Managed to pull my first Illinois bass out of Turtlehead!

[ApostatePipe]

Still getting the hang of my first baitcaster, but my efforts were rewarded at Turtlehead.

https://imgur.com/6kfXkQh

[joetrain]

Oh yeah you are on the board.
~JOE~

[Bassin' Ted]

Beautiful day to get out. Nice job.

[Rambler]

Nice going!

[HEDDONFROG]

Woo hoo! Broke your Illinois bass cherry. Good bait right there too

[Islandfisher]

Congrats on your first IL bass Apostate! Welcome to the club

[Busse Jim]

First of many Illinois Bass

[Rambler]

Seems to me that over my 70 years on Earth the bass fishing in IL has improved substantially. Probably 3 reasons - C&R, the DNRs recognition that bass fishing is good for local businesses, & the EPA/Clean Water Act.

It was the Clean Water Act that provided the funding for the dredging of Skokie Lagoons in the 90s. Before that the 'goons had silted up so badly there was maybe a foot of water & 10 -12 feet of muck. They'll have to do it again in 30 years or so.

Same goes for pike & musky fishing. When I was a kid it seemed you had to go to WI, MI or MN to catch either.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Lake MI perch or smelt fishing.

[Bassin' Ted]

Just a tip- I remember having some great Junes days at Turtlehead. I remember specifically having a 20 fish day there which was huge for me. A KE Bass Stopper pre-rigged plastic worm was my bait of choice. The purple with white was a killer. Nowadays I'd throw a wacky senko or a small swimbait. Arrowhead is fun too especially when the slop builds up.

[joetrain]

The basstopper worm is still a staple in my arsenal.
~JOE~

[mikechi2501]

I didn't realize that the basstopper worm was something that I use a lot. I didn't know the name until now. Especially ones that have the 3 hooks and the last hook is the one that always gets bit. Largemouths, crappie, perch and I even caught a 24" pike on an orange one at night.

[RonG]

Nice catch A.P.

With all those hooks, the Bassstopper worm even catches fish on days when they are not biting.