Month: April 2022

20 Years of Fish Stories

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today marks twenty years since I started writing fish stories and such for public consumption. It all started out on April 30, 2002, as something that I called the “Family Fishing Hall of Fame Newsletter”. The intent was to share fishing reports and data with a small group of family and friends. The archives reveal that I sent out a total of forty-six posts during the remainder of 2002. Since then, the project has undergone a few changes of scenery. Without getting to carried away, I will mark today’s anniversary with a timeline of some of the writing highlights over the last twenty years.

April 30, 2002
Launch of the “Family Fishing Hall of Fame Newsletter” to share and collect fish stories with family and friends via email.

June 14, 2003
“Day on the Lake” feature debuts as I “borrow” the concept from Bassmaster to give a sort of play-by-play of a fishing trip. The first edition covers a trip to Lake Bracken with Brent.

April 6, 2010
I accept an offer from Peoria Journal Star outdoor writer, Jeff Lampe, to blog for free at the Prairie State Outdoors website which is associated with the newspaper. I entitle my blog “Meandering” to reflect my outdoor writing style.

March 25, 2011
Declining interest in by those in charge of the Prairie State Outdoors website after Jeff Lampe’s departure prompts me to do the same.

April 5, 2011
After a couple weeks off from blogging, I receive an offer from Jeff Lampe to blog on the Heartland Outdoors website as he has purchased the longtime regional publication.

March 19, 2014
Inspired by the record keeping of a fellow angler, Terry Isbell, I launch the “Top 5” project which invites readers to share their bass fishing catches. The project continues to this day.

May 1, 2017
Finding myself as the lone dedicated blogger on the Heartland Outdoors website, I bid farewell after six years of “Meandering’.

May 1, 2017
Troy Jackson Outdoors launches along with electing to do the social media thing to promote the new venture.

July 23, 2017
Julie and the kids get me a GoPro camera for birthday number fifty. What a fun addition to my fishing hobby, a constant companion ever since.

September 5, 2017
Trip Tunes debuts allowing me to find a way to include my passion for music with my passion for fishing. I envision a Final Jeopardy clue someday stating, “The first song to appear on Troy Jackson Outdoors’ Trip Tunes”. The contestant triumphantly responds, “What is ‘Bad Medicine’ from Bon Jovi?” And the crowd goes wild.

March 16, 2018
Friday Flashback debuts as I take a weekly look back at outdoor adventures from 5,10,15…45 years ago.

 

April 1, 2018
First Blooper Reel

October 25, 2018
Lake Lowdown feature is launched at Lake Storey and I am smart enough to bring Brent along for some highlights and he sets the new lake record.

March 15, 2020
YouTube debut

July 4, 2020
The “Snakeden at 30” series celebrates the July 1, 1990 public access debut of Snakeden Hollow, many, many fish ago.

August 1, 2021
“Top 40 Fishing Lines” borrows a page out of Casey Kasem’s book with a countdown of songs containing fishing references. It also coincides with the 40th birthday of MTV.

March 19, 2022
After nearly a year without a post, it’s time for a YouTube return to play catch up with videos old and new.

Time marches on and so do the fish stories. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – April 25, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It seems fitting that today’s flashback details a windy day on the water as it seems like it has been windy for all of 2022 as well. But if you are willing to fight the weather, the fish are out there.

Originally posted 4-29-12

My brother, Brent, and I originally were considering a trip to Emiquon amid some recent blogging hype but opted for Plan B instead and stayed closer to home. It proved to be the right decision as we don’t have an Emiquon worthy boat to handle the 15-20 mph winds that rocked us on the water all day. So, Lake McMaster it was, and here’s how it went.

Stats
Date: April 25, 2012
Location: Lake McMaster – Snakeden Hollow
Time: 8:05am-2:20pm
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 56-83F
Water Temp: 62F
Totals: 13 bass, 1 crappie (Troy – 8 bass, Brent – 5 bass, 1 crappie)
Lures: Frank’s inline spinner (Snakeden Splash) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbaits – 3 bass, Mann’s 4- crankbait – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (rainbow trout) – 2 bass, Spinnerbait (Emiquon Special) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 4-1 Troy (5” Yamasenko wacky rig – rainbow trout)
Top 5 Weight: 9-3 (4-1, 1-11, 1-4, 1-2, 1-1)

Top Bass at 4-1 and remains our best from Lake McMaster to this day

Notes & Nonsense

New Top Bass – The 4-1 represents a new lake record for family and friends eclipsing a 3-9 from 9/28/10. It hit my Senko wacky rig seconds after it landed near a flooded bush in about six feet of water. A dark shadow suddenly blazed into view from deeper water and essentially hooked itself as all I did was instinctively lift my rod tip and hold on. The bass quickly dove under the motors on my end of the boat and had me concerned about my eight-pound test holding up. It then briefly hung in some weeds before I applied more pressure, and the bass came roaring alongside the boat where Brent was waiting with the dipnet. The octopus hook was lodged in the roof of the mouth of the bass a couple inches back as it had totally annihilated the lure.

Guessing Game – Whenever we land a decent bass, we throw out our weight estimates prior to hanging the fish on the scale. Over the years we’ve gotten pretty good as evidenced by our “guesstimates” on the 4-1; Brent at 3-13, me at 4-2. Isn’t it strange how the guy who caught it guessed high while the dipper went low? I also pegged my 1-11 right on the money later in the day. Perhaps I’m just better at judging the smaller bass as I get slightly more practice with their kind.

Muskie Report – We did see one of Lake McMaster’s toothy denizens as I spotted a low 30-inch fish appear next to the boat mid-morning. Shortly afterwards there was fair boil on the surface nearby, but we couldn’t raise anything in the spot or elsewhere. However, the wind was once again so bad that we could’ve been surrounded by muskies in some spots and still not seen them even in the incredibly clear water.

Equal Time – When we launched, we agreed to split up motor duties/front versus back of the boat time. Experience says that the guy in the front typically has the advantage but today may have been an exception as running the bow mounted foot control on the trolling motor was a chore. Thus, the guy in the back got in more casts and had first shot at some fishy looking spots which is generally out of the ordinary. For whatever reason, Brent got the short end of the deal as he was on the trolling motor during the portion of the day where we worked areas more exposed to the strong winds. Things remained civil as we’re no longer kids but I did wonder if he was going to tell on me.

 

A variety of recent weather conditions have been a challenge, and while I’ll never tire of matching wits with the bass, I’ve certainly had about enough of wind, cold fronts, and numb digits. But among the variables in fishing, weather is one you can’t control. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t gripe about it.

Ten years later, the early spring weather has offered more of the same. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Several of our crew were out last week and reported in with some impressive catches including a pair of five-pound bass and our first new species entry of 2022. And the latter is where we start with our weekly rundown.

Length: 12”
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: April 21
Weather: Partly cloudy with stiff wind from north
Air Temperature: 60s
Water Temperature: Unknown
Location: Backbone Lake, Backbone State Park, IA
Lure: Roy Self Spoon
Angler Comments: This is a typical stocked rainbow trout from the Maquoketa River that forms Backbone Lake. Most of the 80-acre lake is shallow but at the extreme north end where the river enters there is a 9-to-12-foot hole that holds trout.
Top 5 Length: 12”

Weight: 3-15
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 19
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait

Weight: 4-6
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 19
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait
Angler Comments: Battled the elements yesterday and was rewarded with seven bass. Morning was downright cold, and afternoon was cold with gale force winds.

Weight: 3-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 21
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait

Weight: 4-3
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 21
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Dark Sleeper

Weight: 5-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 21
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Angler Comments: Seems sort of silly to say, but it was a slow day. I did just have four bites in a little over six hours of fishing. First one was 4-3, second one was 5-12, and third fish was 3-12. I am just flabbergasted at the fishing at Banner this year. I have seen more fish from four pounds to over six pounds than I have in my whole life.
Top 5 Weight: 27-13 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-1,4-7) culls 4-6

Weight: 3-2 (18”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 23
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler twin tail trailer (root beer pepper green)
Structure: Drop/riprap

Weight: 3-5 (18”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 23
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler twin tail trailer (root beer pepper green)
Structure: Sticks
Angler Comments: Hopefully two three pounders on a brief morning trip to The Canal knocks me out of my recent bass fishing slump. Time will tell, but they certainly gave my Top 5 a considerable and much needed boost.
Top 5 Weight: 12-13 (3-5,3-2,2-11,2-0,1-11) culls 1-0 and 0-13

Weight: 1-9
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 24
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spinnerbait (green)

Weight: 1-12
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 24
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spinnerbait (green)

Weight: 5-4
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 24
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spinnerbait (green)
Angler Comments: All “keepers” were on the green spinnerbait. I caught at least one at every place I stopped. Nothing else close to twelve inches. I got several on a Senko and maybe fifteen to twenty overall.
Top 5 Weight: 13-13 (5-4,3-9,1-12,1-11,1-9) culls 1-3,1-2 and 0-12

Now that is quite a week of fishing. Four anglers, four different areas, two states, two species and a mix of boat fishing and bank fishing. Priorities may keep me off the water for the rest of the month but hopefully some others are able to get out there. Send them my way when you catch them. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – April 21, 1997

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Twenty-five years ago, I was earning a paycheck at National Seal Company in Galesburg, IL with an enjoyable and entertaining crew of friends and co-workers. Today’s post comes from a trip with a couple of those guys, Steve Cummings, and Scott Woods. I met Steve through work, while I had known Scott since we were kids as our dads played a fair amount of softball together in the 1970s.

April 21, 1997 – Steve Cummings at one of Woody’s Ponds with a 3-6 bass

“Woody” was a fisherman and while swapping fish stories at work he invited me to take a trip to his grandparents’ farm ponds down around where Schuyler, Hancock, and Adams County meet. The exact location escapes me, but I recall it being south of Augusta and in the general vicinity of the Golden/La Prairie metropolitan area. You know, kind of east of Bigneck.

There were several ponds and an old farmhouse where we stayed on one occasion. I do not recall it having electricity, nor functioning plumbing but what did we care? We had coolers, ice and beer and the house provided a place to crash during an overnight, so all was good.

April 21, 1997 – a 3-6 bass from one of Woody’s Ponds

For grub, we would head over to a little diner in Golden, IL via grassy lanes that I suspect may have been impassable during inclement weather. And when I say lanes, I’m talking two ruts divided by grass, and somebody had to pull aside if two vehicles approached from different directions. Fortunately, and not surprisingly, we never encountered another vehicle off the beaten path. At the diner, several older ladies prepped and served food and I swear it was like going to dinner at your grandma’s. They doted over us guys and we left plenty full from a good, old homecooked meal.

And yes, the fishing holes were impressive. The pictures from this trip show that our largest bass were 4-10, 3-6 and 3-6. On another visit, me and Woody fooled a 4-4, 4-1 and 3-10 and I also managed a 5-8 on a separate outing. However, the Top Bass was a seven-pounder Woody landed in the mid-90s. Gotta love farm ponds.

April 21, 1997 – a 4-10 from one of Woody’s Ponds

Much has changed in the twenty-five years since this trip. National Seal Company has been gone from Galesburg for over twenty years, Woody’s grandparents have passed, and I believe, the farm has sold. And I haven’t seen those guys in years. Time marches on but those old fish stories remain. Talk to you later. Troy

Record Book Roundup-Hennepin Canal

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I kicked off my 2022 pursuit of bass at The Hennepin Canal with an impromptu outing on Good Friday. The way that the evening shook out allowed me a couple of hours to get away for some casts. Julie and Jayce were off to a birthday party, and I left the rest of the crew with a twenty-dollar bill to fend for their supper. So much for the quick ten-minute drive saving me money compared to my fuel expense for Knox County strip mine trips.

While the 2022 edition of “Prowl the Canal” reports will wait until the month is over, The Canal needs a shout out for my Record Book Roundup series.

First up, a little background regarding my experience on the historic waterway. My first casts on The Canal took place late last spring and I would make a total of seventeen visits over the course of the year. These visits covered ten separate locations ranging from Colona to Wyanet spanning 6/5/21 to 10/31/21.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results and look forward to seeing what 2022 holds in store. My internet prowling also found a reliable recent report of a five-pounder from a stretch of The Canal that I am familiar with but haven’t fished yet. Such would be a great fish anywhere but a true trophy on The Canal.

But first things first with the goals to shoot for as 2022 progresses.

Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 9-4 (3-6,2-10,2-0,1-4) 7/21/21 in 2.25 hours
Top 5 Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)

 

Good luck out there and if you wish to contribute to the Top 5 project, you can email your catches to troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. A photo must accompany the submission and see the template below for further details. Talk to you later. Troy

Weight: Nearest quarter ounce or better depending on your scale
Angler: Up to you whether actual name or pseudonym
Date: Always good to have an accurate date for monthly stat updates
Weather: Bonus info, up to you
Water Temp: Bonus info, up to you
Location: Site is nice but “Illinois public water” works if not willing to reveal
Lure: Always like to hear what’s working but up to you
Structure: Bonus info, up to you
Angler Comments: I enjoy the fish story, keep it clean for this family friendly blog
Top 5 Weight: I will keep track as you post and update the weight accordingly

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

This week we have one guy who is in a bit of a fishing slump eke out a couple lightweights to complete his Top 5. We also have another angler who is in what is known as “the zone” continuing to light up the bass to the tune of a limit already exceeding twenty-five pounds. Funny thing is, the guy in the zone has been referred to as “Slump” for as long as I can recall.

Weight: 0-13
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 10
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Lunker Hunt Finesse Worm (Bama craw)
Structure: Drop

Weight: 1-0
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 10
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Structure: Drop
Angler Comments: Big bites have sure been hard to come by to begin 2022. At least I have my limit filled and plenty of room for improvement as it is always a treat to knock the lightweights out of your creel.
Top 5 Weight: 8-3 (2-11,2-0,1-11,1-0,0-13) culls an 0-11

Weight: 3-10
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 11
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless Crankbait
Angler Comments: Monday produced two bass with a 3-10 that came on a lipless crankbait.

Weight: 3-8
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 13
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Underspin

Weight: 3-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 13
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Underspin
Angler Comments: Wednesday netted two bass, 3-8 and 3-12, both of these fish came on an underspin.

Weight: 3-9
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 15
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)

Weight: 6-0
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 15
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Angler Comments: Fished for a few hours and wound up with five bass. All came on a white chatterbait. Two were notable at 3-9 and 6-0.
Top 5 Weight: 25-13 (6-9,6-0,5-1,4-7,3-12) culls a 3-11 and 3-10

Now that’s fun, and I hope “Slump” can stay in the zone. As far as my slump, I’ve got a few ideas. Stay tuned for another record book round-up and the regular Friday Flashback this week. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After turning in three vacation days due to inclement fishing weather earlier this month, I stuck with one on April 11. After a boom of bites on the previous day on my second-tier waters, I was hoping for similar with better quality on my top-tier spots. The boom turned to a bust, but all was not lost. Read on for the results and research.

Stats
Date: April 11, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (8 lakes)
Time: 10:15am-3:30pm (3.75 hours fishing)
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Air Temp: 50-64F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 4 bass
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap (shad) – 2 bass, Chatterbait (white) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 0-12 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (only1 at 12” or better): 0-12

11:14am – First Bass and Top Bass and all downhill from there

Notes and Nonsense

Breakfast Bust – Things have gotten weird since March 2020. The ripple effect delayed my breakfast over two years later. On a Monday morning, I pulled up to the local Sonic drive thru to treat myself to a SuperSonic Burrito. After a period of dead silence, I saw the small sticker indicating that the business did not open until 9:00am. I did not have 30 minutes to waste, so on to Dunkin Donuts for my favorite, the Power Breakfast Sandwich. No dice, discontinued. Finally, the Pilot in Woodhull provided sustenance with a sausage, bacon and egg burrito which hit the spot.

Bite Bust -On the heels of a thirty-eight bass outing the previous day, I was optimistic of a good bite even though temps had dropped about ten degrees in the forecast. The bass were not interested in the barrage of lures I threw at them, however, and I was left losing the battle on this day. To add insult to injury, of the four bass I found, only one was a “keeper,” weighing a mere twelve ounces.

Threw a lot of stuff but only these lures produced, and barely at that

Top Bass Bust – A brief stop to check out a spot I hadn’t visited since September 2016 produced my two best bites of the day. Both were in the two-pound range, and both got away. Standard “fish story,” right, but certainly piqued my interest to return for some more fish stories.

Record Book Bust – My less than impressive results made for no new entries in the record book for the second straight outing. So much for that brilliant addition to my fishing reports. But plenty of year remains and I believe I can find some new submissions with a few tricks up my sleeve.

Not A Total Bust – A couple of those tricks revolve around new water and revisiting a neglected fishing hole. In the face of a tough bite at lunchtime, I elected to use my remaining time away to cover some uncharted territory. I’ve had my eye on a few spots in the area that I had only seen on a satellite photo. My exploratory hikes turned up just one bite but verified a suspected bass population on that particular lake. Another spot is home to some solid bass via a secondhand report from an angler last year while two other bodies of water are suspect. I believe that the latter two were formerly only wetlands but look more fishable with higher water levels at present. As such, they are likely eliminated unless I come upon reliable info in the future.

All was not lost with some exercise, exploration, and some ideas

A tough day on the water did wind up on a positive note with those last few thousand steps. Longstanding questions were answered, and I am hoping that those answers will provide dividends as 2022 progresses. Now if I can just get Brent on board for field testing. I suspect that it won’t take too much convincing. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – April 19, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

New water is always a dilemma. On one hand, it is exciting to step out of my comfort zone and chase bass in an unfamiliar setting. On the other hand, it is intimidating to chase bass armed with only information gleaned from internet prowling. Of course, decades of experience also come into play. Read on for the report from the original blog entry posted on April 27, 2012, at the Heartland Outdoors website.

Beginner’s Luck – 1:32pm, seven minutes after launching I found a good one weighing 3-6

Stats
Date: April 19, 2012
Location: Prairie Lake – Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area
Time: 1:25pm-6:10pm
Weather: Sunny to overcast/very windy
Air Temp: 75F-73F
Water Temp: 64F
Totals: 3 bass, 1 bluegill (accident)
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig with flickshake weighted jighead (rainbow trout) – 1 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass, Bomber Flat A (baby bass) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-13 (Senko wacky rig)
Weight (2 bass > 12”): 7-3 (3-13, 3-6)

Original Log Entry

Notes & Nonsense

Exploring – New water is always a treat and I enjoy testing my skills armed only with about 30 years of experience and whatever information I can glean from magazines and websites. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but for me a pair of three plus pounders in about five hours of fishing is a good day. Sure, I only landed three bass and had a couple other odd breakoffs when setting the hook on what looked to be smallish fish but overall, I still considered the outing to be a success thanks to the two quality bass.

5:19pm – took nearly four hours to land bass number two but a 3-13 was worth the wait

No Wake – I’m a big fan of allowing anglers to run “big” motors at “no wake” speeds on bodies of water such as Prairie Lake. It sure made point hopping a breeze in the windy conditions and allowed for some more exploring than would have been afforded by our trolling motor setup. It also provides confidence that I’ll get back to the boat ramp as I’ve had some anxious moments over the years. Of course, the 35-horsepower motor gave out for some reason leaving me pushing out of a thick weedbed with a canoe paddle but fortunately I was within yards of the ramp. I was admittedly a little ticked off but no worse for wear and luckily the stormy looking weather conditions meant that I did not have an audience at the boat launch.

Sinking Feeling – About 5:30pm I decided to troll across a section of the lake, eat a sandwich and relax before finishing up my day with a pass along the dam. I’d taken my hat off to air out a bit and let the stiff wind blow through my thinning hair. Looking down I suddenly realized that the wind had lifted my good old floppy hat which was now bobbing amidst the whitecaps about 100 feet away (a long 100 feet at that back into the wind). The race was on, and I won so my hat simply got a much-needed washing and what more fitting basin than a 210-acre fishing hole.

6:01pm – final bass of the day

Bed Time – I did spy a few bass on beds doing what comes naturally and briefly harassed a couple of them to no avail with the closest taker blowing up a topwater frog. I’ve never been much of a sight/bed fisherman anyway as I don’t have the patience. Besides, with the windy conditions boat control and spotting fish was a hassle and I didn’t feel like anchoring as I’m more of a run and gun guy once the cold-water period passes. I also have occasional reservations regarding messing with the bass as they work on restocking the lake. I mean if the shoe was on the other foot (even though bass don’t have feet, you know what I mean).

“Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” – Meatloaf (1947-2022), sums up this outing well

The years have passed, and I have never gotten a chance to get back to JEPC’s Prairie Lake. I continue to hear good things about the fishing hole but just too far to invest the time and gas money. And, while I only got three bass in the boat, as Meatloaf would say, “Two out of three ain’t bad.” Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 10

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Pleasant temperatures, high winds and cloud cover are a good mix for one of my strip mine hikes. There was no way I wanted to be in a boat fighting the gusts, so bank prowling was the ticket. I opted for my second-tier lakes in terms of quality bites and the results reinforced why these spots are not on the “A-list.”

Stats
Date: April 10, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (7 lakes)
Time: 12:00pm-5:20pm (4.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny to overcast/very windy
Air Temp: 58-69F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 38 bass
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap (shad) – 20 bass, Lunkerhunt Finesse Worm ¼ oz. (Bama craw) – 9 bass, Chatterbait (white) – 8 bass, Googan Gridiron jig (PB&J) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-0 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 2-9 (1-0,0-13,0-12)

 

Trip Lyric
“Everyone knows it’s windy” – Windy, The Association (1967)

Notes and Nonsense

Blow Away, Blow Away, Blow Away – I always liked George Harrison’s 1979 release, Blow Away, and it was certainly apt along with Windy. How windy was it? Well, the highest reading I saw on my weather app indicated 24mph, but gusts certainly exceeded that mark. Depending on the way I was facing, the wind would blow my lures (and some little bass) out of reach in one direction or wind up blowing the lure at me and having a hook or two snag my sweatshirt on occasion. Several times it also rocked me a bit as sloped, soft, and suspect strip mine terrain can make for precarious perches on the bank.

Always fun to add something from the collection, my 45 of a favorite from 1979

New Lure – After having several short strikes on a jig, I broke out a Lunker Hunt Finesse Worm to see if downsizing would get the short strikers. While the wind made it a challenge to maintain contact with the light lure, it was quite effective on one lake. Nearly every cast resulted in a hit and most of those little bass were caught on the smaller offering before I decided to relocate in hopes of better bites.

Craters – My final quest for quality bass was at a pair of potholes that I call “The Craters.” My last visit to these spots was in 2017 and I was disappointed to find that the already challenging bank access was worse and even reaching the water was a chore due to thick brush. As the years roll on, I am beginning to mentally check off some waters as “not going back again,” and these may have just made the list.

 

Record Book Update
As happens on more than a few occasions, I just couldn’t find any good bites. Therefore, there is no record book update info to pass along.

First one of these nasty critters found crawling on my neck as I sat on the couch upon returning home

Just one of those days where quantity is good, but quality is lacking. Such is fishing, better luck next time…or not. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy