It was nice to get back on the water after a three-week hiatus for various reasons. My latest trip to the strip mines was productive and included the quality catch below. While it came up short of giving my weight a boost, any bass in the three-pound range is a winner.

Weight: 3-0
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: September 3
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 84F
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (red flake/chartreuse tail)
Structure: Weed pocket
Angler Comments: This was a fun catch as it reinforced the effectiveness of the Senko as a follow-up lure for a missed strike. Even if the missed strike was on the Senko. In this case, I lifted the Senko clear of the water as I reached a weed edge in preparation for the next cast. As I did so, a fish took a swipe at the lure, resulting in a large boil on the surface. I quickly made my next cast several feet past the ripples into an open water area and the rest is history.
Top 5 Weight: 21-10 (5-3,4-10,4-2,4-1,3-10)

September has started off unseasonably hot, but it looks like there is a bit of a cool down coming mid-week. This is certainly a welcome change for fishing hikes and I hope to get in another shot or two before the public strip mines close in the next four to six weeks. A full fishing report from this September 3 trip is in the works as are some future fishing plans. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

August can be a struggle as the dog days sometimes make for a tough bite. However, this past weekend was a far cry from a heatwave, and the bass were quite cooperative. Among the multitude of bass Brent and I fooled on separate trips were a couple personal lake records and Brent’s Top Bass of 2023.

Weight: 3-11
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: August 12
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Rapala Skitter Pop
Editor’s Note: This fish represents Brent’s Top Bass of 2023 and sets his new Top Bass mark for the lake, besting a 3-8 from 2021. With the 3-11 leading the way, Brent posted a daily Top 5 of 11-10 from the thirteen bass he landed in just under three hours of fishing.
Top 5 Weight: 16-12 (3-11,3-8,3-5,3-3,3-1) culls a 2-15

Weight: 3-10
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 13
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm, 65F
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red)
Structure: Weed bed
Angler Comments: While this catch only boosted my 2023 total by one ounce, it established a new personal best on the lake. Brent owns the lake record at 5-4 but I was elated to catch a quality fish as my previous best on the spot was only 1-14.
Top 5 Weight: 21-10 (5-3,4-10,4-2,4-1,3-10) culls a 3-9

Two more solid submissions from a productive weekend that found Brent and me fooling nearly one hundred bass combined. But those are fish stories for an upcoming post (I also owe a Canal report). Talk to you later. Troy

Three more bass totaling just over ten pounds join the list during the recent heatwave. Conditions may be tough on anglers, but those fish are still out there. Early or late in the day can be your best shot as the bass are a bit more prone to chasing a lure in the lowlight conditions (see the second and third entries below). Then again, sometimes you get a bit lucky as in the first bass on our list. Just proves that anything can happen if you have a lure in the water and you can’t catch them sitting at home on the couch.

Weight: 4-1 (20.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: July 24
Weather: Sunny/calm
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural frog)
Structure: Open water with submerged weed clumps
Angler Comments: Open water on a hot, bright, sunny July day at 1:43pm is not the ideal setup for a topwater frog bite. However, I was getting hits on the weed mats and along the weed edges, so I opted for a long cast to cover a lot of water featuring scattered, submerged weed clumps. Luck was on my side, but I’d like to think that experience and instinct had a role as well as there is more to this story for another day.

Weight: 3-0 (19.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: July 29
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: The Cubs 6:15pm start was under what looked to be a significant rain delay, so I ditched my radio for my bike and set off to The Canal. Glad I did, as I landed several bass including this lengthy three-pounder. Got back to my truck around 8:30pm to find the Cubs with a 2-1 lead in the third enroute to their eight straight victory. That’s a good night.
Top 5 Weight: 21-9 (5-3,4-10,4-2,4-1,3-9) culls a 3-7

Weight: 3-3
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 29
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Rapala Skitter Pop
Editor’s Note: I have included a text that I received from Brent to go along with his submission. As you can see below, he had quite a day on the water, taking full advantage of the morning bite window.
Top 5 Weight: 16-0 (3-8,3-5,3-3,3-1,2-15) culls a 2-13

The heatwave broke for the weekend, but I suspect that we have not seen the last of the dog days of summer as August arrives. Bear in mind the tips to take away from today’s update. The early and late approach is a winner in the heat, but also don’t forget that “the best time to go fishing is any time you can.” Good luck and talk to you later. Troy

Two more bass joined the project this past week as Brent and I both hit the water for a while on Saturday. He paddled around Snakeden at sunrise while I pedaled around The Hennepin Canal towards sunset. Mixed results as he was much more successful than me, but we both managed a solid catch for Top Bass. Read on for the rest of the story.

Weight: 2-12
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: July 15
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Mann’s Chug-N-Spit
Angler Comments: Four hours on the water, eleven bass, 2-12 was the biggest. I had one break off and lost the Chug-N-Spit. I did not see him, but he pulled good. At least until the line broke. Top 5 for the morning 10-14 (2-12,2-8,2-6,1-15,1-5).
Top 5 Weight: 14-14 (3-8,2-15,2-13,2-13,2-13)

Weight: 2-8
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: July 15
Weather: Hazy/calm, 82F
Water Temp: not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: 7.5” Yum Ribbontail Worm (plum)
Structure: Weed edge/drop
Angler Comments: I started my evening trying to get a topwater frog bite going but continue to struggle with that approach. Instead, a Texas rigged plastic worm saved the day in an area where I found some deeper water adjacent to a shallow weed edge.
Top 5 Weight: 20-15 (5-3,4-10,4-2,3-9,3-7)

While neither fish gave us a boost in our Top 5 Weight, the catches were certainly worth reporting. Some quality summer advice is also of note as it pertains to today’s update. Early or late in the day are your best bets for summer success. In those lowlight conditions, the bass are more willing to strike on top. But if that doesn’t work out, bounce a worm or creature bait around deeper water with a sharp drop where bass can move easily between the depths.

A couple fishing reports are in the works including an attempt to add another state to my list of bass catches. In addition, I am hoping to get out a few more times before we head into August. Talk to you later. Troy

The month of June saw nine more bass submissions to bring the 2023 total to seventy entries. The cool thing was that seven anglers were involved in contributing those nine bass. Four of those anglers were making their first submissions of the year. And one of them, Carly Jackson, posted her all-time Top Bass at 2-13 during the month. Read on for the latest breakdown of the 2023 Top 5 Stats.

2023 Totals
January = no submissions
February = 2 bass
March = 7 bass
April = 32 bass
May = 20 bass
June = 9 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)
June = 11-6 (3-2,2-13,2-4,2-0,1-3)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 24 bass
Bank = 46 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 = 67 bass
Private = 3 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 26-8 (5-9,5-6,5-5,5-3,5-1)
Private = 8-4 (3-9,2-11,2-0)

The Baits
Lipless Crankbait = 24 bass (Top Bass 5-6 Natalee Townsend)
Plastic Worm = 17 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 = 4 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)
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
June
3-2 Troy Jackson

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)
John Kirkemo 6-4 (2-4,1-15,1-3,0-14)
Carly Jackson 3-10 (2-13,0-13)
Landon Hannam 3-8 (3-8)
Terry Jackson 2-11 (2-11)
Jayce Jackson 1-3 (1-3)
Julia Jackson 0-14 (0-14)
Zac Jackson 0-11 (0-11)

Another solid month of fishing is in the books. And what I enjoyed the most was getting to witness six of the catches in person and play photographer for the anglers. Good luck and talk to you later. Troy