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

There’s more to a fishing trip than just the casts and catches. In the case of the trip Julie and I took to Emiquon on July 6, 2012, there was plenty to tell from before, during and after the adventure. Read on for the rest of the story as detailed in an original blog entry from July 16, 2012, entitled “One Hot Fishing Date”.

The July 6 visit to The Emiquon Preserve featured a guest angler in the person of my wife, Julie. It marked the first time that we were able to share a boat since May 6, 2010, when I took her fishing at Emiquon for a sort of Mother’s Day gift (kind of an early Father’s Day gift to myself as well). She outfished me on that outing 11 to 8 and I often joke about not taking someone fishing again if they outdo me. As you can see, that is only said for effect as just over two years later she got to tag along again. Truthfully, I’d enjoy her company anytime, but it is a near impossibility for both parents to get away from four kids ranging in age from one to eight. You got the results from the trip in an earlier post but here’s a second batch of thoughts and pictures for a wrap up.

Logistics – How did we pull this trip off? On Friday, our van and our baby, Zac, went to my folks here in Galesburg in exchange for Dad’s truck. Me, Helena, and Carly drove it while Julie and Jayce followed in our truck to Canton for an overnight for all of us with Julie’s mom and stepdad. The kids stayed while Julie and I left for Emiquon at about 5:00am and returned around 2:30pm. Julie and the girls then brought her mom’s car to Galesburg while I brought Jayce in Dad’s truck to leave our truck in Canton to help haul some items home from a weekend trip to Quincy. Our truck was returned on Sunday and traded for the car while I had already taken Dad’s truck back to exchange for our van and our baby on Saturday night. Piece of cake.

Tunes – Me and my girls (Helena age 8 and Carly age 6) had an enjoyable time on our drive to Canton with some classic rock radio surfing. I was enthused as my favorite Bob Dylan tune, “Tangled Up in Blue,” kicked off the trip but even more tickled by Carly’s reaction, “Oh, this is my favorite.” Helena then did a solid version of the chorus of Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice” while learning on the fly. When I informed my crew that Steely Dan performed “Reelin’ in The Years,” Carly blurted out, “He’s my favorite singer!” Occasionally I lost control of the airwaves upon stumbling upon some teeny bopper tune where the girls would sing right along having learned the words to the tunes via the P.A. system at the local pool.

Professional Overrun (aka backlash) – By the way, I did get clearance from Julie to share this item and the above photo, hence there will be no backlash of a different sort that would potentially be much more difficult to clear up. Anyway, Julie inquired about a baitcasting lesson to enhance her angling skills beyond her spinning rig. I provided a brief primer and a casting demonstration but in hindsight should’ve selected a combo with a better magnetic braking system on the reel paired with a more forgiving action on the rod. It didn’t work out so well and she opted to wait for another day to try again. I’m thinking casting plugs in the backyard.

Bass Thumb – This affliction is the norm at Emiquon, and this trip was no exception. However, I got an extra dose beyond my catch as I pitched in lipping and unhooking all of Julie’s bass as well. She is certainly capable of managing the task herself but for me it was part gentleman, part guide. For Julie, who hijacked my rough draft of this posting, she inquired, “Is that angler’s chivalry?”

Rambling Guide – About midway through our trip, Julie said to me, “You’d make a good fishing show host as you are always talking.” She also mentioned that some anglers may be leery of taking their wife fishing for fear of conversation spooking the fish. I informed her that I was chatty due to being nervous under the pressure of putting my client on some fish. Fortunately, the Emiquon bass were listening as my running commentary was all about them and their ability to make a memorable day for a fisherman, and more importantly in this case, a fisherwoman.

We had a great day and have the pictures and stories to prove it. Not everyone would’ve braved the heat advisory conditions and consequently they would’ve missed another productive day on The Emiquon Preserve. Even so, I will admit that it did cross my mind that the only things missing from the photo of Julie and I are a pair of those corny old “I’m with Stupid” t-shirts.

And that folks, is the rest of the story. Talk to you later. Troy