Jackson: Join the white bass frenzy on the Chain

You don't have to subscribe to the three first name club to enjoy what's going on with the Chain's various lakes.

You don't have to invest your child's college fund to be a happy camper and be willing to stoke up your angling ego just to tell your buddies how great your new boat and motor rig runs through heavy, wavy water.

But if you are of a mind to chill out and open the door to real fun and relaxation, the cure for all those ills can be the Chain's extraordinary white bass fishing.

As far as I'm concerned, fishing is fishing be it a day on water chasing largemouth and smallmouth bass or jumbo sunfish. To me, it's still an experience one can easily endure and enjoy.

I just reached into one of desk drawers and pulled out my homemade "wayback machine," and dialed in the year 1955.

This was a time when my late father and I woke Tommy Harrison (close friend of Irv), and retrieved the key to unlock Tommy's boats and outboards. At that time, Tommy was running a family operation known as Pinkie's Resort.

We eased our way out into deeper water, keeping a sharp on the surface for white bass activity. We were no further than 50 feet away from the dock when the surface exploded in a feeding frenzy so typical of the white bass populations in Pistakee Lake.

Even though it was a major surface bite in full force, my father liked to use his favorite lure at the time, a South Bend Supr-Dupr.

This lure it was a manufactured piece of metal spoonlike or jig-like concoction that sank when it hit the water. It was nothing but a sinking, shiny attracter, but nevertheless the white bass ate it up like pieces of candy.

Anyway, right now white bass are scarfing up minnows and shad on Fox Lake, Petite and Pistakee like there's no tomorrow. The action is a tad slower on the northern end of the Chain, but the bass are there. You have to hunt a little harder to find the big schools.

Shore fishermen on Nippersink Lake as well as Pistakee Bay are scoring big time. Many anglers lean toward the traditional minnow rigs, but right near the outflow into the Fox River some fly fishermen have been hitting the jackpot with nymph and streamer fly setups.

And believe me when I tell you white bass are great pan fried or grilled. When cleaning these fish, make sure you cut out the main mud line near the top of the filets.

Fresh green beans and little red potatoes are my favorite side dishes along with a small salad.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.