Month: August 2026

A Trolling Motor Tale

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I am far from Mr. Fix-It but with ample help from the world wide web, I’ve been able to save quite a few bucks over the years (with Julie’s help as well). The latest internet search began as “Motor Guide 35 thrust button not working” and resulted in a new micro switch arriving in the mailbox from trollingmotorparts.com. Here’s the rest of the story.

Replacement micro switch on right, damaged micro switch on left

Midway into a Lake Storey outing last October, the trolling motor foot pedal cover on Dad’s 1987 Bass Tracker had an issue as there was no audible click when tapping it with my foot. As a result, there was no thrust when the Momentary (MOM) setting was toggled on. Fortunately, the Continuous (CON) setting was responsive, so I did have a functioning trolling motor. The downside was a lack of precise control as the motor needed to be either on or off, there was no fine tuning so to speak. This made it tough to stay on spots when the wind had other ideas. I would either have to attempt tripping the side switch to the CON position with the toe of my shoe or often bend down and do so with a finger. Then, I would need to use my foot to get the direction dialed in before toggling the CON back to MOM and hoping that whatever momentum the boat had gained was not so much that it put me on top of or past my target. Suffice to say, a lot going on and an annoyance which certainly cost me a shot at some fish in not being where I needed to be to get a cast where it needed to be. (Note: this trolling motor predates the modern feature of spot-lock that continuously adjusts thrust and direction to hold the boat in place with assistance from a built-in GPS unit).

The gray foot pedal button (right) no longer engaged thrust on the Momentary setting (red switch on left) 

I finished out the October 6 outing and made two more visits to Lake Storey with the big boat to end 2025 while contending with the issue. All told, I still landed forty bass while not at “the top of my game”, so it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker. 2026 open water fishing arrived at Lake Storey with a prolonged drawdown of the lake to accommodate construction of an extension of the lakeside walking path. This left the lone accessible boat ramp with an ugly dropoff at the end of the concrete which could do a number on an axle or trailer. As a result, I resorted to using the little johnboat and relying on manpower (rowing) when chasing bass. And that worked out fine but it sure is convenient to be hands free when it comes to boat control. A Lake Storey outing in the big boat on July 26 with the lake at regular pool convinced me that it was time to investigate a solution.

Top view showing the deteriorated rubber boot on the old micro switch (bottom) vs. new switch (top)

The internet pointed me towards a micro switch as the likely fix. Dismantling the trolling motor per a YouTube video, I discovered that the rubber boot on the switch mechanism had deteriorated. This was encouraging so I made the purchase online, received it several days later, and was eager to get back down to Mom and Dad’s to take a shot at the repair. Last Saturday, me and my boys headed down for a visit. I swapped the part, tried to engage the pedal cover and got no response from the motor. I was bummed and tore apart the setup again to check on the condition of the pedal cover to see if something in the housing was preventing the contact needed to depress the button on the micro switch. All seemed to be intact, so I took a break to watch the Cubs-Cards game and ponder my next move. I had the pedal cover and old switch in hand as took in the ballgame and came to realize that I had made an error. As I mentioned at the outset, I am far from Mr. Fix-It and had rotated the new micro switch 180 degrees when replacing. This prevented the raised ring molded into the housing from contacting the button. I had fallen prey to a basic do-it-yourself tenet. “Pay attention to how you take it apart because you have to put it back together.” So, round two of the repairs worked like a charm and I am pleased to report that the trolling motor is back to full functionality.

Switch removed

Switch replaced

Action shot as the fix allowed the prop to spin again

I am quite relieved that a $17 part did the trick ($23 with shipping). Otherwise, it may have required hauling the boat an hour for a repair that would cost considerably more than $23. Dad joked about sending him a bill, but we are all good. After all, he bought the boat close to forty years ago and there’s no paying back on the fish stories enjoyed from its deck. From here, it is a matter of putting the motor to use as I have yet to make my August visit to Lake Storey and keep up my streak of monthly visits. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – August 9

Posted on by Troy Jackson

My oldest son, Jayce, and I headed to my folks on Saturday August 8 for an overnight trip that included fishing bright and early the following morning. The plan was to grab supper and watch the Cubs-Royals game on TV Saturday night. Get up early on Sunday morning for a drive through breakfast on our way to the fishing hole. Hit a strip mine lake that was new water for Jayce and light up the bass on a topwater frog bite. Post fishing was lunch and the 1:20pm Cubs first pitch back at Mom and Dad’s. Read on for the details.

Stats
Date: August 9
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 7:20am-10:35am
Totals: 10 bass (Dad – 5, Jayce – 5)
Weather: Overcast/breezy, 69-85F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (cream/white or natural shad) – 7 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (redear) – 1 bass, 3.75″ Strike King Rage Swimmer (electric shad) with 3/16 oz Owner Flashy Swimmer jighead – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-3 (Dad – Frog), 1-1 (Jayce – Senko)
Top 5 Weight (only 3 bass at 12” or better): 3-2 (1-3,1-1,0-14)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Breakfast – We were on the road at 6:00am and had selected the potentially dangerous Taco Bell breakfast prior to heading for an off the beaten path fishing hole. For better or worse, the establishment did not open until 7:00am, so it was a more gut friendly drive through at McDonalds, instead.

8:27am – Top Bass of the morning weighing 1-3 (14″) on a frog

Frog Bite – My visions of quality bass smashing our topwater frogs did not materialize. The result was a lone frog bass and three other strikes from fish with bad aim. Conditions were solid for frog fishing with ample cloud cover, prolonged shade on the east bank, and several weedy ledges, pockets, and flats to explore. I stubbornly tossed the frog longer than I should have with my bad habit of swinging for the fences before taking a hint from Jayce and switching to a finesse approach.

8:46am – Jayce on the board courtesy of a Senko wacky rig

Finesse – Nearly an hour and a half into our trip, I had three bass in the boat (two Senko, one frog) while Jayce was still looking for his first hookup. As we moved into proximity of a point with a steep drop, I continued to toss my frog to the shoreline weed cover hoping for an explosion. Jayce had a better plan as he was letting his Senko flutter down the drop. In the next ten minutes, he had doubled our haul with three bass and would go on to catch two more over the next hour to take a five bass to three lead. I picked up a Senko as well, but my cream white color couldn’t fool anything as his natural shad hue was the winning choice.

Swimbait For the Tie – While it technically wasn’t a “contest” and a father should root for being outfished by his kid, there’s a bit of a competitive streak that comes into play. I picked up a swimbait telling Jayce that I needed to find something to keep up with him. As it turned out, I fooled two on the presentation to even things up in a tie with five bass apiece. I asked Jayce as I put together this report if the tie was an acceptable result and he said it was just fine. I agreed and the rest of the outing was just as rewarding as the catching.

9:56am – Jayce with his Top Bass weighing 1-1 (13″) on a Senko

Peripherals –Jayce mentioned that there were some random topics as we conversed during the lulls in fishing action. We remain puzzled as to how folks could regularly wonder “It’s a bird…it’s a plane…” when it was clearly Superman. There were wildlife sightings including a great blue heron, a redtail hawk, a gregarious murder of crows, several turtles, countless tiny frogs, dragonflies, and various spiders up close and personal when we drifted into shoreline trees or towering shoreline arrowhead. Yes, we also talked fishing such as the “natural entry” presentation with our topwater frogs. This consists of casting your frog onto the bank and hopping it into the water to begin the retrieve. Not only is it effective but it also serves as an excuse for errant casts that end up in the trees.

It wasn’t for lack of gear that we struggled a bit as we arrived well prepared

All in all, it was a good few hours on the water and fun to spend one on one time with one of my kids. Ten bass was a decent haul but did not live up to my expectations. That’s on me for not figuring them out. No big strikes or big bass on our frogs was a bummer as I wanted Jayce to get some firsthand experience with topwater bassing. Of course, once you get a taste it can be addictive and you wind up force feeding the fish a frog as I did for too long on this outing. The Cubs split the two games we watched to take two out of three on the road against a struggling Royals team, but I’ll take that percentage for any road series all season long. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – August 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Due to vehicle issues, my approach to fishing the Hennepin Canal has shifted gears in 2026. This has resulted in limited time on the waterway in a boat and more hours spent walking or biking rather than rowing. While it is frustrating from an access perspective, there’s still plenty of bank out there for a quick hit like this outing.

6:12pm – First bass and Top Bass of the evening weighing 2-9 (18″) on a frog

Stats
Date: August 2
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:10pm-7:55pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy. 78F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (nasty shad) – 1 bass, Nibble Nation wacky rigged worm (gator) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-9 (frog)
Top 5 Weight (only 2 bass at 12” or better): 4-9 (2-9.2-0)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Just Like Old Times – My initial casts on The Canal came on June 5, 2021, and I stuck to prowling the bank until first launching a boat on the waterway on April 23, 2022. That decision opened literally hundreds of miles of water that are inaccessible to bank anglers and has been a prime factor in landing over 1,000 Canal bass to present. So far this year, I have spent roughly double the time on the bank (45.50 hours) versus in a boat (24.25 hours) on The Canal. The overall results comparison for 2026 are fodder for another article or two so I will shift gears back to focusing on this specific trip.

7:27pm – Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 2-0 (16″) on a wacky worm

Two Was the Magic Number – I spent just under two hours on the bank, got two bites, caught two bass, on two different lures, with each bass weighing in the two-pound range. The largest of the two bass (weight 2-9) hit two minutes into casting (although on my third cast of the evening). The other fish tipped the scales at exactly two pounds. Not too bad when you only get two bites.

Spectators – Having an “audience” present when you catch a fish is kind of a double-edged sword. Part on me selfishly has a sort of puff out the chest moment as I appear to know what I am doing. Another part selfishly hears a voice in my head saying, “Boy, I wish they hadn’t seen where I caught that fish.” In the instance of landing my first and largest bass of the evening, a family with two young boys were just exiting their vehicle in an adjacent parking lot. The boys (roughly ages four and seven) rushed over with the little guy exclaiming, “Whoa, I didn’t know there were big bass in here!” I think that I was more impressed than the kid, as I replied, “You guys know that is a bass, huh?” They both nodded and I told them that after I took a picture of the fish they could get a better look. By then their focus on the old guy with the fish was long gone and they had scampered back to mom and dad. I gave the family a wave and we headed separate ways to continue our outdoor adventures.

An added benefit of hiking The Canal is getting some needed exercise

Being bank bound does lend a nostalgic air to outings on The Canal and elsewhere but I will readily admit that I would prefer fishing from the boat. As a bank angler, there’s always the allure of and longing for spots that are “over there.” And over the years, I’ve been “over there” and in many instances the bass “over there” have treated me well. For my next outing, I was able to work out the logistics to get Dad’s truck and the little boat. I was also fortunate to have a kid of my own alongside. But that is another fish story. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – July 26

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Keeping up with my 2026 quest to pay Lake Storey a visit each month from March through October, I got my July visit in just the nick of time. This outing marked my fourth straight day on the water and the weather turned out a lot hotter than the bite.

6:36am – First bass and lone “keeper” of the outing weighing 1-4 (13″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: July 26
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 6:20am-12:05pm
Totals: 4 bass
Weather: Overcast/windy, 77-90F
Water temperature: 81F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad (sight fish) – 2 bass, Strike King KVD 2.5 Crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 1 bass, Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-4 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: only one bass at 12” or better (1-4)

Winning lures

Lake Storey can be a tough neighborhood as this bass had been knocked upside the head

Notes and Nonsense

Solid Start – A solid start can be defined in several ways. One way is to land a batch of bass in a short period of time to begin the day. Another way is to land a quality fish as the first bass of the day. A final example would be to land your first bass shortly after starting. My solid start on this trip was a mix of the latter two instances. The first bass of the morning came only sixteen minutes into casting and was a “keeper” to get my Top 5 started. The bass measured 13” and tipped the scales at 1-4. It would be the lone keeper of the day.

6:34am – Miss #1 a catfish took a swipe at my chatterbait

7:07am – Miss #2 as a bass follows a lipless crank to the boat

Misses – The amount of fish that I got in the boat (four) was equaled by the number of fish that were “this close” to being landed. The first strike of the day was an odd one when a channel cat took a swipe at my chatterbait as I lifted it out of the water. I also had a pair of bass make an appearance at boatside on a lipless crankbait and a buzzbait, respectively. Finally, I had a bass hooked on a spinnerbait that came loose as I attempted to lift it into the boat. None were overly impressive fish, but I still hate to lose them or have a swing and a miss.

7:09am – Miss #3 a bass strikes my buzzbait as I lift the lure from the water at the end of a retrieve

9:27am – Miss #4 a bass shakes lose at boatside after being hooked on a spinnerbait

Heat – By noon, the temperature had risen to ninety degrees. Fortunately, there was ample cloud cover and a bit of a breeze to make it slightly less oppressive. I’ve loved summer since I was a kid but as the years roll on, that heat is no joke. I made my final cast at 12:05pm, loaded the boat, grabbed a sandwich, and made it back to my folks with time to spare for the Cubs-Pirates broadcast. No luck there either as a 7-1 third inning deficit was too much to overcome although the Cubs had their shot before falling 8-7.

A tough morning combined with an extreme heat warning meant it was time to call it a day 

Not a whole lot to report in terms of catching, but I am glad that I kept up my string of fishing Lake Storey once a month. The heat of summer can be tough on me out there as the bass generally move offshore and I need plenty of work on my deep-water approach. This trip wrapped up a busy July where I was able to get on the water eleven different days. On to August. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – July 25

Posted on by Troy Jackson

My third straight day on the water was a change of scenery from The Canal. I opted for the Knox County strip mines as I was headed to Galesburg for a family lunchtime get together. The plan consisted of hitting the water early, fishing for several hours, and being at Mom and Dad’s by 11:00am for the celebration.

Stats
Date: July 25
Location: Knox County public strip pits (two lakes)
Time: 6:35am-9:20am, 9:40am-9:55am
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, 67-81F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (nasty shad) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass, Nibble Nation Lures wacky rig (gator) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 (wacky worm)
Top 5 Weight: 7-12 (1-14,1-12,1-8,1-5,1-5)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

6:35am – First Cast Bass weighing 1-4 (12.5″) on a frog

First Cast Bass – My gameplan in the summertime, early morning, overcast, weedy conditions was to hit the bass hard with a one-two topwater punch of a frog and a buzzbait. As always when fishing a topwater, I had a wacky worm at the ready to follow up on any missed strikes where open water permitted. I led off with the frog cast over a weedy flat bordered by a handful of deep-water pockets and was rewarded with a bass weighing 1-4 on my first cast. Some folks view this as a bad omen. I am not saying that I don’t have a bit of a superstitious streak, but this one doesn’t faze me. My outlook to begin any trip is more about confidence than concern.

8:43am – Top Bass weighing 1-14 (15″) on a Nibble Nation wacky worm

Top Bass – The largest bass of the day fell to a Nibble Nation wacky rigged worm and tipped the scales at 1-14. It came off a reliable piece of cover, a submerged tree that runs lengthwise from a flat into deeper water. This was my second stop on the spot as it is always worth a couple of looks. It is also worth a variety of presentations as evidenced by the fact that my frog failed to bring any fish to the surface for a strike. Instead, a wacky rig fluttering down along the dropoff proved to be too much to resist. The catch represented my Top Bass on the locally made bait, topping a 1-8 from July 19, a day after I made the purchase.

9:53am – Last Cast Bass & Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 1-12 (14.5″) on a frog

Last Cast Bass – To end my morning, I opted for a few casts on a spot between my original destination and my vehicle. I only spent about fifteen minutes casting a frog to froggy looking places and a buzzbait to open water amid the matted surface vegetation. I had not seen any activity or mustered any strikes as I reached one last spot on the lake. This area featured surface vegetation with a few scattered openings on a ledge that dropped rapidly into deep water. Right on time, I got a solid strike on a frog from what would be my Top Bass Runner-Up of the morning, weighing 1-12. I opted to make that my final cast of the day and headed for the lot.

It’s not often that I get a first cast bass and a last cast bass as bookends on an outing. In between I also landed a few but couldn’t find any of the larger bites that I know swim in these waters. Still great to get out for the third straight day and I wasn’t done yet as I had a Lake Storey outing lined up for the following day. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – July 24

Posted on by Troy Jackson

5:08am – The forecast looked dry. It wasn’t.

I was able to get on The Canal for the second day in a row with my little boat in tow. I selected another spot that was lacking a double-digit Top 5 in hopes of checking another stretch off my list. Prior to this outing, I had fished this stretch on two occasions for a total of eight hours. During those trips, I landed nineteen bass with a Top 5 Weight of 7-8 (1-12,1-7,1-6,1-5,1-5). This outing featured plenty of bites amidst a pair of rain delays. Read on to see if those bites allowed me to reach my goal.

6:39am – Top Bass #3 weighing 2-4 (16″) on a frog, off to a good start

Stats
Date: July 24
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:55am-1:05pm (with fifty-five minutes of rain delays)
Totals: 24 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy/light rain, 59-70F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Booyah Blade Double Colorado Spinnerbait (snow white) – 14 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (nasty shad) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 (frog)
Top 5 Weight: 10-7 (2-8,2-6,2-4,1-11,1-10)

Winning lures

Tune of the Trip
Spirit of the Radio – Rush (1980)
“Begin the day with a friendly voice
A companion unobtrusive
Plays that song that’s so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood.”
I dig my radio and hearing this tune on the way to the fishing hole indeed made my “morning mood.”

9:53am – Top Bass weiging 2-8 (17″) on a frog, first catch after a rain delay

Notes and Nonsense

Fellow Anglers – I chatted with a bank fisherman as I made my way to a tube to begin my morning. He provided several tips on that spot, noting that he had done well on a Choppo topwater and that a small, white, squarebill crankbait was a winner. In addition, a recent internet comment regarding The Canal indicated that several miles of water had apparently been treated to diminish aquatic vegetation. While my initial lure choices of a buzzbait, frog, and spinnerbait precluded resorting to the bank angler’s advice, the lack of weeds was a tip that influenced my decision on a destination. Rather than banks lined with extensive weed mats, the formerly hidden cover (brush, logs, riprap) was now exposed. And productive.

In reality, this resulted in fifty-five miutes of rain delays

9:30am-9:45am Rain Delay #1 tucked up under some trees

Rain Delays – While the day was overcast and a bit hazy, the forecast showed no call for rain. That forecast changed (twice) when I was about a mile and a half from my truck. Luckily, this stretch of The Canal featured a rarity with a few overhanging trees lining the bank as the skies opened up. The showers were not a downpour but were plenty heavy and long enough that I would have wound up soaked without the shelter. The first delay lasted about fifteen minutes while the second kept me idle for forty minutes. I stayed occupied by texting Julie, my brothers, and fishing buddy, John Kirkemo. Phones can be a distraction, but I do enjoy the access they allow in telling fish stories in real time.

11:17am – Top Bass #2 weighing (16.5″) on a spinnerbait 

Top 5 Results – Three two-pounders (2-8,2-6,2-4) and a 1-11 provided a substantial boost in knocking out four of the bass in my initial Top 5. These catches allowed me to achieve my goal in boosting a Top 5 of 7-8 up to 10-9, a welcome bump of over three pounds. To top it all off, the bites also allowed me to meet my ultimate daily goal of a ten-pound Top 5 at 10-7.

 

Quite a day on the water with two dozen bass and I can check off another stretch of The Canal as having a ten-pound Top 5. Of the twenty-five sections of The Canal in my quest, I have now posted a double-digit Top 5 on eighteen, have five that are lacking (current Top 5 Weights range from 8-8 to 9-10, and there are two sections that I have never fished before. Still some work to do. Talk to you later. Troy