I always thought it would be interesting to look back through my fishing logs to see what my personal record is for “Most Different Lures That Fooled a Bass in One Year.”

Hands down, 2018 wasn’t it.

A project for another time, perhaps.

Instead, for today’s 2018 recap we take a look at the relatively meager collection of baits that boated 216 bass.

Grubs
Yum Wooly Curltail (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 9.5” September 23 Knox County, IL public strip mine
Comments: I do like this lure but in hindsight I’m not sure of my reason for throwing it this fall other than possibly just to say I did because I had it tied on to one of my poles. A solid cold water bait which is effective when crawled slowly along the bottom…like I said, not really sure but glad to see a less than glamorous lure make an appearance.

Stickbaits
Zara Spook (black shore minnow) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 15” 1-11 September 30 Knox County, IL public strip mine
Comments: I’d worn out my welcome on one of my favorite walk-in spots as the bass were less than interested in my spinnerbait offerings in spite of some pretty good conditions. Looking for a big bite that the fishing hole has been known to produce I went old school. Didn’t fool a lunker but good to get bit. In addition, I had talked Spook fishing with my buddy, Jim Junk, a few days prior so it stoked the fire to revisit an offering that was a 80s favorite and not surprisingly still fools ‘em.

Jigs
Strike King Rattlin’ Jig (green pumpkin) w/ craw trailer – 3 bass
Top Bass: 16” 1-15 November 24 Knox County, IL private strip pit
Comments: When an unanticipated trip materialized and provided a shot a November bass, I was all in with two baits. This was one of them and I stepped out of my normal black/blue jig & pig comfort zone with a different color scheme and a plastic trailer. Seeing a guy catch a 5-9 on the lake the previous month with a similar setup was all the evidence I needed.

Lipless Crankbaits
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 26 bass
Top Bass: 14.5” 1-13 April 13 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: A solid cool water bait, the lipless crank got it done again, early and late. With the exception of a lone July bass, the rest were near bookends on the year. The first batch came from February through April while the last half dozen came from mid to late October. A true favorite for what I reluctantly refer to as “brainless” bassing. Nothing too fancy here as I used only one color this year when casting it out, cranking it back, covering some water and catching some fish.

Buzzbaits
Booyah Buzz (snow white shad, bleeding shad, sexy shad) – 27 bass
Top Bass: 20” 4-8 September 23 Knox County, IL private strip pit
Comments: I probably invest more time in tossing buzzbaits than I should but they are not only a solid big fish producer, they’re fun and addictive. For big fish proof, my 2018 Top Bass came on a buzzbait. However, that was the only Top 5 fish among those fooled on the buzzer, just kind of a weird year on the water.

Plastic Worms
Senko wacky rig (pumpkin black flake, green pumpkin black flake) – 46 bass
Top Bass: 17” 1-14 Knox County, IL private strip pit
Comments: The Senko wacky rig would probably rank number one among the presentations in my repertoire. And while it sounds like a broken record at this point, I just couldn’t put it in front of any big fish and get them to commit. Don’t for a minute think that those results will discourage this wacky worm devotee though. 2018 was just one of those years.

Spinnerbaits
Booyah Blade (white/chartreuse) – 52 bass
Top Bass: 16” 2-3 April 13 Knox County, IL public strip mine
Comments: My 2017 lure wrap-up piece mentioned that the good old spinnerbait, a mainstay from my formative bassing years in the 80s, was still mired in a bit of a disappearing act. Fortunately, while I still have subscriptions to those who have relegated this lure to the second string, I don’t subscribe to that school of thought. These baits are still a winner in my book and I highly encourage all six of you who read this to pass it on and see if we can bring about a spinnerbait resurgence in 2019.

Crankbaits
Strike King Rattling Squarebill, Mann’s Baby 1-, Rapala Shad Rap/Fat Rap – 60 bass
Top Bass: 18” 3-2 September 23 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: Yet another batch of baits that typically allow me to fish fast and cover a lot of water. The exception in the group would be the Rapala Shad Rap which I have put to good use the last couple years in fooling some cold water bass. Another highlight was landing a bass on a Rapala Fat Rap for the first time in nearly 20 years as part of a tribute to former Major Leaguer, Rusty Staub, who passed away on March 29, 2018 (click here for post).

And there you have it, all of the lures that landed a bass in 2018. You see, who needs a tackle bag stuffed with a hundred lures when about a dozen will take you all the way through the year?

Actually, I do, even if it can be a back breaker lugging that arsenal around the strip mines. Because you just never know when you’re going to need that one lure that your gut tells you is just right. And you’re gonna kick yourself when you realize that its home in the garage. Talk to you later. Troy

Today we finish off our lineup with a look at what baseball types refer to as “The Battery.”

Catcher

Lure = Senko wacky rig
Fittingly, this thing just looks “wacky” but it flat out catches fish. I ignored the testimonials from the fishing magazines for a few years before giving it a go and now have one tied on every time out once the water warms in the spring. An all-time great.
17 bass with Top Bass 3-5

1974 & 1985 Before my time so only saw as a manager

Player = Yogi Berra
An undisputable all-time great, Yogi gets the nod on this bait for the humorous and sometimes perplexing collection of quotes that bear his name as “Yogisms.” For a few good laughs give it a search on the internet sometime.

Starting Pitcher

Lure = Booyah Buzz Buzzbait
While not always the best choice if you’re looking for numbers, this noisy contraption can make your day with one, heartstopping strike. Those strikes can be addictive so proceed with caution before tying one on.
5 bass with Top Bass 5-9

1978 Real name was Lee, kinda like the “Yogi” fellow above was actually Lawrence.  Dig the hair, Dad had a ‘fro like that about that time.

Player = Buzz Capra
No doubt on this pick, everything to do with the name and nothing to do with similarities in bait and ballplayer. And get this, while playing with the Atlanta Braves in the 1970’s he teamed up with catcher, Biff Pocaroba. A battery of Buzz and Biff, folks, gotta love baseball, you can’t make this stuff up.

Relief Pitcher

Lure – Underspin
This one is new for me in 2017 and joined my arsenal after some impressive late season success by our 2016 Top 5 Champ, Mark Balbinot.
2 bass with Top Bass 1-9

1974 Strange how some of these obscure players leave a mark and gotta chuckle at the “baffled American League batters” in the description as his stuff was a hit for National League hitters sending him back to the AL in July.

Player = Horacio Pina
This submarining slinger (near underhand pitching delivery) joined the Cubs in 1974, appearing in 34 games before being dealt to the California Angels at mid-season for Rick Stelmaszek. However, that weird underhand delivery made such an indelible impression on the mind of a seven year old Cubs fan and baseball card collector that Pina now achieves yet another few minutes of fame 43 years later.

There you have it, for better or worse. I had fun, hope a few others did as well during a bit of a stretch for an “outdoor” blog. Yogi Berra famously stated that “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” but this one is. Latest fishing report due up tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

A couple months ago on my previous blogging gig I submitted a posting entitled “Starting Lineup.”  The premise was to combine two of my favorite pastimes, fishing and baseball.  For that posting I offered up a starting lineup of the lures I had tied on for my March 4 outing and provided a baseball player comp for each bait based on the qualities, appeal and success of the lure.

Well, I’m at it again as we go “Around the Horn” with a look at the lures that have reeled in my catches this year paired up with some diamond greats (and otherwise) from yesteryear.  Three parts over the next three days, beginning with the infield.

(Note: 22 hours of fishing for 59 bass and all lures and cards are from my collections)

First Base
Lure = 3/8 oz. Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer (salt & pepper)
The dual blades on this bait provide plenty of thump and just enough flash to get a reaction.
15 bass with Top Bass 2-1

A little carried away with George Scott cards but hard to find a better mix for a player as these samples cover 1973-1977 Topps and feature action shots, killer facial hair and a crazy necklace Scott desribed as “second baseman’s teeth.”

Player = George “Boomer” Scott
The bulk of this spinnerbait combined with the added thump of the blade combo just got me to thinking of the fellow they called “Boomer.”

Second Base

Lure = Strike King Red Eye Shad
3 bass with Top Bass 1-15
A favorite that can hold its own throughout the year tangling with bass of all sizes, an ingenious mix of attention grabbing flash and noise that works quite well with what I call a “brainless’ retrieve; cast it out and crank it in.

1972 Always something to say as evidenced by his grip on the bat.

Player = Billy Martin
A second baseman before I came around, I only knew the stories and saw him as a feisty manager.  Comparison arises from slight frame, plenty of commotion, “Red Eye” lifestyle and ready (no, eager) to take on anybody (see George Brett below as well as Reggie Jackson, Bert Campaneris…); brash and noisy, ingenious and brainless at the drop of a hat.

Third Base

Lure = Strike King 3/8 oz. Rattling’ Jig (black/blue) with pork frog trailer (black/blue)
12 bass with Top Bass 6-2
My go to bait in cold water and sticky situations (beaver lodges, laydowns, brushpiles), reliable and can produce some big hits.

1975 Rookie Card for future Hall of Famer and 3,000 hit club member

Player = George Brett
On the short list of guys who I would want at the plate when the chips are down, willing to get dirty and seemed to always come through, quite memorably in a sticky situation as well with good old Billy Martin (google “Pine Tar Incident” if unfamiliar, Brett’s reaction is one of my all-time favorite baseball highlights).

Shortstop

Lure = Ned Rig
This unassuming bait can get them when nothing else seems to fool them and is also effective in pulling another bass or two out of a spot that’s already been worked over.
1 bass with Top Bass 11” (kind of fitting)

1973 Another of the action cards in landscape orientation that were always a favorite

Player = Freddie Patek
Short in stature (5’5”) but long on heart, Patek was a mainstay at short for some successful Kansas City Royals clubs of the 1970’s covering the left side with our third base choice, George Brett.

There you have it, first to third and as with anything baseball, always up for debate.  Feel free to offer up any suggested changes to the lineup and tune in tomorrow as we take a look at our outfield.  Talk to you later.  Troy