Had to get out as the warm weather was about to end

Following some strip mine success as the weather warmed up, I was looking to test the waters of The Canal. Well, the bass got the best of me as I continue to struggle on the waterway early in the year. I did land one bass and there’s always stories to tell from every outing, so read on for the scoop on the latest prowl.

Stats
Date: April 15
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 2:55pm-5:10pm
Totals: 1 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-0

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

Reports – I not only prowl The Canal in the real world but also on the world wide web and social media. One talented Canal angler was posting topwater (Whopper Plopper) catches to the west. Another reliable source was reporting nothing on power techniques to the east but slowed down with some plastics and had success. From even farther east came reports of solid catches on a spinnerbait by a talented young lady angler. The latter lure posted my lone catch but beyond that, I couldn’t get anything going from top to bottom.

Slime – Later this spring, I will have two years of Canal experience in the books. One observation that sticks out is the progression of vegetation. The bulk of the stretches that I prowl are shallow, even for The Canal. As such, it doesn’t take long before aquatic vegetation becomes a factor in presentations. Surface vegetation is already emerging but not to the point of effecting lure options for shoreline cover. However, the green slimy stuff has taken hold in the stretch that I fished on this outing. Many casts came back to the boat with the nasty, snotty goo fouling the lure. Such is the life of a Canal angler.

You’d think a guy would look a bit happier when avoiding a shutout

Batting 1.000 – After two hours without a strike, I finally got a hit within sight of my truck as I neared the end of my day. A spinnerbait crawled around a laydown came through unlike dozens of similar casts over the afternoon. That would be a miserable percentage were it a batting average. After setting the hook on my lone bite, I found myself talking to the bass as I reeled it to the boat, encouraging it to stay hooked. Luck and a solid hookset were on my side as the bass came aboard to avoid an embarrassing shutout. To look on the bright side, in terms of bites, I wound up with a “batting average” of 1.000.

Sunlight and a smudge, not the best clip but it’s all I’ve got

While it wasn’t my day, I left the water recalling a bit that I used to hear on the old Bassmaster television programs in the 1980s as we were getting hooked on our hobby. The host would offer up that while many in the field were struggling, “somebody, somewhere, is finding some fish” (or something like that, it was a long time ago). Here’s hoping that next time out, I am a “somebody.” Talk to you later. Troy

After a good Good Friday strip mine outing with Brent, I was back with boots on the ground the following Monday courtesy of a vacation day. Hopes were high with a stretch of pleasant weather and a five-pounder on the previous outing. Read on to see how this solo trip panned out.

Top Bass 3-1 (18.5″) at 10:18am on Ned Rig

Stats
Date: April 10, 2023
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (7 lakes)
Time: 7:25am-12:55pm (4.50 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 44-67F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 24 bass, 1 crappie
Lures (Troy): Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin) – 12 bass, Rebel Ghost Minnow – 5 bass, 5” Yammasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 4 bass, Rapala Shad Rap (blue) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 3-1 (swimbait)
Top 5 Weight: 10-8 (3-1,3-0,2-7,1-1,0-15)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Ned Rig getting it done again

Ned Investment – The highlight of the day was a fifteen-minute stretch that saw two three-pound fish landed on the Ned Rig. Throw in a 2-7 about an hour earlier and it was a good showing for a new approach. The top four bass of the day’s Top 5 on the day came on the finesse presentation with the lone exception being an 0-15 on a Shad Rap. All told, the Ned Rig has posted a Top 5 of 14-13 over the last two visits to the Knox County public strip mines. I will enjoy it while it lasts as once the weather warms and the weeds take over, I will shift to other presentations.

Senko Season – One of those other presentations will certainly be the Senko wacky rig. I typically begin using it around the middle of April and it remains on one of my spinning setups until October. This trip produced the first Senko bass of the year from a small, shallow spot that I don’t regularly fish. However, since I was hiking right by on this trip, I gave it a look. Seven short bass (8-9”) reinforced why I don’t make this a regular stop, but it did help me to get on board with the Senko.

Much better steps/bass than previous outings

Top Bass Runner-Up 3-0 (17″) at 10:33am on Ned Rig

Mission Accomplished – I touch on this from time to time but for me it bears repeating. My goals when I hit the water are as follow:

1. Don’t get shutout
2. Land a Top 5 (five bass as 12” or better)
3. Post a double digit Top 5 (combined weight at 10-0 or better)

Four and a half hours of casting on this day got the job done thanks to three “good ones.” Which also is a term which bears repeating a definition.
“Good one” – a bass that weighs in the two-pound range or better.

A good day in terms of quantity and quality as the bass were quite cooperative in the warm, stable weather. Hoping to take a shot at the bass on The Canal soon and see how they are doing. Talk to you later. Troy

Since work was out of the equation for us on Good Friday, Brent and I hit the Knox County strip mines for our second walk-in outing of the year. Would it be a good Friday or another struggle like our six bass first outing? Read on for the reveal.

Pre-hike predictions

Stats
Date: April 7, 2023
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (6 lakes)
Time: 10:45am-4:55pm (5.50 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 49-60F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 25 bass, 2 crappie (Brent – 13 bass, Troy – 12 bass, 1 crappie apiece)
Lures (Brent): Ned rig – 8 bass, Spinnerbait (white) – 4 bass, Mann’s 4- crankbait – 1 bass
Lures (Troy): Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin) – 6 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 3 bass, Rebel Ghost Minnow – 3 bass
Top Bass: 5-3 Troy (swimbait)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 8-10 (5-3,1-4,1-2,1-1)

Brent Lures

Troy Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Short Start – The bite was scattered to start our day and left much to be desired in terms of quality bass. Nearing the four-hour mark, we had a less than impressive haul of eleven bass and no “keepers” (our term for 12” or better bass and all are released). However, the next twenty minutes would result in three of our four keepers, including one that was a real winner.

Ned Rig Tip – As we coordinated our arrival, Brent texted me the above insight which would turn out to be a productive piece of advice. Brent opted for a Z-Man TRD for his version of the Ned Rig while I went with a Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait. These baits would produce over half of our catches, three of our four keepers, and Top Bass for the day.

Top Bass at 2:49pm on a Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait 22″ and 5-3

Top Bass – After wandering around five of our regular stops without anything to brag about, we decided to try another spot since we were in the neighborhood. Our Top Bass from the lake stood at 2-3, caught by Brent several years ago. Beyond that catch, a handful of bass in the one pound to one-and-a-half-pound range were the extent of our luck. That all changed about fifteen minutes into prowling the bank as I hauled in a surprising 5-3 on my version of the Ned Rig. I could go on about what led to the picture above, but I will save the fish story for an upcoming post instead.

Brent Top Bass on a Ned Rig

Top Four – The goal each time out is to fool five keepers to establish a Top 5 weight for the outing. Near simultaneous to the 5-3, Brent nabbed keeper number two at 1-1. Fifteen minutes later, I added a 1-2 and a 1-4 joined the log near the end of the day. While we fell one bass shy of our Top 5 goal, it’s tough to complain with a five-pounder in your creel.

Brent followed up on Saturday with some quality bites

Twenty-five total bass was a step in the right direction after a rough six bass outing to start the month. The bite should only get better as the warm, stable weather has stuck around and the bass are stocking up on energy in preparation for the spawn. We didn’t waste much time to evaluate that prediction as a Saturday outing for Brent produced four two-pounders as noted in the snip above. I opted to wait until Monday to test the bite, but it worked out well as well. But that’s a fishing report for another day. Talk to you later. Troy

Final Results – April 7

Got out on the strip mines to hike with my brother to start the month. Read on to see how it went with a bit of a musical twist for fun.

Pre-walk predictions, results below

Stats
Date: April 2, 2023
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (5 lakes)
Time: 11:10am-4:25pm (4.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 49-63F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 6 bass, 1 crappie (Brent – 4 bass, Troy – 2 bass, 1 crappie)
Lures: Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap (gold shad) – 3 bass, Jig (black/blue) with split double tail trailer (black/blue flake) – 1 bass, Mepps spinner (white) – 2 bass, Rapala Shad Rap (blue) – 1 crappie
Top Bass: 2-13 Brent (lipless crankbait)
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 7-8 (2-13,2-12,1-15)

Top Bass 2-13 on a Rat-L-Trap

Notes and Nonsense

“All the right junk in all the right places” – All About That Bass, Meaghan Trainor (2014)
Our results were right on target with Brent’s Total Bass prediction while I was much more optimistic with my guess. It certainly wasn’t for lack of effort as we employed a batch of tried-and-true early season lures in proven spots but just couldn’t get much going.

Classic baits get the job done on a tough day

“And I’m never going back to my old school” – My Old School, Steely Dan (1973)
Our meager haul of bass came on a trio of “old school” lures, a Rat-L-Trap, a Mepps spinner, and a black/blue jig. There’s a reason that these lures are still around as they continue to produce many decades after their arrival. I got a kick out of Brent’s Rat-L-Trap as it may be from last century and I had to do a fair amount of internet searching to determine the color. And the classic Mepps spinner saved my day as I would have been shut out without it. So, contrary to the Steely Dan lyric above, Brent and I are not above going old school to get it done.

Roughly 3900 steps per bass for me, not too impressive

“Blow away, blow away, blow away” – Blow Away, George Harrison (1979)
The day started windy and got windier. On the upside, windblown banks can hold some fish and fishing on foot takes the boat control issue out of the equation. On the downside, casting into the wind can be a challenge. Baitcasting reels can result in the occasional backlash and casting distance can suffer. The lighter lures that I throw on my spinning setups are also prone to inaccuracy in such conditions as you must play the wind for the bait to land in the intended spot.

What is a collection of pelicans called? Read on for the answer.

Not technically a spider (but an arachnid at least) and garter snake, both firsts for 2023

“I don’t like spiders and snakes” – Spiders & Snakes, Jim Stafford (1974)
While the warming weather did not really perk up the bass, other creatures were taking advantage of the conditions. I saw my first snake of the year, a small garter snake, and found my first tick upon arriving back at the truck. We also spotted a beaver along with a couple squadrons of pelicans (had to look that one up).

Not the greatest results but always good to chase fish with one of my little brothers

“Two out of three ain’t bad” – Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, Meatloaf (1978)
Our pre-walk predictions found me significantly more optimistic than Brent in predicting our total bass. Although he won that part of the prognosticating, I was closer on the Top Bass and Total Weight guesses. While he clearly outfished me, I can brag about my two winning predictions as well as the unofficial species title courtesy of an accidental crappie catch.

Top Bass Runner Up at 2-12 on a jig

Brent came through with a trio of solid bass but 2023 continues to be a struggle. That won’t deter us though, as we are headed out again a time or two during Easter weekend. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

The struggle continues for 2023 as another trip to The Canal comes up empty. But even though I couldn’t get a bass in the boat, there is always something to report and learn along the way.

Stats
Date: March 21
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 11:25am-2:40pm
Totals: 0 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy

Tossed a collection of lures but couldn’t land a bass

Notes and Nonsense

Choices – In the last year and a half, I have fished over twenty different stretches of The Canal from Colona to Wyanet. While The Canal is generally just a long trough, each section has a little something different to offer. Therefore, it can be tough to decide on a destination when it comes time to fish. For this outing, I opted for a quality stretch that I have only fished twice with a boat instead of hitting my best section of water. My hope was to find some willing early season bass before the weeds take over. Well, no bass came aboard but the surface weeds were not an issue. However, the slime was already taking hold as a high percentage of casts required some degree of lure cleanup.

Short and sweet for this report as not much to relay from three hours with only two bites and no catches. 2023 is off to a tough start after landing my first bass of the year on March 5. At that point, I was ahead of my 2022 schedule that saw my first bass join the log on March 20. So much for my optimism as I am now five bass behind last year’s production.

On a positive note, I am looking to hit some strip mines in early April and reports of bass biting on The Canal are starting to hit the internet. A pair of hikes this past week on The Canal (without fishing gear) also showed a noticeable increase in observed fish activity along with a thumbs up from an accomplished Canal angler. Sounds like things are looking up and maybe even I can fool some soon. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy