It’s awful tough to beat buzzbait bassing. So much so that it can be downright addicting. You know, one of those presentations that you keep using even though something else may be more of the ticket on a particular outing or particular part of the day.

You see, buzzbaits have a few things going for them that keep me reaching for one once the water warms and the bass take an interest in topwater baits.

Reason #1 – They’re fast. If I can get by with it, that’s the way I like to fish, cover a lot of water and target aggressive fish or trigger a reaction strike.

Reason #2 – They’re exciting. There’s nothing quite like a surface strike to get the blood pumping, wake you up from a brief, ill advised daydream or make you kick yourself for sneaking a glance at the target area for your next cast instead of focusing on the current one.

Reason #3 – The results can be big.

I guess that Reason #3 probably gets the nod as the favorite but the combination of these features make the buzzbait one of my favorite approaches from about April into October. And some days I stubbornly stick to buzzing these things around willing to wait on that one bite that makes the wait worthwhile.

 

A couple 2017 Booyah Bites – April 25 (left) and July 8 (right)

For 2017 I got several of those big bites among an overall productive buzzbait year of quality and quantity. Unfortunately, a pair of those big bites wound up costing me two of my Booyah Buzzbaits.

The first took me into a downed tree after the strike. In hindsight, I was pushing my luck in some heavy cover and actually saw this four to five pound fish break the surface over a submerged branch and smash my bait. However, I could not turn the large fish in time and down it went into the cover where I could feel it pull on occasion before the frayed line gave way.

A crushing blow at boatside was the last cast for this Booyah Buzzbait

The second lost fish hit within a few feet of the boat as shown in the snapshot above from the GoPro footage of the strike. Nothing I could do on this one in the same weight class as the previous fish. I actually saw this bass bulging the surface just before the strike and when it hit like a freight train it wound up beating my 12-pound mono. In a matter of a couple seconds I saw the bass, witnessed the strike, had my rod tip pulled under the surface and felt the snap of the line. It’s a pretty cool bit of footage and the snapshots are awesome in a disheartening sort of way. Yep, watched it more than a few times over the intervening months.

So, for Wish List item #2 I’m looking for two baits to replace the ones that were lost along with another spare as you can never have enough buzzbaits in your tacklebox. Talk to you later. Troy

You know, a weekend is just never enough time to get everything done or sufficiently put work on the back burner for a while. Seems like I’m always wishing I had one more day off as that impending Monday morning feeling begins to creep in again every Sunday afternoon. Forty plus hours of technology on the horizon, helping get four kids off to school for five mornings (Julie does most of the work), activities, homework, chores and all the rest that it takes to be a grownup kind of wears you out.

 

 

What’s needed is some extra fresh air to help recharge those batteries and what better way to do so than to extend your weekend?

Granted, even that takes some planning in order to swing it to coincide with the kids being out of school. After all, you don’t get vacation days as a kid during the school year and playing hookie is sometimes more trouble than its worth. Instead, we have to wait for holidays or the scheduled teacher institutes and such. There’s also the traditional summer break although that seems to get shorter all the time and lately we’ve had a fall break to go along with the spring break. At any rate, there should be some opportunities to work this thing into the schedule.

This year I even ventured out solo for a three day, two night camping/fishing trip via a four day weekend to coincide with this summer’s eclipse. That one didn’t quite work out as planned when torrential rains sent me packing after a roughly sixteen hour “vacation.” Here’s hoping for getting a better hand dealt to me from Mother Nature when it comes time to put this wish list item into action.

And, you know what would really be cool?

Anybody want four kids for four days? Talk to you later. Troy

A couple of my kids had this one on their wish list this year and I let them down. Gonna look to correct that in 2018.

Carly and Jayce both stated that they want to catch a catfish to add to their species list which already includes bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass, green sunfish and redear. Our other two kids, Helena and Zac, didn’t necessarily specify such a wish but this thing is going to be a family affair.

7/26/2011 Pat’s Creek Henderson County. IL

7/9/2005 Pat’s Creek Henderson County, IL

Julie and I both have landed our share of catfish over the years but it’s been quite some time. In fact, I believe the last time we combined for some catfish would have been in 1997 on the Mississippi River out of Quincy, Illinois. That trip was hosted by Julie’s dad, Junior Breuer, back when his daughter was just my girlfriend. Sadly, Junior passed away in the summer of 2006, a few years after his girl became my wife and we had a couple girls of our own. I’m sure he’d get a kick out of our fishing brood which has since doubled with the addition of a pair of boys.

My late father-in-law, Junior Breuer, with a mess of Mississippi River catfish

My Dad also knows a thing or two about catching those whiskered fish with one of his favorite pursuits being creek wading and looking for whatever had interest in a dew worm. Float trips were also among his adventures and my brother, Brent, and I have enjoyed both with him over the years.

Dad in his element, what we called Pat’s Creek in Henderson County, IL

And back in the day, before I got all tore up with this bass fishing thing, me, Brent and a handful of buddies used to spend a considerable amount of our fishing time chasing catfish.

4/14/85 accidental catch from Lake Bracken while panfishing with Dad and Brent, fun story for another day

7/2/1985 from Sperry’s Pay Ponds north of Galesburg, just saw that Mr. Sperry passed away, good memories from his fishing holes

So, this one’s on the Wish List for 2018 and the significance of 6 catfish pertains to each member of my family reeling one in. Yep, we already know all about some basic lures and waxworms so now it is high time to explore the exciting world of catfish bait. Oh yeah, a messier, smellier batch of goodies that is sure to entertain. Bring on some chicken liver, dew worms, cut bait and stink bait.

Gotta do what you gotta do to grant those outdoor wishes for your kids. I’m already grinning as I think about some of the memories to be made. I dig that they want to catch something new and I also look forward to a few of those “careful what you wish for” moments as catfishing can be a whole different ballgame. Talk to you later. Troy

For my money, an 8-pound bass represents the bass of a lifetime, and I’m still looking. Thus today’s item on the Outdoor Wish List. All in all, a pretty tall order and quite likely a longshot in the waters I fish. And I’ve actually got some solid fishing holes. That’s just how rare one this size is in my neck of the woods.

The closest I have been was an impressive Emiquon Preserve beast that still left me 13 ounces shy of this coveted mark. And in the realm of trophy bass, those 13 ounces can be real tough to come by. Regardless of falling short of an 8-pounder, I’m quite proud of that catch, particularly the fact that it came from a public fishery. Of course, that public water is unlike any other fishing hole I’ve ever seen but still not overflowing with seven or eight pounders. If that’s as good as it’s going to get for me, I’m okay with that. A cool catch at a cool location while fishing with Dad makes for a great fish story.

I have seen an eight-pounder up close in the form of a mount of a bass caught by my former brother-in-law, Tim Townsend, back on April 4, 2000. Just a flat out awesome looking fish and inspiration to keep on casting for one like it. Although I guess I really don’t need a whole lot of motivation as this hobby is truly enjoyable no matter what I catch.

Anyway, Tim’s lunker still holds the top spot in the family and friend bass fishing record book. At least for now. Come on spring, more wishful thinking I suppose. Talk to you later. Troy