Friday Flashback – June 21, 2011

Posted on by Troy Jackson

An evening walk through Snakeden was my kick off to official summer 10 years ago this week.

Originally Posted 6-24-11

Hello, my name is Troy and it’s been thirty-three days since my last bass.

Life’s busy.
.
My last bass came on May 19. In the meantime my family has enjoyed at least a half dozen doctor visits (all simply checkups), two visits apiece to the eye doctor and dentist, pre-school graduation, a week of Girl Scout day camp, a bridging ceremony for Daisies and Brownies, weekly story time at the local library, three birthday parties, a wiener roast, a tumbling review, a magic show, an afternoon at the pool, an abbreviated camping weekend and I’m sure several other things that I’ve forgotten. In addition, there’s always laundry, meals, dishes, groceries and so on. But it sure beats work and often leaves me wondering how there’s any time left for a job anyway. Somehow, I also manage to find time to blog or at least live vicariously through the fish stories of others on the website.

However, I did manage to kick off our strange early summer with a solo walk-in trip at Snakeden Hollow. Quantity was good as I just wanted to get back on track, but quality wasn’t so great. But as always, I shoot some pictures to accompany the words.

Stats

Date: June 21, 2011
Location: Snakeden Hollow – various lakes
Time: 5:10pm-9:35pm (3.5 hours fishing, the rest walking)
Weather: Partly cloudy to rainy to sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 80-85F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 24 bass
Lures: 5” Yamasenko (natural shad) wacky rig – 15 bass, Yum Wooly Curltail (green pumpkin) – 5 bass, Zara Spook (black shore minnow) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (autumn sunfish) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-15
Weight (only 4 bass > 12”): 5-6 (1-15, 1-4, 1-2, 1-1)

Chronology

4:55pm to 5:10pm – Walking to my first stop

5:38pm – first bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

5:10pm to 5:55pm – Fished a nameless lake and landed my first fish on my somewhat new Cherrywood rod while tossing a Mann’s Baby 1-crankbait at 5:38pm.

6:00pm to 6:30pm – Tried my luck on a couple other nameless lakes with a Spook and the crankbait but wind and extensive vegetation eventually sent me packing to a more secluded pothole.

6:46pm – Piedmont Lake bass, ten years later the fishing hole is completely dried up

6:35pm to 7:05pm – A small body of water I call Piedmont Lake gives up a trio of bass in the one-pound range on a Yum Wooly Curltail grub.

7:39pm – a good cold water lure, the Wooly Curltail, also fools summer bass 

7:15pm to 7:45pm – The Wooly Curltail produces a pair of short fish in a narrow cut at a spot known as Finger Lake.

8:20pm – Top Bass at 1-15

8:00pm to 8:45pm – Following a weedy walk I arrive at a numbers lake that I call Upper Twin Lake. Right on cue the short bass start nailing my Senko wacky rig as I get a hit on nearly every cast. Some hook up and some don’t but a decent fish eventually beats the little ones to the bait and takes Top Bass at 1-15. It’s the second largest bass ever caught on the lake trailing a mysterious 5-2 from 1995 that keeps me coming back. Before leaving the spot, I try a Spook hoping to fool something a little bigger and get four hits on my first cast without hooking up. Several casts later one of the miniature bass goes airborne on a missed strike and I eventually wind up with one short bass before starting the long trek to the truck.

8:59pm – Zara Spook catch as daylight fades

8:57 pm to 9:05pm – I can’t resist one more stop at the channel on Finger Lake as the daylight fades. It’s perfect for the Spook and I’m instantly rewarded with a pair of fish to end the night.

9:07pm to 9:35pm – Snakeden Hollow is a sizeable piece of property with only peripheral access so you can wind up a long way from your vehicle. Such was the case on this outing as beyond a few stops to swat mosquitoes or switch hands with some of my gear, it took nearly a half hour to get back to the truck.

Many fish were like this one as a 5″ Senko was a hit with 7″-8″ bass

In the end it was rewarding to land a couple dozen bass although they were vastly outnumbered by mosquito bites. Upon checking last night, I had seventeen welts on my right arm from elbow to wrist and fourteen on the left. I also had about half a dozen good ones on my neck and a real nice one on top of my left ear. I’m not a big fan of bug spray but my stubbornness may likely give way to common sense should I pull this stunt again. I do have a fondness for bugs, but mosquitoes try my patience. Fortunately, the early night fireworks of thousands of lightning bugs eased the constant harassment of the bloodsuckers. On that topic I was also lucky to avoid any ticks despite wading through some serious weeds a few times.

I need to get back out there as my lone Snakeden hike this year was back in March. Maybe one of these days, stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – June 12

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last weekend we took the summer (almost) Lake Storey challenge during a weekend family camping trip. My brother, Brent, and I hit the water at sunrise and my oldest boy, Jayce, joined us as we wrapped up our day. As expected, conditions were quite weedy, but I must say that the water clarity was as good as I can recall being a clear green rather than the normal murky green. And as crazy as it sounds, we were the only trailer in the lot the whole Saturday morning. Read on for the results.

6:30am Brent with our first bass of the day caught on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: June 12, 2021
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 5:20am-12:35pm
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 72-90F
Water Temp: 83-85F
Totals: 10 bass (Brent = 8, Troy = 1, Jayce = 1), 6 bluegill
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig – 8 bass, Spinnerbait (white) – 2 bass, Waxworms on a 1/16oz. jighead hung from a slip bobber – 6 bluegill
Top Bass: 1-11 Brent Senko
Top 5 Weight: 5-15 (1-11,1-3,1-2,1-0,0-15)

Trip Lyric
“’Cause, Mama, I’m so hard to handle now.”
Hard to Handle – Black Crowes (1990)

Several fish were hard to handle as seen in this snip from some GoPro video

Notes and Nonsense

Hot Seat – While not technically summer, you sure couldn’t tell as it was flat out hot, reaching 90F during the latter portion of our day. If you left your seat for even a short stretch of time, it sure got your attention when you sat back down. Same for my phone as I had to hide it in order to prevent the “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it” message. You certainly can’t be without a phone at the ready on a day when bites are tough as you don’t want to miss a scattered photo opportunity.

 

Slippery Fish – It seemed like the fish were extra slippery on this outing as several got loose in the boat and one unfortunately slipped from the grip while getting a rinse. The latter was Jayce’s lone bass that had swallowed the hook on his Senko pretty good. As a result, it was bleeding, so I decided to wash it off before taking a pic. Jayce stated that it was a bad idea and despite what I felt was a good grip on the lip, his bass gave a good shake and swam away. I’m sure the bass was happy, but we had a boat full of disappointed anglers and Jayce threatened to not go fishing we me again. Can’t really say that I blame him after my boneheaded move that prevented a pic with his catch. At least we had the catch (and unintentional release) on video that will be posted another day.

12:13pm my lone bass of the day

Secret Weapon – Many times over the years, we have joked about having a “secret weapon” in tow that we plan to unleash on the fish with stellar results. Sometimes it’s an unorthodox or forgotten lure or perhaps a spray bottle of some can’t miss scent. In the case of this outing, it was Jayce. During the hour and a half that he spent casting with us at the end of the seven-hour trip, we caught the majority of our fish. Too bad I didn’t rouse him from the tent at 4:45am. Maybe next time.

Jayce, our “Secret Weapon” of the day with my bass as I let his get away later before snapping a pic

12:28pm Brent with Top Bass of the day as is slips away

Uncle Brent put a whooping on me on this trip. My youngest boy, Zac, had tagged along for a bit of boat ride and he is all about inquiring who is the better angler, his dad, or his uncle. Zac was right on the money on this day with his vote for Uncle Brent. No argument from me although I need to teach Zac about the whole front versus back of the boat excuse. I don’t think it would have mattered on this day. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today’s post features a pair of bass from some Knox County public waters. It sure is fun to see these locales share a weekly update. These two fishing holes hold many personal memories and I enjoy seeing others taking a shot at making memories of their own.

Weight: 1-1
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 8
Weather: Bright sun, air temp 70s
Water Temp: 72-74F
Location: Lake McMaster
Lure: Dark colored wacky worm
Angler Comments: Caught one other bass too small to even measure. Had other bites but failed to hook and land any other fish.
Top 5 Weight: 10-14 (2-10,2-8,2-6,1-14,1-8)

Weight: 1-3
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: June 12
Weather: Sunny/calm and hot
Air Temperature: 90F
Water Temp: 83F
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (cinnamon black purple flake with red tip)
Structure: Flat with scattered weeds
Editor’s Comments: This was a last-minute bass that got Jayce on the board. In fact, after this catch we called it quits to end our day with a last cast catch. More on the catch in an upcoming fishing report.
Top 5 Weight: 3-7 (1-3,1-3,1-1)

As a sidelight, I got to sit around the campfire with both anglers and spin a few yarns this past weekend. A good crew and happy to have them play along here on the Top 5. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 19, 2016

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today’s flashback takes me across the river for what was my first ever trip to Lost Grove Lake. Plenty of water, plenty of weeds and plenty of bites on this outing, just couldn’t fool any real quality bass.

Originally Posted 6-29-16

I took the plunge and invested $44.59 (with fees) for an out of state Iowa fishing license to take a shot at some relatively new water in nearby Scott County.

Stats
Date: June 19, 2016
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 4.75 hours
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 72 to 85F
Water Temp: No reading
Totals: 19 bass
Lures: Senko wacky rig (green pumpkin black flake or natural shad) – 17 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait – 1 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-9 (Senko)
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 2-11 (1-9,1-2)

9:51am Top Bass at 1-9 and 14.5″ on a Senko wacky rig

Notes & Nonsense

Small Bites – In addition to the small bites from the bass, the size of the lake coupled with my modest watercraft setup means that I must chop the lake up into manageable pieces. My plan is to hit five or six different sections of the 390-acre body of water as I rack up visits and eventually get a look at the whole thing.

Topography – I have managed to secure a decent topo map of the lake from somewhere on the internet so it is cool to get look at what is going on below the surface in terms of contours and some manmade structure items. However, there are a few issues with my cut-rate depthfinder setup and GPS from my phone. A work in progress quite unlike my normal stomping grounds that are rather familiar after twenty five or thirty years of acquaintance.

Not Much of a Boat – As I was casting around some flooded bushes near a walk-in access area a couple fellows on the bank looked my way and one of them said, “That ain’t much of a boat” to the other guy. Glancing around the crowded lake that Sunday morning I counted six other watercraft including a couple tricked out bass boats: 250HP, Power Poles and so on. Easily over $100,000 of fishing equipment within view certainly lent credence to his observation. I also got to hear the same guy say, “Hey, he got another one” as I landed a pair of bass while they were watching including the 1-9 pictured above. I’m sure they meant no offense in their evaluation of that old 8’ johnboat and I took none, just got a laugh knowing that you can’t judge a book by the cover.

Several more trips over the years to Lost Grove have been hit or miss for me with most outings taking place in the heat of summer. I’ve found decent numbers but haven’t managed to fool much over two pounds. From internet reports and a couple firsthand observations, I know there are some good bass in there. I guess so far, the Iowa fish have outsmarted this Illinois boy. I haven’t purchased an Iowa fishing license this year and may just stick to some Prairie State waters, old and new. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – June 5

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A weekend camping trip along the historic Hennepin Canal afforded the opportunity to make a few casts. The heat was on with a blast of summer weather a few weeks early, but a handful of fish made it worth our while.

Stats
Date: June 5, 2021
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Time: scattered during afternoon
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 90F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 3 bass (Troy – 2, Jayce – 1), 2 bluegill, 1 pumpkinseed
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (various colors) – 3 bass, Waxworms on a 1/16 oz. jighead hung from a slip bobber – 2 bluegill, 1 pumpkinseed
Top 5 Weight: 2-11 (1-10,1-1)

No giant, but my first Hennepin Canal bass was still rewarding

Notes and Nonsense

Paddle Fishing – A midday canoe rental found me, Carly and Jayce paddling through the weed choked waters in the 90-degree heat. We had a goal to reach a nearby lock and an hour to make the round-trip. Reaching the lock, I figured that we had time for some casts in the open water of the deeper pool and the first cast was a winner for my boy, Jayce. A solid canal catch made for some smiles, some excitement, and a proud dad before we turned around for the return paddle to the launch.

Jayce actually claimed the first Hennepin Canal bass for our family

New Species – Later in the afternoon, I tried my luck from the bank armed with a Senko for bass and some waxworms for panfish. Along the mossy bank of the canal, I found a couple open spots with a batch of panfish on beds. While they weren’t very cooperative, I did manage to fool a few, including my first ever pumpkinseed. This attractive member of the sunfish family was a cool and unexpected catch.

Going to have to add a new column to my spreadsheets for a new species

Top Bass – As my limited casting time window was winding down, I spotted a decent sized drum cruising in and out of sight in front of me. I dropped the Senko and waxworm in its vicinity numerous times along with reeling a crankbait past but not even a glance from my quarry. With only a few minutes of fishing time remaining, however, my Senko got a thump and a decent bend in the rod when I set the hook. For a moment, I thought the fight is on with my sought-after drum, but the catch turned out to be a 1-10 bass instead. All good.

Top Bass at 1-10 and I know where some bigger ones live now after a little scouting

Overall, a fun hour or so fooling around on some new water. I also made a few discoveries along the way that may bring me back to the canal with a few poles in the future. Plenty more to the weekend family adventure but those are tales for another post or two. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

One of our young anglers works in a few casts on some new water and reels in a bass for our Top 5 Update.

Weight: 1-1
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: June 5
Weather: Sunny/breezy, air temp upper 80s
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 2-4 (1-3,1-1)

Good job, my man, and a fun catch. As I was along for the ride on this one, more to come in the full fishing and outdoor reports when time permits. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 3-5, 2016

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today, I am taking the easy way out and letting the pictures do the talking. The slideshow below looks back at a June 2016 family camping/fishing trip to Little John Conservation Club. We’re hoping to do more of both activities this year as the last few years our outings have been a bit sparse. Stay tuned on that project but for now enjoy some fish, family, and fun from five years ago this week. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Another month means another Top 5 Stat Update. Thus far, 2021 is exclusively a battle of the bass as no other species have been submitted. Five months into our 2021 quest we sit at 48 bass total courtesy of seven anglers. As such, we are almost halfway to the goal of 100 bass with just over half a year of fishing remaining. Hopefully, some stable spring weather is finally here, and the hits will keep on coming. In the meantime, here is a breakdown of our 2021 submissions.

2021 Totals
January = no submissions
February = 2 bass
March = 19 bass
April = 14 bass
May = 13 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)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 1 bass
Bank = 47 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 2-10 (2-10)
Bank = 24-3 (5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6,4-3)

Public vs. Private
Public = 44 bass
Private = 4 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 24-3 (5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6,4-3)
Private = 9-6 (2-10,2-8,2-6,1-14)

The Baits (* = new record)
Lipless Crankbait = 15 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Plastic Worm = 10 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
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 (* = new record)
January
No submissions
February
3-15 Jim Junk
March
5-5 Jim Junk
April
5-2 Jim Junk
May
4-6 Jim Junk

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
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)
4-2Jim Junk (3/19)
4-2 Jim Junk (3/24)
4-2 Jim Junk (3/28)
4-1 Jim Junk (3/30)
4-0 Jim Junk (3/23)
4-0 Brent Jackson (4/2)
4-0 Brent Jackson (4/12)

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 24-3 (5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6,4-3)
Brent Jackson 14-11 (4-0,4-0,2-5,2-3,2-3)
John Kirkemo 10-14 (2-10,2-8,2-6,1-14,1-8)
Troy Jackson 10-6 (3-1,2-0,1-13,1-13,1-11)
Landon Hannam 2-12 (2-12)
Patricia Kirkemo 2-10 (2-10)
Jayce Jackson 1-3 (1-3)

There you have it, a solid collection of bass submissions and nearly all from the bank on public waters. I find those aspects to be fun bit of the breakdown as they represent locales and approaches that are generally available to anyone looking to make some casts. Keep up the good work, crew, and anybody else out there who wishes to join the quest go ahead and email your catches to troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Some wacky weather lately in the area but a pair of anglers managed to add a couple bass on both ends of the recent cold front. Our current Top 5 leader reeled one in before the weather took a downturn to add to his already impressive total. And a youngster with a couple years of Top 5 experience weighed in with his first catch of 2021 as the weather began to take a turn for the better. Read on for the details.

Weight: 4-6
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: May 25
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Split tail Senko type worm
Angler Comments: Spent a couple of hours at Banner this afternoon. Three bass total, two small ones and this 4-6. Bite was pretty slow, fishing flats with lots of submerged vegetation.
Top 5 Weight: 24-3 (5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6,4-3) culls a 4-2

Weight: 2-12
Angler: Landon Hannam
Date: May 30
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Wacky rigged Senko
Angler Comments: This fish was double my biggest bass out of Lake Storey. The bass were very active on the banks and feeding off of blue gill. This bass was only sitting about 4 feet off the bank, and I put the Senko in front of him and he took it.
Top 5 Weight: 2-12 (2-12)

Thanks, guys, for the fish and good to hear from Landon again with his catch from one of my all-time favorite fishing holes. Here’s hoping that we’ve left those forty-degree highs behind and get to enjoy a bit of a spring before the summer heat kicks into gear. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – May 22, 2016

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I had a decent day on some Bureau County, Illinois waters just before the decision was made to limit access to the site due to deteriorating interior roads. From what I can gather on the internet, it appears that the road work was finally completed last summer after roughly five years. Perhaps I will take a drive later this year, but for now we just head down Memory Lane with some stats and excerpts from the original fishing report.

Originally Posted 5-25-16

Between work, softball practices and games, soccer practices and games, Tae Kwon Do lessons, year-end school functions, birthday parties, graduation parties, a JDRF walk-a-thon, several field trips and a Heart concert with my daughter, Carly, it has been a crazy month since my last chance to make some casts. Why, in the first 21 days of May leading up to this fishing trip I counted 44 different items on the calendar. No wonder me and Julie are so tired. And, by the way, thanks to her for taking one for the team so I could get out and make another fishing report.

Stats
Date: May 22, 2016
Location: Mautino State Fish & Wildlife Area (3 lakes)
Time: 5:45am-1:15pm (6.5 hours fishing, the rest relocating)
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 57F-80F
Water Temp: 64F
Totals: 15 bass
Lures: Senko wacky rig (purple w/ emerald flake or green pumpkin black flake) – 14 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-9 (Senko)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 8-12 (3-9,2-12,1-8,0-15)

11:07am Top Bass 3-9 (19″) on Senko wacky rig

Notes & Nonsense

Mass Bass – This year I’ve gotten into the habit sending picture updates to Julie while I’m on the water kind of like the real Bassmasters do these days. She says she enjoys following along whether I’m outsmarting a few or vice versa. Well, on this outing I received a text regarding the wiseness of sending fishing pictures while the rest of the crew was attending Mass. It briefly had me worried about the source of the text, but I did verify that it was sent by Julie as opposed to coming from upstairs. And just to clarify, Julie asked that I point out that she was not checking updates until after Mass had finished.

11:17am – Top Bass Runner-Up 2-12 (18.5″) on a Senko wacky rig

One That Got Away – My first stop featured five bass all 10” or less and lake number two was a murky water bust, throwing me a shutout so I bailed after an hour. Ten minutes into my final stop I set the hook on a Senko wacky rig on something that did not move…initially. However, when it did there was one drag stripping run followed by a second line busting burst. I use ten-pound mono on a spinning rig for my wacky rigging and this is the first time I recall it coming to such an end, but it happens. I’m torn whether it was good or bad that I didn’t get a look at the fish. Fortunately, the 3-9 and 2-12 over the next forty minutes or so helped to soothe the pain. Those fish also helped to boost my Top 5 weight to 17-1 but left me wondering what might have been in terms of achieving my annual goal of a 20-pound limit. With my lowest bas at 1-13, the one that got away would have needed to weigh 4-12 to get me there. I’ll never know, and, of course, that fish can be as big as my imagination. In all honesty though, after thirty plus years of catching bass, I am positive that it would have made the mark with room to spare (what am I supposed to say, right?).

12:19pm – Top Bass #3 at 1-8 (15″) on a Senko wacky rig

Not sure what’s on the horizon for that June bass outing but sounds like there’s some panfish to be pursued with the kids. Julie replied to one of my on the water text updates that our oldest boy, Jayce, stated that he “wants to go next time, he is old enough.” I jokingly replied that he must be seven years old as that birthday rolls around this Saturday. Cool though, that he is interested and wants to hang out with his dad. However, Julie also reported that Jayce didn’t even realize that I wasn’t around all morning until they got to Mass, and he asked, “Hey, where’s Dad?” Geez, Julie steps down to the basement to do laundry and everybody around here freaks out wondering where Mom went. I get it, Moms rule.

Not sure if I will be able to get out this Memorial Day Weekend but we do have some outdoor stuff on the horizon in June that should make for some interesting blog fodder. In addition, we have at least one bass for a Monday Top 5 Update so stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy