2018 Fishing Video Recap – Top IA Bass

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I have scoured the internet on several occasions in search of an old advertisement that offered up the tagline “there’s big fish in Iowa” or something quite similar. I want to say that it was a tourism spot but could very well have been pitching a product of some sort.

Just don’t know.

What I do know is that I’ve had some difficulty finding those big fish so it is not only the advertisement search that has proven elusive. I’ve only been fishing Iowa waters since June 2016 and exclusively on the relatively new Lost Grove Lake so my attempts have been rather limited. To date, my personal best Iowa bass is a 2-3 from June 2017 among the 106 bass in the log from just under 40 hours of casting in The Hawkeye State.

The clip below represents the Top Iowa Bass for 2018, not a particularly impressive specimen but worthy of a video highlight nonetheless.

 

Even though I have yet to fool anything real special on Lost Grove, I still plan on giving it another shot in 2019. The proximity of a 25-minute drive makes it a good after work weekday trip once the summer days get long. A couple evening hours hits the spot and I do know that some good ones do indeed prowl that water. I’ve seen a couple on internet reports as well as several firsthand swimming in the waters.

But the toughest one to take was a 4-pounder that a fellow nabbed from the bank within a cast of my boat and right where I was headed. Tough luck for me as he simply got there first. Initially a little bummed, I took a mental step back, congratulated him on the catch and even assisted him by loaning my pliers and snapping a couple pics for him with his phone.

Best of all, that fish is still swimming, right alongside my 2-3 Iowa personal best as they were both caught in the same area. And as both were fooled in 2017, they’ll have two more years of growing under their belts for 2019 (yes, I do know bass do not wear belts). Talk to you later. Troy

2018 Fishing Video Recap – Holy $^!%

Posted on by Troy Jackson

(NOTE: Like all other posts, this is indeed family friendly, just having some fun with the title.)

There’s an interesting bunch of young YouTubers out there on the internet doing the fishing thing and I must admit that I do get a kick out of their ambition and some of their antics. However, I still cringe a bit when one of them drops some profanity as I am sure there are kids who follow as well, including some of mine.

Now, I know that my kids hear worse more often at school and they tell me so. It is what it is and I simply inform them that I don’t want to hear or hear of them using such language.

All good, right? Until this video clip from my nine year old boy, Jayce.

 

Okay, all in good fun, I can live with “Holy crap”, could be another synonym.

Overall, it’s just plain fun to see a kid take a liking to a hobby that has provided me with so many memories for so many years before he was even around and hopefully will keep on giving as he/we grow older.

Lots of stuff going on here, far too much to write about in detail and perhaps hard to put into words anyway. Things as simple as fresh air, ditching technology (well, except for a phone that records video) and father-son time all fit nicely into that “priceless” category.

As far as that boy’s language goes, there’s that old saying that “the apple don’t fall far from the tree.” Thank goodness that most of what’s in my head some days stays there instead of coming out of my mouth.

Seems that the old adage also applies in respect to that boy being a fisherman.

Heck yes and darn straight. Talk to you later. Troy

2018 Fishing Video Recap – First Cast

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Superstition is a weird deal.

I don’t really buy it but I also can’t totally shake it. Played just a few ball games of various sorts when I could do that sort of thing and well, superstition kind of gets in your head from time to time. Where to stand when on deck, number of dribbles on a free throw, glove goes in a certain spot on the bench, mark your ball and replace before a putt, lucky socks, front foot out of the box between pitches…you get the picture.

But those are what I call “habits” or “routine” so not superstitious, right?

So, how about superstition and fishing?

Folks, I’ve got a whole batch of notes on the topic in my “one of these days” folder.

And I’ve gotta tell you, when the incident below occurred it honestly had me a little worried. You see, I’ve long viewed a bass on the first cast as more of a bad omen than a sign that you are going to knock ‘em dead. And a first cast bass on Lake Storey? Now that is almost unheard of.

 

In reality, however, I would have to say that the concern is unfounded, pretty much like all of the standard (or odd) superstitious quirks that can influence people’s behavior. In fact, on this Lake Storey outing I wound up having a real solid day on a fishing hole that can sometimes be a tough one to figure out.

Perhaps next time though I’ll choose a historically unproductive spot for my first cast just in case. You know, instead of the tree under the water, maybe toss that spinnerbait into one up on the bank.

Talk to you later. Troy

2018 Fishing Video Recap – The Intros

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Beginning in October of the 2018 season I took to recording intro videos on my drive to the fishing hole. Those intros primarily consisted of a mix of fishing forecasts, breakfast banter and trip tunes as I enjoyed the solitude of a solo ride.

During those rides, anything is possible and the anticipation runs high as you dream of what lies in store once you hit the water. Old stories are relived and the day’s gameplan is hashed out based on some of those old tales as well as the multitude of other variables that we anglers often overthink.

Nothing too serious in my pre-cast preludes though as the outdoor escapes are all about having fun and getting away from all of the serious stuff that goes along with being a grownup. But mixed in with the lightheartedness one can also find a dash of fishing know how and even some sentimentality. Both of those aspects go a long way towards explaining why I’ve spent the last seventeen years telling “fish stories” via the internet.

Two minute montage of my two cents en route to the fishing hole on several trips last fall.

 

The alliterative tagline for this latest internet venture reads “Fish, fur, family, friends, fun…and some foolishness” but it could just as easily offer up that the goal is to “educate, enlighten and entertain.” Hopefully the addition of the intro video feature on my outings provides at least a little of each of those last three items.

To date, the intro concept has been pretty basic with no cameraman, no script and no filter. Just turn the GoPro on and rattle off as it rattles along the dashboard with the bumps in the road. I am mindful to keep it contained these days however, as attention spans just ain’t what they used to be. Truth be known though, I believe that I could talk fishing all the way from the Quad Cities to the Knox County strip mines and back (the back part is a video clip for another day). Fortunately, for anyone who prefers the fishing over the rambling I’ve only got so much juice in the GoPro battery so I must conserve it just in case the bass decide to help me out.

Some of those instances are coming your way next as the recap continues. Talk to you later. Troy

2018 Fishing Video Recap

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It looks like Winter is going to stick around for a while now that it has arrived, so what to do in terms of blogging?

Why, a 2018 Fishing Video recap sounds like a good idea so let’s start there.

Since I typically like to kick off a series of postings with a bit of an introduction, here we go.

Back in July of 2017 for birthday number 50, my family gave me a GoPro camera. I am a lucky fellow to have such a thoughtful wife (and kids) as it was a cool gift and something that I likely wouldn’t have purchased on my own as spending money is not my strong suit.

2017 Blooper Reel below to help set the tone for the videos coming your way the rest of the month.

 

As you can see from the revisit of the 2017 Blooper Reel, video has indeed been a fun addition to the fishing thing that I’ve been doing since I was a kid and this blogging thing that I’ve been doing since being a bigger kid. Throw in a smart “phone” for some added video and over the course of a year I wind up with a decent amount of footage.

Some of it even ends up fairly interesting and entertaining, if I say so myself. Now I certainly will not be mistaken for the latest internet video sensation but I’m sure having a good time preserving the adventures on “film” (yep, can’t get away from the old lingo).

The occasional new, yet rudimentary, editing tricks that I dabble in are far from the polished YouTubers and outdoor pros but for me that’s still much of the fun. And no scripts here, just some straight up reactions and rambles captured on a fishing trip.

So, as we close out the month let’s take a look at year two of the video age with a Top 10 of sorts along with a bonus bunch of bloopers to round out the 2018 video highlights. No particular countdown order beyond an intro montage to start and a recap montage to finish.

Hope you’ll tune in and talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes – 1/5/19, Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

And the Top 5 are…

5. Home Sweet Home – Motley Crue (1985) – I know, standard 80s Hair Band staple to include at least one ballad but doggone it this one is a winner. It’s tough to hit the nail on the head with a hit that has that anthemic quality so kudos to the Crue for pulling it off with this classic (see also “Rock and Roll All Nite”, “We Will Rock You”, “Paradise City”).

4. Feelin’ Satisfied – Boston (1978) – While much of this band was studio stuff, I saw them in the early 90s and they were real solid. I recall that you could physically feel the sound across the venue. I never fail to stop when I catch them on the dial and how good was the follow up album containing this cut after an incredible debut. Gotta dig some well-placed hand claps too. The title indeed sums it up whenever I hear this one.

3. I Need A Lover – Johnny Cougar (1979) – Actually, I don’t. Already got one. Anyway, I dig the intro and it would likely rank in my Top 10 Intros. The rest of the tune is darn good too although I still can’t get the lyrics right even with the assistance of a search engine. Cougar’s first single to chart was indeed a winner with plenty more to come as well as a couple name changes. Hey, at least he never chose to be represented by a symbol.

2. Heavy Metal – Sammy Hagar (1981) – Takes me back to being a 14-year old boy and brings a pleasant smile thinking about the look of those 80s young ladies. Tunes, fashion and hairdos have certainly changed but a good rocker never gets old. My musical ear also has an affinity for tunes about music, the fans and the performers from a perspective I’ll never know (see also “All Night Long” by Rainbow, “Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner, “Rock and Roll Band” by Boston, “Shooting Star” by Bad Company, “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp…).

1. Crazy On You – Heart (1976) – Is this the greatest intro and transition into full throttle in rock history? Got to rank among the best as do Ann Wilson’s vocals. A song from the Bicentennial Summer with memories of baseball in the front yard, Lakelawn swimming, WLS on the radio and the Midnight Special on the tube. Too young at that point to have a thing for the Wilson sisters but 40 some years later…

The loosely “outdoor” related antics continue with this completion of another list for another year. Definitely more tunes to come as 2019 moves along but may be a while as the early start on fishing has hit a snag. Mother Nature apparently realized it was several weeks past the official start of winter and brought out a half foot of snow and some single digit lows appear to be in store for next week. Midwest living at its finest. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes – 1/5/19, Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

No bass on my earlier than anticipated first fishing trip of 2019 but I can always manage to find an enjoyable batch of tunes on the airwaves. Saturdays are easily my favorite radio day of the week as it is straight up music without the incessant rambles of morning hosts. But speaking of incessant rambles…

10. Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance) – Leo Sayer (1974) – I never knew quite what to make of Leo Sayer as a kid, still don’t and just tip my cap to his phenomenal talent. Interesting and varied personas (clown to disco) mixed with a range of vocal stylings (falsetto to growls) and tunes that were all over the place (ballads to romps). This cut hits the spot, brings a smile and takes me back to the 70s. Thanks Leo, “You make me feel like dancing” even though I know I can’t dance.

9. Big Shot – Billy Joel (1979) – An entertaining and rocking bit of trash talking from the 52nd Street album, which I had on 8-track once upon a time, so that’s kind of fun. And so is the interspersed mix of heavy guitar, heavy drums, heavy keyboard, heavy vocal, a bit of heavy sax…get it Billy! I also like lyrical quirks so “last word last night”, “white hot spotlight” and “front page, bold type” keep me so entertained.

8. Let It Whip – Dazz Band (1982) – Dang, what a bass groove! Definitely a hook as I do the air bass and make some sort of lame bass sounds before the vocals kick in whenever I hear (or think about) this jam. Of course, then I’ve got to sing along and get my groove on. Not pretty but you can’t help it when you hear such a tune. Fun, fun, fun!

7. Will It Go Round In Circles – Billy Preston (1973) – Such a fun song with so many musical bits of horns, harmonica and, of course, keyboards amidst the driving backbeat. And did anybody look like they were having more fun than the fellow who is sometimes referred to as “The Fifth Beatle”? Check out some of the early 70s performances of this cut for a rollicking few minutes and a killer afro. Great stuff, takes me back and has me on a mission to dig out my old basketball cards for an ABA revisit of Dr. J, Artis Gilmore and Darnell Hillman (nod to Oscar Gamble in the MLB as well). Note: Billy Preston’s hairdo is the lead pic on Wikipedia for “Afro”, now that’s cool.

6. Unchained – Van Halen (1981) – Rock and roll at its finest, a basic quartet of a charismatic lead singer, an innovative guitarist and a dynamic duo of a rhythm section doing their thing on this cut. And that thing is a mix of raw rocker, vocal histrionics, a dose of silliness and in my opinion, underrated harmonies. Say what you will about the successful “Van Hagar” years but I’ll take this stuff hands down any day, every day.

Love my tunes and hope you are looking to put the internet to good use in dialing some of them up. I also hope that there’s a few out there who, about a half hour from now, like me will wonder “how in the world did I wind up listening to…”

Part II tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report 1/5/19

Posted on by Troy Jackson

  

Tough just to find and reach some open water to even get started fishing

Okay, let’s get this detail out of the way.

I failed to catch a bass during my two hours of January fishing this past Saturday.

And now, on with the report anyway.

Afternoon temps were favorable and brought out a fellow fishing fool

Stats
Date: January 5, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (first 3 frozen, one partially open)
Time: 1:45pm-3:45pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 51F
Water Temp: no gauge
Totals: 0 bass
Lures:
Strike King Rattlin’ Pro Model 3/8 oz. jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple Craw trailer (pepper frog hot orange)
Rapala Shad Rap (blue)
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)

Notes and Nonsense

Hard Water – New Year’s Day reports of largely open water, relatively mild temps and some recent rain had my hopes up that all of my fishing holes would at least be partially accessible via boat. But as the clip below shows, my hopes were pretty much dashed.

 

Desperate Times – Open water about 50 feet from the frozen ramp was my only shot as I did not want to waste the hour drive and the rare shot at my January bass. My eight foot johnboat had to assume the role of icebreaker and even at 40 plus years old it was up to the task. The video below takes a look at the icy conditions that gripped most of the lake and how the afternoon sun and wind action began to loosen that grip a bit.

 

Antique Angling – That 40-year old boat gets hauled to the lake in a 21-year old truck whose driver side door no longer opens. This makes for some added fun for the 51-year old guy who drives it as explained in the following video (also features a further look at the lake conditions). Don’t know if the old and broke fishing niche is covered yet by the YouTube crowd so I may be onto something…stay tuned.

 

Hey, no fish but believe me, it’s just cool to be writing a firsthand fishing report this time of year even though I failed to get on the board. Most years I’ve still got a couple months to go before one of my lures gets a chance to hit open water so this was definitely a bonus opportunity. I was fortunate that I was afforded time to give it a go and you will never hear a complaint from this guy after going fishing. Excuses… maybe…

 

All is not lost either as I managed to get a “Top 10 Trip Tunes” list out of the adventure so don’t touch that dial. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update and Guidelines

Posted on by Troy Jackson

So, here we go again with year number six of the Top 5 project already off and running thanks to a West Central Illinois New Year’s Day bass. Yep, that’s right, open water on a non-power plant/cooling lake to start the year, rather unusual. Of course, that is only part of the equation as you also need to figure out how to get bit. Congrats to Jim Junk on getting it done with all the details below.

Weight: 3-3
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: January 1
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rat L Trap
Angler Comments: Didn’t really think I would be putting you to work this early in the year. Healthy 3-3 Banner bass hit a Rat L Trap.
Top 5 Weight: 3-3

If a New Year’s Day bass wasn’t cool enough, Jim had also landed a 2018 Christmas Day bass as pictured below, quite impressive.

(Note: Below is a rundown of the “rules” for the Top 5 project as a refresher for some and an invitation for others.)

The Top 5 is an audience participation project for anglers to submit their catches for public consumption on what I like to call a virtual brag board. 2019 marks year number six of the project and it’s been an entertaining addition to my fishing and writing hobbies as well as something to look forward to with weekly update postings each Monday and monthly updates of the running totals.

While initially focusing solely on bass, beginning in 2017 the project was expanded to include other freshwater species. I will accept either weight or length data based on the angler’s preference so there will potentially be separate categories within species according to the information provided. One stipulation is that the fish be landed via rod and reel.

Bass will still remain a collective group for your Top 5 creel (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted or whatever other black bass species you might run into on a fishing journey somewhere) and must measure 12” or better to qualify whether submitted to the length or weight category. Don’t hesitate to send in some early members of your “limit” that you anticipate displacing later. It’s always fun to watch the progression in such instances and even the Bassmasters have to post some “dinks” along the way.

I don’t really have any minimum criteria on other species at this point and I am leaving each species on its own. For example, the catfish family will all be separate, thus a flathead Top 5, channel cat Top 5 or even a bullhead Top 5 if that’s your specialty.

For those who elect to weigh their catch, while a digital model is preferred, if you still roll with a DeLiar and such, it’s all good as long as you can get within a couple ounces of accuracy (remember there is no big money check). We run on honor code. I shoot straight in terms of weight in all of my fishing reports and I assume others do as well.

The amount of information you are willing to share is entirely up to you. I’m a more information the better guy but I get it if you’d rather remain somewhat elusive. I have compiled a database of the 591 bass and handful of other species submitted over the years and it’s always fun to take a look at the record book. Thus, it would be cool to have it dialed in, but I’ll take whatever I can get.

Here’s what I’m asking for in your submissions:

Weight/Length: I record weights in pounds and ounces such that 5-4 equates to five pounds four ounces as opposed to decimals so I ask that submissions be reported in this fashion to avoid conversion and/or confusion. For length submissions let’s go with the nearest half inch.

Lures/Bait: if you aren’t willing to reveal specifics such as brand, model, presentation and color, a generic category such as spinnerbait, plastic worm or crankbait would be appreciated. Chicken liver, stinkbait, dew worm, cutbait and so on work just fine as well.

Location: if you don’t want to say “Emiquon Preserve” just go with Fulton County and a designation of public or private would also be of interest. Even West Central Illinois strip mine or Eastern Iowa stream would be beneficial if you prefer not to be too specific.

Date: can’t see much of an issue with this aspect but I guess I’ll just list it as the date I received the submission unless otherwise noted. Once again though, the more accurate the better in my book.

Name: totally up to you whether you want to use your real name or a nickname, just let me know what you prefer.

Photo: a pic is required so have your cameras or “phones” at the ready. After all, part of the premise of this entire project is to show more fishing pictures on the website than just my little bass. Whether you put your mug in the frame is your choice.

Angler Comments: if you’ve got a story, something weird or otherwise interesting to pass along with the catch, by all means, include your tale. Same goes for structure as it’s fun to hear if the fish came off a point, alongside a laydown, amidst a patch of lilypads and so on. I will be happy to use your description, as written, in the periodic updates so don’t use any “bad” words, that way I don’t have to spend time editing.

And here is the general process:

Step One: You catch, weigh/measure, document and photograph a fish that resides in your Top 5 heaviest of 2018.
Step Two: Send your pic and details to troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com.
Step Three: I track the catches and photos in order to provide periodic updates (typically each Monday) as you build your Top 5. (Note: you send each fish as you work towards a Top 5 rather than waiting until you have five, unless, of course, you wipe ‘em all out on your first trip).
Step Four: Repeat the above, replacing (or culling to use a tourney term) smaller Top 5 fish as larger ones join your ledger. For instance, say your Top 5 by May 1 is as follows: 3-4, 2-7, 2-3, 1-12 and 1-11 for a total weight of 11-5. Then on May 6 you reel in a 3-3 so out goes the 1-11 and the total weight bumps up to 12-13. Same concept for length submissions.

And as you saw at the beginning of this lengthy post, we are already off and running. Good luck to all and talk to you later. Troy