Category: Fishing Reports

Prowl the Canal – August 8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For August, I am going to go back to individual fishing reports for my trips to The Canal as the wrap-up for July was so lengthy it spilled over into two parts. Both of those were each lengthy as well. In addition, I will continue providing a month end look at overall results. More content is always the goal as time permits.

Stats

Date: August 8
Time: 5:20pm-8:05pm
Totals: 15 bass (5.45 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 9 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 3 bass, 5” Yamamoto wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-6 (2-4,1-13,1-4,1-1,1-0)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Shared Space – As I approached my first-choice spot, a pair of kayaks were launching so I drove to an alternate area. However, the aquatic vegetation was not to my liking, so it was back to my first stop. The Canal is unique in that you just can’t go to the opposite side of “the lake” on a ninety-foot-wide fishing hole. I asked the duo if I could pass and let them know I would get well out of their way. As such, I rowed over half a mile away before I even made my first cast. A third kayak later joined, and I passed all on my eventual way back to the ramp. All’s well that ends well, as everyone reported landing some bass during our passing chats.

5:55am Red Eye Shad 1-13

Something New – I fly blind when I fish in terms of a depthfinder although I do not know how much of a benefit such technology would be on the shallow waters of The Canal anyway. Instead, it is visual observation dependent on water clarity or using lures to get a feel for depth changes. On this trip clarity was such that I could discern where there was a clean break to the channel between the weed lines on each side of The Canal. In this case, I ran a Strike King Red Eye Shad along the break and was rewarded with my runner-up Top Bass of 1-13. I successfully hit the same stretch with a different lure on a later trip but that catch is for another report. The takeaway is that I was proud of myself for trying something new and pleased that it worked. Perhaps I should expand my offerings more often.

8:05pm Top Bass at 2-4 on last cast

Best for Last – My Top Bass came on my final cast of the evening proving that you need to hang in there until the very end as you never know when a good one will show up. I even mentioned on my GoPro video at 8:05pm that I was making my last cast. Makes for a good story at least, and you’ll have to trust me on this one as the video is a bit revealing so not sure if it will see public release.

 

Another solid few hours on The Canal as the hits keep coming. Having reached the 200 bass mark from the waterway to end July, I am looking forward to just how many cooperative bass I can find before the year is over. Two more trips are already in the books so stop back by for those reports. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

July Stats Part II covers the final four outings of the month along with some cumulative July numbers.

Date: July 17
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Totals: 5 bass (2.50 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 77F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, Zara Spook (natural frog) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 Zara Spook (natural frog)
Top 5 Weight: 4-10 (2-6,2-4)
Comments: I set out on this evening with a mission to land a bass while using a near thirty-year-old reel recently acquired from a longtime friend. And I was going to use a Zara Spook in the natural frog pattern to do it. A bass cooperated as the lure affectionately known as “The Pickle” remains a winner.

Date: July 23
Time: 8:00am-11:15am
Totals: 5 bass (1.54 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy 71-89F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 5-10 (1-6,1-3,1-2,1-0,0-15)
Comments: Thunderstorms at sunrise delayed my birthday outing on this incredibly muggy and hot morning. The bass seemed a bit sluggish in the heat as did I by quitting time. Only five bass but at least all of them were “keepers” for a Top 5 limit.

Date: July 24
Time: 4:50pm-7:50pm
Totals: 11 bass (3.67 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to breezy 86-80F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) –3 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-7 (1-5,1-4,0-15,0-15)
Comments: Numbers were good on this evening, but I couldn’t find any big bites. However, the highlight of the evening was a fellow angler hollering from his bike, “Who’s down there in that boat?” The resulting chat along the bank with a Canal fishing hero of mine was worth the trip no matter what I caught. While I made mental note of several general pointers gathered during our twenty-minute conversation, the Canal history and simply talking fishing were a treat. Eddie, if you are out there, just wanting to say thanks for the conversation.

Date: July 31
Time: 1:35pm-4:50pm
Totals: 9 bass (2.77 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/breezy 81-83F
Lures: Strike King Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 5 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Strike King Squarebill Crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 4-11 (1-5,0-15,0-14,0-14,0-11)
Comments: My mission on this outing to end the month was to catch nine bass to reach the 200 bass mark on The Canal for 2022. It took some work, but I ended up right on the money in landing my ninth bass of the afternoon about thirty minutes before calling it quits.

2022 July Totals
Eight outings covering seven different pools
22.75 hours and 66 bass (2.90 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-11 July 2 Spinnerbait
Top 5 July Bass Weight: 11-6 (2-11,2-6,2-4,2-3,1-14)

 

2022 Overall Stats
200 bass in 67 hours (2.99 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 on 4/23/22 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Day
11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) on 6/24/22
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)

Haven’t been able to get on The Canal yet in August. It is unlikely that I will get as much time on the water as I did for July but still have a couple blog items in the works to complete last month’s warp-up. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was fortunate to chase some bass on The Canal nine times during the month of July. Most of my outings consisted of two to three hours on the water with the aim of landing five “keepers” (bass at 12” or better). I was able to meet that goal on four of the trips while the other trips resulted in one to four “keepers.” Of course, all are released to fight again after a quick picture and log entry. Too much to pass along in a single post so read on for Part I with Part II to follow this weekend.

Stats

July 2 8:53am Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-13 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 2
Time: 6:35am-10:20am
Totals: 16 bass (4.27 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/breezy 60-82F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 14 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-11 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 9-6 (2-11,1-13,1-11,1-10,1-9)
Comments: I divide the section that I fished into eastern and western sections. Typically, the eastern section produces better fish but, on this morning, four of my Top 5 bass were landed on the western stretch. No doubt, it was worth the extra rowing.

July 3 – 6:13pm Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-10 (15″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 3
Time: 6:05pm-8:50pm
Totals: 13 bass (4.73 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 86-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 10 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-11 (1-14,1-10,1-3,1-0)
Comments: Weeds make this spot a challenge but continued casting to open stretches and limited, accessible wood came through with my regular one-two spinnerbait-buzzbait punch.

July 4 – 4:03pm Top Bass at 2-3 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 4 (2 spots)
Time: 3:00pm-4:45pm
Totals: 1 bass (0.57 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 78-81F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: (only 1 at 12” or better): 2-3 (2-3)
Comments: Tried a new spot after some heavy rain early in the day and nearly got shutout. A fair number of good-looking targets and a quality catch have me pondering a return trip later this year.

July 10 – 8:54am Top Bass at 1-1 (13.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 10 (2 spots)
Time: 6:00am-8:15am, 8:30am-9:45am
Totals: 5 bass (1.43 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 66-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 3 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-1 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12″ or better): 2-15 (1-1,1-0,0-14)
Comments: High hopes but low results on my first choice prompted me to do some exploring on a second stretch. I had previously fished the western part of the second area and covered the eastern half on this morning. Lots of good-looking structure but neither have impressed in terms of quantity or quality.

July 13 – 7:36am Top Bass at 1-6 (14.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 13
Time: 6:15pm-8:45pm
Totals: 12 bass (4.8 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 80-76F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 5 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 4 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-15 (1-6,1-6,1-3,1-2,0-14)
Comments: As my first spot was occupied, I had to shift gears to Plan B in visiting a weed congested stretch. Try as I might, I still can’t get anything dialed in on topwater frogs but the Senko wacky rig as a follow-up to my spinnerbait-buzzbait combination produced some rewarding catches (more on those in a later post).

Plenty more to come from the July Prowl the Canal wrap-up with posts featuring stats, lessons, and video. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – June Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

June marked an anniversary of sorts as my first ever bass from The Canal was landed on June 4, 2021. As such, I have passed the one-year mark in terms of canal experience and the learning just keeps moving forward. Read on for the statistics from the June 2022 prowls.

Stats

June 12 Top Bass on a spinnerbait

Date: June 12 (two sections)
Time: 8:50am-10:50am, 11:20am-1:05pm
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy to windy and 71-80F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 6 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O wacky rig (candy corn) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Special K Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-4 (1-6,1-0,1-0,0-14)
Comments: A slow bite on one of my better spots led me to expand my exploration on another nearby stretch. More of a tough bite but did enjoy seeing some new water. The clarity on these two stretches was darn near crystal clear. Quite unusual compared to prior visits, and teamed with bright sun this provided my excuse for the challenging day.

June 15 Top Bass Runner-Up on a buzzbait

Date: June 15
Time: 6:05pm-7:50pm
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Sunny to overcast/windy and 85-92F
Lures: Special K Buzzbait – 6 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-12 Special K Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-7 (1-12,1-11)
Comments: Gotta dig The Canal for a quick trip after getting home from work as there are plenty of access areas within a twenty-minute drive. This outing got cut short by some lightning and thunder sending me packing even though the bite had kicked up a notch. Safety first, the bass will still be there when I show up next time.

June 17 Top Bass on a wacky rig

Date: June 17
Time: 7:15pm-7:45pm
Totals: 1 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy and 81F
Lures: Bass Pro Shops Stik-O wacky rig (candy corn) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 0-15 Stik-O
Top 5 Weight (only one at 12” or better): 0-15
Comments: A quick evening walk after arriving for a Father’s Day camping trip on The Canal produces a bite and avoids a shutout. That’s always the goal when I have a few minutes to cast, fool at least one bass. Mission accomplished.

June 18 Top Bass on a Whopper Plopper

Date: June 18
Time: 9:00am-9:30am, 1:00pm-3:00pm, 6:00pm-6:45pm
Totals: 4 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy and 72-85F
Lures: Bass Pro Shops Stik-O wacky rig (candy corn) – 3 bass, Whopper Plopper 90 (I Know It) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-3 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 2-3 (1-3,1-0)
Comments: Camping along The Canal afforded three separate prowls on this Saturday. A family hike where I primarily focused on playing “guide” was sandwiched in between a couple short walks to begin and end the day. The rest of the family posted an additional ten bass, but those results deserve their own post later this month.

June 24 Top Bass on a spinnerbait

Date: June 24
Time: 6:50pm-9:05pm
Totals: 14 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm
Lures: Special K Buzzbait – 9 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-15 Special K Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6)
Comments: My standard one-two punch of a buzzbait and a spinnerbait comes through again with four bass between two and three pounds. Gotta dig The Canal for a quick getaway of a couple hours, especially when the bite is on and establishes my best Top 5 outing on The Canal (see Record Book Data below).

June 26 lone bass of the evening caught by my son, Jayce, on a Whopper Plopper

Date: June 26 (with Jayce)
Time: 5:45pm-7:30pm
Totals: 1 bass (Jayce – 1 bass, Dad – 0 bass)
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Lures: Whopper Plopper 90 (Terminator)
Top Bass: none at 12” or better
Top 5 Weight: none at 12” or better
Comments: For the second straight outing with my son, Jayce, he outfished me. In fact, I’ve been shutout 3 bass to zero. He said, “I must be bad luck.” I told him that it was good luck if he caught fish, just one of those things and that I would probably take him again anyway. Top 5 angler John Kirkemo offered up the possibility that, “Maybe you are spending more time coaching and less time fishing.” Indeed, plenty of advice and explanation along the way but I am pretty sure that I made more casts than Jayce as he took a break here and there. I hit it just as hard as normal, and my partner simply came out ahead. That’s cool and looking forward to one of these days when I can put him on more and larger fish.

June Totals
Six outings covering five different pools
11.75 hours and 37 bass (3.15 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-15 June 24 Spinnerbait
Top 5 June Bass Weight: 11-9 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-12)

 

RECORD BOOK UPDATE
Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
BEST TOP 5 DAY NEW RECORD
11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) on 6/24/22 tops 10-8 from 4/23/22
All-Time Top 5 Canal Weight: 16-2 (3-6,3-5,3-4,3-2,3-1)
Comments: One monthly highlight is topping my best Top 5 day with 11-3 on the June 24 outing. This haul tops the old mark of 10-8 from April 23. It still takes a bass over the three-pound mark to enter the all-time Top 5 list, as the best I could fool this month was a 2-15, a few ounces shy of displacing one of my all-time Top 5 Canal bass.

Another good month of getaways on The Canal. July is off to a solid start as well and four more weeks of prowling to go before the totals and highlights head your way in the July edition of “Prowl the Canal”.  In the meantime, stay tuned for some further notes and data on the June prowls. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – May Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As I near the one-year mark of fishing The Canal, I grow more appreciative of what is has to offer. Proximity is key as I can be on any of the spots that I fished within a half hour after I get off work around 5:00pm and still have ample time to cast. Throw in an activity free holiday weekend to end the month and I was able to find plenty of time to prowl. Read on for the stats portion of the monthly recap.

Stats

May 1 Top Bass at 9:54am weighing 1-6 on a spinnerbait

Date: May 1
Time: 7:40am-10:40am
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Overcast/windy with 48F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 10 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-15 (1-6,1-,3,1-3,1-3)
Comments: New water on a nasty day still produced some fish on a morning where I nearly needed gloves on May Day. And yes, there was a strong east wind. Is it proper to estimate windchill in May?

May 8 Top Bass at 7:34am weighing 2-11 on a buzzbait

Date: May 8
Time: 6:35am-9:50am
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy with 56F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-11 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-15 (2-11,1-4,1-2,0-14)
Comments: Revisiting a spot that produced a pair of three-pounders in April got another good one and kicked of the 2022 topwater bite.

May 24 Top Bass at 6:57pm weighing 2-2 on a buzzbait

Date: May 24
Time: 5:50pm-8:05pm
Totals: 11 bass
Weather: Overcast/very windy with 66-69F air temp
Lures: Special K Buzzbait – 7 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 7-3 (2-2,1-10,1-5,1-1,1-1)
Comments: Back with a buzzbait on the same spot as the May 8 outing and the bite did not disappoint. Always fun once the topwater bite kicks into gear.

May 27 Top Bass at 7:33pm weighing 2-12 on a buzzbait

Date: May 27
Time: 6:00pm-8:30pm
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy with 60-64F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 7 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O (candy corn) – 2 bass
Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2- 12
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-12,2-7,1-10,1-7,1-5)
Comments: A second visit of the year to this pool resulted in a pair of bass topping our previous Top Bass for the section (former Top Bass caught by Jayce on April 24 at 2-3).

May 28 Top Bass at 7:43am weighing 2-3 on a wacky rig

Date: May 28
Time: 6:00am-9:00am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm to windy with 53-72F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 2 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O (candy corn) – 1 bass
Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-3 (2-3,1-0)
Comments: A favorite stretch and decent conditions did not pan out for the solid bite I was anticipating. Fortunately, a tried-and-true area produced a two-pounder on a wacky rig to save the day.

May 29 Top Bass at 7:26pm weighing 2-8 on a spinnerbait

Date: May 29 (two sections)
Time: 4:55pm-6:25pm, 6:30pm-7:15pm
Totals: 6 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy with 82F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 4 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 6-8 (2-8,1-9,1-4,1-3)
Comments: I wandered out to a pair of new pools and got immediate feedback with a catch on my second cast of the evening. The remaining two hours only produced five more fish, but I don’t think these stretches revealed their true colors and are worth another shot in the future.

May 30 Top Bass at 7:58am weighing 1-9 on a spinnerbait

Date: May 30
Time: 7:50am-11:05am
Totals: 6 bass, 1 sauger
Weather: Sunny/windy with 73-82F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 5 bass, Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass, 1 sauger
Top Bass: 1-9 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 3-15 (1-9,1-6,1-0)
Comments: Extended exploration on a pool that has produced well from the bank turned out to be a disappointment. However, I am blaming it on a later morning start than normal and blazing sun. On the plus side, I did learn some stuff and happened to hook my first ever sauger on The Canal.

 

May Totals
Time: 20 hours
Totals: 57 bass, 1 sauger
Lures: Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 38 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 12 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O (candy corn) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (red craw) – 3 bass, Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill (sexy shad) – 1 bass, 1 sauger
Top Bass: 2-12 Spinnerbait on May 27
Top 5 Weight: 12-9 (2-12,2-11,2-8,2-7,2-3)

RECORD BOOK UPDATE – NO NEW RECORDS ESTABLISHED
Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day: 10-8 (3-5,3-2,1-9,1-6,1-2) 4/23/22
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 16-2 (3-6,3-5,3-4,3-2,3-1)
Comments: It now takes a bass over the three-pound mark to enter the all-time Top 5 list.

A lot of stuff to digest there as I was extremely fortunate to spend a decent amount of time on the water. Next up, we go beyond the numbers for some “Lessons” learned from the month of May. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – May 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, when you write fish stories as a hobby, every once in a while, you run into a report such as this submission. Getting right to the point, Brent and I had a rough day on Lake Storey a couple weekends ago.

6:01am – I said we’d better take a pic just in case we don’t catch any more. I was kind of joking.

Stats

Date: May 15, 2022
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 5:55am-11:40am
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 71-73F
Water Temp: 76F
Totals: 2 bass
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait – 1 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer – 1 bass
Top Bass: None at 12” or better
Top 5 Weight: None at 12” or better

7:19am – even goofing around doesn’t really make my lone catch look any larger

Notes and Nonsense

Bad Timing – On Tuesday May 10, my friend, John Kirkemo, reported in from Lake Storey noting, “Lake is full. Lot of timber normally only partially submerged is now barely showing above the water. Water is about as clear as I have ever seen it. No weeds showing on the surface.” Those were definitely some encouraging words, but a nasty storm blew through on the evening of Friday the 13th and the lake was still a mess two days later. Tons of floating debris and dirty water dampened my spirits and had both the bass and this bass fisherman out of sorts. Mother Nature and Lake Storey conspired to make things tough. That’s fishing.

Clumps of debris from the oak trees were abundant after the recent storm

Mats of floating vegetation in the dingy water were also an unusual post-storm result

Theories (take your pick)

1. The storm and cold front knocked the bass for a loop.

2. The recent proliferation of shad in the lake are making for a tougher bite as the bass have an increased natural forage base.

3. We just aren’t that good of fishermen.

Winning lures, one bass apiece, and we threw plenty of other stuff without getting a strike

Really, there’s not a whole lot to report, not even “one that got away” as we landed the only two bites we got. No doubt it was good to avoid a shutout but neither bass was much to write home about. But fishing stories are what I do and long ago I guaranteed a fishing report for every trip, good or not so good. This outing was one of the latter and tested that vow. I suspect that we will cross paths with Lake Storey again in 2022 to see if we can show those bass who is boss. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – May 14

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Getting word from my brother that a controlled burn had been implemented on a portion of our strip mine stomping grounds provided incentive to take a hike. My aim was to hit as many bodies of water as I could while they were more easily accessible. Along the way, I was hoping to add some fish to the record book for these waters. And I even stumbled upon a few bass on a couple spots I’d never fished.

Stats
Date: May 14, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (11 lakes)
Time: 5:45am-1:30pm (5.50 hours fishing, the rest waking)
Weather: Overcast to sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 64-86F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 36 bass, 3 green sunfish, 1 crappie
Lures: 5” Senko wacky rig (blue pearl/silver flake) – 21 bass, 3 green sunfish, 1 crappie, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 10 bass, Rebel Pop-R Zell Rowland Model (rainbow) – 3 bass, Googan Baits 10” Mondo Worm (green pumpkin) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-12 Pop-R
Top 5 Weight: 6-2 (1-12,1-3,1-3,1-0,1-0)

7:44am Top Bass at 1-12 on a Rebel Pop-R

Notes and Nonsense

Shifting Gears – After a solid start during a below average weather year on spinnerbaits and crankbaits, an uptick in conditions meant it was time to employ some other presentations. May means topwaters and the Senko wacky rig come into play and both approaches were right on the money, combining for 34 of 36 bass.

Rebel Pop-R and Senko, a pair of good baits for mid-May through the summer

Mondo Minis – There is one particular lake that produced a 4-6 back in 2014 and has hardly produced anything over a pound since. Numbers are good but no quality. In an effort to change things, I employed a 10” Googan Baits Mondo Worm in hopes that a larger worm would eliminate the smaller bites and perhaps land a “good one.” No such luck as those little bass were rather brave. The two I landed on the Mondo Worm were right about the same length as my lure at 10” and 11”. So much for a good plan.

 

11:56am – Mondo Worm bass that is barely longer than the lure

Record Book Update

10:27am – a new Record Book addition for Y Lake at 1-3 on a Senko wacky rig

Y Lake (2017-present)
Top Bass: 1-4 Troy Jackson 9/9/17 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day: 1-4 (1-4) 9/9/17
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 2-6 (1-4,1-2)
UPDATE: added a 1-3 to boost our All-Time Top 5 Weight
NEW All-Time Top 5 Weight: 3-9 (1-4,1-3,1-2)

1:18pm – a new Record Book addition for Convoluted Lake at 1-0 on a Senko wacky rig

Convoluted Lake (2013-present)
Top Bass: 1-0 Troy Jackson 4/10/22 Chatterbait
Best Top 5 Day: 1-0 (1-0) 4/10/22
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 1-0 (1-0)
UPDATE: added 1-0 and 0-12 to our All-Time Top 5 Weight
NEW All-Tine Top 5 Weight: 2-12 (1-0,1-0,0-12)

11:17am – a new Record Book addition on Pound Lake at 1-0 on a Senko wacky rig

Pound Lake (2022)
Top Bass: 1-0 Troy Jackson 5/14/22 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day: 3-12 (1-0,1-0,0-15,0-13) 5/14/22
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 3-12 (1-0,1-0,0-15,0-13)
UPDATE: new lake, first time ever fished

12:16pm – a new Record Book entry on Distant Lake at 0-15 on a Senko wacky rig

Distant Lake (2022)
Top Bass: 0-15 Troy Jackson 5/14/22
Best Top 5 Day: 0-15 (0-15) 5/14/22
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 0-15 (0-15)
UPDATE: new lake, first time ever fished

Nothing stellar but I accomplished my goal of fishing several neglected spots while the access was good. Walking was easy but that is not always the case as most years the grass is already getting wild by mid-May. I covered a lot of ground and even though I could certainly be in better shape, the body handled it pretty well. With that said, it is getting to the point where one of these years I’m going to start eliminating lakes due to a combination of walking distance and lack of quality bites. Several spots that I visited on this outing may be on that list. Then again, there’s that voice in my head stating, “You’ve been saying that for years.” Time will tell. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – April Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

(NOTE: All trips described below were on sections from Colona to Geneseo, and all bass were released)

After a bit of a delay, the monthly “Prowl the Canal” feature is back for another year. And it looks like me and The Canal are going to see a lot more of each other in 2022. My first ever attempt to fish The Canal took place on June 5, 2021, and I was pleasantly surprised. Between that success and this administration’s fuel prices, more of my 2022 fishing will be closer to home.

The uptick in time on The Canal also means that the “Prowl” series debut for 2022 will be a two-part piece. First up, “Stats” with “Lessons” to follow.

April 15 at 5:30pm first bass from The Canal for 2022

Stats

Date: April 15, 2022
Time: 5:25pm-6:55pm
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, temp 49-45F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail trailer (root beer pepper green) – 3 bass
Top Bass: no “keepers”
Top 5 Weight: no “keepers”
Comments: My initial prowl of 2022 was on foot, and I came armed with a new spinnerbait that was made by an old high school and Legion baseball teammate. It was a winner run parallel to shoreline riprap or brush.

April 23 at 8:00am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass 3-5 (18″) on a spinnerbait

April 23 at 7:07am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #2 at 3-2 (18″) on a spinnerbait

Date: April 23, 2022
Time: 7:00am-9:45am
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy, temp 64-72F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail trailer (root beer pepper green) – 9 bass, Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-5 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 10-8 (3-5,3-2,1-9,1-6,1-2)
Comments: On the heels of my spinnerbait success on the first outing, I hit a new stretch of The Canal that was littered with wood. An ideal setup for a spinnerbait fan and the bass were right in the thick of the structure.

April 24 at 7:24am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #3 at 2-12 (18″) on a crankbait

Date: April 24, 2022
Time: 7:20am-10:20am
Totals: 16 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, temp 60-59F
Lures: Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (red craw) – 13 bass, Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail trailer (root beer pepper green) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 2-12
Top 5 Weight: 10-1 (2-12,2-5,2-4,1-8,1-4)
Comments: Different structure on a different stretch, with riprap taking top billing over wood, was a spot for a shallow crankbait to shine. The Mann’s Baby 1- dominated the haul in another textbook approach, cranking parallel to riprap shoreline and weed edges.

April 24 at 8:04am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #4 at 2-5 (17.5″) on a crankbait

Date: April 29, 2022
Time: 5:40pm-7:55pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, temp 64F
Lures: Whopper Plopper (I Know It) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight: 3-7 (2-3,1-4)
Comments: I brought my son, Jayce, along and was focused on finding him some bites with a one-two punch of the Mann’s Baby 1- and a Whopper Plopper. I’d seen several posts on social media of bass with the latter lure lodged in a lip and was optimistic that we might entice some topwater bites. Two decent bass were right on target and the Whopper Plopper has a new fan.

April 29 at 6:28pm – Jayce with a 2-3 on a Whopper Plopper that narrowly missed the April Canal Top 5

April Totals
Time: 9.50 hours
Totals: 41 bass (Troy 39 bass, Jayce – 2 bass)
Lures: Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 25 bass. Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (red craw) – 13 bass, Whopper Plopper (I Know It) – 2 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-5 Spinnerbait on April 23
Top 5 Weight: 13-12 (3-5,3-2,2-12,2-5,2-4)

April 24 at 9:53am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #5 at 2-4 (17.5″) on a crankbait

RECORD BOOK UPDATE
Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 7-4 (3-6,2-10,2-0,1-4) 7/21/21
UPDATE BEST TOP 5 DAY: 10-8 (3-5,3-2,1-9,1-6,1-2) 4/23/22
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)
UPDATE: added a 3-5 and 3-2 to boost the All-Time Top 5 Weight
NEW ALL-TIME TOP 5 WEIGHT: 16-2 (3-6,3-5,3-4,3-2,3-1) culls 2-14 and 2-13
Comments: It now takes a bass over the three-pound mark to enter the all-time Top 5 list.

So, that’s the April Prowl by the numbers. Coming next is the “Lessons” portion of the project as each visit is a learning experience. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After turning in three vacation days due to inclement fishing weather earlier this month, I stuck with one on April 11. After a boom of bites on the previous day on my second-tier waters, I was hoping for similar with better quality on my top-tier spots. The boom turned to a bust, but all was not lost. Read on for the results and research.

Stats
Date: April 11, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (8 lakes)
Time: 10:15am-3:30pm (3.75 hours fishing)
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Air Temp: 50-64F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 4 bass
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap (shad) – 2 bass, Chatterbait (white) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 0-12 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (only1 at 12” or better): 0-12

11:14am – First Bass and Top Bass and all downhill from there

Notes and Nonsense

Breakfast Bust – Things have gotten weird since March 2020. The ripple effect delayed my breakfast over two years later. On a Monday morning, I pulled up to the local Sonic drive thru to treat myself to a SuperSonic Burrito. After a period of dead silence, I saw the small sticker indicating that the business did not open until 9:00am. I did not have 30 minutes to waste, so on to Dunkin Donuts for my favorite, the Power Breakfast Sandwich. No dice, discontinued. Finally, the Pilot in Woodhull provided sustenance with a sausage, bacon and egg burrito which hit the spot.

Bite Bust -On the heels of a thirty-eight bass outing the previous day, I was optimistic of a good bite even though temps had dropped about ten degrees in the forecast. The bass were not interested in the barrage of lures I threw at them, however, and I was left losing the battle on this day. To add insult to injury, of the four bass I found, only one was a “keeper,” weighing a mere twelve ounces.

Threw a lot of stuff but only these lures produced, and barely at that

Top Bass Bust – A brief stop to check out a spot I hadn’t visited since September 2016 produced my two best bites of the day. Both were in the two-pound range, and both got away. Standard “fish story,” right, but certainly piqued my interest to return for some more fish stories.

Record Book Bust – My less than impressive results made for no new entries in the record book for the second straight outing. So much for that brilliant addition to my fishing reports. But plenty of year remains and I believe I can find some new submissions with a few tricks up my sleeve.

Not A Total Bust – A couple of those tricks revolve around new water and revisiting a neglected fishing hole. In the face of a tough bite at lunchtime, I elected to use my remaining time away to cover some uncharted territory. I’ve had my eye on a few spots in the area that I had only seen on a satellite photo. My exploratory hikes turned up just one bite but verified a suspected bass population on that particular lake. Another spot is home to some solid bass via a secondhand report from an angler last year while two other bodies of water are suspect. I believe that the latter two were formerly only wetlands but look more fishable with higher water levels at present. As such, they are likely eliminated unless I come upon reliable info in the future.

All was not lost with some exercise, exploration, and some ideas

A tough day on the water did wind up on a positive note with those last few thousand steps. Longstanding questions were answered, and I am hoping that those answers will provide dividends as 2022 progresses. Now if I can just get Brent on board for field testing. I suspect that it won’t take too much convincing. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 10

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Pleasant temperatures, high winds and cloud cover are a good mix for one of my strip mine hikes. There was no way I wanted to be in a boat fighting the gusts, so bank prowling was the ticket. I opted for my second-tier lakes in terms of quality bites and the results reinforced why these spots are not on the “A-list.”

Stats
Date: April 10, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (7 lakes)
Time: 12:00pm-5:20pm (4.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny to overcast/very windy
Air Temp: 58-69F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 38 bass
Lures: Rapala Shad Rap (shad) – 20 bass, Lunkerhunt Finesse Worm ¼ oz. (Bama craw) – 9 bass, Chatterbait (white) – 8 bass, Googan Gridiron jig (PB&J) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-0 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 2-9 (1-0,0-13,0-12)

 

Trip Lyric
“Everyone knows it’s windy” – Windy, The Association (1967)

Notes and Nonsense

Blow Away, Blow Away, Blow Away – I always liked George Harrison’s 1979 release, Blow Away, and it was certainly apt along with Windy. How windy was it? Well, the highest reading I saw on my weather app indicated 24mph, but gusts certainly exceeded that mark. Depending on the way I was facing, the wind would blow my lures (and some little bass) out of reach in one direction or wind up blowing the lure at me and having a hook or two snag my sweatshirt on occasion. Several times it also rocked me a bit as sloped, soft, and suspect strip mine terrain can make for precarious perches on the bank.

Always fun to add something from the collection, my 45 of a favorite from 1979

New Lure – After having several short strikes on a jig, I broke out a Lunker Hunt Finesse Worm to see if downsizing would get the short strikers. While the wind made it a challenge to maintain contact with the light lure, it was quite effective on one lake. Nearly every cast resulted in a hit and most of those little bass were caught on the smaller offering before I decided to relocate in hopes of better bites.

Craters – My final quest for quality bass was at a pair of potholes that I call “The Craters.” My last visit to these spots was in 2017 and I was disappointed to find that the already challenging bank access was worse and even reaching the water was a chore due to thick brush. As the years roll on, I am beginning to mentally check off some waters as “not going back again,” and these may have just made the list.

 

Record Book Update
As happens on more than a few occasions, I just couldn’t find any good bites. Therefore, there is no record book update info to pass along.

First one of these nasty critters found crawling on my neck as I sat on the couch upon returning home

Just one of those days where quantity is good, but quality is lacking. Such is fishing, better luck next time…or not. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy