The Jackson Brothers were on the water each day of the Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, we were in separate counties while Sunday was a tag team effort chasing bass on the Knox County strip mines. Read on for the scoop on the latest submissions gained from our efforts.

Weight: 3-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: May 24
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog
Angler Comments: I was back to where I put in and was about to get out. A cast to an open spot with a frog and BANG!

Weight: 2-8
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: May 25
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog
Top 5 Weight: 14-13 (4-10,3-1,2-8,2-6,2-4) culls 2-3 and 2-1

Weight: 2-11
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 24
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (redear)
Structure: Weed bed
Angler Comments: Only one bite in an hour and half of biking and casting on The Canal but at least it was a good one.

Weight: 2-9
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 25
Weather: Overcast/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (redear)
Structure: Open
Angler Comments: For a Memorial Day weekend Sunday, it was downright cold. The bass bite was lukewarm at best, but I did get a decent one before the bite completely shut down.
Top 5 Weight: 16-5 (4-14,3-13,2-11,2-9,2-6) culls 2-4 and 2-2

Another good week of casting, catching, and culling to boost those weights. Stay tuned as it is time to catch up on several fishing reports. Talk to you later. Troy

Three more fish this week give solid boosts to a pair of anglers. John Kirkemo is one more decent bite from pushing his creel into double digits. And I am one more decent bite from catching our leader. Read on for the details on our latest catches.

Fish: Spotted Bass
Weight: 1-4
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: May 6
Weather: See attached pictures (below)
Water Temperature: 63 degrees
Location: Lake Jocassee, SC (See attached map)
Lure: Black and silver 3 ½ inch shallow running Rapala
Comments: Fished from Noon to 3:30 p.m. Trolled for trout using the downrigger for a while and had one on but for only a few seconds. Switched to casting toward shoreline structure and managed to hook and land this fish after losing two others.

Fish: Spotted Bass
Weight: 2-4
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: May 9
Weather: Overcast sky, light variable wind, air temperature 70s
Water Temperature: 73 degrees
Location: Lake Keowee at South Cove County Park, Seneca, SC
Lure: Black and silver 3 ½ inch shallow running Rapala
Comments: Fished from 8:00 to 11:30 am. Convinced three fish to strike while trolling the Rapala between 1.6 and 1.7 miles per hour. Caught two small bass which I did not weigh before hooking this fish in about 10 feet of water along the South Cove County Park campground shoreline. This fish had a wound in the corner of his mouth showing he had been hooked and released in the past. I held him in the live well while he recovered. He was released in good condition.
Top 5 Weight: 9-8 (2-8,2-4,1-14,1-10,1-4) culls 1-4 and 1-3

Weight: 2-6 (18″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: May 10
Weather: Sunny/windy
Water Temperature: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red)
Structure: Rockpile/overhanging tree
Angler Comments: Topwater frog fishing time has arrived as I landed two on the presentation. Always fun to see those bass blast the bait and the Hennepin Canal sets up well with the overabundance of weeds beginning to take hold.
Top 5 Weight: 12-13 (4-14,2-6,1-15,1-15,1-11) culls 1-8

Not sure about the rest of our crew but I have plans to get on the water later this week. In the meantime, stay tuned for another batch of Trip Tunes and the latest report from The Canal. Talk to you later. Troy

Two more bass from South Carolina keep the update streak alive. These fish also fill the limit for one of our anglers and allows him to cull along the way.

Fish: Spotted Bass
Weight: 1-1
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: April 30
Weather: Bright sun with blue skies. Light wind.
Water temperature: 74 degrees
Location: Lake Keowee near Cane Creek Landing, West Union, SC
Lure: Silver and black 3 ½ inch shallow running Rapala
Comments: Fish caught while casting toward shore near tree branches hanging over the water.

Fish: Spotted Bass
Weight: 1 lbs. 3 oz.
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: May 4
Weather: Bright sun with passing clouds
Water Temperature: 73 – 74 degrees
Location: Lake Keowee, Seneca, SC along the South Cove County Park shoreline
Lure: Black and silver 3 ½ inch shallow running Rapala
Comments: Fished from 9 am to noon. Trolled the Rapala in about 10 feet of water. Also lost a bigger bass in the same spot using the same trolled Rapala as this fish. Caught an 11.5-inch bass earlier casting to shoreline structure.
Top 5 Weight: 8-7 (2-8,1-14,1-10,1-4,1-3) culls 1-1

Thanks, John, and keep on boosting that weight. And I have to say that those spotted bass are attractive as they certainly have a different look compared to their largemouth cousins. Good luck to all and talk to you later. Troy

Two more fish this week give a pair of anglers a significant boost. Jim Junk gets one bass closer to completing his Top 5 and I was able to fool what is currently our Top Bass of 2025. Read on for the details on the catches.

Weight: 2-14
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 16
Location: Peoria County Pond
Lure: Dark Sleeper
Angler Comments: Went out Wednesday after work. Four bass total, three short ones and this 2-14. All came on a Dark Sleeper in just under two hours of fishing.
Top 5 Weight: 9-10 (3-13,2-15,2-14)

Weight: 4-14 (20.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 19
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with Strike King Rage Swimmer trailer (sexy shad)
Structure: Flat/trough
Angler Comments: A chatterbait comes through in a trough that sits between an expansive point and a lengthy flat. Throw in a direct hit from the wind and you have a textbook spot that produced a big bite.
Top 5 Weight: 11-15 (4-14,1-15,1-15,1-11,1-8) culls 1-8

Good luck if you get out there and stay tuned for the full report from my latest outing. Talk to you later. Troy

I have had this report completed for nearly a week but work, life, and lethargy have combined to delay the submission. So, better late then never, here is the latest fishing report.

Stats
Date: March 30
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 12:30pm-2:45pm
Totals: 4 bass
Weather: Overcast/very windy/light rain, 59-55F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer – 4 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 Spinnerbait
Top 2 Weight (only two at 12” or better): 2-12 (1-8,1-4)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones (1969)

1:39pm – First bass at 1-4 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Notes and Nonsense

Weather – Initially, I had no plans to get on the water on this cool Sunday, but free time opened up and as the old saying goes “the best time to go fishing, is any time you can.” With the temperature reading just shy of sixty degrees, it sounded like it wasn’t too bad out there, but wind and lack of sun made things chilly. As the afternoon progressed, the “feels like” reading had dipped to forty-two degrees. Now, I can fish all day but on this afternoon I will admit that I wasn’t too disappointed in having a projected quitting time. And this time, I stuck to it.

Winning Lure

Lone Lure – On three out of the four trips this year when I have landed bass, success has come courtesy of a single lure per outing. In the case of this trip, it was a War Eagle spinnerbait that got the job done. Similarly, all catches on March 14 fell to a chatterbait, and on March 27, a lipless crankbait was a winner. Granted I am not knocking them dead with between two and four bass per outing, but it seems the bass are picky early in the season even though I present them with multiple offerings each time I hit the water.

Fellow Fisherman Report – The cooler than expected weather did not keep a couple other anglers off the water. I spoke with a kayaker mid-trip who was struggling for a bite. At that point, we both only had “one that got away.” A bank angler that I chatted with prior to my launch had fared better, reporting four bass in the general area of the lock. That turned out to be my total even though I fished a mile of water compared to his limited access. While I prefer having free reign of the entire stretch, there is something to be said about working over a small area more thoroughly when that is all you have available.

2:18pm – Top Bass at 1-8 (14″) on a spinnerbait

To the Rescue – As I began rowing upstream after my launch, I spotted the bank angler mentioned above with a bend in his pole. I had witnessed one of his earlier catches but in this case, he was snagged. I hollered at him to hold on, not break it off, and I would see what I could do from a boat. Luck was on our side as his crankbait was snagged on a submerged branch within reach for me. He thanked me for the assistance, and I told him that as an old bank angler myself, I was happy to help save a few bucks and maybe a lucky lure.

Four bass fell short of my expectations but considering it took me an hour to get the first one in the boat, I was happy with a solid finish. It’s been a slow start to the year and circumstances are keeping me off the water for another week. Luckily, I have a pair of secondhand reports from my brother, Brent, and some Trip Tunes to fall back on until I get back to casting. Talk to you later. Troy