Author: Troy Jackson

Hennepin Canal Report – June 19

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The new water theme continued as I took another shot at establishing a Top 5 on a stretch of The Canal I had only seen when iced over. Back on New Year’s Day, I took a walk along this portion, and it looked to contain some appealing wood structure along its length. Of course, things look a lot different in June than in January, primarily aquatic vegetation. Read on to see if I was able to coax out any bites.

 

Stats
Date: June 19
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:50am-11:20am
Totals: 9 bass, 1 green sunfish
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 64-82F
Lures: Booyah Buzzbait (black) – 5 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (watermelon cream laminate) – 3 bass, Berkley Power Blade Spinnerbait (coleslaw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (1-14,1-11,1-9,1-9,1-7)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Weeds and Wood – If given a choice between weed and wood cover, I would choose wood for reasons that would best be covered in a post of its own. For this outing, however, I had to work a combination of the two types of cover for a few bites. Several fish came off the ends of laydowns or overhanging trees that were lengthy enough to reach the edge of the abundant shoreline weeds. The weapon of choice in these cases was a buzzbait. It is always fun as you anticipate an explosion when the lure nears a suspected ambush point while your mind says, “There should be one right here…”

Buzzbait Pattern Video 

 

Lost and Found – Another lure was added to the collection as I found a topwater frog on a snag along the way. Typically, these discoveries end up in the tacklebag of my oldest boy, Jayce. The Canal has contributed a solid batch of additions to the rest of his gear received over years of birthday and Christmas celebrations. However, the frog tempted me to keep it for myself. You see, me, The Canal, and frog fishing have never seen eye to eye for some reason. As mentioned in a previous post on the blog or social media, I am the self-proclaimed “worst frog angler on The Canal.” I mean, the place is custom made for the presentation and I see plenty of reports of others having success, but I continue to struggle. Thus, I thought that maybe the frog find was an omen, but I have yet to put it to use. I did use one of my own frogs and had a couple blowups but still 0-2023 in landing a bass.

Was this discovery trying to tell me something?

Fatigue – This trip took place on a Monday after an enjoyable Father’s Day weekend camping trip with plenty of fresh air and fishing. Couple that with rising at 4:30am after about five and a half hours of sleep and I was feeling rather beat. As the years roll on, I have begun to find that fatigue has an adverse effect on my fishing, Primarily, I observe this effect in my casting. By virtue of forty plus years of practice, a guy gets pretty accurate with his presentations. But when I am tired, I pull some casts, get lazy and leave others off to the right, and my touch and distance are suspect. The result was catching many more trees, vines, roots, and weeds than normal. It all makes me realize that I am not getting any younger and why the pro tournament trail is mainly a young angler’s game.

I got my Top 5 from this new stretch of The Canal although I came up short of the ten-pound mark at 8-2. The upside of doing a lot of fishing is self-explanatory. The blogging aspect, however, suffers a bit as it can be tough to find time to put together the “fish stories.” One more report down, and a handful to go. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

This week’s update is as easy as 1-2-3. As in bass in the one-pound, two-pound, and three-pound range for a trio of anglers. And, once again, we get a map of one catch which is always a winning addition.

Weight: 1-3
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 21
Weather: Early morning sun with east wind.
Air Temp: In the 60s
Water Temp: 77F
Location: West Central Illinois public water
Lure: Wacky worm
Angler Comments: Not many quality hits in the three hours I fished. Hooked a fish on the fourth or fifth cast of the day but he got off. Finally got some quality hits in a shady area in three to four feet of water.
Top 5 Weight: 6-4 (2-4,1-15-1-3,0-14)

Weight: 2-0
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 24
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 14-14 (3-8,2-15,2-13,2-13,2-13)

Weight: 3-2
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: June 24
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip mine
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad)
Structure: Weed pocket
Angler Comments: Probing weed pockets with a Senko wacky rig produced all of my bass on this outing, including this Top Bass of the day.
Top 5 Weight: 20-15 (5-3,4-10,4-2,3-9,3-7)

Good stuff as summer started right off with a taste of the dog days as temperatures hit the nineties. As evidenced by the details of the catches above, you just can’t go wrong with the good, old wacky rig. Plenty of reports and additional fishing stuff to come as time permits. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – June 17 & 18

Posted on by Troy Jackson

During a Father’s Day weekend camping trip, I managed to get away for a few hours while the rest of the crew were sleeping or lounging around the campsite. Turns out that they missed out as I was able to find a handful of cooperative bass as I prowled the bank.

 

Not quite Bigfoot, but a white squirrel is an unusual sighting (plenty of gnats, too)

Stats
Date: June 17 & 18
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 10:30-11:30am & 6:30-8:30am
Totals: 4 bass and 4 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 70-75F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (watermelon cream laminate) – 8 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 6-11 (1-11,1-10,1-3,1-2,1-1)

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

Senko Sweep – All eight of the bass I fooled were landed on a Senko wacky rig. Beyond success in casting to appealing targets, a pair of the catches were what I call “spotting.” As I wander from target to target, I keep an eye on the water looking for any cruising bass. If I am fortunate enough to spot my quarry, a Senko pitched in the vicinity is often a winner. I shot videos of such catches over the weekend and intend to post more on the technique in a separate post.

June 17 at 10:56am – Top Bass at 1-11 (16″) on a Senko

Fellow Prowlers – During my walks, I crossed paths with several fellow Canal anglers. Four were boating while another angler was walking (spoke to him three times in two days and had met before). It’s always entertaining to compare notes and I am all ears having only two years of Canal experience on my resume. The main takeaways from the brief conversations were that I was fishing good water and I was tossing productive lures. Plenty of room for improvement though as I am still not worth a darn on my topwater frog approach, and I could stand to slow down with a Texas rigged worm or creature bait.

 

Lots more to come as the family did get out on the water for some quality fishing time. I also invested in a couple vacation days to explore new Canal water in search of an initial Top 5 on those stretches. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Father’s Day weekend, a camping trip on The Canal, and free fishing days were a winner for our family. Read on for a batch of Top 5 bass submissions with much more on the weekend to come.

Weight: 2-13 (19”)
Angler: Carly Jackson
Date: June 17
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig

Weight: 0-13 (12.5”)
Angler: Carly Jackson
Date: June 17
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 3-10 (2-13,0-13)

Weight: 1-3 (14”)
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: June 16
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 1-3 (1-3)

Weight: 0-14
Angler: Julia Jackson
Date: June 18
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 0-14 (0-14)

Weight: 0-11
Angler: Zac Jackson
Date: June 18
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 0-11 (0-11)

It was a blast getting the whole family out on The Canal. When it doesn’t require getting up at 4:30am, this bunch is eager to wet a line. Several fishing reports and a camping post are on the way when time permits. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The Top 5 Updates continue with this week’s submission including a little something extra. Not only do we get the standard picture and data, but also a detailed description of the setup including a map. Read on for a cool fishing report.

Weight: 2-4
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 8
Weather: Early morning sun with 60-degree air temperature
Water Temp: Not Available
Location: West Central Illinois public water
Lure: Black and silver shallow running Rapala
Angler Comments: There is a narrow area of shallow water across the entrance to an inlet off the main lake. The shallow water is only one to two feet deep. There is deep water on the inlet side and lake side of the shallow water. If the lake water level were to drop the inlet would be cut off from the main lake. The shallow water has numerous bluegill nests, and a lot of bluegills were present. Bass were coming up from the deep water on the lake side and harassing the bluegill population. Earlier in the morning I hooked a heavy bass on a silver and black floating Rapala cast into the bluegill nest area. The fish immediately headed for the deep water weed beds. He was able to use the weeds to get away. Later in the morning I returned to the spot and could see several large bass in the deep clear water. I threw wacky worms, spinner baits, shallow running Rapalas and paddle tail plastics toward the bass in the deep water, but they showed little interest. Finally, a bass took the Rapala and headed for the weeds. I was able to keep him from wrapping the line around the weeds and landed the 2 lbs. 4 oz. fish.
Top 5 Weight: 5-1 (2-4,1-15,0-14)

Thank you, John, for your catch and the detailed rundown of how you got it done. I may take a page out of your book for an upcoming post of my own. We’ll see how my attempt at an illustration goes as I may be in touch for more of your artistry. I also have a plan to get a few more submissions for next week’s Top 5 Update. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – May Notes

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Lone find from the “Lost and Found” in May

Along with the stats, there are usually some other bits and pieces to report from a month of casting on The Canal as I try not to ramble too much on the specific fishing reports. So, read on for the rest of the story from a series of prowls in the merry, merry month of May.

“The one that got away” in the clip below

 

Majestic cottonwoods litter the surface of The Canal with fuzz as described below

The Fuzz – The Canal is lined with some massive cottonwood trees. The leaves, bark and twigs of these trees can be messy, but the bane of anglers is the cottony fuzz that these trees scatter in seed dispersal. The fuzz gathers on the line during the retrieve and proceeds to clump on the line ties, the hook eyes, and the spools of reels. It can be darn tough to get it completely cleaned off these spots particularly your line. This year, the fuzz appears to be a bumper crop, possibly a cyclical phenomenon where plants produce an abundance of seeds known as “masting.”

Cottonwood fuzz accumulates rapidly at this time of the year

Gnuisances – The gnats are especially irritating this year on The Canal. Up your nose, in your ears, on the inside of your glasses, and in your hat, they are everywhere. And some of them bite as evidenced by a dozen or more itchy welts on my neck, face, and ears after several outings. All part of the pursuit and while I am aware of potions, elixirs, and sprays, the smell of most of those concoctions annoy me more than the bugs. But, hey, at least it’s not mosquitoes…yet.

Weeds abound despite efforts to control, but the bass are hiding in there somewhere

 

June on The Canal is underway so stay tuned for those reports and more. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A little delayed after catching up on some fishing reports but it is once again time for the monthly Top 5 Stat Update. May saw four anglers join the ranks for 2023. Three are veterans of the quest, Dad (Terry Jackson), John Kirkemo, and Landon Hannam. The fourth new participant is my niece, Natalee Townsend, with her first pair of submissions. Read on for the notes and numbers on our sixty-one bass entered for the year.

2023 Totals
January = no submissions
February = 2 bass
March = 7 bass
April = 32 bass
May = 20 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
January = no submissions
February = 6-10 (3-9,3-1)
March = 19-8 (5-1,4-5,4-4,3-5,2-9)
April = 24-0 (5-5,5-3,4-12,4-8,4-4)
May = 24-11 (5-9,5-6,4-14,4-10,4-4)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 20 bass
Bank = 41 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 20-0 (5-6,4-2,3-9,3-8,3-7)
Bank = 26-0 (5-9,5-5,5-3,5-1,4-14)

Public vs. Private
Public = 59 bass
Private = 2 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 26-8 (5-9,5-6,5-5,5-3,5-1)
Private = 6-4 (3-9,2-11)

The Baits
Lipless Crankbait = 24 bass (Top Bass 5-6 Natalee Townsend)
Plastic Worm = 9 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Troy Jackson)
Chatterbait = 7 bass (Top Bass 5-9 Jim Junk)
Grub = 5 bass (Top Bass 5-3 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-13 Brent Jackson)
Propbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-10 Troy Jackson)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-14 Troy Jackson)
Swimbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 4-4 Jim Junk)
Buzzbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 3-8 Brent Jackson)
Jig = 1 bass (Top Bass 2-13 Brent Jackson)
Popper = 1 bass (Top Bass 2-13 Brent Jackson)
Spinnerbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-7 Troy Jackson)

Monthly Top Bass
January
No submissions
February
3-9 Jim Junk
March
5-1 Jim Junk
April
5-5 Jim Junk
May
5-9 Jim Junk

2023 Top 10 Bass
5-9 Jim Junk 5/2
5-6 Natalee Townsend 5/26
5-5 Jim Junk 4/23
5-3 Troy Jackson 4/7
5-1 Jim Junk 3/5
4-14 Jim Junk 5/5
4-12 Jim Junk 4/9
4-10 Troy Jackson 5/6
4-8 Jim Junk 4/1
4-5 Jim Junk 3/11

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 25-9 (5-9,5-5,5-1,4-14,4-12)
Troy Jackson 20-15 (5-3,4-10,4-2,3-9,3-7)
Brent Jackson 14-14 (3-8,2-15,2-13,2-13,2-13)
Natalee Townsend 7-9 (5-6,2-3)
Landon Hannam 3-8 (3-8)
John Kirkemo 2-13 (1-15,0-14)
Terry Jackson 2-11 (2-11)

Summer is just around the corner and we’re nearly two thirds of the way to my annual target of one hundred bass entries. And don’t forget, other species are eligible as well so good luck out there and keep me posted if you reel ‘em in. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Welcome back to Top 5 veteran angler, John Kirkemo, as he adds his first submissions of 2023. He and a young fishing partner took on Snakeden Hollow’s McMaster Lake last week on a balmy evening and had a good outing.

Weight: 1-15
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: May 31
Weather: Partly cloudy with air temperatures in the 90s
Water Temp: 79-83F
Location: McMaster Lake
Lure: Wacky worm

Weight: 0-14
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: May 31
Weather: Partly cloudy with air temperatures in the 90s
Water Temp: 79-83F
Location: McMaster Lake
Lure: Wacky worm
Angler Comments: Fished from 4:15pm to 7:45pm. Most fish were caught before 6:00pm while the sun was still high. Not much action after 7:00pm. Only one other power boat on the lake and only a few shore fishermen.
Top 5 Weight: 2-13 (1-15,0-14)

Well done, John, as that crystal clear lake can be a challenge, especially on a sunny, summer-like afternoon. Great to hear a report from that unique fishing hole. More fishing stats and notes in the works. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – May Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After a tough start to 2023 on The Canal in March and April, things took a turn for the better in May. Overall, I managed to hit the water for six outings covering eight different pools. Five of the pools represented new water as I tried to do some exploring in hopes of establishing Top 5 weights for these spots. Some worked out, others fell short, so I suppose that means a return trip to complete some unfinished business. Those will be tales for another day. For today, here’s the monthly look at the totals from prowling The Canal in May.

May Breakdown
May 2023 Totals: 41 bass in 19.75 hours (2.08 bass/hour)
May 2022 Totals: 57 bass in 19.50 hours (2.92 bass/hour)

May 2023 Top Bass: 3-2 May 25 Buzzbait
May 2022 Top Bass: 2-12 May 27 Spinnerbait

2023 Best May Top 5 Day: 10-4 (3-2,2-6,1-10,1-10,1-8) – May 25
2022 Best May Top 5 Day: 9-9 (2-12,2-7,1-10,1-7,1-5) – May 27

2023 May Top 5: 12-6 (3-2,2-8,2-7,2-6,1-15)
2022 May Top 5: 12-9 (2-12,2-11,2-8,2-7,2-3)

2023 May Lure Breakdown
Buzzbaits – 12 bass
Spinnerbaits – 12 bass
Propbaits – 9 bass
Plastic Worms – 8 bass

Top 5 All-Time May Bass Weight: 13-9 (3-2,2-12,2-11,2-8,2-8)

2023 Overall Canal Stats
52 bass in 35.50 hours (1.46 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-2 Buzzbait – May 25
Best Top 5 Day: 10-4 (3-2,2-6,1-10,1-10,1-8) – May 25

Yearly Top 5 Totals
2023 Top 5 Canal Weight: 13-5 (3-2,2-14,2-8,2-7,2-6)
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15)
2021 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)

And with that I close the books for another month on The Canal. A pair of June bass are already in the log with a couple upcoming outings in my sights to see about finding some more. Stay tuned for those reports and drop in tomorrow for another Top 5 Update. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – May 29

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The Canal content rolls on as I get caught up on my recent fishing reports. Today’s post covers another May outing on some more new water. This stretch featured some quite dingy water courtesy of countless spawning carp along with sparse, scattered cover amidst a modest batch of shoreline weed mats.

6:52am – First bass and not sure there is confidence in my brother’s reply

7:26am – Second bass, smaller than the last

Stats
Date: May 29
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:25am-10:10am
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 65-74F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (perch) – 4 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (black) – 3 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-10 Buzzbait  and Senko (tie)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-14 (1-10,1-10,1-0,0-10)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Early Bird? – I love to be on the water when it is darn near still dark before sunrise. Well, I didn’t make it on this trip as my first cast splashed down at 6:25am. From there, I proceeded to catch a total of two bass in the first hour and forty minutes. The remaining two plus hours resulted in seven bass. Now, there are many variables in play when assessing my “luck”, but I swear that some days I get up earlier than the fish, even when I have a later arrival than hoped.

8:16am – Top Bass at 1-10 (15.5″) on a buzzbait

Vegetation Variations – I am pondering a topwater frog post or two as therapy for my lack of luck, but I will leave specifics for another time. On this trip, I gave the frog a shot in froggy spots to start the day without a ripple. Therefore, it was on to Plan B. I targeted as many variances as possible in the otherwise identical stretches of weed mats. If there was a pocket, channel, swing, or void, I took my first shot with a power spinnerbait/buzzbait approach and collected a handful of bites. As the sun began to hit the shore full bore, I switched my focus to pitching a wacky rigged Senko around such spots, especially if they combined shade, wood, or shoreline riprap with diminished weed cover. The Senko came through with four bites in forty-five minutes to somewhat save the day.

 

For the second time in four days in this general area of The Canal, I fell one bass short of establishing a Top 5 on my maiden voyage. Like the other stretch, it is unlikely that I will make a return trip anytime soon in search of that fifth bass. Now I am not naïve enough to think that my first impression is a true representation of what the pool has to offer, I just have other new waters seeking a first impression of their own. Talk to you later. Troy