Month: June 2021

200,000 Mile Fishing Report – June 21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

My truck means a lot to me as it came into possession after the passing of my father-in-law back in 2006. Junior Breuer put a lot of miles on that 1998 Chevy Silverado, and I have added over the years with the truck on the verge of 200,000 miles as I set out on this fishing trip. I figured that there was only one way to celebrate the milestone and that was a round trip ride to the fishing hole.

 

Stats
Date: June 21, 2021
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Time: 7:35pm-8:35pm
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm
Air Temp: Low 60s
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 6 bass
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig – 5 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- (rainbow) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-14 (Mann’s Baby 1-)
Top 5 Weight (2 bass at 12” or better): 3-11 (2-14,0-13)

Trip Lyric
“Long may you run, long may you run, although these changes have come.” – Long May You Run, Neil Young (1976)

Notes and Nonsense

Back on the Bike – I’ve got this plan to explore some more of the Hennepin Canal as I have seen reports of solid bass over the years. The historic corridor covers over 100 miles (including a feeder portion) with a decent section within a half hour drive from home. Such makes for a nice weekday evening shot at wetting a line for an hour or so when I can get away. Open shoreline access is scattered which makes for a perfect excuse to get the bike tires aired up, toss it in the truck bed and get some needed exercise along the way.

4-4 – On new water, my first goal is to get that one bite to get me on the board and avoid the shutout. Well, it sure didn’t take long to get that monkey off my back as I landed a bass on my first cast. And it didn’t stop there as I managed to catch a bass on each of my first four casts. It got me wondering if I had ever had such good fortune once upon a time when I played a little baseball. Among the scattered archives I found an affirmation that such a feat took place at least once. The proof from July 13 is below and it sure is fun to reminisce on the names of teammates from a portion of the Hi-Lo highlight recap of the 1986 season.

Crooked Bass – Top Bass was an interesting specimen with a stubby, crooked back end. I have caught several odd bass over the years including those with a similar affliction but have yet to determine the cause of the crookedness. On the positive side, the bass was eager to eat, otherwise healthy looking and put up a good fight. Here’s hoping it rewards other anglers and leaves them scratching their heads as well.

 

A good hour on the water and mission accomplished on the sunset drive home as I watched the odometer turn. Someday I suppose there will be a post or two in tribute to the old truck but for today I’ll leave it as a fishing report. As a fellow fisherman, I’d like to think that Junior would have enjoyed the drive. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A submission from a new stretch of public water joins the list this week.

Weight: 2-14
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: June 21
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm
Air Temp: 64F
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin with black flake)
Structure: Open water with scattered weeds
Angler Comments: Some scouting earlier in the month during a family camping trip brought me back to a promising section of the Hennepin Canal and it did not disappoint.
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-3,3-9,3-1,2-14,2-0) culls a 1-13

As you can see from the picture, the bass was a bit crooked on its backend. More on the bass, the ride to and from the fishing hole and more in the complete Hennepin Canal report coming your way tomorrow. Thanks. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 27, 1996

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The evening of June 27, 1996 at the Lake Bracken Spillway was like night and day for a group of carp anglers. The carp that called the spot home were sometimes an odd bunch. Some days, you could see several swimming below the surface from high atop the ridge as you looked down into the pool. And then not even get a bite.

Other times, no fish were to be seen from above, but the bite would be well worth navigating the tricky path down to the promised land. Of course, that was also part of the fun. From the sneak peek from up top to the tentative steps needed to maintain balance when armed with a couple poles and cooler of beer to the slight hop for the last step on the dirt descent to The Spillway, it was always an adventure.

On this trip, the carp chasers consisted of myself, my brother, Brent, and our friends, John and Lisa Junk. Us three guys had established ourselves as some solid carp fishers with a dozen years of experience at The Spillway dating back to high school. As for Lisa, well, she had been designated “The Carp Queen” following an impressive 1994 performance when she outfished the guys.

However, even Lisa’s 1994 success would pale in comparison to Brent’s domination on this trip. All told, he caught over thirty pounds of carp, easily outdistancing the rest of the crew. In fact, neither John, Lisa nor I caught a single carp. I’ve never seen anything like it. Quite odd as we were all using the same bait and fishing The Spillway was akin to the old fishing in a barrel adage.

 

All these years later, I still don’t have a true explanation for the discrepancy in fish catching. Sure, Brent is a skilled angler, but the rest of us are no slouches. The best I can come up with is that while Brent was more than willing to assist with hauling any of the gear, beverages and supplies down the slope, he always left the beer alone. For the rest of us, I’m not sure that we would have traded in our cold ones for a couple carp back in the day. Speaking for myself, I believe I was simply content to knock back a few and enjoy the show. Talk to you later. Troy

Snakeden Hollow Report – June 19

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It sure felt like summer on the last day of spring so what better time for a workout walk-in at Snakeden Hollow? I psyched myself up as best I could during the hour drive to meet my brother, Brent, as I knew it would be a chore in the near 90-degree heat.

Was it worth it?

Read on.

Stats

Date: June 19, 2021
Location: Snakeden Hollow (4 lakes)
Time: 3:10pm-9:15pm (4.50 hours fishing, the rest walking)
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy to dead calm, hot and humid
Air Temp: 81-87F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 55 bass (Troy – 29, Brent – 26) and 2 bluegill
Lures: Yum Dinger wacky rig – 19 bass, Strike King Pro Model Series 4 Crankbait (sexy shad) – 17 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 10 bass, Emiquon Special Spinnerbait – 7 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 4-3 (Troy – Red Eye Shad)
Top 5 Weight: 13-5 (4-3,3-9,2-6,1-13,1-6)

Winning Lures

Bonus, big bluegill on a crankbait

Trip Lyric
“And I would walk 500 miles…” – I’m Gonne Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (1993)

Notes and Nonsense

New Water, Old Tricks – Even after 34 years of fishing Snakeden, there are still things to learn. Back in March, Brent and I hiked in to check out one spot that I had always wanted to try but was never able to attempt. Our scouting trip revealed a positive change in water level and shoreline access and a few casts proved that there was at least one bass that called the lake home. On the return trip, Brent came armed with a wacky rig and a spinnerbait while I took to casting a crankbait, no surprise from either guy. The combined attack produced 34 bass as we drifted the shorelines with Brent working the shallows while I cranked the drops. Should we muster the energy again, a return trip would certainly be worthwhile.

7:20pm – Top Bass at 4-3 and 20″ on a lipless crankbait

Lost Tackle – While I was getting ready to replace a Senko wacky rig, our boat began to drift into some trees. I had several poles sticking out of the boat, so I instinctively reached to grab them and get them out of harm’s way. What I failed to realize was that my film container holding my wacky rig hooks and O-rings was open in my hand. In the process of grabbing the poles, the entire contents flew out of the container. A sickening “plop” behind me clued me in that the gear was gone. Although not an expensive mistake, it was still disheartening and a bit embarrassing. Fortunately, my fishing partner is also a wacky guy and had plenty of spare items. However, I had a solid crankbait bite dialed in, so I did not have to resort to begging for a borrow.

8:56pm – Brent Top Bass at 2-6 on a wacky rigged Yum Dinger

Change For the Better – I worked a six-month temporary stint at Snakeden back in 1990 and to say that it was in a primitive public access state would be an understatement. Of note for today’s entry, were several nasty, barren depressions on the landscape that looked more like the lunar surface than our planet. One such area produced our two largest bass of the trip, so I’d like to give a well-deserved shout out to those who have managed the area over the years. It is incredibly rewarding to cast on the former sickly, damaged area all these years later. And nearly eight pounds of bass on two casts a half hour apart is quite rewarding as well.

 

As we trudged through our trek, I thought back to a challenging June 21, 2019, journey that Brent and I took to a remote Snakeden lake. We called that one the “100 Year Trip” as Brent was 49 and I was 51 for a combined 100 years of existence. I guess that this latest outing would be a “104 Year Trip” at 51 and 53 years of age. While 105 years might have been a better headline, if I wait until I turn 54 on July 23, I’m afraid the weather might be too hot. Near 90 degrees like this trip is just about my limit. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A good batch of submissions this week as Knox County continues to produce during the spring/summer transition. Conditions have been challenging for anglers with hot and humid conditions on the water but for those willing to put forth the effort, there are rewards to be had.

Weight: 1-2 (13″)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 18
Weather: Hot and humid, overcast with intermittent sun
Water Temp: 82-83F
Location: Lake Storey, Galesburg, IL
Lure: Dark colored wacky worm
Angler Comments: Fished from 1:00-3:15pm. Very few bites but this fish hit the lure hard close to shore in three to four feet of water.
Top 5 Weight: 10-14 (2-10,2-8,2-6,1-14,1-8)

Weight: 4-3 (20″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: June 19
Weather: Partly Cloudy/calm and hot, 85F
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)

Weight: 3-9 (19″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: June 19
Weather: Partly Cloudy/calm and hot, 85F
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)
Angler Comments: Both catches came from a lake that did not exist when I first fished Snakeden. More details to come on the fishing report later this week.
Top 5 Weight: 14-10 (4-3,3-9,3-1,2-0,1-13) culls 1-13 and 1-11

Weight: 1-13
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 19
Weather: Partly Cloudy/calm and hot, 81F
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Yum Dinger wacky rig
Structure: Weed edge

Weight: 2-6
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 19
Weather: Partly Cloudy/calm and hot, 81F
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Yum Dinger wacky rig
Structure: Weed edge
Top 5 Weight: 14-14 (4-0,4-0,2-6,2-5,2-3) culls a 2-3

A nice spring finale and keep those fish coming through the summer. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 21, 2011

Posted on by Troy Jackson

An evening walk through Snakeden was my kick off to official summer 10 years ago this week.

Originally Posted 6-24-11

Hello, my name is Troy and it’s been thirty-three days since my last bass.

Life’s busy.
.
My last bass came on May 19. In the meantime my family has enjoyed at least a half dozen doctor visits (all simply checkups), two visits apiece to the eye doctor and dentist, pre-school graduation, a week of Girl Scout day camp, a bridging ceremony for Daisies and Brownies, weekly story time at the local library, three birthday parties, a wiener roast, a tumbling review, a magic show, an afternoon at the pool, an abbreviated camping weekend and I’m sure several other things that I’ve forgotten. In addition, there’s always laundry, meals, dishes, groceries and so on. But it sure beats work and often leaves me wondering how there’s any time left for a job anyway. Somehow, I also manage to find time to blog or at least live vicariously through the fish stories of others on the website.

However, I did manage to kick off our strange early summer with a solo walk-in trip at Snakeden Hollow. Quantity was good as I just wanted to get back on track, but quality wasn’t so great. But as always, I shoot some pictures to accompany the words.

Stats

Date: June 21, 2011
Location: Snakeden Hollow – various lakes
Time: 5:10pm-9:35pm (3.5 hours fishing, the rest walking)
Weather: Partly cloudy to rainy to sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 80-85F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 24 bass
Lures: 5” Yamasenko (natural shad) wacky rig – 15 bass, Yum Wooly Curltail (green pumpkin) – 5 bass, Zara Spook (black shore minnow) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (autumn sunfish) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-15
Weight (only 4 bass > 12”): 5-6 (1-15, 1-4, 1-2, 1-1)

Chronology

4:55pm to 5:10pm – Walking to my first stop

5:38pm – first bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait

5:10pm to 5:55pm – Fished a nameless lake and landed my first fish on my somewhat new Cherrywood rod while tossing a Mann’s Baby 1-crankbait at 5:38pm.

6:00pm to 6:30pm – Tried my luck on a couple other nameless lakes with a Spook and the crankbait but wind and extensive vegetation eventually sent me packing to a more secluded pothole.

6:46pm – Piedmont Lake bass, ten years later the fishing hole is completely dried up

6:35pm to 7:05pm – A small body of water I call Piedmont Lake gives up a trio of bass in the one-pound range on a Yum Wooly Curltail grub.

7:39pm – a good cold water lure, the Wooly Curltail, also fools summer bass 

7:15pm to 7:45pm – The Wooly Curltail produces a pair of short fish in a narrow cut at a spot known as Finger Lake.

8:20pm – Top Bass at 1-15

8:00pm to 8:45pm – Following a weedy walk I arrive at a numbers lake that I call Upper Twin Lake. Right on cue the short bass start nailing my Senko wacky rig as I get a hit on nearly every cast. Some hook up and some don’t but a decent fish eventually beats the little ones to the bait and takes Top Bass at 1-15. It’s the second largest bass ever caught on the lake trailing a mysterious 5-2 from 1995 that keeps me coming back. Before leaving the spot, I try a Spook hoping to fool something a little bigger and get four hits on my first cast without hooking up. Several casts later one of the miniature bass goes airborne on a missed strike and I eventually wind up with one short bass before starting the long trek to the truck.

8:59pm – Zara Spook catch as daylight fades

8:57 pm to 9:05pm – I can’t resist one more stop at the channel on Finger Lake as the daylight fades. It’s perfect for the Spook and I’m instantly rewarded with a pair of fish to end the night.

9:07pm to 9:35pm – Snakeden Hollow is a sizeable piece of property with only peripheral access so you can wind up a long way from your vehicle. Such was the case on this outing as beyond a few stops to swat mosquitoes or switch hands with some of my gear, it took nearly a half hour to get back to the truck.

Many fish were like this one as a 5″ Senko was a hit with 7″-8″ bass

In the end it was rewarding to land a couple dozen bass although they were vastly outnumbered by mosquito bites. Upon checking last night, I had seventeen welts on my right arm from elbow to wrist and fourteen on the left. I also had about half a dozen good ones on my neck and a real nice one on top of my left ear. I’m not a big fan of bug spray but my stubbornness may likely give way to common sense should I pull this stunt again. I do have a fondness for bugs, but mosquitoes try my patience. Fortunately, the early night fireworks of thousands of lightning bugs eased the constant harassment of the bloodsuckers. On that topic I was also lucky to avoid any ticks despite wading through some serious weeds a few times.

I need to get back out there as my lone Snakeden hike this year was back in March. Maybe one of these days, stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – June 12

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last weekend we took the summer (almost) Lake Storey challenge during a weekend family camping trip. My brother, Brent, and I hit the water at sunrise and my oldest boy, Jayce, joined us as we wrapped up our day. As expected, conditions were quite weedy, but I must say that the water clarity was as good as I can recall being a clear green rather than the normal murky green. And as crazy as it sounds, we were the only trailer in the lot the whole Saturday morning. Read on for the results.

6:30am Brent with our first bass of the day caught on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: June 12, 2021
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 5:20am-12:35pm
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 72-90F
Water Temp: 83-85F
Totals: 10 bass (Brent = 8, Troy = 1, Jayce = 1), 6 bluegill
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig – 8 bass, Spinnerbait (white) – 2 bass, Waxworms on a 1/16oz. jighead hung from a slip bobber – 6 bluegill
Top Bass: 1-11 Brent Senko
Top 5 Weight: 5-15 (1-11,1-3,1-2,1-0,0-15)

Trip Lyric
“’Cause, Mama, I’m so hard to handle now.”
Hard to Handle – Black Crowes (1990)

Several fish were hard to handle as seen in this snip from some GoPro video

Notes and Nonsense

Hot Seat – While not technically summer, you sure couldn’t tell as it was flat out hot, reaching 90F during the latter portion of our day. If you left your seat for even a short stretch of time, it sure got your attention when you sat back down. Same for my phone as I had to hide it in order to prevent the “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it” message. You certainly can’t be without a phone at the ready on a day when bites are tough as you don’t want to miss a scattered photo opportunity.

 

Slippery Fish – It seemed like the fish were extra slippery on this outing as several got loose in the boat and one unfortunately slipped from the grip while getting a rinse. The latter was Jayce’s lone bass that had swallowed the hook on his Senko pretty good. As a result, it was bleeding, so I decided to wash it off before taking a pic. Jayce stated that it was a bad idea and despite what I felt was a good grip on the lip, his bass gave a good shake and swam away. I’m sure the bass was happy, but we had a boat full of disappointed anglers and Jayce threatened to not go fishing we me again. Can’t really say that I blame him after my boneheaded move that prevented a pic with his catch. At least we had the catch (and unintentional release) on video that will be posted another day.

12:13pm my lone bass of the day

Secret Weapon – Many times over the years, we have joked about having a “secret weapon” in tow that we plan to unleash on the fish with stellar results. Sometimes it’s an unorthodox or forgotten lure or perhaps a spray bottle of some can’t miss scent. In the case of this outing, it was Jayce. During the hour and a half that he spent casting with us at the end of the seven-hour trip, we caught the majority of our fish. Too bad I didn’t rouse him from the tent at 4:45am. Maybe next time.

Jayce, our “Secret Weapon” of the day with my bass as I let his get away later before snapping a pic

12:28pm Brent with Top Bass of the day as is slips away

Uncle Brent put a whooping on me on this trip. My youngest boy, Zac, had tagged along for a bit of boat ride and he is all about inquiring who is the better angler, his dad, or his uncle. Zac was right on the money on this day with his vote for Uncle Brent. No argument from me although I need to teach Zac about the whole front versus back of the boat excuse. I don’t think it would have mattered on this day. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today’s post features a pair of bass from some Knox County public waters. It sure is fun to see these locales share a weekly update. These two fishing holes hold many personal memories and I enjoy seeing others taking a shot at making memories of their own.

Weight: 1-1
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 8
Weather: Bright sun, air temp 70s
Water Temp: 72-74F
Location: Lake McMaster
Lure: Dark colored wacky worm
Angler Comments: Caught one other bass too small to even measure. Had other bites but failed to hook and land any other fish.
Top 5 Weight: 10-14 (2-10,2-8,2-6,1-14,1-8)

Weight: 1-3
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: June 12
Weather: Sunny/calm and hot
Air Temperature: 90F
Water Temp: 83F
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (cinnamon black purple flake with red tip)
Structure: Flat with scattered weeds
Editor’s Comments: This was a last-minute bass that got Jayce on the board. In fact, after this catch we called it quits to end our day with a last cast catch. More on the catch in an upcoming fishing report.
Top 5 Weight: 3-7 (1-3,1-3,1-1)

As a sidelight, I got to sit around the campfire with both anglers and spin a few yarns this past weekend. A good crew and happy to have them play along here on the Top 5. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – June 19, 2016

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Today’s flashback takes me across the river for what was my first ever trip to Lost Grove Lake. Plenty of water, plenty of weeds and plenty of bites on this outing, just couldn’t fool any real quality bass.

Originally Posted 6-29-16

I took the plunge and invested $44.59 (with fees) for an out of state Iowa fishing license to take a shot at some relatively new water in nearby Scott County.

Stats
Date: June 19, 2016
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 4.75 hours
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 72 to 85F
Water Temp: No reading
Totals: 19 bass
Lures: Senko wacky rig (green pumpkin black flake or natural shad) – 17 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait – 1 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-9 (Senko)
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 2-11 (1-9,1-2)

9:51am Top Bass at 1-9 and 14.5″ on a Senko wacky rig

Notes & Nonsense

Small Bites – In addition to the small bites from the bass, the size of the lake coupled with my modest watercraft setup means that I must chop the lake up into manageable pieces. My plan is to hit five or six different sections of the 390-acre body of water as I rack up visits and eventually get a look at the whole thing.

Topography – I have managed to secure a decent topo map of the lake from somewhere on the internet so it is cool to get look at what is going on below the surface in terms of contours and some manmade structure items. However, there are a few issues with my cut-rate depthfinder setup and GPS from my phone. A work in progress quite unlike my normal stomping grounds that are rather familiar after twenty five or thirty years of acquaintance.

Not Much of a Boat – As I was casting around some flooded bushes near a walk-in access area a couple fellows on the bank looked my way and one of them said, “That ain’t much of a boat” to the other guy. Glancing around the crowded lake that Sunday morning I counted six other watercraft including a couple tricked out bass boats: 250HP, Power Poles and so on. Easily over $100,000 of fishing equipment within view certainly lent credence to his observation. I also got to hear the same guy say, “Hey, he got another one” as I landed a pair of bass while they were watching including the 1-9 pictured above. I’m sure they meant no offense in their evaluation of that old 8’ johnboat and I took none, just got a laugh knowing that you can’t judge a book by the cover.

Several more trips over the years to Lost Grove have been hit or miss for me with most outings taking place in the heat of summer. I’ve found decent numbers but haven’t managed to fool much over two pounds. From internet reports and a couple firsthand observations, I know there are some good bass in there. I guess so far, the Iowa fish have outsmarted this Illinois boy. I haven’t purchased an Iowa fishing license this year and may just stick to some Prairie State waters, old and new. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – June 5

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A weekend camping trip along the historic Hennepin Canal afforded the opportunity to make a few casts. The heat was on with a blast of summer weather a few weeks early, but a handful of fish made it worth our while.

Stats
Date: June 5, 2021
Location: Hennepin Canal – Henry County, IL
Time: scattered during afternoon
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 90F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 3 bass (Troy – 2, Jayce – 1), 2 bluegill, 1 pumpkinseed
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (various colors) – 3 bass, Waxworms on a 1/16 oz. jighead hung from a slip bobber – 2 bluegill, 1 pumpkinseed
Top 5 Weight: 2-11 (1-10,1-1)

No giant, but my first Hennepin Canal bass was still rewarding

Notes and Nonsense

Paddle Fishing – A midday canoe rental found me, Carly and Jayce paddling through the weed choked waters in the 90-degree heat. We had a goal to reach a nearby lock and an hour to make the round-trip. Reaching the lock, I figured that we had time for some casts in the open water of the deeper pool and the first cast was a winner for my boy, Jayce. A solid canal catch made for some smiles, some excitement, and a proud dad before we turned around for the return paddle to the launch.

Jayce actually claimed the first Hennepin Canal bass for our family

New Species – Later in the afternoon, I tried my luck from the bank armed with a Senko for bass and some waxworms for panfish. Along the mossy bank of the canal, I found a couple open spots with a batch of panfish on beds. While they weren’t very cooperative, I did manage to fool a few, including my first ever pumpkinseed. This attractive member of the sunfish family was a cool and unexpected catch.

Going to have to add a new column to my spreadsheets for a new species

Top Bass – As my limited casting time window was winding down, I spotted a decent sized drum cruising in and out of sight in front of me. I dropped the Senko and waxworm in its vicinity numerous times along with reeling a crankbait past but not even a glance from my quarry. With only a few minutes of fishing time remaining, however, my Senko got a thump and a decent bend in the rod when I set the hook. For a moment, I thought the fight is on with my sought-after drum, but the catch turned out to be a 1-10 bass instead. All good.

Top Bass at 1-10 and I know where some bigger ones live now after a little scouting

Overall, a fun hour or so fooling around on some new water. I also made a few discoveries along the way that may bring me back to the canal with a few poles in the future. Plenty more to the weekend family adventure but those are tales for another post or two. Talk to you later. Troy