Last Sunday I decided to take our youngest girl, Carly, out on a hunt for an early birthday gift (birthday is coming up July 9).  Earlier this year she had mentioned that she thought she could use a new fishing pole to take the place of Hannah Montana which was pole number two of her fishing career, replacing the original, stubby Disney Princess pole she got from her Papa the day she was born.  Certainly sounded like a good thing for the birthday list so off we went for a rig and then some fish with brother, Jayce.

Sweet when your kid wants a fishing pole for her birthday, my kind of shopping.

Brothers pitch in to get Carly set up 

Stats

Date: June 25, 2017
Location: Work Pond and Hennepin Canal (Colona, IL)
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Totals: 8 bluegill, 1 golden shiner (C = 6 bluegill, J = 2 bluegill, 1 shiner)
Bait: Waxworms on a jighead hung from a slip bobber

Notes & Nonsense

Like Ike, Sorta – Carly has become fond of one of my ultralight spinning rigs and has also become quite proficient in her casting while leaving the good old spincast model behind.  We hit a local sporting goods joint that features a good selection of rod and reel combos and she immediately found one to her liking, the only one of that particular model left on the rack.  The 6’, medium action Abu Garcia Mike Iaconelli rod looked to be just the ticket and I liked her choice.  I felt that it offered the versatility I foresee her needing as we expand beyond panfish one of these days and she has her eye on reeling in a catfish as well.  I’d also like to hook her up with a Senko wacky rig at some point and see her battle some of those strip pit bass that I’m a little fond of as long as she don’t get to hollering like Ike though, can’t take much of that as I prefer to celebrate a bit more quietly via fist pumps and blog entries.

Work Pond – So, me and the boys got her spooled up with some 8-pound Trilene and she hopped in the truck with Jayce and I to test out the new rig.  First stop was a pond where we’d enjoyed a couple decent days fooling some bass with our customary waxworms hung from a slip bobber.  However, after a half hour and two lost fish (one spit the jighead in the moss and another got snagged and busted off) my crew was ready to hit the road and a bit disappointed along with their dad.

Success amidst some fun scenery on the Hennepin Canal constructed over 100 years ago

Hennepin Canal – On the way home I decided to take a drive by the Hennepin Canal in Colona, IL just to have a look.  Well, a look was all it took and my young anglers’ batteries were recharged to go at it again.  This time around we found some cooperative fish to the tune of eight bluegill and a shiner.  But that was only part of the fun.

Introducing “Old McDeadhead”, catches don’t have to be alive to be enjoyed

First Catch – Our first fish was actually a dead minnow that I fished out of a bit of retaining wall.  Jayce named it “Old McDeadhead” and lugged him around for a while before hooking him up and casting until Old McDeadhead’s body eventually gave out.

This is why you take four poles for only two fisherkids.  Prepare for the unexpected or inevitable, tough call on the exact designation.

Brush With the Law – Shortly before we called it a night, a police vehicle with lights flashing came zipping down the road and pulled over to where we were trying our luck.  I was about to dig my fishing license out just in case, but instead, the lady officer asked if we had seen some sort of domestic incident with a couple in a red pickup.  Fortunately, we had not as my kids don’t need that kind of adventure on a field trip.  It’s tough enough explaining some of the fascinating “whys” associated with Mother Nature let alone tackling some idiot’s interpretation of human nature.

An exciting evening and some good family time in the great outdoors.  I had not fished the Hennepin Canal prior to this stop but I’d have to say that the location we chose not only saved the day but also bodes well for some future outings.  Certainly looks to have some potential for Carly to wind up with that catfish she’s after…we’ll see.  Talk to you later.  Troy

With the boys spending the night at my folks and Julie and the girls opting for a Ladies Night of shopping and supper, I took advantage of no responsibilities to head back across The River after work for the third outing in four days.

Stats
Date: June 20, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:00pm-8:45pm
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy-very windy
Air Temp: not sure
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 6 bass
Lures:
Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (crystal gray ghost) – 6 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 Mann’s Baby 1-
Top 5 Weight (only one bass at 12” or better): 2-3

6:01pm First Bass & Top Bass 17″ 2-3 Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait

Notes & Nonsense

First Bass – I’m guessing it was only about my fourth cast when my crankbait got hammered while running parallel to a patch of reeds and through some of the abundant, scattered surface vegetation (see pic later in post).  The fish made a dive that pulled some drag, so thoughts of a new Iowa personal best began dancing in my head before I ever saw the fish. Once I got a look I knew I had what I was seeking but with only the back treble in the lip it was a crapshoot on whether it was gonna stay hooked. It did its best with several leaps and also got some extra time to try and get away with some bad aim as I tried to get a hold with my Boga Grip. But it was my lucky day and after the weigh-in I had a new “lake record” of 2-3, meeting my long-held criteria of a “good one” by hitting the two-pound mark.

Premonition – On the eve of this outing I posted the following on Facebook:
“15 Years Ago This Week – June 23, 2002 – Lake Bracken gives up 12 bass in 5 hours and while the fish weren’t overly impressive, the lure that landed 11 of them is a winner. In fact, the Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait was included in a ‘Legendary Lures’ series that I compiled back in February 2012 for my previous blogging gig at Heartland Outdoors. Looking to revisit the concept on the new website at some point and have the lure pictured below tied on in prep of a fishing outing tomorrow evening, hope to add to the legend.”
While a 2-3 isn’t necessarily a trophy, it is a new “state record”, another feather in the cap of this old favorite.

A “legend” lives on, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait

That’s Fishing – As usual, I can always find something to write about even when all but one of my bass fall into the less than impressive category. To me, it’s all part of the blogging portion of the program as I believe a lot of anglers can relate to fishing reports that provide more than just the highlights. For today’s installment, some of those details include 2 bass in the first 9 minutes, 3 bass in 10 minutes about 90 minutes later, a final bass roughly 25 minutes after that and then ending the trip with an hour drought. So, beyond the last straggler, my catches came in a 19 minute period within the 2.75 hours total on the water. I hit all my spots, some twice, and even changed my approach to slow down but just one of those days chalked up to “that’s fishing.”

Here’s a sample of surface weed growth with some of these lengthy strands of slime extending 30′ or better. In addition, the subsurface growth is just as crazy making for limited presentation options.

Fishing Lesson – Over the years, an angler learns some things the hard way that lead to some new habits that hopefully prevent the same mistakes from occurring again. Today’s lesson stems back to one night at the Lake Bracken Clubhouse parking lot back about 1985. Packing up to head home after an evening of prowling the bank for panfish followed by some after dark stationary catfishing, I failed to notice that my tacklebox did not find its way into the old wood panel station wagon. No Good Samaritans on this occasion either to bail me out of a foolish mistake and one of my most prized possessions (behind my baseball glove I suppose) was gone. From that day on, I always take a look at my surroundings after loading the boat or changing locations when on foot to make sure I’ve got my stuff. The customary check was a winner again on this night as my shades were on the bed cover as I did the final walk around of the launch, truck and parking area.

Attire – Okay, one last note. Heading in to Father’s Day I asked for a new fishing shirt; lightweight, long sleeved and light color to help combat the sun. Thanks to a great wife, my wish was fulfilled regardless of what kind of dad I am. Now, I’ve been wearing the same basic fishing apparel for years (actually pretty much same real life batch of apparel too) so this was a step outside my comfort zone and it paid off with my new Iowa record. Looking to fish later this evening, so if it ain’t broke…may have to cover it with my lucky gray sweatshirt though as it’s been unseasonably cool of late.

I suppose you’ve had enough and I have as well. Next up, looks like a kids’ fishing report, a grown up report if I get out tomorrow and one of these days I’m hoping to kick off a park review sort of project. Always a work in progress though, so talk to you later. Troy

On the heels of a solid Saturday, I had a chance to try my luck again on Father’s Day Sunday. Hey, my day right, so what’s wrong with ditching the family for some “me” time? Actually, nobody hardly missed me as I left before anybody even dreamed of being awake and returned before the girls ever rolled out of bed. A couple hours of solitude, a few bass and another fishing report.

Stats
Date: June 18, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 5:55am-7:55am
Weather: Sunny-overcast/windy-very windy
Air Temp: not sure
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 8 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 7 bass
Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (salt & pepper) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-9 Buzzbait
Weight (only 2 at 12″ or better): 2-7 (1-9,0-14)

6:15am First Bass and Top Bass 14.5″ 1-9 Buzzbait

Notes & Nonsense

First Bass – Twenty minutes into casting a buzzbait I had my first catch, tipping the scales at 1-9 equal to my former Iowa personal best. Fortunately, the 1-11 from the previous outing had pushed the mark up a couple ounces. Otherwise I may have had to stoop to weighing the latest catch multiple times or perhaps even holding it up in the wind hoping a gust would boost the scale that needed ounce. Okay, maybe not that desperate just in need of something in the two-pound range to make the record at least a little more respectable.

No Repeat Performance – My hopes to duplicate the positive strides I’d made in figuring out some fish the previous day just never materialized. While this trip was just over an hour shorter, a different day just had a different feel.
June 17 = 3.25 hours, 18 bass, 5 at 12” or >, Top 5 Weight of 6-9, Top Bass = 1-11
June 18 = 2.0 hours, 8 bass, 2 at 12” or >, Top 2 Weight of 2-7, Top Bass = 1-9
That’s fishing as no two days are the same. Reasonable production on day two but my excuse this time around was the couple dozen bass with sore lips from Saturday including a handful that got off the first time around. Rarely discouraged though and was back at it two days later, fishing report to come.

7:23am 12″ 0-14 Buzzbait

Three Days in One – The weather continues to be all over the place like much of the rest of 2017 to date. I launched at 5:55am to sunny skies and temps rapidly climbing to the mid-70’s. By 7:00am a massive cloud bank was rolling in with the winds really beginning to pick up. When those winds finally forced me and my little boat off the lake at 7:55am the skies were dark and the temp had dropped a dozen degrees into the low 60’s. In the ten minutes it took to load and leave, the sun had reappeared, the wind had diminished and the temperature had stabilized. I took a drive around the lake to check out the crowd and by the time I decided to head for home it was back to the conditions like when my morning began. I was tempted to launch again at another spot but thought better of it and hit the road to share the remainder of the day with my family.

Stick around the lake after the front moved through or head home to this bunch? I chose the goofballs over a few more bass.

Crowd Count – In a previous post I mentioned that one news outlet had referred to Lost Grove Lake as “Iowa’s newest jewel” and it sure seems to have the attention of more than a few anglers. Similar to last year, I took a drive around to all of the access points (three ramps and three walk-in areas) to check out the crowd. All told, I counted 34 trailers along with sixteen other vehicles, indeed a popular destination but still enough water for everybody.

Back to back trips last weekend to my new area have produced an overall better quality of fish than my previous three stops elsewhere on the lake so why stop now? Stay tuned for another Lost Grove report to see if the trend continues or the well runs dry. Talk to you later. Troy