Month: March 2020

Strip Mine Report – March 7

Posted on by Troy Jackson

This one covered a few miles making for a pretty full day

Well, now that I finally got caught up on the wrap-ups from 2019, it’s time for the first fishing report of 2020. This one comes from beyond my stomping grounds as part of my “2020 Visions” series and involves variety. In this case, I finally got around to a standing invitation from my friend, Jim Junk, to join him on some productive Fulton/Peoria County water. Tougher weather than expected made for a challenging few hours and eventually sent me scurrying to a Knox County comfort zone. Here’s the scoop.

Stats
Date: March 7, 2020
Location: Fulton, Peoria and Knox County strip mines (4 lakes)
Time: 11:15am-2:15pm and 4:15pm-6:00pm
Weather: Sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 48-52F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 2 bass (Jim – 1 bass, Troy – 1 bass)
Lures
Jim – Chatterbait (white)
Troy – Rapala Shad Rap (blue)
Top Bass: 4-1 (Jim)
Top 5 Weight (2 at 12” or better): 5-6 (4-1,1-5)

Text exchange en route, the conditions proceeded to get less appealing

Notes and Nonsense

Early Reward – The 30 degree early morning temperature meant that there was no need to get on the water at or near daybreak. Giving the sun some time to warm the water even in the slightest could work to my advantage, I figured. So, I get a couple texts from Jim on my way to the fishing hole that would eventually show that early was indeed the best part of the day. Best in terms of both lack of wind (see snip above) and also in terms of a lone, quality bite (see snip below).

Should’ve been there earlier but non-stop drives of any length, well…

Not a Banner Day – Let’s face it, we had a tough day on Banner Marsh. To start with, conditions were a bit rough with heavy winds pounding the wide open spaces of our selected fishing holes. With our mutual setups of smaller watercrafts this made for a challenge, particularly for a guy whose propulsion is a set of oars. I did find an appealing secluded area and we also took our shots from the bank on some historically productive spots but we just couldn’t muster the bites.

Hail Mary – Around 2:30pm, after a brief wander and ponder on some other lakes on the Banner Marsh site, I elected to take a drive to Knox County for one last shot at breaking up my shutout. Just over an hour drive put me on the water around 4:30pm. I gave my jig and plastic, a Red Eye Shad and a Rapala Shad Rap a workout on some regular spots during the hour and a half that I fished and was rewarded with one bite. Luck was on my side as the bass stayed hooked and got it’s picture taken as the lead fish for 2020. Mission accomplished, just in the nick of time, whew!

First 2020 bass 14.5″ and 1-5, not a trophy but a start

A short clip below of some stuff I previously recorded for a potential project, perhaps more to come…

 

Final Thoughts – Despite the weather app topping out at 52 degrees, it was not a pleasant 52 degrees. Does anyone know if there is such a thing as windchill at such temps? If not, there should be. The final thought that kept running through my head was the line that “I’ve been a lot warmer when it was colder.” Just an early, deceivingly sunny, March day.

And now on to the question of just how many posts on blogger can get out of a fishing trip that only featured two bass. Stay tuned as nobody performs such a feat better that troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – March 21, 2015

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Originally posted 3-25-15

Only two bass on my first outing, but…

Stats
Date: March 21, 2015
Location: Knox County, IL public/private strip mines
Time: 11:15am-4:35pm (3.75 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 55F
Water Temp: 46F
Totals: 2 bass
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Jig & Pig (black/blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 5-13 Strike King Red Eye Shad
Weight (2 bass): – 9-4 (5-13,3-7)

First bass of 2015 – 23″ and 5-13 on a lipless crankbait

Notes & Nonsense

First Bass, First Cast, Second Lake – At my second stop, a recent quality producer, I wound up scoring in a big way on my first cast. I had just texted Julie regarding my initial shutout as follows: “Lake number one 1.5 hours on foot = zero bass. Yikes! Starting on lake two with boat.” Her response: “Sorry. Hope #2 yields better.” One cast later I replied: “So far so good. First cast 5-13.”

Wishful Estimation – I have never caught a six pound bass. Got a seven plus and just missed once upon a time with a 5-15. Well, when I saw this fish and lipped it I thought I had it and placed my mental guesstimation at 6-2. I weighed it twice as I customarily do but it stuck right on 5-13; if only it had eaten another bluegill before dining on the Red Eye Shad. No big deal though as it was quite a fish for me and my hand was actually shaking while texting Julie, that’s cool.

Slow Day – I was hoping that I was onto something after moving to the second lake but I wound up with only one more bite for the day. Fortunately, it was another darn good fish that took my jig and pig, weighing in at 3-7. It came off of a tree that is one of the best looking pieces of structure on the lake but rarely seems to produce a bite. Right place at the right time on this day I suppose.

Second bass of 2015 – 19″ and 3-7 on a jig & pig

Have I Become That Guy? – I am not a real big phone guy but on this day I couldn’t resist a little bragging or whatever you want to call it thanks to my device. Now I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the water flying solo over the years so I’ve certainly gotten used to having no one to high five when a good fish is landed. But with this whole technology thing I selfishly fell victim to the urgent need to tell a couple fish stories before I got home. I always used to laugh at all the folks who couldn’t leave their phone alone but look at me punching away in the very place I go to get disconnected for a while. I do at least take consolation that a pair of bass totaling over nine pounds qualifies as something very important to pass along.

A record first bass of the year, pretty tough to top that one, right? Somehow though, I did manage to beat it in March 2017. The story on that bass was the seventh blog entry ever posted here on the website (today’s post makes 629). Click here to read all about it. Talk to you later. Troy

2019 Video Blooper Reel

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Since receiving a GoPro in the summer of 2017, it has been a near constant companion when I hit the water. Along the way, I’ve compiled a solid amount of bass catching footage. In addition, I’ve missed a few catches due to a dead battery, not having the camera running or plain old operator error.

Of course, there’s also the inevitable goofs and gaffes along the way that wind up captured for posterity. A posterity that I now share with you as we take a look at the third annual “Blooper” post featuring clips from the 2019 season.

 

Hope you enjoyed some of the silliness and perhaps can relate to more than a few of the situations. With my 2020 season now underway, that means the start to another blooper reel is also off and running. Plenty of year to go and pile it up for the 2021 Blooper submission. In the meantime, stay tuned for the usual fare of Friday Flashbacks and fishing reports along with some new stuff for 2020. As the “Lyric of the Month” at the bottom of the page states. “More, more, more…” That’s my goal for 2020 as I look to take the blog and beyond to a new level. Talk to you later. Troy

2019 Fishing Recap Top 10 Vids-Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

And without further delay, here are the Top 5 Video Highlight clips from 2019.

#5 – Fool in the Rain – 9/22/19

 

#4 – Outfished Again – 9/8/19

 

#3 – One-Eyed Bass Runner-Up – 7/27/19

 

#2 – Outfished Part II – 7/26/19

 

#1 – Snakeden Stud – 10/13/19

 

Now that was a fun run of videos if you ask me. And stay tuned as the fun continues with one more round of the 2019 warp-up, the blooper reel. Hope you’ll stop back for that post and then stick around as 2020 fishing is off and running. Talk to you later. Troy

2019 Fishing Recap Top 10 Vids-Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Still trying to get the annual recap of the previous year completed even though the 2020 catching is already underway. Too many ideas and not enough time. Part I of a 2019 Top 10 Video list today with five more to come.

And away we go…

#10. Guest Intro – 9/2/19

 

#9. Rainy Day and Monday – 5/27/19

 

#8. Daily Double – 7/27/19

 

#7. Still Spinning – 9/8/19

 

6. Dad’s Top Bass – 7/27/19

 

Stay tuned for Part II. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The past week saw open water take over area lakes and ponds and some of the regular Top 5 crew succeeded in fooling a few bass. Looks like some good temperatures this week and that extra hour of daylight certainly helps to provide a bit more of a weekday window for first shifters to possibly work in a few weekday casts.

Weight: 3-4
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless Crankbait

Weight: 4-1
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 7
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Structure: Flat with some submerged weeds
Top 5 Weight: 8-9 (4-1,3-4,1-4)

 

Weight: 1-5
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 7
Location: Knox County private strip pit
Lure: Rapala Shad Rap (blue)
Angler Comments: Narrowly avoided a shutout on my first outing of 2020 with this lone catch. Not overly impressive but darn glad to get bit as the evening was fading fast. The lure had just caught in some vegetation and this bass nabbed it just after I snapped it free, pretty cool.
Top 5 Weight: 1-5

Definitely a welcome batch of fish after putting the “cold” months behind us. While those months weren’t too ugly, the sooner that ice cover disappears the better. Here’s to some March Madness, fishing style. Good luck out there and send ‘em my way when you catch ‘em. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – March 2010

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As I put together this post, I did a search for the top cover models of 2010 and guess who didn’t make the list?

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that this blogger was not truly the featured cover model, more of a sidelight than a highlight.

But hey, I must admit it was kind of cool to get an email suggesting that I check out the latest issue of Illinois Game & Fish magazine which had just hit the racks. The email came from Jeff Lampe, outdoor writer at The Peoria Journal Star and blogger at the now defunct Prairie State Outdoors at the time. Jeff had written an Emiquon Preserve article for the March 2010 edition of Illinois Game & Fish and was gracious enough to include a pic I’d sent him of my September 2009 catch which is still my personal best largemouth bass at 7 pounds 3 ounces.

Dad always said he should get some credit as he actually snapped this photo

Have always wondered where the 7-3 ranked among the Top Bass caught during the 2009 opener

It was a cool time as I transitioned from sending rambling fish stories to family and friends to contributing to the Prairie State Outdoors website beginning on April 6, 2010. I hung around PSO until March 25, 2011, contributing 169 posts to the rapidly fading website. In the meantime, Mr. Lampe had departed for his own gig with the purchase of Heartland Outdoors. From April 5, 2011 to May 1, 2017 I contributed nearly 600 posts to the Heartland Outdoors website before striking out on my own (note: “striking out” has a couple different interpretations but I’m still entertaining myself at the very least).

And the rest (all 626 posts and counting at Troy Jackson Outdoors), as they say, is history.

So, there you have it, more than just a ruggedly handsome face on an outdoor publication and perhaps as close as I’ll ever get to my “Cover of the Rolling Stone” moment. And whether or not my contributions to the blogosphere remotely resemble Andy Warhol’s “15 minutes” of fame, I’m proud of my efforts.

And I ain’t done yet. Talk to you later. Troy

2019 Fishing Recap – Partners

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Next up for the 2019 recap is a look at the folks with whom I shared boat and bank.

The Cousins – May 11 at Lake Storey
Now this one was quite fun and quite productive under the guidance of some seasoned anglers. Papa was the ringleader of the crew while Uncle Brent and Uncle Troy proved to be capable assistants. The cousins consisted of my boys, Jayce and Zac, along with Brent’s duo of Brady and Kennedy. It wasn’t what one would consider a particularly balmy day but not a hint of complaint as the kids were having too much fun. The whole crew was together again last weekend for a concert and a 2020 outing seems to be in the works. That says it all, mission accomplished.

Brent Jackson – June through October, several strip mines and Lake Storey
Well, this sort of thing has been going on since 1983 when I got my driver’s license. All these years later we embarked on an epic strip pit walk, drag and row trek I deemed the “100 Year Trip” (click here). Note: Troy aged 51, Brent 49 at the time. Another strip mine visit and a pair of shots at Lake Storey were also on the agenda. Overall, Brent got me 63-58 in total bass, topped me on three of our four outings and his 4-5 Top Bass easily outdid my best. Yep, nothing new after all these years.

John Kirkemo – July 13 on the Knox County, IL strip mines
John and I had corresponded frequently via email, met up for an off season breakfast at one point and eventually cooked up this fishing trip. So, after I missed finding his driveway in the 4:30am darkness he proceeds to poke fun at the guy who is his ride to the fishing hole. I knew at that point it would be a good day, whether we caught fish or not. And we did. Thanks to John for the company, for topping off Dad’s gas tank and for putting up with a barrage of “one time back in the 80s…” or “there’s a spot over there…” strip mine rambles.

Jayce Jackson – April 20 (strip mines) and July 26 (Lake Storey)
Our first outing was a brief strip mine trip that resulted in a shutout on water where Jayce did well in May 2018. Next up, was a short dog day evening on the tough Lake Storey where I was honestly hoping for just one bite. Couldn’t have turned out any better though as my boy outfished me 4 to zero while effectively wielding a wacky rigged Senko. Good fishing (and life) lessons all the way around, for both generations.

Dad – July 27 (Strip mines) and August 3 (Lake Storey)
It was good to have Dad back in the boat again after sitting it out in 2018. Our trips covered some old familiar water. The July outing featured a strip mine that we first fished together in 1987. In August, we hit Lake Storey which probably dates back to somewhere around the mid-1970s for our first tag team effort. A few more fish stories to add to the ledger including my catch of the second largest one-eyed bass of all-time. Dad still holds the record with a Lake Storey bass that I watched him catch back in 1988.

Zac Jackson – September 2 (top secret area)
In 2019, I got access to some water that had intrigued me for over 30 years. After a peak around the area with John Kirkemo on the heels of our July outing, I hit the area with a young angler in tow. The first and only visit of 2019 was a panfish pursuit although I did toss around a few casts for bass without raising any interest. Bluegills were a winner and we gleaned a little info from another angler onsite. Oh yeah, we also purchased a new basketball along with our waxworms on the way to the fishing hole and a Subway sandwich on the ride home. We have still not revealed our destination to anyone, simply referring to it as “a secret fishing spot.”

Merely a brief rundown of the outings with my fellow fishermen but you can click the links included in each of the entries above for the full scoop (see dates and/or locations for links). Here’s to sharing the hobby with these individuals again in 2020 along with a few other anglers if things work out. Talk to you later. Troy

2019 Fishing Recap – Lures Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Part II without further ado.

5. Spinnerbaits
Booyah Blade (largely a white combo of some sort) – 31 bass
Top Bass: 18” 2-11 October 14 Knox County, IL private strip mine
Comments: I’m still a spinnerbait guy even though the lure has kind of fallen out of vogue in the mainstream over the years in favor of some newer presentations. My waters set up about 50/50 in terms of spinnerbait effectiveness. I like to toss these bladed baits in shallower water with some color and cover with Lake Storey and a handful of strip pits being right on target. Even found out that they work just fine on Kansas bass in 2019.

4. Crankbaits
Various (see below) – 42 bass
Top Bass: 15-15.5”” 1-12 Aug 3 (Lake Storey) Aug. 31 (Knox Co, IL public strip pit)
Comments: Success came on a several baits including the Mann’s Baby 1-, Rapala DT10, Strike King Rattling Squarebill and Bomber Deep Flat A. This batch of baits fish fast and cover the surface to ten feet, both aspects that are right in my comfort zone.

3. Lipless Crankbaits (tiebreaker with crankbaits = larger Top Bass)
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad or orange craw) – 42 bass
Top Bass: 17” 2-8 August 31 Knox County, IL public strip pit
Comments: Kind of a weird year for this lure type. Typically a hit early in the year, 2019 didn’t see my first Strike King Red Eye shad catch until the end of June. From there on out it was a top producer right on through October on area strip mines and Lake Storey.

2. Plastic Worms
Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate or smoke) – 46 bass
Top Bass: 20” 3-14 July 27 Knox County, IL private strip mine
Comments: For several years, the Senko wacky rig has been my top producer and gets a real workout on the water. 2019 saw a bit of a decline in usage as many of my regular spots featured water that was more stained than normal. Just kind of strange conditions that had me focusing on some louder, flashier presentations. It was fun to see the Senko stake a claim to my Top Bass title for the first time since 2011.

1. Buzzbaits
Booyah Buzz (snow white shad or bleeding shad) – 63 bass
Top Bass: 17-17.5” 2-4 May 27 & June 21 Knox County, IL strip pits
Comments: I am a sucker for a buzzbait strike and continue to force feed the bass in hopes of a big one getting fooled. Unfortunately, no big bites for the second straight year but plenty of success to insure that I’ll be throwing them again in about three months. Plenty of bites but such can also be a result of plenty of casts as I have been known to keep casting these when I’d probably be better off throwing something else.

Still more to come on the 2019 recap. As far as the 2020 season, I observed open water just over an hour south last Thursday. However, a local check yesterday showed ice to still be lingering on a Henry County fishing hole. But preparation is underway in hopes of getting on the water during one of these March weekends. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy