Since the inception of Friday Flashback, we’ve spent a fair number of Fridays looking back at Emstrom’s Pond. Indeed, the first post in the series, back on March 18, 2018, featured the legendary fishing hole.

After all those posts, what more could there be to say about the pond?

Well, thanks to the log entries in the photo above from November 17 & 18, 2001 there are several things to say.

Both entries note that I fished for a brief period. This conveys that the proximity of the pond to where we used to store our little johnboat at my folks’ house made the spot ideal for a quick visit. On November afternoons that is important. In the case of the November 17 entry, I was able to get off work at 3:00pm, run by my parents’ house, grab the boat, and start casting by 3:45pm. It doesn’t get much better than that. Well, except for those years when Lake Bracken was my backyard. But that’s another story.

Of the dozens of Emstrom’s pics, this is the best I could find that showed “The Beaver Lodge”

When you only have an hour or so to fish like these two log entries denote, it pays to have a good spot. And in the case of Emstrom’s Pond, there was a good spot on the spot. As the log shows, that spot was what we called The Beaver Lodge. Such a structure is a good spot about anywhere. But that’s another story, too.

Not sure if this is the Pearl pattern Baby 1- or the Gray Ghost (the latter of which is “another story”)

Finally, the successful lure scribbled down in the log is the Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait. I have to say that it is odd for the bait to be so dominant in November. However, the conditions noted in the log show that the weather and water conditions were anything bug typical mid-November. Air temperatures at 60 degrees or above on consecutive days and water temperatures in the upper-50s are a late season dream. As always, the bass will tell you what they want, or don’t. And if I don’t have to slow down my presentations, I don’t.

November 18, 2001 – another winner from Emstrom’s Pond

The picture above provides solid feedback that I was in the right place on the right water at the right time with the right lure.

That’s the puzzle that is fishing. And occasionally, I get it right. Talk to you later. Troy

One of the regular stops for me and my brother on some of our public strip mine hikes is a spot we call “2X4 Lake.” It doesn’t have a real name, so we made one up after a 2013 trip when it gave up two four-pound bass in the span of ten minutes.

Well, quite a few years prior to that pair, Brent and I completed the same four-pound feat on good, old Emstrom’s Pond. If you’ve followed the Friday Flashback posts over the last four years, perhaps you’ve heard of the legendary fishing hole. No matter that it took us just a bit more than ten minutes to land this duo, it’s always cool to catch multiple high-quality bass on one outing.

Original log entry from November 14, 2001

November 14, 2001 at 11:45am, Brent strikes first with a four-pounder

November 14, 2001 at 12:45pm, I manage to match the day’s Top Bass

Brent struck first with an even four-pounder at 11:45am and I was able to follow up with a fish of identical weight at 12:45pm. Both bass fell to black and blue jigs, classic cold water, big bass baits. Such a presentation was a winner on that old pond over the years as we compiled quite a list of good fish bouncing those jigs around The Beaver Lodge and a couple other spots. In fact, the 2001 bite on the jig (and another surprising lure) was not quite done after this trip. But those are tales for future Fridays as we head down the home stretch of this year’s Friday Flashback.

Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Portion of the original log from 11/1/2001

Do you know what the Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year was for 2013?

The answer is “selfie.”

Well, not being particularly hip, I have no idea when I got wind of such a word. But being a fisherman who spent a lot of time flying solo in boats or boots, I guess that I was dabbling in the practice long before it ever got an official name.

And twenty years ago, in an eight-foot johnboat with an Advanced Photo System camera and without a fishing partner, the “selfie” thing wasn’t exactly a piece of cake. This is quite apparent from the slideshow below featuring my Top 5 bass from an Emstrom’s Pond trip on November 1, 2001.

Ah yes, the good, old days before a tripod, instant feedback and free do overs.

While I could write plenty on the evolution of fishing photography, that is best left for another time. Instead, the pics of the fish and the angler will speak for themselves in today’s flashback.

Although, in compiling today’s post, I did wonder if a “true” selfie was simply a photo taken by, and featuring only, the subject taking the shot.

According to the reliable source, Wikipedia, “A selfie, however, may include multiple subjects; however, as long as the photo is being taken by one of the subjects featured, it is considered a selfie.”

Here’s to many more (and hopefully better) fishing selfies. Talk to you later. Troy

Heading towards November, my 2021 fishing days are drawing to a close. Whatever catches I can muster during the late season will simply be icing on the cake for another productive year. Today’s flashback was such a trip back in October 2001, a Lake Bracken outing with Dad. Since the trip took place in the days before blogging and we only caught one quality fish, it took me a bit to figure out what route to take for today’s post.

October 23, 2001 at 4:13pm – 3 pounds 3 ounces at Lake Bracken on a crankbait

And…we’re going with some stats. After all, I’ve got over 35 years of family and friend fishing data, so might as well put some of it to use. Here’s a little peek at how this October 23, 2001 catch stacks up in a few categories.

Fun to look back on the names of some old favorite spots

Our Top Bass of 2001 shows that this catch barely missed the Top 10 and was the largest Bracken bass

This bass ranked 17th on my personal all-time Lake Bracken list

And, finally, a portion of the Top Lake Bracken Bass of all-time

Plenty of memories and stories, that’s what Friday Flashback is all about. And it doesn’t stop here! More flashbacks to come, all the way into December so stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy