Original log entry from July 1, 1987 on what is now known as Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster

No pictures were taken from the July 1, 1987 outing referenced in today’s title, so the only evidence of this trip is my old fishing log and some memories. Both aspects and plenty more on the “fishing guide” for that trip are covered in today’s ramble.

Original log entry from July 1, 1987 continued

Best I can tell, I met Larry Smith in the late 1970s while tagging along to a few meetings of the Galesburg chapter of the Furtakers of America, a trapping organization. He was acquainted with my dad and my uncle through this hobby, and they also noted that he was a good fisherman.

Lake Storey topographic map procured for me by Larry

In the mid-80s, I began working summers for the Galesburg Park Department where Larry was also employed and struck up a friendship largely due to our shared interest in fishing. Along the way, Larry invited Brent and I to fish what was then known as “The Big State Lake”, which would later become Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster. Our July 1, 1987 trip pre-dated public access to the site by three years. All told we landed close to 120 bass in the crystal-clear waters amidst what looked like a flooded forest above and below the surface. Besides the fish, it was an amazing experience as visibility on the lake easily extended beyond twenty feet deep.

As the years passed, I would cross paths with Larry at Lake Storey from time to time whether he was fishing or assisting fisheries biologist Ken Russell and crew with sampling surveys. Speaking of Ken Russell, Larry hooked me up with Ken on several fishing surveys around the area. I thoroughly enjoyed manning the front of Ken’s electrofishing boat and scooping up the stunned fish before they regained their senses and swam back into the depths. Larry passed along a favorite compliment of mine as he related that Ken had told him that I was “the second-best fish dipper he’d ever had in his boat.” Of course, Larry followed that statement up by adding that he was ranked number one. No problem in being runner-up to that guy.

I was sworn to secrecy on some of the info on a public area fishing hole

Beginning in 2012, Larry and I struck up an email conversation that would span the next nine plus years and cover more fishing and trapping stories than one can imagine. I can only guess that the ongoing communication consisted of well over a thousand sends and replies as we rambled. Many “secrets” were swapped from our shared experiences on Lake Storey, Lake Bracken and Little John going back to the 1980s for me and beyond for Larry. He provided me with a topographic map of Lake Storey and some prized photos from a completely drained Lake Storey back in the 1960s. From my end of the conversations, I was quite proud to reveal a piece of Lake Storey structure to Larry that he did not know existed. And, trust me, there wasn’t much that he didn’t know about that fishing hole.

Top Secret Lake Storey communication from Larry with insider info from the 1960s

Larry was an outstanding multi-species angler and a master when using the Berkely Gulp Minnow. On August 19, 2021, he sent me an email relating, “Two days ago, caught a musky at Lake Storey to complete my catching every species of fish that swims there on a Gulp minnow. Caught a bullhead, a redear and a flathead this year prior to the musky. Me thinks this is a very good bait much like your sexy shad.” Larry also inquired about getting my cell number to send some pics and texts regarding the muskie and some other recent catches.

Dedicated a portion of a September 2021 trip to Larry’s favorite, the Gulp Minnow

Later that same day, August 19, 2021, Larry texted me a batch of his latest multi-species catches including the muskie pic below. Sadly, that was the final correspondence from our decades of swapping fish tales as Larry passed away on August 28, 2021.

August 19, 2021 – Larry and his Gulp Minnow muskie from Lake Storey

Sure do miss the man and those fish stories. Talk to you later. Troy

The final year of “Friday Flashback” just wouldn’t be complete without a revisit to a Henderson County spot that we called “Pat’s Creek.”

Over the years, we enjoyed many a wade from “Where We Get In” to “Where We Get Out” and all points in between. Even though we lost access many years ago, the memories remain of places like “The Roots”, “The Culvert”, “The Bridge”, “The Deep Hole”, and “The German Torpedo.”

Toss in a dew worm and you never know what will show up on the end of the line. Channel catfish, common carp, flathead catfish, and freshwater drum were the most popular catches, but the occasional smallmouth bass, walleye, green sunfish, or bluegill would also show up from time to time.

Documenting such trips took some care and planning as we waded the stained water. I always took a spare fishing log and tried to pack the camera in a Ziploc bag in the event I took a tumble on an unseen underwater obstruction. Back when the creek was deep, I also had to hold my gear over my head or stick to the shallow side when such a feature existed.

Scaling down on your gear was also a priority as you pretty much had to have everything you needed on your person as you waded. In some spots you could find a place on the bank to stash an item as you fished but for the most part the banks were steep or bordered with gunk where you could sink to your knees. In a couple of the photos from today’s post, I do see what Dad called “The Supertub.” This plastic tub provided a floating platform for gear and was towed around the creek via a rope as needed.

Good times, good memories, good fishing partners, and some good fish. Talk to you later. Troy

Today is a stat and photo heavy supplemental post to yesterday’s Friday Flashback. The point of the post is to convey that those bass down there were built differently, bit differently, and generally behaved differently. Basically, the length to weight ratio was more robust and it was highly unusual to catch any that were not “keepers” (under twelve inches). The latter feature was what we found most phenomenal, especially for a public fishery. Most places require running through a batch of “dinks” (short fish under 12”) to fool a few good ones.

Excerpt below from the original June 13, 2012 blog post

While I have learned a thing or two about bass fishing during the last four decades, the numbers to follow say a heck of a lot more about the fishery than the fisherman. I don’t know where most anyone out there fishes but I have never experienced a body of water (especially a public access body of water) that can hold a candle to the mix of quantity and quality that can be found at Emiquon. Mind you, it still takes some work and knowhow but oh the reward for paying your dues.

Back in the day, you had to make sure that you had plenty of space on the SD card in the camera as the quality catches could add up in a hurry.

The Numbers from June 7, 2012

0-14 Average weight of a 12” bass (2 fish sample)
1-8 Average weight of a 14” bass (11 fish sample)
1-12 Average weight of a 15” bass (7 fish sample)
1-15 Average weight of a 16” bass (7 fish sample)
2-9 Average weight of a 17” bass (3 fish sample)
3-6 Average weight of a 19” bass (2 fish sample)
98% Percentage of bass caught 12” or better (54 of 55)
78% Percentage of bass clustered between 13.5” to 16” (43 of 55)
14 Number of bass equaling or exceeding two pounds
7.1 Bass per hour (55 bass in just under 8 hours on the water)
1:18 Longest stretch without a bass (1:07pm-2:25pm)
2 Number of bass in first two hours on the water (12:25pm-2:25pm)
17 Number of bass in last hour plus (7:00pm-8:13pm)
99-13 Total weight of the 54 bass 12” or greater (throw in the 10” oddball and Emiquon gave up over 100 pounds of bass on the trip. How cool is that?

The place ain’t normal, which suits a guy in a goofy hat just fine.

Enough said. Well, at least until another Friday Flashback post or two featuring Emiquon as 2022 rolls on. Talk to you later. Troy