Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

August can be a tough month for various reasons, so it is encouraging to see a batch of quality catches for this week’s update.

Weight: 1-13
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: August 9
Weather: Partly cloudy, temperature in the 80s
Water Temperature: Unknown
Location: Knox County public strip mine lake
Lure: Wacky worm
Angler Comments: The fish was hooked on the first cast from shore.

Weight: 1-14
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: August 12
Weather: Early morning sun, temperature in the high 60s
Location: Knox County public strip mine lake
Lure: Four-inch black and silver floating Rapala
Angler Comments: Bright morning sun made for slow fishing, but the bite improved when the clouds moved in.

Weight: 1-11
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: August 12
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Knox County public strip mine lake
Lure: Wacky worm
Angler Comments: A fish took a swipe at a four-inch black and silver floating Rapala but missed. Remembering a very recent video on the Troy Jackson Outdoors YouTube Channel, I picked up my rod with the wacky worm and cast to the same area and hooked this fish on the retrieve!! Was this the same fish that missed the Rapala? Hard to know.

Weight: 1-8
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: August 12
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Knox County public strip mine lake
Lure: Four-inch black and silver floating Rapala
Angler Comments: The fish and the two described above were caught from a boat.
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)

Weight: 3-4
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 13
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy 64F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shad) with Zoom Creepy Crawler trailer (root beer pepper green)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: Its cool when your first bite of the day is a good one. As it turned out, it was the best of the day, but I did catch a couple other solid fish. But that’s a tale for the fishing report later this month.
Top 5 Weight: 15-6 (3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15,2-12) culls 2-12

Hard to believe that we are halfway through August already. While not in any rush to put this month behind us, I always look forward to September and the potential uptick for a fall bite. It will be here before you know it. Talk to you later. Troy

Grandkids/Cousins Fishing Report

Posted on by Troy Jackson

This summer, my folks have played fishing guides for their grandkids on several occasions. While the kids have fished to varying degrees over the years, the crew has really seemed to catch the bug this year. There’s no better evidence than the request, “Papa, when are we going fishing again?”

13 poles geared up for the crew and Dad reported not a single lure lost in a tree or to a snag, quite impressive

Well, Mom sent me a handful of pics from the latest outing and reported that all who took part landed some fish. Check out the slideshow as pictures speak louder than words.

 

 

Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 1987

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Twenty years old, a summer job with the Galesburg Park Department and not really a care in the world. Hit the shop at Lincoln Park just before 7:00am, get our marching orders for the day to mow, pick trash, paint, weed trim and refrain from doing anything dumb in front of the public and then head home at 3:00pm. After that, it was often off to the fishing hole. And what a trio of waters that make up today’s “Friday Flashback.”

August 5, 1987 – Steck’s Pond
Located a few miles northwest of Lake Storey, me and Brent fished this farm pond a few times with Bret Bruington who had access to the fishing hole. Bret (or Little Bru) is the son of Gary Bruington (Big Bru), longtime Galesburg High School baseball coach. Big Bru was not only my coach but also took several ball players on fishing trips while in high school, stoking my passion for the pursuit as he was a knowledgeable bass angler. Anyway, my catches for this day are noted in the original and database log entries pictured in this post. However, I must say that my fondest memory from Steck’s Pond was Little Bru, Brent and I landing a few fish on a February day when the line was freezing in the eyes of our poles. Or there was also the time a near four-pound bass spooked out of a weedbed and almost jumped right in the boat. Yep, don’t get me started…

August 8, 1987 – Green Oaks
Weekends were also spent at the fishing hole and weekends were the only days that the Knox College field station was open for casting. Too many stories for a flashback post but a 1988 Green Oaks bass at five pounds eight ounces was my personal best for many years afterwards. I’ve longed to get back to the fishing hole which is right across the highway from my Little John stomping grounds, but access is restricted to current students, faculty, and staff. However, I recently learned from a reliable source that a fish kill had decimated the bass population and rendered the spot a “crappie hole” per the report. Sad news as it once was a premier destination.

August 13, 1987 – Roehlk’s Pond
Like Steck’s Pond, Little Bru was our “in” on this fishing hole on the south edge of Knoxville, IL around Eiker Acres. If I were to rank ponds, this one would likely be number one on my list. It had an incredible variety of structure including a pronounced channel, flats, weedbeds, a duck blind, flooded timber, points, a stump bed and an island. And that was just the stuff we could plainly see. Who knows what else was hidden in the depths. My favorite memory from Roehlk’s was watching Little Bru pull out ten pounds of bass on back-to-back casts, a six-pounder followed by a four-pounder. I don’t know about Brent, but I’m still a bit jealous thirty-five years later.

Original log entries from these outings

It’s hard to say how many bass those of us who fished these spots and more all those years ago have landed in the interim. Guesstimation from my totals combined with the fishing habits of just the three of us mentioned in today’s flashback, I’d say it would easily exceed 20,000 bass. That’s a lot of fish but what is crazy is that to this very day I could walk or row you to the exact spot of all the catches referenced in today’s post. Whether that is passion, obsession, or just plain nuts, that’s fishing. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – July Notes

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Here are a few more items to wrap up the July outings on The Canal.

Lost and Found  (see pic above) – No matter how good of a caster you are, if you are fishing from the bank, you are going to lose a few lures. Along The Canal, baits and bobbers decorate the trees from time to time and are often easy pickings from a boat. No return address on the lures, so I guess that makes it “finders, keepers”.

Winning July Lures on The Canal

Backup Bait – The YouTube clip below is a fun trick when fishing a topwater and encountering a strike where the bass has bad aim. Step one is to always have a Senko wacky rig tied onto another pole when you are casting a topwater lure. Step two, after the missed strike, is to cast the Senko into the boil that was created and many times you can get that fish.

Gar Log – Dad used to pull our legs with tales of hippos formerly calling West Central Illinois home or by pointing out the backs of “alligators” protruding from the water in local creeks and ponds. Thus, I couldn’t resist snapping a pic of this large “alligator gar” that I spotted on The Canal.

“It was just my imagination, runnin’ away with me…”

I have one successful trip to The Canal in August so stay tuned for a report when time permits. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

July Stats Part II covers the final four outings of the month along with some cumulative July numbers.

Date: July 17
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Totals: 5 bass (2.50 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 77F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, Zara Spook (natural frog) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 Zara Spook (natural frog)
Top 5 Weight: 4-10 (2-6,2-4)
Comments: I set out on this evening with a mission to land a bass while using a near thirty-year-old reel recently acquired from a longtime friend. And I was going to use a Zara Spook in the natural frog pattern to do it. A bass cooperated as the lure affectionately known as “The Pickle” remains a winner.

Date: July 23
Time: 8:00am-11:15am
Totals: 5 bass (1.54 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy 71-89F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 5-10 (1-6,1-3,1-2,1-0,0-15)
Comments: Thunderstorms at sunrise delayed my birthday outing on this incredibly muggy and hot morning. The bass seemed a bit sluggish in the heat as did I by quitting time. Only five bass but at least all of them were “keepers” for a Top 5 limit.

Date: July 24
Time: 4:50pm-7:50pm
Totals: 11 bass (3.67 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to breezy 86-80F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) –3 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-7 (1-5,1-4,0-15,0-15)
Comments: Numbers were good on this evening, but I couldn’t find any big bites. However, the highlight of the evening was a fellow angler hollering from his bike, “Who’s down there in that boat?” The resulting chat along the bank with a Canal fishing hero of mine was worth the trip no matter what I caught. While I made mental note of several general pointers gathered during our twenty-minute conversation, the Canal history and simply talking fishing were a treat. Eddie, if you are out there, just wanting to say thanks for the conversation.

Date: July 31
Time: 1:35pm-4:50pm
Totals: 9 bass (2.77 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/breezy 81-83F
Lures: Strike King Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 5 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Strike King Squarebill Crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 4-11 (1-5,0-15,0-14,0-14,0-11)
Comments: My mission on this outing to end the month was to catch nine bass to reach the 200 bass mark on The Canal for 2022. It took some work, but I ended up right on the money in landing my ninth bass of the afternoon about thirty minutes before calling it quits.

2022 July Totals
Eight outings covering seven different pools
22.75 hours and 66 bass (2.90 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-11 July 2 Spinnerbait
Top 5 July Bass Weight: 11-6 (2-11,2-6,2-4,2-3,1-14)

 

2022 Overall Stats
200 bass in 67 hours (2.99 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 on 4/23/22 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Day
11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) on 6/24/22
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)

Haven’t been able to get on The Canal yet in August. It is unlikely that I will get as much time on the water as I did for July but still have a couple blog items in the works to complete last month’s warp-up. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 5, 1997

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Twenty-five years ago, I got to share a boat on the Mississippi River down around Quincy with my girlfriend and her dad. Just over five years later, I would call those fishing partners my wife and father-in-law.

My late father-in-law, Junior Breuer

I don’t specifically recall what species we were targeting but I would suspect catfish. However, my log entry from the day consists of two white bass, a freshwater drum, and a largemouth bass. Apparently, our catches were not particularly impressive as I can only find one photo from the outing.

August 5, 1997 with my all-time Top Mississippi River bass

The bass pictured above still stands as my personal best Mississippi River bass in my limited visits to the mighty waterway. It was caught after we pulled the boat up onto an island to get out and stretch a bit. Part of the island featured a channel running through it with an old, downed tree lining one bank. I tossed my dew worm out along the piece of cover, and it barely hit the bottom before I had a fish on. I anticipated anything but a bass to be on the other end, so the catch was a pleasant surprise. It weighed in at 2-4, besting some of the pound and a half river bass I’d landed in the late 80s and early 90s.

The river has always been an untapped resource for me, but I will never forget a mid-80s visit with a baseball friend and his father, Ted and Fred Harvey. Mr. Harvey knew the river well, both as a fisherman and as an accomplished waterfowler. I remember being fascinated as he guided us to a handful of scrappy river bass. I had never considered such bass potential as my view of the muddy river centered around the usual suspects, catfish, carp, gar, and bowfin. It was a real eye opener, and I will forever be grateful to Mr. Harvey for inviting a nineteen-year-old wannabe bass fisherman along for the ride.

Same goes for my late father-in-law, Junior Breuer, for not only letting me tag along but also for allowing me to marry his daughter. Here we are twenty-five years later just over a month from celebrating twenty years of wedded bliss.

Summer 1997 with my girlfriend and fishing partner, still going strong

Sadly, Junior passed away in 2007 but his memory still goes fishing with me every time I hit the water. After his passing, we inherited his truck, and it has racked up many miles and many bass over the years.

Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was fortunate to chase some bass on The Canal nine times during the month of July. Most of my outings consisted of two to three hours on the water with the aim of landing five “keepers” (bass at 12” or better). I was able to meet that goal on four of the trips while the other trips resulted in one to four “keepers.” Of course, all are released to fight again after a quick picture and log entry. Too much to pass along in a single post so read on for Part I with Part II to follow this weekend.

Stats

July 2 8:53am Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-13 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 2
Time: 6:35am-10:20am
Totals: 16 bass (4.27 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/breezy 60-82F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 14 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-11 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 9-6 (2-11,1-13,1-11,1-10,1-9)
Comments: I divide the section that I fished into eastern and western sections. Typically, the eastern section produces better fish but, on this morning, four of my Top 5 bass were landed on the western stretch. No doubt, it was worth the extra rowing.

July 3 – 6:13pm Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-10 (15″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 3
Time: 6:05pm-8:50pm
Totals: 13 bass (4.73 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 86-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 10 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-11 (1-14,1-10,1-3,1-0)
Comments: Weeds make this spot a challenge but continued casting to open stretches and limited, accessible wood came through with my regular one-two spinnerbait-buzzbait punch.

July 4 – 4:03pm Top Bass at 2-3 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 4 (2 spots)
Time: 3:00pm-4:45pm
Totals: 1 bass (0.57 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 78-81F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: (only 1 at 12” or better): 2-3 (2-3)
Comments: Tried a new spot after some heavy rain early in the day and nearly got shutout. A fair number of good-looking targets and a quality catch have me pondering a return trip later this year.

July 10 – 8:54am Top Bass at 1-1 (13.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 10 (2 spots)
Time: 6:00am-8:15am, 8:30am-9:45am
Totals: 5 bass (1.43 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 66-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 3 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-1 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12″ or better): 2-15 (1-1,1-0,0-14)
Comments: High hopes but low results on my first choice prompted me to do some exploring on a second stretch. I had previously fished the western part of the second area and covered the eastern half on this morning. Lots of good-looking structure but neither have impressed in terms of quantity or quality.

July 13 – 7:36am Top Bass at 1-6 (14.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 13
Time: 6:15pm-8:45pm
Totals: 12 bass (4.8 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 80-76F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 5 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 4 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-15 (1-6,1-6,1-3,1-2,0-14)
Comments: As my first spot was occupied, I had to shift gears to Plan B in visiting a weed congested stretch. Try as I might, I still can’t get anything dialed in on topwater frogs but the Senko wacky rig as a follow-up to my spinnerbait-buzzbait combination produced some rewarding catches (more on those in a later post).

Plenty more to come from the July Prowl the Canal wrap-up with posts featuring stats, lessons, and video. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stat Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It was a slow July as we only had two submissions. Those two bass from the last week of last month brought our 2022 totals to 75 bass and a rainbow trout. As always, a new month means that it is time for a new stat update.

2022 Totals
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 15 bass
April = 35 bass
May = 7 bass
June = 16 bass
July = 2 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 14-2 (3-3,2-15,2-14,2-12,2-6)
April = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
May = 11-9 (2-12,2-11,2-5,2-0,1-13)
June = 16-7 (4-2,3-5,3-3,2-15,2-14)
July = 4-11 (3-1,1-10)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 35 bass
Bank = 40 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 17-1 (4-2,3-5,3-5,3-3,3-2)
Bank = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)

Public vs. Private
Public = 75 bass
Private = 0 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
Private = not applicable

The Baits (* = new 2022 record)
Plastic Worm = 18 bass (Top Bass 5-12 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbait = 15 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
*Chatterbait = 13 bass (Top Bass 6-9 Jim Junk) tops 5-15 Jim Junk 6/22/20
Spinnerbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Brent Jackson)
Crankbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 2-5 John Kirkemo)
Jig = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
Buzzbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-11 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-3 Jayce Jackson)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 0-13 Troy Jackson)
*Popper = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-1 Brent Jackson) no prior entry
Swimbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Underspin = 1 bass (3-12 Jim Junk)

Monthly Top Bass
January
No submissions
February
No submissions
March
3-3 Jim Junk
April
6-9 Jim Junk
May
2-12 Troy Jackson
June
4-2 John Kirkemo
July
3-1 Brent Jackson

2022 Top 10 Bass
6-9 Jim Junk 4/4/22
6-0 Jim Junk 4/15/22
5-12 Jim Junk 4/21/22
5-4 Brent Jackson 4/24/22
5-1 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-7 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-6 Jim Junk 4/19/22
4-3 Jim Junk 4/21/22
4-2 John Kirkemo 6/13/22
3-15 Jim Junk 4/19/22
3-12 Jim Junk 4/13/22

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 27-13 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-1,4-7)
Brent Jackson 17-12 (5-4,3-9,3-3,3-1,2-11)
John Kirkemo: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
Troy Jackson 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)
Jayce Jackson 4-10 (2-3,1-4,1-3)
Helena Jackson 1-3 (1-3)
Zac Jackson 1-0 (1-0)
Carly Jackson 0-14 (0-14)

Other Species – Trout

John Kirkemo 12” (12”)

The August heat can be a challenge, but those fish are still out there somewhere. Keep on casting, catching, and send them my way at troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Summer has been tough on the Top 5 as we have been a month without any submissions. But as we head into August, we are back with a couple July entries. In addition, we have a new wrinkle with the angler comments on one catch coming in the form of a poem.

Weight: 1-10 (15”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: July 26
Weather: Some clouds, some sun. Cool temperatures. Light wind
Water Temp: N/A
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Wacky worm
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
Angler Comments:

Tuesday, I fished but didn’t expect too much
Because of the intensive heat and such

I was casting to structure along the shore
Twenty, thirty casts or more

Time went by without a bite
Would I get one before day became night?

But all of sudden in 3 feet of water
Fishing got a wee bit hotter

My rod was bent by an aggressive fish
I had finally got the fisherman’s wish

After a while the fish was in the boat
Which had managed to remain afloat

After photos and extensive measurement
I released the fish to his element

Editor’s Note: Bravo!

Weight: 3-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 30
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Topwater Popper
Top 5 Weight: 17-12 (5-4,3-9,3-3,3-1,2-11) culls a 2-11

Good to get back on track with a Monday update and here’s hoping we fare better in August than we did in July. We were out there catching plenty of fish though, just not finding any bass that would boost our weights. August is always a tough month, but I have confidence that our crew can find some quality bites.

And, John, how are you at haiku?

Good luck in August
Hope we all can boost our creels
For many updates

Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – July 18, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Ever get your camels confused? Read on for an explanation

Today’s flashback focuses on a Snakeden Hollow lake that did not exist back in 1990 when the site opened for public access. Although I roamed and fished Snakeden before it became public, I do not recall what the lake area looked like all those years ago. Perhaps it was just a depression hidden amongst the abundant weed growth before upkeep took an upswing. Construction of a series of earthen dams on the site have converted several of these marshes and potholes into viable fisheries over the years.

I first fished the spot on June 11, 2010, as curiosity and the heat got the best of me on one of my hikes. Looking back on a June 13, 2010, blog entry, my initial visit started as follows:

“The temperature and hauling half a dozen rods (in a handy rod holder) along with way too much tackle worked up a sweat in a hurry. Therefore, I stopped earlier than planned at a lake I hadn’t fished before. A bass blew up my Zara Spook twice on the first cast without eating it and I landed my largest fish of the day on my third cast with the Spook.”

July 18, 2012 original log entry

Since I caught a bass on that June 2010 day, the lake needed a name. As it had a visible hump, I elected to incorrectly call it “Bactrian Lake” as I got my camels mixed up (Dromedary is the one-humped ungulate). By the time that I fished it on this 2012 trip, I had realized my error and renamed it “Dromedary Lake.”

Dromedary Lake winning lure

The lake has been a productive spot over the years, but today’s flashback outing was the best overall day I’ve had on the body of water.

Date: July 18, 2012
Time: 7:15am-10:15am
Totals: 13 bass
Weather: Sunny/windy
Lures: Zara Spook (black shore minnow) – 9 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (rainbow) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-13 Zara Spook
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (2-13,2-9,2-6,1-13,1-8)

 

Turns out that several years later I would drag a boat to the lake and discover that there was a second hump after all. Too late to change names again at that point, so the lake will forever be known as Dromedary Lake. Talk to you later. Troy