The choice for this outing was a destination that I had fished twice previously and established an initial Top 5 Weight of 8-3. For this leg of the Top 5 Quest, I was in search of a quality bite or two to gain the twenty-nine-ounce boost needed to push my Top 5 weight into double digits. Things started off in fine fashion, but the flurry did not last. Read on to see if the bass came through.

3:00pm – Top Bass at 2-4 (17″) on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: August 11
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:00pm-6:00pm
Totals: 4 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm, 78F
Lures: 5” Yamamoto Senko (pumpkin/black flake) – 1 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass, Big Bite Baits Suicide Buzz (citrus shad) – 1 bass
Top 3 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 5-2 (2-4,1-11,1-3)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

New Buzzbait – A recent article on buzzbaits in a national fishing publication sent me in search of a new trick on the day prior to this outing. I found what I was looking for at my second stop over the river during my first visit to K & K Hardware. They always have a quality booth at the annual Quad City Outdoor Show and the store did not disappoint. My purchase was a Big Bites Bait Suicide Shad in the citrus shad pattern. This buzzbait is a variation that features a swimbait body rather than a skirt on the business end of the lure. My traditional skirted buzzbait bite has been lacking on The Canal this year, and the abundance of shad observed in the waters pushed me to try something different.

Expanding my arsenal with a new type of buzzbait

Fast Feedback – My first casts with the new buzzbait were a mixture of disappointment and surprise. The disappointment arose as the blade was not turning smoothly, causing the lure to dive or clumsily flail about the surface. The surprise came as I rapidly splashed the bait back to the boat for a tune-up. A bass blasted the ugly retrieve and a follow-up with a Senko wacky rig had my first bass of the day in the boat before a minute on the water had elapsed. Six minutes later, after fixing the blade issue, a solid 2-4 nailed the new lure and I was feeling pretty smart about my purchase. I never caught another bass on it the rest of the trip.

5:29pm – Top Bass Runner Up at 1-11 (16″) on a topwater frog

Top 5 Quest – The 2-4 provided a significant boost as it displaced a fifteen-ounce bass in my creel and put me within eight ounces of the ten-pound mark. However, it was a lengthy drought of over two hours before I got another “keeper.” Adding to the frustration was losing a bass at boatside that was in the two-pound range. Luckily, I got one more shot when a bass busted a topwater frog as it reached the deep edge of a shoreline weed mat. My target had been a shallow stump amid the weeds and the strike took me by surprise as my focus drifted after not getting the strike where I initially aimed. There’s a lesson there but even after forty plus years of bass fishing, a prolonged lack of bites will still catch me daydreaming. In this case, I was fortunate that the bass was on target and all those years of muscle memory aided in a hookset that bordered on autopilot. That final bite of the evening came in at 1-11 and pushed me past my goal with a current Top 5 Weight of 10-2.

Mission accomplished as I got the bites that I needed on an evening when bites were few. Check another spot off the list for a double digit Top 5. Three days later, I was back for a quick hit on another stretch of The Canal with the same goal in mind. Stay tuned for that report and talk to you later. Troy

For my return to The Canal, I chose a stretch that is popular with other anglers. My hope was that a sunrise start on a Sunday morning would beat the crowd and that indeed proved to be the case. The primary aim of this trip was to get a boost of two ounces to my Top 5 to reach double digits for the pool. Read on for the results from my first visit to The Canal in nearly a month.

Welcome to The Canal where you get a side of “summer salad” with your bass

Stats
Date: August 4
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:50am-8:50am
Totals: 8 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy, 66-77F
Lures: Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 5 bass, Whopper Plopper (bone) – 3 bass
Top 5 Weight: 6-13 (2-5,1-4,1-3,1-1,1-0)

7:36am – Top Bass Runner Up at 1-4 (13.5″) on a Whopper Plopper

Notes and Nonsense

Top 5 Quest – In my ongoing quest to post a ten-pound Top 5 from every pool on The Canal from Colona to the Feeder Basin, I selected a spot where my Top 5 sat at 9-14 (2-8,2-3,1-15,1-11,1-9). As such, I needed a 1-11 catch to knock out the lowest member of the Top 5 and gain the two ounces I was lacking. Reports from fellow anglers have shown that there are plenty of quality bass in the pool, but my previous efforts have found me coming up short. Just have to keep on casting.

Winning Lures

Topwater Commitment – The depth and cover on this area set up well for a topwater bite like most stretches of The Canal. However, a lack of clouds and the angle of the sunrise had the stretch in full sun shortly after my arrival. Even so, I went nearly all in on topwater with only limited casts of a swimbait, spinnerbait, and Senko wacky rig. Part one of my thought process was to stick with topwater as close to the weed cover as possible where I expected the bass to be hiding from the sun. Part two of the topwater approach was a willingness to sacrifice quantity in exchange for a quality bite. The first two hours were tough with only four bites (three on a Whopper Popper) including two “keepers” and a Top Bass of 1-4. For the final hour, I switched to a buzzbait and had better “luck.”

8:50am – Top Bass at 2-5 (17″) on a buzzbait with the last cast of the morning

Last Cast – Pushing three hours into the morning, I was still lacking the bite needed for my Top 5 boost. Adding to the disappointment was the fact that I had recently had a solid blowup on the buzzbait by a bass that lacked good aim. It’s a guessing game on how big such a bite could be but in my mind the strike was the fish that I was seeking. Luckily, at 8:50am I got a second chance when a bass nailed a buzzbait as it neared the boat on the end of a retrieve. As I battled the fish, I knew that it would make the mark. I did have trouble getting a grip on its lip but got it in the boat where it tipped the scales at 2-5. Mission accomplished in pushing my Top 5 weight for the pool to 10-10. With that bass in the bag, I elected to call it a day with the successful final cast. After a picture, I thanked the fish, released it, and rowed back to the truck.

 

Mark another spot off the list with a double-digit Top 5. Still more work to do and I was back at it the following morning on a stretch with a Top 5 mark of 8-2 that was established in my lone visit back in June of 2023. Stay tuned for that report and talk to you later. Troy

After a successful return to the strip mines with my brother on July 13, I was back again the following weekend for another shot. Flying solo on this trip, I also opted to do some exploring on less familiar water. Read on for how it all turned out.

5:41am – First bass and Top Bass Runner-Up at 2-15 (17.5″) on a Whopper Plopper

Spotted this odd funnel cloud in the partly cloudy, pleasant skies. Possibly a “fair weather” funnel cloud?

Stats
Date: July 20
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 5:35-8:20am, 9:10-10:55am, 5:20-7:05pm
Totals: 24 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino) – 11 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 6 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (pumpkin/black flake) – 2 bass, Whopper Plopper (bone) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-3 (Spro Frog)
Top 5 Weight: 11-7 (3-3,2-15,2-9,1-7,1-5)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Lake One – My first stop was a spot that we “discovered” last year, and it has been quite productive in terms of quality bass. In just under three hours, it continued to shine with a Top 5 right at 10-0 as five of my seven bass were “keepers.” Adding to the fun was the fact that six of the seven bass were landed on topwater lures.

6:36am – Top Bass at 3-3 (18″) on a Spro Frog

Lake Two – Next up was an hour and forty-five minutes on a lake that I had first explored back in March. That initial spring trip produced thirteen bass in an hour and a half but nothing much to brag about with a Top Bass of only 1-6. This time around, I added a dozen bass including a solid 2-9 to establish a new Top Bass for the spot. The larger fish was encouraging and reinforced not relying on a first impression on new water.

9:53am – New record on a newer lake at 2-9 (18″) on a buzzbait

Lake Three – After a visit to my folks, I decided to take the long way home for a night cap on a spot where I had never made a cast. It has been on my radar for several years, but it can be difficult for me to forego proven water for the unknown. Five bass in an hour and forty-five minutes was worth the effort and all on an evening topwater bite. This lake consists of three pools of water connected by shallow flats. All were quite murky and two of the three had water and vegetation that looked very ugly. Not surprisingly, all five bass came from the less ugly area.

 

A good day of fishing and fun exploring new spots in the vicinity of familiar waters that I have fished going back to the 1980s. Always something new to learn on the vast collection of Knox County strip pits. Prior to hitting Lake Three, I had also driven past several other waters that I had never fished. One of these days…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

I took a vacation day from work to give me a four-day Fourth of July weekend. The plan was to spend three of those mornings (July 5, 6, 7) chasing bass. Morning number one left me wondering if I should have saved my vacation day. But, as the saying goes, “Any day fishing is better than a day working.” Even if you can only muster one bite. And I wasn’t alone in experiencing a tough bite.

Stats
Date: July 5
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:15am-9:15am, 9:30am-9:45am
Totals: 1 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm 65-72F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (pumpkin/black flake) – 1 bass
Top 1 Weight (only 1 bass at 12” or better): 2-6 (2-6)

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

Mission Impossible – I launched alongside three kayak anglers and two more were spotted on the water later. I took a right turn and headed west, the two late arriving kayaks did the same, and the three early kayaks headed east. Two and a half hours later, we crossed paths or met at the ramp to discuss our efforts. I must admit that I was a bit embarrassed in having to report that I had not caught a single bass. Much to my surprise, neither had any of the other anglers. Granted, some days are better on The Canal than others but the odds that six anglers would not fool a single bass are astronomical. Seriously, if I were a betting man, I would wager that we could fish every day until October and never again get shutout as a group. Oh yeah, I also told one of the guys that while I felt bad that he did not catch a fish, it also made me feel better. Is that wrong?

Hail Mary Cast – Discouraged by my lack of success, I almost called it a day and just headed home. However, my route took me past a lock that I don’t fish much, and I figured the bite couldn’t be any worse. The decision proved to be a winner as I nabbed a bass on a wacky rigged Senko after about a half dozen casts. And it wasn’t a bad fish, weighing in at 2-6.

9:35am – Lone bass of the morning at 2-6 (17.5″) on a Senko wacky rig

Another Canal Oddity – From the “you never know what you will see on The Canal” file, I had a timely encounter shortly after landing my lone bass. As I walked along the lock on the way back to my truck, a familiar face from my old hometown of Galesburg exited a vehicle and headed my way. An old friend and former supervisor from another place and time was out for a hike with his wife and the timing was just right to cross paths for the first time in years. I enjoyed the conversation and catching up and later considered just how weird it is when things work out in such a manner. If I hadn’t taken a vacation day, I would have been at work. If the bass had been biting on my original stop, I would have stuck around longer and had no reason to stop at the second spot. If I hadn’t opted to take one more shot at a few casts on the heels of the frustrating morning, I would never have been at the lock. So on, and so forth in pondering how it was that we ended up in the same place.

While the Fourth of July weekend fishing plan was off and running, the launch left much to be desired. But tomorrow is a new day and I was up and on the water at sunrise for another shot. Stay tuned for that report and talk to you later. Troy