Category: Flashbacks

Saturday Flashback – July 6, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

There’s more to a fishing trip than just the casts and catches. In the case of the trip Julie and I took to Emiquon on July 6, 2012, there was plenty to tell from before, during and after the adventure. Read on for the rest of the story as detailed in an original blog entry from July 16, 2012, entitled “One Hot Fishing Date”.

The July 6 visit to The Emiquon Preserve featured a guest angler in the person of my wife, Julie. It marked the first time that we were able to share a boat since May 6, 2010, when I took her fishing at Emiquon for a sort of Mother’s Day gift (kind of an early Father’s Day gift to myself as well). She outfished me on that outing 11 to 8 and I often joke about not taking someone fishing again if they outdo me. As you can see, that is only said for effect as just over two years later she got to tag along again. Truthfully, I’d enjoy her company anytime, but it is a near impossibility for both parents to get away from four kids ranging in age from one to eight. You got the results from the trip in an earlier post but here’s a second batch of thoughts and pictures for a wrap up.

Logistics – How did we pull this trip off? On Friday, our van and our baby, Zac, went to my folks here in Galesburg in exchange for Dad’s truck. Me, Helena, and Carly drove it while Julie and Jayce followed in our truck to Canton for an overnight for all of us with Julie’s mom and stepdad. The kids stayed while Julie and I left for Emiquon at about 5:00am and returned around 2:30pm. Julie and the girls then brought her mom’s car to Galesburg while I brought Jayce in Dad’s truck to leave our truck in Canton to help haul some items home from a weekend trip to Quincy. Our truck was returned on Sunday and traded for the car while I had already taken Dad’s truck back to exchange for our van and our baby on Saturday night. Piece of cake.

Tunes – Me and my girls (Helena age 8 and Carly age 6) had an enjoyable time on our drive to Canton with some classic rock radio surfing. I was enthused as my favorite Bob Dylan tune, “Tangled Up in Blue,” kicked off the trip but even more tickled by Carly’s reaction, “Oh, this is my favorite.” Helena then did a solid version of the chorus of Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice” while learning on the fly. When I informed my crew that Steely Dan performed “Reelin’ in The Years,” Carly blurted out, “He’s my favorite singer!” Occasionally I lost control of the airwaves upon stumbling upon some teeny bopper tune where the girls would sing right along having learned the words to the tunes via the P.A. system at the local pool.

Professional Overrun (aka backlash) – By the way, I did get clearance from Julie to share this item and the above photo, hence there will be no backlash of a different sort that would potentially be much more difficult to clear up. Anyway, Julie inquired about a baitcasting lesson to enhance her angling skills beyond her spinning rig. I provided a brief primer and a casting demonstration but in hindsight should’ve selected a combo with a better magnetic braking system on the reel paired with a more forgiving action on the rod. It didn’t work out so well and she opted to wait for another day to try again. I’m thinking casting plugs in the backyard.

Bass Thumb – This affliction is the norm at Emiquon, and this trip was no exception. However, I got an extra dose beyond my catch as I pitched in lipping and unhooking all of Julie’s bass as well. She is certainly capable of managing the task herself but for me it was part gentleman, part guide. For Julie, who hijacked my rough draft of this posting, she inquired, “Is that angler’s chivalry?”

Rambling Guide – About midway through our trip, Julie said to me, “You’d make a good fishing show host as you are always talking.” She also mentioned that some anglers may be leery of taking their wife fishing for fear of conversation spooking the fish. I informed her that I was chatty due to being nervous under the pressure of putting my client on some fish. Fortunately, the Emiquon bass were listening as my running commentary was all about them and their ability to make a memorable day for a fisherman, and more importantly in this case, a fisherwoman.

We had a great day and have the pictures and stories to prove it. Not everyone would’ve braved the heat advisory conditions and consequently they would’ve missed another productive day on The Emiquon Preserve. Even so, I will admit that it did cross my mind that the only things missing from the photo of Julie and I are a pair of those corny old “I’m with Stupid” t-shirts.

And that folks, is the rest of the story. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – July 6, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With four kids from ages one to eight back in the summer of 2012, there wasn’t a whole lot of date nights. However, Julie and I did manage a fishing date as described below in excerpts from the original July 10, 2012 blog entry.

As the saying goes, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” So, despite the recent run of 100 degree plus temperatures it was an opportunity to fish, and I wasn’t about to pass it up due to something called a “heat advisory.” To be honest, I’m always more concerned about the wind when planning a trip to Emiquon. All was well and I was happy to have the company of a fellow fishing fool. Here’s the first of a two-part fishing report detailing how it all worked out.

6:13am Julie on the board with our first catch

Date: July 6, 2012
Location: The Emiquon Preserve
Time: 6:10am-12:25 pm
Weather: Sunny/calm
Air Temp: 80-100F
Water Temp: 90F
Totals: 40 bass (Troy – 26 Julie – 14)
Lures: Booyah Counter Strike Spinnerbait (snow white) – 15 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (copper shad) – 12 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 10 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (red crawfish) – 2 bass, 5” Yamasenko weighted wacky rig (rainbow trout) – 1 bass
Top Bass: Troy 2-5 Booyah Counter Strike Spinnerbait (snow white)
Weight (Top 5): 10-9 (2-5, 2-2, 2-2, 2-0, 2-0)

 

Notes & Nonsense

“Helter Skelter in a summer swelter” (quick, name the tune and artist) – I’ve written in the past about Emiquon’s propensity for giving up numbers in the right place at the right time. We hit those windows/spots a pair of times as follows: 6:13am-8:01am produced 23 of our bass and 10:46am-12:22pm produced another 15 bass. That left two bass landed in the gap in these times as we explored a stretch that had produced just a month earlier. Despite similar structure, schools of baitfish and a variety of presentations, the bass just wouldn’t cooperate. Eventually, we wound up back near where we had started in time for the bass in the area to turn on once again.

Hot Seats and More – The calm and balmy conditions made any exposed surfaces of the boat painful to touch. Boat cushions were a must and we even had to put on gloves to load the boat into the back of the truck. Our granola bars were a mess and once the water bottles came out of the cooler, they were nearly instantaneously lukewarm. The truck read 109 when we got in and went as high as 112 before gradually decreasing during the ride. The bank in Lewistown read 108 and while probably a bit of a stretch, does pinpoint accuracy really matter when it’s just plain hot?

100 Degree Bass – A little after noon I told Julie that we needed one more bass just to say we caught one in hundred-degree weather. At 12:22pm I reeled in the fish pictured above to get my wish and then we called it quits a few casts later. My original plan was to fish until 1:00pm but I was satisfied with our effort and results a half hour short of the target. Apparently, Julie was as well for she did not debate the decision and after the work of loading our gear we were even more convinced that we’d done the right thing.

As always with an Emiquon trip, I could go on and on…

And I will go on and on, with a bonus Flashback Saturday post featuring some more notes from this outing. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – July 7, 1987

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, here we are at the mid-point of the final year of “Friday Flashback”. Week twenty-one of the forty-one week stroll down Memory Lane. Lots of fish and favorite fishing holes, fishing partners and fishing lures have found their way into the project over the years and today’s post covers all the above.

The spot was affectionately known as “The Ponderosa” and was the site of several fishing trips with my three amigos back between 1987 and 1989. As best I can recall, my buddy, Matt Reynolds, was the ringleader in gaining access to Ponder’s Pond, outside of Knoxville, Illinois. Along with Matt, the Junk brothers, John and Mark, also joined forces in pursuit of some solid bass. The pond was just the right size for a couple hours to get away and the Ponder family had a johnboat along the shore for use. Of course, before launching, it was wise to give it a shake while upside down to rid it of any snakes that took a liking to the cover it provided. However, I seem to remember a mouse going for a ride with us at one point.

The crew circa 1991 – Mark Junk, John Junk, Troy Jackson and Matt Reynolds

Winning Ponder’s lures – Sidewinder Worm, Triple Ripple Worm, Spinnerbait and Zara Spook

Beyond the Who’s Who of anglers, an old school collection of lures proved to be successful on the pond. As noted in the log entry for the July 7, 1987 trip, winners were the Bass Pro Shops Triple Ripple Worm and a classic white tandem spinnerbait. A look at the record book below also shows that the Zara Spook was quite effective in fooling some good bass. The natural frog pattern brings back memories as it became nicknamed “The Pickle” upon endearing itself with its effectiveness. I still have a “Pickle” in my tacklebox, but the original was accidentally launched into a cornfield near the southeast corner or Ponder’s Pond, never to be found.

Zara Spook in the natural frog pattern, aka “The Pickle”

The pond seemed to have a feast or famine personality in terms of landing quality fish. If the first few bass you landed were small ones, it often set the tone for the rest of the trip. In contrast, if you caught a large bass early in an outing, you likely would see some more before the trip was over.

Ponder’s Pond Top 10 Bass list

Only a handful of pictures of those bass reside in my photo album but a picture of the pond remains fresh in my mind. A branch breaking the surface along the dam just out from the “ramp” could hold a good fish when bumping around with a Sidewinder worm. Didn’t matter what color as long as it was black or purple. Some evening shade from overhanging trees along the west bank and a laydown were ideal for a white spinnerbait. A shallow finger to the southwest with a tree was a prime spot for “The Pickle” as was the southeast point. The east bank dotted with lilypads also set up well for various presentations as you finished your initial lap and “pondered” making a second pass.

One of my favorites from a series of action shots snapped by an old friend, Matt Reynolds

Great times with great friends and some darn good fish in those early days of trying to be bassmasters. Often, the trip was wrapped up at a couple other watering holes, The East End and The Green Diamond taverns as they were kind of on the way home. Some of those memories are a little fuzzy. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – July 1, 1987

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Original log entry from July 1, 1987 on what is now known as Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster

No pictures were taken from the July 1, 1987 outing referenced in today’s title, so the only evidence of this trip is my old fishing log and some memories. Both aspects and plenty more on the “fishing guide” for that trip are covered in today’s ramble.

Original log entry from July 1, 1987 continued

Best I can tell, I met Larry Smith in the late 1970s while tagging along to a few meetings of the Galesburg chapter of the Furtakers of America, a trapping organization. He was acquainted with my dad and my uncle through this hobby, and they also noted that he was a good fisherman.

Lake Storey topographic map procured for me by Larry

In the mid-80s, I began working summers for the Galesburg Park Department where Larry was also employed and struck up a friendship largely due to our shared interest in fishing. Along the way, Larry invited Brent and I to fish what was then known as “The Big State Lake”, which would later become Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster. Our July 1, 1987 trip pre-dated public access to the site by three years. All told we landed close to 120 bass in the crystal-clear waters amidst what looked like a flooded forest above and below the surface. Besides the fish, it was an amazing experience as visibility on the lake easily extended beyond twenty feet deep.

As the years passed, I would cross paths with Larry at Lake Storey from time to time whether he was fishing or assisting fisheries biologist Ken Russell and crew with sampling surveys. Speaking of Ken Russell, Larry hooked me up with Ken on several fishing surveys around the area. I thoroughly enjoyed manning the front of Ken’s electrofishing boat and scooping up the stunned fish before they regained their senses and swam back into the depths. Larry passed along a favorite compliment of mine as he related that Ken had told him that I was “the second-best fish dipper he’d ever had in his boat.” Of course, Larry followed that statement up by adding that he was ranked number one. No problem in being runner-up to that guy.

I was sworn to secrecy on some of the info on a public area fishing hole

Beginning in 2012, Larry and I struck up an email conversation that would span the next nine plus years and cover more fishing and trapping stories than one can imagine. I can only guess that the ongoing communication consisted of well over a thousand sends and replies as we rambled. Many “secrets” were swapped from our shared experiences on Lake Storey, Lake Bracken and Little John going back to the 1980s for me and beyond for Larry. He provided me with a topographic map of Lake Storey and some prized photos from a completely drained Lake Storey back in the 1960s. From my end of the conversations, I was quite proud to reveal a piece of Lake Storey structure to Larry that he did not know existed. And, trust me, there wasn’t much that he didn’t know about that fishing hole.

Top Secret Lake Storey communication from Larry with insider info from the 1960s

Larry was an outstanding multi-species angler and a master when using the Berkely Gulp Minnow. On August 19, 2021, he sent me an email relating, “Two days ago, caught a musky at Lake Storey to complete my catching every species of fish that swims there on a Gulp minnow. Caught a bullhead, a redear and a flathead this year prior to the musky. Me thinks this is a very good bait much like your sexy shad.” Larry also inquired about getting my cell number to send some pics and texts regarding the muskie and some other recent catches.

Dedicated a portion of a September 2021 trip to Larry’s favorite, the Gulp Minnow

Later that same day, August 19, 2021, Larry texted me a batch of his latest multi-species catches including the muskie pic below. Sadly, that was the final correspondence from our decades of swapping fish tales as Larry passed away on August 28, 2021.

August 19, 2021 – Larry and his Gulp Minnow muskie from Lake Storey

Sure do miss the man and those fish stories. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 29, 2002

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

The final year of “Friday Flashback” just wouldn’t be complete without a revisit to a Henderson County spot that we called “Pat’s Creek.”

 

Over the years, we enjoyed many a wade from “Where We Get In” to “Where We Get Out” and all points in between. Even though we lost access many years ago, the memories remain of places like “The Roots”, “The Culvert”, “The Bridge”, “The Deep Hole”, and “The German Torpedo.”

Toss in a dew worm and you never know what will show up on the end of the line. Channel catfish, common carp, flathead catfish, and freshwater drum were the most popular catches, but the occasional smallmouth bass, walleye, green sunfish, or bluegill would also show up from time to time.

Documenting such trips took some care and planning as we waded the stained water. I always took a spare fishing log and tried to pack the camera in a Ziploc bag in the event I took a tumble on an unseen underwater obstruction. Back when the creek was deep, I also had to hold my gear over my head or stick to the shallow side when such a feature existed.

Scaling down on your gear was also a priority as you pretty much had to have everything you needed on your person as you waded. In some spots you could find a place on the bank to stash an item as you fished but for the most part the banks were steep or bordered with gunk where you could sink to your knees. In a couple of the photos from today’s post, I do see what Dad called “The Supertub.” This plastic tub provided a floating platform for gear and was towed around the creek via a rope as needed.

Good times, good memories, good fishing partners, and some good fish. Talk to you later. Troy

Saturday Flashback – June 7, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today is a stat and photo heavy supplemental post to yesterday’s Friday Flashback. The point of the post is to convey that those bass down there were built differently, bit differently, and generally behaved differently. Basically, the length to weight ratio was more robust and it was highly unusual to catch any that were not “keepers” (under twelve inches). The latter feature was what we found most phenomenal, especially for a public fishery. Most places require running through a batch of “dinks” (short fish under 12”) to fool a few good ones.

Excerpt below from the original June 13, 2012 blog post

While I have learned a thing or two about bass fishing during the last four decades, the numbers to follow say a heck of a lot more about the fishery than the fisherman. I don’t know where most anyone out there fishes but I have never experienced a body of water (especially a public access body of water) that can hold a candle to the mix of quantity and quality that can be found at Emiquon. Mind you, it still takes some work and knowhow but oh the reward for paying your dues.

 

Back in the day, you had to make sure that you had plenty of space on the SD card in the camera as the quality catches could add up in a hurry.

The Numbers from June 7, 2012

0-14 Average weight of a 12” bass (2 fish sample)
1-8 Average weight of a 14” bass (11 fish sample)
1-12 Average weight of a 15” bass (7 fish sample)
1-15 Average weight of a 16” bass (7 fish sample)
2-9 Average weight of a 17” bass (3 fish sample)
3-6 Average weight of a 19” bass (2 fish sample)
98% Percentage of bass caught 12” or better (54 of 55)
78% Percentage of bass clustered between 13.5” to 16” (43 of 55)
14 Number of bass equaling or exceeding two pounds
7.1 Bass per hour (55 bass in just under 8 hours on the water)
1:18 Longest stretch without a bass (1:07pm-2:25pm)
2 Number of bass in first two hours on the water (12:25pm-2:25pm)
17 Number of bass in last hour plus (7:00pm-8:13pm)
99-13 Total weight of the 54 bass 12” or greater (throw in the 10” oddball and Emiquon gave up over 100 pounds of bass on the trip. How cool is that?

The place ain’t normal, which suits a guy in a goofy hat just fine.

Enough said. Well, at least until another Friday Flashback post or two featuring Emiquon as 2022 rolls on. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 7, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As 2022 represents the final trip through the Friday Flashback series, a spot called “Emiquon” deserves a few more posts. After all, ten years ago, the one-of-a-kind fishing hole was still in its heyday. Here’s a portion of the original report posted June 10, 2012.

1:07pm – Top Bass at 3-8 on a Bass Pro Shops Kermy Frog

Stats
Date: June 7, 2012
Location: The Emiquon Preserve
Time: 12:25pm-8:15pm
Weather: Sunny/calm-breezy
Air Temp: 80F-68F
Water Temp: 77F
Totals: 55 bass
Lures: Booyah Counter Strike Spinnerbait (snow white) – 33 bass, Bass Pro Shops River Bug (roadkill camo) – 15 bass, Bass Pro Shops Kermy Frog (measles) – 2 bass, Hart Jig & Rat-L-Chunk (kitchen sink) – 2 bass, Strike King KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait (sexy ghost minnow) – 1 bass, Frank’s Inline Spinner (Emiquon Equalizer) – 1 bass, Danc’n Eel – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-8 (Bass Pro Shops Kermy Frog – Measles)
Top 5 Weight: 14-15 (3-8, 3-4, 2-13, 2-13, 2-9)

1:01pm – First bass and fooled on a Bass Pro Shops Kermy Frog

Fooled By Frogs – It took me about a half hour to get my first bite and successfully land the 14” (1-13) bass pictured above on a Bass Pro Shops Kermy Frog (measles). Six minutes later I was lipping a 3-8 that completely engulfed, and literally destroyed, Kermy causing him to fill with water if not skipping atop the slop. These two fish and a steady chorus of explosions all around me kept me casting Kermy and a Spro Bronzeye Frog (Halloween pumpkin) for the next hour as I committed to the frog bite. Bad move, as I had only one more bite before shifting gears to a productive spinnerbait pattern. It doesn’t take much to hook this angler on a topwater bite and I made the wrong decision in sticking with it too long, but such is part of the quest.

Note from a blog reader that accompanied his handcrafted lures

Emiquon Equalizer (top) and Snakeden Slash (bottom)

3:45pm – The “Emiquon Equalizer” comes through

The Equalizer – Frequent blog reader and commenter, Frank Harvey, hooked me up with a couple homemade inline spinners earlier this year. His “Snakeden Slash” had already come through on Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster and his “Emiquon Equalizer” performed as named on this trip. I ran it through some schools of small baitfish on a ditch edge and about the third cast landed the fish pictured above. My spinnerbait bite was pretty hot so I didn’t stick with the Equalizer but it’s good to know that I have another effective weapon in the Emiquon arsenal.

Flying Frog – If you frog fish, you can likely relate to the above picture. The scenario goes like this: frog hops among slop, bass explodes on lure, hook is set, bass dives into thick weeds, tug of war ensues, the bass lets go, the moss-covered projectile comes flying in my direction and in this case nails me right in the ribs with a watery thud. I couldn’t help but laugh aloud and just had to take a silly snapshot for the blog.

4:00pm – Even broke out the old “Dance’n Eel”, an 80s flop but a winner on one Emiquon dummy

Late Night – The Emiquon rules stipulate access from sunrise to sunset so after landing bass number 55 at 8:13pm it was time to fire up the trolling motor and head for the truck. I usually don’t pay much attention when the bite is on and down there you can wind up a long way from the launch. So, by the time I got loaded up (with an assist from a pair of helpful fellow anglers) it was nearing 9:00pm. With a beef jerky/soda stop in Lewistown it wound up being close to 10:30pm when I pulled into the driveway. It’s probably a good thing that they run you out at sunset because even after nearly eight hours in a johnboat I think I could’ve stayed all night with the way the bass were cooperating at the end of my day. Of course, if I would have pulled such a stunt, I may not have been able to get back in the house anyway, so it was a wise decision to abide by the rules for several reasons.

Emiquon fishing trips were something to behold. In fact, this particular outing needs two posts to cover. So, tune in tomorrow for a bonus “Saturday Flashback.” Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 11, 2007

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Friday Flashback comes in rather late this week. In fact, it is only an hour from technically being a Sunday Flashback. A work week on the road followed by a graduation party makes it better late than never for reminiscing. Today we revisit a longtime fishing hole with a longtime fishing partner.

Original fishing report below from 2007:

Date: June 11, 2007
Location: Lake Bracken
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air temp: 82F
Time: 4:45pm-7:45pm
Totals: 8 bass, 1 green sunfish (Troy – 5 bass, 1 green sunfish, Dad – 3 bass)
Lures: Zoom Baby Brush Hog (chartreuse/pumpkinseed) – 4 bass, Chatterbait (white) – 2 bass, Tube – 1 bass, Rapala DT 10 (parrot) – 1 bass, Senko wacky rig – 1 green sunfish
Top Bass: 4-5 Troy (Brush Hog)
Top 5 Weight: 7-10 (4-5,1-0,0-15,0-14,0-12)

5:42pm – Top Bass at 4-5 (21″) on a Zoom Baby Brush Hog

Dad and I hit Lake Bracken for three hours, fishing from 4:45 pm until 7:45 pm. I actually took the day off work for some reason which escapes me at this point, maybe to go fishing. I have difficulty remembering a few days ago let alone over a month ago. Kind of busy these days. Anyway, we struggled to get bit on most of our standard offerings. My Senko only managed to fool a green sunfish and I nabbed a 13” bass on a Rapala DT10 crankbait (parrot). Dad’s new friend, the Booyah Boogie produced a pair of bass for him that came in around a pound apiece. While such approaches were rather disappointing, it is worth noting that we came to the lake with a mission. That mission was to try our hand at some flipping as described in a prior post. Mission accomplished at 5:42 pm. My Baby Brush Hog (chartreuse/pumpkinseed) produced a 4-5 when flipped along a fallen tree in Spillway Cove. Four of my five bass for the trip fell to this offering. Dad also employed the technique with a tube bait to catch one of his three fish. Though the quantity was below expectations, we left the lake with a boost in confidence. Our results would have been dismal had we not focused on a different presentation. To Dad’s credit, he has given this technique a chance in the past, while I’ve typically been more set in my ways. However, a four-pounder will knock some sense into you real quick. I’m hooked.

While the Friday Flashback came in tardy this week, we have a Monday Top 5 Update that is right on time. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – May 27 & 29, 2017

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today’s Flashback features a trio of guest anglers from five years ago this week. Read on for the original post from June 3, 2017 detailing some local pond fishing.

Memorial Day weekend provided great weather and a terrific opportunity to get our young anglers out casting. Two trips with one a smashing success and the other not so much but always interesting with this bunch.

Stats
Date: May 27 and 29, 2017
Location: Henry County, IL pond and Butterworth Park, East Moline, IL
Totals: 5/27 (Jayce & Zac) = 14 bass, 1 green sunfish
5/29 (Carly & Jayce) = 1 bass, 1 green sunfish
Bait: Waxworms on jighead with slip bobbers
Top Bass: 0-11 (two different bass for Jayce and Zac)
Top 5 Weight: 3-2 (0-11,0-11,0-10,0-10,0-8)

Notes and Nonsense
Waxworms – I ended my “Resolution – Kid Fishing” post last month with a word of warning to waxworms and bluegills. Well, the bluegills dodged a bullet this time but the waxworms got a workout. Duh, they’re bait, right? On the guys’ trip they were also “sacrificed over a cliff,” given out as a snack to several bass prior to releasing the catch, impaled on each barb off the two treble hooks on a crankbait and launched into the lake with Zac explaining that they “needed a bath.”

Quote of the day (5/27): “Guess what, Dad? We caught more fish than you, that means we can’t go fishing with you for a long time…that’s what Mom said.” – Jayce (Note: Julie has outfished me, I did say that once and we did go fishing together again several years later.)

Retro Rod and Reel – An added highlight from the guys’ trip was Jayce reeling ‘em in with the first rod and reel combo I called my own. This setup dates back to 1984 as prior to receiving it as a 17th birthday gift I utilized whatever Dad had in the shed. It faded from use once I turned into a bass fisherman but still worked just fine over 30 years later for another Jackson boy.

“Shoulda been here yesterday” – A favorite fishing quote tells it like it happens sometimes as Carly learned upon joining up for Round Two at the fishing hole. Me and Jayce laid it on pretty thick after the success of our initial outing and honestly, I was feeling quite confident of a repeat performance. One fish apiece for this pair in about an hour and they’d had enough, pushing to try our luck elsewhere which was even more disappointing at Butterworth Park with zero bites. No matter how long you’ve chased fish you are gonna run into days where you can’t fool them. Just another lesson in the learning process.

Great to get the kids out even though it wound up with a tough finish. Interestingly, it also started a bit rough when Jayce and I hit the local Walmart to pick up our waxworms. As the checkout lady was ringing up Jayce’s bait she says, “So, you and grandpa going fishing?”

Nah, I just made that one up, didn’t really happen. Chronologically quite feasible but just hoping that adventures like these fishing outings will continue to keep me young.

We’ll see if anybody is up for any casting this Memorial Day weekend. Talk to you later. Troy