Month: April 2022

Top 10 Trip Tunes – April 3, Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

And the countdown continues…

5. Don’t Answer Me – Alan Parsons Project (1984)
It seems like this group always kind of flew under the radar but quite an impressive catalog of musical craftsmanship. Once again, I hearken back to MTV and the video created around a comic book gumshoe and his dame. The Project is actually in the Quad Cities this month and would be a treat to see if I wasn’t so frugal.

4. Up All Night – Slaughter (1990)
Before “hair” gave way to “grunge”, I enjoyed many tracks from artists such as Cinderella, Warrant, Tesla, and Skid Row. Many thanks to my youngest brother, Bub, who had cassettes or CDs of those bands that I would borrow or copy for mix tapes. I recall him telling me of going to purchase the Slaughter album at Musicland and being denied as he needed parental permission due to the photo of the young lady on the cover.

3. American Pie – Don McLean (1971)
I dig story songs and this one is indeed a classic. I still don’t know quite what it all means, line by line. And from what I understand, Don McLean still isn’t revealing. And that’s cool. A big part of musical enjoyment is personal as you can interpret or apply as you wish. This one evokes my earliest song memories, riding around town with my folks dialed into AM radio presets via those noisy buttons that you had to pull out and push back in to set. That whole “Chevy to the levee” line stuck and I still wonder if “rye/Rye” is a drink or a location.

2. Love Stinks – J. Geils Band (1980)
I would say that the vast majority of songs are love songs in one way or another. And I would also say that this one falls into the “another” category. Fine, fine writing in putting into words what most all of us have thought at one time or another. Fantastic use of “pinks” “thinks” and incredibly “minks”, to rhyme with “stinks”. One could say everything but the kitchen “sinks”. The video is worth a look as it includes frozen fish used as drumsticks, gas masks, a pogo stick and an orangutan. All in a love song!

1. And She Was – Talking Heads (1986)
And speaking of interesting videos…This patchwork, Monty Pythonesque collection of images makes perfect sense per David Byrne, the songwriter. He explains that the song was written about a girl he knew that would use LSD while lying in the field near the Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink factory in Baltimore. There you go. I long to be as creative although my angle would be more like a conversation over too many Milwaukee’s Bests around a campfire. On a side note, my kids know this song via the movie Storks. I’ve never seen the movie but always cool when I’m jamming and one of the kids recognizes one of my old tunes.

Time to shift gears from wandering through decades of music to wandering the old strip mines. Stay tuned for the latest fishing reports and the regular Friday Flashback post. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 10 Trip Tunes – April 3, Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Back with the latest Trip Tunes feature as I obviously dig my radio and the variety of tunes that magically appear over the airwaves with the turn of a knob or the punch of a button. The enjoyment extends beyond the words and tunes. Songs take me back to specific places in time, songs trigger memories, songs provide me with a trove of trivia and songs allow me to ramble on an outdoor blog and get that stuff out of my system.

So, here we go, with a little of all the above.

10. Major Tom (Coming Home) – Peter Schilling (1983)
This one hit wonder was a revisit of David Bowie’s 1969 “Space Oddity” astronaut, Major Tom. Space was a hot topic in the period of Bowie’s release and my trivia afflicted brain naturally ponders making a list (Elton John’s “Rocket Man” from 1972 and Billy Preston’s “Space Race” from 1973, to name a couple). The character, Major Tom would also make an appearance in 1983 with the lyrics, “Dizzy Lizzy, Major Tom” in the Def Leppard track “Rocket”.

9. Head Over Heels – The Go-Go’s (1984)
I think it’s okay to like the Go-Go’s and I don’t really care if I get any ribbing from the peanut gallery. In 1981, when the band and MTV crossed paths, I was a fourteen-year-old boy, so it just makes sense that these ladies caught my eyes and ears. This one keeps on moving with bits of fun instrumentation and some classic hand claps. And while I have no insight or ability regarding music composition, does anybody else hear shades of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Way from Memphis” in the keyboard sections?

8. Give It Up – KC and the Sunshine Band (1983)
KC and the Sunshine Band were the soundtrack of summers as a kid in the 70s. Repetitive as heck with a hook that was infectious and got you moving even if you had no moves. So, this slice of KC in the 80s was music to my ears. However, Harry Wayne Casey should have stuck with the old, live concert clips when it came to the music video age. Sorry, KC, but I must rank this one in my top worst video list alongside Neil Sedaka’s “Bad Blood” performance on The Midnight Special and Billy Squier’s strange dance moves in “Rock Me Tonite.”

7. Lovin’ Every Minute of It – Loverboy (1985)
Loverboy’s hit years spanned my high school days. Like the Go-Go’s, I am not sure it was cool to like the band, but I did. I just realized that the tune was written by Mutt Lange, a songwriter and producer of great renown. His formula later provided remarkable success for Def Leppard (Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages) as well as his one-time wife, Shania Twain. Shania is an extremely attractive lady, but her Lange penned hits got a little old after a while and sound like a country gal singing Def Leppard. Anyway, I dig this Loverboy tune with odd words like “antenna” and “aerial” as well as “shoot me like a rocket into space” (a concept revisited in Def Leppard’s “Rocket”, co-written by Lange).

6. Run to the Hills – Iron Maiden (1982)
My Iron Maiden catalog pretty much consists of this song as I would be hard pressed to name many others by these metal mavens (I do know that their mascot was named “Eddie”). MTV was solely responsible for my knowledge of this edgy tune as it got plenty of airplay when released. Imagine if you will, this tune interspersed with Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical,” Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s “Come on Eileen,” A Flock of Seagulls “I Ran” and 38 Special’s “Caught Up in You”. Such was the wonderful world of music television once upon a time.

Stay tuned for the rest of the countdown tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Okay, this is just nuts. No sense trying to provide an intro as this day on the water by our reigning Top 5 champ speaks for itself.

Weight: 6-9
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 5-1
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 4-7
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 3-11
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 3-6
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 3-1
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 2-13
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 2-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer

Weight: 2-8
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 4
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white) with Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait trailer
Structure: Flats near channel edge
Angler Comments: Ok, this might take a while. Summary of the day: Ten total bass, Top Bass was 6-9 and six bass over three pounds. All came on a white chatterbait with a Gary Yamamoto Zako swimbait. Was fishing in the general vicinity of a friend most of the day. He also had a good day as his top three were 5-3, 5-2 and 4-12. Definitely the best day of fishing I have ever had.
Top 5 Weight: 23-2 (6-9,5-1,4-7,3-11,3-6) culls entire previous weight total of 14-2

Simply incredible as Jim blows away his entire early season Top 5 which was already an impressive 14-2. And he blows it away by nine pounds! I don’t care where you are fishing, that is an incredible performance that even the Bassmasters in their $100,000 setups would envy. What’s crazy is that Jim and his friend reeled in this amazing batch of bass from the bank. Congrats on the catches, and as always, thanks for sharing. Talk to you later. Troy

Record Book Roundup-April 10 Preview

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As mentioned in a previous entry, a 2022 feature will involve delving into the all-time record book for some stats on the spots that we’ve fished over the years. Last weekend’s trip with Brent resulted in three new entries that boosted the all-time Top 5 weights for three fishing holes. So, maybe the concept is good luck. Time will tell as the spots listed below are potential targets for an upcoming strip mine prowl.

(NOTE: Top 5 weights may represent combined catches with fishing partners)

Twin Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 4-6 Troy Jackson 4/12/14 Jig
Best Top 5 Day: 5-7 (4-6,1-1) 4/12/14 0.50 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 10-11 (4-6,1-14,1-10,1-9,1-4)

Horseshoe Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 3-13 Brent Jackson 9/29/14 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Day: 6-6 (3-13,1-1,0-12,0-12) 9/21/14 with Brent 1.00 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 10-15 (3-13,3-8,1-4,1-3,1-3)

Cedar Lake (2014-present)
Top Bass: 1-11 Troy Jackson 5/3/20 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day: 4-12 (1-9,1-1,1-1,1-1) 9/21/14 with Brent 0.50 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 6-9 (1-11,1-9,1-3,1-1,1-1)

The Craters (2011-2017)
Top Bass: 1-12 Troy Jackson 3/31/13 Jig
Best Top 5 Day: 5-2 (1-12,1-6,1-3,0-13) 3/31/13 2.00 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 7-3 (1-12,1-8,1-6,1-5,1-4)

In addition to these spots, there may be a few others that may get some casts depending on how the day develops. Stay tuned for the next fishing report to see if any of the waters get a boost. And tune in on Monday for a Top 5 Update that you don’t want to miss. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – April 10 to 15, 2002

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Have I ever told you about Emstrom’s Pond?

Heck, yes, I have. It was quite the fishing hole back in the day.

It’s been featured in several previous Friday Flashbacks since the inception of this project back in 2018. And checking my schedule, it will get a few more shout outs before the Friday Flashback project completes its course in November. As such, I won’t ramble too much today but use a slideshow instead. What follows is a rundown of a darn good week of quick trips to an old favorite fishing hole.

 

Oh yeah, a black and blue jig and pig on a beaver lodge is a winner.

Boy, do I miss that spot. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Trip number two of the year was another strip mine hike with my brother, Brent. Our first outing was a tough bite and came up shy of a Top 5 for the day with only four “keepers” and a low total weight of 4-5. This trip was also a tough bite with only four “keepers” but a considerably better total weight. Read on for all the details.

Stats
Date: April 3, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (5 lakes)
Time: 11:15am-5:00pm (4.75 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny to overcast/breezy
Air Temp: 47-56F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 5 bass (Troy – 3, Brent – 2)
Lures: Jig & Pig/plastic (black/blue) – 4 bass, Rapala Shad Rap (shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-9 Jig & plastic
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 9-6 (3-9,2-11,2-0,1-2)

2:50pm Top Bass 3-9 (18.5″) on a jig & plastic (black/blue)

Notes and Nonsense

Conditions – Recent rains had the ground quite saturated but the lack of terrestrial weeds in the early spring still made for easy walking. The lakes were full, the water was surprisingly clear, and the aquatic vegetation was just beginning to take hold. The air temperatures were comfortable, wind was limited to a breeze and the sun was out in full force most of the day. Two out of three ain’t bad in regard to the weather aspect as some cloud cover is always welcome when fishing these waters. No complaints, we gave it a go with a variety of presentations but just couldn’t get much going.

Forage Find – Shortly after Brent landed our Top Bass, I spotted the remains of a crawdad near the bank. I couldn’t help but notice that the coloration of the pincers were quite like the offerings that landed our top four bass. I guess there is something to be said for matching the forage available to fool a few fish.

Record Book Update

In an earlier preview of this trip entitled “Record Book Roundup”, I provided data on the lakes we intended to target. We wound up with three catches that made solid upgrades as detailed below.

Maiden Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 4-0 Brent Jackson 4/2/21 Crankbait
Best Top 5 Day: 5-12 (4-0,1-12) 4/2/21 with Brent 1.00 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 11-10 (4-0,2-5,1-14,1-12,1-11)
UPDATE: added a 3-9 to boost our All-Time Top 5 Weight
NEW All-Time Top 5 Weight: 13-8 (4-0,3-9,2-5,1-14,1-12) culls a 1-11

2X4 Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 4-3 Troy Jackson 9/29/13 Stickbait
Best Top 5 Day: 11-7 (4-2,3-0,1-9,1-7,1-5) 4/12/14 with Brent 1.50 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 19-12 (4-3,4-2,4-0,4-0,3-7)
UPDATE: no new additions

Kentucky Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 2-8 Troy Jackson 9/26/21 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Day: 7-10 (2-5,1-9,1-7,1-4,1-1) 9/29/13 with Brent 0.75 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 10-0 (2-8,2-3,2-1,1-13,1-7)
UPDATE: added a 2-0 to boost our All-Time Top 5 Weight
NEW All-Time Top 5 Weight: 10-9 (2-8,2-3,2-1,2-0,1-13) culls a 1-7

Molar Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 3-5 Troy Jackson 9/29/13 Jerkbait
Best Top 5 Day: 5-8 (3-5,1-4,0-15) 9/29/13 with Brent 0.75 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 12-0 (3-5,3-2,2-0,1-13,1-12)
UPDATE: added a 2-11 to boost our All-Time Top 5 Weight
NEW All-Time Top 5 Weight: 12-15 (3-5,3-2,2-11,2-0,1-13) culls a 1-12

 

A pleasant day but a tough bite on an early April strip mine prowl. The recent cool and rainy conditions seemed to have the bass in a less than cooperative mood. But if we were only going to eke out five bites, it’s cool when three of them are “good ones” (see Friday Flashback here) and give a boost to the record book. Stay tuned for the latest Friday Flashback and a Trip Tunes post from this outing is in the works. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

While the action this past week was far from fast and furious, several of the bites we got were quality fish.

Weight: 2-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 28
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless Crankbait
Angler Comments: Went to Banner this afternoon. Was walking the bank and some guy drove by and asked if I wanted to join him in his boat. Spent a few hours on the water. Not many fish but had a great time chatting. I got one that was 2-12 on a lipless crankbait.
Top 5 Weight: 14-2 (3-3,2-15,2-14,2-12,2-6) culls a 2-4

Weight: 2-0 (16″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 3
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Jig & pig (black/blue)
Structure: Drop

Weight: 2-11 (17.5″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 3
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Jig & pig (black/blue)
Structure: Ridge/drop
Angler Comments: On a day where I only got three bites, it sure was good that two of them were in the two-pound range.
Top 5 Weight: 7-1 (2-11,2-0,1-11,0-11)

Weight: 1-2
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 3
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Jig & plastic (black/blue)

Weight: 3-9 (18.5″)
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 3
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Jig & plastic (black/blue)
Top 5 Weight: 8-5 (3-9,1-11,1-3,1-2,0-12)

A limit, a cull and one guy searching for that fifth bass. Good stuff despite April beginning with less than favorable weather conditions. Full report to come detailing the April 3 strip mine outing for me and Brent. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Record Book Roundup – April 3 Preview

Posted on by Troy Jackson

An added feature on the blog and the fishing trips this year is a look inside the record book. My aim is to give you some stats for my upcoming destination(s) and give me and my fishing partners some targets to shoot for in terms of Top Bass and all-time Top 5 Weight for the bodies of water (plus I dig stats and fishing pics).

Some of the lakes have “real” names while others have been given names for assorted reasons, which is a whole other blog series. At any rate, here is the scoop on the next fishing holes on my radar.

(NOTE: Top 5 weights are combined catches with fishing partners)

Maiden Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 4-0 Brent Jackson 4/2/21 Crankbait
Best Top 5 Day: 5-12 (4-0,1-12) 4/2/21 with Brent 1.00 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 11-10 (4-0,2-5,1-14,1-12,1-11)

2X4 Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 4-3 Troy Jackson 9/29/13 Stickbait
Best Top 5 Day: 11-7 (4-2,3-0,1-9,1-7,1-5) 4/12/14 with Brent 1.50 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 19-12 (4-3,4-2,4-0,4-0,3-7)

Kentucky Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 2-8 Troy Jackson 9/26/21 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Day: 7-10 (2-5,1-9,1-7,1-4,1-1) 9/29/13 with Brent 0.75 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 10-0 (2-8,2-3,2-1,1-13,1-7)

Molar Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 3-5 Troy Jackson 9/29/13 Jerkbait
Best Top 5 Day: 5-8 (3-5,1-4,0-15) 9/29/13 with Brent 0.75 hours
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 12-0 (3-5,3-2,2-0,1-13,1-12)

From here, it is just a matter of getting on the water and taking a shot. Here’s hoping to do that real soon. Stay tuned for a Top 5 Update and the latest fishing report, complete with any updated record book data. Talk to you later. Troy