Outdoor Wish List

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Back in 2011 at a previous blogging gig, I decided to do my own version of a Christmas classic. My “12 Days of Outdoor Christmas” still exists out there in cyberspace at Heartland Outdoors if anyone has time to take a look back in time. The rundown minus the expanded explanation of those postings is as follows (click each item for link to original posting):

Twelve dollar average,
eleven pound test,
ten morel mushrooms,
nine cooperative bluegill,
eight weeks of vacation,
seven hours of sleep,
six pounds of bass,
five Senko wacky rigs,
four favorite crankbaits,
three weeks of winter,
two trolling motor batteries
and an Illinois Atlas & Gazetteer

Well, for 2017 I’m going down a similar road with an Outdoor Wish List spanning ten blog postings and combining a Christmas list and a look forward to 2018. The collages above serve as a tease of what is coming your way as we head towards the big day. Stop back by for the daily countdown beginning tomorrow and worked in around the ongoing “Trapping Tuesday” series. Here’s to a strong blogging finish to 2017. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, it’s beginning to feel a lot like winter in my neck of the woods and my fishing gear has been stowed away until next year. I was fortunate to give it one more shot in December and fooled a quality fish but not enough to improve my Top 5. But a handful of fish have joined our quest since last update thanks to several anglers playing catch up with some entries. As such, the 2017 totals stand at 78 bass, 9 northern pike, 5 muskie, 5 walleye and a green sunfish with the breakdown below.


Jake Bresson 9/3 Northern Pike 37″

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 = 1 bass
July = 11 bass
August = 4 bass
September = 6 bass
October = 8 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)
June = 6-3 (only submission)
July = 21-0 (5-0,4-12,4-7,3-8,3-5)
August = 18-9 (6-6,5-11,4-3,2-5) (only four submissions)
September = 14-10 (5-2,3-0,2-9,2-4,1-11)
October = 26-11 (7-4,6-8,5-10,4-3,3-2)


Mark Balbinot 10/29 6-8

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 67 bass
Bank = 11 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 33-4 (7-4,6-15,6-8,6-6,6-3)
Bank = 20-14 (5-2,4-3,4-1,3-14,3-10)

Public vs. Private
Public = 42 bass
Private = 36 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 27-7 (6-0,5-15,5-4,5-2,5-2)
Private = 33-4 (7-4,6-15,6-8,6-6,6-3)


Paul Kessler 10/12 3-1

The Baits (* = new record)
Crankbaits = 16 bass (Top Bass 6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Jigs = 12 bass (Top Bass 7-4 Mark Balbinot)
Spinnerbaits = 9 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Paul Kessler)
Plastic Worms = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-11 Troy Jackson)
*Buzzbaits = 6 bass (Top Bass 5-9 Troy Jackson)
Old record 5-8 Terry Isbell 9/14/14
Jerkbaits = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Jake Bresson)
Swim Jigs = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
*Creature Bait = 3 bass (Top Bass 6-15 Mark Balbinot)
Old record 6-1 Jeff Marshall 5/23/14
Lipless Crankbaits = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Bruce Zilkowski)
*Inline Spinners = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
No previous record
Swimbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 4-12 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Underspins = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Mark Balbinot)
*Propbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-7 Troy Jackson)
No previous record
*Stickbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 6-6 Mark Balbinot)
Old Record 5-8 Randy Sampson Sr. 5/7/16
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 6-3 Mark Balbinot)
Tube = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jake Bresson)
Ultralight = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-1 Paul Kessler)

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
June
6-3 Mark Balbinot
July
5-0 Troy Jackson
August
6-6 Mark Balbinot
September
5-2 Jake Bresson
October
*7-4 Mark Balbinot (old record Mike Mooney 6-0 10/1/16)


Mark Balbinot 10/29 7-4

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
*7-4 Mark Balbinot 10/29 (#6 all-time)
*6-15 Mark Balbinot 5/13 (#8 all-time)
6-8 Mark Balbinot 10/29
6-6 Mark Balbinot 8/27
6-3 Mark Balbinot 6/18
6-2 Troy Jackson 3/4
6-0 Randy Sampson Sr. 4/15
5-15 Mark Balbinot 4/14
5-11 Troy Jackson 8/21
5-10 Mark Balbinot 10/29

Angler Weights (* = new Top 5 record, old mark 32-13)
*33-4 Mark Balbinot (7-4,6-15,6-8,6-6,6-3)
26-13 Troy Jackson (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7)
23-12 Jake Bresson (5-4,5-2,5-2,4-3,4-1)
23-11 Randy Sampson Sr. (6-0,4-14,4-12,4-11,3-6)
18-0 Bruce Zilkowski (4-9,4-3,3-15,3-0,2-5)
16-6 Paul Kessler (4-3,3-4,3-2,3-1,2-12)
10-2 Brent Jackson (3-2,2-9,1-11,1-6,1-6)
5-6 Terry Jackson (3-5,1-3,0-14)

Bonus Species – Northern Pike
Total = 167.25” Jake Bresson (37.0”,35.25”,33.5”,32.0”,29.5”)

Bonus Species – Green Sunfish
0-13 Jayce Jackson

Bonus Species – Muskie
Total = 131” Jake Bresson (47”,31”,29”24”) on Rapala X-Rap
Total = 29” Troy Jackson on Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

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

Time will tell if these are the final totals or if any straggler fish hit the Inbox before we hit 2018. I will definitely have a series of stat postings after the New Year as a recap of 2017 along with a rundown of the all-time record book from four years of Top 5 contributions. Thanks to all who played along or took the time to check out the Monday updates and congratulations to Mark Balbinot on his record breaking year, been fun to follow. Don’t forget to check out his videos including his most recent post, just a flat out incredible day of fall bass fishing. You can find him on YouTube as mbalb61 and click here for the amazing October 29 outing. And seriously, as I add the previous links, I just see that Mark has posted a Thanksgiving Weekend trip, so click here to check it out.

Is 2017 done after all? Talk to you later. Troy

Trapping Tuesday – 2007 Guest Trapper

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Looking back at a trapping update that I posted exactly ten years ago today it seems that December showed up a lot less friendly than our 2017 run of temps in the 50s and 60s.

My posting from 12/5/2007 began:

“December arrived with an unfriendly ice storm that knocked out our power for the third time this year. Fortunately, this outage was much shorter in duration than the previous two inconveniences. Now, as we enter these last few weeks of 2007 and look forward to Christmas and a new year, a month of trapping is on the books and we have again racked up both fur and adventures.”

2007 Season – Troy Jackson, Terry Jackson, Brent Jackson and Bryar Townsend

The report goes on to detail a few of those adventures shared with a trapper in training, my nephew, Bryar, who just became a teenager two days ago. Here a couple more excerpts from the 2007 posting:

“Miniature Trapper Program – Our latest guest on the trapline was my three-year-old nephew, Bryar. Being the youngest trapper in the group, Papa gave him the privilege of not only picking our breakfast destination but also ruling the radio. For breakfast he chose McDonald’s and we left the drive thru with a bag full of burritos to eat on the road. Upon arriving at our first trap, it was quite obvious from the aroma that we’d been rewarded with a particularly foul skunk. Dad did the honors of removing the skunk from the trap and apparently brought some of the smell back to the truck. Between the odor and Bryar’s repeated retelling of the story, we had a constant reminder of our catch for the rest of the trip. Uncle Brent shot some good video along the way and Bryar got startled by some pigeons in a corn crib, snacked on juice and Teddy Grahams and fell asleep on the way home. We all had a good adventure and it was beneficial for Bryar to hang with the guys to buffer the ample amount of time he spends with his sister and my girls.”

“Sirius Business – When Dad purchased his new truck, he also got a trial subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio. Upon checking it out, I discovered that the digital display told the title, artist and year for each song which proved irresistible for a music trivia buff. I consider myself pretty well-versed in 70’s and 80’s pop and rock music along with having a fair grasp of some mid to late 60’s tunes. With Brent running the controls I impressed myself upon identifying The Tremoloes singing “Silence Is Golden” (1967) but fell short on The Marvellettes “Don’t Mess with Bill” (1966). The 70’s and 80’s proved to be no match and I was even able to provide the year, 1985, for the Starship hit “We Built This City.” However, a few days later, Bryar gave me a run for my money. You see, Sirius also has a number of little kid stations. Apparently, grandkids get preferential treatment over kids as Dad let him listen to Disney or something. In no time, Bryar was showing off with “It’s the Wiggles…Hey, it’s Laurie Berkner…Wow, the Curious George song (I would have gotten that one if given time)… and High School Musical!” It almost felt as if he was taunting me as he called out the tunes after only a few notes. Finally, the radio gods came through as I nailed him on “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog (1979) and he had no clue. Sure, he had me down like 10-1, but I could bask in the glory of knowing “the classics” of little kid music. Plus, I was quite confident that he would fall asleep on the way home and we’d be able to listen to grown up stuff again.”

Another 2007 pic – Troy, Brent and Terry Jackson

Fun stuff and goes a long way towards expressing that there’s a lot more to trapping than just running your sets. However, I will close with one final bit from that original posting, the stats from the first several weeks of the 2007 season.

Totals and Sales
Coons 61 10 sold with high $21 low $3 and average of $10.20
Muskrats 12 None sold yet
Mink 1 Not sold yet
Other 5 skunks, 20+ opossum (but no one is really counting)

More trapping Tuesdays to come, along with a Top 5 Stat Update, an outdoor Christmas wish list and whatever else I can come up with to close out 2017. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report 12/2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

When I caught a few bass back on November 4, I accomplished my annual goal with bookend bass spanning March to November. Thus, I was content to put away my gear and call it another successful year on the water for 2017. However, Mother Nature threw a welcome wrench into that plan with 50 degree temperatures to kick off December. Fortunately, I was able to find time to get away, looking for one more bite.

Stats
Date: December 2, 2017
Location: Knox County, IL Strip Mines (3 lakes)
Time: 9:55am-2:15pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 44-59F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 1 bass
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap SR07 (blue)
Weight: 2-4

Notes & Nonsense

A favorite bit of breakfast fuel, tasty but need to re-think my intake as the previous pic of my catch shows a substantial increase in the gut below the GoPro, sounds like resolution time.

Super Sonic Combo – There’s a Sonic Drive-In just a few blocks from home and it’s right on my route to the fishing hole. I dig their Super Sonic burrito as it provides a great way to kick off my morning with a jalapeno punch. Problem is, it doesn’t open until 6:00am and I’m usually well on my way to the water by then. But when you get a chance to fish in December, you also get a chance to sleep in a bit to let the sun rise and its rays do whatever they can to warm the mood of the bass.

12/7/2001 – my last December outing goes all the way back to this 2-6 from Emstrom’s Pond on a jig & pig 

December Flashback – The only December bass I had on record prior to this trip came from an old favorite spot that we called Emstrom’s Pond. The three bass in the log were caught on three trips during the first week of December 2001. All came on a black and blue jig and pig on a classic piece of structure, The Beaver Lodge. I’m sure there have been a few reasonable December days in the interim but I’ve just never pulled the trigger. This year I figured that it was high time to just do it instead of only thinking about it and later wishing I’d given it a go.

Cold Water Arsenal
Top to bottom in above photo as follows:
Rapala Shadow Rap Deep jerkbait (purpledescent color) – still have trouble fishing this slow enough to be effective
Strike King Pro Model 6XD crankbait (citrus shad) – this one dives deeper than most of the water I was fishing but that was the point as I wanted it digging bottom or skimming weeds, also wanted a large bait for a large bass
Yum 3” Wooly Curltail Grub (green pumpkin) – classic cold or tough bite bait that I reel as slowly as possible in order to stay just off the bottom
Rattling jig & pig (black/blue) – my number one cold water bait ever, employed on this trip on several points, pockets and pieces of wood structure
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – pushing my luck a bit in December as I find this bait better in the warm up of spring more than the pre-ice of late fall
Rapala Shad Rap SR07 (blue) – a classic cold water crankbait that I fish as slowly as I can reel waiting for a heavy feel as bites aren’t usually rod shaking in the cold

Only lure of the day that produced bites

Winning Lure – I had a total of three bites and all were on the Rapala Shad Rap. One came before my catch and another came after but both of those managed to get loose shortly after the hookset. It never ceases to amaze how a bass can elude those treble hooks but it happens. What was also fun about the Shad Rap coming through is the fact this particular lure is well over 20 years old as evidenced by the stouter, replacement treble hooks that I used to put on many of my crankbaits back in the day.

GoPro – I got this catch on video like a number of others this year and have included the snip above from the footage. I’m not quite sure what lies in store for my clips but have contemplated working them into some future blog and Facebook postings. Whatever the case, it has been a fun addition to the fishing experience that I hope to expand upon for 2018.

This December catch was icing on the cake to a great year on the water.  It’s been a lot of fun relating it here on the blog as well as the Facebook page. But while my fishing year may be over, the writing keeps rolling on. Stay tuned for a strong batch of December postings to finish 2017 and kick off 2018. Talk to you later. Troy

Trapping Tuesday – 1987 Trappers, Trucks, Totals

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Headed back 30 years for this one as we revisit 1987 on the trapline. Lots of thoughts, as always, when I look back at the outdoor photo albums and records. As I noted earlier this year, I had hopes of an over the top trapping blog project spanning the season but just too many other priorities to get it done. However, I couldn’t help but do some writing and reminiscing so you get the abridged version instead. Mixed in are plenty of hints as to what is to come when I do get around to my epic trapline blowout.

But for now…

We’ll start with the trappers.

The 17-year old kid in the flannel shirt is my brother, Brent, a senior at Galesburg High School at the time of this outing. I assume that this trip was on a weekend, but being exceptionally bright, I don’t figure a day of hooky would have hurt him much anyway.

The guy in the middle is our Dad, who along with his brother taught us pretty much everything we know about trapping. Much of what we learned was useful but there was certainly a degree of leg pulling that was also thrown in on more than a few occasions.

I’m the guy on the right in the purple of the Knox College Siwash where I was trudging through what was kind of my first of two junior years. Strange to think, but that 20-year old fellow is now seven years older than Dad was back in 1987.

Trucks have also been an integral part of the adventures and Dad’s Ford Ranger and Uncle Dick’s Chevy S10 were around for more than a few seasons. Both predate the appearance of four wheel drive vehicles on the trapline which made for some interesting situations along with the need for a little manpower assistance when things got slippery.

A little fuzzy on the scan but that’s 85 coons, 101 muskrats and 6 beaver for $2,002.75 during the 1987-88 season with Top Coon at $30

A final bit of flashback fun involves a look at some stats from this 1987-88 trapping season. Dad has data on catches and total dollars earned dating all the way back to 1971 with yearly totals for nearly every season from 1979-80 to just a few years ago. Quite interesting to look back at the numbers and see the ups and downs of the fur market over time. While the rest of the numbers will be reserved for that big future trapping project, I will say that fur prices looked to be pretty solid for the haul noted above.

That’s all for another Trapping Tuesday but plenty more to come with a weekly posting through the end of January. Lots of other outdoor stuff mixed in around those flashbacks as well, so hope you’ll stop by. Talk to you later. Troy

Black Friday Outdoors – Quincy, IL

Posted on by Troy Jackson

So, Black Friday found our family in Quincy, IL visiting with Julie’s mom. Never one for shopping on a regular day, let alone the biggest shopping day of the year, I was game for Julie’s suggestion that we get some fresh air along the mighty Mississippi River. Besides with lunchtime temperatures in the mid-70s, who in their right mind would want to be cooped up in a mall? An outstanding bit of nature, The River did not disappoint during the few hours we spent roaming and exploring.

First stop was a stretch of river walk just north of the Route 24 bridge between a couple dining establishments called The Pier and The Dock. This area featured several docks and a boat ramp. Along the way we skipped rocks, threw logs and found a pumpkin floating in the river. After fishing the pumpkin out of the water we had a great fun rolling it down the boat ramp back to its watery home.

Next up was Quinsippi Island which was accessible via a one lane bridge and featured a log cabin village, playground area and “secret trail” through the timber to the river’s edge. My boys called the river bank under the towering railroad bridge, “The Beach” and we enjoyed writing in the sand and discovering interesting animal tracks (some real and others imagined).

The road to Quinsippi Island

Toss in imagination…and some hot lava, or snake pit, or alligators…

And how about these raptor and T-Rex prints Zac “found”

Cool view of the “Mighty Mississippi”

Fun to watch the river do it’s thing

Zac points the way to some deer prints on “the beach”

The final bit of sightseeing was the Villa Katherine, a “Castle on the Mississippi” built in 1900. We were just in time to work in a tour of the site which proved to be quite interesting.  Further information on this landmark on the National Register of Historic Places can be found here.

Villa Katherine overlooks the Mississippi and is the current home of Quincy’s Tourist Information Center 

A look at the interior reflecting pool from the second floor balcony

Mississsippi River view from second floor of Villa Katherine

Quincy River Ramble Rating: 5.0 Marshmallows (scale 1-5 Marshmallows with 5 being tops, rating is average of six family member votes)

Location: Along the Mississippi River in Quincy. IL
Attractions: Bonansinga Drive River Walk, Quinsippi Island, Villa Katherine and “the beach” which was actually just a stretch of sandy bank exposed by low pool conditions.
Hiking/Trails: paved riverside trail off Bonansinga Drive, auto/pedestrian bridge to Quinsippi Island and unmarked river access on Quinsippi Island

Family Poll: What did you like most about Quincy’s Mississippi River stops?
Helena: “Walking on the dock, the pumpkin roll and Grammy showing me how to skip rocks.”
Carly: “The random pumpkin floating in the river and the log cabins.”
Zac: “The beach where we wrote our names and saw raptor and T-Rex prints.”
Mom: “The Quinsippi Island cabins, wish they were open for a better look.”
Dad: “The various river views and watching the kids simply enjoy some fresh air via a combination of random objects and imagination.”
Jayce: “I liked the beach and hated the part when we had to leave.”

Definitely a worthwhile bit of outdoor activity on an unseasonably warm Thanksgiving Friday. Much different than what thousands of others were up to as evidenced by encountering maybe ten people along the way. It was rewarding to hear my boy, Jayce, ask if we could come back after being told it was time to hike back to the vehicle from “the beach.” I told him that we have one of these, meaning a river, back home. Same mighty one, in fact. Talk to you later. Troy

Thank You Bass #2,000

Posted on by Troy Jackson

While my days on the water are likely done for 2017, that doesn’t mean that I can’t tell a few fish stories. What follows are some excerpts from Thanksgiving 2006 and my quest for a milestone. Looking for Bass #2,000 of what I called the “Computer Age.” And here’s the Thanksgiving fish story.

Spoiler Alert – Bass #2,000

“Bass number one of ‘the computer age’ made its way into the database on March 21, 1997 at 5:04 pm. It fell to a blue glimmer spinnerbait on Duck/Deer Lake at Little John and measured eleven inches in length. By November 22, 2006, I had spent over 900 hours chasing bass and stood five fish shy of 2000. Fortunately, me and my girls were headed for Buckheart south of Canton, IL to celebrate Thanksgiving, the weather forecast was favorable and I had permission to fish.

On the morning of November 23rd I spent a fair amount of time wandering around a good-sized strip pit before settling on an area that featured a lengthy stretch of bank containing numerous beaver lodges, probably my favorite piece of structure. After losing a small northern pike on a dew worm hung from a bobber, bass number 1,996 inhaled my jig and pig as I hopped it around some debris on the bottom. I was unable to fool any others on the lake and also was blanked on a smaller pond nearby. While fishing, I crossed paths with my brother-in-law, David Breuer, who was goose hunting and he suggested that I try a spot where we had success earlier this fall.

His advice produced three bass in less than fifteen minutes. All of the fish hit my Rattlin Jig (black/blue) with a #11 pork frog (blue) as I worked a beaver lodge. The second of the three fish joined the record book at a respectable 2-15. Another half hour on the lake failed to produce a bite and I headed for Thanksgiving dinner. I couldn’t help but wonder if fate would be so unkind as to leave me one bass shy of my goal. However, I still held out hope that I could entice one more bite the following day.

Thanksgiving Day 2006 bass at 2-15 on jig & pig (black/blue)

I reached the beaver lodge at 8:12 am on the 24th and quickly retied my jig and pig as I eagerly awaited my first cast. I didn’t have to wait long as only seconds after my jig hit the bottom I felt the familiar tap of a hungry bass. I reared back to hammer the hooks home on number 2,000…and missed. In the seconds that followed I felt the despair of potentially missing my shot, possibly uttered a few uncharacteristic and colorful words and began to reel in my lure for another cast. To my surprise, a bass suddenly appeared out of nowhere and slammed the jig as rode inches below the surface. I’m not sure exactly what happened next but I would have to give the bass credit for hooking itself as I think I kind of went on autopilot before winding up with a firm grip on the lip of number 2,000.

Looking at my watch, I recorded the time at 8:13 am. I proceeded to measure the length of the bass and it was documented at 13 inches. Having met my 12-inch minimum criteria for a weight measurement I reached for my scale despite already knowing the result before making it official. I’ve seen a few bass in my day and can usually give a reasonable, fairly unbiased estimate. In this instance, I was right on the money.

The fish weighed in at 13 ounces.

You see if I had to pick a favorite number, it would be 13, which I would admit to inheriting from Dad. It’s on my license plate ’13Troy’, similar to his “13 Dad”. He sported the number on various athletic jerseys over the years, as did I when it was available. Therefore, it seemed fitting that my quest would end upon landing a 13-inch, 13-ounce bass at 13 minutes after eight o’clock in the morning.

As thankful for this “lucky” bite as much as any bass I’ve ever fooled, dig the beaver lodge in the background, classic piece of bass fishing structure and my favorite

After snapping a couple photos of what would coincidentally be (believe it or not) my 113th 13-inch bass, I decided to work the area for a few more minutes. I managed to get one more bite but busted off on the hookset despite retying after number 2,000. Following a few more half-hearted casts I decided to head back to the guesthouse. I’d spent fifteen minutes on the lake and left satisfied upon having reached my goal. The 2006 season had been good to me and I didn’t care if I had to wait until 2007 to begin the pursuit of my 3,000th bass.”

Happy Thanksgiving to all, let me know if you find any of your own bass during this extended turkey weekend. Talk to you later. Troy

Trapping Tuesday – 2012 Tailgates & Training

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Over the years, the photo album has amassed quite a collection of pictures that fit the description of today’s title. This posting comes from 2012 and features one of several versions of “The Jackson Five” that trekked the trapline through the years.

What follows are excerpts from a pair of postings featured on a previous blogging gig.

From “Guest Trappers 2012”, originally posted on November 16, 2012:

“As I noted in my trapping post (“Ready, Set, Trap”) earlier this week, Dad and Brent have been joined by a handful of guest trappers this season. Well, here are a couple more of them who tagged along on November 7. My son Jayce (age 3) and my brother’s boy, Brady (age 4), got an opportunity to partake in their second year of trapping and had a good time. I got to tag along as photographer, videographer and documentarian and will now share a portion of what our fearless group of trappers found upon running their sets.

All told, the trappers caught 15 coons to go with the 20 from Opening Day. A solid start to another season not to mention more pictures, outdoor adventures and stories to tell.”


Brent, Jayce, Brady and Terry Jackson (aka Dad and Papa)

Continuing on with “More Than Trapping” from November 19, 2012:

“There’s definitely something cool about landing that four pound bass, catching a 60 pound beaver or accidentally hooking a muskie. I’ve got more than a few photos, log entries and blog postings of all that stuff that constitutes a fair portion of my memory book. However, the peripheral adventures with family and friends leave just as much of a mark whether you catch anything or not. A recent trapping outing for Dad, Brent and me with a couple little guys (my boy, Jayce, and Brent’s son, Brady) only reinforced this point and gave me a little glimpse into the future. I envision more than a few conversations as those boys get older that will start with something like ‘Do you remember that one time with Papa and your dad…?’

I certainly will and I hope that some of the words and photos that wind up accompanying those adventures will someday bring a smile or get the stories rolling.

For today, I’ll pass along a batch of those memories from November 7. I suppose the whole trip lasted maybe four hours but those boys more than got their money’s worth as did the ‘grownups.’


Not just about the fur as hedgeballs also provide an opportunity to goof around.


Another part of the “class” involves finding and identifying “sign”

Big trapper educating little trappers, just as he learned more than a few years ago

Our day started with the usual silliness on the road to Burger King in Monmouth where the boys chowed down and enjoyed further silliness that comes with being a kid (and not having your mom around, just kidding). The boys were pretty fired up about getting some stylish Super Mario BK crowns. As I wrote this, Jayce informed me that he was Mario and Brady was Luigi (or Weegie as Jayce puts it) for I hadn’t filed those particular details away. I do believe that at least one of the big people actually wore a crown for a bit as well but there was no camera present to verify. Anyway, after fueling up it was off to see what we’d caught.

I was very impressed with the boys as it was not what one would call balmy with low 40’s and a stiff wind. Not a single complaint though about being cold and both were eager to get out of the truck at each stop in order to goof around (and check a trap or two). I also could not believe that neither one of them fell asleep on the way home. One other trapper did, but hey, I need to find some rest whenever I can as naps have been slim pickings for like the last eight years or so.


And, speaking of naps, this classic shot features my boy, Jayce, relaxing on his “coon cot”

An enjoyable day on the trapline culminated with the customary back of the truck photo of the haul and lunch with Gamaw. What more could a guy, large or small, ask for?”

Plenty more “Trapping Tuesday” posts to come, along with whatever else I can muster. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 11/4 – Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The Top 5 goes a little more “classic” than yesterday’s favorites with some pretty heavy hitters, all-time greats in fact.

5. “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” – Sammy Hagar (1982) – Between Montrose and trying to replace David Lee Roth, “The Red Rocker” was successfully jamming solo with a batch of hits. For my money, this is the best of that bunch.

4. “Shattered” – The Rolling Stones (1978) – Always kind of lukewarm on The Stones but Mick and the boys doing their thing on this one is a treat. A rambling, seedy, dirty, nasty bit of a musical trek through the big city. “Pride and joy and greed and…” well, you know, along with rats, bedbugs, maggots and a battered brain. Cool when a song such as this gets me wandering back through the catalog for another listen, so many songs are cooler the older you (and they) get. Oh yeah, it also says “Shadoobie” a lot of times.

3. “Surrender” – Cheap Trick (1978) – What a cool song from the band hailing from Rockford, Illinois. Not only a great hook but also a warning about what was called “VD” back in the day. Also included is a quick shout out to KISS amidst a rough visual of walking in on the folks. Last but not least, it brings back memories of the 80s classic “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” with Damone pitching Cheap Trick concert tickets. How’s all that for a tune?

2. “Over the Hills and Far Away” – Led Zeppelin (1973) – Another great intro, interesting finish and keeps chugging along in between. In addition, I’ve long had a thing for tunes that never use the title in the lyrics, kind of a fun trick to pull out every once in a while I suppose.

1. “Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd (1975) – Speaking of intros, here’s another to add to the list. The title track from the how do you follow up “Dark Side of the Moon” album. A wistful lament on a lost relationship with a lost soul and what a wonderful title to sum it up. Sonically hits the spot and one of those cuts that always amazes with the depth of emotion conveyed while needing only a sparse lyrical accompaniment.

Hey, it’s been fun, but this will wrap up the musical portion of my “outdoor” blog for 2017. What was kind of a whim with the first Top 10 batch wound up being a fun rundown of sixty tunes. I guess that would work out to $1.20 worth of my two cents from a half dozen drives with a lifelong companion known as the radio. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes – 11/4 Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I’ve had a good time finding an excuse to delve into some music via my Top 10 Trip Tunes series that debuted back on September 5 and has reappeared several more times. Well, as we near the end of 2017, as a rockstar might holler from the stage, “One more time!”

As always, first half today, second half tomorrow.

10. “Shut Up and Dance” – Walk the Moon (2014) – Every once in a great while, something my kids are listening to strikes a chord with me and this one fits the bill. The 80s feel is a winner for a guy who became a teenager in 1980, rode the MTV wave and finds it fun when a new song reminds him of an old song.

9. “Stand” – REM (1989) – Never much of an R.E.M. fan, too college or something, but this goofy, orienteering ditty hit the spot. Sometimes it’s the time period as much as the cut and I will always associate this one as part of the soundtrack of several “wasted” days watching NCAA March Madness with a group of friends. Time well spent though as the “wasted” reference pertains to a bit of imbibing.

8. “Cherry Pie” – Warrant (1990) –You just can’t help what catches your ear and although some may be loath to admit it, I’m not. While this rock n’ roll love songs lyrics seem rather inane on the surface, there’s actually some solid advice such as “think about baseball” and “lock the door.” Say what you will, but gotta give some props to a hair hit that still shows up on the airwaves nearly 30 years later and finds me cranking it up, belting it out and thinking about “dessert.”

7. “Learn to Fly” – Foo Fighters (1999) – Bought the Nirvana stuff when they hit it big but just didn’t last for me, nor did the band in the end. In contrast, the fellow who stepped out from behind their drum kit has made quite an impact with his band and beyond. Personally, I’d take Dave Grohl’s rock contributions, such as this one, over his former front man any day.

6. “Word Up!” – Cameo (1986) – An 80s classic and if it doesn’t brighten your day, well, I don’t know what to tell you. I was a bit beat from the weekday grind but the first cut I heard on this drive immediately turned my surly frown upside down and made for a better day no matter what the fishing results were going to be. And, you know, the mental picture of Larry Blackmon in that darn codpiece brings a grin as well, kinda weird but I know I’m not alone.

Ah yes, memories as much as music, 30 years of Memory Lane in this eclectic first half of the final Top 10 Trip Tunes of 2017. Top 5 headed your way tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy