Still trying to get the annual recap of the previous year completed even though the 2020 catching is already underway. Too many ideas and not enough time. Part I of a 2019 Top 10 Video list today with five more to come.
And away we go…
#10. Guest Intro – 9/2/19
#9. Rainy Day and Monday – 5/27/19
#8. Daily Double – 7/27/19
#7. Still Spinning – 9/8/19
6. Dad’s Top Bass – 7/27/19
Stay tuned for Part II. Talk to you later. Troy
The past week saw open water take over area lakes and ponds and some of the regular Top 5 crew succeeded in fooling a few bass. Looks like some good temperatures this week and that extra hour of daylight certainly helps to provide a bit more of a weekday window for first shifters to possibly work in a few weekday casts.
Weight: 3-4
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless Crankbait
Weight: 4-1
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 7
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Structure: Flat with some submerged weeds
Top 5 Weight: 8-9 (4-1,3-4,1-4)
Weight: 1-5
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 7
Location: Knox County private strip pit
Lure: Rapala Shad Rap (blue)
Angler Comments: Narrowly avoided a shutout on my first outing of 2020 with this lone catch. Not overly impressive but darn glad to get bit as the evening was fading fast. The lure had just caught in some vegetation and this bass nabbed it just after I snapped it free, pretty cool.
Top 5 Weight: 1-5
Definitely a welcome batch of fish after putting the “cold” months behind us. While those months weren’t too ugly, the sooner that ice cover disappears the better. Here’s to some March Madness, fishing style. Good luck out there and send ‘em my way when you catch ‘em. Talk to you later. Troy
As I put together this post, I did a search for the top cover models of 2010 and guess who didn’t make the list?
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that this blogger was not truly the featured cover model, more of a sidelight than a highlight.
But hey, I must admit it was kind of cool to get an email suggesting that I check out the latest issue of Illinois Game & Fish magazine which had just hit the racks. The email came from Jeff Lampe, outdoor writer at The Peoria Journal Star and blogger at the now defunct Prairie State Outdoors at the time. Jeff had written an Emiquon Preserve article for the March 2010 edition of Illinois Game & Fish and was gracious enough to include a pic I’d sent him of my September 2009 catch which is still my personal best largemouth bass at 7 pounds 3 ounces.
Dad always said he should get some credit as he actually snapped this photo
Have always wondered where the 7-3 ranked among the Top Bass caught during the 2009 opener
It was a cool time as I transitioned from sending rambling fish stories to family and friends to contributing to the Prairie State Outdoors website beginning on April 6, 2010. I hung around PSO until March 25, 2011, contributing 169 posts to the rapidly fading website. In the meantime, Mr. Lampe had departed for his own gig with the purchase of Heartland Outdoors. From April 5, 2011 to May 1, 2017 I contributed nearly 600 posts to the Heartland Outdoors website before striking out on my own (note: “striking out” has a couple different interpretations but I’m still entertaining myself at the very least).
And the rest (all 626 posts and counting at Troy Jackson Outdoors), as they say, is history.
So, there you have it, more than just a ruggedly handsome face on an outdoor publication and perhaps as close as I’ll ever get to my “Cover of the Rolling Stone” moment. And whether or not my contributions to the blogosphere remotely resemble Andy Warhol’s “15 minutes” of fame, I’m proud of my efforts.
And I ain’t done yet. Talk to you later. Troy
Next up for the 2019 recap is a look at the folks with whom I shared boat and bank.
The Cousins – May 11 at Lake Storey
Now this one was quite fun and quite productive under the guidance of some seasoned anglers. Papa was the ringleader of the crew while Uncle Brent and Uncle Troy proved to be capable assistants. The cousins consisted of my boys, Jayce and Zac, along with Brent’s duo of Brady and Kennedy. It wasn’t what one would consider a particularly balmy day but not a hint of complaint as the kids were having too much fun. The whole crew was together again last weekend for a concert and a 2020 outing seems to be in the works. That says it all, mission accomplished.
Brent Jackson – June through October, several strip mines and Lake Storey
Well, this sort of thing has been going on since 1983 when I got my driver’s license. All these years later we embarked on an epic strip pit walk, drag and row trek I deemed the “100 Year Trip” (click here). Note: Troy aged 51, Brent 49 at the time. Another strip mine visit and a pair of shots at Lake Storey were also on the agenda. Overall, Brent got me 63-58 in total bass, topped me on three of our four outings and his 4-5 Top Bass easily outdid my best. Yep, nothing new after all these years.
John Kirkemo – July 13 on the Knox County, IL strip mines
John and I had corresponded frequently via email, met up for an off season breakfast at one point and eventually cooked up this fishing trip. So, after I missed finding his driveway in the 4:30am darkness he proceeds to poke fun at the guy who is his ride to the fishing hole. I knew at that point it would be a good day, whether we caught fish or not. And we did. Thanks to John for the company, for topping off Dad’s gas tank and for putting up with a barrage of “one time back in the 80s…” or “there’s a spot over there…” strip mine rambles.
Jayce Jackson – April 20 (strip mines) and July 26 (Lake Storey)
Our first outing was a brief strip mine trip that resulted in a shutout on water where Jayce did well in May 2018. Next up, was a short dog day evening on the tough Lake Storey where I was honestly hoping for just one bite. Couldn’t have turned out any better though as my boy outfished me 4 to zero while effectively wielding a wacky rigged Senko. Good fishing (and life) lessons all the way around, for both generations.
Dad – July 27 (Strip mines) and August 3 (Lake Storey)
It was good to have Dad back in the boat again after sitting it out in 2018. Our trips covered some old familiar water. The July outing featured a strip mine that we first fished together in 1987. In August, we hit Lake Storey which probably dates back to somewhere around the mid-1970s for our first tag team effort. A few more fish stories to add to the ledger including my catch of the second largest one-eyed bass of all-time. Dad still holds the record with a Lake Storey bass that I watched him catch back in 1988.
Zac Jackson – September 2 (top secret area)
In 2019, I got access to some water that had intrigued me for over 30 years. After a peak around the area with John Kirkemo on the heels of our July outing, I hit the area with a young angler in tow. The first and only visit of 2019 was a panfish pursuit although I did toss around a few casts for bass without raising any interest. Bluegills were a winner and we gleaned a little info from another angler onsite. Oh yeah, we also purchased a new basketball along with our waxworms on the way to the fishing hole and a Subway sandwich on the ride home. We have still not revealed our destination to anyone, simply referring to it as “a secret fishing spot.”
Merely a brief rundown of the outings with my fellow fishermen but you can click the links included in each of the entries above for the full scoop (see dates and/or locations for links). Here’s to sharing the hobby with these individuals again in 2020 along with a few other anglers if things work out. Talk to you later. Troy
Part II without further ado.
5. Spinnerbaits
Booyah Blade (largely a white combo of some sort) – 31 bass
Top Bass: 18” 2-11 October 14 Knox County, IL private strip mine
Comments: I’m still a spinnerbait guy even though the lure has kind of fallen out of vogue in the mainstream over the years in favor of some newer presentations. My waters set up about 50/50 in terms of spinnerbait effectiveness. I like to toss these bladed baits in shallower water with some color and cover with Lake Storey and a handful of strip pits being right on target. Even found out that they work just fine on Kansas bass in 2019.
4. Crankbaits
Various (see below) – 42 bass
Top Bass: 15-15.5”” 1-12 Aug 3 (Lake Storey) Aug. 31 (Knox Co, IL public strip pit)
Comments: Success came on a several baits including the Mann’s Baby 1-, Rapala DT10, Strike King Rattling Squarebill and Bomber Deep Flat A. This batch of baits fish fast and cover the surface to ten feet, both aspects that are right in my comfort zone.
3. Lipless Crankbaits (tiebreaker with crankbaits = larger Top Bass)
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad or orange craw) – 42 bass
Top Bass: 17” 2-8 August 31 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: Kind of a weird year for this lure type. Typically a hit early in the year, 2019 didn’t see my first Strike King Red Eye shad catch until the end of June. From there on out it was a top producer right on through October on area strip mines and Lake Storey.
2. Plastic Worms
Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate or smoke) – 46 bass
Top Bass: 20” 3-14 July 27 Knox County, IL private strip mine
Comments: For several years, the Senko wacky rig has been my top producer and gets a real workout on the water. 2019 saw a bit of a decline in usage as many of my regular spots featured water that was more stained than normal. Just kind of strange conditions that had me focusing on some louder, flashier presentations. It was fun to see the Senko stake a claim to my Top Bass title for the first time since 2011.
1. Buzzbaits
Booyah Buzz (snow white shad or bleeding shad) – 63 bass
Top Bass: 17-17.5” 2-4 May 27 & June 21 Knox County, IL strip pits
Comments: I am a sucker for a buzzbait strike and continue to force feed the bass in hopes of a big one getting fooled. Unfortunately, no big bites for the second straight year but plenty of success to insure that I’ll be throwing them again in about three months. Plenty of bites but such can also be a result of plenty of casts as I have been known to keep casting these when I’d probably be better off throwing something else.
Still more to come on the 2019 recap. As far as the 2020 season, I observed open water just over an hour south last Thursday. However, a local check yesterday showed ice to still be lingering on a Henry County fishing hole. But preparation is underway in hopes of getting on the water during one of these March weekends. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy
Well, you shouldn’t have a fishing recap without a reveal of the fish fooling lures that got it done on the water. 2019 saw me get a little bit more varied in my offerings as a total of ten different lure types came into play in landing 262 bass. And any blogger worth his (or her) salt, knows that a list of ten items is just too good to pass up. Thus, we kick off the 2019 lure recap with the first half of a Top 10 list that works its way to the eventual Top Lure reveal in tomorrow’s post. (Note: lure types are ranked by number of bass caught)
10. Topwater Frogs
Booyah Pad Crasher (cricket frog) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 11” June 11 Knox County, IL private strip pit
Comments: Inspiration for my first frog catch since 2014 came via an email from Top 5 angler, John Kirkemo, as he noted a catch by young Top 5 angler, Landon Hannam. Fun to put the advice to use and always exciting to get one on a frog.
9. Jerkbaits
Bomber Pro 15A (red/yellow) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 10” September 15 Lake Storey
Comments: Me and jerkbaits have had an odd, on again, off again relationship going back to 1997. Lately it has been the “off again” cycle as the lone 2019 catch represents only the third bass on the lure type since 2013. Prior to that, there are nearly 500 bass in the database from 1997 to 2013. Anyway, a stretch of riprap on Lake Storey looked like a winning spot and two casts later, I had a bass in the boat. Not a trophy but always cool when intuition calls for a cast and it works out.
8. Jigs
Strike King Rattlin’ Jig (green pumpkin) w/ craw trailer – 10 bass
Top Bass: 16.5” 2-10 April 6 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: I ditched my old favorite black and blue color scheme in favor of green pumpkin to fool this batch of bass during a pair of spring trips to some area public strip pits.
7. Creature Baits
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (watermelon) – 11 bass
Top Bass: 17.5” 2-9 October 14 Knox County, IL private strip pit
Comments: When I slow down…actually, I don’t really slow down very much. It’s not that I don’t like bouncing a creature bait around some cover, it’s more like I stubbornly try to find bass that want something fast.
6. Chatterbaits
Z Man Chatterbait (typically darker hues with Zako trailer) – 15 bass
Top Bass: 17” 2-3 April 1 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: I’ve just never been able to get this type of bait dialed in although I know they are successful. Various area reports, including some from spots I fish, definitely show their value while I struggle or shift gears to other baits. My 2019 haul was the most on this lure since 2007 (21 bass) and the 2-3 represented a new personal chatterbait Top Bass. Certainly room for a boost, maybe 2020?
Five lure types down and five to go as tomorrow’s post features a batch of the classic heavy hitters in the bass fishing world. Tune in tomorrow and talk to you later. Troy
As February nears its end, another year of “Friday Flashback” begins. 2020 marks the third year of revisiting some old outdoor adventures. Since kicking off the series back on March 16, 2018, its 80 posts and counting as I do some reminiscing. The concept is to go back 5, 10, 15, 20…35 years or more with a pic from the archives and tell the tale with words, additional pics and/or assorted memorabilia (even had a new wrinkle with a guest blogger last year).
So, here we go again…
Date: February 21, 1995
Weight: 3-14
Angler: Brent Jackson
Location: Emstrom’s Pond
Lure: Jig & Pig
Structure: Beaver Lodge
Not the Emstrom’s Beaver Lodge but a similar setup from the strip mines
The flashbacks for 2020 kick off with a step back in time to 25 years ago and my brother, Brent, with a catch from a spot we called “Emstrom’s Pond.” Both the angler and the pond have been featured here before and will be again. So, I’ll just sum up those aspects by saying that both the fisherman and the fishing hole are top notch and leave further details on each for another time.
“Another time” also pertains to this catch in the fact that we were not long into our efforts to take advantage of some early season, ice out, cold water angling. Most years through the 80s and into the 90s we didn’t get the poles out until April. One could have categorized us as “fair weather fishermen” although factors such as school and baseball also played a role during that time period.
In the years since this catch, we have learned to get the gear out early in the year and keep on casting until open water disappears late in the year. Looks good on paper but other factors such as responsibilities can still make us fair weather fishermen these days despite our best intentions.
Today’s catch is a thumbs up for the jig & pig in late winter/early spring
Today’s fish would be the first entry into the record book for 1995 and would wind up as our fifth largest bass of that year. Of course, those other bass are tales for another “Friday Flashback” post, as is the bass pictured below. It was caught in 1992 by the same guy on nearly the same day on the same pond with the same lure while sporting the same (but less faded) hat. I guess you’ll have to wait for the 2022 version of the series for the scoop on that catch.
Talk to you later. Troy
262 bass in 2019 represented an increase from 216 in 2018. Nearly all came from the regular regional haunts with the exception of a pair that took a nine hour drive to hook. Today’s post takes a general look at where those fish call home. Lots of potholes that lie off the beaten path are involved so I don’t mind revealing that many bass were caught in places like 2×4 Lake, Bearclaw Lake, Hopper Lake, Dark Lake or Turkey Lake. A couple of those are public knowledge, another pair I named myself and one is on private ground. More power to you if you can recognize them, find them or even get to them. Indeed, a little mystery is all part of the fun of fishing.
Grand Totals
Bass = 262
Bodies of water = 30
Comments: Once again a big batch of little waters produced the vast majority of my bass. Those small waters consisted of the standard collection of public and private Knox County strip mine waters, many that I have been fishing since the 1980s. The largest lake I fished was Lost Grove Lake in Scott County, Iowa which comes in at about 400 acres and I also put in quite a few hours on good old Lake Storey just north of Galesburg, Illinois which comes in at 133 acres.
Access
Bank Bass (Northerner boots, biking and hiking) = 92 bass
Little Boat Bass (near 40 year old 8’ johnboat) = 113 bass
Big Boat Bass (1987 Bass Tracker Pro 17) = 57 bass
Comments: I have put far more miles on pairs of boots and sets of oars than I have ever racked up on trolling motors or outboards. 2019 was no exception although I took advantage of the “big boat” for several outings. Hauling the little boat off the beaten path boosted the boat totals but both approaches were quite successful.
The Waters (from least to most caught)
Lake George – a scenic shutout
Lake George – Rock Island County (1 visit on 8/4)
0 bass
1.50 hours
Comments: I’d fished Lake George back in 1997 and 2000, making the roughly one hour drive from my then residence in Galesburg, IL. Nowadays, in the Quad Cities I can cover the route in about half the time so I decided to check it out again. The brief visit resulted in a dog day shutout but looked appealing. If I elect to try it again, I will likely borrow Dad’s boat for better maneuverability and a depthfinder.
Lost Grove lone catch
Lost Grove Lake – Scott County, IA (1 visit on 6/2)
1 bass
2.25 hours
0.44 bass/hour
Top 5 Weight: no qualifying bass at 12” or better
Comments: A regular stomping ground over the river fell by the wayside this year. Too much rain in the spring really muddied things up in the area that I target, making it not worth my while. I did venture to a clearer area but like Lake George, a bigger boat with a depthfinder would be the ticket.
Sunflower State Bass
Sedgwick County Park – Wichita, KS (2 visits, 2 lakes, 11/19 & 11/21)
2 bass
2.50 hours
0.80 bass/hour
Top Bass: 1-9 (15”) Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or >): 2-11 (1-9,1-2)
Comments: A couple work trip bonus bass allowed me to achieve the annual goal of a November catch after I’d abandoned the local pursuit due to weather and schedule conflicts. Felt pretty proud of myself in landing a pair of decent bass with only internet research used to select a destination.
First cast pond bass
Henry County Private Pond (1 visit on 4/19)
5 bass
1.25 hours
4.00 bass/hour
Top Bass: 0-14 (12.5”) Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or >): 1-10 (0-14,0-12)
Comments: Desperate to get in some casts with a limited April evening window I turned to a nearby pothole and got my fix. Nothing big here but hits the spot for an annual spring visit when pressed for time.
Lake Storey catch
Lake Storey – Knox County, IL (5 visits – 7/26 through 10/19)
32 bass
24.00 hours
1.33 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-2 (16.5”) Zoom Baby Brush Hog
Top 5 Weight: 9-0 (2-2,1-3,1-12,1-11,1-10)
Comments: Still enjoy getting on my “home’ water especially since I’m no longer a local. I can’t just hop out there for a visit, takes a little more time and work. Five visits with three different partners and got outfished by my brother and one of my boys along the way. Overall, a good bass/hour rate for me on a tough lake and while no trophies, those bass continue to be fit and feisty.
Little John Conservation Club catch
Knox County, IL Private Strip Mines (9 visits, 5 lakes, 1/5 through 10/14)
85 bass
33.75 hours
2.52 bass/hour
Top Bass: 3-14 (20”) Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 13-9 (3-14,2-11,2-9,2-4,2-3)
Comments: Several old fishing holes continue to produce bites and one of them gave up my Top Bass for the year. However, other quality bites just never materialized. Still exciting to fish these spots over 30 years after making my first casts as the big fish potential remains. Just couldn’t get any of them to make a mistake in 2019.
Knox County, IL public strip pit bass
Knox County, IL Public Strip Mines (7 visits, 19 lakes, 4/1 through 10/14)
137 bass
27.75 hours
4.94 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-10 (16.5”) Jig
Top 5 Weight: 11-10 (2-10,2-8,2-4,2-3,2-0)
Comments: While I admit that my walk-in strip mine areas do wear me out a bit more these days, I’m not ready to give up quite yet. Sounds like a broken record as I couldn’t fool anything real big did witness my brother nabbing a good one. I know that they are there and I am looking forward to tromping around again in 2020 to try and find them.
Knowing where to find some bass is only part of the equation. It is also necessary to find out what can fool ‘em. That aspect comes up in the next post. Talk to you later. Troy
Now I know that I need to be careful in what I say here, but winter is moving along towards spring at a pretty favorable pace. Overall, not too ugly cold this time around and beyond a few icy days, the precipitation hasn’t been real bad either. Enough to get the shovel and the sleds going several times but can’t really complain.
As such, it is time for the overdue annual recap of my fishing stats, pics and videos from last year. Leading it off today is a look at the overall numbers. More specific breakdowns are headed your way delving into locations, lures, partners and some video highlights.
And away we go…
1/5/19 Early start to the year, crazy temps, half frozen lake and zero bites
Grand Totals (bass fishing only)
25 outings (19 outings in 2018)
93.00 hours fishing (78.00 in 2018)
262 bass (216 bass in 2018)
2.82 bass/hour (2.77 bass/hour in 2018)
Comments: Fishing comes in a ways down the priority list for a husband, father and co-breadwinner. So any year that I can land over 200 bass and approach 100 hours on the water is a real winner. Quality bass for 2019 were elusive, however. More on that in a bit.
3/23/19 First bass (details below)
First Bass/Last Bass
March 23 – Private strip mine 3:18pm 12” 0-13 Booyah Spinnerbait
November 19 – Sedgwick County, KS 5:37pm 15” 1-9 Booyah Spinnerbait
Comments: It was entertaining to get out on a balmy January day to kick off 2019 although I could not entice a bite. I also got a bonus extension on the season with a November work trip to Wichita, Kansas where I was able to get away for a couple hours and fool a pair of bass. Pretty cool to have a span of 322 days between my first and last casts of 2019 although a February freeze up did not allow for time on the water. Certainly an uptick from 270 days between first and last casts in 2018.
11/19/19 Last bass – drove all the way to Kansas to get it (as noted above)
Monthly Breakdown
March – 1 trip, 1 bass, Top Weight (3/23 1 bass) = 0-13
April – 3 trips, 37 bass, Top Day Weight (4/1) = 9-9
May – 1 trip, 9 bass, Top Day Weight (5/27 – 2 bass) = 3-5
June – 4 trips, 53 bass, Top Day Weight (6/21) = 6-3
July – 3 trips, 25 bass, Top Day Weight (7/27) = 8-12
August – 3 trips, 31 bass, Top Day Weight (8/31) = 10-1
September – 4 trips, 75 bass, Top Day Weight (9/22) = 7-12
October – 2 trips, 29 bass, Top Day Weight (10/14) = 8-8
November – 2 trips, 2 bass, Top Day Weight (11/19 – 2 bass) = 2-11
Comments: Despite getting in some January casts, it took me until April Fools Day to fill my initial Top 5 limit. June through September proved to be the most opportune time to get on the water and I took advantage. Doing the math, the period between June 2 and September 22 accounted for 70% of my catches (184 of 262 bass).
7/27/19 Top Bass at 3-14 from private strip mine on a Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight
14-4 (3-14,2-11,2-10,2-9,2-8)
Comments: The downward trend in weight continues from 15-9 in 2018 to an even slimmer batch of “big” bass in 2019. The inability to fool many quality bass would be the one downside of my 2019 results. Just one of those things that wasn’t meant to be as I fished hard, chased ‘em where some quality fish swim and fished clean in not losing any good fish that I had on the line. Wait ‘til this year though…
Folks, we’ve only scratched the surface as I dig indulging in my penchant for stats. Coming your way next is a look at location. Talk to you later. Troy
Well, the highly successful “West Lake” series has not only drawn rave reviews amongst the outdoor blogging community it has also drummed up some reader correspondence. Okay, more than a little creative license in that intro sentence as I look to wrap up the 2019 observations with a last look at Lake of the Hills.
C.J. from Around the Way in the QCA says:
Well, C.J., as the slides show below it did appear that there were some vehicle parts in the lakebed beyond the intentionally placed collections of tires. As far as a mattress, what I observed looked to possibly be the remnants of the seat of a car, but only a guess. And the final couple pics in the clip do show a couple vehicle finds, just on a smaller scale.
QC Crypto writes:
Nothing jumped out at me beyond an odd footprint on the lake bottom, a few weird markings around the spillway and a beverage that we used to call “The Beast.” Interesting question, however, as I am not aware of such local lore, may have to do some research as you’ve got my interest.
Scorned Reader asks:
Indeed, I did find a camp chair out there, Scorned. Also what looked to be a boat seat along a bend in the creek channel. And perhaps a few of the last item below possibly led to the unfortunate incident? Just speculation…
Big J asks:
Well, Big J, I know your Papa and his picnic table tales are absolutely true. In fact, I witnessed the catches firsthand. And since his tales have been confirmed here on troyjacksonoutdoors.com, there is a 99.99% likelihood that they are possibly true.
Julia on the block writes:
Well, here we go…
And we’ll wrap up the series with a bit from arguably the oddest thing spotted out there on the lake bottom last year.
I intend to be back this year, too. Talk to you later. Troy