Author: Troy Jackson

2025 Top 5 Results

Posted on by Troy Jackson

2025 Top 5 Champ Jim Junk with a a strip mine largemouth bass

Jim Junk returns to the top of the Top 5 after a runner-up finish the previous year. This marks Jim’s fourth title in the last five years as he racks up another batch of impressive catches from his public strip pit stomping grounds. Five anglers posted a total of 70 bass along with a couple additions of other species during a productive year on the water. Read on for all the stats from our twelfth year of the Top 5 project.

Bass Totals (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted)

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 24-9 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-13,4-7)
Troy Jackson 20-11 (4-14,4-14,3-13,3-12,3-6)
Brent Jackson 16-1 (4-10,3-8,3-1,2-8,2-6)
John Kirkemo 11-1 (2-8,2-8,2-4,1-15,1-14)
Carly Jackson 1-2 (1-2)

2025 Totals
March = 10 bass
April = 16 bass
May = 22 bass
June = 5 bass
July = 11 bass
August = 0 bass
September = 4 bass
October = 1 bass
November = 0 bass
December = 1 bass

Brent Jackson with a strip mine smallmouth

Top 5 Weight by Month (as a group)
March = 11-3 (2-15,2-8,1-15,1-15,1-14)
April = 18-9 (4-14,4-10,3-13,2-14,2-6)
May = 22-9 (5-7,4-15,4-7,3-15,3-13)
June = 16-3 (4-0,3-9,3-4,2-11,2-11)
July = 19-15 (4-15,4-13,3-8,3-6,3-5)
August = no submissions
September = 11-7 (3-12,3-6,2-8,1-13)
October = 4-14 (4-14)
November = no submissions
December = 1-15 (1-15)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 36 bass
Bank = 34 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 18-14 (4-14,3-12,3-8,3-6,3-6)
Bank = 25-0 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-14,4-13)

John Kirkemo with a South Carolina spotted bass

Public vs. Private
Public = 68 bass
Private = 2 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 25-1 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-14,4-14)
Private = 6-11 (3-13,2-14)

The Baits
Plastic Worm = 16 bass (Top Bass 4-15 Jim Junk)
Jerkbait = 12 bass (Top Bass 2-8 John Kirkemo)
Frog = 11 bass (Top Bass 3-6 Troy Jackson)
Chatterbait = 9 bass (Top Bass 4-14 Troy Jackson)
Lipless Crankbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 4-10 Brent Jackson)
Underspin = 4 bass (Top Bass 5-7 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-14 Troy Jackson)
Swimbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-13 Jim Junk)
Popper = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-4 Brent Jackson)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 2-2 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-13 Troy Jackson)

Carly Jackson with a Hennepin Canal largemouth bass

Monthly Top Bass
March
2-15 Jim Junk
April
4-14 Troy Jackson
May
5-7 Jim Junk
June
4-0 Jim Junk
July
4-15 Jim Junk
August
No Submissions
September
3-12 Troy Jackson
October
4-14 Troy Jackson
November
No submissions
December
1-15 John Kirkemo

Troy Jackson with a Lake Storey largemouth bass

2025 Top 10 Bass
5-7 Jim Junk 5/17
4-15 Jim Junk 5/25
4-15 Jim Junk 7/19
4-14 Troy Jackson 4/19
4-14 Troy Jackson 10/12
4-13 Jim Junk 7/10
4-10 Brent Jackson 4/6
4-7 Jim Junk 5/30
4-0 Jim Junk 6/7
3-15 Jim Junk 5/2

Other Species

Channel Catfish
Brent Jackson 3-4 (3-4)

Walleye
Brent Jackson 1-6 (1-6)

Stay tuned for a follow-up post that tracks the all-time stats covering the twelve years that we have pursued a Top 5. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Thanks to our South Carolina angler, we get at least one more Top 5 Update as we hit the final days of 2025. Read on for the scoop on our seventieth bass entry of the year as John Kirkemo posts another fine spotted bass.

Weight: 1-15
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: December 26 (time on the water 12:50pm-3:15pm)
Weather: Mostly cloudy, calm wind, air temp low 60s
Water Temp: 58F
Location: Lake Keowee along the Port Santorini subdivision in Seneca, SC
Lure: Black and silver 3.5” shallow running Rapala
Angler Comments: Spotted bass were feeding on the surface in open water, but it still took me two hours of trolling before I finally hooked and landed this one. I had no other hits.
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (2-8,2-8,2-4,1-15,1-14) culls 1-13

Way to go John, and kudos for sticking it out and finding a quality bite. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and stay tuned as the final results of the 2025 Top 5 project will be posted in early January followed by some further 2025 recaps. Talk to you later. Troy

12th Day of 2025 Lures – Frogs

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Topwater Frogs
90 bass vs. 79 bass in 2024
Spro Flappin’ Frog 65 (nasty shad, redear, leopard)
Top Bass: 3-6 Knox County public strip pit – July 23
Top 5 Weight: 15-9 (3-6,3-5,3-1,3-1,2-12)

Comments
2025 marks the first time that topwater frogs have claimed the Top Lure spot. And their 2025 Top 5 Weight of 15-9 fell just short of spinnerbaits which topped the list at 16-3. Frogs have been coming on strong with increased productivity since only landing one bass in 2022 but claiming the Top Lure title is still a bit surprising. This year, the frog was equally effective on The Canal and the strip mines. I did not use it on Lake Storey as vegetation was sparse prior to the fall drawdown and a non-factor after the water dropped.

July 23 – Top Frog Bass at 3-6 (20″) from a Knox County public strip

History
Within a 2023 blog entry, I declared that “I am the self-proclaimed ‘worst frog angler on The Canal’.” Most of The Canal is custom made for frogs as it is quite shallow and features an abundance of surface vegetation as the weather warms. However, I just couldn’t get much of a bite dialed in with my frog offerings. Enter the Spro Flappin Frog which was a game changer. The paddle feet on these lures were just what I was looking for as they generated more commotion than the rubber strand legs on the frogs I had previously been casting. Not only were the Spro models a hit on The Canal but the strip mine bass took a liking to them as well. Definitely the best frogs I have ever found.

Video
Today’s catch video features my Top Frog Bass of 2025 which was landed on my birthday. It represented the second heaviest “birthday bass” of all-time, falling two ounces shy of a 3-8 caught on July 23, 2017. This topwater strike had the added excitement of the bass visibly getting a bead on the frog from a distance. I have also included a slow-motion replay of the pursuit and strike to the end of the clip. As a long-time angler, it is cool to consider what instinctively takes place in the mind and translates to the retrieve in a matter of roughly two seconds. Seeing the initial wake of a fish in pursuit (at 1.04 seconds of the clip), I then made a slight pause in the retrieve as the frog was nearing a patch of weeds (at 1.51 seconds of the clip). My thought being that the weeds could adversely affect the accuracy of an impending strike. Another pair of quick twitches after the pause and it was game over for the frog (hookset at 3.09 seconds). Now, that fish was “hot” and probably would have gotten the lure even in the patch of weeds, but my brain said don’t take that chance and let the fish get a clean shot. Then again, I realized long ago that if a bass wants that frog, you can’t reel it fast enough for it to “get away.”

 

Last Cast
I found it fun that frogs took the Top Lure title in 2025 as the calendar window and prime conditions for frog fishing are more limited than many of the other lure types that have been covered over the last eleven days. My 2025 “frog season” started with frog bass number one on May 10 and ended with frog bass number ninety on September 21. Pretty much the normal window if I were to give a general estimate. While I will be tossing lipless cranks, chatterbaits, and grubs to start 2026, you can bet once the water warms and the weeds take hold, those frogs will be getting another workout.

And that’s a wrap on the 12 Days of 2025 Lures. It’s been fun researching and reminiscing on another successful year on the water. I have enjoyed the expanded version of the lure recaps via the “12 Days” as it has allowed me to evaluate beyond a brief paragraph for comments. In addition, it provided an opportunity to share some of the video amassed during one hundred and fifty-five hours on the water. More recaps to come as I put together a series of posts breaking down the locations that produced in 2025. Talk to you later. Troy

11th Day of 2025 Lures – Spinnerbaits

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Spinnerbaits
72 bass vs. 87 bass in 2024
War Eagle (white/chartreuse), Stanley Vibra Shaft (blue glimmer)
Top Bass: 4-14 Lake Storey – October 12
Top 5 Weight: 16-3 (4-14,3-6,3-4,2-6,2-5)

Comments
It’s hard to believe that it is going on forty years since I landed my first bass on a spinnerbait. And how rewarding that 2025 saw me catch the largest spinnerbait bass of my fishing “career” on a lake that I’ve been fishing since I was a kid in the 1970s. That lake, Lake Storey, really came through in terms of spinnerbait success as those bass were right where they were supposed to be. My entire 2025 Top 5 Spinnerbait bass came from Lake Storey and tipped the scales at an impressive weight of 16-3. In contrast, the bass on The Canal have turned up their noses to my spinnerbait offerings that last couple years so I have had to shift gears on that water (more on that tomorrow).

October 12 – Top Spinnerbait Bass at 4-14 (20.5″) from Lake Storey

History
I caught my first ever spinnerbait bass in the mid-1980s and have been casting them consistently ever since. I’ve got a rough draft of a series of posts that detail that history but have yet to get it written. One “chapter” of that series would be a spinnerbait that I called the “Blue Glimmer” which was a top lure in the 1990s-2000s. It is long out of production, but I broke one out again in 2025. Risky business on Lake Storey as it has a population of toothy muskies. The Blue Glimmer caught eight bass in a couple of hours, just like old times, before it broke off on a hookset (muskie?). I refrained from any bad words, wiped my eyes, tied on a War Eagle model, and kept on casting (and catching).

Video
For today’s post, you get two clips. I do not have catch video of the 2025 Top Spinnerbait Bass as my GoPro was not running due to operator error. I do have the celebration and release footage, however. Perhaps that is for the best as the Top Bass came from a “secret” spot. I do have footage of my Blue Glimmer catches and have also included a clip of the final catch as well as the demise of the bait.

 

 

Last Cast
I rely heavily on a spinnerbait, and my current favorite is a War Eagle model that features an orange blade which I like in the stained waters of The Canal and Lake Storey. I don’t employ it much on most of my strip mine waters as other baits set up better in the clearer, and sometimes deeper, waters. I thought that I had at least one more Blue Glimmer stashed away but I have not been able to track it down. Perhaps it will turn up and make another appearance one of these days. If not, it was a great run, and the War Eagle is an effective replacement as it only comes up short in terms of sentimentality.

Final lure on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy

10th Day of 2025 Lures – Lipless Cranks

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Lipless Crankbait
66 bass vs. 81 bass in 2024
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad or red craw)
Top Bass: 3-12 Lake Storey – September 29
Top 5 Weight: 12-5 (3-12,2-4,2-3,2-3,1-15)

Comments
Coming in at number three on the 2025 lure list are lipless crankbaits and they also occupy the third spot on the heaviest Top 5 bags of the year with a weight of 12-5. Lipless cranks are a favorite to employ on broad structures such as retrieving across flats, along the edges and over the tops of points, or parallel to extended stretches of uniform “nothing banks” (level depth stretches that don’t have a concentration of other cover). In each of these areas, the lipless crank lets me cover water fast as I am targeting active fish. These are reaction bites from the bass as opposed to tossing other lures such as worms or jigs that tempt the bass with a typically slower approach on specific pieces of cover (stumps, logs, rockpiles).

September 29 – Top Lipless Crankbait Bass at 3-12 (20.5″) from Lake Storey

History
Part of the fun in this year’s restructured recaps is recalling and researching the history of these lures. Prior to the 2000s, I rarely threw lipless crankbaits and I was missing out. Once I got on board, the lure paid great dividends. Should 2026 produce similar results to 2025, I will log lipless crankbait bass number 1,000.

Video
When a combination of structural and cover elements is blended on a spot, such an area needs ample time and casts. In the case of my 2025 Top Lipless Crankbait bass, I was working a secondary point with a flat covered in scattered rock debris around an extensive rockpile. If that doesn’t scream “cast here”, you need to re-enroll in Bass Fishing 101. The edited catch clip below features the cast that caught the bass, but the entire clip shows that this was the fifth cast to the area. Each cast was incrementally further from the shallows covering a slightly different parallel path back to the boat. Experience told me that there were fish around the structure and I was committed to working it over to find a bite.

 

Last Cast
I like to fish fast so lipless crankbaits are right up my alley. And each of the main waters that I fish have many spots that set up well for these baits. The shallow waters of The Canal are a good fit on the stretches that don’t get too choked with vegetation. A fair amount of my strip mine haunts are not prototype v-cut pits meaning that they feature a great many flats and shoreline ledges. And Lake Storey has a solid collection of expansive flats and gently tapering points. Suffice to say, lipless cranks will continue to cover some water (and catch some bass) in 2026.

Another lure on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy

9th Day of 2025 Lures – Plastic Worms

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Plastic Worms
40 bass vs. 88 bass in 2024
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (various colors), Yum 7” Power Bait Power Worm (blue fleck/firetail), Shaky Head Owner 3/8 oz. jighead with 7” Berkley Power Worm (tequila sunrise)
Top Bass: 3-4 Hennepin Canal – June 7
Top 5 Weight: 9-10 (3-4,1-14,1-10,1-8,1-6)

Comments
This year, I implemented a new type of worm presentation called a Shaky Head. The setup pairs a standup jighead with a worm that is rigged in a weedless fashion. I thought that it would work well on the deep weed edges and drop-offs of the strip mines and it was indeed a winner. In addition, my favorite plastic worm offering, a Senko wacky rig, continued to produce. Finally, I broke out an old original setup, the Texas rig, to fool a lone bass. Plastic worms have been around for a long time for a reason. They work.

June 7 – Top Plastic Worm at 3-4 (19″) from the Hennepin Canal

History
A Texas rigged worm was the only presentation I used when I caught the bass fishing bug in the 1980s. In 2005, I landed my first bass on a Senko wacky rig, and it revolutionized my worm fishing. The Shaky Head presentation joined the ranks in 2025 as I stepped out of the comfort zone after twenty years of relying almost exclusively on the Senko wacky rig. For 2025, only one of my forty bass came on the old Texas rig. The remaining catches were nearly evenly split between the favored Senko wacky rig (nineteen bass) and the new Shaky Head offering (twenty bass). Worms are winners and their application continues to evolve as noted by these various presentations.

Video
On June 7, I went in search of seven bites on a stretch of the Hennepin Canal to push my all-time total on the section to one hundred bass. After two hours and roughly a mile of water, I had six small bass in the log. Bass number seven of the trip was something special as it not only achieved my goal, but it also tipped the scales at 3-4 making it the largest bass I had ever landed on that pool of The Canal. With my mission accomplished, I put the rod down, rowed twenty minutes back to my truck, and headed home. Couldn’t have made up a better fish story if I tried.

 

Last Cast
The effectiveness of the Senko wacky rig means that my use of plastic worms is not going away. While I don’t use the wacky rig a whole lot on the dingier waters of The Canal, as long as I am willing and able to invest time hiking on the strip mines, the presentation will put plenty of bass in the fishing log. With the confidence that I gained in the shaky head setup, I suspect that it will get additional use as well. And perhaps it is time to give the classic Texas rig a few more casts.

Another lure on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy

8th Day of 2025 Lures – Chatterbaits

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Chatterbait
22 bass vs. 59 bass in 2024
Z Man Chatterbait (sexy shad or white) with various swimbait trailers
Top Bass: 4-14 Knox County public strip pit – April 19
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (4-14,1-11,1-8,1-8,1-8)

Comments
As we enter the Top 5 lures of 2025 with today’s post, we are on to the heavy hitters from the tacklebag. Both in terms of numbers and weights. Of the five remaining lure types (including today’s post), the chatterbait came in with the fourth heaviest Top 5 bag of bass for the year with a weight of 11-1. For 2025, the chatterbait was equally at home on The Canal and the strip mines with eleven bass on each type of water.

April 19 – Top Chatterbait Bass at 4-14 (20.5″) from a Knox County public strip pit

History
I landed my first bass on a chatterbait back in 2007 and I was hit or miss on casting one for many years afterwards. In 2020, I made a commitment to invest more time with the lure and in the interim have caught two hundred chatterbait bass. The 2025 totals were down from previous years as I am a spinnerbait guy at heart and trended in that direction, particularly during my late season Lake Storey trips.

Video
The clip below features my biggest bass of the year (tied at 4-14). It is also the largest chatterbait bass that I have ever caught, smashing a 2-15 from Lake Storey in 2024. It came on a cast immediately after I had landed a short bass in the same area. My primary GoPro battery gave out shortly after landing this one but the entire cast, catch, and grab are on video. The customary weight guess and the release with all the data are also added to the end of the catch clip.

 

Last Cast
I have an affinity for tossing a chatterbait along shoreline ledges/drops and across extended flats/points. Much of my use of the chatterbait is predicated on where I am fishing regarding these types of structure. Another factor is if the bass turn up their noses to my spinnerbaits, I often resort to the chatterbait for a different look. Tough to predict what lies in store for 2026 as I will rely on feedback from the bass and my gut instinct as my days on the water develop.

Another lure on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy

7th Day of 2025 Lures – Buzzbaits

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Buzzbaits
20 bass vs. 77 bass in 2024
Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad or black)
Top Bass: 2-6 Hennepin Canal – October 5
Top 5 Weight: 9-10 (2-6,2-2,1-14,1-10,1-10)

Comments
Like the situation with the Whopper Plopper (see Propbait post), diminished hours on The Canal led to diminished buzzbait catches. The public strip mines produced a handful on buzzbaits, and I even landed a buzzbait bass on Lake Storey which is a rarity for me. However, the shallow, weedy waters of The Canal are where buzzbaits shine and there just weren’t as many occasions to break out the lure in 2025.

History
Buzzbaits are a blast and can be big bass producers. They trail only jigs for the all-time Top 5 Weight breakdown by lure with a five bass limit weighing 25-15. While none of my 2025 catches came close to displacing any of those five fish, every cast with a buzzbait has the potential for a quality bite.

October 5 – Top Buzzbait Bass at 2-6 (17.5″) on the Hennepin Canal

Video
This bass on The Canal hit the bait between scattered patches of surface weeds in an open water area above abundant subsurface vegetation. Typical Canal conditions on the section of the main line west of Lock 24 and an ideal setup for casting a buzzbait (or a topwater frog). For this clip, I also added slow motion view of the strike which was quite an explosion. If you listen closely in the regular speed clip of the catch, you can hear the splash as well. Along with the potential for big bites, such strikes make topwater fishing exciting, and addictive.

 

Last Cast
Buzzbait production for 2026 will likely be related to the time that I spend on The Canal. I do have several strip pits that feature shallow water flats and ledges that set up well for buzzbait fishing. However, they can be a challenge during the warm weather conditions when the buzzbait bite is in full swing. Terrestrial vegetation on the strip mines makes for a tough hike to get to the water and shoreline aquatic vegetation can get so expansive that it is difficult to get the bait in front of the bass.

Next lure on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy

6th Day of 2025 Lures – Grubs

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Grubs
20 bass vs. 34 bass in 2024
Lunker Hunt Finesse 3” Swimbait (perfect pumpkin or smokin’ shad)
Top Bass: 2-2 Knox County public strip pit – May 18
Top 5 Weight: 6-14 (2-2,1-4,1-3,1-3,1-2)

Comments
For 2025, all twenty of my grub bass came from the Knox County public strip pits in April and May. These little swimbaits are what I call “Ned Rigs” and I classify them as “grubs” since they are smaller, bite-sized versions of what I consider a true “swimbait.” Some may debate my designation, but it gives me yet another category to evaluate when compiling my beloved stats. I am a fan of these baits early in the year before switching to larger, louder presentations as the water gets warmer and weedier.

May 18 – Top Grub Bass at 2-2 (17″) from a Knox County public strip pit

History
The Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait burst on the scene in 2023 when it landed a Top 5 bag of bass weighing 14-15. That batch of bass was anchored by the 2023 Top Bass that tipped the scales at 5-3. Numbers were solid in 2024, but the big bites were elusive, and the latter aspect continued in 2025. Even so, enough “keepers” were landed to establish a 2025 Top 5 for the lure.

Video
Brent and I went off the beaten path during a May strip mine bike and hike outing. One of my stops was a small body of water that I had not fished for fourteen years. The shoreline weeds and brush had taken over since that visit and made access and casting tough. A spinning setup was ideal as it offered more creative casting options than a baitcaster. Armed with a “Ned Rig”, the spot came through with my biggest bass from the little lake to date.

 

Last Cast
While the 2023 success of this lure set the bar quite high, I remain convinced that it wasn’t a fluke. Numbers and size have been down over the last two years, but you can bet that I will have a Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait tied on when I hit the strip mines again next year.

Another lure on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy

5th Day of 2025 Lures – Propbait

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Propbait
18 bass vs. 52 bass in 2024
Whopper Plopper 110 (bone)
Top Bass: 3-13 Knox County public strip pit – May 16
Top 2 Weight (only two at 12” or better): 4-14 (3-13,1-1)

Comments
I didn’t throw the Whopper Plopper as much in 2025 as I had during the past several years. The drop in use was primarily because I did not fish the Hennepin Canal as much as I had in previous years. My 54.25 hours on The Canal in 2025 was a significant decrease from 136 hours in 2024. The Canal is a very shallow fishery which sets up well for topwater fishing once the water warms. And the Whopper Plopper is quite effective in spots where you can avoid fouling the large treble hooks in the abundant weed growth.

History
From 2021 through 2024, I landed one hundred and fifteen bass on the Whopper Plopper, so my 2025 total fell shy of keeping up the pace. And my total was way down from a record haul in 2024 of fifty-two bass. It is a fun presentation and fits well with my fast, power fishing approach. However, it took a backseat this year to other topwater offerings and catch totals suffered from the diminished time fishing The Canal.

Video
The video of the 2025 Top Propbait Bass is kind of rough for a couple reasons. First, the wind was terrible on this day and ruined the audio. Therefore, the volume is way down on the catch and assessment portions of the video but turned back up for the release. Secondly, the video had to be spliced due to cropping certain sections for “security” reasons as the backdrop was a bit too revealing. With all my 2025 fishing taking place on public waters, there are instances where I choose to leave a little mystery.

 

Last Cast
I am still working on my game plan for 2026 so it remains to be seen what the time investment will be on The Canal where the Whopper Plopper shines. The strip mines also give up some quality bites as demonstrated by the video, but the wind and weeds can be a hindrance when fishing from the bank. If I were to make a prediction, I would anticipate similar numbers in 2026.

Another lure is on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy