Author: Troy Jackson

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Most years in the history of the Top 5 we have wound up with a handful of November bass but this year I was beginning to wonder. Fortunately, one of our anglers found some bites down around our state capital. Read on for the results.

Weight: 1-8
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: November 9
Weather: Overcast with mid to high 60s air temperature and light wind
Water Temp: 58-60 degrees
Location: Sangchris Lake
Lure: Black and silver floating Rapala

Weight: 1-8
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: November 9
Weather: Overcast with mid to high 60s air temperature and light wind
Water Temp: 58-60 degrees
Location: Sangchris Lake
Lure: Black and silver floating Rapala
Angler Comments: These two bass along with three others of lesser weight were caught casting the pictured Rapala to shoreline cover.
Top 5 Weight: 11-14 (2-10,2-8,2-8,2-6,1-14)

John’s winning lure pictured below

Well done, John, on fooling those late season bass and great to see a classic lure getting in on the action. The old Rapala Floating Minnow is still a winner over 60 years after making its debut in the United States. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – November 14, 2001

Posted on by Troy Jackson

One of the regular stops for me and my brother on some of our public strip mine hikes is a spot we call “2X4 Lake.” It doesn’t have a real name, so we made one up after a 2013 trip when it gave up two four-pound bass in the span of ten minutes.

Well, quite a few years prior to that pair, Brent and I completed the same four-pound feat on good, old Emstrom’s Pond. If you’ve followed the Friday Flashback posts over the last four years, perhaps you’ve heard of the legendary fishing hole. No matter that it took us just a bit more than ten minutes to land this duo, it’s always cool to catch multiple high-quality bass on one outing.

Original log entry from November 14, 2001

November 14, 2001 at 11:45am, Brent strikes first with a four-pounder

November 14, 2001 at 12:45pm, I manage to match the day’s Top Bass

Brent struck first with an even four-pounder at 11:45am and I was able to follow up with a fish of identical weight at 12:45pm. Both bass fell to black and blue jigs, classic cold water, big bass baits. Such a presentation was a winner on that old pond over the years as we compiled quite a list of good fish bouncing those jigs around The Beaver Lodge and a couple other spots. In fact, the 2001 bite on the jig (and another surprising lure) was not quite done after this trip. But those are tales for future Fridays as we head down the home stretch of this year’s Friday Flashback.

Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – October

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It’s time to catch up on the latest visits to the Hennepin Canal as I head towards the end of my first year of fishing the interesting and historic corridor. An impressive summer bite had my hopes high for a fall feeding frenzy. Read on to see how October played out.

Stats
Date: October 2, 17, 30 & 31, 2021
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Time: 8.00 hours total (three evenings, one morning, two hours each)
Weather: Varied but pleasant in the sixties
Totals: 10 bass (daily breakdown below by date)
Lures: Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (red craw) – 4 bass, Rebel Pop’R Zell Rowland Model – 2 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 1 bass, Bomber Flat A Crankbait (baby bass – 1 bass)
Top Bass: 2-0 (Mann’s Baby 1-)
Top 5 Weight (only three at 12” or better): 4-5 (2-0,1-4,1-1)

Winning October Lures

Notes and Nonsense

October 2 – Top Bass at 13″ and 1-4 on a Pop’R

October 2 (4 bass) – One week prior, the same spot, same time of the morning and similar weather conditions saw my first two casts land nearly six pounds of bass. While it didn’t take me long to fool one on this visit, it was just slightly over a pound. It would also be the largest bass of the trip. I did have an enjoyable chat with a couple boat anglers who provided insight on The Canal as well as some Knox County public strip mine ground. The latter info was news to me and may come into play in 2022.

October 17 – Lone bass and happy to avoid an embarrassing shutout

October 17 (1 bass) – This pleasant fall evening had my hopes high for finding a flurry of fish feeding. That couldn’t have been further from what transpired. I focused on a productive stretch of water and never even had a bite in the first hour and a half of casting. I was honestly resigned to the fact that I was going to be shut out on The Canal for the first time. However, a last-minute bite near the parking lot saved the day. Not a big bass but infinitely better than nothing.

October 30 – new Top Smallmouth Bass at 15.5″ and 2-0, haven’t caught one in years

October 30 (3 bass) – Well, two out of three ain’t bad in terms of successful stops along The Canal. The action was far from fast and furious, but I did wind up with a cool Top Bass. Coming in at two pounds even it also established a new all-time Top Smallmouth Bass mark. In the interest of honesty, it did not come from The Canal but rather some nearby moving water. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

October 31 – Halloween bass, not very scary but as good as it got

October 31 (2 bass) – I had a few free hours before the official Halloween night kicked in, so I decided to scout some new ground on The Canal. My aim was to evaluate a few stretches that had intrigued me during jogs and bike rides a few years back. The trip was a learning experience, and the lesson was that most of the spots are not worth a return visit. For the most part the waters were just too silted in and not worth the effort when I have plenty of better, deeper, proven water. Only a pair of small bass joined the logbook, but mission accomplished in eliminating unproductive water.

While I was optimistic about a solid fall bite on The Canal, I just couldn’t find it. Whether it was me or the bass to blame is up for debate. Time, daylight, and weather will tell if I make another visit in 2021. Regardless, it has been an entertaining, educational, and productive several months of summer and fall fishing on the historic waterway and I look forward to adding some spring trips in 2022. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – November 1, 2001

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Portion of the original log from 11/1/2001

Do you know what the Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year was for 2013?

The answer is “selfie.”

Well, not being particularly hip, I have no idea when I got wind of such a word. But being a fisherman who spent a lot of time flying solo in boats or boots, I guess that I was dabbling in the practice long before it ever got an official name.

And twenty years ago, in an eight-foot johnboat with an Advanced Photo System camera and without a fishing partner, the “selfie” thing wasn’t exactly a piece of cake. This is quite apparent from the slideshow below featuring my Top 5 bass from an Emstrom’s Pond trip on November 1, 2001.

 

Ah yes, the good, old days before a tripod, instant feedback and free do overs.

While I could write plenty on the evolution of fishing photography, that is best left for another time. Instead, the pics of the fish and the angler will speak for themselves in today’s flashback.

Although, in compiling today’s post, I did wonder if a “true” selfie was simply a photo taken by, and featuring only, the subject taking the shot.

According to the reliable source, Wikipedia, “A selfie, however, may include multiple subjects; however, as long as the photo is being taken by one of the subjects featured, it is considered a selfie.”

Here’s to many more (and hopefully better) fishing selfies. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – October 30, 2006

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Short and sweet this week with another look at the pursuit of bass #2000 that began in 1997. Below is a portion of a 2006 post detailing the quest.

Originally posted 10-29-06

October 30 – I was able to squeeze in just under four hours at Little John as the weather took a positive turn pushing temperatures up near 70 degrees. I thought about inviting Dad but figured that any bass he caught would be detrimental to my cause. Actually, I’m sort of joking, as he was aware that I was fishing but had already had his outdoor fix taking care of some preseason trapping preparations. Seven bass chipped away at the goal leaving me six bass short with November and December looming on the horizon. Two of my fish joined the record book with a 1-10 from Muskrat Lake and a 1-11 from Club Lake. Both bass hit a Mann’s Baby 1- (rainbow).

3:00pm – Bass #1990 at 15″ and 1-10 on a crankbait

While my confidence is a bit shaken, I haven’t yet given up hope on landing number 2,000. I’m open for suggestions if anyone can get me access to a “can’t miss” fishing hole, watch my kids, bring on some unseasonably warm weather and find me an excuse to call in sick to work. If I don’t make it, I can console myself with the fact that I would have never even gotten close had I not had a chance to fish the Buckheart strip mines, which have considerably boosted my totals. Then again, if I would have listened and followed through over the years when told, “You’ve got to get down here and fish Buckheart,” I might be shooting for 4,000 instead. Ten fishing seasons is a long time considering I’m only six bass short. I’ve busted off or lost many more than six in that time or passed up bass fishing in pursuit of other species.

Of course, hindsight is 20-20. Perhaps, I’ll blame Ben Franklin as he is often cited as proposing Daylight Savings Time for the United States.  Although an inventor, he did not actually invent the practice that ultimately cost me an extra hour of fishing on October 30th and will cost me an hour every day for the rest of the year. Sure enough, in 2007 DST is going to be expanded.

4:51pm – Bass #1994 at 15″ and 1-11 on a crankbait

After this outing, I was a mere six bass short of my target of catching bass #2000. But time and bites were fleeting as November arrived leaving me to wonder if I would get a chance to find and fool those half dozen bass. Stay tuned as Friday Flashback continues into November and December. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – October 23, 2001

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Heading towards November, my 2021 fishing days are drawing to a close. Whatever catches I can muster during the late season will simply be icing on the cake for another productive year. Today’s flashback was such a trip back in October 2001, a Lake Bracken outing with Dad. Since the trip took place in the days before blogging and we only caught one quality fish, it took me a bit to figure out what route to take for today’s post.

October 23, 2001 at 4:13pm – 3 pounds 3 ounces at Lake Bracken on a crankbait

And…we’re going with some stats. After all, I’ve got over 35 years of family and friend fishing data, so might as well put some of it to use. Here’s a little peek at how this October 23, 2001 catch stacks up in a few categories.

Fun to look back on the names of some old favorite spots

Our Top Bass of 2001 shows that this catch barely missed the Top 10 and was the largest Bracken bass

This bass ranked 17th on my personal all-time Lake Bracken list

And, finally, a portion of the Top Lake Bracken Bass of all-time

Plenty of memories and stories, that’s what Friday Flashback is all about. And it doesn’t stop here! More flashbacks to come, all the way into December so stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Extras – October 14

Posted on by Troy Jackson

While I had a fair day on my latest Lake Storey outing (10/14), a follow-up post was necessary to cover the “extras” via some pictures and notes.

The picture above isn’t the greatest, but it is a shot of a fellow fisher, an osprey, a regular sight for me over the years at Lake Storey. Another fellow fisherman, friend and Top 5 angler, John Kirkemo, was also on the water and reported observing the osprey with a fish in its talons.

Speaking of John, he was able to get out on the lake that morning as well, thanks to some early rains delaying his outdoor household chores. We had a good chat mid-lake as John shared a catch with me and I just happened to catch my Top Bass of the day with John in proximity. Same thing happened in 2020, so not only good to visit but also good luck.

Perhaps the most interesting observation while on the water was an eerie structure reminiscent of what is termed a “Sasquatch tree structure.” On one hand, the sight was a bit unsettling. On the other hand, I marveled at how bold of Bigfoot to construct it so near a campground and roadway. In retrospect, I should have beached the boat and scoured the area for tracks. I’m sure I would have found some and been left wondering why they call the creature “Bigfoot” and why would he wear Converse?

This summer, my son, Jayce, joined me and his Uncle Brent in chasing bass on Lake Storey. We had an enjoyable time, and each caught a bass (or two in the case of Brent). Particularly entertaining were a couple catches prompting us all to say, “that’s a nice dam bass.” Well, in nabbing another one along the water retention feature, I couldn’t resist a text so Julie could inform Jayce that I fooled another dam bass.

As I secured the boat at the ramp to end my day, a familiar looking color scheme caught my eye. There in the pea gravel lay an Emiquon Special spinnerbait skirt, just like Brent’s legendary creation. Knowing that Brent respects nature and is not a litterer left me wondering who would do such a thing. Possibly someone who reads my blog and knows the prowess of such a color scheme in the hands of an adept angler. If you are the blog reader who left the item, knock it off, find a trash can or stuff in in your hip pocket next time. But thanks for reading.

I suppose that the opposite of the old saying “Go West, Young Man” would logically be “Go East, Old Man.” Well, my normal spots on the west end of the lake had produced to the tune of one bass in three hours and that one came on my second cast. As a result, I expanded my search further east than normal, nearly to the opposite ramp. And what do you know, two keepers in a span of 35 minutes, a definite improvement.

That final anecdote is what the fishing part of a fishing outing is all about, figuring out the fish. But as you can see, there’s always more to a fishing trip than just fishing. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It’s always good to get a late season submission as the fishing days for most of us are winding to a close.

Weight: 1-5
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: October 14
Weather: Cloudy with rain early followed by clearing skies and sun
Water Temp: 67-68F
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Wacky rigged Senko
Angler Comments: Not much action with only light taps on the wacky worm until a soft hit by this fish near some submerged timber. No other fish caught in about three hours of fishing. Tried a Chatterbait for awhile but no hits.
Top 5 Weight: 11-14 (2-10,2-8,2-8,2-6,1-14)

Thanks, John, for the fish. Good to see you on the water that day and appreciate you introducing me to this specific bass. For a little something different, here is a look at this Top 5 catch from my perspective.

Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – October 14

Posted on by Troy Jackson

What is it like to spend nine and a half hours on your favorite lake?

Well, if you elect to tag along here on the blog. I’m going to run it down for you with the regular stats and a chronology of the catches.

Stats

Date: October 14, 2021
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 7:20am-4:50pm
Weather: Overcast/rainy/breezy to sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 57-70F
Water Temp: 67F
Totals: 8 bass
Lures: Strike King Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 4 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer – 2 bass, Berkley Havoc Pit Boss (green pumpkin) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 Squarebill crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 7-5 (2-3,2-0,1-2,1-0,1-0)

Chronology

7:21am – Bass #1 (12.5″ and 1-0)

7:21am – The second cast of the day produces the first bass of the day on a spinnerbait. If you have fished Lake Storey, perhaps you know the log across from the boat ramp. It’s been a spinnerbait winner many times and had my hopes high in the dingy water resulting from a substantial amount of recent rain.

10:23am – Bass #2 (15.5″ and 2-0)

10:23am – Bass number two hits the two-pound mark, once again on a spinnerbait off some sunken trees. However, it took me over three hours and most of the lake to get the bite. Numerous good spots had let me down and I had wandered to spots further than my normal rounds. My early high hopes were trending back to my initial outlook of a tough bite in the stained water but it was good to get bit “uplake.”

11:07am – Bass #3 (13.5″ and 1-2)

11:07am – Not nearly as long a wait between bites and wood in the water comes through again. This time it requires slowing down with a Texas rigged Yum Crawdad bounced through some brush. I don’t slow down much and must admit it was kind of fun to find success on a different approach.

12:19pm – Bass#4 (17″ and 2-3)

12:19pm – The Top Bass of the morning comes on a crankbait cast to a submerged rockpile near a main lake point. This spot gets a look during every visit and if you bang a crankbait around it enough you can often get a bite. The timing was fun also as I had just finished an on the water chat with my friend, John Kirkemo, and he trolled back over to shoot a few pics.

12:31pm – Shortly after recording my Top Bass and chatting with John, I fired another cast to the rockpile and was rewarded with a second bass from the structure. This one was smaller than his fellow resident and at 11.5” narrowly missed being my fifth “keeper.”

2:15pm – Fishing a submerged stump for the second time produced my sixth bass of the day. However, this one kind of surprised me as I had cast nearly twenty feet past the stump so as not to land on top of the structure and then planned to work my bait into the prime spot. My Yum Crawdad never made it to the stump as the bass hit almost as soon as my cast entered the water. Another short one but a bonus open water fish from an intentional off target cast that produced before it was intended.

3:30pm – Bass#7 (13″ and 1-0)

3:30pm – Time was running out on finding a fifth “keeper” to round out my regular goal of a Top 5 of bass at 12” or better. While an early morning pass along the dam did not produce, the afternoon stop proved to be a winner on a crankbait. The 13” bass came in right at one pound to complete my Top 5.

3:46pm – Continuing my pass along the dam, I caught my final bass of a long day. It was short and no help to my weight, but any bite is a good bite on Lake Storey as those bass can be tough to fool. It was also satisfying to still be dialed in after a long day on the water.

Winning Lures

Could I catch more bass somewhere else? Sure.

Would I catch more quality bass on my other fishing holes? Most likely.

But I have a long-standing affliction with what I still call my “home lake” even though it requires a bit more of a drive than it once did. There’s something satisfying about fooling those wary bass along with the focus, perseverance and execution required to do so. This likely completes my 2021 Lake Storey visits but myself and my fishing partners did alright, and I think we came out on top in our efforts. Beyond the catches there is always more to report so stay tuned for the “extras” from this latest trip coming to the blog next week. Talk to you later. Troy

Snakeden Report – October 10

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I set out last Sunday with the Snakeden Hollow shutdown only a week away, my Top 5 lacking fifteen ounces from reaching the 20-pound mark and limited days remaining to get on the water. Crunch time if I’ve ever seen it and throw in a stormy morning that wasn’t in the forecast. Brent and I met at one of the lots at 6:30am and proceeded to wait out the rain. Read on to see how it all worked out.

Stats

Date: October 10, 2021
Location: Snakeden Hollow (4 lakes)
Time: 6:35am-6:16pm (5.25 hours fishing, the rest waiting and walking)
Weather: Overcast/rain/breezy to partly cloudy/breezy
Air Temp: 69-78F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 27 bass
Lures: Chatterbait (white) with twin tail trailer (salt and pepper) – 16 bass, Berkley Havoc Pit Boss (green pumpkin) – 4 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (orange craw) – 4 bass, Buzzbait (black) – 1 bass Senko wacky rig (green pumpkin/crème laminate) – 1 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill crankbait (sext shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 4-4 (Buzzbait)
Top 5 Weight: 9-15 (4-4,1-12,1-10,1-3,1-2)

Winning Lures

Trip Lyric
“Ridin’ the storm out”– REO Speedwagon

Notes and Nonsense

Meant To Be – Rain postponed our first casts for nearly two hours. Killing time found us scoping out the crowd (or lack thereof) at other area fishing holes and I wound up casting on a different lake than where I had intended to start. I lost a boat cushion and had to backtrack to find it further delaying my launch. No bites on some good-looking spinnerbait structure prompted me to switch to a buzzbait. Drifting into the middle of a featureless shallow bay, I fired out my second buzzbait cast to nothing in particular, just open water. With a less than sensational swirl, my buzzbait disappeared, I set the hook and it felt heavy. Once I had the bass aboard, I hollered to Brent that I might just have the fish I needed to make my 20-pound Top 5 limit. It would take a 4-4 to reach the mark and wouldn’t you know it, right on the money.

8:47am Top Bass 20.5″ and 4-4 on a buzzbait

4.25 pounds on the scale, exactly what I needed. What are the odds?

Not Meant To Be – Just before switching to a buzzbait, the rain had begun, and I opted for my sweatshirt over short sleeves. Being eager to cast, I disregarded the GoPro, leaving it under the sweatshirt. Therefore, I missed the strike, fight and landing of my Top Bass of the day. I did shoot the release, but it turns out the video was corrupted, so pictures are as good as it gets.

Second Storm – Another thunderstorm ran us off the lake with one bass apiece, my 4-4 and a 1-5 for Brent, after 40 minutes of casting. I chose to remain on site to wait out the weather while Brent headed for home and came back in the afternoon. While Brent was away I put in three and a half hours on two lakes, landing nine more bass with a 1-10 being the best.

 

Chatterbait Lake – Some Snakeden lakes do not have “real” names, so I have made up my own over the years. One of the latter, Dromedary Lake, has always been a prime spot for throwing a chatterbait. Chatterbaits are not my strong suit but you can bet I have one on when I hit this spot. Sure enough, I landed seventeen bass in an hour and a half with sixteen of them falling to a chatterbait. Unfortunately, all but two were under the 12” mark but I know some larger bass call the place home.

A long day with roughly twelve hours between arrival and departure but only five plus hours of fishing. Totals were boosted by the small bass catches on “Chatterbait Lake,” but all were icing on the cake after the four-pounder to start the day and give me the boost I needed to reach the 20-pound mark for my Top 5. Talk to you later. Troy