Quite the chronology from 30 years ago this week.

Dateline: May 12, 1989 – Ripon, WI

Came up short in 1989 but had to include the 1986 results for fun, another story for another day.

On May 12, 1989, I played my last ever baseball game, a 5-4 loss to Lawrence University during the Midwest Conference Championship. Remember how it all went down all these years later too, had a perfect view from my second base position. A bases loaded walk on a 3-2 pitch that was too close to take. Still ticked off at the batter for not taking a cut and more so at the ump for not having the guts to call a strike a strike. The 1989 MLB draft then came and went without a call (that’s a joke) so it was on to a number of years on the softball diamond which just didn’t compare.

So, how does a guy get his mind right after an irritating way to end a career?

Why, you go fishing, of course, as the “box score” and pics detail below.

Dateline: May 14, 1989 – Ponder’s Pond outside of Knoxville, IL

Dateline: May 16, 1989 – Ponder’s Pond outside of Knoxville, IL

Dateline: May 17, 1989 – Lake Storey near Galesburg, IL

Dateline: May 18, 1989 – Lake Storey near Galesburg, IL

Funny how some things change over the years…and some don’t.

Thirty years later I haven’t been bass fishing yet in the month of May, let alone four out of five days.

However, including this coming weekend I will have participated in four baseball games in the last eight days. Even spent much of the time near my old stomping grounds at the hot corner. Nowadays though, I am on the foul side of the line in the third base coach’s box helping to guide a squad of 7-9 year olds. And thirty years removed from my final inning between the lines, I find it is the right place to be as I ponder, “How did I use to do that?”

You know, things like bend over for a grounder, throw a ball across the diamond or sprint to my position (I still do my best 51 year-old jog though so as not to get in trouble with my dad). Fortunately, the other aspect of today’s flashback is still attainable as I continue to get around the fishing holes just fine.

Now, if I only had time.

Talk to you later. Troy

4-29-09 these two seem impressed by Dad’s meager morel haul

As a mushroom hunter I’m not what one would term a success. A couple noteworthy finds over the years but generally speaking if I can hit double digits I’m lucky. Today’s flashback got it all done at once as noted below in a morel wrap-up from 10 years ago this week.

Originally posted 4-29-09

While approaching the entrance to Banner Marsh we spied a pair of mushroom hunters. From the looks of their grocery sacks (should use mesh bags by the way) it appeared that they were enjoying some success. A co-worker also reported finding around five pounds in the Wataga area this past weekend.

As for myself, I actually found a couple dozen during a few hours roaming Little John on 4/29. Fifteen good sized ones came from one spot including ten that were growing together in a clump. I’d never seen that many clustered so close together and considered leaving them so someone else might also enjoy the spectacle. Okay, maybe not. I did take a photo to share the find with others and then picked them so I could also share them with my family. Considering my past morel history, I guess it’s already a banner year.

Even I couldn’t miss this clump of ten morels 

Well, that’s probably as close as I’ll get to mushroom hunting this year as just too much other stuff going on. Definitely enjoyable roaming the woods but going to be spending time instead prowling the ball diamond as an assistant coach and if I do find free time I am one to choose fish over fungus. Talk to you later. Troy

 

Now this is when the Friday Flashbacks start to get more entertaining for me. Sure, it’s fun for me to reminisce about and revisit the old pics and log entries of some of my catches. But when I get to include a batch of fishing and outdoor companions, well, that just adds to the appeal in my book.

So, if you are sick of just seeing my smiling mug on Friday, hopefully the variety that heads your way as the Fridays continue to roll by will be just the cure.

This week features a Dad day with the kids at Little John Conservation Club.

Originally posted 5-2-14

An afternoon as a fishing guide/dad.

Last Saturday my wife, Julie, had some painting that she was working on around the house so it was my duty to get the kids out of the way.

Fishing sure sounds like a good fatherly sort of guided activity, right?

Anybody ever tried that one with an ambitious two year old, his four year old brother, seven year old sister and nine year old sister? It was a trip, but we all came through unscathed.

First up was bait which consists exclusively of waxworms when I fish with younger kids as they are bite-sized for bluegills and considerably less messy than dirt dwelling fish food. The gas station had them in stock but apparently they had been residing in the fridge for a while as close to half of each container was dead. As a result, I was able to talk the clerk into a two for the price of one deal and checked one task off my list.

Next up were five lunchboxes which Julie put together while I made sure we were rigged up with slip bobbers and had five poles in casting order. In addition to waxworms, slip bobbers are a must in my book as they allow small anglers to present their baits at just the right depth while less dangling line theoretically makes them a bit less dangerous while casting.

Of course, there was a stop on the way out of town for a drink and a treat at another gas station to help everyone survive the twenty minute trip without starving or dying of thirst. The nasty combination of soda pop, juice, beef jerky, chips and dip ran just over $25. I couldn’t help but recall the days where you just got gas at the full service station complete with a window wash and your folks paid cash to the attendant who dispensed change out of one of those cool coin changer belts.

All told we fished for maybe thirty minutes in the middle of some playground fun and a picnic supper followed by another brief visit to the playground.

The funny thing is I had the little guy, Zac, rigged up with only a casting weight in the interest of decreasing the odds of someone getting hooked. Well, Jayce and Helena thought that setup looked pretty good in terms of casting practice so they asked to go that route as well. In the end it was just Carly who was actually armed with hook and bait.

Zac proceeded to get repeatedly tangled in his line as he wasn’t quite getting the concept of reel the plug back in before attempting to cast back out. His superhero pole represented Superman but at one point would have been better suited to bear the markings of another comic book character. Aquaman would have been more fitting during a bout of frustration where he up and threw the whole setup into the lake. It was retrieved and time will tell in regards to any lingering effects (on both the pole and the little guy’s interest in fishing).

Jayce did a good job with his casting practice at one point launching his plug clear across a narrow chute into a tree branch roughly a dozen feet above the lake’s surface.  He also displayed a pretty good arm tossing rocks and raising the ire of his fishing sister who informed him that he needed to find a direction other than towards her bobber.

Helena was very impressive with her casting abilities as she fired her plug record distances out into the lake. She even put her tablet down for nearly the entire trip which I found almost equally as impressive.

Carly was our lone angler and came through for us with our solitary bluegill. Prior to her success she had wondered how “you and Uncle Brent catch so many big fish.” She even requested that I make a couple casts to try my luck but I came up empty. She was quick to point this out to her mother upon our return home, boasting that she had outfished Dad (if you read some of my reports you are aware that isn’t always hard to do).

Last Saturday also happened to be the eve of Carly’s First Communion and she had several questions, seeming more than a little nervous about the whole affair. However, after her catch she related that she had “asked God” to help her catch a fish and lo and behold it worked. I’m filing that one away for the next time I’m out in the midst of a cold front.

A good time was had by all and nobody fell in the lake so all was well. About the only moment of concern was some trepidation over using an outhouse but we got through it (I will spare you the details). Overall, it sure was good to get some fresh spring air and I love it that my kids feel right at home getting out of the house; must be doing at least something right along the way.

 

Okay, a little lengthy, but hey, what do you expect when talking about kids and fishing? Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey on Easter Sunday 1999 – 20″ and 4-0 on a spinnerbait

There are some catches that stick with you and this bass is one of those. I remember it like it was yesterday although it was actually 20 Easter’s ago. And 20 years ago I could actually get away with joining forces with Dad for a Lake Storey Easter Sunday morning fishing trip.

Yep, the days of Easter egg hunts were still several years away.

I can tell you exactly where and how it was caught too and I suspect Dad can as well. A sunken Y-shaped tree in a cove in about three feet of water. A perfect setup for my Blue Glimmer spinnerbait run parallel to the structure at a pace just fast enough to keep the blades moving and the bait hugging the tree. Textbook bassing and always a great feeling when it works, makes you think you know what you are doing.

Throw in the fact that it was the largest bass I’d landed at Lake Storey up to that time and it makes for an even more memorable tale.

Original log entry

However, it was not our largest Easter bass of all-time.

Nope, that distinction still belongs to my fishing partner on this day, Dad. Not so surprisingly, I was also his fishing partner on an Easter morning in 1987. And just like today’s flashback I know exactly how and where that one was caught too, shoreline stump on a purple spinnerbait. It is the only bass I ever recall seeing caught on a purple spinnerbait. I suppose that Dad likely fooled a few others with it on that day but they kind of fade in comparison to the family Easter bass record of 5-4 (unfortunately no picture exists of this fish so you’ll just have to trust us on this one).

And that, folks, is what fishing is all about. Still telling stories about a pair of bass that were caught 20 and 32 years ago. Won’t be all that surprised if we’re telling them again in a couple weeks. After a backyard Easter egg hunt these days, however. Talk to you later. Troy

March 25, 2004 at Emstrom’s Pond 20″ and 3-10 on a Rapala Rattlin’ Rap

This bass comes from the days when my lipless crankbait of choice was the Rapala Rattlin’ Rap. Nowadays I lean more towards the Strike King Red Eye Shad but I did once again have that old Rapala bait in tow just about a year ago during a tribute to an old Major League ballplayer. However, it did not get into the lineup as another Rapala bait, the Fat Rap, scored on that day. After you finish today’s flashback post I encourage you to click here for the “Le Grande Orange” post to read all about last year’s outing and a nod to the late Rusty Staub.

Rapala Rattlin’ Rap (brown craw), still have this lure in a tacklebox somewhere

But I’m off on a tangent here as the aim today is to go back just a little farther than last year. Yep, we’re going all the way back to when I was just a husband. At the time of this fishing trip it was just me and Julie as parenthood was still 98 days away.

I asked one of our boys, Jayce, what was different about Dad in the picture?

His reply, “Your beard, it’s not gray.” Right on the money, that’s the answer I was looking for.

I then asked, what was different about Mom and Dad’s life fifteen years ago?

His reply, “No kids. Well, Helena was close.”

Yep, right again, young man. He wasn’t sure if there was a correlation between those answers but I suspect this bunch of youngsters has at least contributed in some manner.

Of course, Julie pointed out that I am 51 years old, so…

Original log entry from the trip 

Anyway, I have a good time looking back at such pics and trips and this one also is also accompanied by the brief original write-up from 2004 as follows:

March 25 – Shortly after arriving home from work, the phone rang. All Brent had to say was, “I’m over at Mom and Dad’s.” I interpreted the statement as an invitation to hit Emstrom’s and asked my wife for permission. A half an hour later I clamped down on the lip of a 3-10 bass that had both trebles of a Rattlin’ Rap (brown craw) stuck firmly in the side of its mouth. We fished for around an hour and a half and I caught our other two fish on the same lure with one weighing 1-3 and one 0-13. It sure was nice of Brent to invite me fishing and row me around the lake on the windy day. Water temperature was 48 F with overcast skies and 55 F air temperature. Jigs, spinnerbaits and crankbaits produced a couple of missed strikes.

Sometimes fishing out of the back of the boat can be beneficial

One final note as I close is that it is cool to see myself in the back of the boat and as referenced in the above report that means that Brent was on the oars. Gotta dig that on a windy day on an old favorite farm pond. Over the years I suppose that I returned the favor and paid my dues in taking one for the team.

Fishing is finally on the horizon for 2019 so talk to you later. Troy