If you are reading this post hot off the press, I am either en route or enjoying the first fishing trip of 2022. It’s been a long wait since my last bass, 123 days in fact since November 17, 2021.

Plenty of time to prep for a new season, right?

Well, sorta.

In terms of gearing up, I am good to go from a tackle standpoint. New line on my reels and a restock of some needed and unneeded items are all in order. Although I still have until the end of the month on my 2021 Illinois fishing license, I already have the 2022 version in my wallet. A few licensing adventures over the years have taught me to plan ahead on the annual purchase.

Another aspect of many of my fishing trips involves being in shape. If I had to give myself a grade on this one, I would go with a B-. I’ve got just over a week of daily walking to the tune of three to four miles under my belt (even ran a little bit as well). I managed to drop thirteen pounds over the winter but most of that was shed during a January spat with the pandemic. I’m headed in the right direction but will fall considerably shy of my April 1 target weight by ten pounds. But hey, something is better than nothing and I’m feeling ready to tackle another year of strip mine hiking.

Final prep includes charging Go-Pro batteries, organizing tackle, fueling up the truck (that stinks with this administration), preparing some take along grub, packing extra clothes in case I fall in the lake, and helping catch up on laundry.

And when each of those items have been checked off the list, it is on the road to the fishing holes. I have my eyes on possibly four different strip mine lakes and want to add a new feature to the blog entries this year with a look at the record book. Some of the lakes have accepted names while others are my creation. Here we go with the initial batch of “Record Quest” data.

Record Quest

Goldenrod Lake (2006-present)
Top Bass: 3-8 Troy Jackson 9/2/2017 Crankbait
Best Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (3-8,2-2,2-1,1-12,1-9) 10/8/2017
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 11-0 (3-8,2-2,2-1,1-12,1-9)

Slurry Lake (2020-present)
Top Bass: 4-3 Troy Jackson 6/19/21 Lipless Crankbait
Best Top 5 Weight (only 2 fish): 7-12 (4-3,3-9) 6/19/21
All-Time Top 5 Weight (only 3 fish): 8-13 (4-3,3-9,1-1)

Bearclaw Lake (1990-present)
Top Bass: 3-15 Troy Jackson 8/14/2001 Stickbait
Best Top 5 Weight: 9-0 (3-4,2-1,1-9,1-5,0-13) 8/31/06
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 16-8 (3-15,3-6,3-4,3-3,2-12)

Beaver Lake (1990-present)
Top Bass: 4-5 Brent Jackson 10/13/19 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Weight: 9-4 (4-0,1-14,1-6,1-2,0-14) 7/1/20
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 14-6 (4-5,4-0,2-6,1-14,1-13)

Brent and I are scheduled to be on the water today around lunchtime so stay tuned for a full report next week. Talk to you later. Troy

I’m a simple guy so a look inside the cab of my truck is a bit embarrassing due to the amount of stuff packed along for the November 17 fishing trip. However, it is all absolutely necessary as shown and described below.

1. Lucky sweatshirt and flannel that are probably older than my high school senior daughter. It would be interesting to see how many fishing pics that sweatshirt and it’s twin have appeared in over the decades.

2. Cooler containing the standard sandwich, a couple bottles of water or tea and a Ziploc baggie of ice.

3. Chocolate in my favorite forms. M&Ms and a Cosmic Brownie.

4. My fancy GoPro bag containing two cameras, two chest mounts, a zipper case and two extra batteries.

5. Stocking hat as a balding head can get a bit chilly this time of the year.

6. Utility box that hadn’t made it into my tackle backpack in my lazy, last-minute packing.

7. Unsweetened iced tea, a steady companion on any drives. I can last about an hour until I need to make the resultant pit stop (this morning in the parking lot of The Victoria Pheasant Habitat Area).

8. Masks, although my smalltown drink stops along the way have apparently eradicated COVID.

9. Floppy hat as a balding head is not a good match in the event there is sunlight and warm weather. Neither applied on this day.

10. A bag with a bag of chips, another component of the standard fare on a fishing trip.

11. Backpack which contains my “just in case I fall in the lake” change of clothes. Overall, the balance is still there but feeling it slip a bit and always wise to be prepared in the event of a swim.

12. Boots come in handy when launching and loading the little boat. In addition, they are good at keeping the feet warm when paired with some decent socks. Unfortunately, those socks were at home in a drawer resulting in a mid-morning truck break with the heater turned up.

13. A clipboard for notes seems odd when you’ve got a smartphone in your pocket (or baggie when on the water). But ever since making a clipboard in Churchill Junior High shop class, we’ve been tight.

There you go, every item important. Perhaps someday we’ll take a look inside the tackleboxes and the horde of “can’t leave home without” lures. I use about a dozen of them. But you never know when you might need that certain bait. Talk to you later. Troy

 

While Brent and I caught decent numbers and some quality fish on last Sunday’s outing, as with any trip, there’s more to the story than just the catch. Today’s post features some of the peripheral highlights from our day on the water.

I like to launch in the dark to be on the water by the official sunrise. To do so with a 45-minute drive to the fishing hole, I’ve got to get up and get on the road early. At least as summer wanes, the sunrise isn’t quite so early and having a fishing partner meet you at the lake with the boat in tow also helps.

The first casualty of the trip was a reel as the level wind gave out on my Bass Pro Shops Tourney Special model. I am a frugal fisherman (and human) so the dozen or so years that I got out of this low budget reel was just fine. I tried to keep fishing with it even though the line piled to one side of the spool but eventually it seized up and forced my hand to put it away. It now joins the tub of reels from the last 35 years that need to find a reel repair shop.

Casualty number two was Brent’s Shimano Black Magnum Fightin’ Rod which snapped in half on a cast. I don’t know if he was sadder or I was, as those old Shimano Fightin’ Rod models take me back to our earliest days of bass fishing. Old school 5’6” rods with a tapered blank that was fat at the reel seat were a hot item for us back in the 1980s. I remember admiring one for many days at Farm King before finally breaking down and spending some money. Mine is long gone and Brent’s was the last of its kind in our arsenal.

In the back of one pocket on the lake, we spotted a couch on the bare, mucky bank of exposed bottom. We shook our heads at the ambitiousness of the vandals responsible, first pondering why someone would do such a thing. And why in the world would you go through the effort of hauling it to such a remote location?

Prior to this trip, I think I could say that in all my years of fishing that I had never caught a rock. There’s a first for everything and I don’t believe that I will soon forget the odd occurrence. It was strange sensation, wondering what was on the line. I’ve caught logs, sticks, trash, a jar, a glove, rope, fishing line and other random items and most can deceive with some lateral movement or varied resistance on the retrieve. This one was just dead weight which makes sense in hindsight, it fought like I would imagine a rock would fight.

Brent poked fun at my fishing shoes as they have seen better days. Julie keeps telling me that I should throw them away, but I believe that they are good for plenty more fishing and lawn mowing. As far as the latter task, Brent stated that they looked like they had been hit with a lawnmower. But after a good day on the water, I certainly need to keep them on hand for more good luck.

To round out today’s post, it is always good to have a fishing partner along for various reasons. One of those reasons is photography as it alleviates the selfie and timer shots. On this outing it also allowed for Brent to shoot what I call a fishing magazine photo. We don’t normally pull the zoom in/hold your arm out stunt. In fact, I just grin as I peruse the social media pics of fish that look freakishly (and foolishly) large. This bass weighed in at 2-9 but could certainly pass for a larger fish if one didn’t shoot straight.

An entertaining day on the water and always looking forward to seeing what the next trip holds in store. Talk to you later. Troy

November 29 at 8:30am leaving the Quad Cities, IL

Well, I haven’t done much of anything here on the blog for a while. Just busy these days and actually think that I am still recovering from this Texas trip which started the month. I have never been much of a traveler and I have certainly not gotten any better with age. Enough about reality, let’s take an overdue escape. An overdue trip tunes to come but first up is a Texas blurb and slideshow below.

My work detail consisted of a stop in north central Arkansas to install some IT gear before proceeding to south central Texas for round two of the same. Having to haul a fair amount of equipment meant driving rather than flying, which is just fine for a guy who prefers to be closer to the ground. Such a mode of travel also allows for packing along some fishing gear in the event that I have the time to wet a line.

Several waters were on my radar as I planned my route. Greers Ferry Lake was only minutes from my first stop in Arkansas but a long work day and short daylight kept me from a visit.

Grapevine, TX too early and too big of a hurry, just saw the outside

I overnighted in Grapevine, Texas, a Dallas suburb, right next door to a Bass Pro Shops. The store sat on the banks of Lake Ray Hubbard which was being beaten by gale force winds. Beyond the wind, I still had a five hour morning “commute” to work and no permit so casting did not materialize on this water, either.

Next choice was the Guadalupe River near Seguin, TX and only minutes from my work destination. I took a peek one evening finding the access decent and deserted but I had yet to obtain my permit. After getting two days’ worth of non-resident permits I hit the spot again only to find it packed with anglers leaving me no room. Instead, I headed 30 minutes north to New Braunfels, TX where the water on the river was too shallow. I spent my half hour before sunset just walking the bank in a local park and enjoying some fresh air.

Guadalupe River, New Braufels, TX – scenic but shallow

I had considered Grand Lake o’ The Cherokees in northeast Oklahoma on my ride home. I thought it would be cool to chase a bass on the site of the 2013 and 2016 Bassmaster Classics. However, a late start on the road, short days, cold weather and a desire to take the shortest route home eliminated this destination.

 

In the end, I selected Lake Fork which lies just east of Dallas. Ideally, a half day of work to finish my week would put me on the road in time to explore Lake Fork for a couple hours. In reality, the combination of a late start after work and some difficulty finding lake access only left me about 45 minutes to cast. My first intent was to fish the dam but I could not find access as I cruised the road below the structure. Next, I found a couple private fishing resorts and a lone pay ramp that featured very little decent bank access. As a last ditch effort, I selected a nearby causeway and hoped the map app would do its thing. It did and I reached a public ramp area with ample access for the short amount of remaining daylight that I had to cast.

Lake Fork, TX looking for a bass with daylight fading 

The rest is history as described in the Lake Fork, TX fishing report (click here). Such trips late in the year make it tough to enjoy much fresh air after a day of work. Sunsets just after 5:00pm really limit the option to travel very far in search of a bite before darkness falls. Thus, it was tough to manage some outdoor time while earning a living.

December 4, 2020 at 8:00pm, back home 2500 miles, two plants, one bass and five days later

All of that time behind the wheel gave me ample fodder for a final “Trip Tunes” post of 2020. Stay tuned for that Top 5 later this week. Talk to you later. Troy