Category: Video

2017 Video #7 – Smorgasbord

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Today’s clip features a catch from October 8 on a public Knox County, IL strip mine pothole. It was one of sixteen bass landed in just over four hours on the water with the first eleven coming from this spot during my first two hours of casting. If you do the math on this first stop that equates to 5.5 bass per hour which is really pretty darn good.

Now here’s the weird thing about this borderline feeding frenzy.

Those eleven bass came on six different lures. It was truly a bizarre sort of buffet as the bass never really showed a preference for a particular presentation yet still proved to be cooperative if I was willing to keep my lure choices rather dynamic.


Here’s the menu for this ever changing fall feeding frenzy, 8 lures = 16 bass

What was also puzzling was that I was all in at the start to nab some on an old topwater favorite, the Zara Spook, and never got the slightest hint of interest. And after five minutes of that I put it down in favor of a chatterbait. Four casts later I had the fish in this clip after a pair of short strikes on two of the previous casts. Sure seemed like they were taking a liking to the chatterbait.

Nope, couldn’t coax another bite the rest of the time on this spot. However, I did continue to catch bass as evidenced by the snip from the log entry below. Briefly got them dialed in on a Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait and a Swim Jig but those flurries were fleeting as well.

In the end I was quite pleased with the overall results on this relatively unfamiliar pothole as it was indeed a productive stop. I also gave myself a pat on the back for being diverse in my offerings and changing up when my “can’t miss” baits (Red Eye Shad lipless crank and Senko wacky rig) only got the interest of one bass.

In assessing my day on the ride home, I found myself envisioning one of those old silly tricks we used to do as a kid. That old rub your stomach and pat your head routine, except this time it was more like pat your back and scratch your head. A fair amount of both occur with this interesting hobby and actually kind of a fun challenge when they coincide. Talk to you later. Troy

2017 Video #8 – Family Record

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Jayce sets new family record…read on (Note: iPhone video as opposed to GoPro for this clip)

Today’s video documents the establishment of a new family record for the green sunfish species reeled in by my son, Jayce, on May 27, 2017. The catch weighed in at 13 ounces, came from a Henry County, IL pond and was caught on a waxworm hung from a bobber.

Perhaps your next question is, “How big was the old record?”

Well, in all honesty, I don’t really know that there was an old record despite reeling in hundreds of these misfits over the years. For many years we fished Lake Bracken just south of Galesburg, IL and while it featured an abundance of these feisty fish I don’t recall that we ever got one quite this big or bothered much in weighing these catches.


New record at 13 ounces (gravel aided weight deemed negligible)

You see, the green sunfish is an interesting sort of outcast.

They are very cooperative, aggressive fighters and feature a wide range of colorization due to hybridization with bluegill. For kids they are also easier to get a hold of than a bluegill thanks to a bigger handle (meaning a bigger mouth). However, every once in a while you run into one that has some pretty good teeth that will give you a little scrape reminiscent of what we call “bass thumb.”

A small jighead or hook tipped with a waxworm or piece of dew worm and hung from a bobber will get the job done as will moving Beetle spin type baits with or without a spinner. Most times you can find green sunfish in the shallows and they seem to particularly like hanging in the cover of a rocky shoreline waiting to pounce on a meal. A cast to such a spot on the Lake Bracken shoreline back in the day was about as close to a guarantee as you could get.


The record was not a fluke as Jayce hauled in another fine specimen two days later

Which takes me back to the fun of being a fishing kid as while green sunfish can have some negative effects on a body of water they sure are fun to catch on an ultralight rig. As much evidence as one would need in this video of a happy kid tied into a feisty fish that nearly jerks the pole away at one point. Fishing in its simplest form, just looking for whatever’s biting. And a little extra cause for celebration when it’s a “family world record.” Talk to you later. Troy

2017 Video #9 – Second Chances

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The second video of our countdown actually comes from the same outing as the first video which was posted yesterday. Believe it or not, it was the second bass of the morning, coming only three minutes after the inaugural GoPro catch.

Can you tell that I am having fun with this whole new aspect of the fishing trip?

Sure thing, as situations that I’ve experienced countless times over the previous 35 years or so kind of take on new life when caught on film (I know, no film, but that’s the way I talk so that’s the way I write).

I also thought that a piece featuring “Second Chances” in the title just logically fit as the second submission in the countdown. Indeed, there is occasionally a method to my madness and a tinge of planning to some of this stuff.

 

So, let’s set the scene before I shift into Bass Professor mode and break this clip down in order to pass along a couple valuable topwater bass fishing lessons. What I am doing here is casting a topwater bait known as a Whopper Plopper across a point that drops off into 8-10 foot of water on all three sides of its ledgelike setup. Classic summer bass magnet in the lowlight conditions early or late in the day. The Whopper Plopper (pictured below) features a propeller sort of rear end which sputters across the surface when twitched or reeled.


Whopper Plopper 90 in the I Know It color

Lesson One – Do not set the hook on a topwater bait when you see the fish strike it, wait until you actually feel the weight of the fish. Easier said than done no matter how long you have been topwater fishing. My error in this regard occurs around the 0:04 mark of the clip as I essentially jerk the lure away from a “hot” fish that has taken two swipes at the plug and likely will keep after it until he gets it right.

Lesson Two, Plan A – Go right back after the fish either with the same bait or what is often called a “follow-up” lure as it is likely still hanging in the general area and perhaps wondering how its breakfast got away. In this case, I opted for a repeat with the Whopper Plopper but made sure to cast well beyond where the strikes had occurred. My intent is to not land on top of the fish but rather cause a commotion several yards away and then bring it right over the top of what I hope is still a fired up fish. Worked like it was supposed to on this occasion and always cool when they make you look smart.

Lesson Two, Plan B – You can also resort to the “follow up” lure approach with a sinking lure that is pitched right into the vicinity of the strike as quickly as possible after the swing and a miss by the bass (and angler in this case). My go to lure in this scenario is a weightless wacky rigged Senko. It enters the water above that bass with less commotion and its waving action on a slow fall is often too much to resist.


Senko weightless wacky rig in natural shad color

We’ve still got at least another month around here before a solid topwater bite will come into play but definitely a blast, and rather addictive when it does. Keep these lessons in mind when you put those baits to use and it will put a few more of those bites in the boat. Oh, and don’t be too tough on yourself if you jump the gun on a few of those topwater explosions by bass with bad aim. Happens to us all, no matter the icewater we got in those veins. Just part of bass fishing and be grateful that some of those bass can’t resist a second chance. Talk to you later. Troy

2017 Video #10 – First Cast Bass

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I’m going to take the suspense out of the video that leads off the countdown if you happen to read this before you click the clip. What you are about to see (or have already clicked on here or Facebook) is a 10” bass.

Now you see, I’ve come to realize over the years that it’s not just the size of the fish that makes for a memorable catch. In addition to the length or weight, you’ve got to consider the circumstances in assessing whether or not that fish is gonna stick in your head or have the starring role in a fish story.

Or, in the case of this project that draws on the offerings of modern technology, whether the video clip finds its way onto the external hard drive and possibly the internet or simply winds up in the Recycle Bin.

 

This one wound up a winner for the reasons described in my video commentary which are also repeated below.

How often do you catch a bass on your first cast?

On your birthday (#50 to boot)?

On a topwater bait for added visual appeal?

On the first time you punched record on a fishing trip with your brand new GoPro?

Yep, a winner on all accounts.


Actual log entry for the catch minus a few location details though

If you’ve taken the time to tune into any of the stuff I’ve written here on the website or the collection of postings at other locations over the years, it should be apparent that I just flat out like to talk fishing (some may even say ramble about fishing). And today’s submission fits that habit perfectly, a little bass that makes for a big fish story. In fact, it was the smallest bass that I caught among the eleven bass landed on the roughly five hour outing that included a Top Bass of 3-8.

Speaking of that Top Bass, it didn’t make the Top 10 video cut for a couple reasons but I thought that if would be fun to add a little bonus footage to some of these countdown postings along the way. So here’s a quick look at that catch as well, kind of abbreviated as wouldn’t you know, I forgot to start the camera until after I set the hook on the biggest bass of the day. Go figure, but at least I was able to scramble and get some footage of the fight.

 

So, the countdown is off and running and while the video is a cool addition, there’s always more to the whole story. And as the stories continue through the countdown, there’s actually some fishing knowledge to be learned along the way (like don’t forget to turn on your GoPro, right). In fact, a couple of those fishing tips are headed your way with tomorrow’s clip. Hope you’ll stop by for a look and a lesson. Talk to you later. Troy

2017 Video Countdown

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last July, my wife, Julie, gave me a GoPro camera for birthday #50. I’d looked around at them plenty of times but never pulled the trigger on getting one. After kicking off the website last May, it also occurred to me that it would be fun to incorporate some video at some point. I’d also started tuning into a handful of fishing vloggers on YouTube about the time that I launched the website, further convincing myself that video could be a solid addition.

Over the course of last year’s fishing I compiled a fair amount of footage including a handful of clips that have already made an appearance here on the blog. Well, as the final part of my 2017 wrap-up I’m going with a video countdown. From the intro below through the rest of the month I will pass along a Top 10 video countdown compiled from GoPro and iPhone video shot in 2017.

Mind you, I am still getting my feet wet on the whole video shooting and editing stuff so bear with me on some things like wind noise, lame commentary and brief bits of rather empty frame. But hey, I can’t afford a camera operator yet and they wouldn’t fit in the boat with me anyway, so I get what I get.

The Top 10 Video Countdown starts tomorrow and the hits keep coming for the rest of the month. Hope you’ll tune in and talk to you later. Troy