All of the kids went to my folks’ for the weekend so I got a shot at another unexpected fishing trip (and Julie and I actually got to go out for dinner two nights in a row, been many years).  My fishing destination was the Knox County, IL strip mines bright and early last Sunday morning to see if I could find some more bass.

Stats

Date: July 30, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL strip mines (2 private, 1 public)
Time: 5:35am-11:45am (5.25 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 60-78F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 12 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (chartreuse white shad) – 7 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (copper) – 2 bass
5” Senko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake) – 2 bass
Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-13 Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 6-8 (1-13,1-5,1-3,1-3,1-0)

Notes & Nonsense

6:35am 14.5″ 1-3 Senko                                                                                           6:44am 12.5″ 1-0 Buzzbait

On Time Arrival – My intent on these early morning outings is to get on the water right about the time that it is getting light enough to see what I’m doing.  With a drive of roughly an hour, that means getting up around 3:30am to put the finishing touches on breakfast, pack a lunch, get dressed and load the few remaining pieces of gear.  This time around I hit everything just about right and made my first cast at 5:35am.  First bass showed up twenty five minutes later on a buzzbait after my first three go to spots let me down.  The first “keeper” came aboard at the one hour mark amidst a bite that was enough to keep me interested but not the daybreak flurry I was seeking.  At times I wonder if I actually get up before the bass and if that whole early bird thing does not apply when it is man versus fish.

7:05am 14.5″ 1-3 Buzzbait                                                                                                   8:15am 15″ 1-5 Baby Brush Hog  

Plan B – By 9:10am it was time to shift gears as two typically productive lakes had failed to give up any of the big bites I was seeking on the buzzbait.  I had nine bass on several different presentations with four at 12” or better but the heaviest was only 1-5.  I still had at least a couple more hours to fish so I decided to wing it and tackle a reunion trip I’d contemplated since 2011, the last time I fished an off the beaten path, public spot that I call Locust Lake.

Locust Lake – This destination requires a portage from another body of water and upon dragging my boat to the area I was met with a frequent hint of something dead wafting through the air.  I figured it might be a dead deer or something until I caught a glimpse of Locust Lake through the surrounding reed forest.  Dead bass and bluegill littered the nasty brown water and a dying mat of slimy surface vegetation covering the majority of the lake.  Well, I’d invested about twenty minutes to get there so I decided to go ahead and explore although I didn’t hold out much hope for success.

Dead Sea Results – Rowing through the mossy surface I spooked a handful of bluegill and several bass when crossing the scattered open water areas on the lake.  And about ten minutes into casting I had a 12.5” keeper on a buzzbait.  Several minutes later I landed a second bass at 13.5” on the Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait.  But my strangest and final catch would be the best of the day at 17.5” as the crankbait came through again.  The fish was so gaunt and sickly looking though that I was truly a little hesitant to even lip the thing as it just looked nasty.  I guess it was healthy enough to eat, possibly starving, but I sure think its days are numbered.

11:27am 17.5″ 1-13 Baby 1- crankbait  – Three pics of the same fish still don’t do justice to how scrawny and sickly this bass looked.  It easily should have weighed two and a half pounds with even a modest build.  The lake facing shots serve to display a few of  the dead fish in the background as well as a look at the nasty dying weeds, pretty messed up but somehow two other bass also bit.

Theory of a Dead Lake – The area around the south bank of Locust Lake had been completely bulldozed with trees and nasty strip mine soil perched on the rim above the lake.  My guess is that whatever got stirred up in that dozing process has found its way into the lake and put a real hurting on the fish (largest dead bass was likely around four pounds, pretty sad).  If you’ve never roamed the strip mines, let me tell you, there are some pretty weird looking pieces of ground scattered around despite reclamation efforts.  I’ve long referred to them as “patches of the lunar landscape” as they are devoid of life and have a color that doesn’t resemble real dirt.  In addition, you find runoff areas that have water that don’t look like water if that makes sense.  At any rate, something ain’t right as there is a second body of water nearby that was surrounded by bulldozed terrain and, you guessed it, a bunch of dead bluegill, bass and a few walleye.  Strip mines have provided me with countless hours of outdoor enjoyment but the whole process has really done a number on some areas.

At any rate, I thought I’d get an answer on whether Locust Lake was still worth the effort but I must admit that I walked away rather confused.  Perhaps a revisit next spring may be worth a shot before the vegetation kicks into gear and to assess if cool weather has a revitalizing effect or simply finishes the job.  Stay tuned on that one I guess and tune in tomorrow for the latest monthly Top 5 stat wrap.  Talk to you later.  Troy