Month: August 2018

300

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I like milestones.

And certain numbers lend themselves to milestones. Being a sports fan, one such number is “300.”

So, for today’s entry we celebrate “Post #300” on the website. Not too bad for a blog that is on day number 461 of existence. Perhaps a little ridiculous but I can’t help it, just like to ramble and write.

Maybe a stretch but here’s a shout out to the number “300” with a meandering (used that as a blog name a few years ago) batch of milestones, trivia and my best shot at a fishing equivalent for each item.

300 Game

I always remember watching bowling on television back in the 70s with my grandma, a time when Chris Schenkel was on the microphone and Earl Anthony (pictured above) was the man. I also recall tuning in just long enough to see the bowler lose his 300 game and then moving on to whatever else a kid did. In terms of televised 300 games, the legendary Anthony never achieved the feat despite having over two dozen perfect games on his ledger.

Always thought this classic Zara Spook lure pattern kind of looked like a bowling pin.

300 Wins

One of the pair of Major League Baseball pitchers who ended his career on exactly 300 wins was the aptly named Early Wynn (the other was Lefty Grove). It took Wynn seven attempts over the course of the end of the 1962 season into the 1963 campaign to get his final victory, the longest span of the hurlers who have attained the mark.

 

300 Saves

Hall of Famer, Bruce Sutter, who played for both sides of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry ended his career with precisely 300 saves as he wrapped up his career with the Braves. Funny thing is, while I appreciated his work for my favorite squad, the Cubs, it was his role on the receiving end of a pair of Ryne Sandberg homers while pitching for the Cards that remains etched in my mind. Nationally televised on June 23, 1984, “The Sandberg Game” would make the Cubs second sacker a household name and both players would eventually go on to earn Hall of Fame inductions.

 

.300 Average

1960 Galesburg High School JV Squad with front row first from left being the son of baseball great, Enos Slaughter.  I just so happen to be the son of another hoopster in the front row sporting #21.

This baseball mark is generally accepted as the dividing line between good hitters and great hitters. And when taking in an entire career, I think it holds even more significance. Among those who finished their baseball days with an average right on the mark was Enos “Country” Slaughter, most notably with the Cardinals through the 1940s. And in an interesting piece of post career trivia, Slaughter resided in my old hometown of Galesburg for a number of years.

Topwater frog bass where my career hookup ratio on strikes probably hovers around the .300 mark as well. 

 

300 Movie

Okay, so not sports related and never seen this flick that sounds like it’s just one fight after another with more than a little gore. Not my thing, sure my boys would get a charge out of it but not gonna happen. We’ll stick to battling some bass instead.

 

Well, there you go as that’s the best I can come up with for my milestone celebration. Always fun to work in a few more of my favorite subjects disguised as an outdoor post. And I waste no time with post #301 hitting the blog tomorrow with our latest Top 5 Update. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – August 6, 2003

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Many years ago, when I used to play a little baseball, we had a saying “Have a day” when a teammate was hitting on all cylinders. I guess it was the modern equivalent of “in the zone.” Well, August 6, 2003 could have qualified as I enjoyed a successful multi-species double header of sorts.

Original “boxscore” from a full day on the water.

The day started off with an early morning wade in the creek with Dad as detailed in the excerpt below. The report and pics were originally submitted to family and friends back on August 21, 2003.

August 6 (Pat’s Creek) – As a break from the fast-paced world of bass fishing, Dad and I headed for Pat’s Creek armed with two dozen dew worms for some multi-species angling. Our efforts were rewarded with seventeen catfish, two carp, two freshwater drum and a turtle. Top catfish was my 2-3 and top carp was my 2-7. Dad somehow caught the turtle. We were standing above a deep hole when he jokingly said, “I’ve got a turtle” as he reeled in his bait. As I was downstream on his left, I jokingly said, “Don’t reel it by me.” Although neither one of us was serious, sure enough, here came a painted turtle past me as Dad reeled it in. I guess we should have tried joking about having a ten-pound catfish hooked. Overall, a very successful outing. Our worms lasted right up to the last hole, no busted shins, no falls and I didn’t get lost in the cornfield.

The nightcap of my split fishing double header involved bass chasing on an old favorite pond with my brother, Brent. Once again, an excerpt from the same report included below.

August 6 (Emstrom’s Pond) – Brent called me up to see about hitting Emstrom’s for a couple hours. Julie and I had no plans so I figured there’s no sense in passing up a second fishing trip. We fished from around 5:30-7:30 pm and caught two bass. They weighed a total of 5-1 and one only weighed 12 ounces. The other was a 4-5 that was actually skinny. Its mouth and head were very large and its length was 22″. Either sick or malnourished, the fish could have weighed considerably more, but I can’t complain. Despite the 82 degree water temperature, the bass was extremely energetic as it cleared the surface when it slammed my buzzbait (silver glimmer) and again during the fight. This bass is now the Top Buzzbait Bass, eclipsing Dad’s 3-15 from Emstrom’s Pond on 9/8/01. Dad’s 2-3 from August 5th lasted as Top Bass of August 2003 for approximately 36 hours. My 4-5 would relinquish Top Bass honors in less than a week. Thanks for the phone call, Brent.

A little tease there on the end of that submission. I’ll cover the details in next week’s flashback, as the summer of 2003 featured some real solid catches. Fun to look back for a glimpse at life before Julie and I started a family. It provides part of the answer to the old question, “What did we ever do before we had kids?” Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – July 28

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Revisited some old stomping grounds with an approach I call “bike and hike” which dates back several decades. Still going almost as strong in my fifties with the scoop on the trip below.

Folks, I ain’t exercising so this is pretty much all fishing related data, kinda dumb for seven bass but you never know and I still keep pulling this stunt a few times a year.

Stats

Date: July 28, 2018
Location: Knox County strip mines (5 lakes)
Time: 6:15am-11:20am (3.0 hours fishing, the rest bike and hike)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 56-79F
Totals: 7 bass
Lures
Senko wacky rig (pumpkin/black flake) – 5 bass
Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-4 Red Eye Shad
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 3-5 (1-4,1-1,1-0)

6:24am First Bass 13.5″ 1-1 Buzzbait, it was a long time and several miles until Second Bass showed up

Notes and Nonsense

Saturated – While the height of the weeds at this location was more navigable than another spot that I visit, they were still tall enough to exceed the tops of my boots. As a result, I was soaked to the middle of my thighs after wading in only a few yards. Throw in the fact that the Shoe Goo used this winter to repair several holes in my boots had succumbed to many miles of less than friendly terrain and I was in for several hours and several miles in soggy socks. Yes, not unexpected, I know the routine.

Ok, so this pic is actually from 2012 as I forgot to shoot a shot of the bike this time around.  I no longer look like I’m in the same shape as this photo.  But wait until next year…

Two Wheeling – Julie got my bicycle tuned up for my birthday last year as it was looking and sounding a little rough after many years of strip pit off roading. Twelve months later, I figured it was high time to drag it up from the basement where it was attached to a stationary frame that Julie got me last Christmas that I have also failed to put to use. Once I got it out on the strip mines, however, it was just like (you guessed it) riding a bike. It is a nice time saver that cuts down the walking as I ride the roads into proximity of a fishing hole and then park it for the walk through the deeper weeds. Had a laugh on one spot this time around as I forgot where I parked my bike and wandered about like a shopping center parking lot. Found it about a hundred yards away.

My nemesis is alive and well in Knox County, watch where you tread.

Hiker Beware – Definitely not my favorite member of the vegetative community but no doubt the most important one to recognize. Me and poison ivy have had a rocky relationship for as long as I can remember, including shots, prednisone prescriptions, medicated baths and plenty of calamine. I couldn’t pass up the shot above of some serious specimens, dang near poison ivy “trees” that lay just off the beaten path, makes me itch just looking at the pics.

Water conditions just haven’t been right this summer, taking a toll on at least one bass angler and providing an excuse for futility.

Oh Bad Water – I don’t know what it’s been with the summer weather conditions but nearly all of my strip mine waters just look nasty. Normally clean or green waters now have a brownish tint and the surface vegetation just doesn’t look healthy, far from a vibrant green, either a nasty yellow or dying brown. I realize summer can be tough but I believe that these conditions have the bass in a funk and I’m right there with ‘em.

11:07am Top Bass 13″ 1-4 Red Eye Shad

Another less than impressive haul, kind of like a broken record for 2018. It is what it is and I pull no punches, you get a write up no matter the results. It’s a pact I made with myself when I started doing this thing many years ago. Just tell it like it happened and leave it up to you on what to do with the mouse, touchpad or touch screen.

Did a piece for my birthday last month entitled “Thoughts at 51.”  Well, the video below is an addendum to that post as I ponder how much I’ve got left in the tank for these adventures.

 

August is typically a rough month for fishing and writing with school and the related activities kicking into gear so may be a little lean. Still got a few things up my sleeve though and hey, more than enough archive posts for anyone to revisit as the website approaches 300 submissions. Talk to you later. Troy