Author: Troy Jackson

Citizen’s Lake Revisited Pt. III

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I must admit it was kind of cool to see myself in a local paper during the Citizen’s Lake rehabilitation project. Honestly though, what was even cooler was hanging out with that other guy in the above photo.

Fisheries biologist, Ken Russell, was the primary caretaker of all of the local fishing holes where I cut my fishing teeth. By 1990, I would guess that he probably had twenty-five years of fisheries work on his resume.

And you talk about still going strong at that point?

Sure thing, as the Illinois taxpayers got their money’s worth out of that man. His work ethic was unmatched and he gave me a work out during the month or so that I had the honor of being his sidekick. His grasp of his craft was incredible and I was always impressed with his willingness to answer any question I had as we traveled between fishing holes on the roads of West Central Illinois.

 

Prior to the Citizen’s Lake project I had been able to work with Ken on a couple other occasions as a volunteer fish dipper during some electrofishing surveys. Thanks to a mutual friend at the Galesburg Park Department where I worked college summers I was able to get those evening gigs. Once upon a time, that mutual friend told me that Ken ranked me as his second best fish dipper of all-time.

Seems that Ken was a popular subject for the local papers

Who was the best fish dipper, you might ask?

Of course, it was that mutual friend. I still take it as a feather in my cap, you may take it as you wish.

Talk to you later. Troy

Citizen’s Lake Revisited Pt. II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

In today’s post we take a look at the initial stages in the overall process of the complete Citizen’s Lake fishery rehabilitation. The rehabilitation project actually accomplished a pair of aims. For one, the lake was to be enlarged via digging and dredging with the fill dirt being used to expand the nearby highway to four lanes. The highway construction project, in turn, allowed for a “do over” on the fish population that was suffering due to an infestation of the common carp.

To begin the rehabilitation, a valve on the overflow was opened in order to drop the water level. Inevitably, some of the fish population would escape through “the tube” as noted by fisheries biologist Ken Russell in a newspaper interview at the time. Electrofishing was then employed in order to salvage any remaining desirable fish species. During electrofishing, a current is delivered into the water which effectively stuns those fish in proximity. While stunned the fish generally float up to or near the surface where they can be captured with a long handled dipnet. The “shock” does no lasting damage and in most cases you have to be pretty adept and quick with the dipnet to capture the fish before they regain their senses.

The primary species that we salvaged for relocation was the largemouth bass. I believe that some crappie and bluegill were also collected along with a solid individual walleye. The latter was likely a transplant from the Mississippi River as the species was not intentionally stocked in the lake. I do not recall if we rescued any catfish as they are not as susceptible to the shock. Their smooth skin makes them more elusive than their scaled counterparts in a fishery.

Once collected, the salvaged fish were held in a fish truck loaned out from the Jake Wolf Fish Hatchery in Tazewell County. Those fish were then relocated to several area waters. If memory serves me correctly, these included Lake Storey, Snakeden Hollow’s “Big Lake” (now known as Lake McMaster) and possibly Gale Lake in East Galesburg. What I do remember though, was that it was pretty cool taking the fish truck home at the end of the day and then getting to drive it back to Jake Wolf the following morning.

Once we had done our best at collecting our quarry, Vice’s Fish Market out of Oquawka, Illinois arrived to harvest the common carp that remained. This was done by seining with a large net and it was quite a bounty. The visual image of several truck beds filled nearly to the brim with slimy, squirming carp still brings a smile.

 

Along the way, a couple local papers showed up during the time that we worked on the project. I was able to snip one of the articles from the Galesburg Register Mail while Ken Russell was kind enough to grab me a couple from the Monmouth Review Atlas. I will always be grateful for those gifts as the old yellowed pages sure mean a lot to me all of these years later.

More on the project to come so I hope you’ll stop by as the reminiscing continues. Talk to you later. Troy

Snakeden at 30 – Records A to Z

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For the “Snakeden at 30” grand finale, we take a look at the record book. Below is a breakdown of the largest bass caught from 26 different lakes on the site over the last 30 years.

But first, let’s get a little background on the data.

Some bass are more impressive than others.

Some lakes on the list didn’t exist when Snakeden went public.

Some lakes no longer support a fish population.

Some lakes have “official” names while others are my own creations. I didn’t use either in the list, gotta leave a little mystery.

Disclaimer: The list above and the slideshow below include only myself and a couple fishing partners with all catches verified. Certainly other anglers have bigger and better fish stories, so take the list for what it is worth, just my two cents. Over the years, I have received numerous reports, weights and photos from fellow anglers which would rewrite portions of this record book. However, those are not tales for me to tell. But I will say that those submission include bass up to seven pounds.

The slideshow to follow features pics of the bass on the record book list with a few exceptions. No pictures exist for five of the bass on the list, all of which are under the two-pound mark.

 

And with that, “Snakeden at 30” comes to a conclusion. Fun for me to reminisce on the past catches as I’ve meant to compile such a list for quite a few years. And although the list features 26 different lakes, there are still others that have no established records. In addition, I lost a bass on one of the lakes this year (fittingly Lake X) that would have shattered the established record. Sounds like I need to compile a 2021 fishing to-do list.

In the meantime, back with a couple more Citizen’s Lake posts. Talk to you later. Troy

Citizen’s Lake Revisited Pt. I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Thirty years ago today, I had just finished up a six month temporary job with the Illinois Department of Conservation (now IDNR). While originally hired to work at Knox County’s Snakeden Hollow, I actually started my term at Big River State Forest near Keithsburg, Illinois. And for my last couple months I was put out on loan to regional fisheries biologist, Ken Russell, as there just wasn’t much going on at Snakeden in those early days.

One of the jobs that I got to assist with was a total rehabilitation of Warren County’s Citizen’s Lake. The fishing hole north of Monmouth, Illinois had become overrun with undesirable fish species, primarily the common carp. Thus, it was in dire need of a “do over”. The process involved draining most of the lake, salvaging any desired fish species, eradicating the remaining fish population and then proceeding with restocking once the water levels had risen.

 

For a guy with a biology degree and not long out of college, it was a fantastic experience. Thirty years later, I thought it was a good time to combine a return visit with some memories and newspaper clippings from the project. Today’s intro will be followed by a several more posts from a Warren County walk down Memory Lane. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – October 31, 2000

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Some things change, some things stay the same. That’s life and yes, it is even reflected in a fishing flashback from 20 years ago this week.

Some things change…

LBCC – In 2000, I was a member and homeowner at Lake Bracken Country Club where this outing took place. The last time I fished Lake Bracken was 2008, nearly 30 years after my first visit.

1:31pm – 19″ and 4-1 on a crankbait

Two Man Boat – These fish were landed while fishing out of our old two-man bass boat that I kept on my dock. A number of years later I gave it to a young family friend who was nearing his teens. Same kid has now graduated college and just got married last month.

Appearance – Twenty years removed, it looks like a Just For Men and Rogaine combo commercial in these pics.

1:40pm – 15 and 1-15 on a crankbait

Habits – The pics also appear to include a cheek full of David Sunflower Seeds as I had stopped making Levi Garrett commercials quite a few years prior.

Some things stay the same…

Log – Still documenting fish all of these years later with a few additional wrinkles. One of those is what you are reading right now as I have been an official blogger for over ten years. Frequent social media posting and an occasional dabble into YouTube have also added to the fun.

Lure – Would you believe that the only lure that I needed on this day still resides in my tackle? May just have to bust it out in 2021 as my recent Baby 1- crankbait offerings have been other patterns.

2:03pm – 20.5″ and 4-2 on a crankbait

Lid – Due to some Floppy Hat V2.0 issues this summer, I reverted back to Floppy Hat V1.0 to finish out 2020. It’s more than a little worse for wear but still “lucky”.

By the way, tricking a pair of four-pounders made for quite a treat on that Happy Halloween afternoon twenty years ago. And the sense of accomplishment and gratitude from landing a good fish (or two) is something that will never change. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, the weather has gotten uglier over the last several days but one of our anglers took advantage of the last warm day. Have a look below at the bass and the details on last Thursday’s catch.

Weight: 5-4
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: October 22nd
Location: Lake Warren
Lure: Jig head with small swim bait (bluegill color)
Angler Comments: Had a chance to get out and enjoy the warm weather. I caught this one in about 5 feet of water, must have been filling up for the cold weather coming!
Top 5 Weight: 27-9 (6-14,5-7,5-4,5-4,4-12)

A real quality submission and time will tell if this puts the exclamation point on the 2020 Top 5 project. Thanks to Chris for the late season entry. It looks like 66 days remain until 2021 so still time to add a few more catches. I hope to give it at least one more shot and also hope that others may get an opportunity as well. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – October 24, 2015

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Have I ever mentioned how much I dig fall fishing?

Even though I know that winter and a lengthy fishing drought loom on the horizon, I always look forward to chasing fall bass as my year winds down. And every once in a while you find one of those magic days when the bass provide quite a sendoff.

Originally Posted 10-29-15

Stats
Date: October 24, 2015
Location: Little John Conservation Club (3 lakes)
Time: 9:30am-4:05pm (5.75 hours fishing, the rest relocating)
Weather: Overcast/very windy
Air Temp: 61F-57F
Water Temp: 59-62F
Totals: 33 bass
Lures: Booyah Counterstrike Spinnerbait (salt & pepper) – 21 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 9 bass, Senko wacky rig (baby bass) – 2 bass, Berkley Havoc Pit Boss (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 4-13 (Booyah Spinnerbait)
Weight: 18-1 (4-13,4-10,2-15,2-14,2-13)

9:41am – First Bass at 20.5″ and 4-10 on a lipless crankbait

Notes & Nonsense

20 pound Club – I was out in search of five more ounces on my creel in order to reach the 20 pound mark. For me that’s a real solid year and sitting at 19-11 as I drove to the lake meant that I needed to find a 3-4 in order to reach my goal. I had a pair of lakes in mind where I thought I had a solid shot at fooling one of that weight. Eleven minutes into casting I had my first fish which tipped the scales at 4-10, so all pressure was off by 9:41am. I’d actually hooked a small bass on my very first cast which can be viewed as sort of a curse but luck was on my side as the little catch threw the lipless crank before coming aboard much to my relief.

The Wind Giveth – An area full of wood on my second stop was just taking a beating from heavy winds out of the west southwest. And the bass were right there where they were supposed to be to the tune of seven fish in 46 minutes. Not only was the quantity to my liking but so was the quality. Between 12:36pm and 1:22pm the following were jotted down in the log:

12:36pm 15” 1-6 Booyah Spinnerbait

12:44pm 18” 2-14 Booyah Spinnerbait

12:54pm 15.5” 2-0 Booyah Spinnerbait

12:57pm 17” 2-13 Booyah Spinnerbait

1:06pm 16” 1-15 Booyah Spinnerbait

1:14pm 18” 2-15 Booyah Spinnerbait

1:22pm 15” 1-11 Berkley Havoc Pit Boss

All came while working maybe a thirty yard stretch of a small cove littered with laydowns and stumps. I milked the spot for that last fish by employing a slowdown technique with the Pit Boss creature type bait and was pretty proud of myself for changing it up. But then I thought, boy that is dumb when the bass had really been playing to my strong suit of power fishing with a spinnerbait and lipless crank to that point of the outing. The remainder of my day would hold thirteen more bass and not a single one while slowing down (did catch a pair on some quick pitches with a Senko wacky rig but it was what I consider a power wacky approach-pitch it, twitch it and pull it).

 

The Wind Taketh Away – On my third stop I nailed another bass on the Red Eye Shad which I observed to be in the four pound range. In fact, I could clearly see the fish as it ran me right around a stump on the dropoff of an underwater point. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing me away from the snagged fish (boat not anchored at the time) so I had to disengage my spool as I went for the oars to get back to the spot. In a matter of a few seconds I was back over the stump but there was no longer a bass and I could not see my lure. I gave a pull on the still taught line before employing my lure retriever and promptly broke off, thus also losing a quality lure. I was briefly bummed (more so about the bass than the lure as I had a spare) but then gave thought to the fact that perhaps I was being a little greedy as I’d already had quite a day…it happens.

And Then There Was This One – So after the flurry in the windblown cove as listed above, I continued to work my way around the second lake having no bites from similar structure on the sheltered bank. While mentally analyzing the situation I resolved that I was wasting my time on the slack water as the wind action was the key to the day’s success. Well, nothing like having your daydream and your assessment of the day’s pattern shattered by the Top Bass of the day at 4-13. Quite a pleasant surprise as a new lake record from a spot that you were about to vacate leaves you scratching your head with one hand and lipping the fish with the other. Simply another reason to dig this hobby.

1:39pm – Top Bass at 20″ and 4-13 on a spinnerbait

The Ones That Got Away – So I lost the four plus described earlier and also had another similar fish swipe and miss my lipless crank at boatside early in the day. In addition, I had one around two and a half escape due to slack as I sat in about two inches of water after being blown into shore perpendicular to an underwater point. I took a stab at grabbing that one after the Red Eye Shad got tossed but all I got was a wet sweatshirt sleeve as he not surprisingly slipped from my grip. You know, I don’t think I lost a quality fish prior to this trip all year so I suppose I was due and I can live with that.

In the end, I wound up with one of my best days ever on the water in terms of a Top 5 weight at 18-1. But you know, if I’d got the four pounder that snagged a stump, and even if the one I witnessed taking a swipe was three and a half, add that to the ones I landed…Why, I could have wound up with a twenty pound day when just shooting for one more good fish to give me a twenty pound year, that’s like Bassmaster stuff right there! Not meant to be on this enjoyable day but I’ll keep on casting because maybe next time…

Well, after a balmy day yesterday, next time is kind of up in the air for 2020 as the weather looks to take a dip. My sights are set on a November bass and I will certainly let you know if I get it done. Talk to you later. Troy

More Lake Storey Stuff

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I try not to get too carried away in my fishing reports in order to keep the length of the posts fairly readable. Sometimes I succeed but most times they are still probably too long for current attention spans. Such was my dilemma with the latest Lake Storey trip so I figured it was best to split it up. Part II to follow after an important correction in the interest of literary accuracy.

Correction – I strive to get my facts straight in my posts but sometimes my useless knowledge gets a bit cloudy. Therefore, I would like to point out that my reference in a social media post direct from Lake Storey stating “Ever read that Winnie the Pooh ‘Blustery Day’ book?” was an error. There is indeed no “Blustery Day” book as it was actually “a 1968 animated featurette based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh and the second, eighth, and ninth chapters from The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne” per Wikipedia. Admittedly, never much of a Pooh fan anyway so not entirely disappointed in my misstatement but felt that it was important to clarify after some post trip research proved me wrong.

Additional Notes and Nonsense

Lucky Hat – I’ve had some hat trouble this year causing a late season scramble for another lucky fishing lid. While the whole hat fiasco is a concept for a future post, this time I left the floppy hat on the bench. The wind was just too much for the model I’d recently brought out of retirement and the lack of a chinstrap was also a concern. Instead, I went with the baseball cap of my favorite squad hoping it would bring me some luck. As it turned out, me and some decent bass were on the same page. In contrast, the guys who get paid to wear the Cubs cap are sure missing something regarding that factor called “chemistry.” Something just isn’t right on the North Side and it goes deeper than the strange, abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Bought this one recently with a Lake Storey plan

“I love it when a plan comes together” – Col. John “Hannibal” Smith

Woke – In the initial report, I mentioned picking up a new Strike King Wake Bait for several specific Lake Storey areas. The lure above was a winner with a couple bass on a couple of those precise spots.

Devoured – My Top Bass of the trip left no doubt that it was intent on a meal as my crankbait wobbled past. The pictures above show that the lure was completely engulfed to the point of not being visible in profile. This was a cause for concern in extracting the bait but fortunately the trebles were not embedded in anything vital. In fact, there was no bleeding and the bass looked to be in good shape as it swam back into the depths (see clip below).

Lakeside Chat – I had texted my friend and fellow Lake Storey angler, John Kirkemo, shortly after I got on the water and he mentioned that he may stop by later for a visit. John dropped in mid-afternoon and we had good chat on a stretch of dry exposed lakebed. We text or email fairly frequently so it was good to have an in person (socially distant) chat. Turns out the timing was kind of cool too as I managed to hook my Top Bass after our visit while John was still within sight. He even shot a few pics of my fish from his vantage point which I have included in a post catch slideshow below.

 

Time will tell if this is the final first hand fishing report for 2020. I do have a couple more vacation days that I have to use and I aim for catching at least one November bass so we’ll see. Got some other stuff to keep the blog rolling though so hope you’ll continue to stop in for a look. Talk to you later. Troy

Happy Birthday, Bigfoot

Posted on by Troy Jackson

October ends with a nod to the spooky, strange and mysterious with the annual Halloween celebration. However, I also like to reflect on another earlier October observation that I recognize as “Bigfoot’s Birthday”. Of course, no one really knows when Bigfoot was born or if such a creature even exists but bear with me here as we stray a little off the beaten path.

While the legend of the wildman in various cultures dates back for centuries, I view Bigfoot’s Birthday as October 20, 1967. For it was on that date that Bigfoot strode out of the fringes of human habitation and into the collective imagination. All courtesy of a video known as the Patterson-Gimlin film. Just under sixty seconds of footage of a large, hairy, bipedal creature sauntering along the bank of Bluff Creek in Northern California.

And the rest of this strange bit of footage is history and mystery.

I was introduced to that intriguing and controversial clip in 1976 as a wide-eyed kid watching the hulking creature stride across the big screen in Galesburg’s West Cinema. The feature was a documentary entitled The Mysterious Monsters. It startled from the start as Peter Graves of Mission Impossible fame stated, “The facts that will be presented are true. This may be the most startling film you’ll ever see.” Throw in some ominous music, campy reenactments and Frame 352 where Bigfoot turned to look right at me and I was hooked. I was also in for a few restless nights on our dead end street bordering Cedar Fork on the west edge of Galesburg.

My fascination with the prospect of such a creature wandering the woods and eluding capture was further fueled at Steele Middle School. For better or worse, the Weekly Reader book order listings and traveling RIF (Reading is Fundamental) book giveaways were rife with offerings on the subject. Over the years, I amassed a fair collection of books on the Bigfoot mystery and various other phenomena often classified as pseudoscience.

The 70s were the heyday of Bigfoot including a prior big screen appearance in the 1972 documentary style film, The Legend of Boggy Creek. On the small screen, Bigfoot tangled with Steve Austin, aka “The Six Million Dollar Man”. And, when it gets right down to it, Chewbacca is pretty much an intergalactic Bigfoot who developed a partnership with humans long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Bigfoot later peddled Pizza Hut pizza and these days Sasquatch sells beef jerky. I sure hope that he is getting a cut from the latter product as it can get a bit pricey.

And lest you think that a Bigfoot encounter is something that only occurs far, far away from Illinois, you might want to have a look at the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) database. Yep, there’s Illinois in the list of state by state reports with 297 entries. Among the counties included are Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, McDonough and Tazewell. The list of communities near which these encounters took place consists of Altona, Canton, East Peoria, Gulfport, Hamilton, Kewanee, Lewistown, Pekin, Vermont, Victoria and Warsaw. However, my favorite report comes from a spot called Rozetta in Henderson County. For years, my family roamed a remote section of timber while camping, hunting, trapping and fishing right in proximity to the May 2008 Report #23949 on the BFRO website. Kind of makes the hair on the back of the neck stand up when reading a report from an area I’ve visited since the early 1970s.

Then there’s something called “The Cole Hollow Road Monster”. This purported hairy creature prompted several hundred calls to various Tazewell County law enforcement bodies during the spring and summer of 1972. During those wild few months there was the prospect of administering lie detector tests to witnesses, an accidental shooting amongst a posse of searchers, a creature spotted swimming in the Illinois River and a report of strange lights descending in the vicinity on a night in late July.

Admittedly, I am a bit more skeptical these days than the nine year old kid sitting in the dark with a soda and popcorn at the West Cinema. However, just as I am about to give up, something pulls me back in. In the end, it’s kind of fun and a little spooky pondering whether something has been out there watching me over the years as I trekked through the woods. The prospect brings back some welcome childhood naiveté and gives the imagination a bit of exercise as you look back over your shoulder, sensing something is following you out there in the woods (also see Frame 352 of the Patterson-Gimlin film).

So, Happy Birthday dear Bigfoot and may I suggest you celebrate with an evening hike through the woods and some beef jerky. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Looks like it has been nearly a month since the last Top 5 Update but not for lack of fishing from a personal standpoint. During the Top 5 absence I logged four trips, 18 hours and 60 bass before I found one that could boost my total.

Weight: 3-9
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: October 12
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 67F
Water Temp: 66F
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Lure: Strike King Squarebill crankbait (natural pumpkinseed)
Structure: Riprap/drop
Angler Comments: After being battered by the winds all morning, I found a slightly protected stretch of bank to end my day. Also found this solid bite about 50 minutes before I called it a day. Proof that you need to hang in there and keep on casting as your best bites may be later in the day, especially during the fall.
Top 5 Weight: 18-12 (4-12,4-0,3-11,3-9,2-12) culls a 2-8

It appears that my 20-pound mark may elude me again unless I happen onto an even four pounder. The plan is always to take a shot at a November bass before I call it a year so we’ll see if an outing materializes and what shows up. Talk to you later. Troy