Category: Top 5

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was sitting in the middle of a Knox County strip mine lake this past Saturday at 9:48am when I got a text message from an angler who had reeled in a Top 5 worthy bass. Now, it’s always cool to get the latest fish story but it’s even cooler when I’m busy fishing instead of just wishing. Turns out the guy was also in Knox County only a few miles away as noted below.

Weight: 2-14
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: August 31
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Spinnerbait
Angler Comments: Fished Snakeden for about three hours this morning, the first fish was the biggest, caught 16 all in the first two hours and nothing in the next hour, seemed like they came in spurts.
Top 5 Weight: 8-7 (2-14,1-12,1-10,1-2,1-1) culls a 1-0

Weight: 2-8
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 31
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (orange craw)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: After struggling without a bite for a half hour I hit a spot where five bass came in thirteen minutes on the Red Eye Shad. Not sure what turned them on but fast and furious for a bit and then only one more bite during the next half hour.
Top 5 Weight: 13-8 (3-14,2-10,2-8,2-4,2-4) culls a 2-3

Fun to have a Jackson brothers update this week as it’s not every day we’re both able to get out and chase some bass. I guess next time we get a chance to fish we should text beforehand so we can join forces and really give those strip mine bass a hard time like “back in the day.” Hope to get some fishing reports from the Labor Day weekend compiled so stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Our Top 5 leader continues to boost his creel with a trio of August bass that combine for nearly fourteen pounds of fish.

Weight: 4-14
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: August 3
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Texas rigged Senko
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: Ran into a Senko Texas rigged bite, most were deep and small but caught one every few casts. Somewhere in the middle of this a 4-14 smashed the Senko at the weed edge.

Weight: 4-6
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: August 3
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Rapala Clackin’ Rap

Weight: 4-10
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: August 20
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: Today was 3 bass with top weight of 4-10 that came off a weed edge and hit a chatterbait.
Top 5 Weight: 23-9 (5-3,4-14,4-10,4-8,4-6) culls a 4-6 and 4-3

Way to go, Jim. When paired with last week’s submissions our 2019 August Top 5 sits at 16-13, within striking distance of the current August record of 18-9 from 2017. Still nearly a week left before September, so a shout out to send them my way in pursuit of a new monthly mark. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Back with an overdue Top 5 Update, our first since July 29. August has always been a lean Top 5 month and thus far it looks like 2019 will be no exception. Thus it was a treat to see an email entitled “Top 5 Update Submission” show up in the Inbox this past week.

Weight: 1-6
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: August 13
Location: Lake McMaster – Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Weedless wacky worm (green/white)

Weight: 1-9
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: August 13
Location: Lake McMaster – Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Weedless wacky worm (green/white)
Structure: Along weed edges
Angler Comments: Fished from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Partly cloudy with air temperature in low 80s. Water clear; temperature 82 degrees. Hooked but lost what felt like a good sized fish but never saw it. Caught two other smaller fish less than 12 inches. Two other fisherman on board got bites but no hookups. The fish appeared to be in good condition. Plump bellies.
Top 5 Weight: 5-11 (1-9,1-7,1-6,1-5)

Thank you, John, and kudos for getting out there and getting it done. Also fun to see some bass from an old familiar fishing hole as I haven’t been out there for quite a few years. Keep up the good work and anybody else that is fooling some fish, send them my way. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Eleven more bass join during the month of July to bring our 2019 total to 60. And what’s pretty cool about those catches is that they came from six different Top 5 anglers. The more, the merrier, as the saying goes. And how about a new Top Bass for the year from our Top 5 leader, Jim Junk.

2019 Totals (* = new record)
January = 1 bass
February = no submissions
March = 8 bass
April = 14 bass
May = 12 bass
June = 14 bass
July = 11 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
January = 3-3 (one bass)
February = no submissions
March = 19-3 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-5,3-3)
April = 19 -10 (4-1,4-1,4-0,3-12,3-12)
May = 19-1 (4-6,4-0,3-15,3-10,3-2)
June = 19-15 (4-3,4-1,4-1,3-15,3-11)
July = 13-15 (5-3,3-14,1-15,1-8,1-7)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 17 bass
Bank = 43 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight (* = new record)
Boat = 14-0 (3-14,3-11,2-4,2-4,1-15)
Bank = 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-2,4-6,4-3)

Public vs. Private
Public = 47 bass
Private = 13 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3)
Private = 15-11 (3-14,3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7)

The Baits (* = new record)
Plastic Worm = 22 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Chatterbait = 11 bass (Top Bass 5-3 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbaits = 7 bass (Top Bass 4-8 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbaits = 8 bass (Top Bass 3-10 Chris Schwarz)
Buzzbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-4 Troy Jackson)
Jigs = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-10 Troy Jackson)
Crankbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 3-11 Chris Schwarz)
Underspin = 2 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
Livebait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jim Junk)
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-1 Landon Hannam)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
3-3 Jim Junk
February
No submissions
March
4-8 Jim Junk
April
4-1 Jim Junk
May
4-6 Jim Junk
June
4-3 Jim Junk
July
5-3 Jim Junk

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
5-3 Jim Junk 7/28
4-8 Jim Junk 3/28
4-6 Jim Junk 5/14
4-3 Jim Junk 6/14
4-2 Jim Junk 3/30
4-1 Jim Junk 3/31
4-1 Jim Junk 4/10
4-1 Jim Junk 4/13
4-1 Jim Junk 6/20
4-1 Jim Junk 6/28

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3)
Chris Schwarz 15-8 (3-11,3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7)
Troy Jackson 13-3 (3-14,2-10,2-4,2-4,2-3)
Brent Jackson 6-9 (1-12,1-10,1-2,1-1,1-0)
Landon Hannam 4-7 (1-4,1-2,1-1,1-0)
Terry Jackson 3-13 (1-15,1-1,0-13)
Jayce Jackson 2-13 (1-8,1-5)
John Kirkemo 2-12 (1-7,1-5)

Other Species
Bluegill 1-8 Teagan Mills 6/2/19 Private pond
Channel Catfish 13-0 Teagan Mills 4/20/19 Private Pond
Catfish 6-9 Chris Schwarz 6/12/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Catfish 34-35” Chris Schwarz 6/2/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Muskellunge 6-4 Chris Schwarz 6/28/19 Lake Storey

Always interesting to see what August holds in store as it is typically a down month in terms of contributions. The lingering “dog days” can have an effect and anglers with a full creel often find it to be a tall order to cull some of their catches. Including myself, most of us still have plenty of room for a 2019 boost. Here’s hoping some of us have an opportunity to get it done. And if you have any July stragglers, go ahead and send ‘em my way. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A good summer turnout for this week’s update with five anglers in the mix. We’ll kick it off with a report from Top 5 angler, Chris Schwarz, who participated in a recent bass tourney on the Mississippi River followed by the other anglers and their catches.

Weight: 3-6
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Angler Comments: I fished in a Quad City Bass Club tournament on Sunday, July 14th. Me and my partner took 9th out of 26 boats. I caught a 3.38, which took 3rd for big bass of the tournament. This fish was caught on a bluegill colored square bill off of a lay down in 4 feet of water. We were fishing a section of Rock Creek, which is in pool 14. I didn’t have a picture of the fish, but I included our tournament results from the QCBC website.

Weight: 1-8 (14.5”)
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: July 26
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Weighted Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate)
Structure: Point

Weight: 1-5 (13.5”)
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: July 26
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Weighted Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate)
Structure: Point
Top 5 Weight: 2-13 (1-8,1-5)

Weight: 1-15 (16”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko wacky rig (smoke)
Structure: Point

Weight: 1-1 (15”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko wacky rig (smoke)
Structure: Point

Weight: 0-13 (12.5”)
Angler: Terry Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko wacky rig (smoke)
Structure: Point
Top 5 Weight: 3-13 (1-15,1-1,0-13)

Weight: 3-14 (20”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: July 27
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Weighted Senko wacky rig (watermelon/crème laminate)
Structure: Flat/overhanging bushes
Angler Comments: Fishing with Dad along one of the less appealing stretches of bank on an old favorite stomping ground and wound up with my Top Bass of 2019. While not a regular stop on our normal rounds, it will likely get a few casts in the future just in case.
Top 5 Weight: 13-3 (3-14,2-10,2-4,2-4,2-3) culls a 2-0

Weight: 5-3 (20.5”)
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: July 28
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Angler Comments: Was throwing a chatterbait with some kind of grub type trailer and sort of still getting used to new baitcaster. Clearing a small rat’s nest from spool and line started moving to right as I was reeling in slack. Set the hook and landed without incident.
Top 5 Weight: 22-6 (5-3,4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3) culls a 4-1

How’s that for a “dog days” report? An impressive batch of catches proving that the best time to go fishing is any time you can. I am hoping for a full week of posts through Friday with a pair of firsthand fishing reports, another round of Top 5 Stats as we leave July behind (will still take any July submissions if you missed this week’s deadline) and the weekly Friday Flashback post. Plenty of fishing stuff, can never have enough, hope you’ll stop by for a daily escape. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A couple anglers beat the heat in Knox County last week to provide us with another Top 5 update. Sounds like evening fishing was a hit and always a wise choice to improve your odds of a summer bite. Either that or the crack of dawn for any early risers.

Weight: 1-4
Angler: Landon Hannam
Date: July 15
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Weedless wacky rigged Senko
Angler Comments: I was fishing off the dam and the fish hit the lure about 8 feet from the bank.

Weight: 1-0
Angler: Landon Hannam
Date: July 17
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Weedless wacky rigged Senko
Angler Comments: Caught this bass fishing off the dock. The bass hit the lure right up at the bank. Also the same night I caught 6 bluegill and a crappie.
Top 5 Weight: 4-7 (1-4,1-2,1-1,1-0)

Note: Realized that I shorted Landon in failing to include one of his bass in the last Top 5 Stat Update. I have corrected as shown in his Top 5 Weight above and if anyone spots an error in my data or calculations just let me know and I’ll get it fixed)

Weight: 1-5
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: July 17
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Green Senko weedless wacky worm
Structure: South end of dam
Angler Comments: This fish was caught casting a wacky worm from shore at the south end of the Lake Storey dam at about 7:30 p.m. The weather was warm and humid. A brief rain shower passed over the area during the previous 90 minutes. Water was turbid. Aquatic vegetation appeared to be dying.
Top 5 Weight: 2-12 (1-7,1-5)

Nice job guys and always a treat to get a Lake Storey report as I’ve got just a little history with that old fishing hole. It can be a tough one and summertime presents even more of a challenge with excessive weed cover for an angler to combat. Here’s to getting out there and getting it done.

Stop on by again tomorrow for an annual July 23 post that dates back to 2011 with some “thoughts.” Warning that I may stray off the outdoor path a bit but still some standard topics that pop up around here from time to time. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Welcome our first July submission as things have been a little lean with the “dog days of summer” continuing to bear down on the region.

Weight: 1-7
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: July 13
Location: Knox County private strip mine
Lure: Senko weedless wacky rig
Structure: Open Water
Angler Comments: Fished a private Knox County strip pit with a local legend as a guide. The weather conditions were brutal: Intense sun, no clouds, high air and water temperatures and only an occasional light breeze. This fish hit a wacky rig in open water not close to any visible structure.
Top 5 Weight: 1-7

Great to have you on board again, John. Definitely a fun submission in the case of this bass as those surroundings look a little familiar. Always handy when you have a photographer on board to assist with a quality photo as well. Just saying…

I encourage everyone to stop back by later this week for another look at this catch and more in the latest fishing report. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Busy beginning of July behind and busy week ahead so scrambling to get an overdue monthly stat update out there. Also have a fishing trip in the books for this weekend pending a report and the always eagerly anticipated Friday Flashback. So much outdoors, so little time to compose. Okay, here we go.

2019 Totals (* = new record)
January = 1 bass
February = no submissions
March = 8 bass
April = 14 bass
May = 12 bass
June = 14 bass
July = 1 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month (* = new record)
January = 3-3 (one bass)
February = no submissions
March = 19-3 (4-8,4-2,4-1,3-5,3-3)
April = 19 -10 (4-1,4-1,4-0,3-12,3-12)
May = 19-1 (4-6,4-0,3-15,3-10,3-2)
June = 19-15 (4-3,4-1,4-1,3-15,3-11)
July = 1-7 (1-7)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 11 bass
Bank = 39 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight (* = new record)
Boat = 10-12 (3-11,2-4,2-4,1-7,1-2)
Bank = 21-4 (4-8,4-2,4-6,4-3,4-1)

Public vs. Private
Public = 41 bass
Private = 9 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 21-4 (4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3,4-1)
Private = 14-1 (3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7,2-4)

The Baits (* = new record)
Plastic Worm = 13 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Chatterbait = 10 bass (Top Bass 4-2 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbaits = 7 bass (Top Bass 4-8 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbaits = 8 bass (Top Bass 3-10 Chris Schwarz)
Buzzbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-4 Troy Jackson)
Jigs = 3 bass (Top Bass 2-10 Troy Jackson)
Crankbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 3-11 Chris Schwarz)
Underspin = 2 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
Livebait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-1 Jim Junk)
Topwater Frog = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-1 Landon Hannam)

Monthly Top Bass (* = new record)
January
3-3 Jim Junk
February
No submissions
March
4-8 Jim Junk
April
4-1 Jim Junk
May
4-6 Jim Junk
June
4-3 Jim Junk
July
1-7 John Kirkemo

Top 10 Bass (* = new Top 10 all-time)
4-8 Jim Junk 3/28
4-6 Jim Junk 5/14
4-3 Jim Junk 6/14
4-2 Jim Junk 3/30
4-1 Jim Junk 3/31
4-1 Jim Junk 4/10
4-1 Jim Junk 4/13
4-1 Jim Junk 6/20
4-1 Jim Junk 6/28
4-0 Jim Junk 4/13

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 21-4 (4-8,4-6,4-2,4-3,4-1)
Chris Schwarz 15-8 (3-11,3-10,3-2,2-10,2-7)
Troy Jackson 10-14 (2-10,2-4,2-3,2-0,1-13)
Brent Jackson 6-9 (1-12,1-10,1-2,1-1,1-0)
John Kirkemo 1-7 (1-7)
Landon Hannam 1-2 (1-2)

Other Species
Bluegill 1-8 Teagan Mills 6/2/19 Private pond
Channel Catfish 13-0 Teagan Mills 4/20/19 Private Pond
Catfish 6-9 Chris Schwarz 6/12/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Catfish 34-35” Chris Schwarz 6/2/19 Spring Lake – McDonough County
Muskellunge 6-4 Chris Schwarz 6/28/19 Lake Storey

Thanks again everybody for the contributions. Summer gets tough between time and challenging fishing conditions but those fish are still there just got to give it a go. Top 5 Update tomorrow with our first July submission and I hope to get a fishing report out later this week with more details on the outing that produced the catch. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Here’s a cool summer addition, one with teeth. Always exciting when you tie into one of these predators.

Weight: 6-4
Angler: Chris Schwarz
Date: June 28
Location: Lake Storey
Lure: Strike King Crankbait
Structure: 10’ of water off a laydown/brushpile
Angler Comments: I hit Lake Storey last week and caught 7 bass in 3 hours. They were all around 2 pounds and in about 7-10 feet of water. I caught all of them with a Strike King crankbait that ran 12 feet deep. I also caught this Muskie, which was a lot of fun!
Top 5 Weight: 6-4

Way to go, Chris. As a longtime Lake Storey angler, such catches always bring a smile, thanks for sharing. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

More bass for this week’s update starting with a couple that I neglected last week for my brother as I was too intent on getting out the scoop on our “100 Year Trip.” And once again Jim Junk comes through with two more quality Fulton County catches.

Weight: 1-0
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 21
Location: Knox County strip mine
Lure: Mann’s 4- crankbait (wounded alewife)
Structure: Deep flat

Weight: 1-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 21
Location: Knox County strip mine
Lure: Spinnerbait (white)
Structure: Weed edge/drop
Top 5 Weight: 6-9 (1-12,1-10,1-2,1-1,1-0)

Weight: 4-1
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: June 28
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Texas rigged Senko
Structure: Outside weed edge/pocket

Weight: 3-15
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: June 29
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Texas rigged Senko
Structure: Outside weed edge/pocket
Angler Comments: Two really nice fish but can’t cull.
Top 5 Weight: 21-4 (4-8,4-6,4-3,4-2,4-1)

The dog days of summer sure kicked into gear in a hurry in the area so it will be interesting to see if the catches continue to roll in. Those bass are still out there but sometimes get a little harder to find and fool. Regardless of the bite, there is a full week of posts coming your way with a fishing report, Trip Tunes and a Friday Flashback to get us through Fourth of July week. Talk to you later. Troy