Top 5 bass stats Part II without further ado.

Public vs. Private Water (2014-2018)
Public = 373 bass (92/52/95/42/92)
Public Top 5 Weight = 32-2, 31-7, 30-5, 27-7 and 24-5 (2018)
Private = 201 bass (53/48/39/37/24)
Private Top 5 Weight = 38-10, 30-0, 32-13, 33-14 and 31-9 (2018)
Undisclosed = 17 bass (9/6/2/0/0)

Comments: It’s tough to beat having access to some private fishing holes and our sample pool of bass show that such waters can pump out some quality bass. But it is also refreshing that the numbers show that our anglers do quite well when chasing bass on waters where everybody can take their shot.

Boat vs. Bank (2014-2018) * = new record
Boat = 379 bass (90/63/103/68/55)
Boat Top 5 Weight = 30-7, 31-7, 32-13, 33-14 and 31-9 (2018)
Bank = 206 bass (64/43/27/11/61)
Bank Top 5 Weight = 40-14, 27-6, 27-12, 20-14 and 24-2 (2018)
Undisclosed = 6 bass

Comments: Like many hobbies, fishing can be as expensive as one chooses to make it ranging from bass boats to boots. To each their own as our numbers demonstrate that casting from a seat or on your feet are both effective approaches.

The Baits (44 undisclosed) * = new record
138 Plastic Worms (Top Bass 6-8 Mark Balbinot 11/20/16)
68 Crankbaits (8-0 Kamryn Kaesebier 4/13/14)
*62 Spinnerbaits (5-14 Mark Balbinot 10/20/18) – Old Record (5-4 Terry Isbell 10/22/14)
50 Jigs (9-4 Jake Bresson 5/23/14)
*42 Lipless Crankbaits (6-3 Mark Balbinot 10/20/18) = Old Record (5-13 Troy Jackson 3/21/15)
29 Swimbaits (8-10 Gary Le 5/4/14)
27 Swim Jigs (6-13 Jake Bresson 4/9/15)
26 Creature Baits (6-15 Mark Balbinot 5/13/17)
21 Buzzbaits (5-9 Troy Jackson4/25/17)
20 Jerkbaits (5-10 Ty Hartlipp 6/5/14)
14 Chatterbaits (Top Bass 4-10 Mark Balbinot 2/20/16)
12 Tubes (Top Bass 5-0 Jake Bresson 4/28/15)
11 Topwater Frog (6-11 Ty Hartlipp 6/11/14)
9 Underspins (Top Bass 7-7 Mark Balbinot 12/11/16)
5 Stickbaits (6-6 Mark Balbinot 8/27/17)
5 Ultralights (3-1 Paul Kessler 10/12/17)
4 Livebait (5-14 Jim Junk 7/4/14)
2 Inline Spinners (5-2 Jake Bresson 9/17/17)
2 Propbaits (6-2 Jake Bresson 5/1/15)

Comments: What can you say about the tried and true plastic worm? Still getting it done in a variety of presentations and more than holding its own against the never ending parade of “can’t miss” concoctions constantly tugging at your wallet.

The 20-Pound Club * = 2018 entry
33-14 Mark Balbinot 2017 (7-4,6-15,6-13,6-8,6-6)
32-13 Jake Bresson 2014 (9-4, 8-8, 6-6, 4-10, 4-1)
32-13 Mark Balbinot 2016 (7-7,6-8,6-5,6-5,6-4)
32-0 Gary Le 2014 (8-10,6-8,5-12,5-10, 5-8)
*31-9 Mark Balbinot 2018 (7-2,6-12,6-3,5-14,5-10)
29-7 Austin Chapman 2015 (6-4,6-2,6-0,5-14,5-3)
27-12 Jake Bresson 2015 (6-13,6-2,5-5,5-0,4-8)
27-6 Randy Sampson Sr 2015 (7-0,6-1,4-13,4-12,4-12)
27-6 Jake Bresson 2016 (6-3,5-13,5-4,5-2,5-0)
26-13 Troy Jackson 2017 (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7)
26-4 Austin Chapman 2016 (5-14,5-10,5-2,4-14,4-12)
26-1 Brice Wangler 2014 (5-11, 5-5, 5-2, 5-0, 4-15)
25-8 Brice Wangler 2015 (5-7,5-4,5-2,4-14,4-13)
24-14 Ty Hartlipp 2014 (6-11, 5-10, 5-5, 4-0, 3-4)
24-9 Terry Isbell 2014 (5-8,5-4,5-2,4-8,4-3)
23-12 Jake Bresson 2017 (5-4,5-2,5-2,4-3,4-1)
23-11 Randy Sampson Sr. 2017 (6-0,4-14,4-12,4-11,3-6)
*23-8 Jim Junk 2018 (5-4,5-2,4-9,4-5,4-4)
22-15 Adam Bean 2015 (5-13,4-9,4-6,4-2,4-1)
22-13 Mike Mooney 2014 (6-4, 5-7, 4-3, 3-9, 3-6)
22-12 Troy Jackson 2015 (5-13,4-13,4-10,3-12,3-12)
21-8 Randy Sampson Sr. 2016 (5-12,5-8,4-11,3-1,2-8)
21-7 Brice Wangler 2016 (4-8,4-7,4-4,4-2,4-2)
21-3 Troy Jackson 2016 (5-9,5-4,3-9,3-7,3-6)
*20-15 Chris Schwarz 2018 (4-11,4-11,4-8,4-0,3-1)
20-14 Troy Jackson 2014 (4-13, 4-6, 4-2, 4-1, 3-8)
20-9 Austin Chapman 2014 (4-15, 4-4,4-0,3-13,3-9)
20-1 Bruce Zilkowski 2014 (4-11,4-3,4-0,3-12,3-7)

Comments: Three more entries into the coveted 20-pound club in 2018 including another one up there in the rare air of the 30-pound club. Mark Balbinot makes it a three-peat of titles, all 30-pound limits. Jim Junk posts his personal best total and impressively reels them all in from the bank. Newcomer, Chris Schwarz, also gets the job done along with sharing his enjoyment of our hobby with a batch of youngsters (perhaps a closer look at that bunch later this year).

Top 10 Top 5 Bass * = 2018 entry
9-4 Jake Breeson 5/23/14 Jig
8-10 Gary Le 5/4/14 Swimbait
8-8 Jake Breeson 5/23/14 Jig
8-0 Kamryn Kaesebier 4/13/14 Crankbait
7-7 Mark Balbinot 12/11/16 Underspin
7-4 Mark Balbinot 10/29/17 Jig
*7-2 Mark Balbinot 11/23/18 Underspin
7-0 Randy Sampson Sr. 3/22/15 Jig
6-15 Mark Balbinot 5/13/17 Creature Bait
6-13 Jake Breeson 4/9/15 Swim Jig
6-13 Mark Balbinot 12/10/17 Creature Bait

Comments: Our 2018 champ nabbed the only bass that was able to crack the all-time Top 10 and that’s not easy to do. It will take a near seven-pounder to displace a fish from this list as we head into a New Year.

And just for fun…

All-Time Weights (40-pound minimum “career” mark)
(Note: not all anglers have participated each year)
111-11 Jake Bresson (32-13,27-12,27-6,23-12)
107-3 Troy Jackson (20-14,22-12,21-3,26-13,15-9)
98-4 Mark Balbinot (33-14,32-13,31-9)
76-4 Austin Chapman (20-9,29-7,26-4)
73-0 Brice Wangler (26-1,25-8,21-7)
72-15 Bruce Zilkowski (20-1,17-0,17-14,18-0)
72-10 Randy Sampson, Sr. (27-6,21-8,23-12)
67-7 Brent Jackson (18-7,6-10,13-2,10-2,19-2)
66-12 Paul Kessler (18-6,17-6,16-6,14-10)
64-11 Jim Junk (11-7,16-5,13-7,23-8)
45-11 Mike Mooney (22-13,4-9,18-5)

Comments: We have our second member of the “career” 100-pound club despite the fellow struggling a bit and failing to keep his 20-pound limit streak alive. Maybe this year and looks like the next catch for our current champ will put him in the club as well.

Year five is in the books and back for more in 2019 for anyone who is interested. And we’ll take all species again this year if you chase or happen upon something other than bass. We already have our first catch of the New Year so make sure you stop by tomorrow for the earliest Top 5 Update in the history of the project. Talk to you later. Troy

Another successful year of sharing fish stories in the book as 2018 gives way to a New Year. As always, we’ve got stats…and a Top 5 Champ to crown. So dive right in for the rundown of the numbers and blurbs as we close the book on 2018, year five of the Top 5.

Congratulations to Mark Balbinot our 2018 Top 5 Champ

2018 Bass Totals (* = new record)
*January = 5 bass (old record 1 in 2017)
February = 5 bass
March = 0 bass
April = 12 bass
May = 24 bass
June = 10 bass
July = 8 bass
August = 4 bass
*September = 16 bass (old record 6 in 2014,2015,2017)
*October = 24 bass (old record 8 in 2017)
November = 8 bass
Comments: Ten bass by the end of February was a sight for sore eyes as you never know what the weather holds where most all of us Top 5 folks wet a line. I must say that March ended up as downer though with nary a submission. A strong finish to the year really pulled us through and included new record monthly totals among those last 48 bass.

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
*January = 13-5 (3-15, 2-7, 2-6, 2-6, 2-3) previous record 2-11 in 2017
February = 7-3 (2-6,1-7,1-5,1-2,0-15)
March = no submissions
April = 14-15 (4-0,3-0,2-12,2-10,2-9)
May = 19-5 (4-11,4-8,3-10,3-7,3-1)
June = 18-10 (4-5,4-1,3-9,3-7,3-4)
July = 18-13 (4-0,3-14,3-13,3-11,3-7)
August 11-6 (3-15,3-10,2-12,1-1)
*September = 23-8 (5-2,5-1,4-9,4-8,4-4) previous record 22-3 in 2014
*October = 28-9 (6-3,5-14,5-10,5-10,5-4) previous record 26-11 in 2017
*November = 26-1 (7-2,6-12,4-3,4-0,4-0) previous record 24-9 in 2016
Comments: Record breaking bookends on the calendar were a cool feature and prove that you can still get it done in cool water. An outstanding batch of bass during the final three months of submissions included all of the Top 10 bass for the year (more on that later).

Chris Schwarz, Jayce Jackson, Paul Kessler, Riley Danner (left to right)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 55 bass
Bank = 61 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight (* = new record)
Boat = 31-9 (7-2,6-12,6-3,5-14,5-10)
Bank = 24-2 (5-4,5-2,4-11,4-9,4-8)
Comments: You know, it kind of does my heart good to see a breakdown such as this. I’ve spent my share of time in both spots, still do. Both have their merits and the latter of the two is a necessity by rule on at least one of my stomping grounds. While the boated bass outweighed the banked bass, it certainly was an impressive batch for the bunch that prowled the banks. A boat definitely alleviates that old “sure wish I could get over there” feeling but the limited access of the bank can also pay dividends. That limitation can force you to slow down, work your spots thoroughly and maybe hit them a second time on the way back to the parking lot.

Nick Tiska, John Kirkemo (left to right) 

Public vs. Private
Public = 92 bass
Private = 24 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 24-5 (5-4,5-2,4-11,4-11,4-9)
Private = 31-9 (7-2,6-12,6-3,5-14,5-10)
Comments: Even if you’ve got more than enough fishing holes to choose from do you ever wish that you had some more private honey holes? Sure, but those can be hard to come by these days. Thus, it’s fun to see the results that the Top 5 crew produced by spending a lot of time fishing where everybody can fish.

The Baits (* = new record)
Plastic Worms = 56 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jim Junk)
*Spinnerbaits = 17 bass (Top Bass 5-14 Mark Balbinot) beats 5-4 Terry Isbell 2014
Crankbaits = 15 bass (Top Bass 5-10 Mark Balbinot)
*Lipless Crankbaits = 8 bass (Top Bass 6-3 Mark Balbinot) beats 5-13 Troy Jackson 2015
*Chatterbait = 7 bass (Top Bass 4-11 Chris Schwarz) beats 4-10 Mark Balbinot 2016
Buzzbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-8 Troy Jackson)
Creature Baits = 3 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Paul Kessler)
Jigs = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Brent Jackson)
Underspins = 2 bass (Top Bass 7-2 Mark Balbinot)
Jerkbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-6 John Kirkemo)
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-7 Nick Tiska)
Undisclosed = 1 bass
Comments: What can you say about the good, old plastic worm? Presentations may have changed as wacky rigging ruled the day amongst our anglers, but these things still get it done. Several new records are also established in 2018 and it took some darn good bass to set the marks.

Brent Jackson, Jim Junk, Troy Jackson, Teagan Mills (left to right)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
*January
3-15 Mark Balbinot (old record 2-11 Mark Balbinot 2016)
February
2-6 Troy Jackson
March
No submissions
April
4-0 Chris Schwarz
May
4-11 Chris Schwarz
June
4-5 Jim Junk
July
4-0 Jim Junk
August
3-15 Jim Junk
September
5-2 Jim Junk
October
6-3 Mark Balbinot
*November
7-2 Mark Balbinot (old record 6-8 Mark Balbinot 2016)
Comments: The new monthly Top Bass to begin and end our year were each part of their respective monthly Top 5 record books. Lots of folks can catch them when the conditions are favorable while January and November can kick up the challenge just a notch.

Patricia Kirkemo, Landon Hannam (left to right)

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
*7-2 Mark Balbinot 11/23 (#7 all-time)
6-12 Mark Balbinot 11/23
6-3 Mark Balbinot 10/20
5-14 Mark Balbinot 10/20
5-10 Mark Balbinot 10/20
5-10 Mark Balbinot 10/29
5-4 Jim Junk 10/26
5-3 Mark Balbinot 10/28
5-2 Jim Junk 9/8
5-1 Brent Jackson 9/23
Comments: In a case of “saved the best for last”, the final submission of 2018 turned out to be the largest bass of the year. It also managed to crack the all-time Top 5 Top 10 list which is a pretty tall order these days as it takes a near 7-pounder.

Top Bass Angler Weights 
Mark Balbinot 31-9 (7-2,6-12,6-3,5-14,5-10)
Jim Junk 23-8 (5-4,5-2,4-9,4-5,4-4)
Chris Schwarz 20-15 (4-11,4-11,4-8,4-0,3-1)
Brent Jackson 19-2 (5-1,4-11,3-8,3-7,2-7)
Troy Jackson 15-9 (4-8,3-2,3-0,2-9,2-6)
Paul Kessler 14-10 (3-10,3-9,2-12,2-10,2-1)
John Kirkemo 10-8 (2-7,2-3,2-0,2-0,1-14)
Jayce Jackson 7-8 (2-5,1-13,1-5,1-4,0-13)
Nick Tiska 3-7 (3-7)
Patricia Kirkemo 2-15 (2-15)
Landon Hannam 1-5 (1-5)
Riley Danner 1-5 (1-5)
Teagan Mills 1-2 (1-2)
Comments: Congratulations to our 2018 Top 5 Champ, Mark Balbinot, whose strong finish propelled him to his third straight winning weight. All told, 13 anglers posted our 116 bass as well as the species to follow below.

Other Species
Comments: The Top 5 expanded to include species other than bass back in 2017 and the contributions have been rather slim with just over a dozen non-bass in the database. However, it’s good to see that there’s other fish in the lakes, ponds, rivers and streams than those crazy bass. It’s always a treat when one of those “others” shows up in the Inbox with this year’s newcomer being the rainbow trout.

Muskie Length Totals
70+” John Kirkemo (40”, 30+”)

Channel Catfish Totals
13-0 Teagan Mills
8-2 (25”) Chris Schwarz

Rainbow Trout Totals
22” John Kirkemo (11”,11”)

  

There you have it. The Top 5 turned five with a solid and rewarding batch of catches from some boys and a girl spanning the age spectrum from youngsters to considerably more “experienced” youngsters. The 2018 totals of 116 bass and 6 others represented a welcome boost from 79 and 13, respectively, in 2017.

So, you know what? We’re going to do it again in 2019.

In fact, it’s already off and running. But before we get to the year’s first submission via next Monday’s earliest Top 5 update ever, we’ll take a look at the record book. Tune in over the next two days for a look at the all-time stats from five years of fishing. Talk to you later. Troy

Open water is disappearing in my neighborhood and with it go my hopes of hitting my annual goal of a November bass. However, another of our Top 5 anglers continues his impressive run with a couple more submissions. It takes some work these days to get it done so here’s a tip of the stocking cap to Jim Junk for keeping us going.

   

Weight: 3-11 and 4-0
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: November 16
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Angler Comments: Didn’t have very high expectations when the place I wanted to fish was ice covered and the past two times out had been limited to one small bass. Found some open water though and these two, 3-11 and 4-0, both on a chatterbait.
Top 5 Weight: 23-8 (5-4,5-2,4-9,4-5,4-4)

In corresponding with Jim last week he also noted that he’d applied a bit of Reel Magic to the rod guides to keep them from freezing up his line. Good tip, I’ll have to keep that one in mind. Also got a grin upon noticing a glove in one of the pics. Now, that’s some dedication in searching for “one more bass” before calling it a year. Talk to you later. Troy

Ten months down for 2018 means it’s time for another stat update. Without further ado, here you go.

2018 Totals (* = new record)
*January = 5 bass (old record 1 in 2017)
February = 5 bass
March = 0 bass
April = 12 bass
May = 24 bass
June = 10 bass
July = 8 bass
August = 4 bass
*September = 16 bass (old record 6 in 2014,2015,2017)
*October = 22 bass (old record 8 in 2017)
November = 1 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
*January = 13-5 (3-15, 2-7, 2-6, 2-6, 2-3) previous record 2-11 in 2017
February = 7-3 (2-6,1-7,1-5,1-2,0-15)
March = no submissions
April = 14-15 (4-0,3-0,2-12,2-10,2-9)
May = 19-5 (4-11,4-8,3-10,3-7,3-1)
June = 18-10 (4-5,4-1,3-9,3-7,3-4)
July = 18-13 (4-0,3-14,3-13,3-11,3-7)
August 11-6 (3-15,3-10,2-12,1-1)
*September = 23-8 (5-2,5-1,4-9,4-8,4-4) previous record 22-3 in 2014
*October = 27-15 (6-3,5-14,5-10,5-4,5-0) previous record 26-11 in 2017
November = 3-13 (3-13)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 51 bass
Bank = 56 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight (* = new record)
Boat = 27-12 (6-3,5-14,5-10,5-1,5-0)
Bank = 24-2 (5-4,5-2,4-11,4-9,4-8)

Public vs. Private
Public = 87 bass
Private = 20 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 24-5 (5-4,5-2,4-11,4-11,4-9)
Private = 27-12 (6-3,5-14,5-10,5-1,5-0)

The Baits (* = new record)
Plastic Worms = 56 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jim Junk)
*Spinnerbaits = 16 bass (Top Bass 5-14 Mark Balbinot) beats 5-4 Terry Isbell 2014
Crankbaits = 14 bass (Top Bass 3-15 Mark Balbinot)
*Chatterbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 4-11 Chris Schwarz) beats 4-10 Mark Balbinot 2016
*Lipless Crankbaits = 5 bass (Top Bass 6-3 Mark Balbinot) beats 5-13 Troy Jackson 2015
Buzzbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-8 Troy Jackson)
Creature Baits = 3 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Paul Kessler)
Jigs = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Brent Jackson)
Jerkbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-6 John Kirkemo)
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-7 Nick Tiska)
Undisclosed = 1 bass

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
3-15 Mark Balbinot (old record 2-11 Mark Balbinot 2016)
February
2-6 Troy Jackson
March
No submissions
April
4-0 Chris Schwarz
May
4-11 Chris Schwarz
June
4-5 Jim Junk
July
4-0 Jim Junk
August
3-15 Jim Junk
September
5-2 Jim Junk
October
6-3 Mark Balbinot
November
3-1 Jim Junk

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
6-3 Mark Balbinot 10/20
5-14 Mark Balbinot 10/20
5-10 Mark Balbinot 10/20
5-4 Jim Junk 10/26
5-2 Jim Junk 9/8
5-1 Brent Jackson 9/23
5-0 Mark Balbinot 10/20
4-14 Mark Balbinot 10/20
4-11 Chris Schwarz 5/26
4-11 Brent Jackson 10/19
4-11 Chris Schwarz 10/21

Angler Weights (* = new Top 5 record, old mark 32-13)
Mark Balbinot 27-9 (6-3,5-14,5-10,5-0,4-14)
Jim Junk 23-8 (5-4,5-2,4-9,4-5,4-4)
Chris Schwarz 20-15 (4-11,4-11,4-8,4-0,3-1)
Brent Jackson 19-2 (5-1,4-11,3-8,3-7,2-7)
Troy Jackson 15-9 (4-8,3-2,3-0,2-9,2-6)
Paul Kessler 14-10 (3-10,3-9,2-12,2-10,2-1)
John Kirkemo 10-8 (2-7,2-3,2-0,2-0,1-14)
Jayce Jackson 7-8 (2-5,1-13,1-5,1-4,0-13)
Nick Tiska 3-7 (3-7)
Patricia Kirkemo 2-15 (2-15)
Landon Hannam 1-5 (1-5)
Riley Danner 1-5 (1-5)
Teagan Mills 1-2 (1-2)

Other Species

Muskie Length Totals
70+” John Kirkemo (40”, 30+”)

Channel Catfish Totals
13-0 Teagan Mills
8-2 (25”) Chris Schwarz

Friday Flashback series continues later this week and yes, we do have a couple interesting additions to the Top 5 ready to go for Monday. Anybody else willing to brave the elements around West Central Illinois to add to the collection?

I dare you…

Talk to you later. Troy

An outstanding push by several bass anglers finds us topping the century mark for the bass category. Well done by a group that includes last year’s Top Bass champ making a stellar return after being off the radar since January, our resident bank fisherman upping his 2018 personal best and another young angler joining the quest. And away we go…

Weight: 4-14
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: October 20
Location: Fulton County, IL strip pit
Lure: Big Bladed Spinnerbait (white)
Structure: Laydowns and brush in 2-6’ of water

Weight: 5-0
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: October 20
Location: Fulton County, IL strip pit
Lure: Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)
Structure: Flat 1-5’ of water

Weight: 5-10
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: October 20
Location: Fulton County, IL strip pit
Lure: Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)
Structure: Flat 1-5’ of water

Weight: 5-14
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: October 20
Location: Fulton County, IL strip pit
Lure: Big Bladed Spinnerbait (white)
Structure: Laydowns and brush in 2-6’ of water

Weight: 6-3
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: October 20
Water Temp: High 50s F
Location: Fulton County, IL strip pit
Lure: Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)
Structure: Flat 1-5’ of water
Top 5 Weight: 27-9 (6-3,5-14,5-10,5-0,4-14) culls 3-15,2-7,2-6,2-6,2-3

Weight: 1-2
Angler: Teagan Mills
Date: October 21
Location: Lake Storey
Top 5 Weight: 1-2 (1-2)

Weight: 3-13
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: October 23
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Weedless Senko
Angler Comments: Really thought I was going to get shutout for the day as I was fishing for over an hour without even a bite. Redeemed myself as dusk was setting in with two small ones and this 3-13. All on a weedless senko.

Weight: 5-4
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: October 26
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Spinnerbait
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: Had been fishing for a few hours and only managed one small fish. Was fishing a far corner of a lake and he slammed my spinnerbait just within a couple of reels of lifting it up and over the outside weed edge. Short fight ensued.
Top 5 Weight: 23-8 (5-4,5-2,4-9,4-5,4-4) culls 4-2

NOTE: Mark Balbinot also put together a cool data filled video of his batch of catches that I definitely recommend checking out on YouTube at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5gCRDE-WLg

Now that’s quite an update, especially for the end of October as many have put away their fishing gear in favor of other pursuits. We made the goal of 100 bass but perhaps it’s not quite over yet. My annual aim is to land at least one November bass and here’s hoping a few others will continue to give it a shot as well. Lots more stuff headed your way as I’m hoping to complete a full week of posting. Talk to you later. Troy