As the 2022 Top 5 heads into the home stretch, we get a bit of variety for today’s submissions. Beyond some bass, we not only have a bonus species but also a bonus video clip of the catch.

Brown Trout
Weight: 12” (or less)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Weather: Early morning, Sunny
Water Temperature: Unknown
Location: Maquoketa River at Backbone State Park near Dundee, IA. Waded about a mile upstream from the road.
Lure: Three inch black and silver floating Rapala
Comments: I flipped the lure into the current at the head of the fast water. The trout hit within seconds of the lure beginning its wobble in the fast current.
Top 5 Length: 24” (12”,12”)

 

Largemouth Bass

Weight: 1-1 (15”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: October 6, 2022
Weather: Clear skies with bright morning sun
Water temperature: Unknown
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Rapala

Weight: 1-15 (16”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: October 6, 2022
Weather: Clear skies with bright late morning sun
Water temperature: Unknown
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Wacky Worm

Weight: 1-15 (16”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: October 6, 2022
Weather: Clear skies with bright late morning sun
Water temperature: Unknown
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Rapala
Angler Comments: The weather was pleasant with a light breeze at times. The 1 lbs. 1 oz. fish slammed the lure hard while the two bigger fish were less aggressive. The bigger fish were in shallow water covered by shade and were caught in late morning. Three to four other fish less than twelve inches were also landed.
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)

Thanks for the fish, John, and I appreciate the addition of the video submission for your stream catch. Always cool to add a little something new to our weekly updates. Talk to you later. Troy

This week we have a pair of October bass as we head into the home stretch of 2022 fishing. While neither catch boosts the angler’s weight, they are quality fish and worth a shout out.

Weight: 2-10 (19″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: October 1
Weather: Sunny/calm
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Booyah Buzzbait (black)
Structure: Fallen tree
Angler Comments: The bites were few but at least I got one good one on this outing. Full report later this month.
Top 5 Weight: 16-10 (3-10,3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2)

Weight: 2-14
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: October 2
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 18-9 (5-4,3-9,3-8,3-3,3-1)

Time will tell how much more our anglers get out on the water but here’s hoping that there are at least a few more catches to come. But stop back in as there is plenty of fishing stuff to come as I catch up on September outings, compile some stats and compose the October reports. Talk to you later. Troy

Another angler has a limit of five fish as Jayce Jackson finds the two bass he was missing while on a fishing adventure to a Peoria County private lake.

Weight: 1-11
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: September 17
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Water Temp: 74F
Location: Peoria County private lake
Lure: Whopper Plopper 90 (Terminator)
Structure: Flat/sticks

Weight: 0-12
Angler: Jayce Jackson
Date: September 17
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Water Temp: 74F
Location: Peoria County private lake
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Angler Comments: I had a fun time.
Top 5 Weight: 7-1 (2-3,1-11,1-4,1-3,0-12)

Well done, Jayce, and here’s hoping we can find a few more quality bites to boost your total before the year ends. Talk to you later. Troy

 

Anglers and excuses seem to go hand in hand, particularly when things don’t materialize on the water as envisioned. This was one of those trips where I went in with high hopes that wound up not being realized. Not a bad day by any means but just not as good as I anticipated.

My top lure of 2022 continues to get the job done catching every fish on this outing

Stats

Date: August 27
Time: 6:40am-9:40am
Totals: 8 bass (2.67 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 67-73F
Lures: Strike King Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) with Zoom Creepy Crawler trailer (root beer/pepper/green) – 8 bass
Top Bass: 1-4 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-7 (1-4,1-3,1-3,1-0,0-13)

6:54am – Top Bass at 1-4 was the best I could muster

Notes and Nonsense

Water Quality – I continue to be baffled by the changing conditions on The Canal. In this case, it was an ugly influx of duckweed and weedy debris on a section that typically has a clean channel between the varying extent of shoreline weed growth. The floating stuff was not over the top but did foul several retrieves as the clumps of crud were not always apparent when making casts. I guess this debris must come from upstream, but its appearance is still a mystery as we had not had any appreciable rainfall that I would suspect as a contributing factor. Clarity and flow also fluctuate on many pools regardless of rainfall, so I just don’t know. A weird place, but I dig it.

Water quality left much to be desired

Flop on Top – I don’t know if the above factors were the culprit, but I could not muster a single topwater bite despite favorable weather conditions. I got on the water not long after sunrise and substantial cloud cover to start the day had me feeling good about my regular buzzbait presentation. Not even a ripple, and after a fair effort, I settled in on the reliable spinnerbait approach around any wood and weed edges.

Too Sunny – As the morning wore on, my cloud cover disappeared as the sunrise topped the tree line. With the general east/west orientation of much of The Canal throughout Rock Island, Henry, and Bureau Counties, sunlight can be a direct hit this time of the year. Nothing wrong with a sunny, summer day in general but I would rather have clouds.

 

There you have it. The word “excuse” seems like a cop out for a lack of execution or adaptation while on the water, so I won’t strictly go there. Instead, I view it as just one of those days. I put in the work to get my bites, but I just couldn’t find any quality ones. Whether the weather, or the angler, that’s fishing. Talk to you later. Troy