Friday Flashback – July 1996

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Once upon a time, I lived at Lake Bracken, a country club located south of Galesburg, IL. It was quite the luxury to have a 170-ish acre lake literally in my backyard and The Spillway just a few minutes’ drive down the road.

In the case of today’s flashback, I actually took my shot at both the lake and The Spillway on the same day.

July 1996 – Lake Bracken 3-8 bass on Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

For the lake portion of the trip, Dad brought out the Bass Tracker to chase some bass. This trip took place during that unexplained period where I seem to have failed to keep a log. Therefore, the only documentation from the outing is the picture above. Apparently, we only landed one quality bass worth a picture although I suspect we caught some other fish. I still hold out hope that there is a missing fishing log tucked away somewhere but the odds are slim.

July 1996 – Lake Bracken Spillway 5-12 Carp

The latter portion of the day consisted of a visit to The Spillway, a location that has already appeared in several Friday Flashbacks. Once again, no log means that the only evidence is a pair of carp pics. I cannot recall who I was fishing with that afternoon, but it seems that my photographer got shut out.

July 1996 – Lake Bracken Spillway 6-9 Carp

In terms of the photos, these were taken with the old Minolta Disk camera meaning there were no do overs. An unfortunate aspect in retrospect. For one, the lighting on the carp shots leave much to be desired, certainly worth a re-shoot in today’s world of instant digital feedback. Regarding the bass photo, perhaps I would’ve considered putting on a shirt for a better shot. Much younger and a less self-conscious back in those days, I guess. While I did slim down a couple years ago, I think my topless pics are a thing of the past. Especially after this whole pandemic thing got me rather lazy and as a result, rather large around the mid-section.

Need to work on that. Perhaps an uptick in strip mine walks and canal bike rides could kill two birds with one stone. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Several more fish are added to our totals this week and while they don’t boost the angler’s weights, it’s always good to see some fish in my messages and my Inbox.

Weight: 1-4 (13.5”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: July 7
Weather: Cool, overcast with occasional mist
Water Temp: 80-81F
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Dark wacky worm
Angler Comments: Hardly had any action until this fish took the lure. Hooked one other fish which put up a better fight but lost him before seeing him. Slow day but comfortable weather for fishing. Fished from 8:00-11:30am.
Top 5 Weight: 11-14 (2-10,2-8,2-8,2-6,1-14)

Weight: 3-12, 3-13, 4-4
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: July 6
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Texas rigged Senko
Angler Comments: The 3-12 and 4-4 were on back-to-back casts.
Top 5 Weight: 26-0 (6-0,5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6)

Another good week on the water for a couple of our crew. Good to hear someone is out there chasing those fish and keep sending them my way. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – Summer Float Trips

Posted on by Troy Jackson

35 Years Ago This Summer – 1986 Float Trip

(Please note that “creek” rhymes with “stick” as you proceed to read today’s post)

It’s tough to beat a creek, no matter how you navigate those flowing waters.

In the case of today’s flashback, however, we are sticking to what was called a “float trip.” A float trip involved floating a stretch of creek via some sort of watercraft. In our case, this was either a canoe or that old, eight-foot johnboat that is still rowing strong. In most cases, the first stage of a float trip was to leave a vehicle at the takeout point and then drive another vehicle and watercraft to a launching spot. From the launch, we’d float downstream to one vehicle, load up and then drive to pick up the other vehicle.

The pictures above and below are from a 1986 float trip on a portion of Henderson Creek located in, oddly enough, Henderson County, IL. Dad, Brent, and I were involved in this float, and it looks like we borrowed my uncle’s truck as the additional vehicle. I guess he was the odd man out on this trip as Dad had two boys who could drive by that point in time. Our haul appears to be some carp, small channel cats and a drum. No trophies, simply icing on the cake for a fishing adventure.

Summer 1986 Float Trip – a creek, a canoe, a catfish and a big chaw of chew (glad I kicked that habit)

Speaking of fishing adventures, the pic below is one of my favorites. Dad and I hit a Warren County, IL spot that we called “Beefy’s Creek” as that was the fellow’s name who provided access. Well, I don’t think that was his real name but it all makes for a better story anyway. On this float trip, we only took one truck as we were able to dump the boat and gear, drive to a takeout spot and walk the cornfield back to our “launch.” I recall having to drag the boat through some sandbars and over a logjam more than I really remember what we caught.

July 3, 2001 – Dad during the Beefy’s Creek monsoon (good times and kind of dumb)

However, the highlight of the trip was a severe storm that hit the area as we were stuck down in that secluded creek bottom. We even pulled the boat ashore at one point and hid under the bank as the storm raged and we wondered what in the heck we were doing out there on the creek. While the picture of Dad looks like we were night fishing, it was probably taken about 8:00am, that’s how ugly the sky got during the storm. Apparently, Dad was somewhat prepared as he is decked out in raingear. In contrast, the photographer, yours truly, was wearing a garbage bag.

Anyway, we weathered the storm, caught some fish, and made it back to the truck. However, the torrential downpour left us wondering if even four-wheel drive was enough to get us back up the saturated, muddy lane to the gravel country road. Dad locked her in, we crossed our fingers and luckily, no problem, we were on our way home.

We no longer have access to these creeks or any others, but we sure made some memories to last a lifetime. Perhaps I should look into some waters to float with my boys one of these days although I wonder at times if I could still hang with such adventures. Then again, Brent and I have pulled off a couple questionable stunts over the last several years so maybe we’re not done quite yet. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The months keep rolling on by as half of the year is in the rearview mirror. And a new month means it’s time for a new Top 5 stat update. As of the latest update we now sit at 60 bass, the lone species submitted so far this year. Read on for the regular breakdown.

2021 Totals
January = no submissions
February = 2 bass
March = 19 bass
April = 14 bass
May = 13 bass
June = 10 bass
July = 2 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
January = no submissions
February = 7-3 (3-15,3-4)
March = 21-14 (5-5,4-3,4-2,4-2,4-2)
April = 21-6 (5-3,5-2,4-0,4-0,3-1)
May = 14-14 (4-6,2-12,2-10,2-10,2-8)
June = 15-8 (4-3,3-9,2-14,2-8,2-6)
July = 8-13 (6-0,2-13)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 11 bass
Bank = 49 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 15-12 (4-3,3-9,2-14,2-10,2-8)
Bank = 26-0 (6-0,5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6)

Public vs. Private
Public = 56 bass
Private = 4 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 26-0 (6-0,5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6)
Private = 9-6 (2-10,2-8,2-6,1-14)

The Baits
Plastic Worm = 20 bass (Top Bass 6-0 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbait = 17 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk, Troy Jackson)
Crankbait = 6 bass (Top Bass 4-0 Brent Jackson)
Spinnerbait = 6 bass (Top Bass 4-0 Brent Jackson)
Chatterbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-3 Jim Junk)
Jig = 2 bass (Top Bass 1-8 John Kirkemo)
Creature = 1 bass (Top Bass 5-5 Jim Junk)
Livebait = 1 bass (Top Bass Patricia Kirkemo 2-10)
Stickbait = 1 bass (1-11 Troy Jackson)
Swimbait = 1 bass (1-13 Troy Jackson)

Monthly Top Bass
January
No submissions
February
3-15 Jim Junk
March
5-5 Jim Junk
April
5-2 Jim Junk
May
4-6 Jim Junk
June
4-3 Troy Jackson
July
6-0 Jim Junk

Top 10 Bass
6-0 Jim Junk (7/3)
5-5 Jim Junk (3/26)
5-3 Jim Junk (4/8)
5-2 Jim Junk (4/6)
4-6 Jim Junk (5/25)
4-3 Jim Junk (3/30)
4-3 Troy Jackson (6/19)
4-2 Jim Junk (3/19)
4-2 Jim Junk (3/24)
4-2 Jim Junk (3/28)

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 26-0 (6-0,5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6)
Troy Jackson 16-8 (4-3,3-9,3-1,2-14,2-13)
Brent Jackson 14-14 (4-0,4-0,2-5,2-6,2-3)
John Kirkemo 11-14 (2-10,2-8,2-8,2-6,1-14)
Jayce Jackson 3-7 (1-3,1-3,1-1)
Landon Hannam 2-12 (2-12)
Patricia Kirkemo 2-10 (2-10)

While I save the full commentary on the statistical breakdown for the final wrap-up, I must say that it has been an interesting batch of catches in a couple regards. The vast majority of our bass have come from the bank on public waters. I find that kind of fun as those are aspects that many anglers understand. Nothing wrong with a nice boat or a honey hole but neither are required for a good time and some good catches. Talk to you later. Troy

Mautino Report – July 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Mautino State Fish & Wildlife Area re-opened last summer after many years of significantly limited access due to much needed interior road repairs. While I didn’t manage to get over there last fall, this past weekend presented a few open evening hours and I decided to give the site a look. I had not fished the area for five years and had high hopes that I would encounter some solid, uneducated bass.

Stats
Date: July 3
Location: Mautino State Fish & Wildlife Area – Bureau County
Time: 6:15pm-8:45pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy to calm
Air Temp: 81F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 9 bass (2 lakes)
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (various colors) – 4 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (salt and pepper) – 2 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 0-14 (Buzzbait)
Top 5 Weight (only 1 bass at 12” or better): 0-14

6:21pm – First bass, hoping they’d get bigger, didn’t really happen

Notes and Nonsense

Anticipation – On my last three visits prior to the closure of nearly the whole site back in 2016, I managed a decent Top 5 collection that pushed 13 pounds. Thus, my anticipation was riding high on the ride to the fishing holes. After all, a lot of the fish had not seen many lures over the last five years. Well, the larger fish weren’t quite as dumb as I’d hoped as my lone “keeper” was a 13.5” bass on a buzzbait.

Changes – Of the two lakes that I opted to fish, one was much murkier than the “old days” while the other remained just as murky as it always was. A few other waters were observed from the road and seemed to be the same as I recalled in terms of clarity and aquatic vegetation. I spotted several bank anglers, three trailers at three different lakes and a pair of kayakers on a spot with a rudimentary ramp. The latter approach is certainly a change as those personal watercrafts have really taken off in the last several years.

8:19pm – Last bass of the evening was Top Bass at 13.5″ and 0-14, a tough outing

Stocking – My hopes were that during the downtime in fishing access that fish stocking would continue or perhaps kick up a notch on the site. In checking the IDNR info, it looks like a modest stocking program occurred during the site closure but nothing that really seemed to give the site much of a boost, particularly in terms of my favorite pursuit, the largemouth bass.

So much for my triumphant return to a couple of Mautino’s fishing holes. I’ll chalk it up to the dog days of summer getting an early start as the weather conditions were quite balmy. In addition, a small sample of a few hours on the water may say more about the fisherman than the fish. Perhaps I’ll be back for a second chance in the fall to see if we get along better.

Time will tell. But, hey, the roads are nice. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, it was a productive stretch on the water during a balmy July the Fourth week and weekend for the Top 5. A trio of anglers boosted their totals and no knock on the submissions of myself and another angler, but our Top 5 leader really reeled in something special with our new Top Bass of 2021.

Weight: 2-8
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 30
Weather: Hot and humid, overcast sky
Air Temp: High 80s
Water Temp: 90.8
Location: Sangchris Lake
Lure: Dark wacky worm
Angler Comments: This fish was in four to five feet of water.
Top 5 Weight: 11-14 (2-10,2-8,2-8,2-6,1-14) culls a 1-8

Weight: 2-13 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: July 2
Weather: Sunny/calm
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: A new spot with plenty of open water on the canal came up a winner. Not my first cast of the trip, but the first in this promising looking area. One ounce shy of tying my personal best from the Hennepin Canal.
Top 5 Weight: 16-8 (4-3,3-9,3-1,2-14,2-13) culls a 2-0

Weight: 6-0
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: July 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Texas rigged Senko
Angler Comments: Felt like a good fish but as usual at Banner she was deep in the weeds quickly. Had to keep my thumb on the spool and pull in a few inches at a time. Really scared that the line would snap. Got her to the bank with at least 10 pounds of vegetation. Still had not seen the fish and had no idea how big she was until I started pulling off vegetation and got the first look.
Top 5 Weight: 26-0 (6-0,5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6) culls a 4-3

Way to go, guys in getting out there during the dog days of summer. I must say that Jim’s six-pounder still has me shaking my head. Simply impressive as he adds nearly two pounds to a hefty total weight that was already pushing the twenty-five-pound mark. Great stuff. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – June 25 & July 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The past week found me on the Hennepin Canal on two occasions as my fishing exploration of the historic corridor continues. Both locales were spots I’d seen previously while on bike rides, but those trips had not seen me wet a line. On the latest trips it was time to bring along the fishing gear to see what would happen.

Stats
Date: June 25 and July 2, 2021
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Time: 6/25 (7:35-8:50pm), 7/2 (7:40pm-8:55pm)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/calm both days
Air Temp: Mid-80s
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 8 bass (3 bass on 6/25 and 5 bass on 7/2)
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- (rainbow) – 3 bass, Strike King Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-13 (Senko on 7/2)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 6-14 (2-13,1-11,1-9,0-13)

June 25 at 7:35pm – best I could muster, courtesy of a Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

Notes and Nonsense

June 25 – The first stop had a modest amount of open water which can be a tough summer find among the stretches I have checked out thus far. However, bank access presented some challenges which is another standard canal feature. I fished four or five areas of access and found only three small bites.

July 2 at 7:53pm – Top Bass at 2-13 on a wacky rigged Senko

July 2 – Several “keepers” were caught from another area featuring a fair amount of open water. In addition, the water had some better depth than most stretches of the canal. This allowed me to toss the Strike King Squarebill crankbait and fool a couple decent fish. But it was the Senko wacky rig which once again came through for the Top Bass of the evening. The 2-13 fell one ounce shy of my canal personal best and further proved that there are some quality bass that call the waterway home.

July 2 at 8:30pm – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-11 on a Strike King Squarebill crankbait

So, what have I learned from my four Hennepin Canal adventures to date?

1. The overall quality of catches has been a pleasant surprise. Previously, I never viewed the local sections of the canal as a regular destination but results and social media posts have opened my eyes.

2. Casting is key as is generally the case in bass fishing. There’s lots of vegetation where the bass can hide or wait in ambush, but that vegetation can also ruin a cast with many lures. Accuracy and repeated casts (at varying angles if possible) have been keys to success.

3. A bike is a bonus as stretches of open water can be few and far between at this time of year. Pedaling cuts down transit time and gets you away from the easy to access spots at the scattered parking areas.

4. While I have several topwater frogs in my tackle backpack, I have yet to put any of them to use. Fortunately, my other presentations have kept me busy with bites, but I do need to see if I can entice some quality strikes from beneath the plentiful surface vegetation.

The evening outings have been a fun way to work in a few weekday casts and I have been pleased with the action. There’s plenty more water to explore so I suspect that I will be back with some future reports as I continue to “prowl the canal.” Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – Summer 1986

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Time flies when you’re catching bass as do the many other happenings and events over the last 35 years. But since this is generally an outdoor blog, we’ll stick to the “fish stories” behind the pics and the years in between.

Waters – All of the catches in today’s post came from Knox County. Our pair of 2021 catches came from Snakeden Hollow, Brent’s 1986 bass called Lake Storey home, and my 1986 catch came from a pond located southeast of Victoria. The latter was owned by Les Vicary, who passed away in 2019. It was the lone time that I fished the pond after Dad had gained access from Mr. Vicary via a work connection through their employers, Dick Blick and Consolidated Freightways, respectively. That pond is located less than a mile from my strip mine stomping grounds and I occasionally cruise by the property and reminisce.

Wardrobe – The fashion statement of a couple teenage boys in the 80s were what we called baseball “sleeves.” Over the years, we collected quite a rainbow of colors for various local teams. In 2021, we both showed up with Nike t-shirts although I am personally not a fan. I think I found the shirt somewhere over the years and it makes for good fishing attire.

Watercraft – Separated by many years, that is indeed the same boat in the 1986 Lake Storey picture and the 2021 Snakeden photo. We’ve rowed many a mile, caught plenty of fish and made a boatload of memories in that old 8-foot johnboat.

Worms – Two of the four bass in the pictures were caught on plastic worms, my 1986 fish and Brent’s 2021. Mine came on a Mister Twister Curly Tail fished Texas rigged. In fact, it was one of the earliest bass that I ever caught on such a setup. The bass at the pond were quite cooperative so I figured it was an ideal classroom to work on such a presentation. Brent’s bass came on a more modern rage, a wacky rigged Senko, one of our top offerings. Still hard to beat the old plastic worm.

Technology – We’ve come a long way as the 1986 shots were taken with a disc camera while the 2021 pics were taken with a “phone.” Also cool is the fact that there is video of the recent catches courtesy of a GoPro. While these anglers are arguably not as polished as the legendary fishing host, Virgil Ward, the video quality of those little cameras leaves the 80s in the dust.

Each of the topics above could fill a series of blog postings on their own but I try not to get too carried away on the Friday Flashbacks. Perhaps another day. Talk to you later. Troy

200,000 Mile Fishing Report – June 21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

My truck means a lot to me as it came into possession after the passing of my father-in-law back in 2006. Junior Breuer put a lot of miles on that 1998 Chevy Silverado, and I have added over the years with the truck on the verge of 200,000 miles as I set out on this fishing trip. I figured that there was only one way to celebrate the milestone and that was a round trip ride to the fishing hole.

 

Stats
Date: June 21, 2021
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Time: 7:35pm-8:35pm
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm
Air Temp: Low 60s
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 6 bass
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig – 5 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- (rainbow) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-14 (Mann’s Baby 1-)
Top 5 Weight (2 bass at 12” or better): 3-11 (2-14,0-13)

Trip Lyric
“Long may you run, long may you run, although these changes have come.” – Long May You Run, Neil Young (1976)

Notes and Nonsense

Back on the Bike – I’ve got this plan to explore some more of the Hennepin Canal as I have seen reports of solid bass over the years. The historic corridor covers over 100 miles (including a feeder portion) with a decent section within a half hour drive from home. Such makes for a nice weekday evening shot at wetting a line for an hour or so when I can get away. Open shoreline access is scattered which makes for a perfect excuse to get the bike tires aired up, toss it in the truck bed and get some needed exercise along the way.

4-4 – On new water, my first goal is to get that one bite to get me on the board and avoid the shutout. Well, it sure didn’t take long to get that monkey off my back as I landed a bass on my first cast. And it didn’t stop there as I managed to catch a bass on each of my first four casts. It got me wondering if I had ever had such good fortune once upon a time when I played a little baseball. Among the scattered archives I found an affirmation that such a feat took place at least once. The proof from July 13 is below and it sure is fun to reminisce on the names of teammates from a portion of the Hi-Lo highlight recap of the 1986 season.

Crooked Bass – Top Bass was an interesting specimen with a stubby, crooked back end. I have caught several odd bass over the years including those with a similar affliction but have yet to determine the cause of the crookedness. On the positive side, the bass was eager to eat, otherwise healthy looking and put up a good fight. Here’s hoping it rewards other anglers and leaves them scratching their heads as well.

 

A good hour on the water and mission accomplished on the sunset drive home as I watched the odometer turn. Someday I suppose there will be a post or two in tribute to the old truck but for today I’ll leave it as a fishing report. As a fellow fisherman, I’d like to think that Junior would have enjoyed the drive. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A submission from a new stretch of public water joins the list this week.

Weight: 2-14
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: June 21
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm
Air Temp: 64F
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake)
Structure: Open water with scattered weeds
Angler Comments: Some scouting earlier in the month during a family camping trip brought me back to a promising section of the Hennepin Canal and it did not disappoint.
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-3,3-9,3-1,2-14,2-0) culls a 1-13

As you can see from the picture, the bass was a bit crooked on its backend. More on the bass, the ride to and from the fishing hole and more in the complete Hennepin Canal report coming your way tomorrow. Thanks. Troy