Month: December 2017

Outdoor Wish List #8 – 8 Pound Bass

For my money, an 8-pound bass represents the bass of a lifetime, and I’m still looking. Thus today’s item on the Outdoor Wish List. All in all, a pretty tall order and quite likely a longshot in the waters I fish. And I’ve actually got some solid fishing holes. That’s just how rare one this size is in my neck of the woods.

The closest I have been was an impressive Emiquon Preserve beast that still left me 13 ounces shy of this coveted mark. And in the realm of trophy bass, those 13 ounces can be real tough to come by. Regardless of falling short of an 8-pounder, I’m quite proud of that catch, particularly the fact that it came from a public fishery. Of course, that public water is unlike any other fishing hole I’ve ever seen but still not overflowing with seven or eight pounders. If that’s as good as it’s going to get for me, I’m okay with that. A cool catch at a cool location while fishing with Dad makes for a great fish story.

I have seen an eight-pounder up close in the form of a mount of a bass caught by my former brother-in-law, Tim Townsend, back on April 4, 2000. Just a flat out awesome looking fish and inspiration to keep on casting for one like it. Although I guess I really don’t need a whole lot of motivation as this hobby is truly enjoyable no matter what I catch.

Anyway, Tim’s lunker still holds the top spot in the family and friend bass fishing record book. At least for now. Come on spring, more wishful thinking I suppose. Talk to you later. Troy

Outdoor Wish List #9 – 9 Days of Winter

To get this out of the way, I know, I live in West Central Illinois and it comes with the territory. Lived here my whole life, I get it.

But hey, this project is called a “wish list”, so here it goes.

How about 9 days of winter? Start on say, December 23 to get a White Christmas, hang around long enough to sled, do some skitching or build a snowman and then, so long. Once we pass New Year’s Day, no more shoveling or scraping, no more slick roads, corrosive salt or winter coats.

Get the picture? Well, here’s some actual pictures to help make my case.

  

Drill vs. Row (actually the last time I went icefishing, February 19, 2004)

  

Snow Angel vs. Swimming Hole

  

Snowman vs. Fishing with Papa

  

Snow Shovel vs. Fishing Pole

  

Snowman vs. Campfire

No contest. Talk to you later. Troy

Trapping Tuesday – 2002 Totals & Territory

2002 proved to be an interesting year on the trapline in terms of diversity. For one, my cousin, Berin Jackson, was able to join up with the regular crew for several days while possibly playing a bit of “hookie” from Western Illinois University. In terms of fur, there was also a great deal of variety and some records established along the way in regards to the totals on beaver and likely skunk, although stats on the latter over the years are unofficial at best.


Left to right: Terry Jackson, Brent Jackson, Berin Jackson, Troy Jackson and Richard Jackson with a varied haul of 4 muskrats, 3 coons and a pair of coyotes.

Coons 130+
Muskrat 14
Beaver 20
Mink 1
Coyote 2
Weasel 1
Skunk 10+
Opossum 30+ (???)


One of our record 20 beaver from 2002, this one tipped the scales at 60 pounds.

By 2002, the area that Dad and Uncle Dick had trapped for years was beginning to see some changes in terms of ownership and access. This trend would continue and eventually permission to most of the ground would be ceded to other trappers as well as the bane of the local outdoors enthusiasts, the pay to play crowd. But for many years, we had quite a fascinating outdoor classroom as described in an excerpt from an article I posted back in November of 2002.

“To wrap up this article, I’d like to provide a little history of one of the areas we are currently trapping. The overall area is known as Wilson’s and includes Pat’s Creek, The Big Timber and Earl’s. It is located in Henderson County roughly between Rozetta and Bald Bluff if that helps. Dad estimates that he began visiting this area nearly forty years ago after gaining permission along with a friend whose wife’s uncle was Earl Wilson, who farmed the land. Over the years the area has provided many hours of outdoor enjoyment through hunting, fishing, camping, trapping and nature observation. Hunting includes coons, deer, squirrels, doves, ducks, frogs, rabbits, mushrooms and ginseng. Fishing was done by rod and reel, jugs, bankpoles and throwlines in ponds and Pat’s Creek. Camping included family outings often during Memorial or Labor Day weekends. Trapping includes coons, muskrat, beaver, mink, opossum and skunks. A diverse plant and animal population provides plenty of opportunity to observe nature and the scenery of The Big Timber is fantastic. Rocky bluffs overlook a rock bottom creek with small waterfalls and rocks loaded with fossils from the days when our part of the world was under the sea.

Of course, things change over time. The ponds have dried up or silted in to the point that they no longer sustain a fish population and logging has taken some of the timber. Numerous people scour the woods with or without permission leaving their mark rather than leaving things as they found them. Regardless, there is still plenty to enjoy and we continue to appreciate the opportunity to get outdoors.”

Talk to you later. Troy

Outdoor Wish List #10 – 10 Senkos

On May 22, 2005 I caught my first bass on a wacky rigged 5” Yamasenko at Lake Bracken. Twelve and a half years and close to 800 bass later, this crazy setup definitely gets the vote for MVP (Most Valuable Presentation). Many colors have contributed to that collection of catches but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the natural shad pattern. This particular hue got hard to find for several years but a recent look around some online retailers turned up my go to color.

I can’t resist a few examples of the effectiveness of this bait which produces both quantity and quality catches.


2005 Lake Bracken


2008 Dad Lake Bracken


2012 Lake McMaster – Snakeden Hollow


2012 Prairie Lake – Jim Edgar Panther Creek

2014 Dad Little John Conservation Club


2017 Little John Conservation Club


2017 Dad Little John Conservation Club

All I’m asking Santa for is one pack (qty. 10) of natural shad but I also figure that I’ve put together a year worthy of the “Nice” list, so who knows. But we have a saying at our house, “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” Talk to you later. Troy

Outdoor Wish List

Back in 2011 at a previous blogging gig, I decided to do my own version of a Christmas classic. My “12 Days of Outdoor Christmas” still exists out there in cyberspace at Heartland Outdoors if anyone has time to take a look back in time. The rundown minus the expanded explanation of those postings is as follows (click each item for link to original posting):

Twelve dollar average,
eleven pound test,
ten morel mushrooms,
nine cooperative bluegill,
eight weeks of vacation,
seven hours of sleep,
six pounds of bass,
five Senko wacky rigs,
four favorite crankbaits,
three weeks of winter,
two trolling motor batteries
and an Illinois Atlas & Gazetteer

Well, for 2017 I’m going down a similar road with an Outdoor Wish List spanning ten blog postings and combining a Christmas list and a look forward to 2018. The collages above serve as a tease of what is coming your way as we head towards the big day. Stop back by for the daily countdown beginning tomorrow and worked in around the ongoing “Trapping Tuesday” series. Here’s to a strong blogging finish to 2017. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Well, it’s beginning to feel a lot like winter in my neck of the woods and my fishing gear has been stowed away until next year. I was fortunate to give it one more shot in December and fooled a quality fish but not enough to improve my Top 5. But a handful of fish have joined our quest since last update thanks to several anglers playing catch up with some entries. As such, the 2017 totals stand at 78 bass, 9 northern pike, 5 muskie, 5 walleye and a green sunfish with the breakdown below.


Jake Bresson 9/3 Northern Pike 37″

2017 Totals (* = new record)
*January = 1 bass (no previous entries)
*February = 13 bass (old record 7 in 2016)
March = 10 bass (record 13 in 2014)
April = 11 bass
May = 13 bass
June = 1 bass
July = 11 bass
August = 4 bass
September = 6 bass
October = 8 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
*January = 2-11 (2-11) no previous record
February = 21-5 (5-2,4-14,4-2,3-15,3-4) record 22-9 in 2016
March = 22-15 (6-2,4-11,4-9,4-3,3-6) record 28-0 in 2016
April = 25-0 (6-0,5-15,5-9,3-14,3-10)
May = 26-14 (6-15,5-8,5-4,5-2,4-1)
June = 6-3 (only submission)
July = 21-0 (5-0,4-12,4-7,3-8,3-5)
August = 18-9 (6-6,5-11,4-3,2-5) (only four submissions)
September = 14-10 (5-2,3-0,2-9,2-4,1-11)
October = 26-11 (7-4,6-8,5-10,4-3,3-2)


Mark Balbinot 10/29 6-8

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 67 bass
Bank = 11 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 33-4 (7-4,6-15,6-8,6-6,6-3)
Bank = 20-14 (5-2,4-3,4-1,3-14,3-10)

Public vs. Private
Public = 42 bass
Private = 36 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 27-7 (6-0,5-15,5-4,5-2,5-2)
Private = 33-4 (7-4,6-15,6-8,6-6,6-3)


Paul Kessler 10/12 3-1

The Baits (* = new record)
Crankbaits = 16 bass (Top Bass 6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Jigs = 12 bass (Top Bass 7-4 Mark Balbinot)
Spinnerbaits = 9 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Paul Kessler)
Plastic Worms = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-11 Troy Jackson)
*Buzzbaits = 6 bass (Top Bass 5-9 Troy Jackson)
Old record 5-8 Terry Isbell 9/14/14
Jerkbaits = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Jake Bresson)
Swim Jigs = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
*Creature Bait = 3 bass (Top Bass 6-15 Mark Balbinot)
Old record 6-1 Jeff Marshall 5/23/14
Lipless Crankbaits = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Bruce Zilkowski)
*Inline Spinners = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Jake Bresson)
No previous record
Swimbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 4-12 Randy Sampson Sr.)
Underspins = 2 bass (Top Bass 5-2 Mark Balbinot)
*Propbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-7 Troy Jackson)
No previous record
*Stickbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 6-6 Mark Balbinot)
Old Record 5-8 Randy Sampson Sr. 5/7/16
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 6-3 Mark Balbinot)
Tube = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jake Bresson)
Ultralight = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-1 Paul Kessler)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
*2-11 Mark Balbinot (no previous record)
February
5-2 Mark Balbinot
March
6-2 Troy Jackson
April
6-0 Randy Sampson Sr.
May
6-15 Mark Balbinot
June
6-3 Mark Balbinot
July
5-0 Troy Jackson
August
6-6 Mark Balbinot
September
5-2 Jake Bresson
October
*7-4 Mark Balbinot (old record Mike Mooney 6-0 10/1/16)


Mark Balbinot 10/29 7-4

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
*7-4 Mark Balbinot 10/29 (#6 all-time)
*6-15 Mark Balbinot 5/13 (#8 all-time)
6-8 Mark Balbinot 10/29
6-6 Mark Balbinot 8/27
6-3 Mark Balbinot 6/18
6-2 Troy Jackson 3/4
6-0 Randy Sampson Sr. 4/15
5-15 Mark Balbinot 4/14
5-11 Troy Jackson 8/21
5-10 Mark Balbinot 10/29

Angler Weights (* = new Top 5 record, old mark 32-13)
*33-4 Mark Balbinot (7-4,6-15,6-8,6-6,6-3)
26-13 Troy Jackson (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7)
23-12 Jake Bresson (5-4,5-2,5-2,4-3,4-1)
23-11 Randy Sampson Sr. (6-0,4-14,4-12,4-11,3-6)
18-0 Bruce Zilkowski (4-9,4-3,3-15,3-0,2-5)
16-6 Paul Kessler (4-3,3-4,3-2,3-1,2-12)
10-2 Brent Jackson (3-2,2-9,1-11,1-6,1-6)
5-6 Terry Jackson (3-5,1-3,0-14)

Bonus Species – Northern Pike
Total = 167.25” Jake Bresson (37.0”,35.25”,33.5”,32.0”,29.5”)

Bonus Species – Green Sunfish
0-13 Jayce Jackson

Bonus Species – Muskie
Total = 131” Jake Bresson (47”,31”,29”24”) on Rapala X-Rap
Total = 29” Troy Jackson on Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

Bonus Species – Walleye
Total = 118” Jake Bresson (26.5”,26.0”,25.5”,20”,20”) on Rapala X-Rap or jig & minnow

Time will tell if these are the final totals or if any straggler fish hit the Inbox before we hit 2018. I will definitely have a series of stat postings after the New Year as a recap of 2017 along with a rundown of the all-time record book from four years of Top 5 contributions. Thanks to all who played along or took the time to check out the Monday updates and congratulations to Mark Balbinot on his record breaking year, been fun to follow. Don’t forget to check out his videos including his most recent post, just a flat out incredible day of fall bass fishing. You can find him on YouTube as mbalb61 and click here for the amazing October 29 outing. And seriously, as I add the previous links, I just see that Mark has posted a Thanksgiving Weekend trip, so click here to check it out.

Is 2017 done after all? Talk to you later. Troy

Trapping Tuesday – 2007 Guest Trapper

Looking back at a trapping update that I posted exactly ten years ago today it seems that December showed up a lot less friendly than our 2017 run of temps in the 50s and 60s.

My posting from 12/5/2007 began:

“December arrived with an unfriendly ice storm that knocked out our power for the third time this year. Fortunately, this outage was much shorter in duration than the previous two inconveniences. Now, as we enter these last few weeks of 2007 and look forward to Christmas and a new year, a month of trapping is on the books and we have again racked up both fur and adventures.”

2007 Season – Troy Jackson, Terry Jackson, Brent Jackson and Bryar Townsend

The report goes on to detail a few of those adventures shared with a trapper in training, my nephew, Bryar, who just became a teenager two days ago. Here a couple more excerpts from the 2007 posting:

“Miniature Trapper Program – Our latest guest on the trapline was my three-year-old nephew, Bryar. Being the youngest trapper in the group, Papa gave him the privilege of not only picking our breakfast destination but also ruling the radio. For breakfast he chose McDonald’s and we left the drive thru with a bag full of burritos to eat on the road. Upon arriving at our first trap, it was quite obvious from the aroma that we’d been rewarded with a particularly foul skunk. Dad did the honors of removing the skunk from the trap and apparently brought some of the smell back to the truck. Between the odor and Bryar’s repeated retelling of the story, we had a constant reminder of our catch for the rest of the trip. Uncle Brent shot some good video along the way and Bryar got startled by some pigeons in a corn crib, snacked on juice and Teddy Grahams and fell asleep on the way home. We all had a good adventure and it was beneficial for Bryar to hang with the guys to buffer the ample amount of time he spends with his sister and my girls.”

“Sirius Business – When Dad purchased his new truck, he also got a trial subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio. Upon checking it out, I discovered that the digital display told the title, artist and year for each song which proved irresistible for a music trivia buff. I consider myself pretty well-versed in 70’s and 80’s pop and rock music along with having a fair grasp of some mid to late 60’s tunes. With Brent running the controls I impressed myself upon identifying The Tremoloes singing “Silence Is Golden” (1967) but fell short on The Marvellettes “Don’t Mess with Bill” (1966). The 70’s and 80’s proved to be no match and I was even able to provide the year, 1985, for the Starship hit “We Built This City.” However, a few days later, Bryar gave me a run for my money. You see, Sirius also has a number of little kid stations. Apparently, grandkids get preferential treatment over kids as Dad let him listen to Disney or something. In no time, Bryar was showing off with “It’s the Wiggles…Hey, it’s Laurie Berkner…Wow, the Curious George song (I would have gotten that one if given time)… and High School Musical!” It almost felt as if he was taunting me as he called out the tunes after only a few notes. Finally, the radio gods came through as I nailed him on “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog (1979) and he had no clue. Sure, he had me down like 10-1, but I could bask in the glory of knowing “the classics” of little kid music. Plus, I was quite confident that he would fall asleep on the way home and we’d be able to listen to grown up stuff again.”

Another 2007 pic – Troy, Brent and Terry Jackson

Fun stuff and goes a long way towards expressing that there’s a lot more to trapping than just running your sets. However, I will close with one final bit from that original posting, the stats from the first several weeks of the 2007 season.

Totals and Sales
Coons 61 10 sold with high $21 low $3 and average of $10.20
Muskrats 12 None sold yet
Mink 1 Not sold yet
Other 5 skunks, 20+ opossum (but no one is really counting)

More trapping Tuesdays to come, along with a Top 5 Stat Update, an outdoor Christmas wish list and whatever else I can come up with to close out 2017. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report 12/2

When I caught a few bass back on November 4, I accomplished my annual goal with bookend bass spanning March to November. Thus, I was content to put away my gear and call it another successful year on the water for 2017. However, Mother Nature threw a welcome wrench into that plan with 50 degree temperatures to kick off December. Fortunately, I was able to find time to get away, looking for one more bite.

Stats
Date: December 2, 2017
Location: Knox County, IL Strip Mines (3 lakes)
Time: 9:55am-2:15pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 44-59F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 1 bass
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap SR07 (blue)
Weight: 2-4

Notes & Nonsense

A favorite bit of breakfast fuel, tasty but need to re-think my intake as the previous pic of my catch shows a substantial increase in the gut below the GoPro, sounds like resolution time.

Super Sonic Combo – There’s a Sonic Drive-In just a few blocks from home and it’s right on my route to the fishing hole. I dig their Super Sonic burrito as it provides a great way to kick off my morning with a jalapeno punch. Problem is, it doesn’t open until 6:00am and I’m usually well on my way to the water by then. But when you get a chance to fish in December, you also get a chance to sleep in a bit to let the sun rise and its rays do whatever they can to warm the mood of the bass.

12/7/2001 – my last December outing goes all the way back to this 2-6 from Emstrom’s Pond on a jig & pig 

December Flashback – The only December bass I had on record prior to this trip came from an old favorite spot that we called Emstrom’s Pond. The three bass in the log were caught on three trips during the first week of December 2001. All came on a black and blue jig and pig on a classic piece of structure, The Beaver Lodge. I’m sure there have been a few reasonable December days in the interim but I’ve just never pulled the trigger. This year I figured that it was high time to just do it instead of only thinking about it and later wishing I’d given it a go.

Cold Water Arsenal
Top to bottom in above photo as follows:
Rapala Shadow Rap Deep jerkbait (purpledescent color) – still have trouble fishing this slow enough to be effective
Strike King Pro Model 6XD crankbait (citrus shad) – this one dives deeper than most of the water I was fishing but that was the point as I wanted it digging bottom or skimming weeds, also wanted a large bait for a large bass
Yum 3” Wooly Curltail Grub (green pumpkin) – classic cold or tough bite bait that I reel as slowly as possible in order to stay just off the bottom
Rattling jig & pig (black/blue) – my number one cold water bait ever, employed on this trip on several points, pockets and pieces of wood structure
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – pushing my luck a bit in December as I find this bait better in the warm up of spring more than the pre-ice of late fall
Rapala Shad Rap SR07 (blue) – a classic cold water crankbait that I fish as slowly as I can reel waiting for a heavy feel as bites aren’t usually rod shaking in the cold

Only lure of the day that produced bites

Winning Lure – I had a total of three bites and all were on the Rapala Shad Rap. One came before my catch and another came after but both of those managed to get loose shortly after the hookset. It never ceases to amaze how a bass can elude those treble hooks but it happens. What was also fun about the Shad Rap coming through is the fact this particular lure is well over 20 years old as evidenced by the stouter, replacement treble hooks that I used to put on many of my crankbaits back in the day.

GoPro – I got this catch on video like a number of others this year and have included the snip above from the footage. I’m not quite sure what lies in store for my clips but have contemplated working them into some future blog and Facebook postings. Whatever the case, it has been a fun addition to the fishing experience that I hope to expand upon for 2018.

This December catch was icing on the cake to a great year on the water.  It’s been a lot of fun relating it here on the blog as well as the Facebook page. But while my fishing year may be over, the writing keeps rolling on. Stay tuned for a strong batch of December postings to finish 2017 and kick off 2018. Talk to you later. Troy