Friday Flashback – September 17, 2012

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Original log entry 9-17-12

Upon hearing of a fall drawdown of Argyle Lake, near Colchester, IL, Dad and I couldn’t resist a look. Read on for the results and notes from our 2012 outing.

Originally Posted 9-25-12

After hearing word of a rare fall drawdown being implemented on McDonough County’s Argyle Lake, I decided that a road trip was in order, and I was happy to have Dad along as a fishing partner. Julie and I had taken the kids down to Argyle for a day trip chasing bluegills from the bank in 2011 but it had been close to twenty years since I’d fished on the lake. That long ago trip was a hot July day chasing bluegill from the very same boat we’re still using all these years later. This time around we were targeting bass and scouting what structure the drawdown would reveal.

Stats
Date: September 17, 2012
Location: Argyle Lake, Argyle Lake State Park
Time: 10:15am-4:00pm
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Air Temp: 65F-72F
Water Temp: 73F
Totals: 9 bass, 2 muskies (Troy – 7 bass & 1 muskie, Dad – 2 bass & 1 muskie)
Lures: Booyah Counterstrike spinnerbait – 4 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 4 bass & 2 muskie, Rapala DT10 (silver) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-0 (Troy – Rapala DT10)
Top Five Bass Weight: 9-9 (3-0,1-14,1-14,1-8,1-5)

3:00pm – Top Bass at 3-0 (18″) on a crankbait

Notes and Nonsense

Ramp Chatter – Arriving at the ramp we spotted a boat rigged up for electrofishing attached to an “official” looking vehicle and I gave a wave as we passed. As we readied our boat, a fellow from the survey crew came over and asked, “Are you Troy?” His attire seemed to rule out someone from a collection agency and I didn’t recognize him as a disgruntled former detention home client, so I answered, “Yes.” With a handshake he introduced himself as Blake Bushman, a Western Illinois University graduate student whose Guest Blog on Heartland Outdoors last month detailed his research project on Argyle Lake saugeye. We had an enjoyable conversation about his study, the lake, and other general fishing stuff before he headed off to enter new data and we launched to try our luck. It was nice to meet the pleasant, well-spoken young man who answered all our questions and is pursuing a career that this blogger had in mind many years ago. Probably before Blake was even born (how is that possible?). Dad got a kick out of the encounter stating several times that he couldn’t believe somebody recognized me. I was also entertained as it was before “game time” so I hadn’t even put on my floppy hat yet. I also forgot to introduce Dad but if you’re out there Blake, my fishing partner was my dad, also known as the guy who owns the boat and truck and lets me use them instead of having to row all the time and worry about vehicular breakdown en route to the lake. If anybody happens to follow the blog, he also has a distinctive “#1 Papa” fishing hat.

3:08pm – Dad with our least small muskie

Multiple Muskies – For the second consecutive day a trio of muskies were hooked, and a pair came aboard. In contrast to the previous day’s outing on Lake Storey, however, a couple of the Argyle fish were as small as Storey’s were large. I’d asked Blake about muskies prior to launching and he indicated that his surveys had turned up a few in the thirty-inch range. Even a specimen that size would have looked like a giant compared to a couple of the toothy fish we had hooked. Oh well, a muskie is always a welcome accident and those ones with spots at least provide for a chuckle or good-natured ribbing.

12:54pm – I believe folks refer to these tiny muskies (and pike) as “hammer handles”

Obstacle Course – Argyle Lake’s launch area has always been interesting as you must briefly block the main drag while backing in your trailer. Major construction currently has the main road closed beyond the ramp, but that project now finds work vehicles and equipment scattered about the roadway and parking lot. Leaving the lake was even more interesting as it appeared that the Western Illinois Bass Club was having practice or a tourney resulting in a crowd of boats and trailers in various states of conversation, readying gear and waiting on the last-minute fishing partners to arrive. We waited for a bit to see if the handful of boats waiting at the ramp were going to launch and then went ahead and took our turn whether it was proper boat ramp etiquette or not. Those young guys didn’t even acknowledge our presence, busy checking their phones and talking about fishing and whatever else it is college guys talk about these days. I was a little impatient but did bear in mind that although I’m half my life away from my college days there’s no need to be a grumpy old man, yet. Besides, how cool is that to have a college bass fishing team? Just another instance of, “You know back when I went to college…”

3:47pm – Dad with Top Bass runner-up at 1-14 (15″) on a lipless crankbait

Secrets Revealed – The lake is so loaded with wood structure that it is indeed a bit overwhelming. Countless stumps, laydowns and brush along with several beaver lodge remnants all made inviting targets. Unlike Lake Storey where the drawdown leaves most all the wood structure high and dry, Argyle still had a ton of completely or partially submerged ambush points. Vegetation was sparse as expected during a drawdown but there were a handful of patches close enough to some deeper water that were appealing. Much of the shoreline featured steep dropoffs to depths more than ten feet barely a decent cast from the bank. It also featured enough undulations that the 78-acre lake fished a bit larger and provided ample points, pockets, and coves to take our shot. We came armed with a basic topo map from the Sportsman’s Connection Northern Illinois Fishing Map Guide, a handy resource for info on numerous fishing holes. The map helped to streamline our approach a bit in finding our comfort zone among the rapidly falling shorelines that typically aren’t the best fit for our style.

Kind of a lengthy entry but I just couldn’t find anything that I felt I could eliminate for an abridged report. I have several fishing trips on the horizon with a few partners along for the fun. More anglers mean more casts and thus more chances to land some bass. It also means more chatter and more perspectives for the resulting blog posts. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

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