Prowl the Canal – September 5

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With a bonus day off courtesy of the Labor Day holiday, I had to invest at least a couple of hours chasing bass. A Labor Day parade commitment to watch the United Township High School Marching Panthers meant a sunup trip on a local section of The Canal was just the ticket. Conditions were perfect and things worked out well as detailed below.

Stats

Date: September 5
Time: 6:35am-9:05am
Totals: 17 bass (6.8 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 64-66F
Lures: Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 10 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) – 6 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass:2-1 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight: 8-14 (2-1,1-14,1-13,1-11,1-7)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Near vs. Far – One of my favorite Sesame Street lessons was Grover demonstrating the difference between “Near” and “Far.” The poor monster winds up pooped for his efforts in the memorable piece. In terms of The Canal, the lesson on the stretch I fished on this outing is not to let the “far” view prevent you from getting a “near” look. From a distance, this section looks clogged with surface vegetation making my typical presentations a challenge. However, upon closer inspection, there are many troughs, pools, and shoreline channels that offer open water. These features also make for quite a collection of edges, which are key on The Canal and to bass fishing in general.

Exciting Edge – Speaking of edges, one of the most pronounced in the world of the bass is where their habitat meets ours. I am talking the surface of the water. And this time of the year, that specific edge comes into play in the form of topwater lure presentations. In the case of this outing, I employed my newly purchased Whopper Plopper 110 to fool over half of my bass. Not only is it an effective presentation, but it is also quite addictive.

Sometimes a talk with the bass will produce some bites (see below)

Insulting the Bass – There are some tips that I am reluctant to reveal for various reasons. In the case of what I am about to tell you, the hesitation comes from a combination of giving up a secret technique along with the possibility of folks questioning my sanity. What I did was trash talk the bass by stating on camera that “Maybe I’ll say this to help me out, but I usually don’t get much down in here; I’ve already passed my better water.” Right on cue, I landed what was then my Top Bass of the day less than thirty seconds after my statement. Hey, whatever works to convince those bass to bite.

 

A solid day as The Canal comes through in terms of both quantity and quality on another short getaway. And now begins what I call the “home stretch” of 2022 fishing. Once Labor Day passes, prospects for getting on the water become limited by shorter evenings and weekend activities. But I have several fishing trips in the works and as always, I will have fishing reports and more for you dedicated readers. Thanks for tuning in and stay tuned. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Good to see another bass for a Monday update, and always cool when it comes from an interesting local water, Snakeden Hollow’s Lake McMaster. The clear waters can be a challenge so fooling a “keeper” is always satisfying.

Weight: 1-5 (15”)
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: September 6
Weather: Sun and clouds
Water Temp: 77-78F
Location: Lake McMaster
Lure: Wacky worm
Structure: Shoreline wood and aquatic vegetation
Angler Comments: Early morning fishing produced four or five bass, but this one was the biggest. The rest were all under twelve inches.
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)

John’s fish pushes our 2022 total to 88 bass. I am hoping that we see a few more in September as several of our Top 5 crew have plans to hit the water in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned for those fishing reports as well as the Top 5 updates if we fool any good ones. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Top 5 Report – September 4

Posted on by Troy Jackson

While prowling the strip mines with Brent last Sunday, I tried to provide on the water updates on our catches as we established and upgraded our Top 5. For those not familiar with the concept, we weigh any bass at 12” or better as we compile a total weight for our Top 5 heaviest bass of the trip. What follows is a chronological list of our “keepers” (all released after weighing) as we established our Top 5 and then proceeded to cull (adding a heavier fish to our list and booting out the lightest of our Top 5).

And just for fun, we submitted guesses for our combined Top 5 Weight and Top Bass in the parking lot before setting out to wander the weedy expanse.

Top 5 Chronology

7:21am – Brent Senko 0-13
Top 5 Weight: 0-13

7:37am – Troy Red eye Shad 0-11
Top 5 Weight: 1-8 (0-13,0-11)

7:39am – Brent 0-13 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 2-5 (0-13,0-13,0-11)

8:15am – Troy 0-12 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 3-1 (0-13,0-13,0-12,0-11)

8:16am – Brent 1-0 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 4-1 (1-0,0-13,0-13,0-12,0-11)

8:32am – Troy 1-0 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 4-6 (1-0,1-0,0-13,0-13,0-12) culls 0-11

8:43am – Troy 3-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-4 (3-10,1-0,1-0,0-13,0-13) culls 0-12

8:58am – Brent 1-1 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-8 (3-10,1-1,1-0,1-0,0-13) culls 0-13

9:13am – Brent 1-5 Popper
Top 5 Weight: 8-0 (3-10,1-5,1-1,1-0,1-0) culls 0-13

9:19am – Troy 2-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 9-10 (3-10,2-10,1-5,1-1,1-0) culls 1-0

10:17am – Troy 2-7 Chatter bait
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (3-10,2-10,2-7,1-5,1-1) culls 1-0

10:27am – Troy 1-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 11-10 (3-10,2-10,2-7,1-10,1-5) culls 1-1

10:54am – Troy 1-8 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 11-13 (3-10,2-10,2-7,1-10,1-8) culls 1-5

11:02 am – Troy 2-14 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 13-3 (3-10,2-14,2-10,2-7,1-10) culls 1-8

11:07am – Brent 2-12 Popper
Top 5 Weight: 14-5 (3-10,2-14,2-12,2-10,2-7) culls 1-10

Gotta like it when we exceed our estimates and darn close on those Top Bass guesses as well. Fishing has always been fun but stunts like this just enhance the experience as does logging, blogging, and videoing our outings.

Top 5 Weight: 14-5

Top Bass: 3-10

And speaking of new stunts, I am working on a special event later this month. Stay tuned to see how that all shakes out and I also have another “Prowl the Canal” report submit. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 4

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last weekend, Brent and I got together for the first time since mid-May for a hike into the Knox County public strip mines. As expected, the terrestrial vegetation was tall and thick, making for a tough walk between fishing holes. On the flip side, aquatic vegetation was sparse and most of the waters were low which made for good conditions once we reached the banks. Great weather conditions were also a winner, and the bass were gracious. Seemed like they had missed us.

Starting lineup lures – Brent (left), Troy (right)

Stats
Date: September 4, 2022
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (6 lakes)
Time: 6:15am-1:30pm (5.00 hours fishing, the rest walking)
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Air Temp: 66-69F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 73 bass (Brent – 44, Troy – 29) 1 green sunfish (Brent)
Lures (Troy): 5” Senko wacky rig (natural shad) – 17 bass, Chatterbait (white) with Zako trailer (Tennessee Shad) – 8 bass, Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 1 bass, Rebel Pop R (rainbow) – 1 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) with Zoom Creepy Crawler trailer (root beer/pepper/green) – 1 bass
Lures (Brent): Senko wacky rig – 16 bass, Mann’s Chug n’ Spit Popper – 15 bass, Spinnerbait (white) – 13 bass
Top Bass: 3-10 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 14-5 (3-10,2-14,2-12,2-10,2-7)

6:25am – first bass of our morning (took a bit, but they got a lot bigger)

Notes and Nonsense

Quote of the Day – “I heard the tape measure”
I had to laugh when Brent made this statement. While we were fishing less than fifty yards apart, the weeds were so high that you couldn’t see a fellow angler fifty feet away. Brent said that he knew I had landed a bass by the telltale sound of measuring my fish.

Old school Mann’s bait was a winner for Brent on this outing

Vintage VIP (Very Important Popper) – Previous reports this summer from Brent noted “popper” for several his catches. This lure designation represented a departure from his regular summer repertoire of a spinnerbait, buzzbait, and Senko. He’s not one to add a whole lot of new lures to his tacklebag so I asked him for further details as we stood on the bank at our final stop. After saying, “It’s just a popper,” I asked if it had any info on the lure. He responded, “Mann’s” and I thought this one could go back a ways. Upon closer inspection, Brent added, “It says Chug-N-Spit.” As I put this post together, I did a little research on the lure and not surprisingly found that it is no longer in production. While I could not find any production dates, my internet wanderings found numerous listings referring to the lure as “vintage.”

12:05pm – Brent with a new lake record at 1-11 on his popper from K9 Lake

New Lake Record – An ill-advised cross-country route on the way out made for a lot more wading through the weeds than I had envisioned. Following a couple bad directional decisions on my part, we wound up taking a break and fishing a lake that wasn’t on our original agenda. Turns out, Brent established a new lake record with a 1-11 on his popper topping a 1-9 I had landed in 2020.

Getting to the bass takes some work…

New Top 5 Entries – I have records compiled for every lake that we’ve fished in the Victoria area strip mines. I find it fun to see if we can boost the Top 5 Weight for any of the lakes we fish. While we are not going to break the “lake record” each time out, the prospect of catching a fish to boost the all-time Top 5 weight on a body of water makes for an additional gauge of success. On this outing, we managed to land half a dozen bass that boosted our Top 5 Totals on four different lakes. The record book wrap-up will come later this year after the strip mines close but certainly a good day on the water.

…but “bass thumb” proves the walk is worth it.

One more post from this trip is headed your way. During the outing, I provided regular updates as we compiled and boosted the Top 5 Weight for the day. Next up, is a chronological look at those catches. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – September 16, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For many years, we have fished the Lake Storey drawdown. The drawdown drops the lake level as a fishery management practice. The benefits of the process are a topic for another time but suffice to say, it can trigger good fishing if you catch it right. Today’s flashback covers a day with the highest high and lowest low in a full day of Lake Storey casting.

4:01pm – Top Bass at 2-4 (16″) on a crankbait

Excerpts from original 9/20/12 post

Stats
Date: September 16, 2012
Location: Lake Storey
Time: 9:45am-4:30pm
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Air Temp: 70-80F
Water Temp: 71-74F
Totals: 9 bass, 2 muskies (Troy – 3 bass & 1 muskie, Brent – 6 bass & 1 muskie)
Lures: Ninja Spinnerbait (white) – 6 bass & 1 muskie, Strike King Pro Model crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass, Strike King KVD Rattling Square Bill crankbait (sexy ghost minnow) – 1 bass, Booyah Counterstrike spinnerbait – 1 muskie
Top Bass: 2-4 (Troy – Strike King KVD Rattling Square Bill crankbait)
Top 5 Bass Weight: 6-10 (2-4, 1-6, 1-2, 0-15, 0-15)

 

Notes and Nonsense

Tough Water – You just never know what hand Lake Storey will deal, even during the drawdown when the predators are more apt to let their guard down. Twenty-five or thirty bass days can happen but realistically, I’m looking for about half that many on a full six- or eight-hour day of casting and I’m usually looking at one to three “good ones” (my term for two pounds or better). Sometimes we win, sometimes the fish do but that’s all part of trying to effectively decipher the puzzle each time out. As such, our nine bass were about what was expected although I anticipated a bit heavier Top Five Weight. I’m always pleased with more, but such is the pursuit and I’ll keep coming back for more when the opportunity arises as I love the challenge of that place.

10:28am – First catch of the day was a toothy fish on a spinnerbait

Teeth – One of the appealing factors of fall fishing at Lake Storey is the chance that a walleye and/or muskie will make a mistake for us bass fishermen. About twenty-five minutes into our outing, Brent let out a “Whoa!” in response to an interested low thirty-inch muskie following his Emiquon Special spinnerbait. When later relating our trip to Dad, he asked, “Did you figure eight?” to which Brent responded, “No, it scared me.” Renowned muskie anglers, we are not. However, a few minutes later Brent landed the muskie pictured above to get us on the board after switching gears to a white spinnerbait.

A Couple Big Mistakes – The first big mistake was made around lunchtime by a fish that was heavy and excitable upon feeling the trebles of a Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill crankbait. My first inclination was that I’d snagged a big old carp until it surfaced, and we saw that it was incredibly longer, and had teeth. I fought the biggest muskie we’d ever seen for several minutes with Brent having to duck my line and me walking from front to back to front to middle of the boat as the beast made line striping runs and one spectacular water clearing leap while giving my six-foot rod spooled with twelve-pound monofilament all it could handle. The second mistake occurred as the muskie came boatside and I advised my net man to hold off on attempting a dip as the fish certainly exceeded the normal size of catch for our tool. Bad, bad move on my part as a subsequent headshake must have been just enough to cut the line and our fish was gone. I was bummed but occasionally able to still cling to the hope that something good was still to come…and it did.

2:31pm – Got a second chance after a disappointing “one that got away”

The rest of the story has been told before on the blog as “A Tale of Two Muskies” (click here). For today, the abridged version is that it about made me sick to lose that massive fish at boatside. I still think about it to this day. But all you can do is keep on casting. That’s what we did and later in the afternoon I landed what is still my largest muskie. The 43”, near twenty-pound fish certainly eased the heartbreak but I can’t help but think of what might have been as the lost fish was considerably stouter. Ten years later, I can only dream of the day where I nearly caught over forty pounds of muskie.

Releasing the one that didn’t get away so it could grow up

Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – September 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I kicked off the Labor Day weekend with a pre-dawn Saturday morning trip to The Canal. While the shorter days adversely affect my opportunity to fish on weekday evenings, the later sunrises mean that I can get up a little later and get to the water while it is still dark. And that’s just what I did on this outing in landing my first bass before it was officially “daytime.” That fast start continued until the sun rose over the tree line and brought a tough bite. Read on for the rest of the story.

6:00am – Third cast bass with a new Whopper Plopper 110, it’s a winner

Stats

Date: September 3
Time: 5:55am-8:55am
Totals: 7 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy
Lures: Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 6 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight: 6-5 (2-4,1-7,1-0,0-14,0-12)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Mosquitoes – So far this year, I have not been tormented by mosquitoes on my Canal outings. In contrast, last year while prowling on bike or by foot, I got tore up on several occasions. This prompted me to purchase a Therma-Cell mosquito repellent device last summer after a recommendation from a fellow angler whom I spoke with as we crossed paths on The Canal. Of course, without any mosquito issues so far this year, it is sitting somewhere in the garage. I really should grab it now and pack it with my fishing gear to see if it works as I have my doubts on such products and hate the sprays. I have heard of a Vanilla Bug Spray that is supposed to work too but have never tried it either.

Doesn’t do much good in the garage

Strong Start, Slow Finish – As noted in the intro, I landed my first bass in the near dark before sunrise at 6:00am. By 7:01am, I had five bass in the log and was thinking that I was really onto something. However, in the next two hours I only managed to fool two more fish. Once the clouds dissipated and the sun rose above the tree line it was game over on the consistent bite. Much of The Canal runs east to west so this time of the year the sunlight is a direct hit. I’m guessing that this pushes the bass into the abundant weedy cover where I have a tough time raising their interest. Several fellow anglers recommend a topwater frog, but being a creature of habit, I have yet to put down my other lures and give it a fair shake.

 

6:31am – Top Bass at 2-4 (18″) on the Whopper Plopper

WP 110 Debut – Unlike my hesitation to commit to the frog approach, I have bought into another topwater bait called the “Whopper Plopper.” Not only does this prop style lure have a cool name but it is quite addictive. I have several of these from when the lure first hit the market, but I could not find one that really did the trick for me. The size 90 models were too small and didn’t cause enough commotion. The size 130 model was too big and felt more like chunking a muskie plug. So, last week I ordered the mid-size 110 model and found it to be just right. Immediate feedback always helps as I landed a bass with my third cast on this outing and the lure accounted for six of my seven bass. It has since seen success on another stretch of The Canal but that is a fish story for a later day.

 

A fast start and a slow finish to the morning in kicking off a three-day Labor Day weekend which would feature two more sunup outings. The Sunday trip was an overdue visit to some Knox County strip mine waters with Brent and the Monday wrap-up would be back on another stretch of The Canal. Stay tuned as the conditions were perfect both days and the bass responded well. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – August Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Another month of prowling is in the log, and it turned out to be a rewarding mix of familiar spots and extended exploring.

August 2022 Top Bass at 3-5, one ounce shy of tying my all-time Top Canal Bass

2022 August Totals
Six outings covering six different pools
67 bass in 22.00 hours (3.04 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 August 21 Buzzbait
2022 August Top 5: 13-14 (3-5,3-4,2-10,2-7,2-4)
2022 Best August Top 5 Day: 10-6 (3-4,2-10,2-3,1-3,1-2) – August 13
Top 5 All-Time August Bass Weight: 14-14 (3-5,3-4,3-4,2-10,2-7)

Miles and miles to explore 

New Spots – With most of my prior trips taking place in what would geographically register as Colona and Geneseo (per my weather app), I decided to expand my prowls in August. On two occasions, I ventured to pools in the vicinity of Anawan and Mineral. Every pool is different but still have similarities. It is always fun to get a look at new water and I also take advantage of extensive drive by scouting on the way home. Looks like there’s still plenty of new water to explore. Whether that exploration takes place this fall or waits until next year remains to be seen.

Casualties of The Canal

Damage Report – The August bass were tough on a couple lures as they destroyed the skirts on both my Special K spinnerbait and Booyah Buzzbait. I also busted an eye off my Lightning Rod casting rod that I have had since the 1990s. It was my spinnerbait go to rod on The Canal. Old school and only six foot, I could pitch those lures within a hair of my targeted landing spot. Looks like an off-season project at this point to get it repaired.

New Lure – The damaged buzzbait prompted me to try an alternative to fishing with a skirt as suggested by a friend. While his recommendation was a Strike King Rage Bug to replace the skirt, I could not find any locally and had to order online. Instead, I invested in a Strike King Toad Buzz, and it came through with a 2-7 on its first outing for positive feedback.

Every lure that landed an August bass

2022 Overall Canal Stats
267 bass in 89.00 hours (3.00 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 (tie) 4/23 Spinnerbait 8/21 Buzzbait
Best Top 5 Day: 11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) 6/24/22
NEW AUGUST TOP 5 ADDITIONS: 3-4 (8/8) and 3-5 (8/21)
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15) culls 2-12 (x2)
2021 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)

 

The Canal continues to come through even though August is typically my least favorite open water month of the year to fish. The unique waterway doesn’t offer the sort of deep-water sanctuaries that a lake provides and plays right into my hand as a shallow water angler. Basically, the bass have nowhere to go, so if you can find any open water “edges” or dial in your frog presentation (not my thing), there are bites to be found. Here’s to more of those bites in September as the weather cools, the weeds begin to dissipate, and the bass look to feed. Two September outings are already in the books so stay tuned for the upcoming reports featuring a new “weapon” in my bass fishing arsenal. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stat Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Too much fishing has me posting the latest Top 5 Stat Update after we have a submission for the new month. Therefore, a meeting of the editorial staff was in order, and it was decided that this latest update will feature only the catches submitted through August. And here we go…

2022 Totals
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 15 bass
April = 35 bass
May = 7 bass
June = 16 bass
July = 2 bass
August = 11 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)
August = 15-1 (3-5,3-4,2-15,2-13,2-12)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 46 bass
Bank = 40 bass

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

Public vs. Private
Public = 86 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 = 23 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 = 11 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Brent Jackson)
Jerkbait = 6 bass (Top Bass 2-5 John Kirkemo)
Crankbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Troy Jackson)
Jig = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
*Buzzbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 3-5 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
August
3-5 Troy 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 18-0 (5-4,3-9,3-3,3-1,2-15)
Troy Jackson 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15)
John Kirkemo: 15-11 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11)
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”)

August turned out some solid catches even though I generally view it as the toughest open water month of the year. In contrast, September has the potential to produce some good fish as we head into the home stretch. It may be a tall order but with one September catch in the books, we need thirteen more bass to reach the century mark for 2022. Good luck and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After four months without a visit to the old strip mine stomping grounds, it seems that the bass were happy to see me and my brother as they treated us well. Brent’s Top Bass of the day was a 2-12 that came up a few ounces shy of a Top 5 boost while my Top Bass turned out to be my best for 2022 (so far, at least, and more on Brent’s bass in an upcoming fishing report).

(Note: excuse the mud, I washed the fish off for a second photo to be included in an upcoming fishing report)

Weight: 3-10
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: September 4
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad)
Structure: Point/drop
Angler Comments: The Senko hasn’t gotten much of a workout this year as other lures have done well as I dedicate much of my fishing time to The Canal. But a trip back to the strip mines once again proved its effectiveness in catching my Top Bass of 2022. It is also the only member of my Top 5 not from The Canal and puts all five on my list in the three-pound range.
Top 5 Weight: 16-10 (3-10,3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2) culls a 2-15

This catch was one of several quality fish from the outing as Brent and I had a darn good day. Stay tuned for all the details later this week. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback – September 8, 2017

Posted on by Troy Jackson

When my family moved to the Quad Cities eight years ago, a new lake in Scott County, Iowa was set to debut after decades of planning. Back in 2014, Lost Grove Lake was still in the process of filling and finally reached full pool the following year. I made my first trip to the fishing hole in June of 2016 and would make a total of a dozen trips from then through September of 2017. My interest in the site then diminished with only four trips in 2018 and 2019 combined. The lake certainly had potential and from current reports, that potential is being realized several years later.

Today’s post looks back at a September 2017 outing in the days when I invested in a non-resident license and chased bass across The River.

Originally posted 9-10-17

The three youngest kids took my folks up on an overnight visit and we had nothing going at home, so it was off to Iowa after work to chase bass across the river for the first time since late July.

Stats
Date: September 8, 2017
Location: Lost Grove Lake, IA
Time: 6:16pm-7:46pm
Weather: Sunny/calm to windy
Air Temp: 74-68F
Water Temp: no reading
Totals: 4 bass
Lures:
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (sexy shad) – 4 bass
Weight (two bass at 12” or better): 3-0 (1-14,1-2)

Battered buzzbait

Notes & Nonsense

Plan of Attack – Knowing I only had an hour and a half to fish, there was no exploring or experimenting this time around. Nope, hit all the spots with fast moving baits, a couple crankbait spots, a few Senko pitches at specific targets and otherwise a steady dose of buzzbait on proven areas.

Crankbait Results – I hit my two best crankbait stretches and never got a strike. Weapons of choice were a Mann’s Baby 1- (copper) and Strike King KVD 2.5 Rattling Squarebill (natural pumpkinseed).

Senko Results – I pitched the Senko into a handful of targets along with using it as a follow-up bait on a couple missed buzzbait strikes. My targets produced a pair of hookups, but both threw the bait before reaching the boat, tough break but good to see the spots come through (neither was a “keeper” at least).

Buzzbait Results – Less than thirty minutes in, I had three bass on the buzzbait and was feeling good about my prospects for the rest of the short outing. All three of these bass came from banks that were sheltered from the direct sunlight and my home stretch would feature similar conditions once the sun descended behind a slight ridge. Overall, things were setting up well.

7:12pm – Top Bass at 15″ and 1-14 on a buzzbait

Foiled Again – The 2017 weather on my Lost Grove outings has not fully cooperated ranging from too much sun to a scary storm showing up in a hurry. This time around I plucked a 1-14 from a batch of partially submerged brush on the buzzbait as I began a run through my money spots on the homestretch. The photo shows a light ripple on the water in the background, which was about right for presentation and boat control. By the time I got this bass photographed and logged, the wind kicked up to near whitecap magnitude blowing me in the opposite direction of the ramp. Boat control was shot and buzzbait commotion was negated by the increased wave action. I got a couple missed strikes but no more hookups and wound up with a disappointing stretch run as the darned weather turned on me again.

Even so, it was a decent abbreviated outing, especially as I came awfully close to just staying home for a nap on the couch instead as I’d been beat all week. Can’t catch ‘em at home so glad I went, posting my third largest Lost Grove bass to date with the day’s Top Bass. Also got some GoPro footage as the camera seems to be back in working order after an odd hiccup (or operator error) and a shout out to an unnamed Good Samaritan who helped me lug my boat back to the truck at the end of my day.

 

No big ones but that was par for the course for my Lost Grove outings back then. I could get decent numbers but not many quality bites. Of course, in the early days, the young lake had a bass population whose members had some room to grow. From what I see these days, those bass have grown up over the last five years. Perhaps I will get back over there one of these years but content at present to continue my learning curve on the hundred-year-old Hennepin Canal. Talk to you later. Troy