Author: Troy Jackson

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Here’s another quality strip mine bass from Brent for this week’s update as those Knox County fishing holes near the end of angler access for 2022.

Weight: 3-8
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: September 23
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 18-9 (5-4,3-9,3-8,3-3,3-1) culls 2-15

A good-looking catch boots Brent’s last two-pounder and pushes him closer to the coveted twenty-pound mark. It will take a four-and-a-half-pounder to get him to twenty. They are out there but they don’t come easy. Overall, we are at ninety-one bass, a solid year but a tall order to get us to the one hundred bass mark for 2022. But fall can be a time when some big bass let their guard down so don’t put those poles away just yet. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – September 18

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I grew up in Galesburg, Illinois and developed a fondness for chasing bass on Lake Storey just north of town a long time ago. This time of year, it calls me back to match wits with the bass during the annual “fall” drawdown that typically starts just after the Labor Day holiday. The lake gets plenty of pressure throughout the year, making for some educated bass and a fun challenge. Read on to see who came out ahead on my recent visit.

Thanks, John, for the leftover breakfast from our trip to The Rock the previous morning

Stats

Date: September 18
Time: 8:05am-3:50pm
Totals: 18 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/windy 66-83F
Water Temperature: 74-75F
Lures: Strike King Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) with Zoom Creepy Crawler trailer (root beer/pepper/green) – 7 bass, War Eagle spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 5 bass, Strike King Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait – 2 bass, Lunkerhunt topwater frog – 1 bass
Top Bass:2-12 Topwater Frog
Top 5 Weight: 9-4 (2-12,2-3,1-8,1-7,1-6)

Winning Lures (one other noted later in post)

Notes and Nonsense

Those Dam Bass – During the summer of 2021, my son, Jayce, joined me and his Uncle Brent for a couple of hours of bass fishing on Lake Storey. He and Brent came through with a pair of bass along the dam. Of course, we had fun with these catches, referring to them as some “nice dam bass.” Well, on this day I was fortunate to start out my morning with another Dam bass.

Top Bass (see below)

Bookend Top Bass – My first bass of the day came at 8:27am after about twenty minutes of casting and weighed 2-3. A solid start had me optimistic on my prospects for a good day. And while it would be a good day, I couldn’t outdo that first bass until my final bass of the day at 2:43pm came in at 2-12.

My Special K spinnerbait bit the dust but went out a hero as it landed a bass as the blade arm broke off

Targets and Angles – I’ve fished Lake Storey for a long time and have a customary batch of targets that I hit as I make my way around the lake. For one spot, I always have a Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait at the ready. Roughly three hours into my trip, I reached the spot and made my first few casts of the day with the Baby 1-. Right on cue, a fourteen-inch bass that weighed in at 1-2 took the bait. Ten minutes later, on the same spot, I employed another favorite Lake Storey trick as I switched lures and hit the spot from the opposite direction after drifting past. In this case, a spinnerbait retrieved past the structure fooled another “keeper” at twelve inches and 0-12. While not the largest bass, I sure dig the feedback when all those years of experience pay off.

Amy day that I can land eighteen bass on Lake Storey is a winner. Per my data going back to 1997, my Lake Storey catch rate is 1.02 bass/hour. On this trip, my catch rate jumped to 2.32 bass/hour.

As I have noted previously, my daily goals on a fishing trip are as follows:

1. Don’t get shutout – twenty-two minutes in I had achieved that goal
2. Land a Top 5 (five bass at 12” or better) – completed at the four-hour mark
3. Post a ten-pound Top 5 – missed it by twelve ounces but had one fish break off on a hookset and a two-pounder come off at the boat. I have no guess on the size off the first missed fish but the second may have boosted my total by the twelve ounces that I was lacking.

No matter on the ones that got away, as I fished hard and found what the bass would bite. In fact, my final bite (and Top Bass) came on a topwater frog which is a seldom used presentation for me, particularly at Lake Storey. I had to pat myself on the back for that decision as I had a weedy stretch that made any other presentation frustrating and ineffective. Setting aside my stubborn streak, I picked up my frog rod and was rewarded with a good fish. Perhaps there is a lesson there.

 

Ideally, I would like to hit Lake Storey one more time in 2022, but weekend free time will be limited during the remainder of my fishing year. At least I have The Canal close to home. And I still have several more fishing reports to pass along so stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – September 23, 1997

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

As an avid angler, I remember a lot of fish and a lot of the details of the catches. In the case of my first muskie, I certainly remember the basic details but there was much more beyond the catch.

This fish came from Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster while on a fishing trip with Dad back on September 23, 1997, at 7:50am. The lure that fooled the fish was an old favorite, the Zara Spook in the black shore minnow pattern. Nowhere near what would be considered a “trophy” muskie at thirty-three and a half inches but as my first muskie it sure brought a smile to my face.

And after the previous couple of days of outdoor activities, I needed a smile.

Two days earlier, I had launched the boat on Lake McMaster and never made a cast. I pushed off from the ramp only to discover that there was an issue with the trolling motor. As a result, I was dead in the water having no fuel in the tank for the thirty-five-horsepower outboard motor as the lake had a ten-horsepower limit. Fortunately, the light breeze did not move me far from the ramp and I was able to paddle back with the emergency paddle kept in the boat. I fooled around with the plug on the motor at the front console without any success. Although I had planned on a camping trip, my frustration sent me back home with a broken boat.

The following day, Dad and I were able to determine that the trolling motor issue was a fuse problem and got things back in working order. As such I decided to resume my camping plans at Little John and Dad would meet me the next morning with the boat for another shot at Lake McMaster.

Things continued to go poorly with overnight rain that lasted into the morning as I waited in the tent for Dad to arrive. Once he arrived, I elected to wait in his truck as the rain kept falling and we pondered our plan. Well, we were determined to fish, so we visited in the truck until the rain began to fade. As we were planning on fishing through lunchtime, we needed to make some sandwiches from the provisions that I’d packed in the cooler. We still laugh about sitting in the truck making our lunch.

Eventually, we launched in the light rain, and after only a handful of casts, I had my first muskie in the boat. Proof that even when things aren’t going your way, keep on casting as sooner or later, good things will happen.

I’ve caught more than a dozen muskies since that first catch (mostly all “accidents” while bass fishing like today’s flashback fish), some bigger, some not. I will never be a muskie angler as there are just not enough bites and the pursuit will physically wear you out. But for one morning, I kind of looked like one. Talk to you later. Troy

The Rock Report – September 17

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was quite excited to get a shot to fish an impressive Peoria County private lake that I had visited several times since 2014. This trip was my first since 2020 and it was made extra special by being able to have three other anglers join forces. Read on to see how it panned out for me, my brother (Brent), my son (Jayce) and our friend (John).

Stats

Location: The Rock – Peoria County

Date: September 17
Time: 7:15am-12:15am
Totals: 70 bass, 1 crappie combined for four anglers
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy 66-72F
Water Temperature: 73-74F
Lures: Senko wacky rig (various colors) – 35 bass, Spinnerbaits (various) – 25 bass, Mann’s Popper – 5 bass, Chatterbait (white) – 3 bass, Whopper Plopper 110 (Terminator) – 2 bass
Top Bass:2-4 Brent (Spinnerbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (2-4,1-11,1-8,1-7,1-4)

 

Notes and Nonsense

Meet Up and Meal – As we were bringing a pair of boats, the plan was to meet in Knoxville. Brent, Jayce, and I grabbed a couple of burritos and a hash brown while John brought a batch of cinnamon rolls for each boat. Those cinnamon rolls also provided breakfast for another of my fishing trips and snacks for my folks and kids on Sunday.

Guessing Game – While the rest of the crew were not afflicted with the stat-keeping habit, they were kind enough to play along with my pre-launch prediction activity. As detailed above, the categories consisted of guessing our Top 5 Weight (five heaviest bass combined for all in the crew), Top Bass of the Day (all anglers combined), Top Bass – Individual (each angler predicting their own heaviest bass), and Top Lure (most bass landed on a lure type for all anglers combined). If you are confused, don’t feel alone as I got questions and puzzled looks while soliciting guesses. The circled guesses were the closest to the final results and also included in the grid were the weights for each angler’s personal Top Bass. In the end, the only angler who came up short was the guy who thought this stunt was a good idea.

I guess Jayce’s hat refers to a video game character (Wario) but I think it should stand for Whopper Plopper

Prize Winner – While on a work trip to Wichita earlier in the week, my co-worker and I had made a stop at Bass Pro Shops in Altoona, Iowa. I grabbed a Whopper Plopper to award to one of the anglers at the end of our trip based on some sort of criteria to be determined later. It turned out that Jayce received the prize for staking a claim to Top Bass for much of the trip before his catch was dethroned by his uncle in the home stretch. There were suspicions that our youngest angler was a bit of a shoo-in for the prized lure and my reply was just a grin.

While the Senko was Top Lure, a couple classic spinnerbaits also caught a few (Blue Glimmer and Emiquon Special, left to right)

Good numbers but just couldn’t find the quality bites that call the lake home. No matter, as an enjoyable time was had by all. Plenty of old fish stories were told throughout the morning and many more memories were made.

And my answer is “No” as you have to be on your toes for some hijinks with Jayce and Uncle Brent

And it doesn’t stop there, as my next three days included several more fishing trips. Stay tuned for tales from Lake Storey, The Canal, and the Knox County strip mines. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Another angler has a limit of five fish as Jayce Jackson finds the two bass he was missing while on a fishing adventure to a Peoria County private lake.

Weight: 1-11
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: September 17
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Water Temp: 74F
Location: Peoria County private lake
Lure: Whopper Plopper 90 (Terminator)
Structure: Flat/sticks

Weight: 0-12
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: September 17
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Water Temp: 74F
Location: Peoria County private lake
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Angler Comments: I had a fun time.
Top 5 Weight: 7-1 (2-3,1-11,1-4,1-3,0-12)

Well done, Jayce, and here’s hoping we can find a few more quality bites to boost your total before the year ends. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – September 17, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Original log entry 9-17-12

Upon hearing of a fall drawdown of Argyle Lake, near Colchester, IL, Dad and I couldn’t resist a look. Read on for the results and notes from our 2012 outing.

Originally Posted 9-25-12

After hearing word of a rare fall drawdown being implemented on McDonough County’s Argyle Lake, I decided that a road trip was in order, and I was happy to have Dad along as a fishing partner. Julie and I had taken the kids down to Argyle for a day trip chasing bluegills from the bank in 2011 but it had been close to twenty years since I’d fished on the lake. That long ago trip was a hot July day chasing bluegill from the very same boat we’re still using all these years later. This time around we were targeting bass and scouting what structure the drawdown would reveal.

Stats
Date: September 17, 2012
Location: Argyle Lake, Argyle Lake State Park
Time: 10:15am-4:00pm
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Air Temp: 65F-72F
Water Temp: 73F
Totals: 9 bass, 2 muskies (Troy – 7 bass & 1 muskie, Dad – 2 bass & 1 muskie)
Lures: Booyah Counterstrike spinnerbait – 4 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass & 2 muskie, Rapala DT10 (silver) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-0 (Troy – Rapala DT10)
Top Five Bass Weight: 9-9 (3-0,1-14,1-14,1-8,1-5)

3:00pm – Top Bass at 3-0 (18″) on a crankbait

Notes and Nonsense

Ramp Chatter – Arriving at the ramp we spotted a boat rigged up for electrofishing attached to an “official” looking vehicle and I gave a wave as we passed. As we readied our boat, a fellow from the survey crew came over and asked, “Are you Troy?” His attire seemed to rule out someone from a collection agency and I didn’t recognize him as a disgruntled former detention home client, so I answered, “Yes.” With a handshake he introduced himself as Blake Bushman, a Western Illinois University graduate student whose Guest Blog on Heartland Outdoors last month detailed his research project on Argyle Lake saugeye. We had an enjoyable conversation about his study, the lake, and other general fishing stuff before he headed off to enter new data and we launched to try our luck. It was nice to meet the pleasant, well-spoken young man who answered all our questions and is pursuing a career that this blogger had in mind many years ago. Probably before Blake was even born (how is that possible?). Dad got a kick out of the encounter stating several times that he couldn’t believe somebody recognized me. I was also entertained as it was before “game time” so I hadn’t even put on my floppy hat yet. I also forgot to introduce Dad but if you’re out there Blake, my fishing partner was my dad, also known as the guy who owns the boat and truck and lets me use them instead of having to row all the time and worry about vehicular breakdown en route to the lake. If anybody happens to follow the blog, he also has a distinctive “#1 Papa” fishing hat.

3:08pm – Dad with our least small muskie

Multiple Muskies – For the second consecutive day a trio of muskies were hooked, and a pair came aboard. In contrast to the previous day’s outing on Lake Storey, however, a couple of the Argyle fish were as small as Storey’s were large. I’d asked Blake about muskies prior to launching and he indicated that his surveys had turned up a few in the thirty-inch range. Even a specimen that size would have looked like a giant compared to a couple of the toothy fish we had hooked. Oh well, a muskie is always a welcome accident and those ones with spots at least provide for a chuckle or good-natured ribbing.

12:54pm – I believe folks refer to these tiny muskies (and pike) as “hammer handles”

Obstacle Course – Argyle Lake’s launch area has always been interesting as you must briefly block the main drag while backing in your trailer. Major construction currently has the main road closed beyond the ramp, but that project now finds work vehicles and equipment scattered about the roadway and parking lot. Leaving the lake was even more interesting as it appeared that the Western Illinois Bass Club was having practice or a tourney resulting in a crowd of boats and trailers in various states of conversation, readying gear and waiting on the last-minute fishing partners to arrive. We waited for a bit to see if the handful of boats waiting at the ramp were going to launch and then went ahead and took our turn whether it was proper boat ramp etiquette or not. Those young guys didn’t even acknowledge our presence, busy checking their phones and talking about fishing and whatever else it is college guys talk about these days. I was a little impatient but did bear in mind that although I’m half my life away from my college days there’s no need to be a grumpy old man, yet. Besides, how cool is that to have a college bass fishing team? Just another instance of, “You know back when I went to college…”

3:47pm – Dad with Top Bass runner-up at 1-14 (15″) on a lipless crankbait

Secrets Revealed – The lake is so loaded with wood structure that it is indeed a bit overwhelming. Countless stumps, laydowns and brush along with several beaver lodge remnants all made inviting targets. Unlike Lake Storey where the drawdown leaves most all the wood structure high and dry, Argyle still had a ton of completely or partially submerged ambush points. Vegetation was sparse as expected during a drawdown but there were a handful of patches close enough to some deeper water that were appealing. Much of the shoreline featured steep dropoffs to depths more than ten feet barely a decent cast from the bank. It also featured enough undulations that the 78-acre lake fished a bit larger and provided ample points, pockets, and coves to take our shot. We came armed with a basic topo map from the Sportsman’s Connection Northern Illinois Fishing Map Guide, a handy resource for info on numerous fishing holes. The map helped to streamline our approach a bit in finding our comfort zone among the rapidly falling shorelines that typically aren’t the best fit for our style.

Kind of a lengthy entry but I just couldn’t find anything that I felt I could eliminate for an abridged report. I have several fishing trips on the horizon with a few partners along for the fun. More anglers mean more casts and thus more chances to land some bass. It also means more chatter and more perspectives for the resulting blog posts. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – September 5

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With a bonus day off courtesy of the Labor Day holiday, I had to invest at least a couple of hours chasing bass. A Labor Day parade commitment to watch the United Township High School Marching Panthers meant a sunup trip on a local section of The Canal was just the ticket. Conditions were perfect and things worked out well as detailed below.

Stats

Date: September 5
Time: 6:35am-9:05am
Totals: 17 bass (6.8 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 64-66F
Lures: Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 10 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) – 6 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass:2-1 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight: 8-14 (2-1,1-14,1-13,1-11,1-7)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Near vs. Far – One of my favorite Sesame Street lessons was Grover demonstrating the difference between “Near” and “Far.” The poor monster winds up pooped for his efforts in the memorable piece. In terms of The Canal, the lesson on the stretch I fished on this outing is not to let the “far” view prevent you from getting a “near” look. From a distance, this section looks clogged with surface vegetation making my typical presentations a challenge. However, upon closer inspection, there are many troughs, pools, and shoreline channels that offer open water. These features also make for quite a collection of edges, which are key on The Canal and to bass fishing in general.

Exciting Edge – Speaking of edges, one of the most pronounced in the world of the bass is where their habitat meets ours. I am talking the surface of the water. And this time of the year, that specific edge comes into play in the form of topwater lure presentations. In the case of this outing, I employed my newly purchased Whopper Plopper 110 to fool over half of my bass. Not only is it an effective presentation, but it is also quite addictive.

Sometimes a talk with the bass will produce some bites (see below)

Insulting the Bass – There are some tips that I am reluctant to reveal for various reasons. In the case of what I am about to tell you, the hesitation comes from a combination of giving up a secret technique along with the possibility of folks questioning my sanity. What I did was trash talk the bass by stating on camera that “Maybe I’ll say this to help me out, but I usually don’t get much down in here; I’ve already passed my better water.” Right on cue, I landed what was then my Top Bass of the day less than thirty seconds after my statement. Hey, whatever works to convince those bass to bite.

 

A solid day as The Canal comes through in terms of both quantity and quality on another short getaway. And now begins what I call the “home stretch” of 2022 fishing. Once Labor Day passes, prospects for getting on the water become limited by shorter evenings and weekend activities. But I have several fishing trips in the works and as always, I will have fishing reports and more for you dedicated readers. Thanks for tuning in and stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Good to see another bass for a Monday update, and always cool when it comes from an interesting local water, Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster. The clear waters can be a challenge so fooling a “keeper” is always satisfying.

Weight: 1-5 (15”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: September 6
Weather: Sun and clouds
Water Temp: 77-78F
Location: Lake McMaster
Lure: Wacky worm
Structure: Shoreline wood and aquatic vegetation
Angler Comments: Early morning fishing produced four or five bass, but this one was the biggest. The rest were all under twelve inches.
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)

John’s fish pushes our 2022 total to 88 bass. I am hoping that we see a few more in September as several of our Top 5 crew have plans to hit the water in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned for those fishing reports as well as the Top 5 updates if we fool any good ones. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Top 5 Report – September 4

Posted on by Troy Jackson

While prowling the strip mines with Brent last Sunday, I tried to provide on the water updates on our catches as we established and upgraded our Top 5. For those not familiar with the concept, we weigh any bass at 12” or better as we compile a total weight for our Top 5 heaviest bass of the trip. What follows is a chronological list of our “keepers” (all released after weighing) as we established our Top 5 and then proceeded to cull (adding a heavier fish to our list and booting out the lightest of our Top 5).

And just for fun, we submitted guesses for our combined Top 5 Weight and Top Bass in the parking lot before setting out to wander the weedy expanse.

Top 5 Chronology

7:21am – Brent Senko 0-13
Top 5 Weight: 0-13

7:37am – Troy Red eye Shad 0-11
Top 5 Weight: 1-8 (0-13,0-11)

7:39am – Brent 0-13 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 2-5 (0-13,0-13,0-11)

8:15am – Troy 0-12 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 3-1 (0-13,0-13,0-12,0-11)

8:16am – Brent 1-0 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 4-1 (1-0,0-13,0-13,0-12,0-11)

8:32am – Troy 1-0 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 4-6 (1-0,1-0,0-13,0-13,0-12) culls 0-11

8:43am – Troy 3-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-4 (3-10,1-0,1-0,0-13,0-13) culls 0-12

8:58am – Brent 1-1 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-8 (3-10,1-1,1-0,1-0,0-13) culls 0-13

9:13am – Brent 1-5 Popper
Top 5 Weight: 8-0 (3-10,1-5,1-1,1-0,1-0) culls 0-13

9:19am – Troy 2-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 9-10 (3-10,2-10,1-5,1-1,1-0) culls 1-0

10:17am – Troy 2-7 Chatter bait
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (3-10,2-10,2-7,1-5,1-1) culls 1-0

10:27am – Troy 1-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 11-10 (3-10,2-10,2-7,1-10,1-5) culls 1-1

10:54am – Troy 1-8 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 11-13 (3-10,2-10,2-7,1-10,1-8) culls 1-5

11:02 am – Troy 2-14 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 13-3 (3-10,2-14,2-10,2-7,1-10) culls 1-8

11:07am – Brent 2-12 Popper
Top 5 Weight: 14-5 (3-10,2-14,2-12,2-10,2-7) culls 1-10

Gotta like it when we exceed our estimates and darn close on those Top Bass guesses as well. Fishing has always been fun but stunts like this just enhance the experience as does logging, blogging, and videoing our outings.

Top 5 Weight: 14-5

Top Bass: 3-10

And speaking of new stunts, I am working on a special event later this month. Stay tuned to see how that all shakes out and I also have another “Prowl the Canal” report submit. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 4

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last weekend, Brent and I got together for the first time since mid-May for a hike into the Knox County public strip mines. As expected, the terrestrial vegetation was tall and thick, making for a tough walk between fishing holes. On the flip side, aquatic vegetation was sparse and most of the waters were low which made for good conditions once we reached the banks. Great weather conditions were also a winner, and the bass were gracious. Seemed like they had missed us.

Starting lineup lures – Brent (left), Troy (right)

Stats
Date: September 4, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (6 lakes)
Time: 6:15am-1:30pm (5.00 hours fishing, the rest walking)
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Air Temp: 66-69F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 73 bass (Brent – 44, Troy – 29) 1 green sunfish (Brent)
Lures (Troy): 5” Senko wacky rig (natural shad) – 17 bass, Chatterbait (white) with Zako trailer (Tennessee Shad) – 8 bass, Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 1 bass, Rebel Pop R (rainbow) – 1 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) with Zoom Creepy Crawler trailer (root beer/pepper/green) – 1 bass
Lures (Brent): Senko wacky rig – 16 bass, Mann’s Chug n’ Spit Popper – 15 bass, Spinnerbait (white) – 13 bass
Top Bass: 3-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 14-5 (3-10,2-14,2-12,2-10,2-7)

6:25am – first bass of our morning (took a bit, but they got a lot bigger)

Notes and Nonsense

Quote of the Day – “I heard the tape measure”
I had to laugh when Brent made this statement. While we were fishing less than fifty yards apart, the weeds were so high that you couldn’t see a fellow angler fifty feet away. Brent said that he knew I had landed a bass by the telltale sound of measuring my fish.

Old school Mann’s bait was a winner for Brent on this outing

Vintage VIP (Very Important Popper) – Previous reports this summer from Brent noted “popper” for several his catches. This lure designation represented a departure from his regular summer repertoire of a spinnerbait, buzzbait, and Senko. He’s not one to add a whole lot of new lures to his tacklebag so I asked him for further details as we stood on the bank at our final stop. After saying, “It’s just a popper,” I asked if it had any info on the lure. He responded, “Mann’s” and I thought this one could go back a ways. Upon closer inspection, Brent added, “It says Chug-N-Spit.” As I put this post together, I did a little research on the lure and not surprisingly found that it is no longer in production. While I could not find any production dates, my internet wanderings found numerous listings referring to the lure as “vintage.”

12:05pm – Brent with a new lake record at 1-11 on his popper from K9 Lake

New Lake Record – An ill-advised cross-country route on the way out made for a lot more wading through the weeds than I had envisioned. Following a couple bad directional decisions on my part, we wound up taking a break and fishing a lake that wasn’t on our original agenda. Turns out, Brent established a new lake record with a 1-11 on his popper topping a 1-9 I had landed in 2020.

Getting to the bass takes some work…

New Top 5 Entries – I have records compiled for every lake that we’ve fished in the Victoria area strip mines. I find it fun to see if we can boost the Top 5 Weight for any of the lakes we fish. While we are not going to break the “lake record” each time out, the prospect of catching a fish to boost the all-time Top 5 weight on a body of water makes for an additional gauge of success. On this outing, we managed to land half a dozen bass that boosted our Top 5 Totals on four different lakes. The record book wrap-up will come later this year after the strip mines close but certainly a good day on the water.

…but “bass thumb” proves the walk is worth it.

One more post from this trip is headed your way. During the outing, I provided regular updates as we compiled and boosted the Top 5 Weight for the day. Next up, is a chronological look at those catches. Talk to you later. Troy