Friday Flashback – August 15, 2001

Posted on by Troy Jackson

One more visit to the creek for today’s Friday Flashback post as it was a regular summer haunt for a lot of years. An earlier flashback post from the creek was chock full of what I like to think was some practical advice for wading those flowing waters. Today’s post is chock full of the names of areas on what we called “Pat’s Creek.”

 

The family that farmed the area where we camped, trapped, hunted, and fished were the Wilson’s. The father was Earl who lived a couple miles from the creek. His son, Pat, lived off the gravel road on a lane that was our access to the creek. Thus, it was Pat’s Creek, and the general area was called Wilson’s and included spots like The Waterfall, The Blue Gate, Old Faithful, Eagle’s Point and many more.

To get to Pat’s Creek we had to drive across the cattle guard, up the lane to Pat’s house, past the sheds and grain bins, turn right at the corner post, continue past the trashpile, and stop where the lane ended at the cornfield just west of The Pond. From there it was a fair walk down to Buffalo Head Tree before taking a slight left through the bull nettles and poison ivy before entering the creek.

Where We Get In was a slippery slope that witnessed a tumble or two over the years. First casts were generally in the vicinity of The Brushpile before heading downstream to The Tree Roots. From there it was a walk past The German Torpedo and The Riffle to hit The Culvert and The Deep Hole. As the wade made its way to Where We Get Out there was also a stop at The Bridge (which was gone in my days on the creek).

Of course, each of those spots has a story behind the name. Some are rather self-explanatory; some require a little imagination. Each spot also has a story or two from experiences over the years. Experiences for quite a collection of family and friends who were along for a wade throughout the course of close to 40 years of outdoor fun.

Per my records, this August 2011 trip was the next to last time Dad and I hit the creek together as the land would change hands and we would lose access. The photo album for this outing contains my two carp catches and Dad’s catfish. Since I’m writing this story and I cannot track down a fishing log entry, I guess I’ll offer up that this may represent the only time I outfished Dad in his element. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – August 1

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last Saturday I headed back home for an overnight with my boys in tow for the second weekend in a row. While they slept in and hung out with their cousins on Sunday morning, me and Dad took our first tag team shot of 2021 at an old Knox County strip mine stomping ground.

6:44am First bass on a Senko

Stats
Date: August 1, 2021
Location: Little John Conservation Club – Knox County, IL
Time: 6:15am-11:00am
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 64-75F
Water Temp: 80F
Totals: 17 bass (Troy = 11, Dad = 6)
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (various colors) – 15 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 0-15 Troy Senko
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 2-10 (0-15,0-14,0-13)

7:27am Bonus redear on a Senko

Notes and Nonsense

The Ride – Going anywhere with two young boys is a trip as they keep you entertained with their banter. As usual, I had the tunes going on the radio prompting Jayce to implement a “no singing” challenge. I made it roughly one minute into Sammy Hagar’s “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” before I was out. The boys lasted the remaining 40 minutes of the drive although Jayce barely survived Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions.” At one point I stated that if the Cubs were playing I would have it made. Jayce disagreed, saying that I wouldn’t be able to resist chiming in with a Pat Hughes home run call and then proceeded with his own imitation, “That ball’s got a chance…Gone!” Yep, he’s probably right, except the Cubs aren’t knocking many out of the park these days.

7:59am my first bass and sporting my lucky shirt on the 40th anniversary of MTV

Oops – A misstep in the well of the boat resulted in me tramping on one of Dad’s poles and busting the rod tip. Always a bad break but even worse as the pole is probably 30 years old, possibly a hand-me-down from Brent when he upgraded a set up. Boat launching and loading also gave me some trouble on the makeshift ramp. Both aspects took a couple tries to hit the narrow and slightly concealed spot. It is also a fine line between not far enough and too far for the trailer as there is a rapid dropoff. To end our day, it took three tries to load the boat but fortunately there was no crowd of observers as might be the case on some public waters.

8:07am Dad’s Top Bass on a morning where we couldn’t find any big ones

Cubs Question – As we prepped to hit the road, a shore angler noticed Dad’s cap and commented on the Cubs recent dump of their veterans and others. Certainly, a shame for me as a lifelong fan and still hard to accept in my fifties that baseball is a business and career loyalty is a thing of the past. Those days are long gone, and I miss the one team players of my youth: favorites like Jim Rice, Robin Yount, George Brett, Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell and Mike Schmidt. I’d hoped that Kris Bryant could join the ranks, but I guess that I should know better. I’m not sure if even the likes of Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer can keep me entertained enough to maintain my regular radio following for the rest of the year. Maybe more evenings on the water instead.

9:53am Dad with our double and two of the only three “keepers” we managed to fool

Our morning ended with a decent quantity, but we had to work for them and just couldn’t find any quality bites. That’s August for you, but always good to get out on the water with Dad no matter what we catch. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 6, 2011

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The Emiquon Preserve opened in 2009 and featured bass fishing like nothing we’d ever seen. However, by 2011, there were rumblings among some anglers that the glory days were already over. Ten years ago this week, Brent and I decided to head down to Fulton County to see for ourselves. Read on for the outcome as detailed in the original blog posting.

Originally posted on August 9, 2011 as “Emiquon Responds”

I frequently spout off about how there’s more to a fishing trip than simply the fish and I believe that. However, it’s always rewarding when you get the opportunity to put the hurt on some bass along the way. Emiquon gave us that opportunity last Saturday by revealing a few more secrets and showing some flurries of activity reminiscent of 2009. Perhaps it was a little tired of some of the 2011 trash talk, mine included. Me, my brother and Emiquon hashed things out over ten hours together and appear to be on friendly terms again.

When the log entry covers four and a half pages, that’s quite a day

Stats
Date: August 6, 2011
Location: The Emiquon Preserve
Time: 6:02am-4:02 pm
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 75-90F
Water Temp: Not available but like bath water
Totals: 95 bass (Troy – 55, Brent – 40)
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 55 bass, Rat L Trap (Tennessee shad/gold) – 29 bass, Rapala Rattlin’ Rap (silver/blue) – 3 bass, Rapala Rattlin’ Rap (shad) – 3 bass, Tandem Spinnerbait (red/gray) – 2 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- (Tennessee shad) – 2 bass, Buzzbait (green/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 (Troy – Strike King Red Eye Shad)
Top 5 Weight: 10-9 (2-4, 2-3, 2-2, 2-0, 2-0)

Top Bass at 2-4, lots of these in there back in the day

The Numbers

95– Our second best Emiquon outing left us five bass shy of the century mark. I never count until we’re done, and I doubt we would have stuck around in pursuit of those last few fish anyway. We did take a half hour break in the midst of a good bite, but that story will have to wait until next blog posting. (Note: we assisted a fellow angler with a treble hook in his thumb and a bass attached to another treble on the lure)

94 – The number of minutes before I caught my first bass.

55 – Although I did briefly throw a Zara Spook (a couple hits), a topwater frog (one hit), a Senko (no bites), a Yum Wooly Curltail (no bites), a Quad Shad spinnerbait (no hits) and a couple Strike King Pro model crankbaits (one lost fish), my Red Eye Shad caught every one of my fish.

Strike King Red Eye Shad, the only lure I needed on this day

30 – The approximate number of times we retied our lures after our catch either engulfed the bait or wrapped the line around a treble during some aerial hijinks

25 – The number of bass I envisioned us catching despite some recent glowing reports. I didn’t foresee being quite that wrong which leads me to wonder why you don’t often encounter the word “underconfident.”

12 – The number of bass in our haul that were less than 12” in length.

The lack of small bass (<12″) in my haul was totally off the charts in terms of length distribution 

7 – The total number of boats that we saw in the parking lot all day, on a Saturday, which is fine.

2 – The number of boats that arrived before we did.

More Emiquon craziness, two bass caught on a lipless crank at the same time

1.167 – It is Basic Baseball Statistics 101 that a player bats 1.000 on a 4 for 4 or 5 for 5 day at the plate. But in fishing it’s possible to do even better as Brent demonstrated by going 7 for 6 thanks to a pair of bass coming on one of those six casts during a feeding frenzy.

Emiquon was one of a kind. Talk to you later. Troy

Fishing Lines Top 10

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Without further ado, I present the Top 10.

10. “I’m like a fish out of water, I’m just a homesick man.”
Fool for the City – Foghat (1975)
Cool band name, cool cut, and cool album cover. Takes me back to flipping through the albums at Musicland, Lindstrom’s, Co-Op, and The Platter once upon a time.

9. “Just for the record let’s get the story straight, me and Uncle Tom were fishin’ it was gettin’ pretty late.”
Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Warrant (1991)
A hair band, a story song, a fishing line, and a banjo? Poke fun all you want, but I think this is a darn good tune.

8. “Well, it’s just now and then my line gets cast into these time passages.”
Time Passages – Al Stewart (1978)
This one deals in reminiscing and what a wonderful collection of lines. To a guy who digs fishing, tunes, writing and waxing nostalgic, this song is spot on. Also see, Stewart’s “Year of the Cat” for some more sonically (and visually) appealing lyrics.

7. “And it don’t matter if we sit forever and the fish don’t bite, jump in the river and cool ourselves from the heat of the night.”
Fishing in the Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1987)
I’ve long said that fishing ain’t just about catching fish and this song is proof. I guess that I’ll just leave it at that.

6. “But I got to stop wishin’, got to go fishin’, down to rock bottom again.”
A Pirate Looks at Forty, Jimmy Buffett (1974)
This tune came out when I was seven years old, I didn’t discover it until I was in my twenties and the “forty” in the title is well over a decade in the rearview mirror. Wistful and a bit melancholic with the selected fishing line expressing that there are few better pursuits than fishing to soothe what ails you.

5. “If it were easy as fishin’ you could be a musician.”
Takin’ Care of Business – Bachman Turner Overdrive (1973)
Now, BTO could rock, and I dig many of their tunes. But fishin’ is “easy”? Sure, it makes for a great lyric in a classic tune but some days, fishin’ ain’t quite as easy as these fellows might think. I suppose playing guitar ain’t a walk in the park either.

4. “Catfish are jumpin’, that paddle wheel pumpin’, black water keeps rollin’ on past just the same.”
Black Water – The Doobie Brothers (1974)
Hate to say it, but I can’t recall any instances where I’ve witnessed catfish jumping. Rolling, maybe, or perhaps I just haven’t been in the right place at the right time. These days, Asian carp would qualify but that would ruin the whole flow of the song. And besides, they are an invasive species. Regardless, is there anyone who can resist singing along to the “funky Dixieland” part of this tune?

3. “Hands are full of a fishin’ rod and the tackle on our backs.”
And It Stoned Me – Van Morrison (1970)
It don’t get much better than Van Morrison and an autobiographical tune about the exploits of a couple young boys out fishing. Been there, still do that and could say that it still can stone me all these years later.

2. “If you want to talk fishin’, well I guess that’ll be okay.”
Don’t Ask Me No Questions – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
Some days, these lines and this song title just about say it all. I suppose that I would add music and baseball to the allowed topics as well.

1. “Now he lives in the islands fishes the pylons and drinks his green label each day. Writing his memoirs, losing his hearing but he don’t care what most people say.”
He Went to Paris – Jimmy Buffett (1973)
I’m no Parrothead but have simply always loved a good story song. Fishing, booze, writing and a bit of a recluse; there have been occasions when I’ve aspired to be that guy.

It’s been a fun ride for me this week as anytime I can work some tunes into an outdoor blog, I’m a happy camper. Here’s hoping that you may have learned something new, rediscovered a forgotten tune or have some fishing tunes of your own to offer (let me know as MTV will turn 50 eventually).

In closing, I’d like to thank J.J. Jackson, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Martha Quinn, and Alan Hunter. And, to paraphrase the Top 40 legend, Casey Kasem…

“Keep your lines in the water and keep reaching for the dipnet.”

Talk to you later. Troy

Fishing Lines #20-#11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Quite a collection of not only fish in this bunch of tunes but a veritable menagerie of creatures. The hits keep coming as we enter the Top 20 “Fishing Lines.”

20. “You got fins to the left, fins to the right and you’re the only bait in town.”
Fins – Jimmy Buffett (1979)

19. “Well, I love her, and I love to fish…Yeah, I’m gonna miss her, Oh, lookie there, I’ve got a bite.”
I’m Gonna Miss Her – Brad Paisley (2001)

18. “I like catchin’ fish on a cane pole just about sundown time, my kinda action is country relaxin’.”
Country Relaxin’ – Hank Williams Jr. (1984)

17. “Stoppin’ at the log where catfish bite”
Green River – Credence Clearwater Revival (1969)

16. “They don’t do much huntin’ and fishin’ up here, ya know, but I have met a few squirrels and one porcupine.”
Dixie On My Mind – Hank Williams, Jr. (1981)

15. “Blow across the home of the Seminole, the alligator and the gar.”
Seminole Wind – John Anderson (1992)

14. “I know there’s fish out there but where, God only knows.”
The Downeaster Alexa – Billy Joel (1989)

13. “I can catch catfish from dusk ‘til dawn.”
A Country Boy Can Survive – Hank Williams, Jr. (1981)

12. “I eat fish to pass the time away, ‘neath this blue Canadian moon, this world has made me crazy, crazy as a loon.”
Crazy As A Loon – John Prine (2005)

11. “You oughta see his wife, she’s a cute little dish, she smokes like a chimney and drinks like a fish.”
It’s A Big Old Goofy World – John Prine (1991)

One more day to go, stay tuned for the Top 10.

Fishing Lines #30-#21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A bit more of an eclectic collection graces today’s edition of the Top 40 “Fishing Lines” countdown.

30. “I’m just laid up here in a country state of mind, catchin’ these fish like they’re goin’ out of style…”
Country State of Mind – Hank Williams, Jr. (1986)

29. “But I guarantee this memory’s a biggin’ and she thinks we’re just fishin’.”
Just Fishin’ – Trace Adkins (2011)

28. “If we don’t hook a perch or bass, we’ll cool our toes in dewy grass.”
The Fishing Hole – Andy Griffith (1960)

27. “Johnny’s daddy was takin’ him fishin’ when he was eight years old. A little girl came through the front gate holdin’ a fishin’ pole.”
Don’t Take The Girl – Tim McGraw (1994)

26. “Fish and whistle, whistle and fish, eat everything that they put on your dish.”
Fish and Whistle – John Prine (1978)

25. “Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean.”
Longer – Dan Fogelberg (1979)

24. “Trying to save our marriage and perhaps catch a few fish.”
Lake Marie – John Prine (1995)

23. “You flex your rod, fish takes the hook.”
5:01AM The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking – Roger Waters (1984)

22. “When I look back, boy, I must have been green, boppin’ in the country, fishing in a stream.”
Honky Cat – Elton John (1972)

21. “You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick, oooo, barracuda.”
Barracuda – Heart (1977)

Well, we’re halfway to coveted chart topper. Tune in again tomorrow as we enter the Top 20. Talk to you later. Troy

Fishing Lines #40-#31

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Welcome, as we launch the “Fishing Lines” Top 40 countdown for the week beginning August 2, 2021. The following hits were compiled by yours truly and reflect the best I could do to create this multi-part blog series. Apart from one tune (#36), I stuck with the criteria that I had to be familiar with each song and not simply surf the internet in search of “fishing songs” to make the list. It was a bit of chore, but I did manage to reach my goal of 40 although I am sure there are many that I missed or have never heard. Therefore, feel free to chime in with any selections of your own as I’m always up for exploring some new jams.

40. “If I could make a nickel off a turning ‘em bass, never worry about the price of gas, I’d be wheelin’ and dealin’ and sittin’ there reelin’ ‘em in.”
Huntin’, Fishin; and Lovin’ Every Day – Luke Bryan (2015)

39. “Betty’s got a bass boat, Betty’s got a truck, all of a sudden things are looking up.”
Betty’s Got A Bass Boat – Pam Tillis (1995)

38. “Oh, Tennessee River and a mountain man, we get together anytime we can.”
Tennessee River – Alabama (1979)

37. “Settle down far from town get me a pirogue and I’ll catch all the fish in the bayou.”
Jambalaya – Hank Williams (1952)

36. “Everybody caught the limit yesterday; I think I’ll just haul off and go fishing yesterday.”
Fishin’ Song – Stringbean (????)

35. “It’s too hot to fish, and too hot for golf, and too cold at home.”
Too Cold at Home – Mark Chesnutt (1990)

34. “On the dock the fish were stinkin’, I simply didn’t have a care.”
He Forgot That It Was Sunday – John Prine (1995)

33. “I can almost see the bobber dancin’, but I just dream, keep on bein’ the way I am.”
The Way I Am – Merle Haggard (1980)

32. “Skippin’ rocks across the water, fishin’ on an old trotline.”
Red River – Alabama (1983)

31. “When I’d skip school, he’d take me fishin’, sittin’ on the creek bank talkin’ and a wishin’.”
Shoestring – Mel McDaniel (1986)

Heavy on the country tunes to kick off our countdown but I suppose fishing goes a bit more hand in hand with that genre. It is also interestin’ how many words in the lyrics drop the “g”. And we’ve only just begun, as the countdown continues with another ten hits tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

Fishing Lines

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Whenever I get to mix music into an outdoor blog, I’m pretty fired up. And sometimes I get a little carried away, like this project. I’ve explored this topic before but for a 40th anniversary, I’m taking it up a notch. So, here we go.

It was forty years ago today when a fourteen-year-old music fan (and millions of others) was introduced to something completely different; MTV – Music Television. August 1, 1981 opened the floodgates to an eclectic mix of legends (The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie), legends to be (John Cougar, U2, Tom Petty), lady rockers (Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry), future pop superstars (Madonna, Prince), strange new wave acts (Devo, Adam & The Ants, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Talking Heads) and one hit wonders (The Buggles, Aldo Nova, Taco, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Tommy Tutone).

Prior to this rock around the clock menagerie of television tunes I’d had to get my weekly fix via programs such as “The Midnight Special”, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert”, “Night Flight”, “Solid Gold’’, “American Bandstand” and an occasional dose of “Soul Train.” In addition, there were also the brief glimpses of performers on Saturday Night Live. For a kid raised on these bits and pieces of musical performance and Chicago’s classic WLS 890AM, music television was a revolution. And, yes, unlike today it was videos all day, every day. For an impressionable teenaged music lover, it was “Just What the Doctor Ordered“(can’t resist the Ted Nugent reference).

So, here’s a little background on this project. Ten years ago, on August 1, 2011, as part of another blogging gig, I celebrated MTV’s 30th anniversary with my Top 3 fishing tunes. I revisited the post on August 1, 2017, after launching this blog earlier that spring. Once again, that post include my Top 3 tunes. For the 40th anniversary, however, it only seemed right to do a Top 40 Countdown ala Casey Kasem.

Stay tuned throughout the week as we combine fishing and music with “Fishing Lines.” Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 3, 1991

Posted on by Troy Jackson

There’s a spot at Snakeden Hollow called “Bearclaw Lake” that was a popular stop for me during the early years after the site opened to the public back in 1990. The trio of Bearclaw bass below come from thirty years ago, and while not trophies, I still consider any bass at two pounds or better to be “a good one.” Each of these three fish made that mark and totaled just over seven pounds.

Bearclaw Lake at 2-12 in the days before “selfies”

Bearclaw Lake at 2-6, not really a keen idea for a photo

Bearclaw Lake at 2-4, my apologies to the bass, I’ve learned a thing or two over the years

According to the back of the pics, they were all fooled by a lure called the “Dying Flutter”, something that I classify as a propbait. These wooden lures were somewhat of the predecessor to today’s popular Whopper Plopper. The Dying Flutter was crafted by Heddon Lures and featured props fore and aft on the lure body. From a brief internet search, it appears that these baits are no longer in production. Strange thing is, I also cannot find any in my tackle collection. Instead, I have several other 80s propbaits called the “Devil’s Horse” that are still made by the Smithwick lure company. Perhaps I made an error in identifying the lure on the picture backs all those years ago. And that’s more or less the last time I threw these particular lures.

I suppose these Devil’s Horse baits from the 80s may be considered antiques by now

Now, there’s nothing wrong with these baits and I had a blast fishing them once upon a time as topwater strikes are about as exciting as it gets. But, like many lures and trends, I shift gears and a presentation gets left behind in one of the multitudes of utility boxes in the garage. Thinking back on my experiences with the Dying Flutter/Devil’s Horse, there’s a tale or two to tell, but those are for another day to keep this post concise.

Just as lure trends change, so has the landscape of Snakeden Hollow. Over the last 30-plus years, Bearclaw Lake has seen significant changes in terms of bank accessibility. A lake that once presented ample bank access to hit all the “good spots” has now become quite a challenge for a bank angler due to vegetation, both terrestrial and aquatic. I have hit it a few times in the last five years along with my brother on at least one occasion. While we’ve posted solid numbers, the quality bass of yesteryear have been lacking. Maybe they’re gone, maybe they’re wiser, tough to say. Perhaps some more sampling is needed.

Bearclaw Lake Top Bass at 3-15 from 20 years ago, better job on the photo, too

I’ll close with the pic above of the Bearclaw Lake Top Bass, landed 20 years ago on August 14, 2001. It was also a topwater catch, coming on the legendary Zara Spook. Good times on a good lake and those topwater strikes sure leave a lasting impression. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – July 25

Posted on by Troy Jackson

My family made a trip back “home” to Galesburg last Saturday for a birthday party that included an overnight for me and my boys. While they slept in and later hung out with their cousins, me and Dad launched his boat at daybreak on the old stomping grounds.

6:13am – Dad with our first bass at 12″ and 0-14 on a crankbait

Stats
Date: July 25, 2021
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 5:40am-10:55am
Weather: Sunny/calm to light breeze
Air Temp: 73-88F
Water Temp: 83-84F
Totals: 7 bass (Dad = 5, Troy = 2)
Lures: Strike King Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy ghost minnow or natural pumpkinseed) – 3 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (green pumpkin) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (orange craw) – 1 bass, Vicious Muskrat creature bait (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-2 Dad Senko
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 2-12 (1-2,0-14,0-12)

Winning Lures

Part of the reason I got outfished by Dad? This stuff may be older than some of his grandkids.

Notes and Nonsense

Back-to-Back Bass – Less than a half hour into our casting, Dad had already lured several strikes, but the bass had shaken off before reaching the boat. Things were looking pretty good in terms of action and proceeded to get better when he landed our first two bass on back-to-back casts. I was busy doing my logging of the first fish when I realized bass number two was on the line. Pretty cool to have it on video as shown below.

 

One That Got Away – As it sometimes happens on a fishing trip, there was “one that got away.” Shortly after 7:00am, Dad set the hooks on a bite that he indicated felt like a good one only to have it somehow come unbuttoned without a glimpse. It was one of several that got loose on crankbaits, and we still marvel at how those bass can avoid the treble hooks. It leaves you scratching your head sometimes considering the ability of those hooks to find purchase in your tacklebags, boat carpet, life jackets, shirts, and so on.

6:31am – Dad with Top Bass at 13″ and 1-2 on a Senko

Big Birds – Over the course of the morning, we spotted several of the larger birds in our area that have an affinity for water. These included a bald eagle, a cormorant, and a blue heron (as well as its smaller cousin a green heron). However, missing on this day was an osprey, a unique bird that we frequently see fishing alongside us at Lake Storey.

The New Armada – We were the first watercraft to arrive at the ramp but were joined by several others before we called it a day. The final tally showed a 2 to 1 ratio of kayaks to boats (10 to 5). Recent years have seen quite the kayak explosion as they are a regular sight on the water or being transported around town awaiting their next dip.

9:02am – The best I could fool but just shy of 12″, not a “keeper”

Nothing stellar on this trip and no problem getting easily outfished by Dad. The dog days of summer are always a challenge and Lake Storey can be a tough one no matter the season. After many years of casting together, the catches can just be icing on the cake. In between bites, there were plenty of what I call “Remember That One Time” tales. Dad told of slaying the crappies with Uncle Bill in a rowboat well over 50 years ago, landing a muskie off Dump Point, losing a Wyoming Cowboys baseball cap in the lake, catching bass off a picnic table, catching a bass from the top of a stump sticking out of the water…

Don’t get us started. Talk to you later. Troy