On this outing, Brent and I took a bike ride through some old stomping grounds that we’ve been exploring for thirty-five years. As such, this fishing report includes a bit of reminiscing. Read on for the numbers, notes and nostalgia.
Starting lineup – Troy
Stats
Date: May 18
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 6:45am-10:30am (2.75 hours fishing)
Totals: 23 bass (Brent – 13, Troy – 10)
Weather: Sunny/windy
Lures: Mann’s Chug n’ Spit – 13 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (various colors) – 7 bass, Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (smokin shad or perfect pumpkin) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 Brent (Popper), 2-2 Troy (Swimbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (2-4,2-2,1-7,1-4,1-1)
Troy’s winning lures
Tune of the Trip
Have A Drink on Me – AC/DC (1980)
I recently got a new tacklebag that has a sleeve for a drink. This allowed me to pack two bottles of water, one in the bag and one on my bike. Brent left his drink in his truck, so the spare came in handy.
September 25, 2006 – Strip mine smallmouth, our quest on this trip
6:48am – Found the smallmouth although rather small at the start
7:17am – Getting bigger with a 1-7 on a popper
Notes and Nonsense
Smallmouth Mission – For years, I have read reports about anglers reeling in some smallmouth bass from a few ponds scattered about the Knox County public strip pits. Back in September 2006, I made a point to give one of them a try and reeled in seven small smallies. Fast forward nearly twenty years and I was on a small mouth hunt again, with Brent in tow. Well, we found them again, albeit in a completely different spot than my 2006 trip. For me, little changed as I landed six small smallies. Brent, on the other hand, set a new family smallmouth record with a 2-4 (besting my 2-0 from 2021).
Before Picture – Brent from March 30, 2004 with a bass on one of the lakes we fished on this outing, notice the terrrain is highly navigable
After Picture – roughly the same backdrop where the above pic was taken, much has changed in twenty-one years as you can’t even get to the water
Changes – I made my first casts in one of these lakes over thirty years ago. Prior to this trip, my last visit was in August 2011. Over those years, the access to the bank on this lake has changed dramatically. In the 1990s, you could walk right up to the bank on the entire lake and cast without obstruction. Today, the lake is surrounded by a combination of dense brush, trees, and reeds. There are very few access points, and they take some effort to reach. And once you get near the bank, casting is whole other adventure. Luckily, I pack a spinning rod as it was impossible to make a decent cast with a baitcaster.
7:39am – Brent with Top Bass of the outing, a 2-4 smallmouth on a popper
9:53am – Top largemouth bass of the outing at 2-2 on a Ned Rig
Top Bass – Brent had the smallmouth touch in finding the prime spot on one of the lakes along with selecting an effective presentation with his topwater popper. He landed the Top smallie at 2-4, added a 1-7, and fooled a third “keeper” at 1-1 on another lake. I managed to take the largemouth crown for the day with a 2-2 and also posted a 1-4 to round out our overall mixed bag Top 5.
Brent’s winnng lure, a Mann’s Chug N’ Spit
Decent numbers but eighteen of the twenty-three bass came in the first hour and a half and were mostly small smallmouth from a single lake. Beyond those fish, it was a tough bite while biking and hiking. Access from the bank has grown tough on many lakes due to abundant shoreline reeds and expansive shallow vegetation. It was worth a shot though and we found what we were seeking in the smallmouth bass.
More reports to come so stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy