Month: May 2018

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Another solid spring muskie joins the list and keeps the update streak alive at five consecutive weeks with some fish. And a “Trip Tune” to boot, always a welcome addition.

Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: May 10
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Rapala deep diving crankbait
Water temperature: 68 – 70 degrees, weed beds building fast.
Structure: Mid-lake trolling over 23’ of water
Angler Comments: This time I was more or less fishing for muskie although I was still not using the heaviest gear in the boat. I was thinking walleye, if I was thinking at all!!! I was trolling as I changed positions for more bass fishing. I used a 6’6” bait casting rod with an Ambassadeur 6500-C3 reel loaded with 8 to 10 lbs. mono. Lame excuses for not doing better: Bright sun, cloudless sky and, the usual, hide-bound angler. Trip Tune during drive home, “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi.

Thanks, John and keep ‘em coming. And for those who stop by for the Monday update, thank you for tuning in. Now, if you’ve got Bon Jovi running through your head, don’t blame me. I just report it like I receive it.

More fishing stuff as the week progresses as although I haven’t been able to get on the water I’ve got plenty of things backlogged. Tough thing is, May is a real bear in terms of end of year school activities combined with the regular slate of commitments so blogging resides a ways down the list. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – May 8, 2003

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Never got into the hunting aspect of the outdoors for whatever reason. But that don’t mean that I ain’t got some stories. And no better way to share one than “Friday Flashback” as we head back fifteen years ago this week. Below are excerpts from a piece called “Talking Turkey” that I submitted to family and friends on 5/11/2003 detailing a turkey hunt on 5/8/2003.

“I know basically nothing about turkey hunting, so the following tale is based on talking with the man who bagged his first bird in under an hour, Dad. It sounds easy, but from speaking with others who pursue this bird, things don’t always work out so favorably. However, in speaking with Dad and running around outdoors with him a few times over the last, say, twenty-five years, his success was no mistake.

Many times a hunter or fisherman will speak of having “good luck.” In my mind, you make your own “good luck” through four steps: education, dedication, experience and execution. Here’s how these steps led to me getting up at 7:00 a.m. last Thursday to see who in the heck had just left a message at that time of the morning. To my surprise it was Dad wanting to come by and show off his prize. I wasn’t so surprised that he got one; it’s just that Dad’s not a big fan of the telephone or answering machine (must be hereditary as I have the same affliction).

Anyway, here’s the story.

Since Dad recently retired, he figured he’d give turkey hunting a stab. He applied for his permit and prepared for the season. Fortunately, he has a couple turkey hunter contacts to answer his questions and provide knowledgeable advice. Dad is also a fan of outdoor television programs and may have even read a bit on the subject. There was no doubt that he was an educated hunter.

Dad purchased a turkey call and an owl call in plenty of time to practice prior to the season. He then headed to the timber he chose to hunt in order to hone his skills and scout the area for a prime spot to plant his lawn chair (as I mentioned before, I know little about turkey hunting, but I thought the stores sold fancy, expensive seats to accommodate hunter’s rear ends). Dad also purchased a pair of decoys to plant at his site and plenty of shells for his gun. He also made sure to have Mom pick up some camo cloth in order to disguise the white handles of his lawn chair. He was fully stocked with camo to make him invisible in the woods and selected just the right spot near where a cornfield ends and timber begins to get a turkey in his sights. There was no doubt that he was a dedicated hunter.

  

Beard came in at 9″

Things get kind of weird here.

I’m not a hunter so I can’t relate, but I’ll do the best I can. I asked Dad while we were fishing at Gladstone Lake on Wednesday (the day before the season opened) if he had patterned his gun in order to make an accurate shot when the opportunity arose. He told me that he’d shot the gun for so many years that he was entirely comfortable with its range and accuracy. Kind of like being one with his firearm, and I believed him. He would later mention being “a part of the woods” (I think was how he described it); talking about how the Native Americans must have felt when they expressed feelings of being “one with nature.” Between this feeling and his camo, he became invisible. He said that Uncle Dick, Brent and others could relate to this and mentioned times when he hunted with Uncle Dick and Brent when they disappeared also. He knew right where they were, but, until they moved, they were unseen. Cool stuff that I’m sure other hunters could support, and I believe it from the way Dad told the story. There was no doubt that he was an experienced hunter.

The above three steps culminate with putting a bird in your sights, and that’s what happened early Thursday morning.

Spurs measured 1.16″ on this bird

Here’s the rest of the story.

Dad arrived at his chosen spot around 5:30 a.m. to discover that someone had stolen his lawn chair. Undeterred, he found a suitable log and proceeded to hang up his camo cloth to block out his silhouette and then loaded his gun. Next step was to place his decoys. As he pounded in his hen decoy he heard gobbling. He quickly placed his second decoy, a jake, and headed for his log. Barely five minutes into his first turkey hunt, a tom appeared to his left about 150 yards out. Dad gave four clucks on his call, imitating a hen, and the tom stared right in his direction. More mysterious stuff here as Dad slowly dropped his eyes, because “if you’re not looking at the turkey it won’t see you” (not an exact quote but the basic concept). The tom then walked away and disappeared into the timber. Following instructions learned from his advisors, Dad did not call again in order to get the bird to return. The theory here is that the bird knows where the call came from and will return if his mating instinct sees fit.

Ten minutes later, a hen appeared out of the timber and headed towards the decoys. The tom was not far behind and headed in the same direction. Shortly, the hen ducked into some weeds near the edge of the cornfield and disappeared. The tom began to strut, fan his tail and flap his wings in an effort to impress his potential mate. Dad simply sat tight and watched. When the hen spurned the tom’s display, the tom set his sight on Dad’s decoys. As the tom approached, Dad had his gun poised and ready for the bird to walk into a window where he could take a shot. The tom came into his sights at just under twenty-five yards and it was time to make a decision. A few more yards and the branches of a hedge tree would eliminate the possibility for a shot. The range was acceptable; the bird in his sights and with only his eyes exposed over the camo cloth, Dad decided it was time to squeeze off a shot. Dad’s aim was true as the shot found its mark. Dad made his way to his first turkey and looked at his watch, which read 6:19 a.m. Forty-nine minutes into his season, he had his bird.

Dad told me that he just had to laugh at how things all fell into place so quickly as some hunter’s fail to get a shot for an entire season or an entire year or miss the shot when they get their opportunity.”

Weight on the bird was right about 20 pounds

And so goes another Friday Flashback, once again I am glad that I took to documenting these adventures even if some of those old ones got a little longwinded. Talk to you later. Troy

Senko Cinco de Mayo Strip Mine Report

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As me and my oldest boy, Jayce, drove an hour towards the fishing hole, I wavered on whether a walk-in trip was a good idea. After all, our day had started with a local JDRF walk covering somewhere near two miles. So the prospect of a 1.5 mile round trip hike to a fishing hole was a tough call. However, I felt it was my best bet to accomplish a couple goals as detailed below.

  

Just over 1.5 of the miles were racked up on our round trip with Jayce eager to pitch in and carry some of the load.

Jayce’s Stats
Date: May 5, 2018
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mine
Time: 4:35pm-6:50pm
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Totals: 8 bluegill, 6 bass, 2 crappie
Lures/Bait
Senko wacky rig (cream white) – 6 bass
Waxworms on jighead with slip bobber – 8 bluegill, 2 crappie
Top Bass: 2-5 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-8 (2-5,1-13,1-5,1-4,0-13)

  

A first cast bluegill and a quick multispecies start to the evening

Notes and Nonsense

Cinco de Mayo – Every once in a while that whole light bulb thing goes on upstairs and I get one of those “hey, that would be a good blog project” ideas that at least amuse myself. So, the water is warming courtesy of some stable weather, the bass are moving shallow to make more bass and my boy is chomping at the bit to go fishing. And, here’s the kicker, its Cinco de Mayo and the conditions are ripe for one of my favorite presentations to kick into gear. Enter the Senko wacky rigged worm in the cream white pattern that I also refer to as “Mayo”, as in Mayonnaise. Get it? Well, the bass did on a day where I got to kick back and play fishing guide for a young angler who really took a leap forward courtesy of an ever improving skill set and some quality hungry bass.

First Senko de Mayo bass weighed 1-5 (new personal best) and there was no turning back to panfish for this happy angler (see release video for this bass below)

 

Destination Dilemma – My aim was to put Jayce in front of some quality bass and shift gears from our standard panfish/whatever will eat a waxworm approach. Half a dozen private strip mines fished via boat or one of the dozens of public, walk-in spots was what made it a tough call. We left the little boat at home which seemed to initially disappoint Jayce and the decision also caused me to waver on the drive. In the end, I elected to hit a public off the beaten path proven spot and it turned out to be a winning move for a dad wearing the hat of fishing guide on this evening.

Kicking the personal best up by a full pound with this Senko de Mayo 2-5 (video of catch below)

 

Senko de Mayo – I wanted to focus on the weightless Senko wacky rig presentation which is not only a solid producer but also pretty kid friendly when compared to a handful of other mid-spring techniques. With aquatic vegetation kicking into full gear, the wacky rig also shines due to its slow sinking action amidst the weeds. It doesn’t require a young angler to kick a retrieve into full gear as the lure hits the water like a spinnerbait, chatterbait or lipless crank and the single hook is a lot more friendly navigating weeds than a treble hooked crankbait or a bottom bumping lure such as a creature bait or jig.  The Senko proved to be the right bait for the day as a few brief attempts with other lures drew no interest whatsoever.  When the dust had settled it had produced a solid Top 5 limit for the young angler in roughly two hours of fishing.

Another solid Senko bass tipping the scales at 1-13

Quote of the Day: When discussing the trip at home before we hit the road, I was telling Julie and Jayce that the aim was to hit a spot that upped the odds of Jayce crossing paths with a decent sized bass. I told them that the goal was to get Jayce hooked into one hitting the 12” mark (or better). Jayce chimed in, “Maybe I can get one that’s even a foot.”

Mission accomplished in a batch of those foot long (and better bass) and right on target with the Senko de Mayo presentation. And the boy was still going strong at the end of a long day, a lot of exercise and some good old fresh air. In fact, he surprised me in staying awake the whole way home despite it pushing an 8:15pm arrival. You just can’t fit it all of this outing into one posting so stay tuned for a further look at some of the peripherals beyond the fish. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Looks like both the bass and the bass anglers have been waiting for a batch of consistent warm weather. That winning weather has also been a winner for the Top 5 with a substantial update for this week.

Weight: 2-8 (17”)
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: April 24
Location: Citizens Lake
Lure: Spinnerbait
Angler Comments: Bass is in mid flop and jumped out of the boat before I could take another picture.

Weight: 1-14 (16”)
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: April 24
Location: Citizens Lake
Lure: Squarebill crankbait

Weight: 4-0 (19”)
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: April 28
Location: Fulton County strip mine
Lure: Chatterbait with swimbait trailer
Angler Comments: I’ve been a regular reader of your blog and wanted to throw my hat in the ring for the “Top 5” this season.
Top 5 Weight: 8-6 (4-0,2-8,1-14)

Length: 12”
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: May 4
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Wacky worm
Angler Comments: Fished 9:15 am to 12:14 pm. Lost three fish and had other hits. Water temperature 60 to 65 degrees. Trip Tune on drive home, “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes.
Top 5 Length: 12”

Weight: 1-5
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: May 5
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Senko wacky rig (Cream white)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: A few quotes from the video of the catch posted yesterday on Facebook, “Holy crap…I caught that…he is heavy!” This was Jayce’s personal best bass, a mark that stood for about another 25 minutes (see below).

Weight: 0-13
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: May 5
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Senko wacky rig (Cream white)
Structure: Weed edge

Weight: 2-5
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: May 5
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Senko wacky rig (Cream white)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: The kid was getting it dialed in and not only the catching part as he guessed the weight right on the nose before we put this one on the scale.

Weight: 1-13
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: May 5
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Senko wacky rig (Cream white)
Structure: Weed edge

Weight: 1-4
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: May 5
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Senko wacky rig (Cream white)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments (actually mine): A real treat in being able to get out with one of my boys and watch him get it done. Full report and some video of the action later this week.
Top 5 Weight 7-8 (2-5,1-13,1-5,1-4,0-13)

Many thanks to some new faces (whether you stuck your mug in the shot or not) giving the Top 5 a shot and an appreciated shot in the arm. Also a shout out to the inclusion of a “Trip Tune” reference, always fun. Keep up the good work and look forward to see how the rest of the year progresses. Thanks, Troy

Friday Flashback – May 6, 2003

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, 15 years ago this week I took my wife, Julie, fishing at an old fishing hole we called Emstrom’s Pond. Emstrom’s has already been featured in three of the Friday Flashbacks but, hey, it was stellar fishing spot as evidenced by this pair of fishing pics. Of course, it helped that it was only minutes away from our home at the time so it was a perfect destination when time was limited. And thinking back to 2003 with no children yet in our life, I’d have to say that we really had no clue on how the concept of “free time” would forever change.

Here’s an excerpt from the original report that I submitted to family and friends back on 5/9/2003 regarding this outing that tells the whole story behind the 10+ pounds of bass in the pics above.

May 6 – After giving the fish a few days off, I took Julie fishing at Emstrom’s. I joke about not taking someone fishing again if they outfish me, but here’s proof that I’m only kidding as Julie outdid me, two bass to zero a few years back at Lake Carlton. Anyway, we only had an hour on the pond but it was well worth the trip. The new 2003 largemouth bass record stands at 5-5 after I worked over The Beaver Lodge with my 1/4 oz. Strike King Rattlin’ Jig (black/blue) with a #11G pork frog (blue glitter). Measuring 23″ in length, it is the longest bass I’ve ever caught despite being several ounces shy of my heaviest (5-15), a great, healthy looking fish. Julie even took up my offer to hold it for a picture. We played the customary “guess how big the bass is” game. The first bass I caught, I guessed at 1-2 and Julie opted not to guess, stating that she had no idea of a reasonable estimate. The fish weighed in at 1-3. Upon catching “the big one”, we tried again. My guess, 5-12, Julie’s guess, 5-6. I was very impressed, not only because she was an ounce off, but also, more importantly, she guessed heavy. The mark of a true fisherman (woman), overestimate the weight. We also played “guess the water temperature”, yet another example of silliness. Julie promptly stuck her finger in the water and guessed 68 degrees while my estimate was 63 degrees. Actual temp, 67 degrees. We also managed 13 bluegills on 1/8 or 1/16 oz. jigs (pink) with twister tails (smoke) with and without spinners (silver).

So, there you have it, the real tale behind two pictures but only one fish.  I would definitely say that Julie’s shot is the more attractive of the two. Not only for obvious reasons but also because it just appears more dynamic with the gills flared and a broader depth on the fish.  What’s also fun is that you could definitely pull this one off as two different fish due to the lighting and angle of the shots if you wanted to pull somebody’s leg or stretch the truth a bit.  Not here though, as while I do use multiple shots of the same fish for a few different postings (Facebook, Top 5 Update, fishing report), the data is consistent to emphasize that it is the same fish.  Yep, there are still a few places where you can believe what you see and read on the internet.

And once again, I have to say that writing has been an outstanding addition to the whole fishing experience as it preserves details that would otherwise be lost over time. In this case, the guessing game on weight and water temperature. Just a couple examples of goofy things employed over the years to enhance the adventure.

And speaking of that sort of thing, stay tuned for a new bit of family fishing fun slated to make its debut sometime this spring. Inspired by some college football hijinks that I caught wind of last season, I think it will be an entertaining bit of silliness. Of course, I have little trouble entertaining myself so we’ll see how it translates to others. Talk to you later. Troy