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2018 Fishing Video Recap – Top Bass

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Anybody’s mother-in-law ever bought ‘em a dipnet?

Just thought that I’d throw that out there because mine just did this past Christmas.

Could’ve used it on this bass from last April as I’m not as eager (or brave) as I used to be when reaching down to lip a mouth full of treble hooks. Instead, I’ve taken to using a Boga Grip and while some may question the tool for landing fish that will have to be a debate for another day.

Besides, I’ve taken to packing along the dipnet to start 2019. Never even got a bite to try it out. Of course, I’ll blame it on the frigid and uncommon open water during the first week of January as opposed to the tool being some sort of jinx. However, come spring if I’m still getting shut out, well, I’m headed for Quincy, IL to say “thanks but no thanks.” I believe it will all work out just fine though.

 

 

Today’s clip features a catch that had me wondering if it would work out fine as that bass was sure thrashing about trying to dislodge my crankbait. In addition, I’d had a less than stellar day and confidence really wasn’t riding high that this one was going to stay hooked.

In fact, I was struggling so much that I didn’t even have my GoPro turned on when I hooked into this bass. Instead, I performed the ill-advised trick of pushing the “Go” button as I was fighting the fish in a desperate attempt to get some footage. Luck was on my side and I was able to shoot this video of what would be my third largest bass of the year.

So what about the footage of my Top 2?

Well, there is no such video as my GoPro was experiencing technical difficulties during a September outing when those bass were caught along with a five-pounder caught by my brother, Brent. Just bad timing as good, old photographic evidence had to suffice.

A couple other big bass that I witnessed also eluded video documentation while fishing with Brent. Not that he forbade me to film his prowess, more like a couple items called TMI and NEB.

TMI = Too Much Information – there are some spots I prefer not to film or reveal.

NEB = Not Enough Battery – can only shoot about 75 minutes with current GoPro setup.

Indeed a little disappointing if I miss getting video of some good catches but nothing that I lose any sleep over. After all, I spent a lot of years casting without ever thinking that I could make my own “fishin’ show” much less share it with the whole world. Well, in theory at least. 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

First Day of Christmas

Posted on by Troy Jackson

…a new transistor radio.

I really have no idea how old my old radio is but it’s certainly old enough to say that it has seen better days. It features a busted handle, no antenna, a finicky on/off switch and a slightly corroded (but still functional) battery compartment. None of these items put it out of commission but sometimes you do have to wiggle that on/off switch to get it back in gear or sit with your finger on the broken antenna hole to get a station in tune.

So, as tough as it is to replace, the time has come. Actually, I probably won’t throw the old one out but will just use it in one of the few spots that are radio free at home. The most likely location would be my little basement corner of the world where I occasionally retreat to compose and peruse my archive of logs, notes, photo albums and other stuff.

You know, if I do use that old radio for basement coverage I should pretty much have a seamless transition around our locale. You see, I’m much more of a radio than television guy as evidenced by our home featuring at least a 10:2 radio to television ratio. I can go from room to room to garage to deck to driveway to vehicle and even to bicycle without a loss of radio coverage via strategically placed devices. While I often go days or weeks without turning on the television, radio is a constant daily companion in the home and on the road and it’s been that way for as long as I can remember.

I’ll try not to keep you too long on these posts as I’m sure you’ve got better things to do. But before I sign off on this first day of Christmas, just for fun, let’s have a look at my Top 11 songs that have “Radio” in the title (couldn’t make a cut for a Top 10).

Top Radio Songs

11. Mexican Radio – Wall of Voodoo (1983)
“I wish I was in Tijuana, eating barbequed iguana.”

10. Life Is a Rock but the Radio Rolled Me – Reunion (1974)
“Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me.”

9. There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong with the Radio – Aaron Tippin (1992)
“The older she gets, the slower we go but there ain’t nothin’ wrong with the radio.”

8. Turn up The Radio – Autograph (1984)
“Turn up the radio, I need the music, give me some more.”

7. Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio – The Ramones (1980)
“Do you remember lyin’ in bed with the covers pulled up over your head?”

6. The Spirit of Radio – Rush (1979)
“Begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobtrusive.”

5. Video Killed the Radio Star – The Buggles (1979)
“Lying awake intently tuning in on you.”

4. Listen to the Radio – Don Williams (1982)
“The songs they play, that’s how I really feel, so, listen to the radio.”

3. I Watched it All on my Radio – Lionel Cartwright (1990)
“At the crack of the bat, I knew how far it’d go and I watched it all on my radio.”

2. Radio Land – Michael Martin Murphey (1984)
“I remember summer evenings, late night rock and roll.”

1. Radio Gaga – Queen (1984)
“Let’s hope you never leave old friend.”

New radio or old radio, here’s to more Cubs games while rowing around the strip mines, classic Casey Kasem countdowns over breakfast at a picnic table and late night rock and roll around a campfire with one of the best old friends anyone could ask for. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – October 29, 2013

Posted on by Troy Jackson

We don’t travel too far back in time this week with a look at a 2013 visit to Eureka Lake in Woodford County, Illinois. I’d always wanted to give the 30-acre fishing hole a look but just couldn’t pull the trigger despite reading some high praise and seeing some solid fish pics over the years (including a double-digit bass). Well, leave it to a fall drawdown to push me to finally get it done as the secrets revealed when the fisheries managers pull the plug are too much to resist.

Here’s an excerpt from the original post submitted on my former blogging gig almost exactly five years ago today (11-1-13).

During my regular fishing related wandering around the internet a couple weeks ago I learned that Woodford County’s Eureka Lake was in the process of a fall drawdown. A report of a lowered lake is music to my ears and I started checking the calendar and the weather forecast for a chance to introduce myself to some bass I’ve never met. Earlier this week things worked out allowing me to meet a handful of the inhabitants and learn a few of Eureka’s normally hidden secrets.

Original log entry from the trip

Stats
Date: October 29, 2013
Location: Eureka Lake
Time: Noon-3:00pm
Weather: Overcast/windy (from southeast)
Air Temp: 45-57F
Water Temp: 48F
Totals: 3 bass
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass, Yum Crawdad Texas rigged – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-3 tie (one on each of above lures)
Weight (2 bass at 12” or better): 2-6 (1-3, 1-3)

12:02pm – instant feedback but wouldn’t pan out to be a real hot bite on this cool day

Notes & Nonsense

The Launch – The lake has been lowered in order to facilitate ramp renovations so getting a boat launched required an alternate plan. I’d picnicked at the lake with Julie and whatever kids we had at the time several years ago but I really couldn’t recall what would work best for dragging in my eight foot johnboat. I wound up finding a spot near the dam that was suitable in terms of solid footing on the exposed lake bottom but it involved a 50-60 yard drag down and up a decent hill. It took three trips each way but I was able to haul in the boat, oars, a battery, trolling motor, anchor, too much tackle, life jacket, boat cushion, five rods, a tripod and a bottle of Gatorade. As I write this, my back still twinges when I bend a certain way but other than that it wasn’t too bad. I was the only boat on the lake which made me feel extra tough as well.

1:00pm – Top Bass (tie) at 13″ and 1-3 on a Yum Crawdad

The Plan – I like to fish fast if I can get away with it and knowing I only had three hours to explore the 30 acre lake had me hoping I could find some active bass in the 48 degree water.  Two minutes into casting I had some feedback on a Red Eye Shad and I was pretty much committed for the day, for better or worse.  I did slow down around some wood in a number of spots but it was largely a lipless crankbait, spinnerbait and crankbait attack.  If I had another shot and more time to invest on the water I would probably slow down more.  But I likely won’t get a revisit this year and for this trip I really couldn’t intricately pick apart pieces of the lake and still see all that I wanted to see.

Tough day when you have to post a pic of a dead one but sure would have liked to have found it during its better days (1/4 oz Red Eye Shad for comparison)

Ones That Got Away – About midway into the trip something real heavy stopped my Red Eye Shad dead and plowed towards deeper water. Several seconds later it just let go and left me kind of bummed thinking that I‘d missed my shot at a real good bass. However, twenty minutes later I was battling a similar strike that had me all around the boat before surfacing to reveal that it was a big old carp (maybe 12-14 pounds) that was snagged in the back. I had no dipnet and no idea how I would get the thing landed and really was just hoping that it wouldn’t bust my 12 pound test and take my lure. After a good battle the lure safely dislodged and I wasn’t particularly disappointed as it was great fight while it lasted and I still had my Red Eye Shad. A fellow was walking his dog on the shoreline and we had a laugh as he said he thought that fish was going to wind up pulling me all around the lake in that little boat. I had another similar brief lure stopping encounter later that I chalked up to the same species and it left me feeling a whole lot better about that first lost fish, thinking it wasn’t a lunker bass after all. I did lose a bass at boatside on the Yum Crawdad that would have been my Top Bass although at best it may have pushed two pounds.

Interestingly, Eureka Lake is in the midst of another drawdown five years later. This time around it is to deal with the overpopulation of those carp that I snagged into and also features a complete rehabilitation of the fishery. In layman’s terms that means a total fish kill or a do over as Illinois Department of Natural Resources knocked out the remaining fish population once the lake was drawn down to more of a puddle. It sounds like the plan is to reintroduce various species in 2019 followed by a catch and release phase before establishing size and creel limits. If you are in the neighborhood I would certainly recommend taking a peek at the exposed structure revealed by the substantial drawdown as that sort of thing doesn’t happen very often. There are some killer stumps out there that could pay dividends for you down the road. Send me some pics as I don’t figure that I’ll get down that way for a look of my own. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – October 13, 2008

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Original log entry from 10/13/2008

Back to Lake Storey and only one day shy of exactly ten years ago. This outing was one of the annual visits to the “home lake” with Dad. I too had a solid handle on being a dad but kind of only half the dad that I am these days. Only two little girls at the time, didn’t know that they’d have a couple little brothers on the way. Much has changed on the family front, but in regards to the fishing hole it still resides at the top of the list thanks to the angling challenges, exciting rewards, aesthetic appeal and personal history. Read on for a sample of these characteristics as conveyed via excerpts from the original 2008 fishing report.

This outing and the actual lures from the trip are older than this boy (and his big brother)

10-13-08
Lake Storey (with Dad)
Time: 8:40am-2:10pm
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Dad – 12 bass 1 Muskie (20”)
Troy – 8 bass 1 walleye (4-14)
Lures
Bomber Flat A in baby bass pattern (also 1 muskie & 1 walleye) – 9 bass
Zoom Super Hog (watermelon seed) – 9 bass
Quad Shad Spinnerbait (white) – 2 bass
Top Bass – Dad 3-0 Troy 1-13
Top 5 weight 8-3 (3-0,1-13,1-4,1-3,0-15)

Solid 4-14 walleye but three pounds lighter than another Lake Storey catch a week and a half earlier

Challenge and Reward, Part I – The second quality walleye “accident” of October tipped the scales at 4-14; a very good fish that kind of paled a bit in comparison when following up a near eight pounder.

Top Bass for the day was Dad’s 3-0 on a Zoom Super Hog creature bait

Challenge and Reward, Part II – This outing and a series of earlier fishing trips produced a handful of new entries for the record book. Eight bass gained entry with Dad’s 3-0 taking Top Bass honors. All eight came from Lake Storey as the strip mines just couldn’t compete with Galesburg’s “home lake” when it was in the midst of the annual fall drawdown.

Aesthetic Appeal, Part I – The drawdown drops the lake level several feet leaving a great deal of structure (trees, stumps, rockpiles, weeds and docks) high and dry. This drastically limits the amount of hiding places for smaller forage fish and allows the larger predators to stock up as we head towards colder weather. Theoretically, this management tool will help sustain a healthy fishery. For the angler, the drawdown provides a glimpse under the surface that can be helpful in targeting the fish when the lake reaches its normal pool in the spring. In addition, it makes any remaining subsurface structure a potential magnet for baitfish which, in turn, attracts predators such as bass, walleye and muskie. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to reap the rewards and I would say the practice is working just fine.

I like pics of any toothy critter so Dad humored me for this juvenile catch (cool drawdown background too)

Aesthetic Appeal, Part II – During my trips to Lake Storey I observed a pair of our most impressive birds of prey. First up was an osprey that I watched as it plummeted to the water’s surface while harvesting an unsuspecting fish for lunch. Next was a bald eagle, the first I’ve seen at Lake Storey. I have also spotted a few at Lake Bracken and Snakeden over the years, testimony to the marked recovery of the species.

Personal History – Twice I ran out of battery power and had to utilize the gas motor to get back to the ramp. While it’s against regulations, desperate times call for desperate measures. Ain’t the first time I had to pull the stunt as one other time Brent and I had to fire up the big motor to escape a storm that snuck up on us.

Chalk up another successful outing and a few more fish stories from Lake Storey

Actually, this stuff all fits under the personal history category and cool when it overlaps with Dad’s personal history in this case or other fishing partners in other instances. Stories to be told again and again and always a treat when you share the adventure as each person recalls some different aspect of the same tale. More than a few such stories from Lake Storey. In fact, another Friday Flashback from the lake coming next week. Hope you’ll tune in and talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 7/28 – Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Hey, haven’t done one of these for a while and too busy to fish so here we go. This one was actually compiled during my last solo bass fishing outing back on July 28. Too busy to write, too.

10. Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band (1976) – Okay, so gotta make the short list of dirtiest songs of all-time and extra fun because it was one of my favorites as an eight or nine year old kid back in the Bicentennial. Even has a fishing verse tucked away in there. But nowadays, with a 51-year old body and four kids running around the house all the time, a little afternoon delight is more like a nap.

9. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In – The Fifth Dimension (1969) – Always dug this groovy ditty from when I was way too young to actually recall its original release. Must have caught it on the airwaves and seems like there was an album around the house. And what a beautiful lady and voice in Marilyn McCoo. Still a cool cut nearly 50 years later as my oldest daughter, Helena, took a liking to it when featured as a tune in a recent performance of her Quad City Music Guild group.

8. Love Takes Time – Orleans (1979) – I believe this completes the run of Orleans Top 40 hits as their two previous qualifiers have already been featured in Top 10 Trip Tunes (see “Dance With Me” and “Still The One”). Just one of those mellow tunes that finds me off in search of a playlist with the likes of Firefall, Poco, Pablo Cruise, England Dan and John Ford Coley, Ambrosia, Pure Prairie League…

7. Junior’s Farm – Paul McCartney & Wings (1974) – Kind of rock and roll meets Dr. Seuss. I really have no idea and it really doesn’t matter. Good old Sir Paul with a battery of hooks so no surprise that this one always catches my ear. Quite a cast of characters including an Eskimo, a card dealer, a politician and Ollie Hardy. And how about trios of rhyming words like “Parliament”, “President” and “cement” as well as “sense”, “fence” and “pence”? How fun would it be to have such lyrical talent?

6. China Grove – The Doobie Brothers (1973) – This whole internet thing can get distracting, weird and even a bit addictive but it’s totally worth it when it comes to song lyrics. Anybody else out there been singing the wrong words or substituting some runs of gibberish for decades? “Samurai swords”, huh? Makes perfect sense, sorta. At any rate an outstanding piece of 70s classic rock from a band with a little bit of everything sonically thrown into the mix. Hits you right from the start, ends without much warning and keeps driving all the way in between.

Round two tomorrow with another batch of classics. Talk to you later. Troy

 

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Jim Junk keeps us afloat with another quality trio of Fulton County bass pushing his Top 5 total ever closer to the 20-pound mark.

Weight: 3-5
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: July 10
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Senko
Angler Comments: Had a pleasant change of pace this evening as the past few times out have been struggling for a bite or two. Granted, they were usually quality bites when they did bite. I was getting a little burnt out. Heat and minimal bites is a killer. Anyway, in a little over an hour, I landed 6 bass between 2 and 3-5. Also missed what felt to be quality fish.

Weight: 3-7
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: July 14
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Senko
Angler Comments: Had an excellent couple days. Lots of fish 1.5 to 3.5 range, biggest was 3-7.

Weight: 3-11
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: July 15
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Senko
Angler Comments: Fish are still cooperating, seems to coincide with the new moon. Managed a 3-11 to cull a few more ounces.
Top 5 Weight: 19-9 (4-5,4-1,3-14,3-11,3-10) culls a 3-7

Thanks, Jim, for another solid batch of summer bass. I, for one, am enjoying the countdown to 20-pounds and appreciate that the culls get a little tougher to come by when you are seeking a four-pounder. Kudos on getting it done from the bank, ain’t always easy to get at ‘em and can be a bit wild getting ‘em in once you find ‘em.

Anybody else out there, feel free to join the chase and take a little pressure off Jim for these Monday updates. Perhaps, even I will get a shot to cast my lures into the ring here soon as I haven’t been able to fish since Father’s Day. But first, tune in for the MLB Fishing All-Star finale tomorrow on All-Star game day as I wrap it up with our battery. Talk to you later. Troy

MLB Fishing All Stars – OF & DH

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Back at it with the three guys who roam the outfield and one guy who doesn’t even have to play the field. In regard to that last “position”, I’m still not a fan of the Designated Hitter, an American League job title since 1973. And these days it also creeps into the National League thanks to inter-league play. Not a fan of that either.

Okay, enough of the old school, old fan rant on how baseball goes about its business these days. On to a quartet that predate regular season inter-league matchups and three of these fellas even made their debuts before the DH.

LF – Ralph Garr

MLB Notes: The interesting combination of free swinging contact hitter and good speed not only made Garr entertaining at the plate but also won him a National League batting title in 1974 (.353 average) and a runner-up finish in 1971 (.343).
Fishing Notes: Just as some baseball purists look down their noses at those free swingers, Garr’s piscatorial namesake is generally derided and shown little respect. I for one, admire the gar as it is a survivor that was around long before we were and I suspect will have the last laugh long after we’re gone.
Topps Cards Notes: I don’t know the scoop but the Garr Braves cards above come from 1974 and 1975 (left to right) and are the exact same photo. A strange quirk considering it wasn’t like Garr was some obscure, mediocre, part-time, platoon player. Nope, he was coming off an NL batting title and All-Star game appearance. Just weird…

CF – Johnny Grubb

MLB Notes: Grubb is one of those ballplayers who must have just had that something extra as he deserves a shout out for a 16-year career that didn’t really feature any sort of attention getting numbers. But kudos to anyone who played at that level for any amount of time and Grubb also gets a thumbs up for a 1974 All-Star Game appearance as a Padre and a 1984 World Series ring as a Tiger.
Fishing Notes: Just like the ball player, the lure simply gets it done. I don’t know about anybody else but I suspect that I am not alone in cutting my fishing teeth on this category of lure. Takes me back to the 80s with Gapen Fishies, Beetle Spins, puddle jumpers, Mister Twister curly tails…
Topps Cards Notes: Now this is a fun bit of baseball and baseball card history. For 1974, Topps ran with a print of cards designated Washington Nat’l League as the San Diego Padres were slated to move to the nation’s capital and did not yet have a new team name. But, the relocation fell through, the team remained the Padres, remained in San Diego and packs containing printed Washington Nat’l League cards hit the market. This confused seven-year old collector wound up with a few, one of which is the Grubb card above.

RF – Bombo Rivera

MLB Notes: Easily the shortest term of service among the members of our squad with a total of 335 MLB games played between 1975-1982 with 213 of them during the 1978-1979 seasons. A cool name that just sticks with you and one of those you can hear in your head over an imaginary PA system.
Fishing Notes: Looked it up and found that the surname “Rivera” derives from the Spanish word for “riverbank.” A classic locale for anglers and one that my family needs to visit as we are only minutes from the banks of one of the world’s mightiest rivers.
Topps Cards Notes:There’s something about opening a pack of baseball cards and finding a fellow named Bombo staring back at you, kind of sticks. Also fascinating looking back and wondering how Topps decided on who to include among the 660 card 1977 set. In the case of Rivera’s lone Expos card above, it was a rookie with 185 at bats during the 1976 season.

DH – Kurt BevAcQUA

MLB Notes: So, how’s this, as Bevacqua outdoes Grubb above with a 15-year career with some really head scratching numbers making you wonder? And even weirder is a pair 1984 World Series homers that Bevacqua hit for the Padres as they fell to Grubb’s Tigers. Those dingers from a guy who had 24 career homers since 1971 prior to his World Series performance and only three seasons where he hit more than two longballs all year (career high 6 in 1978).
Fishing Notes: Okay, maybe a stretch on this one and already caught some ribbing on my Bill RIGney manager selection but I’m having a good time entertaining myself and taking a trip back in time. Plus, how could I pass up a shot at including the iconic 1976 Topps card featuring BevAcQUA and described below.
Topps Cards Notes: Did you know that Bevacqua won the Joe Garagiola Bazooka Bubble Gum Bubble Blowing Championship as pictured on the 1976 Topps card above? Actually, did you know such an event ever occurred? As for the 1977 Mariners card, the airbrushing leaves much to be desired, Topps could’ve used some help from Hugh Hefner’s crew as I seem to recall some fine work back in the day. And oh, by the way, Bevacqua never made an appearance with the 1977 expansion Seattle Mariner club.

This one took some work on a few different levels to convey all that potentially useless information. But a labor of love that is right up my alley on a few different levels as well. Hope you’ve still got it in you to tune in for the battery which is headed your way next. Talk to you later. Troy

 

Strip Mine Report 6/3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Got to enjoy a Sunday morning on the water with a friend who I have known since the 80s when I used to run around a Galesburg High School basketball court with his younger brothers. Jim Junk has also been a regular contributor to the Top 5 project going back to the start in 2014. His 2018 Top 5 is off to a great start with some solid Banner Marsh bass so I was hoping some of his success would rub off as we teamed up for some Knox County, IL strip mine bass.


6:31am 1-4 Senko

Stats

Date: June 3, 2018
Location: Little John Conservation Club (2 lakes)
Time: 5:55am-12:50pm (6 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy to very windy
Air Temp: 62-81F
Water Temp: 76F
Totals: 30 bass (Jim = 15, Troy = 15)
Lure Jim
Senko wacky rig (several colors) – 15 bass
Lures Troy
Senko wacky rig (several colors) – 11 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 Troy Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-5 (1-14,1-8,1-6,1-5,1-4)


8:09am 1-8 Senko

Notes and Nonsense

Off the Bank – As noted in the intro, Jim has been knocking the bass pretty good from the bank at Banner Marsh and has also had bank bound success on the first body of water we fished on this morning. For me, it was not only fun to have a fishing partner along but also to be able to help that partner get a look at those “over there” spots that are inaccessible to a bank angler. If you’ve spent any time on the bank, you certainly know what I mean.


8:13am 1-5 Buzzbait

Wind – The forecast called for the wind to pick up around 11:00am but it arrived about an hour ahead of schedule. We’d relocated to a second lake after working over stop number one but the layout just made it too tough with the particular wind direction. Therefore, we bailed out and headed back for round two on our original stop. A handful of bass joined the ledger on the second visit but the wind and its toll on the trolling motor battery prevented us from reaching a spot that was productive earlier in the morning. Chop on the water in the sunny conditions was welcome but when you’ve got to run full throttle on the motor just to stay in place it makes for a challenge.


8:36am 1-14 Senko

Senko Domination – Several Senko hues fished wacky style were the big winners on this trip, landing 26 of our 30 bass. The Senko success was no surprise as it is the typical winner on the water we fished and both Jim and I are big fans of the presentation. In fact, we were in definite agreement as to the fact that the Senko had revolutionized our approach over the last decade plus. I also tried to force feed a buzzbait in search of that one big bite but it never materialized with the combined weight of those four bass coming in close to what I had my sights on for a lone big bite.


12:46pm 1-6 Senko

Good numbers and certainly enough to keep us interested but just couldn’t find a lunker. Still good to get out with a fishing friend and shoot the breeze with some fish stories, Cubs observations and whatever else came to mind while chasing bass on a windy day. More than a few months of fishing left for 2018 so perhaps a Part II lies in the future. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes 4/21 & 4/22 – Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

And now…the countdown continues. A new wrinkle this time around with a countdown within the countdown as I rate my all-time favorites from one of the artists.

5. Second Hand News – Fleetwood Mac (1977) – Lead cut from legendary “Rumours” album which hit the charts and made a mark on this kid who was in fifth grade at the time. But it wasn’t until many years later that I actually owned the CD and was able to discover that the hits just kept on coming beyond the singles on the radio. Love songs come in many guises, such as this peppy, driving, breakup cut. And it don’t get any better lyrically than “Won’t you lay me down in the tall grass and let me do my stuff.”

4. Count on Me – Jefferson Starship (1978) – Hey, what do you know?  I guess you can count on me for another love song in the countdown.  Number two on my Top 10 list from the various incarnations of the band.  A list dominated by the 1975-79 time frame, a period between an Airplane and a simple Starship.
My Top 10 Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship Songs
1. Miracles (1975)
2, Count On Me (1978)
3. Runaway (1978)
4, With Your Love (1976)
5. Jane (1979)
6. Play On Love (1976)
7. Somebody To Love (1967)
8. White Rabbit (1967)
9. No Way Out (1984)
10. Guess it’s a tie for all the rest

3. Sweet Talkin’ Woman – ELO (1978) – Among my favorite bands and fun to discover some themes in my favorite tunes. Unique instrumentation, another batch of call and response along with a pattern of dropping a “g” for some bad grammar. You know, searchin’, hopin’, waitin’, runnin’, talkin’… I kind of like to use that trick in my writin’ too. At any rate, a true audio treat.

2. Tiny Dancer – Elton John (1972) – Sir Elton and his buddy, Bernie Taupin, picking up steam, just nailing it with a battery of killer cuts and the rest is prolific pop music history. Got a great “Old Grey Whistle Test” 1971 performance of this one on DVD, just a guy and his piano doing it up right before the over the top theatrics, which were also a wacky bit of fun. And admittedly a sucker for the “Almost Famous” sing-along scene (got it on DVD too).

1. Running On Empty – Jackson Browne (1978) – Bucking for my favorite song of all-time, how did Browne write this before he even turned 30? What a gift to write something about a place in time or state of mind that not only strikes a chord with a listener but will remain relevant, well, forever. And I’ve long dug that wistful, nostalgic slide guitar amidst the driving beat to add to my interpretation of this song. A song that speaks to me a little more with each passing year. “Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels…” Keeps moving faster all the time.

Until next time, I hope this tangent may prompt a few to revisit the radio, dust off the music collection or surf in search of an oldie but goodie.

Back to the outdoors come Monday with a Top 5 Update followed by a birthday blowout, a new look and who knows what else. You wouldn’t want to miss that, right? Talk to you later. Troy