On the heels of the previously reported washout last week I headed back across the river the following evening to try it again. Thanks to my folks for keeping our boys an extra day to alleviate a scheduling conflict and thus opening up another chance for me to hit the water, making it an unexpected three days in a row and four out of five overall. Been a lucky guy in July.

Stats
Date: July 19, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 89F-83F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 2 bass
Lures:
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 1 bass
Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill 2.5 Crankbait (pumpkinseed) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 Senko (only fish at 12” or better)

Notes & Nonsense

Compliment? – I reached the launch about the same time as a group of folks who were doing some distance swimming on the lake. One of the fellows even helped me haul my boat to the water’s edge, a welcome gesture as I was flying solo as usual. As I prepared to shove off, one of the ladies in the group took a look at the seeming overabundance of stuff in the little boat and said in wide eyed fashion, “You look serious about this.” I appreciated her take on the collection of seven poles, moderate sized tacklebag, pair of oars, anchor, boat cushion, lifejacket, tripod, couple bottles of water and a 200-pound guy with an unruly beard and a floppy hat as I suppose “ridiculous” could have been used instead of “serious.”

I think I could fit at least a couple more poles in there if needed.

Crank Bank – On the section of lake that I was fishing on this outing there is an abundance of scattered subsurface vegetation that limits presentation options. I like my lipless and traditional crankbaits but those types of treble hooked baits present a great deal of difficulty as they constantly foul in the scattered weeds that are not visible in the stained water (fortunately I dig topwater offerings which navigate the conditions much better). However, on this trip I did find a second stretch of bank that lends itself to cranking and my Strike King KVD 2.5 squarebill landed one fish and had two others hooked in a roughly fifty yard stretch during the span of fifteen minutes. There’s a fishing standard that says you should learn something new each time out and this time around I discovered an a spot that could certainly pay further dividends and will be a regular stop.

Top Bass 7:48pm 1-11 15.5″ Senko

Front Row Seat – In the middle of the crankbait stretch described above, I also managed to coax a bass out of a weed pocket on a Senko wacky rig. The fun thing about this catch was the fact that I had lifted the bait to a point where it was just visible below the stained surface when the bass hit. It is always cool to see a strike in such a close up fashion as the bass suddenly appeared out of nowhere to grab the lure. Luckily, I made sure that the fish had the bait rather than getting too trigger happy, prematurely setting the hook and pulling the Senko away from the bass before it got a good hold. Been there, done that, and probably will make that mistake again, tough to control those reflexes.

Two bass in two hours wasn’t exactly the results I was looking for but still a productive outing. One quality Lost Grove bass, lost three other fish I had hooked, several missed strikes on a buzzbait or frog and found a new spot that definitely has some future potential. Oh yeah, didn’t get caught in a storm either. Overall, a worthwhile evening across the river. Still have a birthday outing report and this Tuesday’s regular Lost Grove visit as I deal with playing catch-up on fishing reports. Cool when that happens. Talk to you later. Troy

Took last Monday off work along with the previous Friday for an extended weekend of family camping, some swimming, visiting with more family around the campfire and, yes, some fishing.  On the heels of a Saturday outing with my brother, Brent, here’s the Monday report when flying solo.

Stats

Date: July 17, 2017
Locations: Little John Conservation Club (2 lakes)
Time: 5:25am-10:45pm (5.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 64-82F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 12 bass
Lures:
Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 6 bass
Whopper Plopper 90 (I Know It) – 6 bass
Top Bass: 4-7 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight: 9-4 (4-7,1-7,1-3,1-2,1-1)

5:35am Top Bass 20.5″ 4-7 Whopper Plopper                                                                            5:51am 14″ 1-1 Whopper Plopper

Notes & Nonsense

Firsts – Ten minutes in I had my first catch of the day which was also my first Whopper Plopper catch ever.  And like the first name of the lure, it definitely qualified as a “Whopper” in my book. Pretty cool when you’ve got a 4-7 in the log at 5:35am.  While that first bass would also wind up being the Top Bass, I can’t say I was particularly disappointed with the rest of the morning as five more fell to the Whopper Plopper along with several more strikes from bass that had some poor aim.  Looks like this lure could be a winner, actually catching fish instead of fishermen.

What About Me – Despite the smashing success of the new topwater weapon in my arsenal, I still had the good, old Senko rigged up.  Although it does not weed out the small fish to the extent of my trusty buzzbait or the early Whopper Plopper catches, the Senko wacky rig flat out catches bass on the waters I was fishing.  You’d be a fool not to have one rigged up.  No doubt I’ve got some bad habits but I ain’t no dummy when it comes to getting wacky with it.  Dead even score between the only two baits that caught bass on this day.

7:07am 14″ 1-3 Whopper Plopper                                                                                          8:27am 15″ 1-7 Senko

2017 Top 5 – The 4-7 Whopper Plopper fish knocked a 3-5 out of my Top 5 limit boosting my weight by over a pound which ain’t easy for me to do at this point.  You see, I was already in uncharted waters at 23-6, my top weight in the four years of this project, as I launched the boat on this outing.  With the latest cull I now sit at 24-8 and find myself wavering between satisfied and greedy.  But I figure it’s kind of like one of those days back in the 70’s and 80’s; 3 for 3 and walking out of the on deck circle, time to just let ‘er rip as you never know when you’ll enter “the zone” again.

9:11am 13.5″ 1-2 Senko                                                                                           10:45am Last Cast Bass

Last Bass – Now the picture above may not hold a candle to the glossy magazines, YouTube videos or websites that actually earn some bucks but I’d have to say it ranks as my second favorite bass of the day.  The regular responsibilities of husband and father don’t take a break even on a “vacation day” and I’m good with a timeframe when I need to get back home.  On this day, that meant a decision to fish until 10:45am and then load up and head home.  Within casting distance of the ramp I was fortunate to get another “last cast bass” right at 10:45am.  Always dig it when that happens and totally satisfied with hooking my lure back to an eye on the pole, calling it “well done” and rowing back to the ramp.  Doesn’t get much better than a successful final cast.

Very fortunate to have some recent circumstances that have allowed me to hit the water much more than I would have anticipated this summer (thanks Julie, Mom and Dad).  Two more trips in the books in the meantime, just can’t catch up with the blogging portion of the program.  Try to work them in when I can although Sunday is out as I’ve already got some blogging plans lined up.  Hope you’ll stop back by for a milestone of sorts and check out the Facebook page if you need a friend.  Talk to you later.  Troy

Tuesday’s are overnight days for our boys at my folks in Galesburg so that means Girls’ Night for the ladies and fishing night for me.

Stats
Date: July 11, 2017
Locations: Little John Conservation Club (2 lakes)
Time: 5:50pm-8:25pm (2.75 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/calm
Air Temp: mid 80’s but crazy humid
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 10 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 9 bass
Senko weighted wacky rig (electric shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-11 (1-6,1-4,1-2,1-0,0-15)

5:54pm 14″ 1-2 Buzzbait, so humid I ditched my hat at risk of exposing my balding head to the sun, now that’s hot.

6:13pm 14.5″ 1-6 Buzzbait, though only in the mid 80’s the humidity was ugly as seen in the color progression of my shirt.

6:28pm 12″ 0-15 Buzzbait, put the hat back on as I have no hair to stop the sweat, need me a headband like good, old Slick Watts (anybody remember that guy).

Notes & Nonsense

Attempted Plan – I intended to head out from work early at 3:00pm instead of 5:00pm to offset travel time to Victoria (about 70 minutes) versus my usual Lost Grove Lake, IA Tuesday destination (about 25 minutes). Well, got tied up on an issue so didn’t leave the office until about 3:50pm. Part two of a time saver was a shortcut off Route 34. About a half mile into the dirt road portion of said shortcut I found it way too muddy and had to put her in reverse all the way back to some gravel. All told, going back to the normal route cost me another twenty minutes (by the way anybody out there know if the road is open at the tracks in Altona yet). So, my intended 4:30pm first cast wound up being 5:50pm instead.

Calling All Clouds – In order for my buzzbait pattern to really kick into high gear on these lakes, I need some cloud cover, whether complete or intermittent. But every time I have had a chance to go of late there has not been a cloud in the sky. I can still manage to eke out a few bites but the big ones aren’t interested and I really feel like I’m force feeding the bass. Even so, it’s a sacrifice that I am willing to make during these abbreviated outings. As my previous trip demonstrated, it only takes one bite to make your day and I’m content to take my chances. On this day, that big bite didn’t come until the end of the day but that’s another story (see below).

Bad Decision, Bad Outcome – I stopped short of a solid piece of structure consisting of several laydowns bordering a pocket off the main lake. This put the wood between me and any fish taking a liking to my buzzbait, kind of a dumb move in hindsight.  I clearly saw about a four pounder smash the bait roughly ten feet from the boat, right in the middle of the tress and proceed to head into the tangle before I could turn it in the right direction. The bass hit moving from my left to right which proved my doom. Had it been moving the opposite direction I would have stood a good chance of steering it clear of the snag. I could briefly feel the fish pulling amidst the logs but it soon wrapped me beyond hope and my line busted as I tried to free it.

7:24pm 14″ 1-4 Buzzbait, the heat just kept getting nastier as the evening wore on.

8:02pm 12.5″ 1-0 Buzzbait

Premonition – Odd thing is, I had been reminiscing a few days earlier when talking to myself about fishing (which I do nearly daily) and said aloud in my head that I could not recall the last time I lost a good fish. It wasn’t like I was patting myself on the back or anything just pondering some good fortune. Call it karma, the law of averages or just fishing but I will also admit to occasional flashes of superstition crossing my mind. Whatever the case, I guess I’ll do my best to avoid that conversation with myself going forward.

8:29pm Last bass, nothing to boost my total weight but shot the pic to show complete saturation by the end of the evening, crazy heat,
had sweat running off my nose when reaching for tackle in bottom of the boat.

In assessing my decision to make a longer drive for Illinois bass versus some Iowa bass closer to home, I vote that I made the right choice. Definitely bigger bass potential from this side of the river compared to my Lost Grove Lake results and I got my shot, just didn’t work out this time. Maybe next time or the time after that. Two more trips already in the log so stop back later this week for those reports or hit the Facebook page for some previews/spoilers.

Hey, just dawned on me, its Tuesday again, think I’ll go for the shorter drive to Iowa this time around.  Talk to you later. Troy

Here we go with the first “Retro” fishing report since 2009 as introduced yesterday and included among my 2017 Resolutions detailed earlier this year.

Date: July 8, 2017
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Time: 6:00am-9:30am
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 71F-81F
Water Temp: forgot to check (not used to electronics)

Catch by Catch

Bass #1 – 6:08am 16” (1-8) Senko wacky rig (electric shad)
On the board eight minutes in with our first “keeper” after two regular spots let us down, spot number three is once again a winner.

 

Bass#2 – 6:27am 11.5” Senko wacky rig (smoke)
No shutout for Dad as bass number one comes on board working his Senko along the dropoff of an extended point.

 

Bass#3 – 6:29am 7” Senko
Wasting no time, Dad grabs the lead, but who’s counting?  And yes, for this project they all count and get their picture taken, even if they aren’t much bigger than the lure (5” Senko).

 

Bass#4 – 6:45am 9” Senko
Another short fish comes off a point featuring a reed patch bordering the dropoff.

 

Bass#5 – 6:55am 9.5” Senko
Bigger than the last one or more accurately, “less small.”

 

Bass#6 & #7 – 7:02am Dad 12” (0-14) and Troy 11” both on Senkos
Dad gets the first of our only double as I hook mine only seconds after he has set the hook.  He gets me by an inch with our second “keeper” boosting our weight to a whopping 2-6 and looking for three more to round out a Top 5.

 

Bass#8 – 7:10am 14” (1-4) Senko
A well placed cast to a spot that Dad said should hold one does indeed produce a bass and takes our weight up to 3-10.  Dad had hit the area seconds earlier from a different angle so this catch demonstrates that if a spot looks good or has produced in the past it is worth working over from a couple directions.

Bass#9 – 7:16am 8” Senko
I dig the take a pic of every bass aspect of this project as it shows that you typically have to wade through a bunch of “dinks” in search of the “keepers” and occasional “lunkers.”  The thing is though, you don’t really want to bother the other guy with one of these so you do the photo honors yourself.  Holding this one close to the camera still doesn’t make it look bigger, however.

 

Bass#10 – 7:19am 14” (1-3)
Now this one was cool as it came from an area that has produced in the past but I was going to skip due to cramped quarters in Dad’s Bass Tracker versus the old eight foot johnboat.  However, Dad got snagged on an underwater limb prompting a rescue mission into the area.  First cast to an overhanging bush after freeing his Senko and we had “keeper” number four, bumping our weight to 4-13.

 

Bass#11 – 7:28am 10.5” Senko
Flicking my Senko out to a submerged tree in about 12’ of water is a winner as this one nabs it after sinking near the wood for only a couple seconds.  A proven spot comes through again but not quite as big as a five-pounder the tree gave up several years ago.

 

Bass#12 – 7:31am 11” Senko
Had to get the dipnet for this one but more so due to weight of the accompanying grass and not the bass.  As Dad reeled in this bunch of salad he actually said, “I don’t know if the bass is still on there.” Took a little digging but there it was.

 

Bass#13 – 7:39am 10.5” Senko
I honestly don’t remember any details about this fish other than the logged time, length and lure.

 

Bass#14 – 8:11am 21.5” (5-0) Buzzbait
I do remember this one though as it ended our longest drought of the day at 32 minutes without a bass.  The buzzbait shutout also ends in a big way after intermittent casting for the first two hours failed to produce.  I had told Dad that it only takes one bite and this was it.  Throw in the fact that it came on the second visit to a spot that is historically productive including a couple other big ones and it really makes you feel like you know what you are doing.  Top 5 complete with a big jump in weight total to 9-13.

 

Bass#15 – 8:39am 20” (3-5) Senko
Dad joins the big fish parade with what he speculated was his “biggest Senko bass ever.”  A great fight featured a dive at the boat that had me poised and ready with the dipnet when the fish surfaced.  Crazy thing was, it surfaced about eighteen feet behind us having swam completely under the boat.  Dad deftly guided the fish back around to our side, dodging our rear trolling motor with his rod tip under water and we had another big boost to our Top 5.  This fish knocked out the earlier 0-14 and brought out total weight to 12-4.

 

Bass#16 – 9:00am 8.5” Senko
Dad’s seventh and final fish of the day doesn’t measure up to his previous catch but our day is already made with a couple good ones.  Time is winding down as we head towards the boat launch in preparation to relocate and meet up with my boys, Jayce and Zac, to chase some bluegills in Papa’s “big boat.”

 

Bass#17 – 9:30am 11.5” Senko
Not a keeper but a nice exclamation point on a solid outing and caught within casting distance of the boat launch so I call it a day with a bass on my last cast.

Totals: 17 bass (Troy – 10, Dad – 7)
Lures:
Senko wacky rig (electric shad) – 9 bass
Senko wacky rig (smoke) – 7 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 5-0 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-4 (5-0,3-5,1-8,1-4,1-3)

Running Totals for this project (8 trips since 2002)
45.25 hours
208 bass
Top Bass: 5-0 this trip tops Dad’s 3-7 from 6/16/08
Daily Top 5 Weight Record: 14-2 Lake Bracken 6/16/08
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 18-4 (5-0,3-7,3-5,3-5,3-3) culls 2-13 and 2-10

Well, there you have it, the reintroduction of old idea, Resolution accomplished and great to get it done with Dad.  Kind of a work in progress from here as not sure whether to keep this feature as a one-time deal each year or toss it out there again as I’ve got a couple ideas floating around upstairs.  Talk to you later.  Troy

Last Sunday I decided to take our youngest girl, Carly, out on a hunt for an early birthday gift (birthday is coming up July 9).  Earlier this year she had mentioned that she thought she could use a new fishing pole to take the place of Hannah Montana which was pole number two of her fishing career, replacing the original, stubby Disney Princess pole she got from her Papa the day she was born.  Certainly sounded like a good thing for the birthday list so off we went for a rig and then some fish with brother, Jayce.

Sweet when your kid wants a fishing pole for her birthday, my kind of shopping.

 

Brothers pitch in to get Carly set up 

Stats

Date: June 25, 2017
Location: Work Pond and Hennepin Canal (Colona, IL)
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Totals: 8 bluegill, 1 golden shiner (C = 6 bluegill, J = 2 bluegill, 1 shiner)
Bait: Waxworms on a jighead hung from a slip bobber

Notes & Nonsense

Like Ike, Sorta – Carly has become fond of one of my ultralight spinning rigs and has also become quite proficient in her casting while leaving the good old spincast model behind.  We hit a local sporting goods joint that features a good selection of rod and reel combos and she immediately found one to her liking, the only one of that particular model left on the rack.  The 6’, medium action Abu Garcia Mike Iaconelli rod looked to be just the ticket and I liked her choice.  I felt that it offered the versatility I foresee her needing as we expand beyond panfish one of these days and she has her eye on reeling in a catfish as well.  I’d also like to hook her up with a Senko wacky rig at some point and see her battle some of those strip pit bass that I’m a little fond of as long as she don’t get to hollering like Ike though, can’t take much of that as I prefer to celebrate a bit more quietly via fist pumps and blog entries.

Work Pond – So, me and the boys got her spooled up with some 8-pound Trilene and she hopped in the truck with Jayce and I to test out the new rig.  First stop was a pond where we’d enjoyed a couple decent days fooling some bass with our customary waxworms hung from a slip bobber.  However, after a half hour and two lost fish (one spit the jighead in the moss and another got snagged and busted off) my crew was ready to hit the road and a bit disappointed along with their dad.

Success amidst some fun scenery on the Hennepin Canal constructed over 100 years ago

Hennepin Canal – On the way home I decided to take a drive by the Hennepin Canal in Colona, IL just to have a look.  Well, a look was all it took and my young anglers’ batteries were recharged to go at it again.  This time around we found some cooperative fish to the tune of eight bluegill and a shiner.  But that was only part of the fun.

Introducing “Old McDeadhead”, catches don’t have to be alive to be enjoyed

First Catch – Our first fish was actually a dead minnow that I fished out of a bit of retaining wall.  Jayce named it “Old McDeadhead” and lugged him around for a while before hooking him up and casting until Old McDeadhead’s body eventually gave out.

This is why you take four poles for only two fisherkids.  Prepare for the unexpected or inevitable, tough call on the exact designation.

Brush With the Law – Shortly before we called it a night, a police vehicle with lights flashing came zipping down the road and pulled over to where we were trying our luck.  I was about to dig my fishing license out just in case, but instead, the lady officer asked if we had seen some sort of domestic incident with a couple in a red pickup.  Fortunately, we had not as my kids don’t need that kind of adventure on a field trip.  It’s tough enough explaining some of the fascinating “whys” associated with Mother Nature let alone tackling some idiot’s interpretation of human nature.

An exciting evening and some good family time in the great outdoors.  I had not fished the Hennepin Canal prior to this stop but I’d have to say that the location we chose not only saved the day but also bodes well for some future outings.  Certainly looks to have some potential for Carly to wind up with that catfish she’s after…we’ll see.  Talk to you later.  Troy