A new month means a new stat wrap-up for the Top 5.  A little lean of late, but here we go.

 2017 Totals (* = new record)
*January = 1 bass (no previous entries)
*February = 13 bass (old record 7 in 2016)
March = 10 bass (record 13 in 2014)
April = 11 bass
May = 13 bass
June = 0 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
*January = 2-11 (2-11) no previous record
February = 21-5 (5-2,4-14,4-2,3-15,3-4) record 22-9 in 2016
March = 22-15 (6-2,4-11,4-9,4-3,3-6) record 28-0 in 2016
April = 25-0 (6-0,5-15,5-9,3-14,3-10)
May = 26-14 (6-15,5-8,5-4,5-2,4-1)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 38 bass
Bank = 10 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 30-9 (6-15,6-2,6-0,5-15,5-9)
Bank = 20-2 (5-2,4-1,3-14,3-10,3-7)

Public vs. Private
Public = 28 bass
Private = 20 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 27-3 (6-0,5-15,5-4,5-2,4-14)
Private = 29-4 (6-15,6-2,5-9,5-8,5-2)

The Baits (* = new record)
Crankbaits = 15 bass (Top Bass 6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Jigs = 9 bass (Top Bass 6-2 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Jake Bresson)
Swim Jigs = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
Lipless Crankbaits = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Bruce Zilkowski)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Paul Kessler)
Underspins = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Mark Balbinot)
*Buzzbaits = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-9 Troy Jackson)
Old record 5-8 Terry Isbell 9/14/14
*Creature Bait = 2 bass (Top Bass 6-15)
Old record 6-1 Jeff Marshall 5/23/14
Plastic Worm = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-5 Troy Jackson)
Tube = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jake Bresson)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
*2-11 Mark Balbinot (no previous record)
February
5-2 Mark Balbinot
March
6-2 Troy Jackson
April
6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.
May
6-15 Mark Balbinot

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
*6-15  Mark Balbinot 5/13 (#7 all-time)
6-2   Troy Jackson 3/4
6-0   Randy Sampson Sr. 4/15
5-15 Mark Balbinot 4/14
5-9   Troy Jackson 4/25
5-8   Mark Balbinot 5/13
5-4   Jake Bresson Late May
5-2   Mark Balbinot 2/26
5-2   Jake Bresson 5/20
4-14 Randy Sampson Sr. 2/19

Angler Weights
27-10    Mark Balbinot (6-15,5-15,5-8,5-2,4-2)
22-3    Randy Sampson Sr. (6-0,4-14,4-11,3-6,3-4)
22-1    Jake Bresson (5-4,5-2,4-1,4-0,3-10)
20-11  Troy Jackson (6-2,5-9,3-6,3-5,2-5)
18-0    Bruce Zilkowski (4-9,4-3,3-15,3-0,2-5)
8-10    Paul Kessler (3-4,2-12,2-10)
3-2      Brent Jackson (3-2)

Bonus Species – Northern Pike
Total = 54.5” Jake Bresson (33.5”,21.0”) both on Tubes

Bonus Species – Green Sunfish
0-13 Jayce Jackson

Bonus Species – Muskie
Total = 131” Jake Bresson (47”,31”,29”24”) on Rapala X-Rap

Bonus Species – Walleye
Total = 118” Jake Bresson (26.5”,26.0”,25.5”,20”,20”) on Rapala X-Rap or jig & minnow

Lots of good fish but still a lean year in terms of participation.  I get it, modesty and/or secrecy sometimes outweigh the desire to join a “brag board.”  My advice is to just view our project as the modern equivalent of having that Polaroid picture of your latest catch on the counter of the local baitshop.  Just ignore the fact that the baitshop is pretty much available to anyone around the world.  Good luck and send them my way.  Talk to you later.  Troy

Been a little lean on the Top 5 front since kicking off the new website so cool to have a two year veteran of the project send me his first contributions for 2017.

Weight: 2-12
Angler: Paul Kessler
Date: April 17
Location: Banner Marsh – Pumphouse Lake
Lure: Spinnerbait (white)

Weight: 2-10
Angler: Paul Kessler
Date: April 17
Location: Banner Marsh – Pumphouse Lake
Lure: Spinnerbait (white)
Angler Comments: First trip of the year was on April 17 to Banner Marsh where I tried fishing Shovel and Pumphouse lakes.  Started on Pumphouse in the morning and caught the two above.  Maybe should have stayed there but wanted to look for some crappie since I have never had good luck catching them at any of the lakes there.  Didn’t catch anything else the rest of the day which was disappointing!

Weight: 3-4
Angler: Paul Kessler
Date: May 27
Location: Emiquon Preserve
Lure: Rapala DT6 Crankbait (Helsinki Shad)
Angler Comments: Forecast was for fairly calm winds but the morning was foggy and waves were up to a foot when I launched.  Managed to do well jigging for crappie but waves were topping out at whitecaps. Decided to go in and take a break at that point.  In the next 30 mins the sun came out and the wind died and things calmed down pretty well.  Caught ten bass but only weighed the biggest one.  Dumb mistake since I would have filled out my top five!  All were caught on a Rapala DT6.  Bought several colors of that lure based on some of your blog posts early last year!  Definitely paid off  for me on that day.
Top 5 Weight: 8-10 (3-4,2-12,2-10)

Appreciate the participation again this year, Paul, and looking forward to the next email as you continue to boost your creel.  Also thanks for the mention on the DT6, that lure was definitely a winner back in my Emiquon days. And always good to know someone reads some of my posts and may occasionally find something worthwhile.  Be careful though, there’s also a few bad habits in those entries from time to time.  Good luck to all, send ’em this way and talk to you later.  Troy

Nothing new in the Inbox so it was fortunate that I got out via a vacation day and managed to fool one that gave me a boost of a few ounces.  This fish was part of my final May outing and the full fishing report was passed along in yesterday’s post.  Here’s the intimate details on the latest addition to my creel.

Weight: 2-5 (17″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 30
Location: Little John Conservation Club, IL
Lure: Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: This one gave me a second chance after a good blowup and a long distance swing and a miss in some windy conditions that were pushing the limits for buzzbait commotion.  Didn’t have much of an option for the normal Senko follow up cast in the conditions so figured it was buzzbait or nothing.  Lucky for me, this one was either dumb enough or hungry enough to blast it again.
Top 5 Weight: 20-11 (6-2,5-9,3-6,3-5,2-5) culls a 2-1

So, still got one in the two-pound range bringing up the rear which is a reasonable target to boot on most of my fishing holes.  Gave a couple of those spots a brief shot this past weekend so stay tuned for a report later this week on how it panned out.  As always, if you’re catching them send them this way for a few minutes of “fame.”  Talk to you later.  Troy

When it rains, it pours as we get a much needed dose of Top 5 submissions from a pair of past champs. Way to go guys, especially since there’s been a lot of raining and pouring as of late around Illinois.

Weight: 6-15
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: May 13
Location: Fulton Co. IL strip mine
Water Temp: 66F
Lure: Texas rigged Zoom lizard (black/chartreuse)
Structure: Flooded bush in about 3’ of water
Angler Comments: Weather was fairly good and fishing was pretty slow there, water was up a little and stained. Caught a few fish and was heading to the ramp to call it a day. Along the way I decided to make one more stop before going. I was throwing a Texas rigged Zoom lizard in black/chartreuse. Boat was about 10′ from the bank and threw that lizard in front of a flooded bush in about 3 foot of water. I lifted the line and it slowly moved to the right. After setting the hook a bass surfaced on its side and started doing donuts on the surface of the water. Around the bush, to the bank, then jumped, another donut, jumped again, dove down circled the bush and I finally netted it.

Weight: 5-8
Angler: Mark Balbinot
Date: May 14
Location: Fulton Co. IL strip mine
Water Temp: 66F
Lure: Texas rigged Zoom lizard (black/chartreuse)
Structure: Laydown in about 5’ of water
Angler Comments: Decided to go back the next day with my girlfriend and try again, it was Mother’s Day and it was her idea anyway. We caught some small ones on Black and Blue Flaked Wave Worms to start. I switched over to that lizard and caught some bigger fish. My best of the morning was a 5 lbs. 8 oz.
Top 5 Weight: 27-10 (6-15,5-15,5-8,5-2,4-2) culls 3-14 and 3-0

Weight: 4-1 (19.5”)
Angler: Jake Bresson
Date: May 20
Location: Northern IL creek
Lure: Tube
Angler Comments: I went to check one of my creeks last night and when I got there conditions were less than favorable. Actually they were quite high with visibility about a foot. Initially I was just going to go back home but something was nagging as I walked back to the car. I decided screw it I’m fishing since the wife was at work and I had plenty of time to start getting things ready for my Canada trip. I walked down to the one spot I really wanted to fish because even though I was expecting to catch nothing it was the only place I felt I might have a real chance at a fish. I only had the tube on the end of my rod so there was no changing lures. On the third cast dragging the tube on the bottom I felt a thump and set the hook. I brought this 19.5 inch 4.1 smallie to hand.

Weight: 2-1 (16”)
Angler: Jake Bresson
Date: May 20
Location: Northern IL creek
Lure: Swim Jig
Angler Comments: After a few more casts I snagged something on the bottom. In my efforts to free my tube the hook actually broke off so that seemed to be the end of fishing. I walked back to the car and drove home to get my gear ready for my Canada trip at the end of the week. While I was preparing everything I kept feeling this itch to go back so after I finished up I drove back to the creek. This time I decided to try a swim jig figuring the thump of the tail might help in the murky water. I tried initially bringing the swim jig upstream with no success. I repositioned to the downstream position and I was quickly rewarded with this 16″ 2.1lb smallie.

Weight: 5-2 (20.25”)
Angler: Jake Bresson
Date: May 20
Location: Northern IL creek
Lure: Swim Jig
Angler Comments: A few more casts in the same area and I pulled out the biggest largemouth bass I’ve ever caught on this creek. Prior to last night I had never caught anything over about 12-13″ until I caught this behemoth. She went 20 1/4″ and 5.2 pounds!
Top 5 Weight: 18-5 (5-2,4-1,3-10,3-7,2-1)

Bonus Species – Northern Pike

Length: 31.25”
Angler: Jake Bresson
Date: May 20
Location: Northern IL creek
Lure: Tube
Angler Comments: After a few more casts and what felt like small pecks I decided to change casting angles and let the current bring the tube towards me. I was rewarded with this 31 1/4″ pike.

Length: 30”
Angler: Jake Bresson
Date: May 20
Location: Northern IL creek
Lure: Swim Jig
Angler Comments: Just for grins I decided to switch to the tube which netted me another real nice smallie. I guessed it at around 16-16.5″ but she swallowed it really deep and was bleeding. I promptly cut the line and released her to give her the best chance at survival. At that point it was back to the swim jig so I retied. A few casts and I could feel fish bumping it but not taking it when suddenly another big thud. It ended up being another nice northern that taped 30″.
Top 5 Length: 115.75” (33.5,31.25,30,21)

Well done, further proof that “the best time to go fishing is any time you can.” Thanks, fellas, and keep ‘em coming. Good luck and talk to you later. Troy

Here’s the first of what I hope are weekly Top 5 updates as I have reserved Mondays for the reveal of our latest catches.  Been a bit of a drought as of late but fortunately I had this one stockpiled as I left it out of my final update at my previous gig as kind of an insurance policy for the new blog.  Hey, every once in a while I pull off a good decision.  And that would certainly apply to the way I fooled this fish as well.

Weight: 5-9
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 25
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Lure: Booyah Buzzbait (salt & pepper)
Structure: Point with overhanging bushes
Angler Comments: I’ve been doing this fishing thing for a while and every now and again something just instinctively feels right in regards to a change in presentation.  In this case, it was a buzzbait a bit earlier in the season than I would typically throw it.  In fact, most years I wouldn’t even have a buzzbait in the tacklebag in late April.  But something clicked both the previous evening when I packed a buzzbait and again the following day when I tied it on.  In the middle of my fishing “career” I may never have caught this fish so it is refreshing to find that this older angler can occasionally step out of his comfort zone with a changeup reminiscent of the younger angler who had yet to get set in his ways.
Top 5 Weight: 19-1 (6-2,5-9,3-6,2-1,1-15) culls 1-12

So there you have it, the first Top 5 Update post here at the new digs.  While I’m always up for a bump in my weight, I also dig the submissions received from fellow anglers.  So, if you’re out there, and if you’re catching, email link is at the top of the page, send ‘em this way.  Talk to you later.  Troy