A quartet of bass this week that total just over ten pounds including one that comes with another bit of verse. However, the verse applies not to the catch, but to “one that got away”. Read on for the latest batch of public bass.

Weight: 2-5
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: August 18
Weather: Bright morning sun, clear skies
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Wacky worm
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
Angler Comments about the “One That Got Away”:

I fished the Hennepin six days ago
Along I80 toward Chicago

Things were slow, not many hits
I was about to call it quits

But suddenly came a solid strike
Against the edge where people hike

But in an instant the fish was gone
My line was weak, and he was strong

My line had busted
Because of a knot I should not have trusted

If my line had been fresh and knot stronger
I might have landed a solid five pounder

Weight: 2-12
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: August 21
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Senko wacky rig

Weight: 2-12
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: August 21
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 17-13 (5-4,3-9,3-3,3-1,2-12) culls a 2-11

Weight: 3-5 (19.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 21
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Booyah Buzzbait (black)
Structure: Weed edge
Angler Comments: You just never know on a buzzbait strike as this fish made the lure disappear with barely a ripple. Always fun when there is a heavy response after the hookset. The catch came up one ounce shy of tying my all-time Top Canal Bass.
Top 5 Weight: 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15) culls 2-12

You know, I often give August a hard time and have referred to it as my least favorite open water month. My apologies to August this year, it hasn’t been bad at all. Talk to you later. Troy

It was a slow July as we only had two submissions. Those two bass from the last week of last month brought our 2022 totals to 75 bass and a rainbow trout. As always, a new month means that it is time for a new stat update.

2022 Totals
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 15 bass
April = 35 bass
May = 7 bass
June = 16 bass
July = 2 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 14-2 (3-3,2-15,2-14,2-12,2-6)
April = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
May = 11-9 (2-12,2-11,2-5,2-0,1-13)
June = 16-7 (4-2,3-5,3-3,2-15,2-14)
July = 4-11 (3-1,1-10)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 35 bass
Bank = 40 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 17-1 (4-2,3-5,3-5,3-3,3-2)
Bank = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)

Public vs. Private
Public = 75 bass
Private = 0 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
Private = not applicable

The Baits (* = new 2022 record)
Plastic Worm = 18 bass (Top Bass 5-12 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbait = 15 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
*Chatterbait = 13 bass (Top Bass 6-9 Jim Junk) tops 5-15 Jim Junk 6/22/20
Spinnerbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Brent Jackson)
Crankbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 2-5 John Kirkemo)
Jig = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
Buzzbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-11 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-3 Jayce Jackson)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 0-13 Troy Jackson)
*Popper = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-1 Brent Jackson) no prior entry
Swimbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Underspin = 1 bass (3-12 Jim Junk)

Monthly Top Bass
January
No submissions
February
No submissions
March
3-3 Jim Junk
April
6-9 Jim Junk
May
2-12 Troy Jackson
June
4-2 John Kirkemo
July
3-1 Brent Jackson

2022 Top 10 Bass
6-9 Jim Junk 4/4/22
6-0 Jim Junk 4/15/22
5-12 Jim Junk 4/21/22
5-4 Brent Jackson 4/24/22
5-1 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-7 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-6 Jim Junk 4/19/22
4-3 Jim Junk 4/21/22
4-2 John Kirkemo 6/13/22
3-15 Jim Junk 4/19/22
3-12 Jim Junk 4/13/22

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 27-13 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-1,4-7)
Brent Jackson 17-12 (5-4,3-9,3-3,3-1,2-11)
John Kirkemo: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
Troy Jackson 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)
Jayce Jackson 4-10 (2-3,1-4,1-3)
Helena Jackson 1-3 (1-3)
Zac Jackson 1-0 (1-0)
Carly Jackson 0-14 (0-14)

Other Species – Trout

John Kirkemo 12” (12”)

The August heat can be a challenge, but those fish are still out there somewhere. Keep on casting, catching, and send them my way at troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Talk to you later. Troy

After fourteen straight weeks with a Top 5 Update, no submissions arrived for this week (I gave it a shot, but my best bass fell two ounces shy of adding to my total). So, instead of a Top 5 Update, the next best thing is the Top 5 monthly stat update. June provided a solid batch of catches by seven different anglers and boosted our 2022 bass total to seventy-three fish. Read on for the details of our 2022 catches through the month of June.

2022 Totals
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 15 bass
April = 35 bass
May = 7 bass
June = 16 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 14-2 (3-3,2-15,2-14,2-12,2-6)
April = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
May = 11-9 (2-12,2-11,2-5,2-0,1-13)
June = 16-7 (4-2,3-5,3-3,2-15,2-14)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 33 bass
Bank = 40 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 17-1 (4-2,3-5,3-5,3-3,3-2)
Bank = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)

Public vs. Private
Public = 73 bass
Private = 0 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
Private = not applicable

The Baits (* = new 2022 record)
Plastic Worm = 17 bass (Top Bass 5-12 Jim Junk)
Lipless Crankbait = 15 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
*Chatterbait = 13 bass (Top Bass 6-9 Jim Junk) tops 5-15 Jim Junk 6/22/20
Spinnerbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Brent Jackson)
Crankbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 2-5 John Kirkemo)
Jig = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
Buzzbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-11 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-3 Jayce Jackson)
Swimbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 0-13 Troy Jackson)
Underspin = 1 bass (3-12 Jim Junk)

Monthly Top Bass
January
No submissions
February
No submissions
March
3-3 Jim Junk
April
6-9 Jim Junk
May
2-12 Troy Jackson
June
4-2 John Kirkemo

2022 Top 10 Bass
6-9 Jim Junk 4/4/22
6-0 Jim Junk 4/15/22
5-12 Jim Junk 4/21/22
5-4 Brent Jackson 4/24/22
5-1 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-7 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-6 Jim Junk 4/19/22
4-3 Jim Junk 4/21/22
4-2 John Kirkemo 6/13/22
3-15 Jim Junk 4/19/22
3-12 Jim Junk 4/13/22

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 27-13 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-1,4-7)
Brent Jackson 17-6 (5-4,3-9,3-3,2-11,2-11)
John Kirkemo: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
Troy Jackson 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)
Jayce Jackson 4-10 (2-3,1-4,1-3)
Helena Jackson 1-3 (1-3)
Zac Jackson 1-0 (1-0)
Carly Jackson 0-14 (0-14)

Other Species – Trout

John Kirkemo 12” (12”)

Great to see some movement in the standings as Brent and John leap past the guy who writes this stuff while Jim remains firmly entrenched at the top. Definitely fun to see my offspring contribute as well and perhaps we can get their mama a “keeper” over the summer. As we currently sit at seventy-three bass for the year, I am officially setting our goal at reaching the century mark before all is said and done. Keep on casting, catching, and send them my way at troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Talk to you later. Troy

Angler John Kirkemo resets his original Top 5 with five new bass that nearly double his former total. A phenomenal stringer of close to sixteen pounds adds just over seven pounds to his limit. Read on for more details.

Weight: 1-13
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 13, 2022
Weather: 70s, humid
Water Temperature: N/A
Location: West Central Illinois public lake
Lure: Wacky Worm

Weight: 2-11
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 13, 2022
Weather: 70s, humid
Water Temperature: N/A
Location: West Central Illinois public lake
Lure: Wacky Worm

Weight: 2-11
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 13, 2022
Weather: 70s humid
Water Temperature: N/A
Location: West Central Illinois public lake
Lure: Wacky Worm

Weight: 2-14
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 13, 2022
Weather: 70s, humid
Water Temperature: N/A
Location: West Central Illinois public lake
Lure: Wacky Worm

Weight: 3-5
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 13, 2022
Weather: 70s, humid
Water Temperature: N/A
Location: West Central Illinois public lake
Lure: Wacky Worm

Weight: 4-2
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: June 13, 2022
Weather: 70s, humid
Water Temperature: N/A
Location: West Central Illinois public lake
Lure: Wacky Worm
Angler Comments: The fish tended to be in deeper water about ten yards from shore near sub-surface weed beds. Weather was warm with temperatures headed for the 80s and increasing humidity. Sky was cloudy with sun at times.
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11) culls 2-5,2-0,1-13,1-3,0-15

Way to go, John, that certainly hits the spot as we head towards summer. This makes for thirteen straight weeks with a Top 5 Update as our anglers continue to get it done. And stay tuned next Monday as we already have some fish to make it fourteen weeks in a row with a few new anglers joining the fun. Talk to you later. Troy

We reach eleven consecutive weeks with a Top 5 Update as Brent comes through with a trio of solid Snakeden bass. His three largest provided a near three-pound boost to his 2022 Top 5 weight while his overall Top 5 bass for the day came in at a solid 11-10 (2-11,2-11,2-7,2-0,1-13). Not bad at all for a few Saturday morning hours on the fishing holes.

Weight: 2-11
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 4
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Senko wacky rig

Weight: 2-11
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 4
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Buzzbait

Weight: 2-7
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: June 4
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 16-10 (5-4,3-9,2-11,2-11,2-7) culls 1-12,1-11 and 1-11

Way to go, and thanks for the update. Brent also reported plenty of aquatic vegetation on the waters he fished. However, that set up well for the one-two punch of a Senko wacky rig and a buzzbait as they turned out to be winners. The classic late-spring, morning bite has kicked into full gear so get out there and send ‘em my way when you catch ‘em. Talk to you later. Troy