Author: Troy Jackson

Hennepin Canal Report – March 10 & 13

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Since starting my own blog, I have committed to posting a fishing report to cover every outing, good or not so good. In the case of today’s report, I am combining a pair of reports from a couple hikes on The Canal. Read on for the details.

Stats
Date: March 10 & 13
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3.75 hours total (2.00 and 1.75)
Totals: 7 bass (2 bass & 5 bass)
Weather Sunny, windy 47F/Overcast, calm 67F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 3 bass, Lunkerhunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin) – 3 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-4 Red Eye Shad
Top Weight: 5-11

Notes and Nonsense

Sight Fishing (March 10) – I decided to take along a pole during a scouting hike on this day even though the wind and temperature had things on the chilly side. The two stretches that I walked offered limited bank access and few targets within reach of my casts. Fortunately, I did spot a bass hanging along some shoreline riprap and the Ned Rig worked its subtle magic in getting the fish to commit. In this instance, I cast the lure out beyond the fish taking care not to make much body movement and spook the bass. From there I gently swam the bait to the fish and left it sitting within sight. A few light twitches of the lure got the bass interested and on the hook. It doesn’t always work but it is rewarding to catch one that you spot in advance.

 

One That Got Away (March 10) – On the second leg of my hike, I hooked into something heavy with the Ned Rig. It pulled briefly, headed towards the surface as if it was going to roll, and then came undone. I never got a look at the fish and had visions of my first four-pounder on The Canal dancing in my head. Then again, it may have been a big old catfish. I guess I’ll never know but I do plan to get some more casts into the deep hole as the year progresses.

March 10 – 4:44pm Top Bass at 1-4 on a lipless crankbait

Perch Fishing (March 13) – There are no perch in The Canal areas that I fish, but there are several aqueducts built to traverse creeks that run below canal level. These are like highway overpasses but filled with water. On the side of the towpath/hiking trail, these structures feature a roughly five-foot railing to prevent hikers and bikers from taking a swim. To effectively fish the entire length of the aqueducts, I climb up and sit on top of the railing and lock my feet into the gaps so I don’t take a plunge. On this outing, I managed to land a pair of bass on the Ned Rig from such a vantage point.

 

 

These two trips resulted in adding a few more “bonus” bites to the log. You never know what you are going to get in terms of weather and opportunities to chase some bass in March, so I am glad to be off to a solid start. Now, if it is not too much to ask, I just need some bigger bites. More reports on the way so talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – March 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After being shut out on my first two trips of the year, I was able to get that first bass in the log about fifteen minutes into a bike and hike outing on The Canal. Turns out a few more were interested as well. Read on for the rest of the story.

Stats
Date: March 3
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 8:40am-11:10am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 64F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 3 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 Chatterbait
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-6

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Go Forth North – I chose this section of The Canal as it not only offered a shot at some quality bass, but it also featured hiker friendly bank access on the northern towpath. The north side also receives the brunt of any sunlight and on this day was also getting pounded by strong winds from the south. The latter can affect casting accuracy, but you just must adjust your aim, play the wind, and let Mother Nature assist in hitting your targets.

8:55am First bass of 2024 at 1-7 (14″) on a chatterbait

Just a bit windy

The Answer My Friend – No matter what season you are fishing, you play whatever cards Mother Nature deals and try to make it work in your favor. The wind was gusting up to forty miles per hour with a direct hit on the northern bank. In the early spring, such conditions are amplified as there is no foliage or undergrowth on the southern bank to break the wind. Full force in my face is where I want to be as I work into and parallel along the bank that is getting pummeled. The wind will stir things up and can stack up the food chain on cover along the windblown bank.

10:38 Top Bass of the day at 1-8 (14″) on a chatterbait

Wood is Good – Much of The Canal is shallow (five feet or less) and the rest is shallower. Any wood cover that I can find extending out from or entirely away from the bank is a primary target. Brush, laydowns, and submerged logs all get some casts. Large or small, each has potential to hold a bass. And I work them over from different angles where bank access permits. A favorite approach is parallel and so tight to the wood that my lures nearly touch the cover. If I need to work perpendicular to submerged cover, I rapidly retrieve a spinnerbait or chatterbait to barely clear the wood and then slow my retrieve and lower my rod tip to drop the bait in the water column next to the cover. Make enough of these presentations and you’ll get your bites.

 

You Gotta Wear Shades – A final factor that gets overlooked are polarized lenses. No matter sun or overcast, I always have my shades. Not only do they provide a bit of protection, but they also reveal targets that are hidden from the naked eye. Anytime that I walk or bike The Canal, my eyes are on the water looking for these targets. Just be careful as the occasional pothole or washout can trip you up when you are paying more attention to the water than to where you are going.

Told Julie I would ditch the winter beard once I caught my first bass of the year

On this day, the above factors resulted in my first five bass of 2024. It took some work as even though the air temperature was in the sixties, the water was still quite cold. Early March bass in our neck of the woods are sluggish but striving to put the right lure in the right place at the right time can still get it done. And as the weather warms and the daylight lengthens, things will only get better. Stay tuned as there are plenty more reports to come. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Happy April Fool’s Day as another angler joins the pursuit with a quality fish. No fooling either as this catch happens to be his Top Bass of all-time.

Weight: 3-4
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: March 31
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 58F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white) with a Strike King Rage Swimmer trailer ()
Editor’s Comments: This bass represents Jayce’s largest bass, topping a 2-5 from the Knox County strip mines in 2018.
Top 5 Weight: 3-4 (3-4)

Way to go, Jayce, as that is a quality catch anywhere and an impressive specimen from The Canal. A great start to your Top 5 and I look forward to seeing what you can add as the year rolls on. More on the catch when I get around to catching up on fishing reports. Talk to you later. Troy

Early Season Shutouts

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Time to rack up some more fishing miles

The open water fishing season started earlier than normal this year as my first cast hit the water on February 25. Unfortunately, neither that initial cast nor three and a half more hours’ worth amounted to a bass in the boat. The next outing on March 2 failed to produce a bass as well. So, before I get started on the successful fishing reports it is only proper to hit the stats and “highlights” from the early season shutouts.

An impressive beaver lodge but held no hungry bass on this day

Stats
Date: February 25
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines
Time: 11:10am-2:40pm
Totals: 0 bass (only one bite on a jig)
Weather: Sunny/windy, 52F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Tried a Strike King Rattling Jig and craw, Strike King Red Eye Shad, Rapala Shad Rap, Lunkerhunt Finesse Swimbait, Strike King KVD Jerkbait, and a War Eagle Spinnerbait

Solid cold water offerings but not takers

Notes and Nonsense

It is a rare combination to have open water and fifty-degree temperatures in February. Even rarer is to be greeted with such conditions on a day off. As a result, I got ambitious in breaking out the boat and investing in an hour drive to my Knox County strip mine stomping grounds. Hopes were high on a spot that holds some quality bass, but the extent of my “success” was a lone bite on a jig and craw. The fish was in the two-pound range but came unbuttoned as I attempted to lift it into the boat. Admittedly, I was a bit bummed out and could not muster another bite for a second chance. It was still good to get out and I reminded myself that a February outing is a welcome bonus whether the bass bite or not.

Miles and miles to choose from on The Canal

Stats
Date: March 2
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:40pm-4:40pm
Totals: 0 bass (only one bite on a Shad Rap)
Weather: Sunny/windy, 48F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Tried a Strike King Rattling Jig and craw, Strike King Red Eye Shad, Rapala Shad Rap, Lunkerhunt Finesse Swimbait, Strike King KVD Jerkbait, Z-Man Chatterbait, and a War Eagle Spinnerbait

Notes and Nonsense

After the shutout with the boat, I opted for a bike and boots outing on The Canal. I waited until late in the day to allow the air and sun to warm things a bit and had about an hour of decent daylight to try my luck. The best I could do was having a bass briefly hooked on a Shad Rap near the edge of an aqueduct. A bend in the pole, a swirl on the surface, and the fish was gone.

The old fishing companion is back for another year

While the outings left me 0-2 on my 2024 bites, I wasn’t too worried about a slump. Like Major League Baseball, I considered it “Spring Training”. Back in January, during a text conversation with my friend, John Kirkemo, I had made a first bass prediction of March 16. Spoiler alert, I beat the prediction. But that is another fishing report. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Pre-Season Prowls

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I am not much of an ice fisherman, so in the “off season”, I find other ways to scratch the fishing itch. For many years, that has involved writing on the blog but for various reasons this winter I ended up taking a two-month break from November to January. Upon resuming blogging the posts have still been few and far between compared to the first seven years of my own blog and many years of previous writing gigs. Regardless of whether I am posting or not, I spend a lot of time thinking about fishing.

The past several months found me engaging in a fair amount of prowling on the Hennepin Canal. Both on the internet and on the ground. Concerning the latter aspect, I racked up over forty miles walking at multiple locations between Colona and Mineral starting with a New Year’s Day hike. These walks were multi-purpose jaunts. For starters, it is always good to get some fresh air. The hikes also help me to get into better shape for this year’s strip mine hikes to commence shortly. And finally, they are invaluable in scouting areas for future fishing trips on The Canal.

 

After fooling my first pair of bass on The Canal back on June 5, 2021, near Geneseo, I decided that the historic fishing hole was worth a return visit. Several return visits later, I was further convinced that I should make it a regular destination. As I expanded my range on The Canal, I eventually came up with a couple more goals. One goal was to catch a four-pounder and I am still in pursuit with a 3-10 as my Top Canal Bass to date.

The next goal started with breaking The Canal into sections divided by various landmarks or features. Rather than just logging that I caught a bass on The Canal, I could make my log entries much more specific by noting something along the lines of Lock 24/Bridge 36 to Bridge 35. From there, the goal of catching a Top 5 limit in each section from the Rock River to the Sheffield Visitor Center came to mind. To date, I have fished twenty of the thirty-one sections I have designated and established Top 5 marks on sixteen of those stretches. Perhaps I will delve into those numbers another day.

Regarding today’s topic, my off-season aim was to observe some of the unseen sections during the winter to gather information before ever making a cast. Such exploration consists of evaluating aspects such as spots to drag in my boat, passable tubes beneath county roads, and what sort of structure/cover is available. An added bonus when onsite is crossing paths with folks who have fished the area and swapping fish stories. I also spend plenty of time on the internet perusing reports, pictures, and videos. Comments, landmarks, or clues in those posts can also be helpful while out gathering information.

Thanks to these off-season prowls, my ever-expanding collection of notes and videos include the following commentary: “Looks good”, “Fish this”, “large beaver lodge”, “solid lilypads, impossible to fish after spring”, “tubes passable both ends”, and other bits of helpful information. While I don’t know if I could yet write a whole book on The Canal, I sure think that I could put together a few chapters. Thus far in 2024, I have revisited familiar areas but once the weather and the bite warm a bit, it’s time to cash in on some of the off-season reconnaissance with the tackle in tow on spots unfished. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

We have another limit and another contender as three more bass join the ledger.

Weight: 3-1
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 17
Weather:
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 3-14
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 18
Weather:
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Angler Comments: Made it out yesterday for about three hours and today for like one and a half hours. Very windy both days, but much cooler today. Yesterday ended up with four bass. Three dinks and a 3-1 that all came on a black and red skirted chatterbait. Today only had one bite but it was a nice 3-14 on the same chatterbait.
Top 5 Weight: 17-5 (4-6,3-14,3-10,3-1,2-6)

Weight: 1-5
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: March 23 at 3:00pm
Weather: Partly cloudy and breezy with air temperature in high 60s to low 70s
Water Temp: 61F
Location: Lake Keowee, SC
Lure: Wacky worm
Angler Comments: This fish hit the wacky worm in about 5 feet of water along a sun-drenched wooded shoreline (See attached picture of location.) This was the only hit I had in about two hours of afternoon fishing. My first ever South Carolina largemouth. No competition from shore fisherman. (See attached picture of shoreline warning sign.)
Top 5 Weight: 1-5 (1-5)

Good stuff as Jim edges nearer the coveted twenty-pound mark and the Top 5 bass collection expands to the southeast with John’s catch from The Palmetto State. As April nears, it looks like the local weather forecast is promising and hopefully it will translate into an uptick in the bite. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Three bass join the list for this week’s update as I fill my initial limit and bump a couple of my earlier catches out of my Top 5.

Weight: 1-14
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 16
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy, 52F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Chatterbait (sexy shad) with Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad trailer (pro blue)
Structure: Laydown
Angler Comments: On my first cast of the evening, my lure had barely hit the water alongside a lengthy fallen tree when this bass loaded up. It established my new Top Bass for the year but would only hold the mark for two hours before being bested by one of the fish below.

Weight: 1-11
Date: March 16
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy, 52F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw)
Structure: Open water
Angler Comments: While my target was a point across The Canal, this one hit as my lure crossed the open channel well away from the point. Perhaps it followed the bait, maybe there is some hidden structure in the vicinity, or maybe I just got lucky. At any rate, another quality fish for a boost to my Top 5 total.

Weight: 2-6
Date: March 16
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy, 52F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Chatterbait (sexy shad) with Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad trailer (pro blue)
Structure: Submerged logs
Angler Comments: My final cast of the day resulted in my largest fish. Since I was only a few hundred yards from the truck and wrapping up my evening, I opted to pack up my gear, hop on the bike, and end my day with a quality catch.
Top 5 Weight: 8-14 (2-6,1-14,1-11,1-8,1-7) culls a 1-5 and 1-2

A solid trio of fish for me and pleased to be off to a good start this early in the year. Here’s hoping I can add a few more and push my limit into double digits before April arrives. In the meantime, I am hoping to push out some 2024 early season fishing reports and possibly some more stats from 2023. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Our 2024 Top 5 kicked off with two entries last week consisting of a pair of February catches. This week features a solid March start as a couple more Top 5 veterans get on the board with a handful of bass.

Weight: 4-6
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 3-10
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 2-6
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad
Top 5 Weight: 10-6 (4-6,3-10,2-6)

Weight: 1-8
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 3
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 64F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue)
Structure: Submerged log

Weight: 1-7
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 3
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 64F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue)
Structure: Submerged log

Weight: 1-5
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 3
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 64F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw)
Structure: Point

Weight: 1-2
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 3
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 64F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw)
Structure: Riprap
Top 5 Weight: 5-6 (1-8,1-7,1-5,1-2)

Another solid start for our defending champion and it sure feels good for me to get on the board. The weather looks to be above normal throughout the week so the fish should only get more active. Here’s hoping that some anglers are active, and the catching continues. Talk to you later. Troy

2023 Fishing Recap – Lures Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Part II of the lure recap features the heavy hitters that landed 411 of the 466 bass in 2023.

Buzzbaits – 25 bass vs. 76 bass in 2023
Booyah Buzzbait (black or white)
Top Bass: 3-2 Hennepin Canal – May 25
Top 5 Weight: 10-7 (3-2,2-7,1-11,1-10,1-9)
Comments: All but three of my buzzbait bass came from The Canal, including the Top 5 Buzzbait Bass of the year. The Canal is a perfect fit for a buzzbait with abundant weed edges and nearly all the water less than five feet in depth.

Topwater Frog – 25 bass vs. 1 bass in 2023
Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino, killer gill, natural red)
Top Bass: 4-1 Knox County public strip pit – July 24
Top 5 2023: 15-7 (4-1,3-10,3-2,2-6,2-4)
Comments: After struggling to get dialed into a solid topwater frog bite for years, I finally found a frog to my liking. The Spro Flappin Frog combined the castability and commotion that I have been seeking and caught a good batch of quality bass up to four pounds. While the larger catches came on the strip mines, The Canal bass also showed an interest that has been lacking on my other frog presentations over the last two years.

Crankbaits – 28 bass vs. 61 bass in 2023
Rapala Shad Rap (blue), Mann’s Baby 1- (red craw or grey ghost), Strike King Rattling Squarebill (sexy shad)
Top Bass: 1-7 Hennepin Canal – October 15
Top 5 Weight: 6-6 (1-7,1-6,1-4,1-3,1-2)
Comments: While crankbaits did not fool any large bass, they were effective when and where I chose to cast them. From April to October and on The Canal, the strip mines, and Lake Storey, crankbaits came through. Twenty of the bass fell for a Mann’s Baby 1-, a super shallow bait with a wide wobble that shines when worked around shoreline riprap or shallow rockpiles.

Chatterbait – 33 bass vs. 26 bass in 2023
Z Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with various trailers
Top Bass: 2-8 Lake Storey – October 12
Top 5 Weight: 9-11 (2-8,2-2,1-13,1-12,1-8)
Comments: I have never given chatterbaits the shot that they deserve despite glowing reports from other anglers. Well, this fall, I decided to buy in and started by buying a brand new chatterbait in the sexy shad pattern and adding a Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad trailer. This represented a departure from the half dozen other chatterbaits in my tackle that I typically threw paired with a Yamamoto Zako trailer. Between October 12 and October 22, I managed to rack up thirty-three bass on The Canal and Lake Storey. The coolest catches came from the latter fishing hole in a spot that I typically do not visit but caught my attention as it was being hit with a stiff wind. Five bass in about twenty minutes of hitting shoreline indentations while blowing around a broad point made me a believer. I am interested in seeing what 2024 has in store for my new find.

Propbait – 46 bass vs. 29 bass in 2023
Whopper Plopper 110 (bone)
Top Bass: 4-10 Knox County public strip pit – May 6
Top 5 Weight: 17-0 (4-10,4-2,3-1,2-11,2-8)
Comments: My second year of casting the Whopper Plopper focused exclusively on the 110 model in the bone pattern. I find this size to be not too big (size 130), and not too small (size 90), but the proverbial “just right.” The Whopper Plopper has been a nice topwater companion to the buzzbait as it allows for variations in retrieve due to being a floating bait.

Spinnerbaits – 63 bass vs. 254 bass in 2023
War Eagle (white/chartreuse), Berkley Power Blade (coleslaw)
Top Bass: 3-10 Hennepin Canal – October 22
Top 5 Weight: 15-5 (3-10,3-7,2-14,2-12,2-10)
Comments: Several factors contributed to the significant decline in spinnerbait bass from last year. And all revolved around the Hennepin Canal. Factor one involved spending fewer hours on The Canal where spinnerbaits have been my Top Lure. Factor two, was expanding my Canal prowls to include stretches of water that I had not fished previously. While each of these new stretches offered plenty of appealing spinnerbait targets, a final factor came into play. The bass just weren’t as cooperative on The Canal in 2023 when offered a spinnerbait. Perhaps the word is out to avoid the guy in the little boat.

Plastic Worms – 191 bass vs. 81 bass in 2023
5” Yamasenko wacky rig (various colors), Yum 7.5” Ribbontail Worm (plum), 7” Berkley Power Worm (blue fleck firetail), Bass Pro Shops Stik-O (candy corn)
Top Bass: 3-9 Knox County private strip pit – May 20
Top 5 Weight: 16-1 (3-9,3-4,3-2,3-2,3-0)
Comments: After a down year in 2022, the plastic worm returned to familiar ground as Top Lure for 2023. The boost came almost exclusively due to increased hours prowling the strip mines where the wacky rig shines. Plastic worm referred primarily to the Senko wacky rig as the presentation racked up 177 bass, while a similar Bass Pro Shops Stik-O added one other wacky bass. Summertime did see the return of an old friend in the form of Texas rigged offerings that fooled 13 bass.

And there you have it, a complete statistical breakdown of the tools from my tacklebags that fooled the fish. Many variables come into play when selecting what to cast to the bass. Factors such as weather, water, structure, season, and time of day are significant but don’t discount experience and confidence when it comes to making your choices. It all boils down to getting out there and getting on the water. Talk to you later. Troy

2023 Fishing Recap – Lures Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, the 2024 fishing season arrived before I got around to the annual recap of the previous year. So, prior to the 2024 reports, it’s time to do a little catching up.

For today’s recap, we look at the lures that got the job done in landing 466 bass. I managed to employ over a dozen different general lure types to catch my fish in 2023. As such, the Lures portion of the 2023 Fishing Recap will be submitted over two posts working from fewest bass caught to most.

Jig – 1 bass vs. 5 bass in 2023
Strike King Rattlin’ Jig (green pumpkin) with plastic craw trailer
Top Bass: None at 12” or better
Comments: Unless the bass tell me slow down, I usually don’t. And in the early season cool water period of 2023, I found another presentation that got the job done in a big way (more on that later). My lone jig bass was a short fish from Lake Storey in mid-September. It all boils down to getting enough bites on other presentations such that I opted to rarely toss a jig.

Inline Spinner – 2 bass vs. 0 bass in 2023
Mepps #5 (rainbow trout)
Top Bass: None at 12” or better
Comments: Two early April bass were the lone contributors to this offering. In this instance, I had run through my batch of “can’t miss” baits with nary a bite and the old school Mepps saved the day with a couple small bass to avoid a shutout.

Swimbaits – 2 bass vs. 0 bass in 2023
Keitech Swing Impact (electric blue), Bass Pro Shops 3” Speed Shad (smallmouth magic)
Top Bass: 1-7 Hennepin Canal – June 3
Top 1 Weight (only one at 12”or better): 1-7 (1-7)
Comments: Similar to jigs, I rarely tossed a swimbait unless it was a downsized version in what I classify as a “grub” or “Ned Rig” (more on those later in this wrap-up series). The pair of swimbait bass that I fooled in 2023 arose from situations when my go to lures weren’t producing and I had to shift gears for a lone bite. While the presentation can certainly be effective, it’s just not my thing.

Creature Bait – 5 bass vs. 0 bass in 2023
Yum Wooly Bug (crawdad)
Top Bass: 3-2 Knox County public strip pit – September 30
Top 3 Weight (only three at 12”or better): 5-1 (3-2,1-0,0-15)
Comments: Four of my five bass on a creature bait came on the last day of September as the strip mine bass forced me to slow down. Included in the mix was a solid three-pounder. Positive feedback on a presentation that does not get many casts these days.

Jerkbait – 8 bass vs. 1 bass in 2023
Rebel Ghost Minnow
Top Bass: None at 12” or better
Comments: I chose a jerkbait for a handful of casts on a pair of early April strip mine visits. One lake had potential for a quality fish while the other spot is chock full of short bass. Both turned out to produce a batch of the latter, but it was fun to throw the old Rebel Ghost Minnow that had a few shining moments in the early 2000s.

Lipless Crankbaits –14 bass vs. 4 bass in 2023
Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad or red craw)
Top Bass: 2-10 Lake Storey – September 25
Top 5 Weight: 8-8 (2-10,1-13,1-8,1-5,1-4)
Comments: The first bass of 2023 came on a lipless crankbait during a March bike ride on The Canal. And while the lure didn’t get much of a workout for the rest of the year, it was still producing in mid-October as it is an open water winner start to finish. All the Top 5 bass in this lure category came during the Lake Storey fall drawdown as it is an effective imitation of the lake’s abundant shad forage base.

Grub – 23 bass vs. 8 bass in 2023
Lunker Hunt Finesse 3” Swimbait (perfect pumpkin)
Top Bass: 5-3 Knox County public strip pit
Top 5 Weight: 14-15 (5-3,3-1,3-0,2-7,1-3)
Comments: The surprise lure of the year was a small swimbait on a light jighead that I call a Ned Rig under the Grub category. All the catches came during a month-long stretch from April 7 to May 6 while walking the Knox County public strip mines. Even better were three quality fish (5-3,3-1,3-0) from a lake where my previous Top Bass had barely eclipsed the one-pound mark. I am eager to see if luck is on my side again in 2024.

Today’s warm-up was dominated by several effective lures that were sparingly employed in specific situations when I was struggling to get a bite or forced to tone down my offerings. Next up is Part II of the lure recap featuring the heavy hitters that accounted for over four hundred bass in 2023. Talk to you later. Troy