All of the kids went to my folks’ for the weekend so I got a shot at another unexpected fishing trip (and Julie and I actually got to go out for dinner two nights in a row, been many years).  My fishing destination was the Knox County, IL strip mines bright and early last Sunday morning to see if I could find some more bass.

Stats

Date: July 30, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL strip mines (2 private, 1 public)
Time: 5:35am-11:45am (5.25 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 60-78F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 12 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (chartreuse white shad) – 7 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (copper) – 2 bass
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 2 bass
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-13 Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 6-8 (1-13,1-5,1-3,1-3,1-0)

Notes & Nonsense

6:35am 14.5″ 1-3 Senko                                                                                           6:44am 12.5″ 1-0 Buzzbait

On Time Arrival – My intent on these early morning outings is to get on the water right about the time that it is getting light enough to see what I’m doing.  With a drive of roughly an hour, that means getting up around 3:30am to put the finishing touches on breakfast, pack a lunch, get dressed and load the few remaining pieces of gear.  This time around I hit everything just about right and made my first cast at 5:35am.  First bass showed up twenty five minutes later on a buzzbait after my first three go to spots let me down.  The first “keeper” came aboard at the one hour mark amidst a bite that was enough to keep me interested but not the daybreak flurry I was seeking.  At times I wonder if I actually get up before the bass and if that whole early bird thing does not apply when it is man versus fish.

7:05am 14.5″ 1-3 Buzzbait                                                                                                   8:15am 15″ 1-5 Baby Brush Hog  

Plan B – By 9:10am it was time to shift gears as two typically productive lakes had failed to give up any of the big bites I was seeking on the buzzbait.  I had nine bass on several different presentations with four at 12” or better but the heaviest was only 1-5.  I still had at least a couple more hours to fish so I decided to wing it and tackle a reunion trip I’d contemplated since 2011, the last time I fished an off the beaten path, public spot that I call Locust Lake.

Locust Lake – This destination requires a portage from another body of water and upon dragging my boat to the area I was met with a frequent hint of something dead wafting through the air.  I figured it might be a dead deer or something until I caught a glimpse of Locust Lake through the surrounding reed forest.  Dead bass and bluegill littered the nasty brown water and a dying mat of slimy surface vegetation covering the majority of the lake.  Well, I’d invested about twenty minutes to get there so I decided to go ahead and explore although I didn’t hold out much hope for success.

Dead Sea Results – Rowing through the mossy surface I spooked a handful of bluegill and several bass when crossing the scattered open water areas on the lake.  And about ten minutes into casting I had a 12.5” keeper on a buzzbait.  Several minutes later I landed a second bass at 13.5” on the Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait.  But my strangest and final catch would be the best of the day at 17.5” as the crankbait came through again.  The fish was so gaunt and sickly looking though that I was truly a little hesitant to even lip the thing as it just looked nasty.  I guess it was healthy enough to eat, possibly starving, but I sure think its days are numbered.

11:27am 17.5″ 1-13 Baby 1- crankbait  – Three pics of the same fish still don’t do justice to how scrawny and sickly this bass looked.  It easily should have weighed two and a half pounds with even a modest build.  The lake facing shots serve to display a few of  the dead fish in the background as well as a look at the nasty dying weeds, pretty messed up but somehow two other bass also bit.

Theory of a Dead Lake – The area around the south bank of Locust Lake had been completely bulldozed with trees and nasty strip mine soil perched on the rim above the lake.  My guess is that whatever got stirred up in that dozing process has found its way into the lake and put a real hurting on the fish (largest dead bass was likely around four pounds, pretty sad).  If you’ve never roamed the strip mines, let me tell you, there are some pretty weird looking pieces of ground scattered around despite reclamation efforts.  I’ve long referred to them as “patches of the lunar landscape” as they are devoid of life and have a color that doesn’t resemble real dirt.  In addition, you find runoff areas that have water that don’t look like water if that makes sense.  At any rate, something ain’t right as there is a second body of water nearby that was surrounded by bulldozed terrain and, you guessed it, a bunch of dead bluegill, bass and a few walleye.  Strip mines have provided me with countless hours of outdoor enjoyment but the whole process has really done a number on some areas.

At any rate, I thought I’d get an answer on whether Locust Lake was still worth the effort but I must admit that I walked away rather confused.  Perhaps a revisit next spring may be worth a shot before the vegetation kicks into gear and to assess if cool weather has a revitalizing effect or simply finishes the job.  Stay tuned on that one I guess and tune in tomorrow for the latest monthly Top 5 stat wrap.  Talk to you later.  Troy

Another Tuesday evening outing worked its way into the schedule for the fourth time this summer. And yet again, way too much sun for my liking also worked its way into my fishing trip but you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. I’ll also tell you up front that I didn’t get much but such is fishing and I will stick to my commitment of a fishing report for every outing through thick or thin.

Stats
Date: July 25, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:16pm-8:31pm
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 80F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 1 bass
Lures:
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 1 bass
No bass at 12” or better

Notes & Nonsense

Crank Bank Revisited – In the report from my previous visit to Lost Grove I noted that “I discovered a spot that could certainly pay further dividends and will be a regular stop.” Just as planned, I stuck with the “regular stop” portion of that statement.  In fact, I made two runs through the stretch. However, the “regular dividends” aspect did not pan out as it failed to give up a fish. I did get one decent strike on a buzzbait but couldn’t hook up with several follow up casts with a Senko and Whopper Ploppper. Got some neat footage of the strike with my GoPro but need to find some editing software (and time) to mess with that stuff as well as decide just how to utilize video in this whole venture, if at all…

Gotta admit that the GoPro thing is pretty cool as this buzzbait strike shows, even though the fish had bad aim. Proud of myself though for not setting the hook as I never felt the fish on, did make me jump a bit though as I observed in the video footage.

Last Gasp Cast – As sunset loomed and I neared my two hour window that I’d looked to fish, the bass still had the upper hand in dealing me a shutout and one lone missed bite as noted above. With a bit of sunlight remaining I decided a final cruise down a stretch in proximity to the launch was going to be my last chance. 8:30pm was originally quitting time but zero bass had me lingering for a few more desperate casts. At 8:31pm my quest was fulfilled with a bite on the Senko wacky rig and I truly didn’t care that the bass was a whole 10”, at least I avoided the embarrassing shutout. That was good enough for me as it is always rewarding to catch a bass on the last cast and perhaps even more so when it’s the only fish of the evening.

8:31pm Lone bass 10″ on the Senko, anyone remember that old show “My Favorite Martian” where the guy would sprout antennae from his head?

No sense in milking this one out any more than necessary as the buzzbait strike and final catch were pretty much the only items of note and admittedly not overly noteworthy to anybody but the guy in the boat.

Thought this was finally gonna get me caught up on fishing reports but guess where I am this morning? Yep, sitting in a boat in the strip mines as the stars aligned once again and all the kids are gone to my folks. Actually a tough call to fish or sleep in but think I am doing the right thing. Besides, no kids when I get home means I can even take a nap. Hopefully, my outing today will provide something for a Monday Top 5 update as I have not received any fish from the “fans.” If not, full report up later next week anyway. Talk to you later. Troy

On the heels of the previously reported washout last week I headed back across the river the following evening to try it again. Thanks to my folks for keeping our boys an extra day to alleviate a scheduling conflict and thus opening up another chance for me to hit the water, making it an unexpected three days in a row and four out of five overall. Been a lucky guy in July.

Stats
Date: July 19, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 89F-83F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 2 bass
Lures:
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 1 bass
Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill 2.5 Crankbait (pumpkinseed) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 Senko (only fish at 12” or better)

Notes & Nonsense

Compliment? – I reached the launch about the same time as a group of folks who were doing some distance swimming on the lake. One of the fellows even helped me haul my boat to the water’s edge, a welcome gesture as I was flying solo as usual. As I prepared to shove off, one of the ladies in the group took a look at the seeming overabundance of stuff in the little boat and said in wide eyed fashion, “You look serious about this.” I appreciated her take on the collection of seven poles, moderate sized tacklebag, pair of oars, anchor, boat cushion, lifejacket, tripod, couple bottles of water and a 200-pound guy with an unruly beard and a floppy hat as I suppose “ridiculous” could have been used instead of “serious.”

I think I could fit at least a couple more poles in there if needed.

Crank Bank – On the section of lake that I was fishing on this outing there is an abundance of scattered subsurface vegetation that limits presentation options. I like my lipless and traditional crankbaits but those types of treble hooked baits present a great deal of difficulty as they constantly foul in the scattered weeds that are not visible in the stained water (fortunately I dig topwater offerings which navigate the conditions much better). However, on this trip I did find a second stretch of bank that lends itself to cranking and my Strike King KVD 2.5 squarebill landed one fish and had two others hooked in a roughly fifty yard stretch during the span of fifteen minutes. There’s a fishing standard that says you should learn something new each time out and this time around I discovered an a spot that could certainly pay further dividends and will be a regular stop.

Top Bass 7:48pm 1-11 15.5″ Senko

Front Row Seat – In the middle of the crankbait stretch described above, I also managed to coax a bass out of a weed pocket on a Senko wacky rig. The fun thing about this catch was the fact that I had lifted the bait to a point where it was just visible below the stained surface when the bass hit. It is always cool to see a strike in such a close up fashion as the bass suddenly appeared out of nowhere to grab the lure. Luckily, I made sure that the fish had the bait rather than getting too trigger happy, prematurely setting the hook and pulling the Senko away from the bass before it got a good hold. Been there, done that, and probably will make that mistake again, tough to control those reflexes.

Two bass in two hours wasn’t exactly the results I was looking for but still a productive outing. One quality Lost Grove bass, lost three other fish I had hooked, several missed strikes on a buzzbait or frog and found a new spot that definitely has some future potential. Oh yeah, didn’t get caught in a storm either. Overall, a worthwhile evening across the river. Still have a birthday outing report and this Tuesday’s regular Lost Grove visit as I deal with playing catch-up on fishing reports. Cool when that happens. Talk to you later. Troy

Took last Monday off work along with the previous Friday for an extended weekend of family camping, some swimming, visiting with more family around the campfire and, yes, some fishing.  On the heels of a Saturday outing with my brother, Brent, here’s the Monday report when flying solo.

Stats

Date: July 17, 2017
Locations: Little John Conservation Club (2 lakes)
Time: 5:25am-10:45pm (5.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 64-82F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 12 bass
Lures:
Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 6 bass
Whopper Plopper 90 (I Know It) – 6 bass
Top Bass: 4-7 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight: 9-4 (4-7,1-7,1-3,1-2,1-1)

5:35am Top Bass 20.5″ 4-7 Whopper Plopper                                                                            5:51am 14″ 1-1 Whopper Plopper

Notes & Nonsense

Firsts – Ten minutes in I had my first catch of the day which was also my first Whopper Plopper catch ever.  And like the first name of the lure, it definitely qualified as a “Whopper” in my book. Pretty cool when you’ve got a 4-7 in the log at 5:35am.  While that first bass would also wind up being the Top Bass, I can’t say I was particularly disappointed with the rest of the morning as five more fell to the Whopper Plopper along with several more strikes from bass that had some poor aim.  Looks like this lure could be a winner, actually catching fish instead of fishermen.

What About Me – Despite the smashing success of the new topwater weapon in my arsenal, I still had the good, old Senko rigged up.  Although it does not weed out the small fish to the extent of my trusty buzzbait or the early Whopper Plopper catches, the Senko wacky rig flat out catches bass on the waters I was fishing.  You’d be a fool not to have one rigged up.  No doubt I’ve got some bad habits but I ain’t no dummy when it comes to getting wacky with it.  Dead even score between the only two baits that caught bass on this day.

7:07am 14″ 1-3 Whopper Plopper                                                                                          8:27am 15″ 1-7 Senko

2017 Top 5 – The 4-7 Whopper Plopper fish knocked a 3-5 out of my Top 5 limit boosting my weight by over a pound which ain’t easy for me to do at this point.  You see, I was already in uncharted waters at 23-6, my top weight in the four years of this project, as I launched the boat on this outing.  With the latest cull I now sit at 24-8 and find myself wavering between satisfied and greedy.  But I figure it’s kind of like one of those days back in the 70’s and 80’s; 3 for 3 and walking out of the on deck circle, time to just let ‘er rip as you never know when you’ll enter “the zone” again.

9:11am 13.5″ 1-2 Senko                                                                                           10:45am Last Cast Bass

Last Bass – Now the picture above may not hold a candle to the glossy magazines, YouTube videos or websites that actually earn some bucks but I’d have to say it ranks as my second favorite bass of the day.  The regular responsibilities of husband and father don’t take a break even on a “vacation day” and I’m good with a timeframe when I need to get back home.  On this day, that meant a decision to fish until 10:45am and then load up and head home.  Within casting distance of the ramp I was fortunate to get another “last cast bass” right at 10:45am.  Always dig it when that happens and totally satisfied with hooking my lure back to an eye on the pole, calling it “well done” and rowing back to the ramp.  Doesn’t get much better than a successful final cast.

Very fortunate to have some recent circumstances that have allowed me to hit the water much more than I would have anticipated this summer (thanks Julie, Mom and Dad).  Two more trips in the books in the meantime, just can’t catch up with the blogging portion of the program.  Try to work them in when I can although Sunday is out as I’ve already got some blogging plans lined up.  Hope you’ll stop back by for a milestone of sorts and check out the Facebook page if you need a friend.  Talk to you later.  Troy