Author: Troy Jackson

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, I noted last week that one of our anglers was a catch away from hitting the 20-pound mark. Way to go, Jim Junk, that didn’t take long at all. And there was more than one quality catch for him since last update as reported below. However, the standard update structure lists our catches chronologically so first up you get the other guy who managed to get into double digits.

Weight: 2-10 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 6
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pit
Lure: 3/8 oz. Strike King Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops triple ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange)
Structure: Weed edge/drop
Angler Comments: With less than ten minutes to go before I needed to start walking back to my truck, I finally got a quality bite on what was a slow morning. Here’s to those catches that save the day.
Top 5 Weight: 10-7 (2-10,2-3,2-0,1-13,1-13)

Weight: 4-1 (20”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 10
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rapala Clackin’ Rap (red crawdad)
Angler Comments: Again, he almost jumped on the bank as I was beginning to lift the Clackin’ Rap out of the water. I saw his shadow before my lure, or him taking it.

Weight: 3-11
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 12
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Structure: Flooded path near deeper water

Weight: 3-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 12
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Structure: Point
Angler Comments: Hit the white chatterbait as I worked a point with a strong wind at my back.

Weight: 4-0 (20”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 13
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rapala Clackin’ Rap (firetiger)
Structure: Submerged weeds

Weight: 4-1 (20”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 13
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rapala Clackin’ Rap (firetiger)
Structure: Submerged weeds
Top 5 Weight: 20-13 (4-8,4-2,4-1,4-1,4-1) culls 4-0 and 3-12

A great start in spite of some temperamental early spring weather that currently has dumped a late batch of snow in the region along with sub-freezing temperatures greeting some this morning. It does look like better temps as the week proceeds but I’ll believe that when we see it.

I’m hoping to find some time to put together a piece on the lures that are getting it done for the 2019 Top 5, so stay tuned. If you get out there, send your fish (and a lure pic if you are willing) my way and we’ll take this two-man show up a notch. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashbacks – 4/14/99 & 4/12/14

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Original log entry detailing a great start on 4/14/99 at Lake Bracken, just south of Galesburg, IL

Today’s post is proof that April can be a darn good time to fool some quality bass as they welcome increasing warmth and daylight while gearing up to make more bass. As proof I’m going to double up this Friday with a pair of four-pound duo days in Knox County, IL.

4/14/99 Lake Bracken gives up a 4-10 and a 4-0 (shots courtesy of my old disk camera as seen in lower pic)

The first fish story comes from Lake Bracken back in the time period when it was literally my backyard. And I caught this pair of bass within view of my house on Island Lane. Now that’s pretty cool, kind of miss those days when I could walk down the hill to the dock, toss in the two-man boat and start casting. On this day, that casting was rewarded with some rather instant feedback as I had two four-pounders in the log in under a half hour of launching the boat. Four pounders don’t happen every day for me, let alone two in one day.

Well, except for the second half of today’s flashback.

Today’s other fish story took place on some walk-in strip pits during the second year I had fished the area. Just so happened that the first of my pair of four-pounders on April 12, 2014 came from a spot that I named 2×4 Lake the previous year. Yep, in September 2013 it had given up two four-pounders in a span of ten minutes (another tale for another day). Several hours after the four-pounder on 2×4 I nabbed another on a spot I call Twin Lake.

4/12/14 – Knox County public strip pits produce a 4-0 and a 4-6

April 2019 hasn’t been quite as friendly in terms of quality bass although I have managed to find some decent numbers. Still over two weeks of the month remaining although this weekend does not look particularly favorable. Perhaps Easter weekend will hold another fish story to add to those that were featured in last week’s Friday Flashback.

And while we are on the subject of four-pounders don’t forget to tune in to Monday’s Top 5 Update. Just sayin’…Talk to you later. Troy

 

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A little lean on the contributions to this point for 2019 with only two anglers submitting catches. One angler’s numbers are just a bit more impressive than the other fellow. Read on for all the 2019 stats through this past Monday’s update.

2019 Totals (* = new record)
January = 1 bass
February = no submissions
March = 8 bass
April = 7 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
January = 3-3 (one bass)
February = no submissions
March = 19-3 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-5,3-3)
April = 13-1 (3-11,3-6,2-3,2-0,1-13)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 1 bass
Bank = 15 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight (* = new record)
Boat = 0-13 (one bass)
Bank = 19-12 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-11,3-6)

Public vs. Private
Public = 15 bass
Private = 1 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 19-12 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-11,3-6)
Private = 0-13 (one bass)

The Baits (* = new record)
Chatterbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 4-2 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbaits = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-8 Jim Junk)
Jigs = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-0 Troy Jackson)
Spinnerbaits = 2 bass (Top Bass 0-14 Jim Junk)
Livebait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jim Junk)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
3-3 Jim Junk
February
No submissions
March
4-8 Jim Junk
April
3-11 Jim Junk

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
4-8 Jim Junk 3/28
4-2 Jim Junk 3/30
4-1 Jim Junk 3/31
3-11 Jim Junk 4/5
3-6 Jim Junk 4/3
3-5 Jim Junk 3/28
3-3 Jim Junk 1/1
3-3 Jim Junk 3/28
2-10 Jim Junk 3/29
2-3 Troy Jackson 4/1

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 19-12 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-11,3-6)
Troy Jackson 9-9 (2-3,2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12)

Other Species
No submissions

Sooner or later this weather will straighten out and get those fish on a more consistent bite. If you get out there and reel ‘em in, drop me a line at troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com with the details and a pic. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 6

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With my boys having an impromptu weekend at my folks’ and my girls being old enough to be somewhat self-sufficient I had an unexpected chance to get back on the water. Two trips in five days is not the norm so it was quite an exciting last minute development with the scoop to follow.

Things are starting to look up on occasion although still only the first week of April for this outing

Stats

Date: April 6, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines (6 lakes)
Time: 8:50-11:35am, 3:25-6:25pm (5.25 hours fishing, the rest hiking)
Weather: Sunny-partly cloudy/windy
Air Temp: 48-67FF
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 16 bass, 1 green sunfish
Lures:
Strike King Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange) – 3 bass
ZMan Chatterbait (perch) with Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee shad) – 6 bass
Bomber Flat A crankbait (baby bass) – 7 bass, 1 green sunfish
Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with twin tail trailer (smoke) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-10
Top 5 Weight: 7-3 (2-10,1-4,1-3,1-1,1-1)

10:24am Took a while but on the board at 12.5″ and 1-1 on a jig

Notes and Nonsense

Shaky Start – So I overslept my 5:05am alarm and woke up at 5:55am instead. I then made the insides for breakfast burritos only to discover we had no tortillas. Upon arriving at the strip mines I fished a pair of proven lakes for roughly an hour and failed to get a bite. I was beginning to worry as I had to hit the road for a band event at about 11:35am and was sitting on a shutout with about an hour to go.

Lake Reliable – If I hadn’t already given this lake a name, Reliable would fit the bill. My favorite spot actually goes by “2×4 Lake” (yeah, I made that up just like 20 or so other lakes on the site) and it came through after about five minutes of unsuccessfully casting a chatterbait. I switched up to a jig and what do you know, first cast bass. I thought, “Okay, now I’m onto something.” Didn’t get another bite for over an hour.

11:28am Caught with only minutes to spare on my first half of the day, Top Bass at 16.5″ and 2-10 on a jig

Clutch Bite – With about ten minutes remaining before taking the ten minute walk back to the truck I managed to get my second bite which turned out to be Top Bass of the day. This one also came on the jig and left me feeling a little better about a tough morning and a likely return trip in the afternoon.

And now a brief musical interlude from the day – Glenview Middle School Symphonic Band 

Dink Afternoon – While the return trip saw a significant uptick in numbers (14 versus 2), I continue to struggle to find many quality bites. I did manage to post a daily Top 5 but only one qualified for my 2019 Top 5 and the others all came in the lower one-pound range. Good to get bit nevertheless but still searching for some jarring hooksets and line stripping runs.

The rest of the Top 5 and kind of a matching set but the best I could fool 

Another hike in the books and still waiting for things to bust loose for me in terms of a quality bite. Not sure if it’s me, the weather or my stomping grounds but off to a rough start in regards to those bigger fish. No matter what, I remain true to my fishing report mission in providing the pics and the data of how it all went down. And no complaints from this guy as I truly value any time on the water, especially when it’s an unexpected bonus trip such as today’s report. Plenty more fishing stuff to come and talk to you later. Troy

Best of Both Worlds

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last weekend changed completely when my folks decided to take our two boys from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. With two girls at home, one a teenager and the other soon to be, well, things are a little less hectic and not as supervised. Thus, I spotted a bonus opportunity to get back on the water.

Of course, it’s still not all that easy. Prep work kept me up later than planned and I overslept the 5:05am alarm and woke up instead at 5:55am. Had all the fixings cooked up for my own breakfast burritos only to remember that we had no tortillas. And had a kid activity to attend after lunch about 40 minutes north of my fishing holes.

And here you go, a roughly 14 hour day in 2 minutes and 11 seconds.

 

When it was all said and done, I managed a decent haul of bass after a slow start including my new Top Bass of 2019. Racked up another five miles of hiking along the way, too.

The Glenview Middle School bands rocked the IGSMA Music Festival at Geneseo High School with all three (Jazz, Concert and Symphonic) receiving top marks. Carly nailed her oboe solo during the Symphonic competition with the band receiving a perfect score.

And the Cubs pulled out a much needed victory in a slugfest to end the day.

Rewarding and tiring all in one. More on the trip to come in the form of my standard fishing report. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Different ends of the spectrum for this pair of early season Top 5 veterans. One guy is a catch away from hitting the 20-pound mark for another year while the other guy just filled his limit. Have a look below at results from the first few days of April.

Weight: 2-3 (17”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (11:06am)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (brown/black)
Structure: Flat/ledge
Angler Comments: The first bass of an April Fool’s Day outing would turn out to be Top Bass of the day.

Weight: 1-13 (14.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (11:30am)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Strike King 3/8 oz. Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops triple ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange)
Structure: Dropoff

Weight: 2-0 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (12:45pm)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Strike King 3/8 oz. Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops triple ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange)
Structure: Dropoff
Angler Comments: Gave this lake a second shot after a break of about an hour and a half and was immediately rewarded with this bite upon my return.

Weight: 1-12 (15”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (1:12pm)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (brown/black)
Structure: Bowl
Angler Comments: Casting a bowl type area, my lure had sunk in the water column a little more than normal as I pulled out some backlash and the added depth was a winner.

Weight: 1-13 (15.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (1:16pm)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (brown/black)
Structure: Bowl
Angler Comments: Minutes after landing the 1-12 of my prior entry I let the bait sink as before and what do you know, another solid catch.
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-3-2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12) culls 0-13

Weight: 3-6 (18.5”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rapala Clackin’ Rap (red crawdad)
Structure: Submerged weeds

Weight: 3-11 (18”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 5
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 19-12 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-11,3-6) culls 3-5 and 3-3

An outstanding start for Jim and I’m looking forward to the text message and pic of the bass that finds those missing four ounces. Good luck.

I did find another one to boost my weight into double digits this past weekend but will stockpile it for next week. I also have plenty of stuff to get us through this week including a busy Saturday for a fishing father, a full fishing report, some Top 5 Stats and the weekly Friday Flashback post. Stay tuned to see if I can find time to get ‘em all posted. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – April 4, 1999

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Lake Storey on Easter Sunday 1999 – 20″ and 4-0 on a spinnerbait

There are some catches that stick with you and this bass is one of those. I remember it like it was yesterday although it was actually 20 Easter’s ago. And 20 years ago I could actually get away with joining forces with Dad for a Lake Storey Easter Sunday morning fishing trip.

Yep, the days of Easter egg hunts were still several years away.

I can tell you exactly where and how it was caught too and I suspect Dad can as well. A sunken Y-shaped tree in a cove in about three feet of water. A perfect setup for my Blue Glimmer spinnerbait run parallel to the structure at a pace just fast enough to keep the blades moving and the bait hugging the tree. Textbook bassing and always a great feeling when it works, makes you think you know what you are doing.

Throw in the fact that it was the largest bass I’d landed at Lake Storey up to that time and it makes for an even more memorable tale.

Original log entry

However, it was not our largest Easter bass of all-time.

Nope, that distinction still belongs to my fishing partner on this day, Dad. Not so surprisingly, I was also his fishing partner on an Easter morning in 1987. And just like today’s flashback I know exactly how and where that one was caught too, shoreline stump on a purple spinnerbait. It is the only bass I ever recall seeing caught on a purple spinnerbait. I suppose that Dad likely fooled a few others with it on that day but they kind of fade in comparison to the family Easter bass record of 5-4 (unfortunately no picture exists of this fish so you’ll just have to trust us on this one).

And that, folks, is what fishing is all about. Still telling stories about a pair of bass that were caught 20 and 32 years ago. Won’t be all that surprised if we’re telling them again in a couple weeks. After a backyard Easter egg hunt these days, however. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Bass #600

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I don’t know about you, but I sure think that there just aren’t enough fish pictures on the internet. So, five years ago, instead of just griping about it, I decided to do something about it. Now, I’ve been sharing my own fish pics for almost seventeen years but figured the more the merrier. After all, if you’ve seen my level of fishing and the limited time I have to get away, well, you are aware that I need some help.

Enter the Top 5 Project back on March 21, 2014 to provide an assist via the catches of fellow anglers. Just over five years later our dynamic group continues to do its thing to address the dearth of fishing pictures (and stories).

Which brings us to a milestone, Top 5 bass #600, caught by Jim Junk and detailed below.

Weight: 4-1 (20”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 31
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Minnow hung from a bobber
Angler Comments: Had some minnows left over so hung one from a bobber and then cast the bank with a swim jig for a while. Look back and don’t see the bobber so reel in slack and set the hook on something with some weight to it. Started stripping line and we went back and forth for about 15 minutes. Finally got it to the bank and grabbed its mouth. I am pretty sure that reel has 4# line on it, 6# at the most. It was really fun!

Now that’s what it’s all about, a good fish, a good story and a couple good lessons. First lesson being the old adage that says “the best time to go fishing is anytime you can.” And Jim’s catch is proof that as long as you’ve got a bait of some sort in the water, anything can happen.

A shout out to Jim and the others who have joined the pursuit over the years. I’m proud that we have contributed something worthwhile to the vast landscape of cyberspace. Part education, part entertainment, part escape and just good clean fun with the only kind of drama being the right kind of drama. Here’s to the quest for Bass #1000, feel free to play along (click here for details). Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 1

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I took a vacation day from work to fish the April Fool’s Day opener on some public Knox County strip mine ground. The weather was a little cooler than I had hoped but it was dry and that was more important than warm when walking through the wild and weedy strip mines. Took some work to get on some cold front bass but got it done as detailed below.

Get what you get and don’t throw a fit when taking an April Fool’s vacation day

Stats
Date: April 1, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines
Time: 9:30am-5:30pm (5.25 hours fishing, the rest hiking)
Weather: Sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 34-48F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 16 bass
Lures:
Strike King Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange) – 7 bass
Chatterbait (brown/black) with Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee shad) – 6 bass
Bomber Flat A crankbait (baby bass) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-3,2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12)

11:06am First bass ends up being Top Bass 17″ and 2-3 on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense (with an April Fool’s theme)

Find Another Fool – Quarterflash (1982)/The Fool on the Hill – The Beatles (1967)
I actually spotted two other anglers walking a ridge somewhere around 10:00am and found a bit of appreciation for their dedication amidst the near sub-freezing morning windchill. I must admit it was a bit unexpected as I rarely see anyone even on pleasant days.

Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was A Fool) – Foghat (1979)
After a pair of bassless stops on some potholes I finally scored my first fish at 11:06am. I knew that things might be a little slow with temps in the 30s-40s over the weekend and only 34F when I started my trek but I was still a little worried. Bass #1 at 2-3 got the blood pumping again although little did I know at the time it would be Top Bass of the day.

11:30am 14.5″ and 1-13 on a jig and craw

12:45pm 16.5″ and 2-0 on a jig and craw, just a little windy

Foolin’ – Def Leppard (1983)
“Cause baby I’m not f-f-f-foolin’”
So, once I found a bite I decided to quit fooling around pond hopping and invest some time on the spot. I guess it didn’t hurt that the first bass came from my best fishing hole on the site. All told, I would actually make a pair of stops on the lake for a total of 2.00 of my 5.25 fishing hours. During that time I landed 7 of my 16 bass including all of my Top 5 while alternating between a chatterbait and a jig and craw.

1:12pm 15″ and 1-12 on a chatterbait 

1:16pm 15.5″ and 1-13 on a chatterbait

(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I – Elvis Presley (1959)
The day encompassed 5 miles of walking which equated to more than 12,000 steps. A lot of work for those bass but it’s a stunt that I have been pulling for a long time and one I will likely continue to pursue until my body says otherwise. I was certainly spent by the time I got back to the truck after being mobile and on my feet non-stop from about 9:30am until 5:30pm. The good news is, I’m not particularly sore as I type up this report on the day after. Got a little video that I hope to share at some point to convey what the walk is all about.

Kind of fun to track but there are times when I’m not sure I want to know it was 759 steps/bass

No Top 10 Trip Tunes this time around as too much of a good thing may wear the feature thin. Besides, while I dig weekday fishing, weekday radio is too much talk and not enough tunes (especially during the morning drive). In addition, I caught the start of the Cubs game on the ride home and it proved to be the most shameful yet of a very disappointing start (6 errors and shutout in this one).

From the looks of the coming warming trend the bite should just get better. You may have to dodge a few raindrops, however, but the rewards likely will outweigh being a “Fool in the Rain” (Led Zeppelin – 1979). Plenty of fishing stuff to come. Talk to you later. Troy