Author: Troy Jackson

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

July Stats Part II covers the final four outings of the month along with some cumulative July numbers.

Date: July 17
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Totals: 5 bass (2.50 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 77F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, Zara Spook (natural frog) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 Zara Spook (natural frog)
Top 5 Weight: 4-10 (2-6,2-4)
Comments: I set out on this evening with a mission to land a bass while using a near thirty-year-old reel recently acquired from a longtime friend. And I was going to use a Zara Spook in the natural frog pattern to do it. A bass cooperated as the lure affectionately known as “The Pickle” remains a winner.

Date: July 23
Time: 8:00am-11:15am
Totals: 5 bass (1.54 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy 71-89F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 5-10 (1-6,1-3,1-2,1-0,0-15)
Comments: Thunderstorms at sunrise delayed my birthday outing on this incredibly muggy and hot morning. The bass seemed a bit sluggish in the heat as did I by quitting time. Only five bass but at least all of them were “keepers” for a Top 5 limit.

Date: July 24
Time: 4:50pm-7:50pm
Totals: 11 bass (3.67 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to breezy 86-80F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) –3 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-7 (1-5,1-4,0-15,0-15)
Comments: Numbers were good on this evening, but I couldn’t find any big bites. However, the highlight of the evening was a fellow angler hollering from his bike, “Who’s down there in that boat?” The resulting chat along the bank with a Canal fishing hero of mine was worth the trip no matter what I caught. While I made mental note of several general pointers gathered during our twenty-minute conversation, the Canal history and simply talking fishing were a treat. Eddie, if you are out there, just wanting to say thanks for the conversation.

Date: July 31
Time: 1:35pm-4:50pm
Totals: 9 bass (2.77 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/breezy 81-83F
Lures: Strike King Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 5 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Strike King Squarebill Crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 4-11 (1-5,0-15,0-14,0-14,0-11)
Comments: My mission on this outing to end the month was to catch nine bass to reach the 200 bass mark on The Canal for 2022. It took some work, but I ended up right on the money in landing my ninth bass of the afternoon about thirty minutes before calling it quits.

2022 July Totals
Eight outings covering seven different pools
22.75 hours and 66 bass (2.90 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-11 July 2 Spinnerbait
Top 5 July Bass Weight: 11-6 (2-11,2-6,2-4,2-3,1-14)

 

2022 Overall Stats
200 bass in 67 hours (2.99 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 on 4/23/22 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Day
11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) on 6/24/22
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)

Haven’t been able to get on The Canal yet in August. It is unlikely that I will get as much time on the water as I did for July but still have a couple blog items in the works to complete last month’s warp-up. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 5, 1997

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Twenty-five years ago, I got to share a boat on the Mississippi River down around Quincy with my girlfriend and her dad. Just over five years later, I would call those fishing partners my wife and father-in-law.

My late father-in-law, Junior Breuer

I don’t specifically recall what species we were targeting but I would suspect catfish. However, my log entry from the day consists of two white bass, a freshwater drum, and a largemouth bass. Apparently, our catches were not particularly impressive as I can only find one photo from the outing.

August 5, 1997 with my all-time Top Mississippi River bass

The bass pictured above still stands as my personal best Mississippi River bass in my limited visits to the mighty waterway. It was caught after we pulled the boat up onto an island to get out and stretch a bit. Part of the island featured a channel running through it with an old, downed tree lining one bank. I tossed my dew worm out along the piece of cover, and it barely hit the bottom before I had a fish on. I anticipated anything but a bass to be on the other end, so the catch was a pleasant surprise. It weighed in at 2-4, besting some of the pound and a half river bass I’d landed in the late 80s and early 90s.

The river has always been an untapped resource for me, but I will never forget a mid-80s visit with a baseball friend and his father, Ted and Fred Harvey. Mr. Harvey knew the river well, both as a fisherman and as an accomplished waterfowler. I remember being fascinated as he guided us to a handful of scrappy river bass. I had never considered such bass potential as my view of the muddy river centered around the usual suspects, catfish, carp, gar, and bowfin. It was a real eye opener, and I will forever be grateful to Mr. Harvey for inviting a nineteen-year-old wannabe bass fisherman along for the ride.

Same goes for my late father-in-law, Junior Breuer, for not only letting me tag along but also for allowing me to marry his daughter. Here we are twenty-five years later just over a month from celebrating twenty years of wedded bliss.

Summer 1997 with my girlfriend and fishing partner, still going strong

Sadly, Junior passed away in 2007 but his memory still goes fishing with me every time I hit the water. After his passing, we inherited his truck, and it has racked up many miles and many bass over the years.

Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was fortunate to chase some bass on The Canal nine times during the month of July. Most of my outings consisted of two to three hours on the water with the aim of landing five “keepers” (bass at 12” or better). I was able to meet that goal on four of the trips while the other trips resulted in one to four “keepers.” Of course, all are released to fight again after a quick picture and log entry. Too much to pass along in a single post so read on for Part I with Part II to follow this weekend.

Stats

July 2 8:53am Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-13 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 2
Time: 6:35am-10:20am
Totals: 16 bass (4.27 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/breezy 60-82F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 14 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-11 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 9-6 (2-11,1-13,1-11,1-10,1-9)
Comments: I divide the section that I fished into eastern and western sections. Typically, the eastern section produces better fish but, on this morning, four of my Top 5 bass were landed on the western stretch. No doubt, it was worth the extra rowing.

July 3 – 6:13pm Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-10 (15″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 3
Time: 6:05pm-8:50pm
Totals: 13 bass (4.73 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 86-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 10 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-11 (1-14,1-10,1-3,1-0)
Comments: Weeds make this spot a challenge but continued casting to open stretches and limited, accessible wood came through with my regular one-two spinnerbait-buzzbait punch.

July 4 – 4:03pm Top Bass at 2-3 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 4 (2 spots)
Time: 3:00pm-4:45pm
Totals: 1 bass (0.57 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 78-81F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: (only 1 at 12” or better): 2-3 (2-3)
Comments: Tried a new spot after some heavy rain early in the day and nearly got shutout. A fair number of good-looking targets and a quality catch have me pondering a return trip later this year.

July 10 – 8:54am Top Bass at 1-1 (13.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 10 (2 spots)
Time: 6:00am-8:15am, 8:30am-9:45am
Totals: 5 bass (1.43 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 66-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 3 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-1 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12″ or better): 2-15 (1-1,1-0,0-14)
Comments: High hopes but low results on my first choice prompted me to do some exploring on a second stretch. I had previously fished the western part of the second area and covered the eastern half on this morning. Lots of good-looking structure but neither have impressed in terms of quantity or quality.

July 13 – 7:36am Top Bass at 1-6 (14.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 13
Time: 6:15pm-8:45pm
Totals: 12 bass (4.8 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 80-76F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 5 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 4 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-15 (1-6,1-6,1-3,1-2,0-14)
Comments: As my first spot was occupied, I had to shift gears to Plan B in visiting a weed congested stretch. Try as I might, I still can’t get anything dialed in on topwater frogs but the Senko wacky rig as a follow-up to my spinnerbait-buzzbait combination produced some rewarding catches (more on those in a later post).

Plenty more to come from the July Prowl the Canal wrap-up with posts featuring stats, lessons, and video. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stat Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It was a slow July as we only had two submissions. Those two bass from the last week of last month brought our 2022 totals to 75 bass and a rainbow trout. As always, a new month means that it is time for a new stat update.

2022 Totals
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 15 bass
April = 35 bass
May = 7 bass
June = 16 bass
July = 2 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 14-2 (3-3,2-15,2-14,2-12,2-6)
April = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
May = 11-9 (2-12,2-11,2-5,2-0,1-13)
June = 16-7 (4-2,3-5,3-3,2-15,2-14)
July = 4-11 (3-1,1-10)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 35 bass
Bank = 40 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 17-1 (4-2,3-5,3-5,3-3,3-2)
Bank = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)

Public vs. Private
Public = 75 bass
Private = 0 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
Private = not applicable

The Baits (* = new 2022 record)
Plastic Worm = 18 bass (Top Bass 5-12 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbait = 15 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
*Chatterbait = 13 bass (Top Bass 6-9 Jim Junk) tops 5-15 Jim Junk 6/22/20
Spinnerbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Brent Jackson)
Crankbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 2-5 John Kirkemo)
Jig = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
Buzzbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-11 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-3 Jayce Jackson)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 0-13 Troy Jackson)
*Popper = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-1 Brent Jackson) no prior entry
Swimbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Underspin = 1 bass (3-12 Jim Junk)

Monthly Top Bass
January
No submissions
February
No submissions
March
3-3 Jim Junk
April
6-9 Jim Junk
May
2-12 Troy Jackson
June
4-2 John Kirkemo
July
3-1 Brent Jackson

2022 Top 10 Bass
6-9 Jim Junk 4/4/22
6-0 Jim Junk 4/15/22
5-12 Jim Junk 4/21/22
5-4 Brent Jackson 4/24/22
5-1 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-7 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-6 Jim Junk 4/19/22
4-3 Jim Junk 4/21/22
4-2 John Kirkemo 6/13/22
3-15 Jim Junk 4/19/22
3-12 Jim Junk 4/13/22

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 27-13 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-1,4-7)
Brent Jackson 17-12 (5-4,3-9,3-3,3-1,2-11)
John Kirkemo: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
Troy Jackson 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)
Jayce Jackson 4-10 (2-3,1-4,1-3)
Helena Jackson 1-3 (1-3)
Zac Jackson 1-0 (1-0)
Carly Jackson 0-14 (0-14)

Other Species – Trout

John Kirkemo 12” (12”)

The August heat can be a challenge, but those fish are still out there somewhere. Keep on casting, catching, and send them my way at troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Summer has been tough on the Top 5 as we have been a month without any submissions. But as we head into August, we are back with a couple July entries. In addition, we have a new wrinkle with the angler comments on one catch coming in the form of a poem.

Weight: 1-10 (15”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: July 26
Weather: Some clouds, some sun. Cool temperatures. Light wind
Water Temp: N/A
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Wacky worm
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
Angler Comments:

Tuesday, I fished but didn’t expect too much
Because of the intensive heat and such

I was casting to structure along the shore
Twenty, thirty casts or more

Time went by without a bite
Would I get one before day became night?

But all of sudden in 3 feet of water
Fishing got a wee bit hotter

My rod was bent by an aggressive fish
I had finally got the fisherman’s wish

After a while the fish was in the boat
Which had managed to remain afloat

After photos and extensive measurement
I released the fish to his element

Editor’s Note: Bravo!

Weight: 3-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 30
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Topwater Popper
Top 5 Weight: 17-12 (5-4,3-9,3-3,3-1,2-11) culls a 2-11

Good to get back on track with a Monday update and here’s hoping we fare better in August than we did in July. We were out there catching plenty of fish though, just not finding any bass that would boost our weights. August is always a tough month, but I have confidence that our crew can find some quality bites.

And, John, how are you at haiku?

Good luck in August
Hope we all can boost our creels
For many updates

Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – July 18, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Ever get your camels confused? Read on for an explanation

Today’s flashback focuses on a Snakeden Hollow lake that did not exist back in 1990 when the site opened for public access. Although I roamed and fished Snakeden before it became public, I do not recall what the lake area looked like all those years ago. Perhaps it was just a depression hidden amongst the abundant weed growth before upkeep took an upswing. Construction of a series of earthen dams on the site have converted several of these marshes and potholes into viable fisheries over the years.

I first fished the spot on June 11, 2010, as curiosity and the heat got the best of me on one of my hikes. Looking back on a June 13, 2010, blog entry, my initial visit started as follows:

“The temperature and hauling half a dozen rods (in a handy rod holder) along with way too much tackle worked up a sweat in a hurry. Therefore, I stopped earlier than planned at a lake I hadn’t fished before. A bass blew up my Zara Spook twice on the first cast without eating it and I landed my largest fish of the day on my third cast with the Spook.”

July 18, 2012 original log entry

Since I caught a bass on that June 2010 day, the lake needed a name. As it had a visible hump, I elected to incorrectly call it “Bactrian Lake” as I got my camels mixed up (Dromedary is the one-humped ungulate). By the time that I fished it on this 2012 trip, I had realized my error and renamed it “Dromedary Lake.”

Dromedary Lake winning lure

The lake has been a productive spot over the years, but today’s flashback outing was the best overall day I’ve had on the body of water.

Date: July 18, 2012
Time: 7:15am-10:15am
Totals: 13 bass
Weather: Sunny/windy
Lures: Zara Spook (black shore minnow) – 9 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (rainbow) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-13 Zara Spook
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (2-13,2-9,2-6,1-13,1-8)

 

Turns out that several years later I would drag a boat to the lake and discover that there was a second hump after all. Too late to change names again at that point, so the lake will forever be known as Dromedary Lake. Talk to you later. Troy

Trip Tunes – July 17

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The result of high gas prices has been a focus on the Hennepin Canal as opposed to my old Knox County strip mine ground. In fact, since April 15, all but one outing has been on the historic waterway (also hit a southern Illinois spot in June but that was on my employer’s dime while returning from a work assignment).

The Hennepin Canal trips have been a success, but they have put a damper on my Trip Tunes feature. For instance, my most recent visit covered a whole fifteen miles round trip. Quite different than the timeframe of just over a two hour round trip to the strip mines. Less time in the cab, means less tunes on the ride and no chance to accumulate the customary Top 10 Trip Tune list. Instead, we get a Top 3 Trip Tune list from my July 17 outing.

As detailed in an earlier post, my July 17 trip featured the goal of landing a bass with an old reel given to me by my friend, Matt Reynolds (aka Hack). Fittingly, the three tunes below showed up in back-to-back-to-back fashion over two stations on the ride home. They took me back to the days when Hack, the Junk brothers (John and Mark) and myself used to run around.

3. Stand Up – Mel McDaniel (1985)
Mel McDaniel always struck me as an artist who flew under the radar despite having a successful run of hit songs in the 1980s. And it was in the late 80’s when Hack and I took in a McDaniel concert at the Knox County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Illinois. Those outdoor concerts were always a treat with grandstand seating and a basic stage set up on a dirt track. If my memory serves me correctly, a band named Sidewinder was the opening act. Seems like they got a fair amount of local airplay with a couple cuts, “Whiskey and Water” and “Memphis.” Try as I might though, I have yet to come across any references on the internet, so maybe my mind is fading.

2. Feels So Right – Alabama (1981)
Speaking of outdoor concerts, Hack and I took in multiple Alabama concerts in the 90s with the Junk brothers. Ranging from the Illinois State Fair in Springfield (with my brother, Brent, along for the show) all the way to the June Jam in Fort Payne, Alabama, home of the band. The greatest country band of all-time always put on an impressive show. We had every Alabama release on cassette back in those days (later CDs) and I recall kicking back in college with Hack and listening to our latest Alabama purchases start to finish.

1. Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses (1987)
In terms of albums that rock from start to finish, Appetite for Destruction, is one of the best. These guys had it dialed in with perhaps the greatest debut album of all-time. It features a killer collection of sound and subject matter that is dead-on rock and roll excess and success. Armed with a boom box cassette player and as much Milwaukee’s Best as we could afford, me, Hack, the Junk brothers, and other friends darn near wore out this cassette around raging campfires at Knox College’s Green Oaks field station. I’m not sure the other guys were quite as enthused about the band, but I suspect that they still recall those nights and know the words to most of the album.

Good songs that take me back to good times with good friends. And how fitting that this trio of tunes hit the airwaves on the short drive home from a fishing trip that had me reminiscing. Talk to you later. Troy

Thoughts at 55

Posted on by Troy Jackson

So, this is an outdoor page and there will be a bit of outdoors in today’s post, but I also like to wander. And since it’s my blog, well…

Going back to 2011, I’ve done an annual birthday blog post of “Thoughts at…”, so here we go again with a ramble on “55” covering my hobbies and passions.

Sports

Growing up a Dallas Cowboys fan, this guy was the Top #55

How about the day I was born in Cubs history via their portion of the boxscore below? This was the second game of a doubleheader, remember those? Looks like Banks had a dinger. With Dad being a lifelong Cubs fan, there is some speculation that his first kid could easily have wound up as Ernie Jackson. Nice, but I’m fine with the way it turned out.

 

Music

I’m a huge music fan so how about the Billboard #1 chart topper every eleven years since July 23, 1967 (55 is evenly divisible by 11, thus my breakdown)
#1 Song on July 23
2022 “As It Was” – Harry Styles
2011 “Party Rock Anthem” – LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
2000 “Bent” – Matchbox Twenty
1989 “Toy Soldiers” – Martika
1978 “Shadow Dancing” – Andy Gibb
1967 “Windy” – The Association

Proof that I am getting old, music ain’t what it used to be. I like the entries for 1967, 1978 and 2000. Just listened to the 2011 and 2022 cuts for the first time and not real keen on the 1989 tune.

Not a number one but a Sammy Hagar classic is certainly worth a mention

Fishing

Did you know that Kevin VanDam (KVD), arguably the best bass fisherman of all-time, was also born in 1967? During a previous blogging gig, I received a couple lures from a reader with a humorous KVD reference.

And finally, my 55th bass of 2022 turned out to be a good one.

2022 Bass #55 on April 23 weighing 3-2 from the Hennepin Canal (currently at 265 total bass for the year and looking to add a few more on my birthday)

So, I guess it is official. I am now closer to sixty than fifty.

Weird.

Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – July 8, 2017

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Fun to look back at an adventure with Dad and my boys via the original post from 2017.

 

After three and a half hours of “high impact” bass fishing last Saturday, Dad and I relocated, regrouped, and reloaded our tackle in preparation of playing fishing guide to the pair of wild anglers in the shots that follow. Gramaw brought my boys, Jayce, and Zac, out to Little John Conservation Club for a ride in Papa’s “big boat” looking for a few panfish. Of course, the fish they reel in are only part of the big adventure when these two guys show up.

It took a little time and a little distance on the lake before both boys get on the board with a couple decent bluegill on good old waxworms hung from a bobber.

With the formality of landing a handful of fish out of the way, it was time to get a little closer to the world that those fish call home. The back of Dad’s bass boat rides much closer to the surface than our little johnboat and, well, the proximity of the water quickly proved to be too much to resist.

After a bit over an hour of trolling, splashing around and roughly double digits for the bluegill haul, we proceeded to spend nearly as much time out of the boat while fooling around at the boat launch. I’ve always shook my head and chuckled as it never fails that when you are ready to trailer your boat, somebody or several somebodies show up to make things more interesting. I’m a bank angler too, so I get it, but sometimes it gets a little dicey dodging bodies and attempting to show some courtesy while sharing space on those specific spots on the water. On this day, we were those folks and luckily no one else showed up to launch a boat.

I shot a few final pics and video while removing our catch from the livewell in the parking area. Lots of excited fish splashing and three generations of Jackson boys laughing and admiring the results of an enjoyable couple of hours at the lake before we released our catch to be caught again.

And finally, do you think fifteen poles are suitable for a morning on the water? It’s how this bunch rolls.

P.S. Dad and I got a couple good ones as well.

8:39am Dad’s Top Bass at 3-5 (20″) on a Senko wacky rig

8:11am My Top Bass at 5-0 (21.5″) on a buzzbait

Talk to you later. Troy

A Fish Story 30 Years in the Making

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As an aspiring YouTube sensation (sounds good, right), I check out what other anglers are doing on their channels. One item that I frequently notice is the good, old, “links in the description below” reference somewhere in their clip that details the equipment used for reeling in their catches. Time will tell if this fish story makes a YouTube appearance, so I am going to provide my “description below” in a blog post just in case.

Reel – Shimano Lexica LX-100

Rod – 7’0” Shakespeare Excursion Medium Heavy Action

Lure – Heddon Zara Spook in the natural frog pattern

Rest of the Story

Many anglers looking at the above details would scratch their heads wondering who in the heck fishes with this gear and why?

Well, since you asked…I set out for the Hennepin Canal last Sunday to make a “fish story”.

Once upon a time, my longtime friend, Matt Reynolds (aka Hack), purchased a baitcasting reel. The best he could recall, the purchase was made somewhere around 1993. As he had not used the reel for decades, he asked if I would be interested in adding it to my tackle. While he lives in the southeast, he has family back in my old neck of the woods and it made its way back last Thanksgiving. Being prone to dragging my feet, I finally reached out last Saturday and was able to make a pickup. Later that evening, I spooled it up with ten-pound Trilene (didn’t have any twelve-pound on hand) and it was ready to go.

Having damaged a rod tip recently, I was in the market for a replacement and found a couple bargains at the local department store. The Shakespeare models met my three primary qualifications for a casting rod: cheap, at least 6’6”, and one-piece. You can have your $300 rods and I suppose there are some benefits. But with these marked down from $22.26 to $15.00, I could have bought twenty of them for the same investment. I only bought two, however, and just like that I had a new rod and reel combo for a whopping fifteen bucks.

Being summer, there was no doubt what lure was going to land the first bass with the “new” reel. Hack and I had spent a fair amount of time in the 80s and 90s tossing around a Heddon Zara Spook topwater with solid results and some quality bass. In those days, at a spot called Ponder’s Pond, the natural frog pattern was a winner, prompting Hack to give it a nickname. Thereafter, it became known as “The Pickle”, a term of endearment in reference to its gherkin-like look.

My first cast with “The Pickle” at The Hennepin Canal was met with a light strike but the fish failed to hook up. While it would have made a good fish story to land a bass on the first cast, I wasn’t too disappointed. Fishing the warm, partly cloudy July evening on the shallow waters of The Canal, I was confident that sooner or later the Spook would produce. About fifteen minutes later, a solid blast by another bass with bad aim reinforced my outlook. Although I should have tossed a Senko into the boil created by the strike, a Spook bass was my goal, and I ran it by the area again to see if the bass was still interested. It was not and I set the Spook aside for a bit as I waited to reach another promising stretch of water.

That promising stretch of water wound up a winner with a quality bass weighing in at 2-6.

Couldn’t have written it up any better than the way it went down. And it sure won’t be the last bass that I land with that near thirty-year-old reel that looks and works like brand new.

I fished for another forty-five minutes or so with a couple other lures, but nothing was going to top the “fish story”. And on the way home, I got another bonus with a trio of tunes on the radio that took me back to running around with Hack and the Junk brothers all those years ago. Stay tuned for an abbreviated and overdue “Trip Tunes” post. Talk to you later. Troy