Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, 2020 continues to be quite a mess. While I will leave the Covid conversation for other forums, I will gripe a bit about the weather. It seems like spring just can’t hit its stride and put together a stretch of pleasant days. This past week featured a substantial amount of rain, steady winds and a near 20-degree drop in daily high temperature as we headed into the weekend. Nevertheless, some of us still got out there and a few more bass joined the ranks.

Weight: 2-4
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 11
Weather: 52F and partly cloudy/windy
Location: Knox County, IL strip pit
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: After two and a half hours of a cold front shutout on my first stops I sure was happy to get this one in hand. Simply a bonus that it bumped my Top 5 weight up by a couple ounces.

Weight: 2-8
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 15
Weather: 75F and partly cloudy/breezy
Location: Knox County, IL strip pit
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)
Structure: Point
Angler Comments: Strange, full day on the water with my four best bites coming in the span of about 30 minutes of a near six hour day. This bass was the last and largest of the four that averaged right around two pounds.
Top 5 Weight: 14-5 (4-12,2-8,2-7,2-6,2-4) culls 2-3 and 2-2

Weight: 3-8
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: May 16
Location: Knox County, IL strip pit
Lure: Creature bait
Top 5 Weight: 15-13 (4-1,3-8,3-4,2-12,2-4) culls 2-4

It appears that the weather in the area will take a turn for the better at mid-week and into the weekend. Here’s hoping that you have a fishing hole and an opportunity to get on the water and take advantage. Send them my way when you catch them. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – May 11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For obvious reasons, 2020 is indeed a strange year. Beyond the disruption of regular life, the weather around here hasn’t been worth a darn either. Colder than normal and when it does warm up and turn nice it can’t last for more than a day or two. And that day or two isn’t on a weekend. Boy, you just can’t win. But, you’ve got to go fishing when you can and that’s just what I did on this not so pleasant afternoon.

Tough start to the day with only a green sunfish to show after 2.5 hours of casting

Stats
Date: May 11, 2020
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (6 lakes)
Time: 12:15m-5:25pm (3.75 hours fishing)
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy
Air Temp: 48-52F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 3 bass, 1 green sunfish
Lures: Stanley Vibra Shaft spinnerbait (blue glimmer) with twin tail trailer (pumpkinseed) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 (Red Eye Shad)
Top 5 Weight: 5-12 (2-4,1-14,1-10)

 

Trip Lyric
“Snot running down his nose.”
Aqualung – Jethro Tull (1971)
Well, it was cold and windy and if you’ve spent much time running around outdoors in such conditions you just go about your business. This lyric was happening, I just let it happen and the line gave me a smile in the less than appealing conditions.

Notes and Nonsense

Windchill – Is there such a thing as “windchill” in May when the mercury dips to 48 degrees Fahrenheit? Well, if not, there should be as I was wearing gloves for a while on this trip.
(Note: I just found this on the internet – “Windchill Temperature is only defined for temperatures at or below 50 degrees F and wind speeds above 3 mph.”)

One catch sported a Floy tag, will have to look into any research that is in effect at this fishing hole.

Third Time Lucky – I started on a series of small potholes figuring I could at least find a bite or two but no luck. Next up I gambled on some spots where I have limited experience but know there is a solid bass population but shutout there as well. My last shot was some private water that had produced several decent bass for a friend in April. Three bass in an hour saved the day and the embarrassment of a May shutout.
(Note: if you are not familiar with the tune “Third Time Lucky” it is worth a search to expand your Foghat catalog beyond “Slow Ride”)

Once upon a time…and 34 years later the jersey still fits. More to come in the “Lucky Shirt” series.

Lucky Shirt – Speaking of “lucky” and sticking with my 2020 theme, another lucky shirt was donned for this fishing trip. In this case, it was in celebration of the Knox College Siwash baseball team claiming the Midwest Conference title back on May 10, 1986, almost exactly 34 years ago to the day. Believe it or not, there is actually a method to the madness in this whole fishing attire project.

Not a shed guy but a cool find as I wandered in the middle of nowhere.

A last ditch stop saves the day in the midst of a significant cold front where the temps were nearly 20 degrees below the previous day. As I drove home from the trip I had 107.7FM out of Erie, IL dialed in on the radio. One of the entertaining DJs, Uncle Tim, noted that it was “40 days until the first day of summer.” Nearly a week closer now and I’m still wondering where is a “regular” spring. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – May 25, 2000

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I don’t know about you but when I fish an area frequently I begin to come up my own names for spots on the body of water. Such was indeed the case for Knox County, Illinois’ Lake Bracken. I first fished it with some Little League teammates around 1978 or 1979, enjoyed our family’s membership through the 80s and then owned a house with the lake as my backyard from 1994-2003.

5/25/2000 Lake Bracken 17.5″ 2-9 Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait from Shed Cove

Many memories and many fish including those in today’s flashback which takes me back to a time with far less responsibilities. Not only had we not started a family yet but I didn’t even have a job in May 2000. The latter aspect was about to change but I still had a few days to goof around.

And part of that goofing around was fishing.

5/25/2000 Mark Junk 5-11 Carp on a doughball at The Spillway

From the log entry above, it looks like I made a day out of it. I spent the afternoon bass fishing on the lake and then headed to The Spillway to chase some carp for the evening with my buddy, Mark “Geek” Junk. And then it was back up to the lake to try our hand at some catfishing at The Clubhouse. Results appeared to be decent with Geek’s nice carp and one fair sized bass for my contribution.

5/25/2000 Mark Junk 13-15 Carp at The Spillway on a doughball

But the real reward is being able to look back at the pics and the log entry and reminisce. There’s no place quite like The Spillway and The Clubhouse was no longer a “clubhouse” as the building had burnt down many years prior. And all of these years later, I could still take you right to Patterson’s Cove, Idlewild, Sandy Bank and Shabena Cove. Bet I could even find a bass or two along the way. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – May The Fourth

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After an appealing 70 degrees and 27 bass the previous day (including several on topwater), I suspected that this follow-up might not be as kind. A nearly 20 degree drop in temps and an easterly wind sure had me thinking “I got a bad feeling about this.” But a day off of work and the prospect of working in another fishing shirt on May the Fourth meant that I had to get back on the water.

Stats
Date: May 4, 2020
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (3 lakes)
Time: 11:00am-5:15pm (5.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Overcast/windy
Air Temp: 55F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 17 bass
Lures: Stanley Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait (blue glimmer) – 10 bass, Senko weighted wacky rig (smoke) – 4 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (salt and pepper) – 1 bass, Xcalibur XR50 lipless crankbait (chicken pox) – 1 bass, Jig & Pig (black/blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-7 (Spinnerbait)
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (2-7,2-6,2-3,2-2,1-15)

 

Trip Lyric
“Don’t stop believin.”
Don’t Stop Believin’, Journey (1981)
There’s some truth to this lyric as my first four hours of running around were a struggle. A couple quality bites can turn your attitude around and this was the tune that was running through my head once I got them. I’d like to say that I did not stop believin’, but in reality, the cold front had both me and the bass in somewhat surly moods.

Lucky shirt for the May the Fourth outing

Notes and Nonsense

10 – For me this is the number of movies in the Star Wars series after the original 1977 release “Episode IV: A New Hope.” My list consist of Episodes I-III, V-IX along with Solo and Rogue One. Debatable, sure, a few duds, yeah. But as a 10-year old kid in a Galesburg, IL theater, that first one sure left a mark that still endures over 40 years later. May the Fourth was my chance to give a shout out via my Star Wars lucky fishing shirt.

The Blue Glimmer (upper left) ruled the day

20 – “Hokey baits and newfangled presentations are no match for the Blue Glimmer at your side, kid” – Han Solo (sort of)
Nothing like reeling in the years by reeling in some bass on a twenty plus year old spinnerbait. The Blue Glimmer was a hit in the 90s and still rocking it in 2020. On this day it was definitely the MVP (Most Valuable Presentation). It landed my final nine bass during the last hour and a half of the outing and caught my entire Top 5.

30 – “A long time ago…” – Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Over 30 years have passed since I first fished this area back in 1987. In fact, the lake where the bass caught fire to end my day wasn’t even a fishing hole back in those days. Nope, it was just a strange depression of funky colored, swampy ground and scattered weedy vegetation. Fun to reminisce and even more fun to pull some nice bass out of that former “wretched hive of scum and villainy” (all bass released as always).

A glimpse inside my Millenium Falcon

40 – “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts.” – Han Solo
My deluxe watercraft dates back over 40 years and still floats once it is pulled out of the truckbed and drug to the water. Believe it or not, Dad and a friend found this thing washed up in a logjam on a Henderson County, IL creek all those years ago. The rest is history that deserves a closer look someday.

50 – “Your powers are weak old man.” – Darth Vader
These days that old boat is propelled via a 50-something “trolling motor.” I hesitate to think how many hours or miles that motor has racked up over the years. Still going strong though and on the third set of oars if I am not mistaken. I believe I could still give some of these childhood heroes a run for their money.

May the force be with you and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – May 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It was exciting to get back on the water again on the heels of a 38 bass day two days prior. Warm, stable weather remained and had my hopes high for a repeat performance and hopefully some larger bass. Here’s how it turned out.

Stats
Date: May 3, 2020
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (8 lakes)
Time: 10:10am-3:40pm (4.25 hours fishing)
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/windy
Air Temp: 66-70F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 27 bass, 1 crappie, 1 green sunfish
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap (blue) – 11 bass, Senko weighted wacky rig (smoke or green pumpkin) – 9 bass, Zara Spook (black shore minnow) – 4 bass, Xcalibur XR50 lipless crankbait (chicken pox) – 2 bass, Jig & Pig (black/blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 (Senko)
Top 5 Weight: 6-6 (1-11,1-9,1-3,1-1,0-14)

 

Trip Lyric
“Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd.”
Take Me Out to the Ballgame – Harry Caray rendition (circa 1984)
My Sunday spring drives to and from the fishing hole used to feature something called a baseball game. I sure do miss Pat and Ron covering my Cubs and bringing some laughs, smiles and informative insights no matter the performance of our team.

Yes, I had a lucky fishing shirt, have to play catch-up on that project one of these days

Notes and Nonsense

Cottonwood Lake

For Old Time’s Sake – There’s a spot I call Cottonwood Lake in reference to a large cottonwood tree that used to tower over the water’s edge. It now lies at water’s edge and into the lake. It used to be chock full of little bass and was the site of a September 2013 project regarding “Misfit Lures.” The challenge was to see if those bass were so dumb that they would bite a batch of less than successful lures that I’d amassed over the years. The bass were completely clueless as they bit with reckless abandon. Fast forward to 2020 and the population still isn’t too bright and still quite small..

Entertainingly named Chicken Pox pattern (by the manufacturer, not me)

Ill Lure – While the current situation is nothing to take too lightly, at this point of the pandemic I can certainly do with a little humor. So to amuse myself, I ditched my regular Strike King Red Eye Shad lipless crankbait in favor or an XR50 model from Xcalibur. The sole reason being that the XR50 color pattern is something called “Chicken Pox.” And what do you know, it even caught me a couple bass. Perhaps this summer I’ll dig out my topwater frog in the “Measles” pattern.

A couple “accidents” reeled in along the way

Topwater Time – Several decent weather days in a row, a shallow lake and some cloud cover prompted me to break out a Zara Spook. I don’t throw this thing like I used to back in the 80s and 90s but my “Lure Lunacy” project earlier this year got me feeling a bit nostalgic. Turns out it still gets the job done which really didn’t come as much of a surprise. Maybe it will get a bit more of a workout as the year progresses if I can put down the buzzbait for a while. Video below of one of the Zara Spook catches.

 

Lake Record – My strip mine fishing features a vast collection of waters and being a data guy, each one has a “lake record.” Now some records are more impressive than others but all still represent the largest bass to come out of the fishing hole. On this outing, the Cedar Lake record of 1-4 fell to a bass that I had seen cruising some open areas in the weedy, remote body of water. I don’t suspect that the bass in such spots see many lures so a Senko tossed out in the vicinity got the attention of the fish which tipped the scales at 1-11. See video of the catch below.

 

Another successful day of strip mine trekking featuring catches from some spots that don’t normally show up on my standard hiking route. A couple spots I may visit again in 2020 while others were simply a stop to say “Hello” for old time’s sake. Either way, they all proved worthy of a few casts. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Nearly 25 pounds of bass join the ranks after a period of decent, stable weather graced the area last week. Didn’t take long for that to disappear but fun while it lasted.

Weight: 4-12
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: May 3
Location: Warren County, IL private pond
Lure: Chatterbait (bluegill) with paddle tail swimbait trailer

Weight: 5-4
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: May 3
Location: Warren County, IL private pond
Lure: Chatterbait (bluegill) with paddle tail swimbait trailer

Weight: 5-7
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: May 3
Location: Warren County, IL private pond
Lure: Chatterbait (bluegill) with paddle tail swimbait trailer
Top 5 Weight: 22-5 (6-14,5-7,5-4,4-12) NOTE: that’s only four fish too, folks

Weight: 2-6 (17.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 4
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Stanley Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait (blue glimmer) with twin tail trailer (pumpkinseed)
Structure: Trees

Weight: 2-2 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 4
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Stanley Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait (blue glimmer) with twin tail trailer (pumpkinseed)
Structure: Trees

Weight: 2-7 (17”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 4
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Stanley Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait (blue glimmer) with twin tail trailer (pumpkinseed)
Structure: Trees

Weight: 2-3 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 4
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Stanley Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait (blue glimmer) with twin tail trailer (pumpkinseed)
Structure: Stumps
Angler Comments: A tough start to my day was salvaged in a hurry. I found the right lake at the right time resulting in a flurry of quality bass in my last 75 minutes on the water. The classic Blue Glimmer spinnerbait was on fire just like old times.
Top 5 Weight: 13-14 (4-12,2-7,2-6,2-3,2-2) culls 2-1,1-15,1-14,1-14

A potentially frosty start to this week but temps look to pick up as the week progresses. Here’s hoping that the bite does too. As always, send them my way when you catch some. Talk to you later. Troy

Guest Perspective

Posted on by Troy Jackson

NOTE: On this special day, I welcome a guest blogger, my wife and the mother of our brood, Julie. Enjoy.

To quote a dear friend of mine, “It’s all about perspective.” – Aaron VanMiddlesworth.

Think about it. Today your fishing report is brought to you from a new perspective. A female. A wife. A mother. But then again, is it? An angler. An outdoor person. A spouse. A parent. That’s the usual perspective of TJO, right? Let’s throw in photographer. There’s always piscatorial pics embedded throughout the traditional roving report.

Once upon a time, I took a photography class at Carl Sandburg College. I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures, but it was inspiring to have to take specific kinds of photos for different assignments for the class. Seeing things from behind a camera lens was creatively appeasing, and I think I captured some pretty interesting images. They were all black and white because I developed my own film and printed the photos myself as well. I loved going to the darkroom, as it was exciting to see what would be revealed on the film and photo paper since I used a manual camera without a digital display to see what the photos would look like before being printed. All adjustments needed to be made before the button was pressed. No delete and reshoot 13 times like with my cell phone pics today.

The point of my photography class recap is to introduce you to a picture I took during that time. You may need no introduction – you may know it very well. It’s the one that TJ Outdoors uses on his business cards and YouTube Channel. And it shows what my perspective was back when he and I used to go on outdoor adventures just the two of us. Because there were only two of us.

The picture I speak of is the silhouette of TJ walking up a path packing his tackle and poles headed to a fishing hole. I followed him that day with my camera in hand and just thought my view was a nice perspective of this fisherman. I can’t recall now if he knew he was a subject for one of my assignments at the time or if I even used it for class, but it has always been one of my favorites. And TJ must like it ok too if he prints it on his cards. I also don’t recollect if fish were fooled let alone specific species or sizes. I know someone who could find out for me though…

So recently, we took our four children on one of those outdoor adventures and I recaptured that perspective. Of course this time the picture was taken with my cell phone camera with a color digital display, and I snapped several shots as the kids followed their father – all toting tackle and poles up the path to the fishing hole.

Not only is my photography at another juncture, but so are our outdoor adventures. Now we’ve always taken our kids fishing, hiking, camping and such. But this time it was different. It had been awhile. I didn’t spend the entire morning packing. We didn’t have strollers, diaper bags, potty seats, pack and plays or any sort of pint-sized paraphernalia. The kids helped make sandwiches and pack a cooler. Each kid wore his/her own boots and walked the path (or lack thereof sometimes) in them. They even grabbed their own gear for the most part.

That’s the moment I was struck with incentive to share my perspective. Again. As I bent down to pick up just my equipment and follow the rest of the crew, I remembered taking a picture of TJ all those years earlier and how the scene from that perspective had changed a bit. I wasn’t preoccupied by babies and baggage and just consumed the contentment as I clumsily collected my camera in the form of the cell phone from my pocket to capture the moment in order to share and compare this sight with the image printed on the TJO business card.

It really is all about perspective. Amen, AVM!

Happy Mother’s Day everyone.

Family Fishing Report – May 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last weekend presented another opportunity to get the whole family outside for some fresh air, some fishing and a picnic supper. Sticking with my general fishing report format, here is how it all went down.

Stats
Date: May 2, 2020
Location: Little John Conservation Club
Time: Evening
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, sweatshirt weather
Totals: 6 bass
Lures: Senko wacky rig, weighted and weightless (various colors)
Top Bass: 0-14 (Carly)
Totals: Girls – 6 bass, Boys – 1 bass

 

Trip Lyric
“Rock and rock and roll radio, let’s go!”
Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio, The Ramones (1980)
So, our daughter, Helena, is working on the driving hours required to obtain her license this summer. Well, the standing policy is pretty much that the driver runs the radio. As such, this lyric fits the bill for our round trip as the current Top 40 had no resemblance whatsoever to my old “rock ‘n’ roll radio”.

Notes and Nonsense

Lucky Shirts – During a normal May we would be taking part in the annual JDRF One Walk for type one diabetes. A classmate and friend of one of our daughters was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes in 2011 at age five. Since moving to the Quad City area in 2014 we have joined Team Morgan’s Hope for the annual event aimed at raising money and awareness in a quest for a cure. Obviously, this is not a normal May thus the event has transitioned to a virtual experience. For details and donations click here.

Sporting our collection of Team Morgan’s Hope shirts from past JDRF One Walks

Girls Rule – It didn’t take long before the whole crew was tossing Senkos looking for a bass instead of wetting some waxworms in search of panfish. And it didn’t take long before the ladies did some catching. Carly posted the first bass and also claimed Top Bass among her three catches. Julie took runner-up honors with a pair of bass and Helena posted her first Senko bass. The boys, well, they were a little more distracted but did get on the board just after suppertime. Their lone bass came on the first cast by the fifty something year old boy who first set foot on those strip mine banks over thirty years ago.

Can’t go wrong with these choices from my “clients”

Additional Catches – Beyond the bass, I witnessed anglers catching a stump, a tree and a bridge. In addition, we had major loops and tangles in a couple of our ultralight spinning rigs. The above are reasons us “fishing guides” bring along plenty of spare poles and tackle. Hey, as long as we avoid catching any family members, it’s all good.

Had to respool a couple reels after this trip

Mission accomplished with some fresh air in these strange and isolated times. My favorite bunch of people to be isolated with and enjoyable when we can do it outdoors. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – May 3, 2000

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Twenty years ago I was without a job and essentially without a care. My employer of the previous ten years, National Seal Company, had left town in January 2000 and left me with a reasonable severance package that paid me until June. A single, thirty something guy with a longtime girlfriend (now my wife) could get by for a while.

A keepsake from that old job (1990-2000) that I keep in my tacklebox 

But as the need to find a new job began to become a bit more pressing, so did the need to get on the water while I had ample free time. Today’s flashback outing was about as long distance as I get with roughly an hour drive from my hometown of Galesburg, IL to Fulton/Peoria County’s Banner Marsh. I made this trip with my then brother-in-law, Tim Townsend, and my Dad’s Bass Tracker in tow.

I’d never fished the area before and horsepower restrictions relegated us to a trolling motor only approach. I recall it being a struggle to find some bass in the pair of lakes we chose, one of which required a substantial troll (and much of our battery) to reach a wide open expanse of humps and flooded timber.

Original log entry from the May 3, 2000 outing

And it was in a spot with such a mix of cover that I boated the larger of the only two bass I fooled on the day. But hey, if you are only going to catch two bass it sure is nice when one is a four-pounder (one ounce shy is close enough, right). Kind of fun too, that I caught both of my bass on the Blue Glimmer spinnerbait. Twenty years later, almost to the day (5/4/2020), I had a banner day on an area strip mine with the very same lure (Top 5 Update and fishing report to come next week).

Another shot of my first ever Banner Marsh bass

And also twenty years later, the spot is in the midst of statewide closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic despite it being rather remote and spread out. I know one Top 5 angler who is particularly missing his stomping grounds. Hang in there, Jim, as at least we’ve got some other fishing holes for a fix.

In fact, I have several fishing reports to come from some of those waters along with a batch of Top 5 bass on Monday so stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – May 1

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Among the many personal lifestyle changes resulting from the worldwide health concern was a directive to take a few days away from work. At least for this vacation hoarder, the timing was right in terms of stable weather around what would be a five day weekend with plenty of fishing in my sights. Read on for the first of several fishing reports from my mini vacation.

This one gets the nod for bravest bass of the day

Stats
Date: May 1, 2020
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (8 lakes)
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm (5.50 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/windy
Air Temp: 54-70F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 38 bass
Lures: Jig & Pig (black/blue) – 11 bass, Rapala Shad Rap (blue) – 10 bass, Senko weighted wacky rig (strawberry cream) – 8 bass, Chatterbait (bluegill) with Zako trailer (smoke) – 5 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 (Senko)
Top 5 Weight: 6-5 (1-15,1-5,1-2,1-0,0-15)

 

Trip Lyric
“On the road again.”
On The Road Again, Willie Nelson (1980)
Fishing twice within a week’s time can be a rarity these days so this tune was playing in my head as I drove back to the strip mines. It was also exciting knowing that I’d be on the road again over the next several days as well.

Notes and Nonsense

Senko de Mayo – While the Senko wacky rig claimed my Lure Lunacy title last month, I still had yet to catch a bass with the presentation in 2020. Of course, since May and Senko go hand in hand, I didn’t waste any time once the new month arrived. In fact, the first cast with a weighted Senko wacky rig was a winner as displayed in the clip below.

 

Senko Trick #2 – The next clip is a pretty cool demonstration of the effectiveness of the Senko wacky rig on clear strip mine waters. Never have I found a presentation that will tempt a cruising or interested bass as effectively as the tantalizing drop of the wacky rig (both weighted and weightless). The 1-15 catch proved to be my Top Bass of the outing.

 

Mother’s Day Approaching – Here in West Central Illinois you can rest assured that as the calendar nears Mother’s Day you will find the local crappie shallow and in the mood to bite. Such was the case on this trip with numerous fish spotted from the bank and several winding up on a hook by “accident.” A couple green sunfish also took a liking to my bass offerings and a hooked bluegill got loose at the bank, narrowly preventing me from posting the species “Grand Slam.”

Going the extra yard for some bass (actually 8,448 yards)

Another stellar day in terms of numbers but the smaller bass continue to beat the larger specimens to my offerings. It is encouraging, however, that what I am throwing is producing. In the world of fishing, you just need to keep on casting. And that’s just what I did along with shifting gears to fishing guide for another outing. Stay tuned as those reports are headed your way soon. Talk to you later. Troy