Strip Mine Report 9/9

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With three kids gone all day Saturday to my folks, I had the go ahead to make it a full day chasing bass and I certainly got my money’s worth. Plenty of exercise and plenty of bass after a rough couple early morning hours made for another interesting day in West Central Illinois.


10:05am 14″ 1-4 Senko wacky rig

Stats
Date: September 9, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL private/public access strip mines (2/5 lakes)
Time: 6:16am-2:55pm (5.75 hours fishing, the rest walking or driving)
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 51F-74F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 41 bass
Lures:
5” Senko wacky rig (green pumpkin) – 33 bass
Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 4 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Yumbrella 3-Wire Rig (white) – 1 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (copper) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-5 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-7 (2-5,1-10,1-4,1-3,1-1)


11:36am Top Bass 17″ 2-5 Senko, from a new pothole, gotta be the biggest bass there as not a whole lot of water, a pleasant surprise

Notes & Nonsense

Slow Start – Launching at sunrise at Little John Conservation Club I had high hopes for some topwater action and several significant surface splashes on my first stop had me pretty keyed up. Never got a strike and had to resort to the Senko to eke out a couple small ones to avoid an embarrassing shutout. Lake number two was even worse with a lone short bass on the buzzbait as my only catch.

Above is what a 4 to 5-pounder striking a buzzbait at boatside looks like and as you can see my rod tip is already headed down and to the right as this fish had a full head of steam, rest of story below.

One That Got Away – The highlight and lowlight of my Little John leg was a boatside strike on the buzzbait by a bass in the 4 to 5 pound range. I know the weight because I saw it come in behind the lure and bust it about eight feet away. It was headed to my right at full throttle as I set the hook in the other direction and it was too much for my 12-pound test which snapped and lost my lunker. I checked my drag and it was acceptable, just a bad deal with the strike coming in such close quarters. Oh yeah, got those few unfortunate seconds on video with the GoPro so I get to relive it should I want to kick myself further and second guess my reaction and hookset.


12:17pm 13″ 1-3 Senko, actually spotted this fish as I was about to head to another spot and thought it was worth a try, pretty cool when you watch the fish take an interest and then you tempt it into committing


1:07pm 13.5″ 1-1 Yumbrella 3-Wire Rig, additional details on significance of this catch later this week

Strong Finish – Part Two of the day was public ground walk-in fishing, a lot of effort but also a lot of bass. Numerous bodies of water make it fun to kind of stick and move, spending about 15 minutes on a small pothole or two while investing more time on a few larger spots, including a pair of proven producers. All went according to plan and I wound up fishing a bit longer than intended as it’s tough to walk away from a good bite. It’s also a tough walk back to the truck and I was not looking forward to that part of the day for a finale.

The Cost – I took an “alternate” route back to the truck hoping to find some decent walking only to find that there is no such thing as decent walking amidst the abundant late summer weed growth. I wound up quite tired and sore and even had both hamstrings seize up on me while out for dinner with Julie and our oldest, Helena, needing their assistance in case I couldn’t walk when leaving my seat. In addition to the physical toll, this whole trip cost me a buzzbait (as noted above), a Mann’s 1- crankbait (unknowingly snagged in cattails while walking and busted off) and several Senkos (one snag and a couple operator error instances). With the Senko issues I was really worried as I was down to my last O-ring for wacky rigging and the setup was the big winner on the day. Fortunately, the last one survived and I restocked from my backup supply upon returning home.


Distance tally for this day, sure felt like a lot more as not a leisurely stroll

Got some more stuff to report on this outing but will save those items for some other posts as the week progresses. Don’t forget to check out the Facebook page or send a friend request as there’s additional outdoor items frequently posted there as well. Gotta give a shout out to my folks for keeping a bunch of the kids and to Julie for hanging with the other so that I could take another shot at some bass. It’s only September but I can already feel the clock ticking towards the end of another year on the water. Took today off and out there again somewhere so stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Lost Grove Lake Report – 9/8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The three youngest kids took my folks up on an overnight visit and we had nothing going at home so it was off to Iowa after work to chase bass across the river for the first time since late July.

Stats
Date: September 8, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:16pm-7:46pm
Weather: Sunny/calm to windy
Air Temp: 74-68F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 4 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Weight (two bass at 12” or better): 3-0 (1-14,1-2)


6:32pm 13″ 1-2 Buzzbait crummy pic but solid start with two bass on the board just over 15 minutes into casting

Notes & Nonsense

Plan of Attack – Knowing I only had maybe an hour and a half to fish, there was no exploring or experimenting this time around. Nope, hit all the spots with fast moving baits – a couple crankbait spots, a few Senko pitches at specific targets and otherwise a steady dose of buzzbait on proven areas.

Crankbait Results – I hit my two best crankbait stretches and never got a strike. Weapons of choice were a Mann’s Baby 1- (copper) and Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill (natural pumpkinseed). Although no takers on this outing, I do look forward to nailing some over the next several weeks as fall cranking is a favorite, and successful approach.

Senko Results – I pitched the Senko into a handful of targets along with using it as a follow-up bait on a couple missed buzzbait strikes. My targets produced a pair of hookups but both threw the bait before reaching the boat, tough break but good to see the spots come through (neither was a “keeper” at least).


Actually a pic from last week’s outing after a bass knocked off my buzzbait skirt on a strike, the skirt pictured was the winner today

Buzzbait Results – Not quite 30 minutes in, I had three bass on the buzzbait and was feeling pretty good about my prospects for the rest of the short outing. All three of these bass came from banks that were sheltered from the direct sunlight and my home stretch would feature similar conditions once the sun descended behind a slight ridge. All in all, things were setting up pretty well.

Foiled Again – The 2017 weather on my Lost Grove outings has not fully cooperated ranging from too much sun to a scary storm showing up in a hurry. This time around I plucked a 1-14 from some partially submerged brush on the buzzbait as I began my run through several money spots on the homestretch. The photo below shows a light ripple on the water in the background, which was just about right for presentation and boat control. By the time I got this bass photographed and logged, the wind kicked up to near whitecap magnitude blowing me in the opposite direction of the ramp. Boat control was shot and buzzbait commotion was negated by the increased wave action. I got a couple missed strikes but no more hookups and wound up with a disappointing stretch run as the darned weather turned on me again.


7:16pm Top Bass 15″ 1-14 Buzzbait  all was falling into place until the wind kicked up and ruined the topwater bite

Even so, I felt it was a decent sort of abbreviated outing, especially as I came very close to just staying home for a nap on the couch instead as I’d been beat all week. Can’t catch ‘em at home so glad I went, posting my third largest Lost Grove bass to date with the day’s Top Bass. Also got some GoPro footage as the camera seems to be back in working order after an odd hiccup (or operator error) and a shout out to an unnamed Good Samaritan who helped me lug my boat back to the truck at the end of my day. One more trip in the books from today so look to have a report and some other items from the outing on the way. Talk to you later. Troy

So You Wanna Fish The Strip Mines?

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Tackling the public, walk/bike-in strip mines that I have long called my stomping grounds is an undertaking that will get you weighing the pros and cons of such a stunt. Well, I did it again last Saturday and not much has changed.

Nemesis – On a tip, my first stop was a spot where access had been made a bit more angler friendly via some bulldozing. The landscaping had indeed opened up some bank access but had also allowed an old enemy, poison ivy, to take over. Tough call, but the bass beckoned so I made sure to take a leak before entering the area and then tried not to drink too much the rest of the day and kept Nature’s call at bay. Yep, been there before and don’t want to go back again. So far, so good…

Topography – Very little about post-mining terrain left to Mother Nature is conducive to a leisurely walk in the park. I’ve often said that you need to be part mountain goat to scale some of the inclines or find suitable purchase for footing around the banks. In addition, the dense, scrubby vegetation does a really good job of concealing the multitude of ruts and gullies created by erosion on the damaged ground.

  

A couple eye level shots of the path ahead don’t really do justice to how dumb these stunts are.  But that glimpse of water has produced three bass over three pounds in a couple hours this year, so I dare to be stupid, yet again.

Terrestrial Vegetation – Dense vegetation as high as your head can make for some tough walking. In fact, at one location I had to actually turn around and backtrack as I was physically unable to wade through the tangle, pretty frustrating.

Shoreline Vegetation – On most lakes, the terrestrial vegetation grows right up to the edge of the water making for both tough footing and tough casting. Spinning rod and reel combos are quite beneficial in such spots as getting much of a backcast can be downright impossible. Creative casting techniques can be required and the spinning setup certainly offers more flexibility.

Backlash is what happens when you lose sight of limited area for your backcast in these confined shoreline spaces.

Aquatic Vegetation – Another source of frustration can be lakes that are rimmed with several feet of matted surface weeds which make it tough to work your baits through much open water. Paired with the terrain providing little visual access of your targeted body of water until you stumble upon it, this can provide for a wasted walk should you find your fishing hole too choked with weeds. Of course, there are topwater options to combat this scenario but tough casting, limited hookup percentage and losing bass in the salad are also drawbacks to consider.

Muck – It is nice when low water conditions do allow for a bit of bankside footholds. However, these footholds typically hold your feet with an odd mixture of sticky and foul smelling muck that is saturated strip mine ground. On this trip, there were several instances where I had to maneuver my feet around for a few seconds just to get loose from the sticky grip. I wish I had taken a couple pics but didn’t think of it at the time. The good thing is, that should I return I can probably get a photo of my original footprints or create some new ones. And it is unlikely that I should wonder if they are mine as I saw no other footprints in a pair of off the beaten path locations.

Being a stat guy, this is kinda neat but I try not to monitor it too much until I’m done, don’t really want to know how far I am from the truck.

Mileage – There are more than a few lakes or potholes that lie just off an interior road or adjacent to an area mowed down by site personnel. Those are nice and do have some bass but they just aren’t the ideal spots that I’m looking for when I set off on one of these adventures. Nope, too easy. Instead, I’m in search of areas with no footprints and no trash, a clear sign that nobody else is dumb enough to try it and the bass are dumb enough for even me to fool. Several of those spots on my latest outing helped to rack up over four miles of walking.

Don’t want to forget this injury known as “bass thumb”, a welcome malady for any bass chaser.

Injury – Every time I do this, several body parts come out a little worse for wear. This time around, both knees complained for a couple days when going down stairs (think it’s part of that mountain goat thing). Also jammed my back a little when the ground was a few inches lower than anticipated upon stepping into a concealed rut. The back was also a bit sore from lugging too much tackle but only myself to blame for that one and I can live with that. And it’s pretty much a given that there will be a spill along the way. A lone fall this time around but it was one of those prolonged tumbles that took several seconds as I foolishly fought gravity instead of just going with the flow. Fortunately, no lasting effects and I always laugh after making sure that I’m still in one piece, imaging an observer watching the spill as it progresses. Luckily, no one in their right mind would be anywhere near. Would be interesting though once I get the GoPro back in order. May have to turn off the sound though if I pass along a “highlight” clip to keep things family friendly.

The Reward – By the way, my right hand is gripping weeds and my right knee is planted in a pocket of the slope in order to keep from sliding down the incline to the water and my sticky footprints about ten feet below.

Conclusion – Little has changed with these landscapes, still a challenge and perhaps a little trickier the older I get. But I am pleased to say that one thing that has not changed is my mind as I plan on being back again before they close the gates. The allure of multiple fishing holes, solitude and unpressured bass still trump the challenges and sore body parts. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 9/2 – Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

And now, on with the rest of the countdown…

5. “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do” – Led Zeppelin (1970) – “Want to tell you about the girl I love, my she looks so fine…” but it’s all downhill for Robert Plant from there as she’s got some bad habits “all day”, “all the time.”

4. “Anyway You Want It” – Journey (1980) – Always dug the guitar-vocal exchange in this tune, takes me back to the classic movie “Caddyshack” (click for link), lives on in advertisements and still stops me in my tracks when surfing the radio dial.

3. “Don’t Look Back” – Boston (1978) – Just a given, I always stop the dial on any tune by this rock and roll band.

2. “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” – Bachman Turner Overdrive (1974) – Not politically correct but the stutter is killer. And what rocker would pass up a chance to hang with the “devil woman” although a trip to the doctor is also referenced. M-m-m-maybe in the 70’s…

1. “Burnin’ For You – Blue Oyster Cult (1981) – Cool band name, solid rock and roll and a staple from the origins of MTV. A primitive video in retrospect but a great piece of rock from the eclectic days that were the early MTV landscape. This one does what music does best, gets you moving, even singing, and takes you back in time.

So, there have it, another attempt to work tunes into an outdoor blog. Not much of a stretch in my humble opinion. For we all know that with any worthwhile adventure, part of the fun is getting there. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 9/2 – Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With many of my fishing holes located about an hour drive from home, the two-hour round trip ride has taken on a more significant role in the fishing adventure. The pre-dawn drives are a further extension of some “me” time as I get control of the radio and don’t have to endure the occasional forays into the tunes of my younger batch of the good old generation gap.

Since I dig music as much as fishing, it’s always fun to combine these two passions. And that’s what I’m gonna do for today’s posting with a rundown of the Top 10 tunes that graced the airwaves on my latest fishing trip. I’ve got half a dozen presets on the dial and a few others upstairs that I can check when I get out of my regular range. I flip through the stations waiting for a tune that makes me stop, listen and, of course, sing along (remember I’m flying solo most of the time). Those are the tunes that make the cut and eventually get whittled down to what I’m calling my “Top 10 Trip Tunes.”

Here’s the first half of the countdown for September 2, 2017 with the important data and my two cents.

10. “Bad Medicine” – Bon Jovi (1988) – Guilty pleasure here, should be ashamed but I’m not, the fun for me is the number of medical references one can work into a set of song lyrics. Count ‘em some time and let me know.

9. “For What It’s Worth” – Buffalo Springfield (1967) – “There’s something happening here, but what it is ain’t exactly clear.” And the beat goes on. I’m sure there were plenty of fools among the 60’s crowd but some of today’s idiots have taken protest to a whole new level.

8. “Talk Dirty to Me” – Poison (1987) – Me and a couple buddies used to hustle back from the cafeteria at Knox College to catch the evening video request countdown on MTV in hopes that this one made it again. Got made fun of, sure, “but I like it and I know you like it too.”

7. “Moondance” – Van Morrison (1970) – Gotta dig a tune with “fantabulous” in the lyrics, it’s a portmanteau, you know. And, if you listen real close, I don’t think he’s actually singing about dancing.

6. “Goodbye Stranger” – Supertramp (1979) – “And some they will and some they won’t, for some it’s just as well.” I still get a chuckle out of those lines although not sure what I thought of them back in 1979 when I purchased the album pictured here.

(Note: RIP, Walter Becker of Steely Dan (1950-2017), one of my all-time favorites.)

Tune in tomorrow for the Top 5 of the countdown. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report 9/2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With all of my public strip mine waters entering their last month or so of fishing availability before they lock us anglers out in favor of diminishing the waterfowl population it was high time for a visit. Walk-in/bicycle access makes for a challenge but plenty of bass to be had if one is willing to put forth the effort. Still willing, still able and still smarter than a couple dozen bass, including some quality catches.

Stats
Date: September 2, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL public access strip mines (7 lakes)
Time: 7:00am-1:45pm (5.0 hours fishing, the rest walking or driving)
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 47F-74F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 27 bass
Lures:
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin/black flake or green pumpkin) – 10 bass
Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 7 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (Snow White shad) – 5 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-8 KVD 2.5 crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-12 (3-8,3-5,2-5,2-1,1-9)


7:02am Top Bass (and first bass) 18″ 3-8 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait

Notes & Nonsense

Great Start – On about the third cast of the morning with a buzzbait I was rewarded with a large blowup. Unfortunately, I was not rewarded with a bass as it apparently had some poor aim. Another cast with the buzzbait failed to get a repeat so I fired out my Strike King KVD 2.5 crankbait instead and hooked up with a 3-8 which would set the Top Bass bar pretty high. In fact, that first bass wound up being Top Bass for the day although I had one later that gave it a run for the money. Anyway, a couple casts later I landed a 2-1 and then a 1-9 less than ten minutes later. So, after 13 minutes of casting I had 3 of my Top 5 in the log at 7-2 and was pretty excited about the solid start. Things slowed for the next several hours in terms of quality bites but that would eventually take a turn for the better.


7:05am 15.5″ 2-1 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait


7:13am 14″ 1-9 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait

Fishing Tips – I’d spoken with an old friend on my previous stop at the Knox County strip mines and he had tipped me off to a couple spots that may be worth a look in light of some habitat alterations making access a little more angler friendly. Both were spots I had not visited in many years but his tips definitely paid dividends to the tune of six bass (couple others threw the lure as well) and three of my Top 5 for the day. Thanks to Mike for the info and I hope to work them over again a bit more thoroughly before the year is out.

No Repeat – One of the lakes I fished was a revisit of my August 23 outing which saw the spot give up 35 bass, including 27 on a buzzbait. Two minutes of casting on this morning and I had two buzzbait bass in the log so, of course, I was thinking, “Alright, here we go again.” Then the bite completely shut down and I only managed one more bass over the next 40 minutes. Not sure what went awry there as conditions were quite favorable, I guess too many of them still had sore lips from the previous buzzfest.


11:44am 18″ 3-5 KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait
(Note: the lone pic that is not a selfie, terrain makes it near impossible to shoot a timer shot with a “real” camera.)


1:16pm 17″ 2-5 Senko wacky rig

One That Got Away – Doesn’t happen every outing thankfully, but this is the age old standard bit of “unlucky” fishing luck that hits any angler who puts in time on the water. This one came on a Senko and after the hookset it never stopped running away from my position on the bank and the 10-pound test gave way. I never got a look at the bass, so who knows, but I will say that several fish that I landed in the one-pound range sure had me fooled into thinking they were larger in the initial stages of the fight. Kind of makes me feel better anyway. This one could also be attributed to angler error for not checking my line after my previous catch on the Senko had choked it. I’m usually pretty good on this aspect of basic bass fishing but not above the occasional careless mistake. Once again, who knows, all a part of being a fisherman I guess.


Most Valuable Lure – Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (natural pumpkinseed)

Lure of the Day – It felt good to nail a few on a good, old crankbait for a change. The KVD 2.5 squarebill that did the trick runs to a depth of about five feet. I’m typically a little leery throwing these things from the bank, especially on unfamiliar waters as I am cheap and don’t want to get snagged on some underwater structure when I don’t have the means to get the lure back. On this morning, the bass just wouldn’t commit to a topwater bite and I was comfortable with the lakes I was fishing being snag-free so this bait was my choice in finding a sub-surface bite without having to slow down my presentation. It was indeed a winner, producing four of my Top 5 bass when worked with an occasional rip and pause in the retrieve.

I’ve got a couple more postings in the works regarding this outing that I look to get out later this week. Hope you’ll stop back for a look and don’t forget the Facebook page if you do that thing as there’s plenty of additional outdoor stuff over there as well. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Only two bass joined our project during the month of August, bringing our 2017 total submissions to 61 bass. August is historically the leanest open water month, posting only seven entries over the first three years of the Top 5 (1-3-1 from 2014 through 2016). Late season is always tough as we head towards Fall as participants have typically established a solid creel or begin to put the gear away in favor of other pursuits. Time will tell for our stretch run but here are the latest stats.

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
July = 11 bass
August = 2 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 = no submissions
July = 21-0 (5-0,4-12,4-7,3-8,3-5)
August = 8-0 (5-11,2-5) (only two submissions)


August 5 Paul Kessler 2-5 Creature bait

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 51 bass
Bank = 10 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 30-11 (6-15,6-2,6-0,5-15,5-11)
Bank = 20-2 (5-2,4-1,3-14,3-10,3-7)

Public vs. Private
Public = 30 bass
Private = 31 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 27-3 (6-0,5-15,5-4,5-2,4-14)
Private = 29-13 (6-15,6-2,5-11,5-9,5-8)

The Baits (* = new record)
Crankbaits = 15 bass (Top Bass 6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Jigs = 9 bass (Top Bass 6-2 Troy Jackson)
Plastic Worm = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-11 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Jake Bresson)
Swim Jigs = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
*Buzzbaits = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-9 Troy Jackson)
Old record 5-8 Terry Isbell 9/14/14
*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)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Paul Kessler)
Underspins = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Mark Balbinot)
*Propbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-7 Troy Jackson)
No previous record
Swimbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-12 Randy Sampson Sr.)
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
June
No submissions
July
5-0 Troy Jackson
August
5-11 Troy Jackson


August 21 Troy Jackson 5-11 Senko wacky rig

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
5-11 Troy Jackson 8/21
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

Angler Weights
27-10 Mark Balbinot (6-15,5-15,5-8,5-2,4-2)
26-13 Troy Jackson (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7)
23-11 Randy Sampson Sr. (6-0,4-14,4-12,4-11,3-6)
22-1 Jake Bresson (5-4,5-2,4-1,4-0,3-10)
18-0 Bruce Zilkowski (4-9,4-3,3-15,3-0,2-5)
10-15 Paul Kessler (3-4,2-12,2-10,2-5)
8-4 Brent Jackson (3-2,1-6,1-5,1-5,1-2)
5-6 Terry Jackson (3-5,1-3,0-14)

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

Personally, these next couple months are my favorite time of the year to fish so here’s hoping that you keep on casting in the quest for a late season trophy that lets its guard down. I gave it a shot yesterday and posted a solid limit but just couldn’t find that exceptional bite to boost my total. Report and some associated thoughts coming your way next week. Hope you’ll tune in and keep on casting for a few more Top 5 additions before we call it a year. Best of luck and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

August can be a tough time to cull for various reasons. The dog days can do a number on both angler and bass, back to school (at least in my world) can move fishing down the priority list and if you are already having a good year of fishing, it can just plain be a tall order to replace one in your creel. All of the above applied when assessing my odds for a bump in weight but I still managed to get one that added over two pounds to my 2017 Top 5.

Weight: 5-11
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 21
Location: Knox County Strip Mine
Lure: 5″ Yamamoto Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake)
Structure: Overhanging bushes
Angler Comments: My first Eclipse Day bass was a winner and just in time as I only got one more in an hour of casting before the weather got real ugly and sent me packing.
Top 5 Weight: 26-13 (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7) culls 3-8

My good fortune continues to push me farther into uncharted territory as my previous best Top 5 on record was 22-12 back in 2015. Since kicking off this project in 2014 I have somehow managed at least a 20-pound limit each year along with setting a new personal best each successive year. This one may be tough to top so here’s to finding a few more before 2017 is all said and done to really give me something to shoot for in the future. Hope anyone out there gets some time on the water as we head into another shot at the fall feeding frenzy and send them my way when you fool them. Talk to you later. Troy

Missed It By That Much

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Once upon a time in the 80’s, some friends bestowed upon me the designation of “Stat Boy.”

I was good with that term of affection as it was an accurate moniker at the time. Still is, although these days I believe I may have achieved ‘Stat Man’ status. Neither here nor there I would suppose in the grand scheme of things, but I do have some crazy fishing logs.

Being born a baseball fan, stats are just a part of my makeup. An aspect of that innate allegiance is that I also find milestones pretty cool. So, earlier this year I began to get kind of excited as I approached outdoor posting number 1,000 since taking up writing back on April 30, 2002. Well, it turns out that I got so carried away with the kickoff of this new website and its accompanying social media stuff that I wound up blazing right on by posting #999, just recently realizing that I’d missed out on the planned celebratory posting by a substantial margin.

But since this is my project and I can do whatever I want, including patting myself on the back, we’re gonna take a look at some of what has went down over the last 15 plus years with blog posting #1,054 instead.


4/29/02 The catch that prompted me to write a newsletter to family and friends detailing the “Family Fishing Hall of Fame” record book

By The Numbers

5,596 = Days since my first stab at outdoor writing
1,053 = Total postings prior to this recap.
5.31 = Avg. number of days per blog posting (not bad over a 15+ year period)
69 = Avg. number of postings per year over last 15 years
139 = Number of firsthand fishing reports
7-3 = My largest bass caught since sharing my fish stories
99 = Top 5 weekly updates (project began in 2014)
456 = Total bass submitted to the Top 5 project
26 = Anglers who’ve contributed to the Top 5 project
13 = Bigfoot related postings

Special Guest back in the fall of  2011

40 = Most consecutive days with a blog entry (5/1/17 to 6/9/17)
35 = Emiquon related postings, the most of any fishing hole

Never seen anything quite like The Emiquon Preserve

31 = Trapping postings
2 = Number of Justin Bieber photos to appear on the blog

These new fishing logs were one of my April Fool’s jokes, seriously.

2 = Number of April Fool’s Day jokes
4 = Pop/rock song titles borrowed for blog titles (“Déjà Vu”, “Old Days”, “Like A Rock” and “The Sound of Silence”)
5 = MLB players mentioned in a blog title (Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Ichiro Suzuki)
3 = Textspeak samples used in blog titles (TMI, IMHO, IA LMB PB)
9 = Legendary lure postings

 

Legendary Lures, the good, old Emiquon Special and the Gapen Fishie

Along the way I have somehow managed to reference Snow White, margaritas, Bocephus, roadkill, Freddie Patek and chicken pox in blog postings. I have also paraphrased Navin R. Johnson, created an outdoor version of “The 12 Days of Christmas”, gave my blog to Bigfoot, wrote a fishing tackle editorial utilizing Hall & Oates song titles and have used the words paraskevidekatriaphobia, chalupa, sewage and exposed bottoms in blog titles. Not to mention thousands of pictures and well over a quarter million words.

  

Yep, I’m actually kind of proud of this stuff. Whod’ve thunk that a whim to share some fish stories via email with family and friends back in April of 2002 would wind up getting this out of control? Been a fun ride…

    

I could go on with further stats and nonsense but I will spare you for the time being. After all, I’ve still got a blog in spite of some of that stuff and I certainly look forward to continuing to use it for my amusement and yours if you elect to play along. In fact, I’ve still got close to two hundred postings in various stages of incompletion that have their sights set on eventual public consumption one of these days as time permits.

Anyway, thanks to all who’ve invested a few minutes of your day along the way to read and share your comments. Now go do something productive, like fishing. Talk to you later. Troy

To The Tune of 43 Bass – 8/22 Report

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The follow-up trip to Eclipse Day produced a slew of bass but nothing big to show for it. In fact, my one “keeper” on the rain shortened, one hour, Eclipse outing outweighed the Top 5 for this trip all by itself. But hey, anytime you can post 43 bass with most of them on a buzzbait, now that’s a blast. In lieu of a batch of lunkers to report, I’m going to pull out an old stunt and use some Pop/Rock music to help convey my day on the water.  First the bass and the data, then we jam.

  

7:07am 14″ 1-8 First Bass and Top Bass Buzzbait                                       7:27am 13″ 0-15 Buzzbait      

Stats
Date: August 22, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL strip mines (3 lakes)
Time: 6:25am-3:00pm (6.0 hours fishing, rest walking or driving)
Weather: Mostly cloudy/very windy
Air Temp: 66F-76F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 43 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (Snow White shad) – 34 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 3 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (copper) – 1 bass
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-7 (1-8,1-1,1-0,0-15,0-15)

Rest of the Top 5 (left to right): 0-15 (8:51am Buzzbait), 1-0 (9:41am Baby 1-) and 1-1 (11:08am Buzzbait)

Notes & Nonsense

“Take It To The Limit” (Eagles – 1975) – Went for a change of scenery “one more time” on this outing and every time I pull this stunt I wind up beat and wonder if it’s the last time. And I’m not just talking fishing results as this type of adventure provides a real workout. Forgive me for being a little vague but this bright idea involves hauling a boat into fishing holes that are a long ways from the truck, we’re talking potential miles for a round trip.

“This Night Won’t Last Forever” (Michael Johnson – 1979) – So this is where the whole music oriented concept originated for this report. I’m just killing them on a buzzbait and all of a sudden realize that a slightly altered version of this cut is going through my head. Substitute “bite” for night and it goes a little something like this: “I know this bite won’t last forever, I know the sun is gonna shine sometime.” For the first time in a while I got what I was after as the clouds were my friend.  The result was an all-day buzzbait buffet, first buzzbait catch at 7:07am and last buzzbait bass at 2:12pm, truly an expanded window.

“Lovely Day” (Bill Withers – 1977)
When the forecast calls for cloudy skies,
A cool breeze puts heat behind,
The thought of buzzbait bassin’ time,
Is foremost on my mind.
“And I know it’s gonna be a lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day…”
Yep, my own version of those lyrics were a significant part of my mental soundtrack as well. Maybe I ain’t right, but a lifetime in front of a radio has provided lyrics for every occasion and this one was spot on. If you dig tunes and topwater fishing, you know where I’m coming from.

“Lights Out” (Peter Wolf – 1984) – The former J.Geils Band lead singer summed up the fishing action quite nicely: “Blast, blast, blast.” Literally and figuratively, as topwater fishing appeals to the visual, auditory and tactile senses in an addictive fashion all in a split second of entertaining bass fishing action.  (Note: this Wolf tune is not to be confused with the video where he hops all the way through the song, that one is “Come As You Are”, quite interesting.)

“I Missed Again” (Phil Collins – 1981) – As the wind picked up, the buzzbait was still getting plenty of attention but I’d have to say that the surface chop made for a diminished success rate as at least a dozen bass came up short in their efforts.  Cue up the former Genesis singer with a classic early MTV bit of video entertainment as he croons, “Oh, did I miss again, I think I missed again” on behalf of those bass. In one case, a missed strike knocked the lure a foot above the surface, can’t recall ever seeing that one before. While it may have been wise to adjust my presentation to the changing conditions, I still had plenty of others displaying better aim, thus I kept right on buzzing as my primary approach.

The Jackson 5 – Lest anyone think that I am a sort of one hit wonder in lure selection most days, I did make a few changeups when cover and instinct dictated. Two bass on the Senko in two minutes around a lone bit of bankside standing timber was one case. In addition, I did add a few by lipless and shallow cranking in a couple spots that produced in the past. Overall, I landed bass on five different baits although the buzzbait was far and away the star of the group, the Michael of my tackle box on this day.

  

Left to right: Buzzbait (Michael), Red Eye Shad (Jackie), Baby 1- (Tito)

 

Left to right: Baby Brush Hog (Marlon) and Senko wacky rig (Jermaine)

“Hurt So Bad” (Linda Ronstadt – 1980) – Okay, so here’s the rundown on a fishing trip beat down. Both knees from hauling stuff and logging several miles of strip mine trekking (fortunately most was old roadways). Right shoulder from casting and lower back from hauling and sitting in an eight foot johnboat for about an eight hour day. Left elbow from a tumble as I also stand in that boat a lot even though not the wisest idea and several fingers just because they are getting old, ache and don’t work as well as they used to.

“Hurts So Good” (John Cougar – 1982) – But here I am a couple days later and those aches and pains are nearly a thing of the past and I’m well on the road to convincing myself that I need to try this stunt again. You know, the positives of a 43 bass day will still eventually outweigh the negative physical effects as the hours and days roll by. And don’t forget one other physical malady that is more of a badge of honor than a source of pain, good old bass thumb.

Thanks for tuning in and tune in again tomorrow for a blogging retrospective covering the last 15 years. Talk to you later. Troy