Category: Fishing Holes

Prowl the Canal Lessons-Transitions

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For this month’s lessons, I am going to draw on some GoPro footage that I have collected on The Canal this year. I guess you could call this the bass fishing education portion of the blog as it goes beyond Bass Fishing 101. For me, Bass Fishing 101 is learning your lures, lines, and rod/reel combos as well as the basics of when, where, and how to throw them. Therefore, I suppose the trio of posts to follow are Bass Fishing 201 as they delve into three specific spots and/or situations and detail how to get some bites. The clips coming your way for the next three days are 2022 catches from The Canal. But bass are bass anywhere and these techniques are good to add to your repertoire no matter where you are casting.

Transitions

Give some attention to transitions or edges as these can be bass magnets. In the clip below, this pertains to a batch of reeds that breaks up a lengthy stretch of riprap shoreline. It is cool how the clues on the bank can reveal that the associated bottom composition, contours, or changes provide some appeal to the bass.

 

Whether you are a seasoned “bassmaster” or someone just starting out, hopefully you get some entertainment and/or education out of this collection of lessons. Class meets here again tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – May Lessons

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Along with the numbers, each trip on The Canal offers up some new knowledge. I caught my first ever Canal bass on June 5, 2021, so I have only one year of experience on the historic waterway. As such, there is plenty to learn, and each new day provides further insight into this interesting collection of fishing holes.

Lessons

May 1 – This year’s ever present winds made for windchill on May Day, but still caught some bass

2022 has been as windy a year as I can recall, and The Canal provides a good destination under most winds. On the sections I have fished, at least one side of the roughly 90’ wide canal features timber to serve as a wind block. With the proliferation of pools, you can usually plan your trip to avoid contending with the wind.

May 27- Doesn’t look like much but on sparse structure sections of The Canal, work them over (produced a 2-12)

Keep an open mind on the pools as one has surprised me. Initially, I viewed a lack of visible shoreline structure as a negative. However, it turns out that those limited ambush points are prime real estate when it comes to finding some quality bites.

Internet reports show that I need to break out my Whopper Ploppers on The Canal so stay tuned…

Last month I mentioned prowling The Canal on the internet when you are unable to prowl in person. The lesson here is that I need to get more familiar with my Whopper Ploppers.

May 24 – Like a broken record with the darned wind in 2022

The wind has more of an effect than the current in most of the locations that I have visited. However, I did encounter a section that was crystal clear on one bank but stained on the other. I do not know if this is a factor of the current, but it was interesting to find that the section fished like two different pools despite being separated by less than ninety feet.

This 3-6 from July 21, 2021 is my Canal Top Bass, looking to break the record in 2022 as I search for a four-pounder

I guess that this is not so much a lesson as a goal. Currently, my Top Bass for The Canal sits at 3-6. My quest involves finding a four-pounder. A four-pounder is a good fish anywhere. But on The Canal, I feel it is even more special. I’ve seen pictures of a few that would qualify and others that look close, although the anglers did not include weights. Best of all, I recognize some of the scenery behind the anglers and their fish in the photos.

Did I mention that May continued a windy 2022?

May 29 – 32 mph gusts, are you kidding me?

Time will tell what June holds in store, but my plan remains to spend more time on The Canal as my regular stomping grounds involve a larger investment in gas money. I have come to enjoy my time on these new waters and look forward to further exploration and education. Stay tuned for more monthly “Prowl the Canal” updates and more as the year progresses. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl The Canal – April Lessons

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I am a stat guy, so I really dig the numbers for my fishing trips as the previous post conveyed. However, there is a learning aspect to every trip that is enjoyable as well. Whether it is employing something you’ve learned in the past, or obtaining new information in the present, both will contribute to future success. And this is particularly true on new water, like The Canal.

Lessons

I need to fool around more with the Whopper Plopper as the topwater season progresses.

When you are unable to Prowl The Canal in person, invest some time prowling it on the internet.

Speaking of the internet, you’ve gotta love it for a fix. In this case, I learned how to switch my scale back to pounds after inadvertently setting it to kilograms.

 

Thank goodness that my “phone” is also a calculator, so I don’t have to do the metric conversion in my head.

A watercraft is the ticket, even if it is probably fifty years old with a near fifty-five-year-old “motor.”

 

Before the weeds take over, some spots on The Canal are awesome for spinnerbaits. Just the ticket for a guy who caught the fishing bug in the early-80s when spinnerbaits ruled.

The Canal is a great place to beat the wind. Unless it is getting a direct hit, even the recent gale force winds are negated on much of the narrow, predominately east-west waterway I fished in April.

There are not many true points on The Canal. But when you find one, fish it from different angles with different baits and at different times.

 

The Canal is a good spot for a young “Guest Prowler” as it is a great place to learn.

Make sure that you have a wacky rigged Senko at the ready when fishing the Whopper Plopper or other topwater lures. A well-placed follow-up on a missed strike is usually too much for those shallow water bass to resist.

April was productive in terms of both numbers and knowledge. A pair of May trips have contributed more of the same but those are tales for a future wrap-up. And with less than a year of experience on The Canal (just over 40 hours), there is plenty more to learn. Talk to you later. Troy

Record Book Roundup-Hennepin Canal

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I kicked off my 2022 pursuit of bass at The Hennepin Canal with an impromptu outing on Good Friday. The way that the evening shook out allowed me a couple of hours to get away for some casts. Julie and Jayce were off to a birthday party, and I left the rest of the crew with a twenty-dollar bill to fend for their supper. So much for the quick ten-minute drive saving me money compared to my fuel expense for Knox County strip mine trips.

While the 2022 edition of “Prowl the Canal” reports will wait until the month is over, The Canal needs a shout out for my Record Book Roundup series.

First up, a little background regarding my experience on the historic waterway. My first casts on The Canal took place late last spring and I would make a total of seventeen visits over the course of the year. These visits covered ten separate locations ranging from Colona to Wyanet spanning 6/5/21 to 10/31/21.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results and look forward to seeing what 2022 holds in store. My internet prowling also found a reliable recent report of a five-pounder from a stretch of The Canal that I am familiar with but haven’t fished yet. Such would be a great fish anywhere but a true trophy on The Canal.

But first things first with the goals to shoot for as 2022 progresses.

Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 9-4 (3-6,2-10,2-0,1-4) 7/21/21 in 2.25 hours
Top 5 Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)

 

Good luck out there and if you wish to contribute to the Top 5 project, you can email your catches to troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. A photo must accompany the submission and see the template below for further details. Talk to you later. Troy

Weight: Nearest quarter ounce or better depending on your scale
Angler: Up to you whether actual name or pseudonym
Date: Always good to have an accurate date for monthly stat updates
Weather: Bonus info, up to you
Water Temp: Bonus info, up to you
Location: Site is nice but “Illinois public water” works if not willing to reveal
Lure: Always like to hear what’s working but up to you
Structure: Bonus info, up to you
Angler Comments: I enjoy the fish story, keep it clean for this family friendly blog
Top 5 Weight: I will keep track as you post and update the weight accordingly

2021 Fishing Recap – Locations

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Back with another portion of the 2021 recap as we look at the locations that produced a combined total of over 300 bass.

Grand Totals
Bass = 313
Bodies of water = 38
Outings = 40 (ranging from 1.50 hour to 9.50 hour trips)
Bass Fishing Hours = 130.50
Bass/hour = 2.40
Comments: With a total of 40 bodies of water fished, you’d think that I was some sort of world traveler. Truth is, 23 of the lakes were contained in a few thousand acres of West Central Illinois strip mine ground. Although, in 2021 I did also travel over 700 miles to find a few bass. In addition, I added the historic Hennepin Canal to my life list of fishing logs.

Access
Bank Bass (Northerner boots, biking and hiking) = 167 bass
Little Boat Bass (over 40-year-old 8’ johnboat) = 100 bass
Big Boat Bass (1987 Bass Tracker Pro 17) = 46 bass
Comments: I continue to put more miles on a pair of boots, a bicycle, and a set of oars than I have ever racked up on trolling motors or outboards. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone as I get a bit of a workout while pursuing my hobby. 2021 featured plenty of exercise although I was spoiled on half a dozen outings in the “big boat.”

Public vs. Private
Public Water Bass = 297 bass
Top Public Water Bass = 4-10 (Sprague Brook Park, NY)
Top 5 Public Weight = 20-0 (4-10,4-4,4-3.3-9,3-6)
Private Water Bass = 16 bass
Top Private Water Bass = 2-7 (Little John Conservation Club)
Top 5 Private Weight = 8-14 (2-13,2-7,1-12,0-15,0-15)
Comments: While I have access to a batch of quality private fishing holes at Little John Conservation Club, I sure didn’t get my dues worth in 2021. Instead, I invested the bulk of my time on public strip mine waters and finally committed to exploring the Hennepin Canal. As an added bonus, I was able to fish some new water when hauling along fishing gear on work assignments.

The Waters (from least to most caught)

Homer Lake, Champaign County, IL (1 visit – 10/8)
2 bass
1.50 hours
1.33 bass/hour
Top Bass: 10.5”
Top 5 Weight: None at or better than 12”
Comments: On the way back home from a roundtrip work drive to Rocky Mount, NC, I decided to visit a fishing hole a short distance from Interstate 74. I’d hauled my fishing gear over 1600 miles before getting in a cast for a couple reasons. First up, the October evenings in North Carolina left little time to fish after full days on the job. Secondly, I was too cheap to buy an out of state license for any of the states that I passed through (Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, or North Carolina). An hour and a half before dark on this lake situated between Danville and Champaign, Illinois gave up two small bass but always satisfying to meet the challenge of fooling a fish on unseen water when you’re up against the clock.

New York Waters – Buffalo area (4 lakes – 7/11 to 7/14)
7 bass
6.25 hours
1.12 bass/hour
Top Bass: 4-10 Spinnerbait on 7/11
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12″ or better): 6-15 (4-10,1-7,0-14)
Comments: As noted above, it’s cool to fool a few on water that you’ve only seen on the internet when scouting destinations for an hour or two of after work casting. And when the second fish you fool turns out to be your Top Bass of the year, well, that’s extra cool. During the four days that I was in New York, I was able to visit a new spot each evening for an hour or so. When it was all said and done, I had to give myself a bit of a pat on the back for getting it done in crunch time and avoiding a shutout every night.

Mautino State F&WA – Bureau County, IL (1 visit, 2 lakes – 7/3)
9 bass
2.25 hours
Top Bass: 0-14 (13.5”) Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only one at 12” or better): 0-14
Comments: Prolonged interior road construction on this site had kept me away for five years. So, I was enthused when I spied an update on the internet indicating that the work was completed granting drive in access to all waters. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t as enthused, and I struggled to find any quality bites like several from 2015 and 2016.

Knox County, IL Private Strip Mines (3 visits, 4 lakes – 8/1 through 11/17)
16 bass
9.75 hours
1.64 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-13 (17”) War Eagle Spinnerbait on September 10
Top 5 Weight: 8-14 (2-13,2-7,1-12,0-15,0-15)
Comments: I have fished Little John for nearly 35 years, and I can’t recall the last time that I spent as little time on the site as I did in 2021. I don’t know if the bass have suddenly become wise to my offerings, but quality bites have eluded me for the last several years. Then again, perhaps I just need to invest more time on these old, familiar fishing holes. Too many choices among my area destinations are indeed a good problem to have and success on the Hennepin Canal much closer to home also played a role in 2021.

Lake Storey – Knox County, IL (5 visits – 6/12 through 10/14)
35 bass
37.75 hours
0.93 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-14 (18”) Berkely Havoc Pit Boss on September 27
Top 5 Weight: 12-2 (2-14,2-9,2-8,2-3,2-0)
Comments: I enjoy fishing Lake Storey as much as anywhere and make it a point to get down there several times a year. Sure, I can catch more and bigger bass at many other spots but that is part of the appeal. Bass don’t come easy on this heavily pressured lake, so I find it rewarding to outsmart its wily residents. I also had the good fortune of sharing a boat with my dad, one of my brothers and my two boys over the course of my 2021 visits.

Hennepin Canal – several counties (17 visits – 6/5 through 10/31)
61 bass
31.00 hours
1.97 bass/hour
Top Bass: 3-6 (20”) Senko wacky rig on 7/21
Top 5 Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)
Comments: While my family has lived in the Quad City Area since 2014, I had yet to wet a line in the Hennepin Canal until this past spring. During a family camping weekend in June, I took a brief shot and was rewarded with a couple bass. On a hike the following day, I spotted several quality fish cruising its waters and was convinced that I should do some further exploring. Over the next several months, I made sixteen short visits and was pleasantly surprised with solid Top 5 fooled from Wyanet to Colona. All my fish were caught from the bank which can be hit or miss on accessibility along the corridor. Glad I gave it a go and plan to be back for more in 2022, perhaps with a boat in tow.

Knox County, IL Public Strip Mines (12 visits, 23 lakes – 3/20 through 10/10)
183 bass
42.00 hours
4.36 bass/hour
Top Bass: 4-4 (20”) Booyah Buzzbait on 10/10
Top 5 Weight: 17-9 (4-4,4-3,3-9,3-1,2-8)
Comments: My old strip mine stomping grounds were a gold mine for my 2022 fishing. Not particularly surprising but still full of surprises even after hiking some of the areas for over 30 years. In fact, I managed to set a couple new family and friend lake records along the way. Plenty of good water down that way but you’ve got to be willing to put in a little work in terms of exploring and trial and error. It’s fun to continue to learn about spots that I first fished in my 20s. Now, as I hit the mid-50s I wonder how much longer I want to keep putting forth the effort. Well, I’m all in again for 2022 and have been hitting the treadmill in preparation.

2021 provided a great mix of old and new fishing holes and the vast majority are on the list again in 2022. As always, every outing will get a fishing report here on the blog. In addition, I am contemplating some new challenges on many of those old lakes. But in the meantime, there are still some 2021 details to wrap up along with the final stats and 2021 Top 5 champion reveal. 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 – August 6, 2011

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The Emiquon Preserve opened in 2009 and featured bass fishing like nothing we’d ever seen. However, by 2011, there were rumblings among some anglers that the glory days were already over. Ten years ago this week, Brent and I decided to head down to Fulton County to see for ourselves. Read on for the outcome as detailed in the original blog posting.

Originally posted on August 9, 2011 as “Emiquon Responds”

I frequently spout off about how there’s more to a fishing trip than simply the fish and I believe that. However, it’s always rewarding when you get the opportunity to put the hurt on some bass along the way. Emiquon gave us that opportunity last Saturday by revealing a few more secrets and showing some flurries of activity reminiscent of 2009. Perhaps it was a little tired of some of the 2011 trash talk, mine included. Me, my brother and Emiquon hashed things out over ten hours together and appear to be on friendly terms again.

When the log entry covers four and a half pages, that’s quite a day

Stats
Date: August 6, 2011
Location: The Emiquon Preserve
Time: 6:02am-4:02 pm
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 75-90F
Water Temp: Not available but like bath water
Totals: 95 bass (Troy – 55, Brent – 40)
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 55 bass, Rat L Trap (Tennessee shad/gold) – 29 bass, Rapala Rattlin’ Rap (silver/blue) – 3 bass, Rapala Rattlin’ Rap (shad) – 3 bass, Tandem Spinnerbait (red/gray) – 2 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- (Tennessee shad) – 2 bass, Buzzbait (green/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 (Troy – Strike King Red Eye Shad)
Top 5 Weight: 10-9 (2-4, 2-3, 2-2, 2-0, 2-0)

Top Bass at 2-4, lots of these in there back in the day

The Numbers

95– Our second best Emiquon outing left us five bass shy of the century mark. I never count until we’re done, and I doubt we would have stuck around in pursuit of those last few fish anyway. We did take a half hour break in the midst of a good bite, but that story will have to wait until next blog posting. (Note: we assisted a fellow angler with a treble hook in his thumb and a bass attached to another treble on the lure)

94 – The number of minutes before I caught my first bass.

55 – Although I did briefly throw a Zara Spook (a couple hits), a topwater frog (one hit), a Senko (no bites), a Yum Wooly Curltail (no bites), a Quad Shad spinnerbait (no hits) and a couple Strike King Pro model crankbaits (one lost fish), my Red Eye Shad caught every one of my fish.

Strike King Red Eye Shad, the only lure I needed on this day

30 – The approximate number of times we retied our lures after our catch either engulfed the bait or wrapped the line around a treble during some aerial hijinks

25 – The number of bass I envisioned us catching despite some recent glowing reports. I didn’t foresee being quite that wrong which leads me to wonder why you don’t often encounter the word “underconfident.”

12 – The number of bass in our haul that were less than 12” in length.

The lack of small bass (<12″) in my haul was totally off the charts in terms of length distribution 

7 – The total number of boats that we saw in the parking lot all day, on a Saturday, which is fine.

2 – The number of boats that arrived before we did.

More Emiquon craziness, two bass caught on a lipless crank at the same time

1.167 – It is Basic Baseball Statistics 101 that a player bats 1.000 on a 4 for 4 or 5 for 5 day at the plate. But in fishing it’s possible to do even better as Brent demonstrated by going 7 for 6 thanks to a pair of bass coming on one of those six casts during a feeding frenzy.

Emiquon was one of a kind. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – June 25 & July 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The past week found me on the Hennepin Canal on two occasions as my fishing exploration of the historic corridor continues. Both locales were spots I’d seen previously while on bike rides, but those trips had not seen me wet a line. On the latest trips it was time to bring along the fishing gear to see what would happen.

Stats
Date: June 25 and July 2, 2021
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Time: 6/25 (7:35-8:50pm), 7/2 (7:40pm-8:55pm)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/calm both days
Air Temp: Mid-80s
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 8 bass (3 bass on 6/25 and 5 bass on 7/2)
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- (rainbow) – 3 bass, Strike King Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-13 (Senko on 7/2)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 6-14 (2-13,1-11,1-9,0-13)

June 25 at 7:35pm – best I could muster, courtesy of a Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

Notes and Nonsense

June 25 – The first stop had a modest amount of open water which can be a tough summer find among the stretches I have checked out thus far. However, bank access presented some challenges which is another standard canal feature. I fished four or five areas of access and found only three small bites.

July 2 at 7:53pm – Top Bass at 2-13 on a wacky rigged Senko

July 2 – Several “keepers” were caught from another area featuring a fair amount of open water. In addition, the water had some better depth than most stretches of the canal. This allowed me to toss the Strike King Squarebill crankbait and fool a couple decent fish. But it was the Senko wacky rig which once again came through for the Top Bass of the evening. The 2-13 fell one ounce shy of my canal personal best and further proved that there are some quality bass that call the waterway home.

July 2 at 8:30pm – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-11 on a Strike King Squarebill crankbait

So, what have I learned from my four Hennepin Canal adventures to date?

1. The overall quality of catches has been a pleasant surprise. Previously, I never viewed the local sections of the canal as a regular destination but results and social media posts have opened my eyes.

2. Casting is key as is generally the case in bass fishing. There’s lots of vegetation where the bass can hide or wait in ambush, but that vegetation can also ruin a cast with many lures. Accuracy and repeated casts (at varying angles if possible) have been keys to success.

3. A bike is a bonus as stretches of open water can be few and far between at this time of year. Pedaling cuts down transit time and gets you away from the easy to access spots at the scattered parking areas.

4. While I have several topwater frogs in my tackle backpack, I have yet to put any of them to use. Fortunately, my other presentations have kept me busy with bites, but I do need to see if I can entice some quality strikes from beneath the plentiful surface vegetation.

The evening outings have been a fun way to work in a few weekday casts and I have been pleased with the action. There’s plenty more water to explore so I suspect that I will be back with some future reports as I continue to “prowl the canal.” Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 27, 1996

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The evening of June 27, 1996 at the Lake Bracken Spillway was like night and day for a group of carp anglers. The carp that called the spot home were sometimes an odd bunch. Some days, you could see several swimming below the surface from high atop the ridge as you looked down into the pool. And then not even get a bite.

Other times, no fish were to be seen from above, but the bite would be well worth navigating the tricky path down to the promised land. Of course, that was also part of the fun. From the sneak peek from up top to the tentative steps needed to maintain balance when armed with a couple poles and cooler of beer to the slight hop for the last step on the dirt descent to The Spillway, it was always an adventure.

On this trip, the carp chasers consisted of myself, my brother, Brent, and our friends, John and Lisa Junk. Us three guys had established ourselves as some solid carp fishers with a dozen years of experience at The Spillway dating back to high school. As for Lisa, well, she had been designated “The Carp Queen” following an impressive 1994 performance when she outfished the guys.

However, even Lisa’s 1994 success would pale in comparison to Brent’s domination on this trip. All told, he caught over thirty pounds of carp, easily outdistancing the rest of the crew. In fact, neither John, Lisa nor I caught a single carp. I’ve never seen anything like it. Quite odd as we were all using the same bait and fishing The Spillway was akin to the old fishing in a barrel adage.

 

All these years later, I still don’t have a true explanation for the discrepancy in fish catching. Sure, Brent is a skilled angler, but the rest of us are no slouches. The best I can come up with is that while Brent was more than willing to assist with hauling any of the gear, beverages and supplies down the slope, he always left the beer alone. For the rest of us, I’m not sure that we would have traded in our cold ones for a couple carp back in the day. Speaking for myself, I believe I was simply content to knock back a few and enjoy the show. Talk to you later. Troy

Citizen’s Lake Revisited Pt. IV

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Spanning a channel between the north and south sections of Citizen’s Lake is a bridge. Back in 1990, the bridge resided elsewhere in Warren County and was slated for eventual demolition. However, regional fisheries biologist, Ken Russell, was on board to get the bridge relocated rather than removed. While I was aware of the proposal, I had no idea what the bridge even looked like, let alone the prospect of actually relocating such a structure.

 

The plaque above notes that the dream became a reality in 1992. Later, in 2016, the bridge from the 1890s was dedicated as “Ken Russell Bridge.”

 

It’s been a fun walk down Memory Lane in revisiting a bit of the history of Warren County’s Citizen’s Lake. My aim for the blog has always been to educate, entertain and escape. Hopefully, this collection of posts was able to cover all of those bases. Talk to you later. Troy