Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Different ends of the spectrum for this pair of early season Top 5 veterans. One guy is a catch away from hitting the 20-pound mark for another year while the other guy just filled his limit. Have a look below at results from the first few days of April.

Weight: 2-3 (17”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (11:06am)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (brown/black)
Structure: Flat/ledge
Angler Comments: The first bass of an April Fool’s Day outing would turn out to be Top Bass of the day.

Weight: 1-13 (14.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (11:30am)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Strike King 3/8 oz. Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops triple ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange)
Structure: Dropoff

Weight: 2-0 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (12:45pm)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Strike King 3/8 oz. Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops triple ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange)
Structure: Dropoff
Angler Comments: Gave this lake a second shot after a break of about an hour and a half and was immediately rewarded with this bite upon my return.

Weight: 1-12 (15”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (1:12pm)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (brown/black)
Structure: Bowl
Angler Comments: Casting a bowl type area, my lure had sunk in the water column a little more than normal as I pulled out some backlash and the added depth was a winner.

Weight: 1-13 (15.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 1 (1:16pm)
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (brown/black)
Structure: Bowl
Angler Comments: Minutes after landing the 1-12 of my prior entry I let the bait sink as before and what do you know, another solid catch.
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-3-2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12) culls 0-13

Weight: 3-6 (18.5”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rapala Clackin’ Rap (red crawdad)
Structure: Submerged weeds

Weight: 3-11 (18”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 5
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 19-12 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-11,3-6) culls 3-5 and 3-3

An outstanding start for Jim and I’m looking forward to the text message and pic of the bass that finds those missing four ounces. Good luck.

I did find another one to boost my weight into double digits this past weekend but will stockpile it for next week. I also have plenty of stuff to get us through this week including a busy Saturday for a fishing father, a full fishing report, some Top 5 Stats and the weekly Friday Flashback post. Stay tuned to see if I can find time to get ‘em all posted. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – April 4, 1999

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Lake Storey on Easter Sunday 1999 – 20″ and 4-0 on a spinnerbait

There are some catches that stick with you and this bass is one of those. I remember it like it was yesterday although it was actually 20 Easter’s ago. And 20 years ago I could actually get away with joining forces with Dad for a Lake Storey Easter Sunday morning fishing trip.

Yep, the days of Easter egg hunts were still several years away.

I can tell you exactly where and how it was caught too and I suspect Dad can as well. A sunken Y-shaped tree in a cove in about three feet of water. A perfect setup for my Blue Glimmer spinnerbait run parallel to the structure at a pace just fast enough to keep the blades moving and the bait hugging the tree. Textbook bassing and always a great feeling when it works, makes you think you know what you are doing.

Throw in the fact that it was the largest bass I’d landed at Lake Storey up to that time and it makes for an even more memorable tale.

Original log entry

However, it was not our largest Easter bass of all-time.

Nope, that distinction still belongs to my fishing partner on this day, Dad. Not so surprisingly, I was also his fishing partner on an Easter morning in 1987. And just like today’s flashback I know exactly how and where that one was caught too, shoreline stump on a purple spinnerbait. It is the only bass I ever recall seeing caught on a purple spinnerbait. I suppose that Dad likely fooled a few others with it on that day but they kind of fade in comparison to the family Easter bass record of 5-4 (unfortunately no picture exists of this fish so you’ll just have to trust us on this one).

And that, folks, is what fishing is all about. Still telling stories about a pair of bass that were caught 20 and 32 years ago. Won’t be all that surprised if we’re telling them again in a couple weeks. After a backyard Easter egg hunt these days, however. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Bass #600

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I don’t know about you, but I sure think that there just aren’t enough fish pictures on the internet. So, five years ago, instead of just griping about it, I decided to do something about it. Now, I’ve been sharing my own fish pics for almost seventeen years but figured the more the merrier. After all, if you’ve seen my level of fishing and the limited time I have to get away, well, you are aware that I need some help.

Enter the Top 5 Project back on March 21, 2014 to provide an assist via the catches of fellow anglers. Just over five years later our dynamic group continues to do its thing to address the dearth of fishing pictures (and stories).

Which brings us to a milestone, Top 5 bass #600, caught by Jim Junk and detailed below.

Weight: 4-1 (20”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 31
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Minnow hung from a bobber
Angler Comments: Had some minnows left over so hung one from a bobber and then cast the bank with a swim jig for a while. Look back and don’t see the bobber so reel in slack and set the hook on something with some weight to it. Started stripping line and we went back and forth for about 15 minutes. Finally got it to the bank and grabbed its mouth. I am pretty sure that reel has 4# line on it, 6# at the most. It was really fun!

Now that’s what it’s all about, a good fish, a good story and a couple good lessons. First lesson being the old adage that says “the best time to go fishing is anytime you can.” And Jim’s catch is proof that as long as you’ve got a bait of some sort in the water, anything can happen.

A shout out to Jim and the others who have joined the pursuit over the years. I’m proud that we have contributed something worthwhile to the vast landscape of cyberspace. Part education, part entertainment, part escape and just good clean fun with the only kind of drama being the right kind of drama. Here’s to the quest for Bass #1000, feel free to play along (click here for details). Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 1

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I took a vacation day from work to fish the April Fool’s Day opener on some public Knox County strip mine ground. The weather was a little cooler than I had hoped but it was dry and that was more important than warm when walking through the wild and weedy strip mines. Took some work to get on some cold front bass but got it done as detailed below.

Get what you get and don’t throw a fit when taking an April Fool’s vacation day

Stats
Date: April 1, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines
Time: 9:30am-5:30pm (5.25 hours fishing, the rest hiking)
Weather: Sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 34-48F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 16 bass
Lures:
Strike King Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange) – 7 bass
Chatterbait (brown/black) with Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee shad) – 6 bass
Bomber Flat A crankbait (baby bass) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-3,2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12)

11:06am First bass ends up being Top Bass 17″ and 2-3 on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense (with an April Fool’s theme)

Find Another Fool – Quarterflash (1982)/The Fool on the Hill – The Beatles (1967)
I actually spotted two other anglers walking a ridge somewhere around 10:00am and found a bit of appreciation for their dedication amidst the near sub-freezing morning windchill. I must admit it was a bit unexpected as I rarely see anyone even on pleasant days.

Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was A Fool) – Foghat (1979)
After a pair of bassless stops on some potholes I finally scored my first fish at 11:06am. I knew that things might be a little slow with temps in the 30s-40s over the weekend and only 34F when I started my trek but I was still a little worried. Bass #1 at 2-3 got the blood pumping again although little did I know at the time it would be Top Bass of the day.

11:30am 14.5″ and 1-13 on a jig and craw

12:45pm 16.5″ and 2-0 on a jig and craw, just a little windy

Foolin’ – Def Leppard (1983)
“Cause baby I’m not f-f-f-foolin’”
So, once I found a bite I decided to quit fooling around pond hopping and invest some time on the spot. I guess it didn’t hurt that the first bass came from my best fishing hole on the site. All told, I would actually make a pair of stops on the lake for a total of 2.00 of my 5.25 fishing hours. During that time I landed 7 of my 16 bass including all of my Top 5 while alternating between a chatterbait and a jig and craw.

1:12pm 15″ and 1-12 on a chatterbait 

1:16pm 15.5″ and 1-13 on a chatterbait

(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I – Elvis Presley (1959)
The day encompassed 5 miles of walking which equated to more than 12,000 steps. A lot of work for those bass but it’s a stunt that I have been pulling for a long time and one I will likely continue to pursue until my body says otherwise. I was certainly spent by the time I got back to the truck after being mobile and on my feet non-stop from about 9:30am until 5:30pm. The good news is, I’m not particularly sore as I type up this report on the day after. Got a little video that I hope to share at some point to convey what the walk is all about.

Kind of fun to track but there are times when I’m not sure I want to know it was 759 steps/bass

No Top 10 Trip Tunes this time around as too much of a good thing may wear the feature thin. Besides, while I dig weekday fishing, weekday radio is too much talk and not enough tunes (especially during the morning drive). In addition, I caught the start of the Cubs game on the ride home and it proved to be the most shameful yet of a very disappointing start (6 errors and shutout in this one).

From the looks of the coming warming trend the bite should just get better. You may have to dodge a few raindrops, however, but the rewards likely will outweigh being a “Fool in the Rain” (Led Zeppelin – 1979). Plenty of fishing stuff to come. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Now we’re talking!

Some stable weather last week had some area bass in a more cooperative mood and a veteran Top 5 angler was on the scene to take his shot.

Weight: 0-14 (13”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 26
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Spinnerbait (white)

Weight: 4-8 (19”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 28
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rapala Clackin’ Rap (red crawdad)
Angler Comments: Hit my Clackin’ Rap right at the bank. I basically just lifted him right out of the water.

Weight: 3-3 (17.5”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 28
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Angler Comments: Hit a white chatterbait as I was reeling parallel to the bank.

Weight: 3-5 (18”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 28
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Angler Comments: Hit the chatterbait with about 20 or 30 yards of line out.

Weight: 2-10 (16”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 29
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)

Weight: 4-2 (19”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 30
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white)
Structure: Shallow flat with emerging weeds
Angler Comments: Came on a rather shallow flat varying the retrieve over and through emerging weeds.

Weight: 4-1 (20”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 31
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Minnow hung from a bobber
Editor’s Note: Stay tuned for some more details on this catch in an additional post this week as it marks a milestone in the Top 5 project.
Top 5 Weight: 19-3 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-5,3-3) culls 3-3,2-10,0-14

Now that is the way to say “Hello, spring” while bidding farewell to March. Although with that finale perhaps Jim doesn’t want April to come so soon. But time marches on, and as it does, the bite should only get better. Stay tuned for the additional Top 5 post coming your way along with our first April fishing report as some fool will be out there on a cool April Fool’s Day morning. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – March 29, 2014

Posted on by Troy Jackson

March 29, 2014 – the coveted and rewarding first bass of the year

Today’s flashback features my first bass of 2014 which allowed me to meet the March bass goal with only a couple days to spare. It came from one of a pair of Snakeden Hollow potholes that I refer to as “The Craters” since they don’t have a real name. There’s a North Crater (where I nabbed this fish) and a South Crater separated by a narrow strip of willow covered ground that is nearly impossible to navigate.

The terrain where I caught this one is straight up strip mine country as the water behind me in this pic sits about twelve feet downhill. And when I say downhill, you actually have to slide/crawl/climb to get to and from a small foothold on the bank. A few yards across the narrow finger is a sunken, brushy tree that often holds a bass that will take an interest in a black and blue jig and pig.

Black and blue jig and pig, always a good place to start this time of year

Here’s a portion of the original blog posting from April 4, 2014 that appeared on the Heartland Outdoors website:

Go To Spot – For the last three years, my initial bass outings have been to a couple potholes at Snakeden that have yet to let me down. More specifically, bass number one for 2012, 2013, and now 2014, came off of a sunken bit of brush on the good old jig and pig. While I’ve yet to catch anything particularly large out of these waters (lake record stands at 1-12), proximity and reliability keep me coming back to start the annual quest. My six minute, moderate difficulty walk turned up bass number one on my fourth cast of the year. I spent another forty minutes casting the general area without another bite but left satisfied nonetheless; mission accomplished.

I had a good time, got a bit of a workout, took in some much needed fresh air and enjoyed open water after too long of a winter (145 days between bass). In the process I also fooled a few bass for icing on the cake. Nothing particularly noteworthy in terms of quality but I was happy to get bit. And you know me; I’ll write and ramble about fishing regardless of what is caught.

Original log entry showing that I made another stop and added a few more bass including the one below

Still up to those old tricks in terms of searching for a March bass as well as talking fishing. And the bite is on per several reports from the last two days out of Knox and Fulton County including some solid Top 5 fish coming your way Monday. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes – 3/23/19 Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Top 5 Trip Tunes need no introduction so here we go.

5. You’re All I’ve Got Tonight – The Cars (1978) – This is the fourth cut from The Cars debut album to make a Trip Tunes list since kicking off the project in September 2017. How’s that for a band’s first record? And there’s a couple more good tracks still left on the album, ranks as one of the best. This cut also makes me wish I knew more about music and crafting a song as there’s a whole lot going on here to enjoy.

4. Money – Pink Floyd (1973) – Similar to tune #5 above, this one hails from a great album, something called Dark Side of the Moon. In addition, it has some quirky musicality which I still can’t understand, not my thing. Perhaps a primitive music fan but I like ‘em because they sound and feel good. And while just a bit sophomoric, I also dig it when they sneak in an uncensored line on the radio.

3. Nothing From Nothing – Billy Preston (1974) – If this one doesn’t get you moving, whether simple toe tapping or a little air keyboard, well, I don’t know what to tell you. There are certain people who were born to do certain things and it is cool when it all works out. Billy Preston was one of those people and his enthusiasm for his craft is contagious with this tune being a perfect example.

2. Rocky Mountain Way – Joe Walsh (1973) – Sticking with the born to jam theme, Joe Walsh is about as entertaining as it gets. Whether playing, singing or just rambling this guy knows how to have fun. I’m also partial to baseball references in song lyrics and Walsh’s “bases are loaded and Casey’s at bat” is a hit.

1. Do It Again – Steely Dan (1972) – Back in the days when a youngster rarely, if ever, got a glimpse of the rock stars from the radio there was always a mental image of the guys and gals. When I did get a look at Donald Fagen and Walter Becker at some point (probably on The Midnight Special or at The Platter record store), well, my imagination wasn’t even close. No matter to me, but wonder if these guys would be glamorous enough for today’s musical landscape. Ideally, their songwriting and musicianship would win out but not so sure as were not in the 1970s anymore.

And this concludes our Top 10 Trip Tunes. Back to regular programming tomorrow with another Friday Flashback and looking forward to stalking some bass as we head into a new month. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes – 3/23/19 Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As another year of driving to the fishing hole kicks into gear it’s once again time to kick out some more jams. Top 10 Trip Tunes comes your way with five tomorrow and five today.

10. The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em) – The Greg Kihn Band (1981) – Here we go again, back to the summer of 1981 and here comes a new television channel called MTV. Mixed reviews on the channel’s impact on the music business but for a few years it sure had an impact on me…still does. Kihn benefitted with his “Jeopardy” video a couple years later even spawning a coveted (?) Weird Al parody. I always found the subtitled sentiment of this cut fun as half the words are “Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah.”

9. Handy Man – James Taylor (1977) – Honestly didn’t know this one was a remake until the DJ on the oldies show told me after the song. Actually checked out the original 1960 version from Jimmy Jones which features a completely different tempo. Still prefer Taylor’s version as it’s the one I grew up on although never would be mistaken for a handy man with “pencil or rule” or otherwise.

8. Rock The Boat – The Hues Corporation (1974) – Before my MTV days there was something called AM radio and it played music instead of endless banter. And 1974 is about as far back as I can recall recognizing then current Top 40 hits on the airwaves such as this summertime #1 smash. And what a summer it was with the likes of “Band on the Run”, “Billy Don’t be a Hero”, “Sundown” and “The Night Chicago Died” also topping the Billboard chart.

7. Time Passages – Al Stewart (1978) – What can you say? Easy Listening at its finest complete with a double dose of solos, guitar and sax. And how about the added bonus of a fishing lyric as Al notes that “it’s just now and then that my line gets cast into these time passages.” One mark of a good tune for me is when 6:40 passes by in the blink of an eye and this one does just that.

6. Landslide – Fleetwood Mac (1976) – Sparse in composition but heavy on the heart and mind. I always marvel at how some of those “oldies” become new again when seen through the eyes of experience. “And I’m getting older too” delivered via a twenty something Stevie Nicks is a winner. Always amazed at the prescience of such songwriters crooning about “changing ocean tides”, ”seasons of my life” and “reflection” way ahead of their time.

One can never get enough tunes and the Top 5 are headed your way tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – March 23

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Intro on the way to the fishing hole including a Top 10 Trip Tune tease

So the 2019 fishing season is officially off and running and I did manage to land a March bass as is my annual goal. When I say “a March bass” that indeed is singular as in one bass. If you caught yesterday’s Top 5 Update the lone photo of the bass was included there so I’ll do the right thing and not use it again today. Now, if it was a four or five-pounder…

Stats
Date: March 23, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL strip mine
Time: 2:15pm-6:00pm
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 52-54F
Water Temp: 50F
Totals: 1 bass
Lure: Strike King Booyah Blade spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 0-13

Fishing partner, Jim Junk, fooled this nice batch of crappies around a break for bass fishing

Notes and Nonsense

Papermouth vs. Largemouth – I met up with my friend, Jim Junk, on this trip and we shared the boat from 2:15pm-5:00pm. Before and after that time frame, Jim managed to land a nice mess of crappies, two shy of a 15 fish limit only because he tossed a few 9” fish back along the way. He repeated his crappie catching ways the following day with a haul that included a real nice 13” catch.

Second mess of crappies for Jim from the following day

One That Got Away – Yep, had one of those this time around. Jim hooked into a decent bass with a jig while fishing some brush along the edge of a trough in a shallow pocket. Most of the pocket is about 2’ deep with the trough dipping to maybe 4’. Unfortunately, I did not have the boat positioned particularly well and his catch made a run under a laydown and came unhooked. Not sure on an estimate but made a good bend in the pole and a strong run before getting away.

The lures I chose to get it done but the bass tossed a one-hitter against the lineup on this day

Starting Lineup – I had most of my standard early season cold water arsenal tied on and truly expected the jig or Shad Rap to be the winners. Turned out that the spinnerbait got my lone bass which was encouraging as I was retrieving at a fairly moderate speed. The fish was in about 3’ of water which also had my hopes high for finding some more interested in the presentation. Wasn’t meant to be so stuck on one bass for 2019. Did have one other strike on the spinnerbait and failed on two bumps on a jig and craw, rusty after that winter I guess.

My mother-in-law bought me a dipnet for Christmas but all I managed to do was hang a loose crankbait on this day

Theme Song – I have tunes running through my head every day and I generally find some apt lyrics on replay in my mind on fishing trips. They just seem to appear as kind of a summary of the day chasing bass. On this occasion it was a bit of Pink Floyd in the form of “I have become comfortably numb.” While the weather app said it was between 52 and 54F, a decent breeze and cloud cover made for several fingers that I couldn’t feel by the time I decided to head for home.

Regardless of numbers, I had a good time on the water with a fellow angler and longtime friend. My odds of getting back out in March are slim and will stay tuned to see how things pan out for Jim. I do have April 1 marked on the fishing calendar with a vacation day from work and some walk-in bass fishing on the agenda. We’ll see how that works out after losing 20 pounds last fall. Found 16 of them back this winter though. Man, winter ain’t good for nothing.

Top 10 Trip Tunes to come and talk to you later. Troy