Author: Troy Jackson

Top 10 Trip Tunes 9/2 – Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With many of my fishing holes located about an hour drive from home, the two-hour round trip ride has taken on a more significant role in the fishing adventure. The pre-dawn drives are a further extension of some “me” time as I get control of the radio and don’t have to endure the occasional forays into the tunes of my younger batch of the good old generation gap.

Since I dig music as much as fishing, it’s always fun to combine these two passions. And that’s what I’m gonna do for today’s posting with a rundown of the Top 10 tunes that graced the airwaves on my latest fishing trip. I’ve got half a dozen presets on the dial and a few others upstairs that I can check when I get out of my regular range. I flip through the stations waiting for a tune that makes me stop, listen and, of course, sing along (remember I’m flying solo most of the time). Those are the tunes that make the cut and eventually get whittled down to what I’m calling my “Top 10 Trip Tunes.”

Here’s the first half of the countdown for September 2, 2017 with the important data and my two cents.

10. “Bad Medicine” – Bon Jovi (1988) – Guilty pleasure here, should be ashamed but I’m not, the fun for me is the number of medical references one can work into a set of song lyrics. Count ‘em some time and let me know.

9. “For What It’s Worth” – Buffalo Springfield (1967) – “There’s something happening here, but what it is ain’t exactly clear.” And the beat goes on. I’m sure there were plenty of fools among the 60’s crowd but some of today’s idiots have taken protest to a whole new level.

8. “Talk Dirty to Me” – Poison (1987) – Me and a couple buddies used to hustle back from the cafeteria at Knox College to catch the evening video request countdown on MTV in hopes that this one made it again. Got made fun of, sure, “but I like it and I know you like it too.”

7. “Moondance” – Van Morrison (1970) – Gotta dig a tune with “fantabulous” in the lyrics, it’s a portmanteau, you know. And, if you listen real close, I don’t think he’s actually singing about dancing.

6. “Goodbye Stranger” – Supertramp (1979) – “And some they will and some they won’t, for some it’s just as well.” I still get a chuckle out of those lines although not sure what I thought of them back in 1979 when I purchased the album pictured here.

(Note: RIP, Walter Becker of Steely Dan (1950-2017), one of my all-time favorites.)

Tune in tomorrow for the Top 5 of the countdown. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report 9/2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With all of my public strip mine waters entering their last month or so of fishing availability before they lock us anglers out in favor of diminishing the waterfowl population it was high time for a visit. Walk-in/bicycle access makes for a challenge but plenty of bass to be had if one is willing to put forth the effort. Still willing, still able and still smarter than a couple dozen bass, including some quality catches.

Stats
Date: September 2, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL public access strip mines (7 lakes)
Time: 7:00am-1:45pm (5.0 hours fishing, the rest walking or driving)
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 47F-74F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 27 bass
Lures:
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin/black flake or green pumpkin) – 10 bass
Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 7 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (Snow White shad) – 5 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-8 KVD 2.5 crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-12 (3-8,3-5,2-5,2-1,1-9)


7:02am Top Bass (and first bass) 18″ 3-8 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait

Notes & Nonsense

Great Start – On about the third cast of the morning with a buzzbait I was rewarded with a large blowup. Unfortunately, I was not rewarded with a bass as it apparently had some poor aim. Another cast with the buzzbait failed to get a repeat so I fired out my Strike King KVD 2.5 crankbait instead and hooked up with a 3-8 which would set the Top Bass bar pretty high. In fact, that first bass wound up being Top Bass for the day although I had one later that gave it a run for the money. Anyway, a couple casts later I landed a 2-1 and then a 1-9 less than ten minutes later. So, after 13 minutes of casting I had 3 of my Top 5 in the log at 7-2 and was pretty excited about the solid start. Things slowed for the next several hours in terms of quality bites but that would eventually take a turn for the better.


7:05am 15.5″ 2-1 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait


7:13am 14″ 1-9 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait

Fishing Tips – I’d spoken with an old friend on my previous stop at the Knox County strip mines and he had tipped me off to a couple spots that may be worth a look in light of some habitat alterations making access a little more angler friendly. Both were spots I had not visited in many years but his tips definitely paid dividends to the tune of six bass (couple others threw the lure as well) and three of my Top 5 for the day. Thanks to Mike for the info and I hope to work them over again a bit more thoroughly before the year is out.

No Repeat – One of the lakes I fished was a revisit of my August 23 outing which saw the spot give up 35 bass, including 27 on a buzzbait. Two minutes of casting on this morning and I had two buzzbait bass in the log so, of course, I was thinking, “Alright, here we go again.” Then the bite completely shut down and I only managed one more bass over the next 40 minutes. Not sure what went awry there as conditions were quite favorable, I guess too many of them still had sore lips from the previous buzzfest.


11:44am 18″ 3-5 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait
(Note: the lone pic that is not a selfie, terrain makes it near impossible to shoot a timer shot with a “real” camera.)


1:16pm 17″ 2-5 Senko wacky rig

One That Got Away – Doesn’t happen every outing thankfully, but this is the age old standard bit of “unlucky” fishing luck that hits any angler who puts in time on the water. This one came on a Senko and after the hookset it never stopped running away from my position on the bank and the 10-pound test gave way. I never got a look at the bass, so who knows, but I will say that several fish that I landed in the one-pound range sure had me fooled into thinking they were larger in the initial stages of the fight. Kind of makes me feel better anyway. This one could also be attributed to angler error for not checking my line after my previous catch on the Senko had choked it. I’m usually pretty good on this aspect of basic bass fishing but not above the occasional careless mistake. Once again, who knows, all a part of being a fisherman I guess.


Most Valuable Lure – Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (natural pumpkinseed)

Lure of the Day – It felt good to nail a few on a good, old crankbait for a change. The KVD 2.5 squarebill that did the trick runs to a depth of about five feet. I’m typically a little leery throwing these things from the bank, especially on unfamiliar waters as I am cheap and don’t want to get snagged on some underwater structure when I don’t have the means to get the lure back. On this morning, the bass just wouldn’t commit to a topwater bite and I was comfortable with the lakes I was fishing being snag-free so this bait was my choice in finding a sub-surface bite without having to slow down my presentation. It was indeed a winner, producing four of my Top 5 bass when worked with an occasional rip and pause in the retrieve.

I’ve got a couple more postings in the works regarding this outing that I look to get out later this week. Hope you’ll stop back for a look and don’t forget the Facebook page if you do that thing as there’s plenty of additional outdoor stuff over there as well. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Only two bass joined our project during the month of August, bringing our 2017 total submissions to 61 bass. August is historically the leanest open water month, posting only seven entries over the first three years of the Top 5 (1-3-1 from 2014 through 2016). Late season is always tough as we head towards Fall as participants have typically established a solid creel or begin to put the gear away in favor of other pursuits. Time will tell for our stretch run but here are the latest stats.

2017 Totals (* = new record)
*January = 1 bass (no previous entries)
*February = 13 bass (old record 7 in 2016)
March = 10 bass (record 13 in 2014)
April = 11 bass
May = 13 bass
June = 0 bass
July = 11 bass
August = 2 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
*January = 2-11 (2-11) no previous record
February = 21-5 (5-2,4-14,4-2,3-15,3-4) record 22-9 in 2016
March = 22-15 (6-2,4-11,4-9,4-3,3-6) record 28-0 in 2016
April = 25-0 (6-0,5-15,5-9,3-14,3-10)
May = 26-14 (6-15,5-8,5-4,5-2,4-1)
June = no submissions
July = 21-0 (5-0,4-12,4-7,3-8,3-5)
August = 8-0 (5-11,2-5) (only two submissions)


August 5 Paul Kessler 2-5 Creature bait

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 51 bass
Bank = 10 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 30-11 (6-15,6-2,6-0,5-15,5-11)
Bank = 20-2 (5-2,4-1,3-14,3-10,3-7)

Public vs. Private
Public = 30 bass
Private = 31 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 27-3 (6-0,5-15,5-4,5-2,4-14)
Private = 29-13 (6-15,6-2,5-11,5-9,5-8)

The Baits (* = new record)
Crankbaits = 15 bass (Top Bass 6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Jigs = 9 bass (Top Bass 6-2 Troy Jackson)
Plastic Worm = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-11 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Jake Bresson)
Swim Jigs = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
*Buzzbaits = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-9 Troy Jackson)
Old record 5-8 Terry Isbell 9/14/14
*Creature Bait = 3 bass (Top Bass 6-15 Mark Balbinot)
Old record 6-1 Jeff Marshall 5/23/14
Lipless Crankbaits = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Bruce Zilkowski)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Paul Kessler)
Underspins = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Mark Balbinot)
*Propbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-7 Troy Jackson)
No previous record
Swimbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-12 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Tube = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jake Bresson)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
*2-11 Mark Balbinot (no previous record)
February
5-2 Mark Balbinot
March
6-2 Troy Jackson
April
6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.
May
6-15 Mark Balbinot
June
No submissions
July
5-0 Troy Jackson
August
5-11 Troy Jackson


August 21 Troy Jackson 5-11 Senko wacky rig

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
*6-15 Mark Balbinot 5/13 (#7 all-time)
6-2 Troy Jackson 3/4
6-0 Randy Sampson Sr. 4/15
5-15 Mark Balbinot 4/14
5-11 Troy Jackson 8/21
5-9 Troy Jackson 4/25
5-8 Mark Balbinot 5/13
5-4 Jake Bresson Late May
5-2 Mark Balbinot 2/26
5-2 Jake Bresson 5/20

Angler Weights
27-10 Mark Balbinot (6-15,5-15,5-8,5-2,4-2)
26-13 Troy Jackson (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7)
23-11 Randy Sampson Sr. (6-0,4-14,4-12,4-11,3-6)
22-1 Jake Bresson (5-4,5-2,4-1,4-0,3-10)
18-0 Bruce Zilkowski (4-9,4-3,3-15,3-0,2-5)
10-15 Paul Kessler (3-4,2-12,2-10,2-5)
8-4 Brent Jackson (3-2,1-6,1-5,1-5,1-2)
5-6 Terry Jackson (3-5,1-3,0-14)

Bonus Species – Northern Pike
Total = 54.5” Jake Bresson (33.5”,21.0”) both on Tubes

Bonus Species – Green Sunfish
0-13 Jayce Jackson

Bonus Species – Muskie
Total = 131” Jake Bresson (47”,31”,29”24”) on Rapala X-Rap

Bonus Species – Walleye
Total = 118” Jake Bresson (26.5”,26.0”,25.5”,20”,20”) on Rapala X-Rap or jig & minnow

Personally, these next couple months are my favorite time of the year to fish so here’s hoping that you keep on casting in the quest for a late season trophy that lets its guard down. I gave it a shot yesterday and posted a solid limit but just couldn’t find that exceptional bite to boost my total. Report and some associated thoughts coming your way next week. Hope you’ll tune in and keep on casting for a few more Top 5 additions before we call it a year. Best of luck and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

August can be a tough time to cull for various reasons. The dog days can do a number on both angler and bass, back to school (at least in my world) can move fishing down the priority list and if you are already having a good year of fishing, it can just plain be a tall order to replace one in your creel. All of the above applied when assessing my odds for a bump in weight but I still managed to get one that added over two pounds to my 2017 Top 5.

Weight: 5-11
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 21
Location: Knox County Strip Mine
Lure: 5″ Yamamoto Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake)
Structure: Overhanging bushes
Angler Comments: My first Eclipse Day bass was a winner and just in time as I only got one more in an hour of casting before the weather got real ugly and sent me packing.
Top 5 Weight: 26-13 (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7) culls 3-8

My good fortune continues to push me farther into uncharted territory as my previous best Top 5 on record was 22-12 back in 2015. Since kicking off this project in 2014 I have somehow managed at least a 20-pound limit each year along with setting a new personal best each successive year. This one may be tough to top so here’s to finding a few more before 2017 is all said and done to really give me something to shoot for in the future. Hope anyone out there gets some time on the water as we head into another shot at the fall feeding frenzy and send them my way when you fool them. Talk to you later. Troy

Missed It By That Much

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Once upon a time in the 80’s, some friends bestowed upon me the designation of “Stat Boy.”

I was good with that term of affection as it was an accurate moniker at the time. Still is, although these days I believe I may have achieved ‘Stat Man’ status. Neither here nor there I would suppose in the grand scheme of things, but I do have some crazy fishing logs.

Being born a baseball fan, stats are just a part of my makeup. An aspect of that innate allegiance is that I also find milestones pretty cool. So, earlier this year I began to get kind of excited as I approached outdoor posting number 1,000 since taking up writing back on April 30, 2002. Well, it turns out that I got so carried away with the kickoff of this new website and its accompanying social media stuff that I wound up blazing right on by posting #999, just recently realizing that I’d missed out on the planned celebratory posting by a substantial margin.

But since this is my project and I can do whatever I want, including patting myself on the back, we’re gonna take a look at some of what has went down over the last 15 plus years with blog posting #1,054 instead.


4/29/02 The catch that prompted me to write a newsletter to family and friends detailing the “Family Fishing Hall of Fame” record book

By The Numbers

5,596 = Days since my first stab at outdoor writing
1,053 = Total postings prior to this recap.
5.31 = Avg. number of days per blog posting (not bad over a 15+ year period)
69 = Avg. number of postings per year over last 15 years
139 = Number of firsthand fishing reports
7-3 = My largest bass caught since sharing my fish stories
99 = Top 5 weekly updates (project began in 2014)
456 = Total bass submitted to the Top 5 project
26 = Anglers who’ve contributed to the Top 5 project
13 = Bigfoot related postings

Special Guest back in the fall of  2011

40 = Most consecutive days with a blog entry (5/1/17 to 6/9/17)
35 = Emiquon related postings, the most of any fishing hole

Never seen anything quite like The Emiquon Preserve

31 = Trapping postings
2 = Number of Justin Bieber photos to appear on the blog

These new fishing logs were one of my April Fool’s jokes, seriously.

2 = Number of April Fool’s Day jokes
4 = Pop/rock song titles borrowed for blog titles (“Déjà Vu”, “Old Days”, “Like A Rock” and “The Sound of Silence”)
5 = MLB players mentioned in a blog title (Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Ichiro Suzuki)
3 = Textspeak samples used in blog titles (TMI, IMHO, IA LMB PB)
9 = Legendary lure postings

 

Legendary Lures, the good, old Emiquon Special and the Gapen Fishie

Along the way I have somehow managed to reference Snow White, margaritas, Bocephus, roadkill, Freddie Patek and chicken pox in blog postings. I have also paraphrased Navin R. Johnson, created an outdoor version of “The 12 Days of Christmas”, gave my blog to Bigfoot, wrote a fishing tackle editorial utilizing Hall & Oates song titles and have used the words paraskevidekatriaphobia, chalupa, sewage and exposed bottoms in blog titles. Not to mention thousands of pictures and well over a quarter million words.

  

Yep, I’m actually kind of proud of this stuff. Whod’ve thunk that a whim to share some fish stories via email with family and friends back in April of 2002 would wind up getting this out of control? Been a fun ride…

    

I could go on with further stats and nonsense but I will spare you for the time being. After all, I’ve still got a blog in spite of some of that stuff and I certainly look forward to continuing to use it for my amusement and yours if you elect to play along. In fact, I’ve still got close to two hundred postings in various stages of incompletion that have their sights set on eventual public consumption one of these days as time permits.

Anyway, thanks to all who’ve invested a few minutes of your day along the way to read and share your comments. Now go do something productive, like fishing. Talk to you later. Troy

To The Tune of 43 Bass – 8/22 Report

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The follow-up trip to Eclipse Day produced a slew of bass but nothing big to show for it. In fact, my one “keeper” on the rain shortened, one hour, Eclipse outing outweighed the Top 5 for this trip all by itself. But hey, anytime you can post 43 bass with most of them on a buzzbait, now that’s a blast. In lieu of a batch of lunkers to report, I’m going to pull out an old stunt and use some Pop/Rock music to help convey my day on the water.  First the bass and the data, then we jam.

  

7:07am 14″ 1-8 First Bass and Top Bass Buzzbait                                       7:27am 13″ 0-15 Buzzbait      

Stats
Date: August 22, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL strip mines (3 lakes)
Time: 6:25am-3:00pm (6.0 hours fishing, rest walking or driving)
Weather: Mostly cloudy/very windy
Air Temp: 66F-76F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 43 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (Snow White shad) – 34 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 3 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (copper) – 1 bass
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-7 (1-8,1-1,1-0,0-15,0-15)

Rest of the Top 5 (left to right): 0-15 (8:51am Buzzbait), 1-0 (9:41am Baby 1-) and 1-1 (11:08am Buzzbait)

Notes & Nonsense

“Take It To The Limit” (Eagles – 1975) – Went for a change of scenery “one more time” on this outing and every time I pull this stunt I wind up beat and wonder if it’s the last time. And I’m not just talking fishing results as this type of adventure provides a real workout. Forgive me for being a little vague but this bright idea involves hauling a boat into fishing holes that are a long ways from the truck, we’re talking potential miles for a round trip.

“This Night Won’t Last Forever” (Michael Johnson – 1979) – So this is where the whole music oriented concept originated for this report. I’m just killing them on a buzzbait and all of a sudden realize that a slightly altered version of this cut is going through my head. Substitute “bite” for night and it goes a little something like this: “I know this bite won’t last forever, I know the sun is gonna shine sometime.” For the first time in a while I got what I was after as the clouds were my friend.  The result was an all-day buzzbait buffet, first buzzbait catch at 7:07am and last buzzbait bass at 2:12pm, truly an expanded window.

“Lovely Day” (Bill Withers – 1977)
When the forecast calls for cloudy skies,
A cool breeze puts heat behind,
The thought of buzzbait bassin’ time,
Is foremost on my mind.
“And I know it’s gonna be a lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day…”
Yep, my own version of those lyrics were a significant part of my mental soundtrack as well. Maybe I ain’t right, but a lifetime in front of a radio has provided lyrics for every occasion and this one was spot on. If you dig tunes and topwater fishing, you know where I’m coming from.

“Lights Out” (Peter Wolf – 1984) – The former J.Geils Band lead singer summed up the fishing action quite nicely: “Blast, blast, blast.” Literally and figuratively, as topwater fishing appeals to the visual, auditory and tactile senses in an addictive fashion all in a split second of entertaining bass fishing action.  (Note: this Wolf tune is not to be confused with the video where he hops all the way through the song, that one is “Come As You Are”, quite interesting.)

“I Missed Again” (Phil Collins – 1981) – As the wind picked up, the buzzbait was still getting plenty of attention but I’d have to say that the surface chop made for a diminished success rate as at least a dozen bass came up short in their efforts.  Cue up the former Genesis singer with a classic early MTV bit of video entertainment as he croons, “Oh, did I miss again, I think I missed again” on behalf of those bass. In one case, a missed strike knocked the lure a foot above the surface, can’t recall ever seeing that one before. While it may have been wise to adjust my presentation to the changing conditions, I still had plenty of others displaying better aim, thus I kept right on buzzing as my primary approach.

The Jackson 5 – Lest anyone think that I am a sort of one hit wonder in lure selection most days, I did make a few changeups when cover and instinct dictated. Two bass on the Senko in two minutes around a lone bit of bankside standing timber was one case. In addition, I did add a few by lipless and shallow cranking in a couple spots that produced in the past. Overall, I landed bass on five different baits although the buzzbait was far and away the star of the group, the Michael of my tackle box on this day.

  

Left to right: Buzzbait (Michael), Red Eye Shad (Jackie), Baby 1- (Tito)

 

Left to right: Baby Brush Hog (Marlon) and Senko wacky rig (Jermaine)

“Hurt So Bad” (Linda Ronstadt – 1980) – Okay, so here’s the rundown on a fishing trip beat down. Both knees from hauling stuff and logging several miles of strip mine trekking (fortunately most was old roadways). Right shoulder from casting and lower back from hauling and sitting in an eight foot johnboat for about an eight hour day. Left elbow from a tumble as I also stand in that boat a lot even though not the wisest idea and several fingers just because they are getting old, ache and don’t work as well as they used to.

“Hurts So Good” (John Cougar – 1982) – But here I am a couple days later and those aches and pains are nearly a thing of the past and I’m well on the road to convincing myself that I need to try this stunt again. You know, the positives of a 43 bass day will still eventually outweigh the negative physical effects as the hours and days roll by. And don’t forget one other physical malady that is more of a badge of honor than a source of pain, good old bass thumb.

Thanks for tuning in and tune in again tomorrow for a blogging retrospective covering the last 15 years. Talk to you later. Troy

Eclipse Week Fishing Report 8/20-8/21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Since a couple vacation days in early August wound up returned in favor of work, I thought I’d try it again this week to coincide with the Eclipse. In addition, Julie was still a couple days away from having any kids at the aftercare program and all of ours were starting their first full week of school, so the stars were aligned. Always a roller coaster ride, however, when it comes to having a “plan.”

  

Flying solo but could’ve been 30 years ago, same place with Hack, JJ or Catfish.  These days editing GoPro footage by firelight, those days jamming on Apetite for Destruction or Guitar Town.

Stats
Date: August 20-21, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL strip mines (2 lakes)
Time: 7:00-8:00pm (8/20) and 6:25-7:25am (8/21)
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy (8/20) and Overcast to mostly ugly (8/21)
Air Temp: 80F (8/20) and 66F (8/21)
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 9 bass (7 on 8/20 and 2 on 8/21)
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (Snow White shad) – 8 bass
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 5-11 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (5-11,1-1,1-1,1-0,0-12)

Notes & Nonsense

The Plan – Three days, two nights flying solo camping and fishing. Leave Sunday afternoon (left home at 5:00pm), camp overnight, fish Monday through Eclipse and return home to meet the kids at 3:00pm after school. Return to campsite that evening after Julie finishes up a back to school activity at 6:00pm. Overnight again and fish all day Tuesday with an evening return.

Best laid plans thwarted by Mother Nature, this pic does not do justice to the weirdness and ensuing ugliness.

Reality – Hour of fishing Sunday as planned after setting up camp. Peaceful and uneventful overnight with a nice campfire and some Miller Lites. One hour of fishing on Eclipse Day morning before some wicked skies sent me packing. Tried to wait out the storm but waved the white flag at 10:30am amidst thunder, lightning and some heavy rains. Tear down and pack in a shower and home by noon. Monday night camping called off with more t-storms forecast the bulk of overnight but looking to be casting Tuesday morning at sunrise if storms have run their course as predicted.

Eclipse Eve – solid start and looking forward to bigger and better things…

Eclipse Eve Fishing – 7:00pm to 8:00pm on a lake I haven’t visited for a while with an all-out buzzbait blitz due to limited window until sunset. Conditions are favorable with partly cloudy skies, a little color to the water and light chop. Seven bass come aboard but lacking a lunker with Top Bass at 1-1. Solid start, happy with the results and looking forward to the next launch in about ten hours.

Eclipse Day Fishing – Thought it would be fun to fish through the partial eclipse just to say I did, if nothing else. The fun started right off the bat with a 5-11 on a Senko wacky rig but was short lived with only one more fish (11.5” on a buzzbait) before the skies got scary, opened up and sent me home.

Eclipse Day Bass – short lived outing but got the bite you dream of when the heavens align

Top Bass – I caught my 5-11 less than ten minutes into my outing after my first two proven buzzbait spots failed to produce a strike. Stop number three is a solid Senko wacky rig area amidst some overhanging bushes so I changed it up and it came through yet again on the first cast to the tune of my largest Senko bass and the fifth biggest bass ever. Pretty wild as I never felt the hit, just saw the line moving to the right and reeled down and set the hook anticipating the usual pound and a half fish from the spot. A few tense moments with the 10-pound Trilene on my spinning rig before I got a look and knew I had something special. Airborne at one point and a missed first attempt with my Boga Grip had me nervous but it was meant to be and saved what would be a real short day on the water.

Casualties – Unfortunately no GoPro footage on the Top Bass as it bit the dust somehow while editing footage around the campfire the previous night. Julie mentioned that the fellow dropped it at purchase and said bring it back if any issues so got that on my to-do list. In addition, I thought I knocked my Fuji camera overboard after taking a spill on my tripod and crushing it when I lost my balance as my boat coasted into the bank. Not really sure on this one but had replaced the batteries after shooting pics of the big fish and apparently (and fortunately) did not re-attach to the tripod. I was kicking myself for the last half hour about losing the camera and all the pics on it before finding it safe and sound in one of my utility boxes. Thank goodness, strange turn of events, some days the mind and body let you know that they’ve seen better days.

Some highs and lows all in the span of about sixteen hours, better than being at work but some real weird and nervous outdoor moments had me wondering if I was better off inside. But still made the right choice in the overall evaluation of this adventure and hopefully it’s not over yet. If you are reading this as it hits the press, I intend to be on a pre-dawn drive to chase some more of those Knox County, IL strip mine bass, same as it ever was. Talk to you later. Troy

Summer Wrap – Lake Storey

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A visit to Lake Storey is always a treat for our family. I was born and raised in Galesburg, IL and spent 47 of my 50 years living and working in the community. All of our kids were born there and my folks, siblings and their kids still call Galesburg home. Therefore, a visit to the campground, park and pool is typically a mini family reunion and a good time is had by all.

  

Rating: 5.0 Marshmallows (scale 1-5 Marshmallows with 5 being tops, rating is average of six family member votes)

Location: Lake Storey near Galesburg, IL (Knox County)
Camping: Allison Lake Storey Campground with 149 sites (21 full hookup, 88 electric and 40 primitive)
Attractions: Lakeside Pool (passes included with camping fee), Lake Storey Beach and Pavilion, park and athletic fields, paved lakeside trail, nearby Bunker Links Golf Course
Fishing: Lake Storey (133 acres) featuring largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, bullhead, muskie and some trophy carp. Trolling motor only restriction with watercraft rental available (johnboat, canoe and paddle boat).
Hiking/Trails: Just over 2.5 mile paved path on north side of lake and numerous unmarked trails through the surrounding timber

  

Our late July three day-two night camping trip was a winner once again. Plenty of family members stopped by to hang out and/or swim, a welcome bonus to the overall outdoor fun. A daybreak fishing trip with my brother, Brent, was also a success although our destination was some Knox County strip mines as opposed to Lake Storey as one drawback to the lake is the abundant weed growth in the summer. Give it a few more weeks when the annual fall drawdown drops the water level and I’ll likely be headed back for a traditional fall visit or two.

Many stories and adventures at this area over the years and a few more every time we return. This time around it included one of the kids getting sick behind the tent and another actually “watering” a tent during a bathroom break. Never a dull moment with kids in the outdoors. I’m sure my Mom and Dad can attest as well.

Family Poll: What did you like most about Lake Storey?

Helena: “I like Galesburg even though there’s nothing there anymore, Bath and Body even left the mall.”
Carly: “I like that you can walk to the pool and that we had enough room for two tents.”
Jayce: “Swimming.”
Zac: “Swimming.”
Mom: “Love the pool, amenities are close and the rebuilding of the campground playground equipment.”
Dad: “A lot boils down to nostalgia having camped or fished at Lake Storey as far back as I can remember. Some locals run the area down but I think it truly is a gem for all ages.”

Our family is sold on this location both for the fun and the homecoming aspect of the visits. Been on the return list since moving to the Quad Cities area (IL side) and no doubt will remain a favorite destination. Talk to you later. Troy

Summer Wrap – Johnson Sauk Trail

Posted on by Troy Jackson

About a 40-minute drive into neighboring Henry County, IL is Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation Area which features a little bit of everything for the outdoor enthusiast. Over the years, I’ve had the occasion to do some camping, hiking and boating at the spot along with a little bit of fishing quite a few years ago. I had not visited the park since the early 2000’s so I was interested to see how my recollection matched up with the current state of the site. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised, our family enjoyed the day exploring and I definitely feel that it is on the “return visit” list at some point.

Rating: 4.0 Marshmallows (scale 1-5 Marshmallows with 5 being tops, rating is average of six family member votes)

Location: Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation Area, north of Kewanee, IL (Henry County)
Camping: 70 sites with electrical hook-ups (Class A) and 25 walk-in/tent only (Class C)
Attractions: Red Earth Café restaurant (check ‘em out on Facebook), camp store and Ryan’s Round Barn
Fishing: Johnson-Sauk Trail Lake (58 acres) featuring largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, bullhead, muskie and northern pike. Trolling motor only restriction with watercraft rental available (johnboat, kayak and paddle boat).
Hiking/Trails: Well signed, well maintained, easy to moderate rating and less than a mile on most trails, all aspects were a perfect fit for our crew

This will get your attention regarding fishing potential, 48″ muskie caught in 2003

Loons fit the bill

 

Ottawa Trail featured a very interesting tree 

Attached the GoPro to the boys on the trails, got some very interesting footage

Family Poll: What did you like most about Johnson-Sauk Trail?

Helena: “There were many trails so lots of options to choose from.”
Carly: “All the flowers and trees and the way they named the trails.”
Jayce: “Hiking with a GoPro.” (That’s a video camera, not his term for either of his folks.)
Zac: “The picnic because of the Mountain Dew.”
Mom: “I liked getting back to some plant ID.”
Dad: “Tree and plant ID with the girls as well as the lake which looked quite appealing unlike a visit many years ago when it was extremely weed choked. Several fishing pics in the camp store also caught my eye.”

(Note: plant ID mentioned by both parents, more on that aspect in future postings.)

Been many years since Julie and I had paid a visit and a different lifestyle back then in the days before kids. Several times in the past we had camped with a large group of friends who were all kid-free as well. Just a bit more of a challenge these days in terms of logistics and entertainment whether a day trip or overnight outing. I’d say that Johnson-Sauk Trail has what it takes for this bunch and some further exploration in the future. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Good news and bad news for this week’s update.

Good news first, we have an August bass. Our first of 2017 and only the sixth entry for August over the history of the Top 5 dating back to 2014.

Bad news is, we have an August bass, as in one lone fish for the month. Still over half a month to boost that total so what do you say we give it a go? Now, on to an example of how to get it done.

Weight: 2-5
Angler: Paul Kessler
Date: August 5
Location: Emiquon Preserve
Lure: Bass Pro Crack Craw (Blue Flex)
Top 5 Weight: 10-15 (3-4,2-12,2-10,2-5)

Well done, Paul, and thanks for continuing to plug away and fool one during the dog days. Here’s the challenge to anyone who wishes to play along, let’s shoot for at least five more August bass to break our 2014-2016 running total of five bass on our way to a strong finish in the remaining months of our 2017 quest. Talk to you later. Troy