March 30, 2008 Little John Conservation Club 18.5″ 2-13 Chatterbait (white)

Week 3 of the Friday Flashback series breaks away from Emstrom’s Pond as featured the first two postings. After losing our access to the old favorite pond in 2004, I needed to find another locale to start my fishing year. Didn’t take much thought as the focus shifted to the Knox County strip mines, both public and private.

For quite a few years now, my goal has been to post my first bass in March and going back to 2002 I’ve managed to do just that every year to present. May not sound like much of a feat but weather, responsibilities and a bunch of kids can make it a challenge. And while it would be nice to slow time down a bit in regards to that last item, we have reached the point where one of the boys is ready to tag along for a March outing (a report for another day on how we did today).

The bass featured today came from a 2008 trip to Little John Conservation Club as I achieved that whole March bass goal by about the narrowest of margins. This was my first bass of the year on the next to last day of the month and was the only one I could muster in three hours of casting.

Original log entry of the outing, not much to report but happy to get on the board

Now this picture leaves much to be desired similar to more than a few others in the photo album. I’m not sure why I did not get a better shot though as I had entered the world of do over, digital photography at this point but apparently did not check the pic before releasing my catch. It is apparent that this shot comes from the days before I began packing along a tripod to assist with the pre-selfie selfies. Instead, I used to prop my camera up on a stack of utility boxes to get the shot and that is likely what serves as the white border in this washed out photo. Still holding the fish in front of my face too, despite Julie’s advice on shooting better fishing pics.

 Chatterbait with twin tail trailer – easily the Top Lure of the day as it caught the only bass

And speaking of photographs, I believe that I have at least a moderate form of what I like to call a piscatorial photographic memory. For while this is a decent bass at 18.5” and weighed in at 2-13, it certainly does not qualify as one of those “trophy” moments on the water. Yet, I can still tell you exactly where I caught this fish, even though I won’t. I will tell you what I caught it on and that was a white Chatterbait. It just so happens to be my current Chatterbait Top Bass which likely pales in comparison to the top Chatterbait bass of many anglers. I have seen catches and heard tales that easily outclass this fish but it’s just never been my forte or go to bait. Perhaps someday I’ll leave my favorites at home and give myself some much needed practice with this lure.

Nah…Talk to you later. Troy

Welcome to my latest project entitled “Friday Flashback” that takes a look back at the pics, stats and reports (in many cases) from the fishing hole. Similar to the “Trapping Tuesday” postings that ran during trapping season, this one will look back 5, 10, 15…30 years at memories from time well spent on the water. I guess all of these fishing logs, photo albums and blog entries actually come in handy.

To kick off the series we visit a classic fishing hole known as Emstrom’s Pond located just west of Galesburg, IL. The name arose from the fellow who granted Dad permission to fish the spot back in 1988, Dwight Emstrom, who ran a local trucking company. It seems that his sister lived on/owned the land with the pond. From 1988 through 2004, when we lost access to the pond, we caught a lot of fish including many pretty darn nice bass. Suffice to say, this won’t be the only visit we’ll pay to Emstrom’s Pond during Friday’s to come.

March 20, 2003 Emstrom’s Pond 2-10 (18″) Jig & Pig
My wife, Julie, always gave me a rough time about holding the fish in front of my face but what would you rather see?

Today’s inaugural flashback features a catch from 15 years ago this week. Below is an excerpt of the original report that featured the catch and was emailed to family and friends on April 5, 2003 in the days before I became an official blogger.

“During the past three weeks, I have fished Emstrom’s Pond and the Little John strip mines with limited success. Tops was a six bass day at Emstrom’s Pond and low was a shutout at Little John. Most of my forays at Emstrom’s Pond consisted of an hour or hour and a half before or after work. Little John outings included visits to Jake, Muskrat, Club and Skeet Lakes. Top producer at Emstrom’s Pond was a 1/4 oz. jig (black/blue) with a pork frog #11 or #11G (black, blue or blue glitter) fished on the Beaver Lodge. At Little John, I picked up bass on a Rapala Rattlin’ Rap (brown craw) off tops and drops of main lake points, jigs around fallen trees and a Mepps #5 (white/rainbow trout) along dropoffs.”

Actual log entry from the day on the water

Today’s bass came on the six bass day referenced above and preceded my standard Stat recap that is a feature in all of my latest fishing reports. So, better late than never.

Stats
Date: March 20, 2003
Location: Emstrom’s Pond – west of Galesburg, IL
Time: 9:30am-10:45am
Weather: Overcast/light rain
Air Temp: 52F
Water Temp: 43F
Totals: 6 bass
Lures: ¼ oz. Jig (black/blue) with #11G pork frog (black/blue glitter)
Top Bass: 2-10 (18”) Jig & Pig
Top 5 Weight: 7-2 (2-10,1-4,1-2,1-1,1-1)

All in all, not too shabby of a day considering only 75 minutes on the water. Had a lot of those days over the years at Emstrom’s so you haven’t seen the last of the flashbacks from this old favorite. Talk to you later. Troy

When I caught a few bass back on November 4, I accomplished my annual goal with bookend bass spanning March to November. Thus, I was content to put away my gear and call it another successful year on the water for 2017. However, Mother Nature threw a welcome wrench into that plan with 50 degree temperatures to kick off December. Fortunately, I was able to find time to get away, looking for one more bite.

Stats
Date: December 2, 2017
Location: Knox County, IL Strip Mines (3 lakes)
Time: 9:55am-2:15pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 44-59F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 1 bass
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap SR07 (blue)
Weight: 2-4

Notes & Nonsense

A favorite bit of breakfast fuel, tasty but need to re-think my intake as the previous pic of my catch shows a substantial increase in the gut below the GoPro, sounds like resolution time.

Super Sonic Combo – There’s a Sonic Drive-In just a few blocks from home and it’s right on my route to the fishing hole. I dig their Super Sonic burrito as it provides a great way to kick off my morning with a jalapeno punch. Problem is, it doesn’t open until 6:00am and I’m usually well on my way to the water by then. But when you get a chance to fish in December, you also get a chance to sleep in a bit to let the sun rise and its rays do whatever they can to warm the mood of the bass.

12/7/2001 – my last December outing goes all the way back to this 2-6 from Emstrom’s Pond on a jig & pig 

December Flashback – The only December bass I had on record prior to this trip came from an old favorite spot that we called Emstrom’s Pond. The three bass in the log were caught on three trips during the first week of December 2001. All came on a black and blue jig and pig on a classic piece of structure, The Beaver Lodge. I’m sure there have been a few reasonable December days in the interim but I’ve just never pulled the trigger. This year I figured that it was high time to just do it instead of only thinking about it and later wishing I’d given it a go.

Cold Water Arsenal
Top to bottom in above photo as follows:
Rapala Shadow Rap Deep jerkbait (purpledescent color) – still have trouble fishing this slow enough to be effective
Strike King Pro Model 6XD crankbait (citrus shad) – this one dives deeper than most of the water I was fishing but that was the point as I wanted it digging bottom or skimming weeds, also wanted a large bait for a large bass
Yum 3” Wooly Curltail Grub (green pumpkin) – classic cold or tough bite bait that I reel as slowly as possible in order to stay just off the bottom
Rattling jig & pig (black/blue) – my number one cold water bait ever, employed on this trip on several points, pockets and pieces of wood structure
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – pushing my luck a bit in December as I find this bait better in the warm up of spring more than the pre-ice of late fall
Rapala Shad Rap SR07 (blue) – a classic cold water crankbait that I fish as slowly as I can reel waiting for a heavy feel as bites aren’t usually rod shaking in the cold

Only lure of the day that produced bites

Winning Lure – I had a total of three bites and all were on the Rapala Shad Rap. One came before my catch and another came after but both of those managed to get loose shortly after the hookset. It never ceases to amaze how a bass can elude those treble hooks but it happens. What was also fun about the Shad Rap coming through is the fact this particular lure is well over 20 years old as evidenced by the stouter, replacement treble hooks that I used to put on many of my crankbaits back in the day.

GoPro – I got this catch on video like a number of others this year and have included the snip above from the footage. I’m not quite sure what lies in store for my clips but have contemplated working them into some future blog and Facebook postings. Whatever the case, it has been a fun addition to the fishing experience that I hope to expand upon for 2018.

This December catch was icing on the cake to a great year on the water.  It’s been a lot of fun relating it here on the blog as well as the Facebook page. But while my fishing year may be over, the writing keeps rolling on. Stay tuned for a strong batch of December postings to finish 2017 and kick off 2018. Talk to you later. Troy

Been a while since a fishing report and likely going to be a whole lot longer until another new one as this November 4 outing is probably the 2017 finale. But what a year it was and perhaps will have to revisit it with a few recap postings as the 2018 kickoff nears. First things first though, as I set out last Saturday afternoon to meet my annual goal, a November bass before putting away the gear.

Last trip of 2017, over 30 years of rowing, many miles, many bass, many tales with this old companion

Stats
Date: November 4, 2017
Locations: Little John Conservation Club (2 lakes)
Time: 2:40pm-5:55pm
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Air Temp: 48-51F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 3 bass
Lures:
1/4 oz. Rattling Jig (black/blue) with #11 pork frog (black) – 1 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-12 KVD 2.5 crankbait
Weight (2 bass at 12” or >): 2-10 (1-12,0-14)

3:52pm First Bass 12″ 0-14 Jig & Pig

Notes & Nonsense

Uplifted – A rainy day, a frustrating week of work, the general weight of getting by and the end of my fishing year in sight kind of had me in a surly mood as I readied my gear for an early afternoon departure. In fact, one my boys, Jayce, was really itching to go but conditions were just not favorable prompting me to comment to Julie that he was more enthused than I was. Not entirely true but just the mindset I was in. But as I cranked the truck and turned on my radio, an old 80s cut had me headed towards a better mood. Thanks, Larry Blackmon and Cameo, as “Word Up” kicked off a better mood as did a string of other tunes, a Top 10 list for another day.

So Close – It took me about 45 minutes to get the bite I was seeking. It came on a jig and pig worked around some overhanging bushes and it sure seemed like I had the monkey off my back as I swung the bass into the boat. However, it came unhitched en route and ended up back in the drink before I ever got a hold of it. Not a lunker by any stretch, maybe a pound, but I was sure disappointed and left wondering if I might have just missed my lone shot at the sought after November catch.

4:30pm Last Bass and Top Bass 15″ 1-12 KVD 2.5 Squarebill crankbait

Second Chance – Fortunately, I only had to cast for about twenty more minutes before another bass took a liking to my jig. Once again, no trophy but didn’t matter a bit to me as I had achieved my goal and the rest of the day would be icing on the cake. Two more bass joined the log over the next forty minutes before the day ended with an hour shutout on a second lake where I normally find some late season lipless crankbait success.

Had to shoot a final 2017 fishing farewell pic in the fading daylight

As I noted in the intro, I suspected that this trip would be the 2017 finale and a combination of responsibilities, work and less than ideal weather on the horizon pretty much seal the deal. But what a year it’s been for me with a personal best Top 5 haul that started off back on March 4 with a 6-2 for my very first bass of the year. Not surprisingly, I never found another to exceed that mark but did fool a couple within shouting distance. No complaints here, never are, as it’s always a treat to get on the water and try and figure them out. Hope to have some more fishing stuff and various other postings throughout the “off season” so stop by to fend off some Cabin Fever. Talk to you later. Troy

Public strip mine fishing access is fading fast at my stomping grounds in favor of the waterfowl so had to get some casting in before me and my fellow anglers get cast aside.

7:39am First bass 14″ 1-7 Chatterbait

Stats
Date: October 8, 2017
Locations: Knox County, IL strip mines (2 public, 1 private lake)
Time: 7:35am-2:20pm (4.25 hours fishing, the rest walking or driving)
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 50-76F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 16 bass
Lures:
Swim Jig with hammertail trailer – 4 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (rainbow) – 3 bass
Stanley Vibra Shaft spinnerbait (blue glimmer) – 3 bass
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Booyah Counterstrike spinnerbait (salt & pepper) – 1 bass
Chatterbait (bluegill) with Zako trailer (smoke) – 1 bass
Rapala Shadow Rap (blue back herring) – 1 bass
Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Blue Glimmer spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (2-2,1-12,1-9,1-7,1-4)

A real Smorgasbord with my 16 bass coming on these 8 different baits, lots of one and done, a rather odd performance from the bass

Notes & Nonsense

Good Start – It took only four minutes on my first lake to get on the board with a 1-7 which was followed up twelve minutes later with a solid 2-2. An encouraging start on a lake that had produced three keepers including a 3-8 a month earlier in only 30 minutes of casting. My aim was to invest a little more time and have a closer look so it was cool that my first two bass were quality and the second was bigger than the first. I was hoping that sort of trend would continue but it did not pan out in terms of size although eleven bass in two hours was a darn good success rate.

7:51am Top Bass 16″ 2-2 Blue Glimmer spinnerbait

8:54am 13″ 1-4 Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

Top 5 – Of those first eleven bass, seven came in at 12” or better and five of those would make up my Top 5 for the day. Sure thought I would be on my way to double digits and beyond with two bass at 3-9 in less than 15 minutes of casting. As it turned out, my first two hours on the water resulted in my Top 5 and I spent the next two hours failing to catch a fish meeting the 12” mark.

Wasted Walk – I fished a spot in September that I hadn’t visited for many years and caught a couple bass while prowling a limited stretch of accessible bank. On this trip I took a second shot at the lake while fishing from my little johnboat and never had a single bite. Very disappointing to say the least as I really had high hopes on this lake as I cannot see it receiving much pressure due to a somewhat remote locale and only a few spots offering decent bank access. Turned out to be a lot of work for nothing, literally.

8:58am 15″ 1-12 Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

9:22am 14″ 1-9 Swim Jig

Smorgasbord – It was really a kind of strange day as I could never truly get anything going in terms of getting a lure or two dialed in as my sixteen bass came on eight different lures. In fact, my first four bass all came on different baits over the course of 45 minutes on the water. The first on a chatterbait, then nothing further. Switched up to the Blue Glimmer and hooked up right away, then nothing. Same scenario with a KVD Rattling Squarebill followed by a Shadow Rap and then another lull. I then found three on the 1- and was about to relocate when I happened upon a swim jig bite for four more before the lake shut down altogether. The variety was fun but also a little frustrating as I just couldn’t find a consistent and lasting winner.

First Swim Jig bass of 2017, one of my earlier resolutions accomplished

Are you kidding me? The old Blue Glimmer spinnerbait I’d just brought back into the starting lineup bites the dust.

Lure Highs and Lows – I would say that the highpoint of my outing was fooling several on the swim jig. This neglected lure was on the list to throw in 2017 but I had never gotten around to it and really kind of tied it on as a whim to simply try and fool at least one. Wound up with four in about twenty minutes including one of my Top 5. The lowlight would be busting off the top blade on the recently resurrected Blue Glimmer spinnerbait while reeling in a short bass near the end of my day. Crazy, as I had just posted a bit about the return of this bait, opening it from a package I’d had sitting around for better than fifteen years. I’d never busted a blade off in all the years I fished these things but here in 2017, after less than a dozen catches, it was broke.

So, it’s getting to be that time where thoughts of that “last bass” begin to enter my mind. My goal every year is to start with a March bass and end with a November bass. Well, the shot at that latter bookend is only three weeks away. I am not sure what lies in store for the next month or better as much depends on weather and responsibilities but I hope to get in at least a couple more days on the water before I call it quits for 2017. As always, I’ll keep you posted. Talk to you later. Troy