strip mine lake
Lure: Strike King Sexy Dawg (white)
Water Temp: 78F
Structure: Tree top in about 20’ of water
Angler Comments: Went out early with blue skies and fished over 7 hours. Caught a lot of small ones to start and then a cold front approached that afternoon and the skies clouded up. Water was like glass, air was still and not even a bird was chirping. I knew a storm was getting close and the topwater bite turned on.
Top 5 Weight: 30-15 (6-15, 6-6, 6-3, 5-15, 5-8) culls 5-2 and 4-2

And check out Mark’s video from the August 27 outing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTq2v2Fo-rg

Way to go, Mark, two for two on meeting and beating a 30-pound limit to go along with a 32-13 bag from last year which tied the all-time Top 5 record. Still some time to go with the bass looking to strap on the fall feedbag here at some point once the weather heads towards fall conditions. So, don’t put those poles away quite yet, folks, as you’ll miss out on some good fishing. Got a few more fish for next week already that came in after I’d scheduled today’s post as well as a couple reports from my latest outings and a few other associated bits to pass along. Good luck, stop back by throughout the week and talk to you later. Troy

Flashback – A Tale of Two Muskies

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Five years ago today on the water produced the following fish story, selfishly one of my favorites. As such I can’t resist going back in time today with a revisit of the original blog posting from 2012.

It was the worst of times; it was the best of times.

First things first before any lit teachers, scholars or aficionados elect to point out any perceived potential incongruity between my title and tease. I do indeed know that my title borrows from Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities) while my tease reworks some Tolstoy (War and Peace). I just thought that they were both well suited for what’s headed your way today. And while I know enough to be dangerous about each book, I will fully admit that I have read neither novel, nor do I have any desire to read them in the future. Okay, enough education/trivia/nonsense, on to my own classic tale, a literal, not figurative, fish story.

The One That Got Away – If you happened to catch my Lake Storey Report entry last Thursday, you are aware that I lost the biggest muskie me and my brother, Brent, had ever battled. Right around lunchtime the fish hit a Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill crankbait about three cranks into a retrieve in maybe three feet of water. The first thing my brain processed was that I’d snagged a big old carp until the fish surfaced and more than got our attention. I fought the biggest muskie we’d ever seen for several minutes with Brent having to duck my line and me walking from front to back to front to middle of the boat as the beast made line striping runs and one spectacular water clearing leap while giving my six foot rod spooled with twelve pound monofilament all it could handle. Following the leap the fish was actually headed away from us with the line wrapped around its body and coming out from beneath a thrashing tail. Somehow it rolled or turned and everything got back to some semblance of normal and the still excitable fish came boatside. I mistakenly advised my net man to hold off on attempting a dip as the fish certainly exceeded the normal size of catch for our tool. Bad, bad move on my part as a subsequent headshake must have been just enough to cut the line and our fish was gone. I was pretty bummed but occasionally able to still cling to the hope that something good was still to come.

Moral Victory – I tried not to beat myself up too bad but told Brent that it was difficult to quell the sick feeling that kept cropping up in my stomach for the next couple hours (the scenario still plays out in my mind). I was proud though upon asking him if I swore after losing the fish and he said he didn’t think so; I didn’t think so either but it was all kind of a blur. I’m not really a profanity fan but would certainly excuse a spate of colorful language from a fellow (or even a lady) under the circumstances and would not pass judgment. I was also proud that I kept my composure in light of the fact that we had an audience of five within earshot including a little guy who had come down near water’s edge from a nearby walking path with his parents. And not that there’s anything wrong with tears, but I also didn’t cry; wanted to, but toughed it out.

   

Karma –At one point I pondered aloud to Brent about karma and what the fishing gods might have in store for the rest of our day. As we kept moving and casting, I offered that I would take a six pound bass to soothe the punch in the gut of the lost fish. Brent responded, “That’s right, you’ve never caught a six pounder” in recalling that my personal best jumps from a 5-15 runner up to a 7-3 Top Bass. I also reminded him that he’d only barely joined the six pound club (in a good way) with his Top Bass of 6-15.

Ah yes, the old fish stories, a little good natured ribbing and the next cast all help to facilitate the healing process. I was far from over it, but could feel tinges of the way that time does its thing. Sure there’s a whole list of things in my life that are a lot more important than some feisty, powerful, toothy, four foot fish but it sure would’ve made a sweet picture before it was released to maybe get fooled again someday (when it grew up a little bit).

Now, I don’t know what I deserve or what I don’t, if anything at all. But I play by the rules, respect the hobby and the quarry and relish the time on the water when flying solo or joining forces with fishing partners young and not so young. It’s hard not to sound overly dramatic but I’ve been around for forty five years and that fish literally represented the fish of a lifetime. I’m pretty sure that more than a few fellow anglers can relate; a tough pill to swallow that could really ruin your day, you’ve got to just keep casting and that’s what we did.

Second Chance – Not more than a couple casts after lamenting to Brent that the big old muskie sure would’ve made a nice blog picture, my Booyah Counterstrike spinnerbait stopped dead in a spot featuring a small stump and a couple fallen trees in about four foot of water. I hollered to Brent, “Got a second chance!” while also adding, “If he gets anywhere near the boat take a shot and if we get him, we get it, if we don’t, we don’t.” Well, the muskie wasn’t listening initially as he made a run under the boat prompting me to dunk my rod in the water to keep the line from hitting the underside. I could actually hear the fish splashing on the surface on the opposite side of the boat, behind me, but didn’t dare look as I was concentrating on the rod, waiting for the fish to move and hoping it was towards my end of the boat and deep enough to stay out of the trolling motor. The muskie cooperated on both accounts, came within reach and Brent did an excellent job of putting him in the net. I’m far from Mr. Excitement but let out an involuntary, excited and relieved, “Yes!!!” and did some kind of double fist pump that would have perhaps even impressed some of today’s exceedingly celebratory athletes. As Brent shot a few quick photos prior to the release I commented that I hoped they worked out alright as I was shaking. Looks like me, the photographer and the fish all did just fine with the latter leaving my release, swimming back into the stained water and fading from sight.

Date: September 16, 2012
Location: Lake Storey (no further specifics on either fish, sorry)
Time: 2:31pm
Lure: Booyah Counterstrike spinnerbait (snow white)
Length: 43” (originally thought 44.5” until reviewing photos, hey I was excited)
Weight: 19 pounds 8 ounces
Perhaps my most important detail: Released (voluntarily, unlike his counterpart)

Well, there you have it, maybe a bit longwinded but nowhere near the Dickens novel or Tolstoy tome referenced above. Try as we may, “the one that got away” is a recurring fishing staple for those of us who have invested our time and effort in pursuing this wonderful hobby. I’m sure we’ve all been there; you get over it, move on, find another one that doesn’t “get away”, life gets better and the old fish story is retold with a little less heartbreak as time and tales go by. I’m a very pleased to have the photos and memories of a new personal best muskie yet can’t help but wonder…

For in true “one that got away” fashion, Brent mentioned, “I think the other one was bigger.”

Of course, I think so too.

As dedicated anglers know, a full day of fishing may only be punctuated by a few scattered batches of catching (and nearly catching). But within those few minutes can lie a tale to last a lifetime. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 9/9 – Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

And our countdown resumes with the Top 5.

5. Still The Same (1978) – Bob Seger – A great piece about somebody or a collection of somebodies we’ve all met. Maybe you can put your finger on ‘em, maybe it’s just a bunch of bits and pieces of personalities.

4. Hair of the Dog (1975) – Nazareth – Good old rock, lyrics reference “poison ivy” yet avoid the song title entirely, title cut to album with a cool cover, cowbell and yes, still so much fun to hear a bad word on the radio, over and over and over…

3. Travelin’ Man/Beautiful Loser (1975) – Bob Seger – Dig it when you get two songs for the price of one like the live versions of this pair. Another cool look at personalities and memories including some that you may resemble.

2. You’re So Vain (1972) – Carly Simon – While hip hop popularized the “diss track” to disrespect others, this 70’s bit of spite is one of my all-time faves. And you gotta dig a song that includes the word “gavotte” to go along with yacht and apricot, great stuff.

1. One Night In Bangkok (1984) – Murray Head – Tough to explain here so I won’t but this song actually ranks among my favorite fishing songs. Many years ago, high school in fact. Oh yeah, it was co-written by the guys from ABBA, how cool is that?

Well, that was fun. More fishing stuff headed your way over the next week or so with a look back at a classic catch, some video clips from recent trips, a welcome Top 5 update and hopefully a couple more fishing reports.  That sounds like fun, too.  Hope you’ll tune in and talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 9/9 – Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Another round of jams from a recent round trip to the Knox County strip mines. First half today, Top 5 tomorrow.

10. Rock and Roll Band – Boston (1976) – As I noted in a previous post, Boston is pretty much a given on the list so this story song about the band’s history makes the cut even though it is a bit of musical fiction.

9. Hey Jude – The Beatles (1968) – Just not enough Beatles songs on the airwaves anymore so still kind of a gem when a classic pops up.

8. Life’s Been Good – Joe Walsh (1978) – Do you have a song that left such a mark that you know exactly where you were the first time you heard it? Eleven year-old kid, hanging with Dad and visiting some friends at a Boy Scout campout when I heard this coming from one of the older kid’s radios and thought “What is that?” Sometimes I still do.

7. Cherry Bomb (1987) – John Cougar Mellencamp – “Seventeen has turned thirty –five” and then some these days. Long had a soft spot in my musical heart for a reminiscing sort of song and they seem to mean even more the older I get.

6. In The City (1979) – Joe Walsh/Eagles – Takes me back to the soundtrack of the classic gang flick, The Warriors, viewed many times on those free HBO weekends.

Thanks for playing along as I wade off into the occasional tangent, let’s do it again tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

So You Wanna Fish The Strip Mines? – Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The follow-up to a similar themed posting from last week takes a further look at walk-in fishing as one of my public access stomping grounds. This time around I lean a little more heavily on visuals over words.

Below is where you start and out there off the road somewhere is where you fish.

These are another anglers footprints which means you are not off the beaten path far enough.

These are the type of prints I like to see in the undisturbed muck, another fish pursuer known as the great blue heron.

This is my print about six inches deep in the nasty strip pit mud, if you see it, I would say work this water hole over pretty good.

The cattail “path” is not a good option although less worse than the higher ground routes.

As this video demonstrates, there is no good path, everywhere looks about like this.

 

This is where you return at the IRAP strip mines east of Victoria, IL

Permit required, obtain online if you dare… http://dnr.illinois.gov/IRAP/ParticipantLogin.aspx

Why in the world would you actually want to try this?

Enough said. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report 9/9

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With three kids gone all day Saturday to my folks, I had the go ahead to make it a full day chasing bass and I certainly got my money’s worth. Plenty of exercise and plenty of bass after a rough couple early morning hours made for another interesting day in West Central Illinois.


10:05am 14″ 1-4 Senko wacky rig

Stats
Date: September 9, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL private/public access strip mines (2/5 lakes)
Time: 6:16am-2:55pm (5.75 hours fishing, the rest walking or driving)
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 51F-74F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 41 bass
Lures:
5” Senko wacky rig (green pumpkin) – 33 bass
Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 4 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Yumbrella 3-Wire Rig (white) – 1 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (copper) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-5 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-7 (2-5,1-10,1-4,1-3,1-1)


11:36am Top Bass 17″ 2-5 Senko, from a new pothole, gotta be the biggest bass there as not a whole lot of water, a pleasant surprise

Notes & Nonsense

Slow Start – Launching at sunrise at Little John Conservation Club I had high hopes for some topwater action and several significant surface splashes on my first stop had me pretty keyed up. Never got a strike and had to resort to the Senko to eke out a couple small ones to avoid an embarrassing shutout. Lake number two was even worse with a lone short bass on the buzzbait as my only catch.

Above is what a 4 to 5-pounder striking a buzzbait at boatside looks like and as you can see my rod tip is already headed down and to the right as this fish had a full head of steam, rest of story below.

One That Got Away – The highlight and lowlight of my Little John leg was a boatside strike on the buzzbait by a bass in the 4 to 5 pound range. I know the weight because I saw it come in behind the lure and bust it about eight feet away. It was headed to my right at full throttle as I set the hook in the other direction and it was too much for my 12-pound test which snapped and lost my lunker. I checked my drag and it was acceptable, just a bad deal with the strike coming in such close quarters. Oh yeah, got those few unfortunate seconds on video with the GoPro so I get to relive it should I want to kick myself further and second guess my reaction and hookset.


12:17pm 13″ 1-3 Senko, actually spotted this fish as I was about to head to another spot and thought it was worth a try, pretty cool when you watch the fish take an interest and then you tempt it into committing


1:07pm 13.5″ 1-1 Yumbrella 3-Wire Rig, additional details on significance of this catch later this week

Strong Finish – Part Two of the day was public ground walk-in fishing, a lot of effort but also a lot of bass. Numerous bodies of water make it fun to kind of stick and move, spending about 15 minutes on a small pothole or two while investing more time on a few larger spots, including a pair of proven producers. All went according to plan and I wound up fishing a bit longer than intended as it’s tough to walk away from a good bite. It’s also a tough walk back to the truck and I was not looking forward to that part of the day for a finale.

The Cost – I took an “alternate” route back to the truck hoping to find some decent walking only to find that there is no such thing as decent walking amidst the abundant late summer weed growth. I wound up quite tired and sore and even had both hamstrings seize up on me while out for dinner with Julie and our oldest, Helena, needing their assistance in case I couldn’t walk when leaving my seat. In addition to the physical toll, this whole trip cost me a buzzbait (as noted above), a Mann’s 1- crankbait (unknowingly snagged in cattails while walking and busted off) and several Senkos (one snag and a couple operator error instances). With the Senko issues I was really worried as I was down to my last O-ring for wacky rigging and the setup was the big winner on the day. Fortunately, the last one survived and I restocked from my backup supply upon returning home.


Distance tally for this day, sure felt like a lot more as not a leisurely stroll

Got some more stuff to report on this outing but will save those items for some other posts as the week progresses. Don’t forget to check out the Facebook page or send a friend request as there’s additional outdoor items frequently posted there as well. Gotta give a shout out to my folks for keeping a bunch of the kids and to Julie for hanging with the other so that I could take another shot at some bass. It’s only September but I can already feel the clock ticking towards the end of another year on the water. Took today off and out there again somewhere so stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Lost Grove Lake Report – 9/8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The three youngest kids took my folks up on an overnight visit and we had nothing going at home so it was off to Iowa after work to chase bass across the river for the first time since late July.

Stats
Date: September 8, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:16pm-7:46pm
Weather: Sunny/calm to windy
Air Temp: 74-68F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 4 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Weight (two bass at 12” or better): 3-0 (1-14,1-2)


6:32pm 13″ 1-2 Buzzbait crummy pic but solid start with two bass on the board just over 15 minutes into casting

Notes & Nonsense

Plan of Attack – Knowing I only had maybe an hour and a half to fish, there was no exploring or experimenting this time around. Nope, hit all the spots with fast moving baits – a couple crankbait spots, a few Senko pitches at specific targets and otherwise a steady dose of buzzbait on proven areas.

Crankbait Results – I hit my two best crankbait stretches and never got a strike. Weapons of choice were a Mann’s Baby 1- (copper) and Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill (natural pumpkinseed). Although no takers on this outing, I do look forward to nailing some over the next several weeks as fall cranking is a favorite, and successful approach.

Senko Results – I pitched the Senko into a handful of targets along with using it as a follow-up bait on a couple missed buzzbait strikes. My targets produced a pair of hookups but both threw the bait before reaching the boat, tough break but good to see the spots come through (neither was a “keeper” at least).


Actually a pic from last week’s outing after a bass knocked off my buzzbait skirt on a strike, the skirt pictured was the winner today

Buzzbait Results – Not quite 30 minutes in, I had three bass on the buzzbait and was feeling pretty good about my prospects for the rest of the short outing. All three of these bass came from banks that were sheltered from the direct sunlight and my home stretch would feature similar conditions once the sun descended behind a slight ridge. All in all, things were setting up pretty well.

Foiled Again – The 2017 weather on my Lost Grove outings has not fully cooperated ranging from too much sun to a scary storm showing up in a hurry. This time around I plucked a 1-14 from some partially submerged brush on the buzzbait as I began my run through several money spots on the homestretch. The photo below shows a light ripple on the water in the background, which was just about right for presentation and boat control. By the time I got this bass photographed and logged, the wind kicked up to near whitecap magnitude blowing me in the opposite direction of the ramp. Boat control was shot and buzzbait commotion was negated by the increased wave action. I got a couple missed strikes but no more hookups and wound up with a disappointing stretch run as the darned weather turned on me again.


7:16pm Top Bass 15″ 1-14 Buzzbait  all was falling into place until the wind kicked up and ruined the topwater bite

Even so, I felt it was a decent sort of abbreviated outing, especially as I came very close to just staying home for a nap on the couch instead as I’d been beat all week. Can’t catch ‘em at home so glad I went, posting my third largest Lost Grove bass to date with the day’s Top Bass. Also got some GoPro footage as the camera seems to be back in working order after an odd hiccup (or operator error) and a shout out to an unnamed Good Samaritan who helped me lug my boat back to the truck at the end of my day. One more trip in the books from today so look to have a report and some other items from the outing on the way. Talk to you later. Troy

So You Wanna Fish The Strip Mines?

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Tackling the public, walk/bike-in strip mines that I have long called my stomping grounds is an undertaking that will get you weighing the pros and cons of such a stunt. Well, I did it again last Saturday and not much has changed.

Nemesis – On a tip, my first stop was a spot where access had been made a bit more angler friendly via some bulldozing. The landscaping had indeed opened up some bank access but had also allowed an old enemy, poison ivy, to take over. Tough call, but the bass beckoned so I made sure to take a leak before entering the area and then tried not to drink too much the rest of the day and kept Nature’s call at bay. Yep, been there before and don’t want to go back again. So far, so good…

Topography – Very little about post-mining terrain left to Mother Nature is conducive to a leisurely walk in the park. I’ve often said that you need to be part mountain goat to scale some of the inclines or find suitable purchase for footing around the banks. In addition, the dense, scrubby vegetation does a really good job of concealing the multitude of ruts and gullies created by erosion on the damaged ground.

  

A couple eye level shots of the path ahead don’t really do justice to how dumb these stunts are.  But that glimpse of water has produced three bass over three pounds in a couple hours this year, so I dare to be stupid, yet again.

Terrestrial Vegetation – Dense vegetation as high as your head can make for some tough walking. In fact, at one location I had to actually turn around and backtrack as I was physically unable to wade through the tangle, pretty frustrating.

Shoreline Vegetation – On most lakes, the terrestrial vegetation grows right up to the edge of the water making for both tough footing and tough casting. Spinning rod and reel combos are quite beneficial in such spots as getting much of a backcast can be downright impossible. Creative casting techniques can be required and the spinning setup certainly offers more flexibility.

Backlash is what happens when you lose sight of limited area for your backcast in these confined shoreline spaces.

Aquatic Vegetation – Another source of frustration can be lakes that are rimmed with several feet of matted surface weeds which make it tough to work your baits through much open water. Paired with the terrain providing little visual access of your targeted body of water until you stumble upon it, this can provide for a wasted walk should you find your fishing hole too choked with weeds. Of course, there are topwater options to combat this scenario but tough casting, limited hookup percentage and losing bass in the salad are also drawbacks to consider.

Muck – It is nice when low water conditions do allow for a bit of bankside footholds. However, these footholds typically hold your feet with an odd mixture of sticky and foul smelling muck that is saturated strip mine ground. On this trip, there were several instances where I had to maneuver my feet around for a few seconds just to get loose from the sticky grip. I wish I had taken a couple pics but didn’t think of it at the time. The good thing is, that should I return I can probably get a photo of my original footprints or create some new ones. And it is unlikely that I should wonder if they are mine as I saw no other footprints in a pair of off the beaten path locations.

Being a stat guy, this is kinda neat but I try not to monitor it too much until I’m done, don’t really want to know how far I am from the truck.

Mileage – There are more than a few lakes or potholes that lie just off an interior road or adjacent to an area mowed down by site personnel. Those are nice and do have some bass but they just aren’t the ideal spots that I’m looking for when I set off on one of these adventures. Nope, too easy. Instead, I’m in search of areas with no footprints and no trash, a clear sign that nobody else is dumb enough to try it and the bass are dumb enough for even me to fool. Several of those spots on my latest outing helped to rack up over four miles of walking.

Don’t want to forget this injury known as “bass thumb”, a welcome malady for any bass chaser.

Injury – Every time I do this, several body parts come out a little worse for wear. This time around, both knees complained for a couple days when going down stairs (think it’s part of that mountain goat thing). Also jammed my back a little when the ground was a few inches lower than anticipated upon stepping into a concealed rut. The back was also a bit sore from lugging too much tackle but only myself to blame for that one and I can live with that. And it’s pretty much a given that there will be a spill along the way. A lone fall this time around but it was one of those prolonged tumbles that took several seconds as I foolishly fought gravity instead of just going with the flow. Fortunately, no lasting effects and I always laugh after making sure that I’m still in one piece, imaging an observer watching the spill as it progresses. Luckily, no one in their right mind would be anywhere near. Would be interesting though once I get the GoPro back in order. May have to turn off the sound though if I pass along a “highlight” clip to keep things family friendly.

The Reward – By the way, my right hand is gripping weeds and my right knee is planted in a pocket of the slope in order to keep from sliding down the incline to the water and my sticky footprints about ten feet below.

Conclusion – Little has changed with these landscapes, still a challenge and perhaps a little trickier the older I get. But I am pleased to say that one thing that has not changed is my mind as I plan on being back again before they close the gates. The allure of multiple fishing holes, solitude and unpressured bass still trump the challenges and sore body parts. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 9/2 – Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

And now, on with the rest of the countdown…

5. “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do” – Led Zeppelin (1970) – “Want to tell you about the girl I love, my she looks so fine…” but it’s all downhill for Robert Plant from there as she’s got some bad habits “all day”, “all the time.”

4. “Anyway You Want It” – Journey (1980) – Always dug the guitar-vocal exchange in this tune, takes me back to the classic movie “Caddyshack” (click for link), lives on in advertisements and still stops me in my tracks when surfing the radio dial.

3. “Don’t Look Back” – Boston (1978) – Just a given, I always stop the dial on any tune by this rock and roll band.

2. “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” – Bachman Turner Overdrive (1974) – Not politically correct but the stutter is killer. And what rocker would pass up a chance to hang with the “devil woman” although a trip to the doctor is also referenced. M-m-m-maybe in the 70’s…

1. “Burnin’ For You – Blue Oyster Cult (1981) – Cool band name, solid rock and roll and a staple from the origins of MTV. A primitive video in retrospect but a great piece of rock from the eclectic days that were the early MTV landscape. This one does what music does best, gets you moving, even singing, and takes you back in time.

So, there have it, another attempt to work tunes into an outdoor blog. Not much of a stretch in my humble opinion. For we all know that with any worthwhile adventure, part of the fun is getting there. Talk to you later. Troy