Category: Fishing Reports

Hennepin Canal Report – May 10

For the third time in a week, I chased bass on the same stretch of The Canal in search of a big enough bite to push my Top 5 for the spot into double-digits. I guess the third time was a charm as a good one cooperated. Read on for the rest of the story.

Starting lineup

Stats
Date: May 10
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 9:15am-12:30pm
Totals: 4 bass
Weather: Sunny/windy, 64-75F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer – 2 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 Frog
Top 4 Weight (only four at 12” or better): 5-13 (2-6,1-7,1-3,0-13)

Tune of the Trip
“Why Can’t We Be Friends” – War (1975)

10:46am – First bass, not much but darn glad to get it

Notes and Nonsense

Slow Start – For the first hour and a half, I made a lot of quality casts to a lot of quality spots and wound up with absolutely zero bites. I’ve done this long enough to know that the bites will come, but I will admit that the confidence wavers a bit and thoughts of getting shut out dance in my head. You’ve just got to keep casting, maybe change things up a bit and hang in there. That approach paid off with four bites in the next hour.

11:25am – First frog bass of the year at 1-7 (14″)

Frog Time – Two quick bites on the spinnerbait were encouraging but they came at the end of my “spinnerbait water”, meaning a stretch filled with a lot of fallen trees. Next up, was a length of weedy bank bordered by riprap and nearly devoid of any wood. For me, on The Canal, this means frog. Warming weather, increasing weeds, and spawning panfish will get some bass prowling the area and a topwater frog is a good presentation to get their attention. Two more bass joined my creel courtesy of the frog including the Top Bass of the trip at 2-6.

11:50am – Top Bass at 2-6 (18″) on a frog

Top 5 Quest – The spot that I chose on this outing had an all-time Top 5 weight of 9-3 so I needed a thirteen-ounce boost to reach double-digits. The 2-6 knocked a 1-7 out of the creel for a fifteen-ounce boost. Mission accomplished as I can check off another stretch in reaching a Top 5 weight of 10-2.

Winning lures

I sure didn’t knock ‘em dead as The Canal bass are being stubborn for me this year. However, I got the one bite that I was seeking and then elected to shift my focus to the strip mines for my next outing. Stay tuned for the Trip Tunes from this Canal trip and the report from the strip mines. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – May 4

On the heels of a tough Saturday bite, I headed back on Sunday for “revenge.” My destination was a stretch where I had struggled to land two bass in just under two hours the previous day. Results ended up pretty much the same as detailed below.

2:51pm – Top Bass at 1-4 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: May 4
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 2:30pm-5:15pm
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Party cloudy/windy, 65F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer – 2 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (white) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-4 Spinnerbait
Top 3 Weight (only three at 12” or better): 3-4 (1-4,1-0,1-0)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
Desperado – Eagles (1973)

Notes and Nonsense

Top 10 Quest – I have mentioned before that I have a goal to catch a ten-pound Top 5 on each section of The Canal from the Rock River in Colona to the Visitor Center in Sheffield. The stretch that I fished on Saturday and Sunday is a spot that still falls short of the ten-pound mark. Coming into Saturday I had a total weight of 9-1 consisting of bass weighing 2-12,1-15,1-9,1-7,1-6. A 1-8 on Saturday pushed me to 9-3 but I could not find a bass to provide a boost on Sunday.

4:15pm – Top Bass Runner-up at 1-0 (13.5″) on a spinnerbait

Rise of the Gnats and Weeds – Prior to this weekend, I had not been on The Canal for five weeks and a lot can change between the end of March and the beginning of May. These trips featured the first gnats of the year. While not thick, they were frequent enough to be irritating and likely will only get worse. The aquatic vegetation has begun to grow just under the surface as well. Ditto on the “irritating” and definitely “will only get worse.”

Winning lures

First Topwater – After two bass in two hours on a spinnerbait around some good-looking wood cover, it was time to shift gears. Moving to the opposite side of The Canal, I was covering water nearly devoid of wood cover. Instead, there were riprap banks with a mix of surface and subsurface weeds. Having observed several social media posts reporting topwater fish, I opted to go all in with a buzzbait for the last hour. The good news was that I landed my first topwater bass of the year. The bad news was that it was the lone topwater catch.

4:55pm – First topwater bass of the year at 1-0 (13.5″) on a buzzbait

An Excuse? – I am not sure if I am in a fishing slump but two other anglers that I spoke with reported a tough bite as well. One of them said, “You know what happened?” I did not, but he proceeded to describe a winter kill and stated that he had observed a batch of quality-sized bass as casualties. The second angler noted “some large dead fish” but added that they were so decayed that he was unsure if they were bass.

Who knows what’s going on out there, but The Canal has been stubborn for me in 2025. But that will not deter me, and I plan to get back after them real soon. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – May 3

Prior to this outing, I had been off the water for three weeks and had not fished on The Canal since March 30. I was hoping that the bass would miss me and show up in great numbers and impressive size. Those hopes did not materialize but there’s always a fish story so read on.

2:24pm – Top Bass (tie) at 1-8 (14.5″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: May 3
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 1:25pm-6:45pm
Totals: 8 bass
Weather: Overcast/windy, 58F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 8 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 Chatterbait (three different fish)
Top 5 Weight: 7-3 (1-8,1-8,1-8,1-7,1-4)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas (1976)

3:58pm – Top Bass (tie) at 1-8 (15.5″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

Float Trip – For this outing, I elected to do a “float trip” like Dad, Uncle Dick, and Brent were known to do on a Henderson County creek many years ago. In this case, Julie and Jayce dropped off the van at my downstream take-out area. They then rode with me upstream in the truck, dropped me and the boat, and headed back to the van. Five hours, five miles, and eight bass later, I was back at my truck.

Deer Discovery – Four hours through my float/row, I had struggled to land a mere half dozen bass and found myself in search of the nearest “bathroom.” Seclusion was found on the wild side of an unusually wide part of The Canal under some overhanging limbs next to a large fallen tree. As I stood in the back of the boat an odd-looking branch caught my eye on the other side of the tree trunk . My brain took a few seconds to register that it was an antler and not a branch at all. After completing my initial task, I rowed around the tree to find a deer skull. I would have taken it home and given it to Dad at some point, but it still had about a foot of decaying vertebrae attached, making it a little ripe. I left it in place and if I am back in the future, I will take another look. I doubt anyone else will grab it as it sits near the bank on an expansive flat with about a foot of water.

Winning lure

One Trick Pony – My starting lineup consisted of a lipless crankbait, a spinnerbait, a wacky rigged Senko, and a chatterbait. I gave the spinnerbait and chatterbait ample casts, invested a fair amount of time with the lipless crank, and only made a few casts to specific targets with the Senko. In addition, I tried a Whopper Plopper due to some topwater catches reported by local anglers. In the end, the only lure that I needed was the chatterbait as it fooled all eight bass.

6:43pm – Top Bass (tie) at 1-8 (15.5″) on a chatterbait

It’s always good to get out casting but I will say that the results were a far cry from my expectations. Both in terms of quantity and quality. But it didn’t take me long to give the bass another shot as I was able to get back on the water the next day. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 25 & 26

My brother, Brent, was able to get out on the Knox County strip mines on back-to-back days last week. For these outings he ditched the hiking boots in favor of his kayak. Read on for the notes, pics, and numbers.

April 25 log

April 25 at 8:55am on Senko wacky rig

Yes, folks, Senko time has arrived, keep one tied on from now until October

Date: April 25
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 8:45am-12:05pm
Totals: 27 bass
Lures: Mann’s Chug N’ Spit – 10 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad – 9 bass, Senko wacky rig – 7 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 Senko
Top 3 Weight (only three at 12” or better): 4-6 (2-6,1-1,0-15)

April 25 at 10:00am – Top Bass of the trip at 2-6 on a Senko wacky rig

April 26 log

April 26 at 5:33pm – Top Bass of the trip at 1-15 on a popper

Topwater time is here again – Mann’s Chug N’ Spit

Date: April 26
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 4:00pm-6:30pm
Totals: 18 bass
Lures: Mann’s Chug N’ Spit – 12 bass, Senko wacky rig – 4 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 Chug N’ Spit
Top 5 Weight: 8-1 (1-15,1-13,1-8,1-7,1-6)

They may not all be big, but they all count

It’s good to see the Senko wacky rig and topwater bait make their first appearances in a 2025 report. Right on schedule, things are looking up as the bass fuel up, head shallow, and prepare to make more bass. Good luck and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 19

My latest outing on the Knox County public strip mines produced a whopping total of fifty-seven bass (and a crappie). While it sounds impressive, most of the specimens left much to be desired. Read on for the rest of the story.

Starting lineup

Stats
Date: April 19
Location: Knox County public strip pits (4 lakes)
Time: 10:45am-4:30pm (5.00 hours fishing)
Totals: 57 bass, 1 crappie
Weather: Overcast/windy, 56F
Lures Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 36 bass, Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (smokin shad) aka “Ned Rig” – 17 bass/1 crappie, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 4-14 (Chatterbait)
Top 5 Weight: 10-4 (4-14,1-8,1-8,1-3,1-3)

2:48pm – Top Bass at 4-14 (20.5″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

Choices – I’d love to spend the whole day roaming the Knox County strip mines as there are a dozen parking areas that provide access to close to one hundred lakes. Each lake has its own history, personality, and appeal but time, energy, and weather can be limiting factors. The DNR made the call for me this time as a Conservation Officer who was stopped at one area was in the process of doing some checks. While I admire the job those folks do, and I fish legally, I just didn’t feel like a chat, preferred to get to casting and drove to another access area. Plan B worked out okay.

Dark Sleeper – I purchased a Dark Sleeper earlier this month after solid reviews from internet anglers and a thumbs up from our own Top 5 participant, Jim Junk. It made the starting lineup for this trip, and it didn’t take long to get a few short strikes that were either small or bad aim. When the first solid bite occurred, I set the hook and promptly snapped my line. So, the jury is still out for me on the new bait. I did learn one thing; I should have purchased a back up bait. Jim also gave me a lead on some less pricey purchases so I suspect that I will give the lure another shot.

Bonus crappie at 11.5″ on the Ned Rig

Ticks are out as I found eight on this outing

Mission Accomplished – Lots of little bass on this outing but I hit each of my goals.
Goal #1 – No shutout
Got this one out of the way thirteen minutes into the trip.
Goal #2 – Establish a Top 5 (five bas at 12” or better)
At 2:11pm, I landed my fifth keeper, but a big boost was on the horizon
Goal #3 – Post a double-digit Top 5
When you fool a 4-14, you are nearly halfway there, and four more decent fish were enough to push me past the ten-pound mark.

 

Winning lures

There’s a lot to package from this outing but I find it best not to ramble too long on these reports. Instead, I hope to pass along other aspects of the trip via individual posts. We’ll see if that plan works out or if more fishing reports get in the way. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – April 11

Brent keeps the blog chugging along with a full report on his recent Lake Storey outing for today’s post. On this outing he was literally on the water as he launched the kayak for the first time in 2025. Dangerous business out there with large muskies on the prowl. Read on for his multispecies encounters.

Editor’s Note: A different April look as the lake level has not recovered after a dry winter, which is just fine by me

Stats
Date: April 11
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 6:00pm-7:15pm
Totals: 3 bass, 1 walleye
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (chartreuse sexy shad) – 2 bass, ZMan Chatterbait (sexy shad) with swimbait trailer – 1 bass, 1 walleye
Top Bass: 1-11 (Chatterbait)
Top 3 Weight (only 3 bass at 12” or better): 4-7 (1-11,1-9,1-3)

Winning lures

 

Editor’s Note: Per the eyewitness description, the muskie appeared to be in ths size range below.
(Photo from 11/8/1999 courtesy of the vast Troy Jackson Outdoors archives)

More memories from the old “home lake”, and I am always excited to get a report from someone taking the Lake Storey challenge. Those fish are wily and you never know what you may find on the end of your line. I am encouraged by Brent’s report and hope to get a shot before the water returns to normal pool. I feel the lower water level in the spring will be a boon to anglers as the predators beef up for spawning and the prey have a many less places to hide. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 6

I have been on the sidelines for a bit, so it is good to have a fishing brother who keeps me up to speed. For this post, I will convey the report via his pics and texts while also adding a dose of my two cents. Read on for the results of Brent’s first outing of 2025 as he took a hike around a Knox County strip mine.

Stats
Date: April 6
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 12:50pm-3:50pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 13 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 4-10 (Red Eye Shad)
Top 3 Weight (only three at 12” or better): 6-15 (4-10,1-5,1-0)

Editor’s Note: “I think I had a 5-pounder out of here a couple years ago.” Correct, with a 5-4 on 4/24/22. My money says he’ll get one bigger than his 4-10 before the year is through as there are lots of casts remaining. 

Winning lures

Editor’s note: Brent is quite adept with a spinnerbait so a thumbs up for giving the chatterbait some casts.

And there you have it. Thanks to Brent for keeping me posted on his solid early season success. The 4-10 was a very good fish and currently stands as Top Bass for the 2025 Top 5 project. Stay tuned for another report from Brent as he recently took his kayak out on Lake Storey. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – March 27

Fishing can deliver some much-needed stress relief and on this recent Thursday evening, I needed to check out for a couple hours. While I did not slay the bass, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Stats
Date: March 27
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:20pm-7:05pm
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 60F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 Red Eye Shad
Top 3 Weight (only three at 12” or better): 3-15 (1-15,1-2,0-14)

Staring lineup (chatterbait, ned rig, lipless crank, and jig)

Tune of the Trip
Hells Bells – AC/DC (1980)

6:02pm – Top Bass at 1-15 (16″) on a lipless crank

Notes and Nonsense

Fun For All Ages – In the parking lot and along the tow path, I spoke to seven fellow anglers over course of two hours. The age range of the fishermen covered the spectrum from young to not as young. Four were teenaged boys, one guy looked like he was in his thirties, another was my age, and the last fellow was more than a few years my senior. Fishing is alive and well on The Canal with some fooling more fish than others from shutouts to five bass.

6:12pm – Top Bass Runner-up at 1-2 (14″) on a lipless crank

Top Day – While the bite was not fast and furious, this trip did represent my best day on the water for 2025. The three bass total was an improvement over two bass on each of the two previous outings. The 1-15 Top Bass for this trip also tied the Top Bass thus far for 2025 and rounded out my initial Top 5 for the year.

Marketing – Quite a few years ago, I had some business cards printed up to promote the blog, the YouTube channel, and a Twitter presence. I’ve handed out a few over the years when crossing paths with other anglers but for the most part just shot the breeze and left the cards in my pocket. So, this year, I committed to handing them out to each angler that I encounter. On this outing, I got some feedback as a couple of the young anglers noted that we had crossed paths earlier and they had watched the latest YouTube videos. Kind of fun to hear and we’ll see how things go as the year progresses.

Winning lure – Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw)

While we have now reached April, I still have one more March fishing report to pass along. In addition, I am trying to keep up with the Trip Tunes this year. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – March 22

Roughly three weeks after my opening open water casts, I hit the water for the third time
in 2025 hoping to find some active bass. On the upside, I doubled my total for the year. On the downside, it only took two bass to achieve that feat.

Stats
Date: March 22
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:40pm-7:10pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, 50-47F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (white) with a Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee Shad) – 1 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 Red Eye Shad
Top 2 Weight (only two at 12” or better): 2-14 (1-15.0-15)

Tune of the Trip
Celebration – Kool & The Gang (1980)

Starting lineup which wound up also being the winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Bass #1 – My first bass of the day came from a reliable spot. I had made about ten fishless casts to an area the size of a fancy truck and bass boat combo that contained several submerged logs lying in various directions. Before giving up, I opted to run my chatterbait a bit deeper along a log that laid perpendicular to my stance on the bank. The added depth on the retrieve was the ticket as I was rewarded with a bass that just exceeded the mark for a “keeper” at twelve and a half inches. The lesson learned is that if you think a spot holds a bass, work it over thoroughly before you move on.

6:06pm – First Bass weighing 0-15 (12.5″) on a chatterbait

Bass # 2 – A productive presentation this time of the year is a lipless crankbait. And on the stretch of The Canal that I was fishing, I have a spot that I always like to hit with the lure. It involves casting across the channel to a beaver lodge and a point and covering the width of the canal through scattered early spring weed growth. On this day, the spot was a winner once again as a bass grabbed the lipless crank as it rattled up to the drop on the near side.

6:21pm – Top Bass weighing 1-15 (16″) on a lipless crankbait

Crowd – During my two prior trips, I had The Canal to myself. On this occasion, I encountered seven other anglers as I rode my bike to and from my truck. I was able to speak with four and presented them with the cards that I carry to plug my blog and YouTube channel. Hopefully, they will take time to check out what I have to offer as there is a wealth of Hennepin Canal information to peruse.

The slow start to the year leaves me one fish shy of establishing my initial Top 5. On the bright side, all four of my catches for 2025 have been keepers. However, they have been nothing much to brag about. Give it time as I know that will change as I just need to keep on casting. The tough part will be finding time to cast in the near future as obligations may make it a challenge to get on the water. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – March 14

And off we go with the first fishing report of 2025. With extreme winds and less than two hours of daylight, I opted to do a bike and hike attack on a reliable stretch and was rewarded as The Hennepin Canal came through with my first two bass of the year.

5:54pm – First bass of 2025 weighing 1-8 (15″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: March 14
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:50pm-7:10pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy, 80F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (white) with a Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee Shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 Chatterbait
Top 2 Weight (only two at 12” or better): 3-3 (1-11,1-8)

Starting lienup for the trip

Tune of the Trip
My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone) – Chilliwack (1981)

Winning lure  – ZMan Chatterbait

 

Notes and Nonsense

Bass #1 – Three casts into the evening and within casting distance of my truck I was on the board. The bass hit as I ran a chatterbait parallel to a submerged log, a textbook catch. It’s cool when it works out that way and I thought that I was really going to knock them dead as there were plenty more logs to target on my trek. One odd aspect of the first catch of the year was failing to take a picture. I guess that I was so excited to land the fish that it completely slipped my mind. Fortunately, I had the GoPro running so there is video proof that allowed me to grab the screenshot above.

6:28pm – Second bass of the year weighing 1-11 (15.5″) on a chatterbait

Bass # 2 – It took just over thirty-five minutes and half a dozen more logs before I was able to find another bite. This one came from a collection of submerged logs on a spot that is an annual winner.

New Rods – I picked up a pair of Berkley Shock rods this winter upon finding them marked down from $52 to $21 at a local store. Both are 6’6” with one being a medium heavy casting rod and the other a medium spinning rod. As I pondered the purchases and inspected the rods, I was not completely sold on the feel and action, but it is always tough without a reel or being able to make some casts. It took me two trips to the store before I committed to the purchases, and I am pleased with results. The casting rod feels good with a chatterbait and landed the first two bass of the year. I have yet to give the spinning rod much of a workout so time will tell.

Trip #1 – In the interest of transparency, the March 14 trip was my second time on the water. On March 2, I took a bike ride on the same stretch of The Canal and wound up getting shut out during an hour and a half of casting.

Sketchy weather and a wild few weeks of work on the horizon are likely to limit my opportunities to get on the water. At least I accomplished my annual goal of landing my first bass in March. We will see what the next dozen days hold in store to see if any more March bass will show up in the fishing log. Talk to you later. Troy