Back to the strip mines as I continue to give The Canal a rest. This time, Brent and I opted for a new wrinkle on our old hikes with a “float trip” approach. Read on to see how this stunt worked out.

Pre-hike Guesses, we did not do well on the weights but far exceeded out estimates on total bass

10:16am – Top Bass at 1-14 (16.5″) on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: August 3
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 5:45am-11:40am (5.25 hours fishing)
Totals: 64 bass (Brent – 36 Troy – 28)
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 68-88F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures (Troy): 5” Yamamoto Senko (blue pearl/silver flake) – 11 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 9 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 7 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass,
Lures (Brent): 5” Yamamoto Senko (green pumpkin with large black flake) – 20 bass, Chug-N-Spit (black/chrome belly) – 13 bass, Spinnerbait – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 Troy (Buzzbait), 1-10 Brent (Spinnerbait/Popper)
Top 5 Weight (combined): 8-6 (1-14,1-12,1-10,1-10,1-8)

Winning Lures – Brent

Winning Lures – Troy

Notes and Nonsense

The Departure – Our plan consisted of what we referred to as a land and water based “float trip.” Park one truck at the ending point and drive the other truck to a departure point and walk/fish our way through. Along the route there were seven or eight lakes to choose from and we wound up fishing three. A fourth was merely used as portage as we opted to call it a day in the oppressive heat.

So, the calculator app shows that 1.88 pounds equals 1 pound 14 ounces (.88 x 16), but my brother can tell you the same thing quicker

The Abacus – I am not too hip on current bass angler nicknames but back in the day I followed fishermen going by the monikers of “Ike”, “G-Man”, “KVD” or “The Kalamazoo Kid.” Well, after this outing I may start referring to my brother, Brent, as “The Abacus.” I currently use a pair of backup digital scales as my prime scale gave out last year due to water damage. The scales only display in decimals which requires some calculation. As far as numbers such as 1.10, 2.25 and so on, I am good. However, my brain isn’t quite as sharp when it comes to 1.34 or 2.84 and I must use the calculator app on my phone to dial in the exact ounces. Insert Brent on this trip as a solid substitute as he would tell me how many ounces before I was able to punch the numbers into my app. Granted, I did check him for accuracy, and he was right on the money every time.

8:00am – Brent Top Bass at 1-10 (14″) on a spinnerbait

The Return – After just over five hours of fishing, a mile and quarter of hiking, and a heat index exceeding ninety degrees, we were worn out. As we stood on the bank of a final lake, we elected to call it quits and head for home. We made it back to the truck soaked with sweat and with little left in the tank.

Breakdown of a morning of roughly 7,000 steps (approximately 110 steps per bass)

Crazy vs. Dumb – The final tally was sixty-four bass, a darn good morning. At one point earlier in the day, we had pondered a shot at landing one hundred. The fish were there, the energy was not. In hindsight, we nearly bit off more than we could chew and should have saved the stunt for cooler weather. I got a chuckle out of a social media comment from an angler we chatted with as we ended our day as he stated, “After you guys told me your route, I thought man these guys are crazy and weren’t playing around today.” Well, we did have a mission, and I thanked him for using the term “crazy” as Brent and I had a later conversation where we referred to our stunt as “dumb.”

 

A successful hike and another instance when I ponder how many more years I want to undertake such an adventure. One of these days, a few of these lakes may get the farewell tour. But do you know what? After I got home and had a nap, I actually thought “that wasn’t so bad.” Talk to you later. Troy

I do not typically reveal my exact location in fishing reports, instead choosing to simply include a screenshot of the general location displayed by the weather app on my phone. However, this report is an exception as I will tell you exactly where I launched as a sort of public service message. If you elect to put a watercraft in at the Lock 23 Campground, stick to that short pool and do not attempt to pass through the tube headed east.

That tube is among the lengthiest on The Canal and possibly the least traveled based on the sheer volume of cobwebs and spiders that call the dark passage home. As I emerged from a tough upstream traverse, I was covered in webs, sharing my boat with various arachnids, and paraphrasing Dr. Seuss (including a few words that are not found in his entertaining writings).

So, with a nod to Theodor Geisel, here we go with another fishing report.

9:33am – Top Bass at 1-12 (15″) on a topwater frog

Stats
Date: July 7
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:50am-12:15pm
Totals: 8 bass, 1 freshwater drum
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 63-80F
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass/1 freshwater drum, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 2 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (pumpkin/black flake) – 1 bass
Top 5 Weight: 6-4 (1-12,1-8,1-0,1-0,1-0)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Oh, the Places You’ll Go (1990) – This trip checked off another mile of previously unseen water in my quest to row/fish all thirty-four miles from the Rock River in Colona to the Feeder Basin just northwest of Sheffield. To do so it requires a bit more effort than other fishing holes that feature convenient parking lots and functional boat ramps. And that is part of the appeal of this adventure.

These were not too intimidating but their relatives below did creep me out a bit

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937) – Partially obstructing the downstream entrance to the tube were mulberry tree branches. My efforts to enter and begin moving through the tube caused not only several mulberries to fall into the boat but also a batch of the resident spiders to come along for a ride. I am not a huge fan of spiders, but these wispy web weavers were not very intimidating. The interior residents of the tube, however, were a whole different story.

Not a Dr. Seuss composition but in the same vein from Al Perkins and quite fitting.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (1960) – Okay, maybe more like green fish, silver fish as two species were caught, largemouth bass and freshwater drum (above).

Cool looking spider on my boat cushion but not real cool when a bunch of them are crawling around in an eight-foot johnboat

“I do not like them, Sam-I-Am” – Green Eggs and Ham (1960), Dr. Seuss

“They live in tubes of steel and tin,
I don’t like spiders, Hen-nep-in
Not in a boat,
Not on my float,
Not in a tunnel,
Not on my gunnel,
No not at all,
It’s just no fun-nel,
I do not like them in my stache or beard,
Or on my hat, it’s just plain weird,
I don’t like the spiders, Hen-nep-in,
I will not pass that tube again!”

Troy Jackson (2024)

 

I have done a few things over the years in pursuit of those green fish that have prompted me to question if it was worth the effort or potential consequences. You know, things like poison ivy, ticks, storms, distance, terrain, and a little borderline trespassing. For all the above, despite knowing better the first time, I did them again. Maybe I am getting older, wiser, or both, but I can confidently say that I will never pass through the tube at the Lock 23 Campground ever again. Talk to you later. Troy

As I was not having much success close to home, I decided to take the show a bit further down the road. The stretch that I selected runs over a mile and a half in length between tubes, and I had only covered roughly a third of the water during one prior visit. The Top 5 quest continued as this spot lacked a couple quality bites of hitting the ten-pound mark. Read on for the results.

8:54am – Top Bass at 1-5 (15″) on a frog

Stats
Date: July 6
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:05am-11:35am
Totals: 11 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 61-77F
Lures: 6” Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm (white pearl or junebug) – 8 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino) – 1 bass
Top 2 Weight (only 2 bass at 12” or better): 2-9 (1-5,1-4)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Top 5 Update – I launched in search of a near three-pound boost in my Top 5 as the mark for this stretch stood at 7-2 (1-12,1-7,1-6,1-5,1-4). Well, I left disappointed as I only fooled two small “keepers” among the eleven bass that I reeled in. At the end of the day, I boosted my Top 5 on the pool by an entire ounce so there’s still plenty of work to do to reach my goal.

A swimming worm was a new trick that racked up some bass and some casualties in the process

New Presentation – For some reason, a solid June topwater bite has completely dried up in the last two weeks. I was on the water shortly after sunrise on this trip when the topwater bite should shine but I could not raise a single fish on a Whopper Plopper, buzzbait, or frog during the lowlight window before the sun cleared the tree line. This prompted me to try a new presentation that a fellow angler had mentioned to me while conversing on the water in late June. The swimming worm offering saved the day in landing eight of my eleven bass. Positive feedback but lacking in quality as none of those eight bass made the 12” mark.

10:56am – Top Bass Runner Up at 1-4 (14″) on a lipless crankbait 

Talking Trash – While on the water, I was occasionally checking a local fishing forum on social media. I was lamenting the lack of a topwater bite on recent outings and found that others were in the same boat. The strange thing was that amid badmouthing the Canal bass, I landed my Top Bass of the day (only 1-5) on a Spro frog in less-than-ideal bright sunny conditions. I was hoping that my trash talk would get a few more fired up but not so lucky as I never had another topwater strike.

Another tough day on the water and while I saw three other boats, they all went in the opposite direction from my choice. I did not get an opportunity to speak with any of the anglers, so I have no clue on their results. Regardless, I stick by my choice as many firsthand hours and secondhand reports on The Canal have convinced me that the bass are there no matter which direction I turn. Some days I win, some days I come up short and I was back the following day in the direction that those other boats headed in search of some answers. Stay tuned for that report and talk to you later. Troy