Does anybody get a kick out of those “spot the differences” activities? You know, two similar pictures where there’s a striped shirt in one versus a spotted shirt in the other?

Well, today’s “Rewind” post is kind of like that. I chose this pair of pictures as I found it fun that they essentially contained the same pose (beyond sitting and standing), ten years apart.

So, let’s have a look at the details behind the pictures before the reveal of the seven items that I find to be different (the bass are essentially the same size as noted below).

IMPORTANT! Guess now if you wish to play along as the differences are revealed at the end of this post.

August 15, 2009 – Spring Lake – McDonough County, IL

6:28am Length: 18.5” Weight: 2-15 Lure: Rapala DT6 Crankbait

October 14, 2019 – Little John Conservation Club – Knox County, IL

2:28pm Length: 18” Weight: 2-11 Lure: Booyah Blade Spinnerbait

Well, here’s my list of seven things that are different in the pictures.

1. August attire in 2009, October attire in 2019
2. Floppy hat Version 1.0 in 2009, Version 2.0 in 2019
3. Shades in hand 2009, no shades as in the shade in 2019
4. Lure reveal in 2009, no lure present in 2019 pic
5. Goatee trim and dark in 2019, longer and not so dark in 2019
6. Well over 200 pounds in 2009, over 30 down in 2019
7. Ringless in 2019 when fishing, falls off my finger, scared I’ll lose it.

Hopefully, the slimmer look will remain in 2020 as winter and the holiday season typically conspire to pack on some pounds. Getting close to that good, old resolution time though. But first, one more “Rewind” post for the big day. Talk to you later. Troy

Fishing with a partner is good for a variety of reasons. There’s stuff like someone to help open a gate or load the boat as well as conversation on the road and on the water. In addition, you’ve got two lures in the water to up the odds of fooling a fish and its often wise to start with two different presentations to find what the fish want. This last point gets kind of weird when fishing with my brother though as the details indicate below.

August 15, 2009 – Spring Lake – McDonough County, IL

Length: 18.5” Weight: 3-12 Lure: Spinnerbait

This photo comes from a tag team effort with Brent on a lake I’d never fished and he’d fished for only a few frustrating dog day hours the previous day.

Excerpt from original September 5, 2009 post below along with the stats for the day.

Fishing together for the first time since July 2005 “there we were once again with Brent tossing a spinnerbait while I relied on a crankbait just as my 2005 log entry had also recorded.”

August 15, 2009 with Brent at Spring Lake
6.00 hours with 11 bass (Troy = 6 bass Brent = 5 bass)
Top 5 Weight: 16-8 (3-12,3-12,3-11,2-15,2-6)

October 13, 2019 – Snakeden Hollow – Knox County, IL

Weight: 4-5 Lure: Spinnerbait

Excerpt from original October 15, 2019 post below along with the stats for the day.

“It only took about 10 minutes before Brent got us on the board with his old reliable spinnerbait. That spinnerbait would go on to land all but one of his bass.”

October 13, 2019 with Brent at Snakeden Hollow
5.25 hours with 23 bass (Brent – 12, Troy – 11)
Top 5 Weight: 11-9 (4-5,2-1,1-15,1-10,1-10)

Brent is as good a bass fisherman as I know and I also know that most of the year he is going to come in wielding a spinnerbait. And most of the time it works. The odd part is that I can throw a similar bait and find myself unable to cash in on the bite. Just one of those fishing things that are hard to explain. Perhaps it’s touch or maybe, as Dad is known to say, “You’re not holding your mouth right.” Talk to you later. Troy

While you never quite know what social media is up to, this year’s “10 Year Challenge” kind of sounded like a good fit with an outdoor twist. So, before we wrap up 2019, here we go with a new post each day through Christmas.

First up, is Dad as he is an important reason that I am here. Physically, of course, but also for instilling an appreciation of outdoor pursuits. All these years later that outdoor introduction has led to something called “blogging.” And as we head to 2020, Dad gets to kick off the latest blog series as the lead man.

September 21, 2009 – Lake Storey – Knox County, IL

Length: 14.5” Weight: 1-10 Lure: Mann’s 4- Crankbait

This photo comes from the 2009 edition of something I used to call “Day on the Lake” which found Dad and me taking on the annual challenge of the Lake Storey fall drawdown. The concept was to document every bass with a log entry and a picture. This was bass #15 and our final catch during a seven hour day on the water.

Excerpt from original September 28, 2009 post below along with the stats for the day.

3:32 pm – Dad continues his string with the crankbait as a 14.5” (1-10) matches his largest bass of the day. Roughly another half hour on the water fails to add to our creel and we decide to call it a day.

September 21, 2009 with Dad at Lake Storey
7.00 hours with 15 bass (Dad = 8 bass Troy = 7 bass)
Top 5 Weight: 8-11 (2-10,1-10,1-10,1-9,1-4)

July 27, 2019 – Little John Conservation Club – Knox County, IL

Length: 16” Weight: 1-15 Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (smoke)

Excerpt from original July 31, 2019 post below along with the stats for the day.

Another good day on some familiar water, a spot that we first fished together over 30 years ago. Was sure glad that Dad decided to give it a go as the last time we shared time in the boat was July 8, 2017. Understandably not as nimble or durable a team as we once were but still a dynamic duo on the water.

Date: July 27, 2019 at Little John Conservation Club
4.25 hours with 29 bass (Dad – 17 bass, Troy – 12 bass)
Top 5 Weight: 9-13 (3-14,1-15,1-7,1-6,1-3)

Pretty cool, a pair of pics featuring a pair bass from a pair of trips for a pair of fishermen who have been doing it for decades longer than the 10 year scope of this project. More to come over the next several days. Talk to you later. Troy