Category: Fishing Reports

Strip Mine Report – June 11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, my folks took my boys for a couple days this week and my girls (Julie included) really don’t mind if I stay out of the way so guess what I decided to do on Tuesday?

Yep, even was able to ditch work a few hours early to hit the fishing hole. That fact convinced me that I needed to invest in the extra drive time to some of my favorite ground rather than dinking around closer to home at the often stubborn (and currently dirty) portion of Lost Grove Lake.

However, the Knox County strip mine bass started out rather tight-lipped too before a late rally saved the day.

Stats

Date: June 11, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL private strip mines (2 lakes)
Time: 3:15pm-8:45pm (5.25 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 80-72F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 11 bass
Lures:
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate or natural shad) – 7 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 3 bass
Booyah Pad Crasher Frog (cricket frog) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 (Senko)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-7 (1-11,1-7,1-7,0-14)

4:49pm the first “keeper” on a tough late afternoon/early evening bite 15″ 1-7 Senko

Notes and Nonsense

3:42pm First bass and thanks Landon for the inspiration (details below)

Frog Inspiration – Leaving work at 1:00pm I then ran by home to pack my lunch and supper before hitting the road and decided to check my email. Pretty cool when you have a fishing report to greet you just as you are headed out the door. The report from some Knox County water from fishing friend, John Kirkemo, noted, “No action until Landon brought out his Walmart- bought scum frog which he had never used. He cast the lure on the vegetation a few times before he started to get hits. The fish or fishes kept after the frog until one was hooked. The fish was immediately caught up in the weeds, so we had to go after him with the boat. We didn’t see the fish until we had scooped a pile of weeds with the net.” That presentation also boated my first bass of the day and was my first frog bass since July 6, 2014. A tip of the floppy hat to the young Top 5 angler, Landon Hannam, for inspiring an old dog to try an old trick.

Things just look ugly out there this year, I blame the crazy spring weather but who knows 

Dirty Water – I suppose it is largely a factor of the monsoon-like spring we experienced but my strip mine water is really a mess. It is quite dingy which puts a damper on my buzzbait bite as I had at least half a dozen bass come up short and a couple more come unbuttoned as they likely weren’t hooked very well. It also diminishes the effectiveness of the Senko which shines a bit more in less stained water. In addition to the clarity aspect, the surface vegetation bears an ugly and unhealthy looking hue in the shallow surface mats and floating clumps. Finally, random strands of floating weeds and a fair amount of cottonwood fuzz add some frustration. And then there’s the gnats…

8:01pm finally back on the board with another “keeper” as a late rally kicked in 12″ 0-14 Buzzbait

8:14pm Top Bass 15.5″ 1-11 Senko

Late Night Bite – With sunny skies to start the day I knew it could be slow and I was pleased to see the forecast called for things to cloud up as the evening progressed. I tried to keep my head up after three bass in the first three hours knowing that the low light conditions of dusk/sunset and cloud cover combo held potential. Thank goodness for a good finale as eight bass in the last couple hours turned it into a decent outing.

8:35pm crunch time with a 15″ 1-7 on a buzzbait but ran out of time on a fifth “keeper” to complete a “limit”

While I didn’t get any of the big buzzbait bites that I know are out there, I was happy to find an extra day on the water to get my fix. Also got my tune fix on the ride down (bad Cubs performance took over the airwaves on the way home) so look for Trip Tunes post this weekend on the heels of tomorrow’s weekly Friday Flashback. Talk to you later. Troy

Lost Grove Lake Report – June 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Early departure required to catch sunrise on the water this time of the year.

I wasn’t sure if I would fork over the dough for a Non-Resident Iowa fishing license this year but broke down last weekend. On the upside, the regular haunt over the river is only a 25 minute drive. On the downside, I still have yet to figure out how to fool any of the quality bass that I’ve seen firsthand and in scattered reports over the last several years.

Spoiler Alert – This was it for the morning, one lone bass

Stats

Date: June 2, 2019
Location: Lost Grove Lake – Scott County, IA
Time: 5:35am-8:05am (2.25 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 56-58F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 1 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (bleeding shad) – 1 bass
No bass at 12” or better

Brief clip of the lone catch, a well placed cast along a laydown in flooded timber got it done. Duplicated the cast in dozens more similar spots with nary a strike.

Notes and Nonsense

Bugs, Boats and Breeze – While it’s always good to find time to get on the water, this trip turned out to be a bit frustrating. For starters, my normal area was too muddy so I had to drive uplake in search of clearer water for a second drag of my boat to the water. No surprise as the gnats were terrible but just had to grin and bear it. Two parking lots totaling 50 trailers and a couple dozen other vehicles got me reminiscing about the days when I used to have weekdays off and generally owned the water. Finally, a stiff breeze is not angler friendly to a guy in a rowboat.

A couple shots of lots and I’m sure the third launch was just as packed, they were still coming as I was leaving.

Limitations – In regards to that last aspect, oars just don’t lend themselves to rapidly relocating to a better or less crowded spot. And on this day, there was no such thing as less crowded as any direction I looked there was a boat or half dozen or ten. Often I can get into some locations where bigger boats can’t go but even those presented a challenge as there were few open lanes to traverse without infringing on someone else’s spot.

The lake was littered with dead fish including some crappie that were pushing the 12″ mark.

Dead Sea – While I wasn’t constantly checking the other anglers, the only person I saw landing fish was a bank angler who fooled a pair on a point while casting a crankbait. What I did see was a multitude of dead bluegill and crappie anywhere I rowed and some pretty decent sized ones in the mix. Tough to say the cause but perhaps something in the runoff from the overabundance of rain took them out.

So, while it was interesting to see a new section of the 400-acre lake I really don’t know when I will be back to get some more use out of my Iowa license. I definitely would like to take a shot at my regular portion of the lake but when you can barely see the skirt on your buzzbait at boatside it’s going to be while until the water clears up.

Friday Flashback coming your way tomorrow and beyond that will have to see when I can get away again. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – May 27

Posted on by Troy Jackson

2019 is off to a slow fishing start with a slew of responsibilities and an abundance of rainy weather keeping me from getting on the water. The former I can handle no problem, got more important things to do as a husband and parent. The latter, well, I have grown weary of the nearly constant rain this month. Can’t control the weather though and certainly understand that lack of fishing is a mere inconvenience compared to the rain related hardships faced by many in the area.

Weather was a big theme on this day as noted in this video intro and recap of the trip

Stats

Date: May 27, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL private strip mines (2 lakes)
Time: 11:45am-2:20pm
Weather: Partly cloudy to overcast/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 74F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 9 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad or bleeding shad) – 6 bass
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate) – 2 bass
Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (bluegill) with twin tail trailer (salt and pepper) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-5 (2-4,1-1)

Winning lures of the outing, some true favorites

Notes and Nonsense

MVP – West Central Illinois is saturated and finally forced my hand to drop a few dollars on a new pair of boots. Blaine’s Farm & Fleet came through with a reasonable price, just hope these will last me as long as my old Northerners. Their decade plus term of service was admirable but too many ripped up patches would have left me with wet socks on this outing. The new boots get my vote as most valuable piece of equipment on this trip.

Video clip I call “Boots and Bookend Bad Weather”

“And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?” – Who’ll Stop the Rain – Credence Clearwater Revival (1970)
Torrential rains greeted me on the way to the fishing hole despite only a 40% chance per the forecast. I actually pulled over at the Pilot gas station outside Woodhull and waited for 15 minutes pondering just going back home. Glad I stuck it out for a few hours on the water and got my May bass. Oh yeah, on the way home it was raining so hard as I neared Galva that it was tough to see. It never ends…storming again as I type this, in fact.

Workout – The soggy conditions had me concerned about reaching my fishing holes without getting stuck or tearing up the lane I looked to traverse. My concerns were correct as I stopped part way in to inspect on foot and elected to pull the boat out and drag it the rest of the way rather than risk it. Getting a bit more challenging to pull this stunt as the years add up but you gotta do what you gotta do when you have a chance to do it.

First May bass of 2019 and Top Bass of the day

May Bass – After a shutout and one missed buzzbait strike on an extremely weed choked lake I switched to Plan B. Water conditions were quite pleasant on my second stop and only a few casts after launching I had a long overdue May bass in hand. Icing on the cake was a Top Bass of 2-4 for a bit of a boost to my 2019 creel. Missed a couple others on a buzzbait that would have helped also but such is fishing, just happy to get out.

The other “keeper” on the day 13.5″ and 1-1, got some interesting video to come on this greedy catch

Overall, a successful storm shortened outing and great to fool a few of my favorite fish while getting reacquainted with the Senko and buzzbait (both bites are in gear so give ‘em a go). Also had some interesting strikes and catches caught on the GoPro which I always find fun. Looking to pass along those items after the latest Friday Flashback. Good luck if you get out, send me those Top 5 fish and talk to you later. Troy

A Really Crappie Day

Posted on by Troy Jackson

                                                                         Mother’s Day weekend crappie chasing success

While there are no fish on hand for the Monday Top 5 Update, we do have a fishing report as a suitable substitute.

And it goes like this…

My boys and I were invited down to a “secret” destination by a noted local guide who goes by the name of “Papa” for our crew and several others. For decades he has had the crappie dialed in at this fishing hole during the Mother’s Day weekend. While the weather forecast left much to be desired with early rain, barely 50 degree high, gray skies and a stiff breeze, we confirmed our reservation around lunchtime and headed out for the late afternoon outing.

First casts were made at roughly 3:35pm and in no time the bite was on. My brother, Brent, and his kids joined the fun a little after 4:00pm and our bunch hung in there until 5:15pm during a bite with barely a lull.

            Jayce called this contorted technique “Pretzel Fishing”, can’t argue with the results

All told we combined for somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty crappie and a few bluegill courtesy of waxworms on a jighead hung from a bobber. Location was key as the fish were flat out shallow and on the inside edge or first pockets in the abundant surface vegetation. Not uncommon for this fishing hole, been there done that before.

Weather was really pretty crappy for the second weekend in May but what was cool is that there were zero complaints from our young anglers. In fact, we grownups were the only ones who commented on sore and somewhat numb fingers and a chill that just kind of stuck. And mind you, those kids handled and released a bunch of fish.

                                                                                          Cousins conquering crappie

Post fishing fun included hot dogs over the much needed warmth of a campfire at the area campground along with some kid led hiking. Good stuff considering that Brent and I have been on the kid end of such adventures on those same trails dating back to the 1970s.

      Our guide led us to a sizeable earlier dead muskie discovery

All in all a great outdoor day in less than great conditions. Plenty of practice for the youngsters in terms of casting, catching and fish handling and always fun to watch their confidence grow in regards to each aspect. Also fun to teach in the same outdoor classroom with the guy who taught Brent and me the same lessons well over 40 years ago. Yet again proves that the best time to go fishing (or get outdoors) is anytime you can.

 

One other impressive observation was the fact that the only devices in use were in the hands of me and Brent as we preserved some quality memories for posterity (and a blog posting). Never heard a peep from the kids either as they were too busy having some old fashioned, low-tech fun, gotta love it.

And thus ends today’s fish “Storey.” Talk to you later. Troy

Emiquon Pitfall #3 – Expectations

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Quite a show when Emiquon lived up to “Expectations” but pre-trip visions can be a funny thing.

Most times when something sounds too good to be true, it is. In the case of those early Emiquon days, however, you really had to see it to believe it. And we were lucky enough on more than a few occasions to see Emiquon live up to those lofty expectations.

Originally posted 8-26-10

“Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.” – Charles Dickens from Great Expectations

Isn’t the internet great? With a few clicks I can come up with an applicable quote from something I’ve never read, making me sound smarter than I truly am.

Prior to my maiden voyage on Emiquon in April of 2009 I’d seen the pictures, looked at the lake and read the reports. While Pitfall #6 sent me packing after about an hour of whitecaps, overconfidence also caused me some distress. I launched with visions of the initial fishing reports proclaiming “100 bass days”, “ten straight casts with a bass” and “several times we caught two on one crankbait” dancing in my head. While I don’t discount these claims, expectations led me to think I could fill the log book with my eyes closed.

Another 2009 outing also taught me something about expectations. Last August I fished McDonough County’s Spring Lake on the day after Dad and Brent had a tough morning, only fooling a handful of short fish. Therefore, as Brent and I launched the next morning I was doing more hoping for bites than expecting them. A half hour later I had three bass totaling 7-12. An hour into the trip we’d combined for 12-10 and both had yet to land our heaviest fish of the day. In the end, six hours of casting gave up a five fish limit of 16-8, exceeding all expectations on a lake I’d never fished before. At Emiquon on the other hand, I’d simply expected that bass after bass would slam my lure as soon as it hit the water. I was wrong, until I came back in the fall.

This brings me to 2010 on Emiquon. By most accounts things aren’t so easy in year two of public access. My experience has been in tune with these reports during the pair of trips I’ve taken (19 bass in four hours for Julie and I combined in May and 44 bass during a ten hour solo trip in June).

Even last year as we kept casting towards the century mark I couldn’t help but wonder how long it could last. Yes, pessimism sometimes has a way of creeping in even during the best of times. However, I’ve learned my lesson and will reserve judgment until after September and October have passed. I always look forward to fall fishing and I plan on hitting Emiquon a time or two depending on the wind. The bass are still there, maybe just a bit more wary or educated, who knows? I’m no better fisherman than anyone else and certainly less talented than many. Being a creature of habit I’m too set in my ways, often reluctant to experiment, largely content to beat the bank and generally out of practice to name a few traits that could use some help. But I won’t be convinced of a decline until I get a chance to follow Mr. Dickens’ advice and collect some evidence in the best way I know how, personally.

Emiquon did churn out a few more impressive outings for me in 2011 and 2012 but only one of those lived up to the craziness of 2009. Six years have passed since my final visit and the site seems to have fallen of the radar in terms of coverage and reports beyond debate over site management. Then again, maybe those who still have the lake dialed in have elected to keep things under wraps. Talk to you later. Troy

Easter Weekend Fishing Report

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, I managed to get on the water for a few hours over the holiday weekend. Good Friday was an unexpected quick trip to an area pond while Saturday found me playing fishing guide on an overdue outing. Neither day was particularly impressive but it’s not always about the fish so read on if you can relate to that concept.

Stats – Good Friday
Date: April 19, 2019
Location: Henry County, IL pond
Time: 4:15pm-5:30pm
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 62F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 5 bass
Lures:
ZMan Chatterbait (perch) with Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee shad) – 3 bass
Bomber Flat A crankbait (baby bass) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 0-14
Top 5 Weight: 1-10 (2 bass)

Notes and Nonsense – Good Friday

Just going to go with a video recap below (SMALL BASS ALERT BUT A COOL RELEASE)

 

Stats – Saturday with Jayce

Date: April 20, 2019
Location: Knox County. IL public strip pit
Time: 3:00pm-3:45pm
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 70F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: No bites

Jayce’s arsenal consisted of The Emiquon Special, Senko wacky rig and ZMan chatterbait with a Zako trailer

Notes and Nonsense – Saturday with Jayce

New Gear – Part of Easter came a day early for the kids as everybody got a new fishing pole upgrade (Jayce got two as I still owed him one from hid birthday last year). Zac, Jayce and Helena are now armed with Shakespeare spinning combos while Carly bumped up to a baitcasting rig as she already had the spinning combo covered.

Happy Easter with the next step up in fishing rod combos for our crew of anglers

New Tricks – Jayce decided to go all in on bass as he had success on Cinco de Mayo 2018 at the spot but Easter weekend 2019 wasn’t as friendly as it pitched a shutout. However, we managed to invest our time in learning about a couple new baits in a chatterbait and a spinnerbait. The spinnerbait is extra cool as it is a homemade model that Jayce received as a gift from Uncle Brent, a copy of his legendary Emiquon Special.

 

Old Habit – Many years ago when Dad was teaching his kids outdoor stuff, a stop at an area shop was often in order to grab a soda and a bag of chips. Well, apparently the day end treat left a mark. Our post fishing refreshments consisted of a Mountain Dew for me and some chocolate milk for Jayce while we shared bags of Sun Chips and Spicy Nacho Doritos.

As you see, all is not lost when the fish get lockjaw. And it is always a treat to hang with one of the kids in a one on one setting, tough to do very often. Two hours in a truck and another hour hiking and casting provide some great father-son time. We talked of Run DMC, listened to a poor Cubs performance, reminisced about past outings and Jayce made me a proud dad upon correctly identifying “Ballroom Blitz” by Sweet after a mere handful of notes.

A good weekend in spite of less than impressive results. Always good to get some fresh air too with the weather actually being nice for two consecutive days, a rarity thus far in 2019. Here’s hoping it continues and helps to get the bite headed in a more active direction. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 6

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With my boys having an impromptu weekend at my folks’ and my girls being old enough to be somewhat self-sufficient I had an unexpected chance to get back on the water. Two trips in five days is not the norm so it was quite an exciting last minute development with the scoop to follow.

Things are starting to look up on occasion although still only the first week of April for this outing

Stats

Date: April 6, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines (6 lakes)
Time: 8:50-11:35am, 3:25-6:25pm (5.25 hours fishing, the rest hiking)
Weather: Sunny-partly cloudy/windy
Air Temp: 48-67FF
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 16 bass, 1 green sunfish
Lures:
Strike King Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange) – 3 bass
ZMan Chatterbait (perch) with Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee shad) – 6 bass
Bomber Flat A crankbait (baby bass) – 7 bass, 1 green sunfish
Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with twin tail trailer (smoke) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-10
Top 5 Weight: 7-3 (2-10,1-4,1-3,1-1,1-1)

10:24am Took a while but on the board at 12.5″ and 1-1 on a jig

Notes and Nonsense

Shaky Start – So I overslept my 5:05am alarm and woke up at 5:55am instead. I then made the insides for breakfast burritos only to discover we had no tortillas. Upon arriving at the strip mines I fished a pair of proven lakes for roughly an hour and failed to get a bite. I was beginning to worry as I had to hit the road for a band event at about 11:35am and was sitting on a shutout with about an hour to go.

Lake Reliable – If I hadn’t already given this lake a name, Reliable would fit the bill. My favorite spot actually goes by “2×4 Lake” (yeah, I made that up just like 20 or so other lakes on the site) and it came through after about five minutes of unsuccessfully casting a chatterbait. I switched up to a jig and what do you know, first cast bass. I thought, “Okay, now I’m onto something.” Didn’t get another bite for over an hour.

11:28am Caught with only minutes to spare on my first half of the day, Top Bass at 16.5″ and 2-10 on a jig

Clutch Bite – With about ten minutes remaining before taking the ten minute walk back to the truck I managed to get my second bite which turned out to be Top Bass of the day. This one also came on the jig and left me feeling a little better about a tough morning and a likely return trip in the afternoon.

And now a brief musical interlude from the day – Glenview Middle School Symphonic Band 

Dink Afternoon – While the return trip saw a significant uptick in numbers (14 versus 2), I continue to struggle to find many quality bites. I did manage to post a daily Top 5 but only one qualified for my 2019 Top 5 and the others all came in the lower one-pound range. Good to get bit nevertheless but still searching for some jarring hooksets and line stripping runs.

The rest of the Top 5 and kind of a matching set but the best I could fool 

Another hike in the books and still waiting for things to bust loose for me in terms of a quality bite. Not sure if it’s me, the weather or my stomping grounds but off to a rough start in regards to those bigger fish. No matter what, I remain true to my fishing report mission in providing the pics and the data of how it all went down. And no complaints from this guy as I truly value any time on the water, especially when it’s an unexpected bonus trip such as today’s report. Plenty more fishing stuff to come and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 1

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I took a vacation day from work to fish the April Fool’s Day opener on some public Knox County strip mine ground. The weather was a little cooler than I had hoped but it was dry and that was more important than warm when walking through the wild and weedy strip mines. Took some work to get on some cold front bass but got it done as detailed below.

Get what you get and don’t throw a fit when taking an April Fool’s vacation day

Stats
Date: April 1, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines
Time: 9:30am-5:30pm (5.25 hours fishing, the rest hiking)
Weather: Sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 34-48F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 16 bass
Lures:
Strike King Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple craw trailer (pepper frog/hot orange) – 7 bass
Chatterbait (brown/black) with Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee shad) – 6 bass
Bomber Flat A crankbait (baby bass) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-3,2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12)

11:06am First bass ends up being Top Bass 17″ and 2-3 on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense (with an April Fool’s theme)

Find Another Fool – Quarterflash (1982)/The Fool on the Hill – The Beatles (1967)
I actually spotted two other anglers walking a ridge somewhere around 10:00am and found a bit of appreciation for their dedication amidst the near sub-freezing morning windchill. I must admit it was a bit unexpected as I rarely see anyone even on pleasant days.

Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was A Fool) – Foghat (1979)
After a pair of bassless stops on some potholes I finally scored my first fish at 11:06am. I knew that things might be a little slow with temps in the 30s-40s over the weekend and only 34F when I started my trek but I was still a little worried. Bass #1 at 2-3 got the blood pumping again although little did I know at the time it would be Top Bass of the day.

11:30am 14.5″ and 1-13 on a jig and craw

12:45pm 16.5″ and 2-0 on a jig and craw, just a little windy

Foolin’ – Def Leppard (1983)
“Cause baby I’m not f-f-f-foolin’”
So, once I found a bite I decided to quit fooling around pond hopping and invest some time on the spot. I guess it didn’t hurt that the first bass came from my best fishing hole on the site. All told, I would actually make a pair of stops on the lake for a total of 2.00 of my 5.25 fishing hours. During that time I landed 7 of my 16 bass including all of my Top 5 while alternating between a chatterbait and a jig and craw.

1:12pm 15″ and 1-12 on a chatterbait 

1:16pm 15.5″ and 1-13 on a chatterbait

(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I – Elvis Presley (1959)
The day encompassed 5 miles of walking which equated to more than 12,000 steps. A lot of work for those bass but it’s a stunt that I have been pulling for a long time and one I will likely continue to pursue until my body says otherwise. I was certainly spent by the time I got back to the truck after being mobile and on my feet non-stop from about 9:30am until 5:30pm. The good news is, I’m not particularly sore as I type up this report on the day after. Got a little video that I hope to share at some point to convey what the walk is all about.

Kind of fun to track but there are times when I’m not sure I want to know it was 759 steps/bass

No Top 10 Trip Tunes this time around as too much of a good thing may wear the feature thin. Besides, while I dig weekday fishing, weekday radio is too much talk and not enough tunes (especially during the morning drive). In addition, I caught the start of the Cubs game on the ride home and it proved to be the most shameful yet of a very disappointing start (6 errors and shutout in this one).

From the looks of the coming warming trend the bite should just get better. You may have to dodge a few raindrops, however, but the rewards likely will outweigh being a “Fool in the Rain” (Led Zeppelin – 1979). Plenty of fishing stuff to come. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – March 23

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Intro on the way to the fishing hole including a Top 10 Trip Tune tease

So the 2019 fishing season is officially off and running and I did manage to land a March bass as is my annual goal. When I say “a March bass” that indeed is singular as in one bass. If you caught yesterday’s Top 5 Update the lone photo of the bass was included there so I’ll do the right thing and not use it again today. Now, if it was a four or five-pounder…

Stats
Date: March 23, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL strip mine
Time: 2:15pm-6:00pm
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 52-54F
Water Temp: 50F
Totals: 1 bass
Lure: Strike King Booyah Blade spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 0-13

Fishing partner, Jim Junk, fooled this nice batch of crappies around a break for bass fishing

Notes and Nonsense

Papermouth vs. Largemouth – I met up with my friend, Jim Junk, on this trip and we shared the boat from 2:15pm-5:00pm. Before and after that time frame, Jim managed to land a nice mess of crappies, two shy of a 15 fish limit only because he tossed a few 9” fish back along the way. He repeated his crappie catching ways the following day with a haul that included a real nice 13” catch.

Second mess of crappies for Jim from the following day

One That Got Away – Yep, had one of those this time around. Jim hooked into a decent bass with a jig while fishing some brush along the edge of a trough in a shallow pocket. Most of the pocket is about 2’ deep with the trough dipping to maybe 4’. Unfortunately, I did not have the boat positioned particularly well and his catch made a run under a laydown and came unhooked. Not sure on an estimate but made a good bend in the pole and a strong run before getting away.

The lures I chose to get it done but the bass tossed a one-hitter against the lineup on this day

Starting Lineup – I had most of my standard early season cold water arsenal tied on and truly expected the jig or Shad Rap to be the winners. Turned out that the spinnerbait got my lone bass which was encouraging as I was retrieving at a fairly moderate speed. The fish was in about 3’ of water which also had my hopes high for finding some more interested in the presentation. Wasn’t meant to be so stuck on one bass for 2019. Did have one other strike on the spinnerbait and failed on two bumps on a jig and craw, rusty after that winter I guess.

My mother-in-law bought me a dipnet for Christmas but all I managed to do was hang a loose crankbait on this day

Theme Song – I have tunes running through my head every day and I generally find some apt lyrics on replay in my mind on fishing trips. They just seem to appear as kind of a summary of the day chasing bass. On this occasion it was a bit of Pink Floyd in the form of “I have become comfortably numb.” While the weather app said it was between 52 and 54F, a decent breeze and cloud cover made for several fingers that I couldn’t feel by the time I decided to head for home.

Regardless of numbers, I had a good time on the water with a fellow angler and longtime friend. My odds of getting back out in March are slim and will stay tuned to see how things pan out for Jim. I do have April 1 marked on the fishing calendar with a vacation day from work and some walk-in bass fishing on the agenda. We’ll see how that works out after losing 20 pounds last fall. Found 16 of them back this winter though. Man, winter ain’t good for nothing.

Top 10 Trip Tunes to come and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report 1/5/19

Posted on by Troy Jackson

  

Tough just to find and reach some open water to even get started fishing

Okay, let’s get this detail out of the way.

I failed to catch a bass during my two hours of January fishing this past Saturday.

And now, on with the report anyway.

Afternoon temps were favorable and brought out a fellow fishing fool

Stats
Date: January 5, 2019
Location: Knox County, IL strip mines (first 3 frozen, one partially open)
Time: 1:45pm-3:45pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 51F
Water Temp: no gauge
Totals: 0 bass
Lures:
Strike King Rattlin’ Pro Model 3/8 oz. jig (green pumpkin) with Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple Craw trailer (pepper frog hot orange)
Rapala Shad Rap (blue)
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)

Notes and Nonsense

Hard Water – New Year’s Day reports of largely open water, relatively mild temps and some recent rain had my hopes up that all of my fishing holes would at least be partially accessible via boat. But as the clip below shows, my hopes were pretty much dashed.

 

Desperate Times – Open water about 50 feet from the frozen ramp was my only shot as I did not want to waste the hour drive and the rare shot at my January bass. My eight foot johnboat had to assume the role of icebreaker and even at 40 plus years old it was up to the task. The video below takes a look at the icy conditions that gripped most of the lake and how the afternoon sun and wind action began to loosen that grip a bit.

 

Antique Angling – That 40-year old boat gets hauled to the lake in a 21-year old truck whose driver side door no longer opens. This makes for some added fun for the 51-year old guy who drives it as explained in the following video (also features a further look at the lake conditions). Don’t know if the old and broke fishing niche is covered yet by the YouTube crowd so I may be onto something…stay tuned.

 

Hey, no fish but believe me, it’s just cool to be writing a firsthand fishing report this time of year even though I failed to get on the board. Most years I’ve still got a couple months to go before one of my lures gets a chance to hit open water so this was definitely a bonus opportunity. I was fortunate that I was afforded time to give it a go and you will never hear a complaint from this guy after going fishing. Excuses… maybe…

 

All is not lost either as I managed to get a “Top 10 Trip Tunes” list out of the adventure so don’t touch that dial. Talk to you later. Troy