Hennepin Canal Report – September 11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Resuming the Top 5 Quest, I visited a spot that needed a boost for the third time this year. The starting weight on this pool stood at 8-13 (2-5,1-12,1-11,1-9,1-8) meaning that I needed a couple two-pounders to get the bump that I needed to reach my ten-pound limit. I got plenty of bites, so read on to see if any of them were the ones that I was seeking.

9:14am – Top Bass #2 (tie) weighing 1-13 (15″) on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: September 11
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:45am-11:45am
Totals: 15 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 61-77F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with BPS double tail trailer (Houdini) – 14 bass, Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (snow white shad) with BPS double tail trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 (Spinnerbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-1 (1-15,1-13,1-13,1-4,1-4)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

100% Spinnerbait – Throughout the year, a great deal of shoreline brush has been trimmed and allowed to fall along the bank. In addition, this stretch featured a fair amount of other large wood targets in the form of downed trees and scattered logs. Throw in a lack of shoreline vegetation and the shallow water of The Canal and the area screams “Spinnerbait!” And being an old school spinnerbait guy, you don’t have to tell me twice. As a result, all fifteen of the catches on this trip came on a spinnerbait.

9:37am – Top Bass weighing 1-15 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

Lost My Last – My favorite spinnerbait these days is a tandem spin War Eagle that features a pair of Indiana and/or Colorado blades with the smaller of the two being orange. I dig the thump and the feel of this combination as it keeps me in tune with how the bait is riding through the water. The orange blade also adds what I find to be a boost in visual appeal for the bass to home in on. Unfortunately, I lost my last model of this bait on a hookset late in this trip. Fortunately, my backup bait, a tandem Booyah Blade spinnerbait is pretty darn good too as it added my final bass of the morning.

9/22/26 – Recently recived reinforcements on the first day of fall, just in time for the fall spinnerbait bite

Top 5 Boost – I was able to add some ounces with three of my catches weighing 1-15, 1-13 and 1-13. However, it wasn’t quite enough to push my creel to double digits. The day ended with my all-time Top 5 Weight on the pool sitting at 9-10 (2-5,1-15,1-13,1-13,1-12) meaning that another visit will be needed to make the mark. Whether that return will be this year or will wait until 2027 remains to be seen. Either way, I know the bites are there, I just need to find ‘em and fool ‘em.

9:47am – Top Bass #2 (tie) weighing 1-13 on a spinnerbait

Good numbers, a high percentage of quality fish (10 of 15 were “keepers”), but just not big enough to provide the boost that I was seeking. No complaints though as the bass treated me well in cooperating with a presentation that is one of my favorite approaches, a spinnerbait worked around shoreline wood. Such an approach is a winner in September and October and this outing provided plenty of positive reinforcement. Several more September reports to come. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – September 7

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For this outing, I put one aspect of the ten-pound Top 5 Canal quest on hold. Rather than trying to fill in the blanks on the few remaining pools that lacked weight, I opted to visit a spot that had already hit the mark. The aim was to find some bites to give that total a boost. The approach would also be entirely different as the water conditions featured abundant surface vegetation unlike the other spots I’d recently been visiting.

7:16am – Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 2-11 (17.5″) on a Whopper Plopper

Stats
Date: September 7
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 7:10am-10:40am
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm, 64-74F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (nasty shad) – 2 bass, Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-0 (Frog)
Top 3 Weight (only three bass at 12″ or better): 7-4 (3-0,2-11,1-9)

Winnng lures

Notes and Nonsense

Data and Goals – The spot that I chose had a personal starting Top 5 Weight of 10-7 (2-8,2-2,2-1,1-15,1-13). Therefore, it had already been checked off my list but resided in the low end of overall weights in falling between ten and eleven pounds. The goal on this trip was to boot the pair of one pounders to have all members of the Top 5 at two pounds or better. As an added note, Julie held the Top Bass record for the pool with a bass weighing 2-10 caught on June 14, 2024. My brother, Brent, posted a 2-5 on June 27 this year to also contribute to the combined Top 5. With those bass added, the combined angler Top 5 Weight sat at 11-10.

Sleuthing – I dig finding fishing reports online for places that I fish, such as The Canal, Lake Storey, the Knox County public strip pits, and more. While I certainly admire the catches, more important to me is any additional information that the report provides. One such aspect would be the lures/presentations that fooled the fish. Another of my favorite bits of detective work is scouring the backdrop of any photos for clues. The latter part of my sleuthing was the primary reason that I chose my destination for this outing. I’d seen a recent post reporting a batch of quality catches that revealed the technique along with a weedy background and some visual clues in one of the photos. And just like that, I knew where I was headed the next time that I found myself pondering where to go.

Starting lineup

Conditions and Presentations – The abundance of surface vegetation, shallow, clear water, and scattered open channels through the weeds screamed topwater tactics. The lone factor that was lacking was that I wished I’d had some better cloud cover to keep the fish less spooky. There were occasionally scattered clouds that moved through and a fair amount of shade before the sun cleared the tree line but predominantly full sun. I ran a Whopper Plopper or a buzzbait through open water focusing on paralleling weed edges whenever possible. The frog was cast over and around surface mats and twitched/buzzed along edges and across open area within the mats.

8:34am – Top Bass weighing 3-0 (18″) on a frog

The Results – Three bass in just over three hours was far from knocking them dead. However, two of the bites were the two largest bass that I had ever landed on the pool and the third was a solid “keeper” as well. The top two bass of the morning tipped the scales at 3-0 and 2-11, respectively. As a result, my personal Top 5 Weight on the pool received a significant boost from 10-7 to 12-6. For the combined weight with other angler’s catches (Julie and Brent) the mark now stands at 13-11.

Bonus pics of angler catches that are part of the combined Top 5 for this pool

June 14, 2024 – Julie with Top Bass #3 weighing 2-10 (18″) on a Whopper Plopper

June 27, 2026 – Brent with Top Bass #5 weighing 2-5 (17″) on a chatterbait

Once again, The Canal provided some surprises. Looking back to the first two times that I ever fished this section back in the summer of 2022, I left wondering if there were any decent bass in the pool. The water level was low, weeds were abundant, and I could see bottom on nearly the entire length of the pool. Those two outings produced only three small “keepers” in three hours of casting. In the meantime, I’ve come to learn that there are quality bites all along the old waterway and this outing further confirmed that one should not pass judgment based on first (or second, or third…) impressions. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – September 4-5

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A combo report today covers a short, tough trip and a long, tough trip.

Trip number one was a return to the spot where I had a banner day five days prior. My son, Jayce, joined up and my hopes were high based on the earlier results. However, a hot, sunny morning shut down the bite, and we could only muster two short bass (one apiece), both on buzzbait. At least we had an enjoyable ride to the fishing hole with a fast-food breakfast and an entertaining mix of goofy morning radio hosts and classic rock.

Best we could do as Jayce’s fishing guide couldn’t find a winnng pattern

Stats
Date: September 4
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 7:25am-9:10am
Totals: 2 bass (Dad – 1 bass, Jayce – 1 bass)
Weather: Sunny/calm, 77-82F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black or white) – 2 bass
Top Bass: None at 12” or better
Top 5 Weight: Not applicable

The following day, I hit the water solo as Jayce elected to sleep in rather than go back-to-back on getting up in the dark. For this trip, I chose a pair of adjacent pools that I had never fished before.

Stats
Date: September 5
Location: Hennepin Canal (2 pools)
Time: 6:50am-10:20am, 10:35am-12:35pm
Totals: 6 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm, 74-86F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish) – 3 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black) – 1 bass, Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (snow white shad) with a BPS double tail trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS double tail trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-3 (2-2,1-11,1-8,1-7,1-7)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Pool One – Posting a ten-pound limit on this stretch is a tall order as it is one of the shorter sections of The Canal at roughly a half mile. Experience on thirty miles of The Canal leads me to believe that the bites are there, just less area to find them. Then again, perhaps that should make it easier as there is less water to cover. Three and a half hours produced four bass (all keepers) for an initial Top 4 Weight of 6-7. Top Bass was 2-2 and I had several misses while bouncing a creature bait around wood cover along with busting off a chatterbait on a hookset. I have no idea if any of those bites were quality fish but certainly one of them would have been a “keeper” to give me a daily Top 5.

Top Bass weighing 2-2 (16″) on a spinnerbait

Pool Two – Even though the pools were only separated by a tube, it always feels like a new start as you pass through those spidery culverts. This spot had ample wood cover that had me primed for a spinnerbait bite, but the bass were not interested. Two more hours produced only two more bass, one each on a spinnerbait and a chatterbait. Both were “keepers” at least to establish a starting weight for the pool of 3-2.

Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 1-11 (14.5″) on a spinnerbait

By the time I called it quits, I was beat, the sun was beating down, and the temperature was pushing ninety. As I took my time loading my boat and gear, I pondered the factors that contributed to my fatigue. I came up with stamina, heat, and age. Here’s hoping that the latter is the least of those as I can work on getting in better shape and the weather will cool over the coming weeks as time marches on. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – August 30

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For my third consecutive day on The Canal, I set aside my quest to establish a ten-pound Top 5 Weight on any of the stretches that was lacking. Instead, I opted for a slightly shorter drive to take a shot at a spot that already featured a double-digit Top 5 Weight of 10-2. The aim was the same: find the bites to boost my weight. But in this case they would all be icing on the cake and there was an ample bump on this outing.

11:42am – Top Bass weighing 3-9 (20″) on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: August 30
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 10:15am-2:15pm (with a 15-minute rain delay)
Totals: 13 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy/rain
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black) – 8 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with BPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass, Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (snow white shad) with BPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass, 5” Yamamoto Yamasenko wacky rig (cream white) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-9 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 13-1 (3-9,3-2,2-3,2-2,2-1)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Observation and Destination – Many times when I travel east to fish stretches of The Canal further from my local spots, I take the “scenic” route on the way home. I drive along and across the old waterway to get a look at the water conditions. In doing so this year, it became apparent that the aquatic vegetation had been treated as shoreline vegetation and lily pad patches were nearly non-existent east of Geneseo. This new look prompted me to take a trip to an area that I had not visited in nearly two years.

12:03pm – Top Bass #2 weighing 3-2 (18.5″) on a buzzbait

Presentation – The lack of shoreline weed cover exposed numerous open water wood targets that were formerly under or surrounded by vegetation. Rather than having to rely on a topwater frog, the logs and brush now set up well for a spinnerbait approach. In addition, instead of only being able to run a buzzbait along weed edges, I could now retrieve it directly along and over the cover. These two approaches produced twelve of my thirteen catches on this outing. And the lone outlier was caught on Senko wacky rig follow-up cast after a bass had a swing and miss on a spinnerbait.

1:06pm – Top Bass #3 weighing 2-3 (16″) on a buzzbait

Highlights – The daily Top 5 Weight of 13-1 for this outing established a new best day on The Canal topping a 12 -1 from March 22, 2026. The 3-9 from this trip represents the Top Bass on this stretch and the 3-2 equaled the previous best. The 3-9 bass also gave my 2026 Top 5 a boost to 17-15 as it culled a 3-2. In addition, three of the day’s catches (3-9,3-2,2-3) helped to bump my all-time total on this stretch from 10-2 to 14-4.

1:30-1:45pm rain delay

Lowlights – While I landed five bass in the two-and three-pound range, there were also several missed strikes and a breakoff on a hookset. Four missed strikes on a buzzbait included three that were substantial blow-ups. I also saw the flash of a fish that swung and missed on a spinnerbait that was in the two-pound range. Had I landed those fish, who knows how high the daily Top 5 could have been. Oh yeah, I also sat out a fifteen-minute rain delay without a lure in the water.

 

It was one of those days when things just fell into place. A midday buzzbait bite is not a common occurrence, but The Canal is not a common fishing hole. Overcast conditions (with some rain), shallow water, and ample targets made it worth a shot. That’s fishing and it is rewarding when you have them figured out for a few hours. I have a backlog of Canal fishing reports to submit. Stay tuned for the ups and downs in my pursuit for double-digit Top 5 marks on the handful of spots that need a few more quality bites. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – August 29

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The second of three consecutive days on The Canal was a success both in terms of quality and quantity. Once again, I hit two adjacent pools in search of the bites needed to boost their respective all-time Top 5 Weights into double digits. And just like the previous outing, I met my goal on one pool and remain short on the other.

Barely left home when I realized that my boots were sitting in the driveway (definitely need them as the boat leaks)

Stats
Date: August 29
Location: Hennepin Canal (2 pools)
Time: 6:30am-9:45am, 9:55am-12:40pm
Totals: 14 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, 62-80F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with BPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 9 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black) – 3 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 (tie, Spinnerbait/Chatterbait)
Top 5 Weight: 9-11 (2-3,2-3,2-1,1-12,1-8)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Pool One – This stretch sported a Top 5 Weight of 8-14 as I began the day (2-3,2-1,1-10,1-8,1-8). In just over three hours, I landed eight bass, three of which helped to push me past my goal. At 8:19am, I caught a 2-1 on a spinnerbait to boost my weight to 9-7. Several minutes later, I had a similar fish swing and miss on my spinnerbait, and then had it briefly hooked on a follow-up cast before it came unbuttoned. I didn’t have to be bummed out for long though, as the spinnerbait came through again at 8:35am with a 2-3. This fish equaled my largest ever bass on the pool and pushed me into double digits at 10-2. I was able to cull two more ounces with a buzzbait bass weighing 1-12 and currently sit at 10-4 on the pool.

8:19am – Top Bass #3 weighing 2-1 (16″) on a spinnerbait

8:35am – Top Bass (tie) weighing 2-3 (16″) on a spinnerbait

Pool Two – This pool sat at 8-8 to start the day (2-12,1-10,1-10,1-8,1-0). My first boost came courtesy of a 1-4 on a spinnerbait to replace the one-ponder, bosting my weight to 8-12. None of my next three catches helped, but at 12:19pm, I lipped a 2-3 for a bump of nearly a pound as it replaced my earlier catch. This catch was the second in a matter of a few minutes after I tied on a chatterbait and pushed my Top 5 weight to 9-11. That meant that I needed a 1-13 to hit the mark as it would knock out a pound and a half fish that was the lightest in my creel. At 12:29pm, I set the hook on a solid fish that hit my spinnerbait and I briefly thought that I had the bite that I needed. However, once I got it in the boat, I knew that it wasn’t enough. That final bass of my day tipped the scales at 1-8, thus providing no boost.

12:19pm – Top Bass (tie) weighing 2-3 (16.5″) on a chatterbait

I was pleased with the fourteen bass day that included three over two pounds. My top goal on each trip is to post a daily Top 5 of double digits. While I fell short at 9-11, I did have the additional bite that I needed (twice) but the fish didn’t hook up. As I often say, “That’s fishing,” And I was back at it again the following day looking for bites to boost the weight on a pool that already had a Top 5 Weight of 10-2. Let’s just say that it is considerably heavier than that now. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – August 28

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After my August 23 Lake Storey visit, I made arrangements to borrow Dad’s truck for the week and haul the little johnboat home in anticipation of hitting The Canal. This report covers the first of three consecutive days on the old waterway. On this specific outing, my aim was to boost the Top 5 Weights of a pair of adjacent pools into double digits.

6:59am – Top Bass weighing 2-4 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: August 28
Location: Hennepin Canal (2 pools)
Time: 6:40am-9:10am, 9:20am-12:05pm
Totals: 9 bass, 1 crappie
Weather: Sunny/calm
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with BPS Double Tail Grub trailer (Houdini) – 7 bass, 1 crappie, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad Trailer (sight fish) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (2-4,1-13,1-9,1-6,1-2)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Pool One – Entering the day, my first destination sported a Top 5 Weight of 9-6 anchored by a Top Bass weighing 3-10 (tied for my all-time Top Canal Bass). At 6:59am, I landed a bass weighing 2-4 on a spinnerbait to meet my goal in culling a 1-1 and moving my Top 5 up to 10-9. The quality early catch left me with a dilemma. Stick around on the pool to see if I could get additional boosts or take the victory and move on to the next pool. I opted to stick around for a couple more hours and fooled several more bass including a 1-13 and 1-6 that boosted my current Top 5 on the pool to 11-5 (3-10,2-4,2-4,1-13,1-6).

8:41am – Bonus crappie “accident” weighing 1-1 (12″) on spinnerbait

Pool Two – This pool had a Top 5 of 8-12 (2-5,1-12,1-11,1-8,1-8) to start the day. It did not seem to be a tall order to knock out the pair weighing 1-8 and a couple just over two pounds would get the job done. However, close to three hours of casting only produced four bass and the best I could muster weighed 1-9. So, while I did get a boost, it was the smallest boost possible, a single ounce. My Top 5 on the pool now sits at 8-13 so it will require a return visit.

8:49am – Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 1-13 (15″) on a spinnerbait

Things started well but the quantity and quality of bites did not keep the pace as the morning progressed. The Canal is an interesting place as the two spots I fished are only separated by a tube that runs under the county road, but the mood of the bass can change from side to side. You just never know and that’s why you keep on casting. And that’s exactly what I did for the next two days with solid results. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – August 23

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After two weeks off the water, I selected Lake Storey for my return. As I have mentioned in previous reports, I made a 2026 goal of at least one visit to Lake Storey each month from March through October. So far so good, although this August trip was a tough bite.

Stats
Date: August 23
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 6:40am-1:10pm
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 57-74F
Water temperature: 77-79F
Lures: Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (snow white shad) – 3 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-13 Spinnerbait
Top 3 Weight: only three bass at 12” or better: 3-14 (1-13,1-3,0-14)

Starting lineup

Notes and Nonsense

Trolling Motor Report – As my last blog entry noted, with an assist from the internet, I was able to repair a trolling motor issue on Dad’s Bass Tracker. I am happy to report that the motor performed as designed on this trip to confirm a successful fix. The full functionality restored precise boat control which allowed me to work areas more effectively and put my casts in high percentage spots.

Lure Retriever – An unsung tool in my tackle is a plug knocker type of lure retriever. The device is a heavy cylinder featuring a series chains and a corkscrew line guide that slides down your line to a snagged lure. The concept being that the weight of the retriever will either knock the lure free or the chains will snag in hooks. I employed the device twice on this trip to save a crankbait and a Texas rigged worm with a tungsten sinker. These “rescues” alone saved close to ten dollars and over the years the plug knocker has prevented the loss of dozens of lures and hundreds of dollars.

8:37am – Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 1-3 (13″) on a buzzbait

August Aim – I haven’t fished Lake Storey much in August over the years. Coming into this trip, my all-time August Lake Storey Top 5 Weight sat at 8-5 (1-14,1-12,1-12,1-8,1-7) so one of my goals on this outing was to find the bites to boost my creel to double digits. The lone boost that I got was a 1-13 on a spinnerbait that added six ounces to my creel.

11:25am – Top Bass weighing 1-13 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

August Woes – If I were to choose my least favorite open water month of the calendar, it would be August. The heat takes it out of me more than it used to and a portion of the bass population heads deeper. While those fish find deeper habitat as their comfort zone, anything beyond eight to ten feet is out of my comfort zone. Now there are still ample bass that call the shallower water home in the summer, it just seems harder to find as many that are in a biting mood. Even after forty plus years of trying to figure out these fish, August remains a bane. And yes, I often fall into the habit of trying to feed them what I want them to eat rather than trying something different.

Winning lures

While I did not get the results that I was seeking, I was pleased to keep the monthly Lake Storey visits intact. I pondered a return trip as there was a week of August remaining but opted to try my luck elsewhere. Stay tuned for a successful three-day run on the Hennepin Canal. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It’s been quite some time since we had a Top 5 submission. Plenty of bass have been caught but the big bites to boost our creels have been elusive. Of course, that does not mean a lack of quality fish as it gets progressively harder to boost your limit as you rack up a solid weight. Fortune was on my side as I fooled a good one on the Hennepin Canal this past weekend.

Weight: 3-9 (20”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: August 30
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black)
Structure: Laydown
Angler Comments: It’s not every day that you get to enjoy a midday buzzbait bite but overcast conditions and the shallow water of The Canal made it happen at 11:42am. This bass was waiting on the near side of a partially submerged log and its aim was true.
Top 5 Weight: 17-15 (4-5,3-9,3-9,3-5,3-3) culls a 3-1

About twenty minutes after this catch, another thee-pounder also took a liking to the same buzzbait. However, it fell just shy of cracking my Top 5. More on that fish, this outing, and several other fishing trips to come as I need to play catch-up on the reports. Talk to you later. Troy

A Trolling Motor Tale

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I am far from Mr. Fix-It but with ample help from the world wide web, I’ve been able to save quite a few bucks over the years (with Julie’s help as well). The latest internet search began as “Motor Guide 35 thrust button not working” and resulted in a new micro switch arriving in the mailbox from trollingmotorparts.com. Here’s the rest of the story.

Replacement micro switch on right, damaged micro switch on left

Midway into a Lake Storey outing last October, the trolling motor foot pedal cover on Dad’s 1987 Bass Tracker had an issue as there was no audible click when tapping it with my foot. As a result, there was no thrust when the Momentary (MOM) setting was toggled on. Fortunately, the Continuous (CON) setting was responsive, so I did have a functioning trolling motor. The downside was a lack of precise control as the motor needed to be either on or off, there was no fine tuning so to speak. This made it tough to stay on spots when the wind had other ideas. I would either have to attempt tripping the side switch to the CON position with the toe of my shoe or often bend down and do so with a finger. Then, I would need to use my foot to get the direction dialed in before toggling the CON back to MOM and hoping that whatever momentum the boat had gained was not so much that it put me on top of or past my target. Suffice to say, a lot going on and an annoyance which certainly cost me a shot at some fish in not being where I needed to be to get a cast where it needed to be. (Note: this trolling motor predates the modern feature of spot-lock that continuously adjusts thrust and direction to hold the boat in place with assistance from a built-in GPS unit).

The gray foot pedal button (right) no longer engaged thrust on the Momentary setting (red switch on left) 

I finished out the October 6 outing and made two more visits to Lake Storey with the big boat to end 2025 while contending with the issue. All told, I still landed forty bass while not at “the top of my game”, so it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker. 2026 open water fishing arrived at Lake Storey with a prolonged drawdown of the lake to accommodate construction of an extension of the lakeside walking path. This left the lone accessible boat ramp with an ugly dropoff at the end of the concrete which could do a number on an axle or trailer. As a result, I resorted to using the little johnboat and relying on manpower (rowing) when chasing bass. And that worked out fine but it sure is convenient to be hands free when it comes to boat control. A Lake Storey outing in the big boat on July 26 with the lake at regular pool convinced me that it was time to investigate a solution.

Top view showing the deteriorated rubber boot on the old micro switch (bottom) vs. new switch (top)

The internet pointed me towards a micro switch as the likely fix. Dismantling the trolling motor per a YouTube video, I discovered that the rubber boot on the switch mechanism had deteriorated. This was encouraging so I made the purchase online, received it several days later, and was eager to get back down to Mom and Dad’s to take a shot at the repair. Last Saturday, me and my boys headed down for a visit. I swapped the part, tried to engage the pedal cover and got no response from the motor. I was bummed and tore apart the setup again to check on the condition of the pedal cover to see if something in the housing was preventing the contact needed to depress the button on the micro switch. All seemed to be intact, so I took a break to watch the Cubs-Cards game and ponder my next move. I had the pedal cover and old switch in hand as took in the ballgame and came to realize that I had made an error. As I mentioned at the outset, I am far from Mr. Fix-It and had rotated the new micro switch 180 degrees when replacing. This prevented the raised ring molded into the housing from contacting the button. I had fallen prey to a basic do-it-yourself tenet. “Pay attention to how you take it apart because you have to put it back together.” So, round two of the repairs worked like a charm and I am pleased to report that the trolling motor is back to full functionality.

Switch removed

Switch replaced

Action shot as the fix allowed the prop to spin again

I am quite relieved that a $17 part did the trick ($23 with shipping). Otherwise, it may have required hauling the boat an hour for a repair that would cost considerably more than $23. Dad joked about sending him a bill, but we are all good. After all, he bought the boat close to forty years ago and there’s no paying back on the fish stories enjoyed from its deck. From here, it is a matter of putting the motor to use as I have yet to make my August visit to Lake Storey and keep up my streak of monthly visits. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – August 9

Posted on by Troy Jackson

My oldest son, Jayce, and I headed to my folks on Saturday August 8 for an overnight trip that included fishing bright and early the following morning. The plan was to grab supper and watch the Cubs-Royals game on TV Saturday night. Get up early on Sunday morning for a drive through breakfast on our way to the fishing hole. Hit a strip mine lake that was new water for Jayce and light up the bass on a topwater frog bite. Post fishing was lunch and the 1:20pm Cubs first pitch back at Mom and Dad’s. Read on for the details.

Stats
Date: August 9
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 7:20am-10:35am
Totals: 10 bass (Dad – 5, Jayce – 5)
Weather: Overcast/breezy, 69-85F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (cream/white or natural shad) – 7 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (redear) – 1 bass, 3.75″ Strike King Rage Swimmer (electric shad) with 3/16 oz Owner Flashy Swimmer jighead – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-3 (Dad – Frog), 1-1 (Jayce – Senko)
Top 5 Weight (only 3 bass at 12” or better): 3-2 (1-3,1-1,0-14)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Breakfast – We were on the road at 6:00am and had selected the potentially dangerous Taco Bell breakfast prior to heading for an off the beaten path fishing hole. For better or worse, the establishment did not open until 7:00am, so it was a more gut friendly drive through at McDonalds, instead.

8:27am – Top Bass of the morning weighing 1-3 (14″) on a frog

Frog Bite – My visions of quality bass smashing our topwater frogs did not materialize. The result was a lone frog bass and three other strikes from fish with bad aim. Conditions were solid for frog fishing with ample cloud cover, prolonged shade on the east bank, and several weedy ledges, pockets, and flats to explore. I stubbornly tossed the frog longer than I should have with my bad habit of swinging for the fences before taking a hint from Jayce and switching to a finesse approach.

8:46am – Jayce on the board courtesy of a Senko wacky rig

Finesse – Nearly an hour and a half into our trip, I had three bass in the boat (two Senko, one frog) while Jayce was still looking for his first hookup. As we moved into proximity of a point with a steep drop, I continued to toss my frog to the shoreline weed cover hoping for an explosion. Jayce had a better plan as he was letting his Senko flutter down the drop. In the next ten minutes, he had doubled our haul with three bass and would go on to catch two more over the next hour to take a five bass to three lead. I picked up a Senko as well, but my cream white color couldn’t fool anything as his natural shad hue was the winning choice.

Swimbait For the Tie – While it technically wasn’t a “contest” and a father should root for being outfished by his kid, there’s a bit of a competitive streak that comes into play. I picked up a swimbait telling Jayce that I needed to find something to keep up with him. As it turned out, I fooled two on the presentation to even things up in a tie with five bass apiece. I asked Jayce as I put together this report if the tie was an acceptable result and he said it was just fine. I agreed and the rest of the outing was just as rewarding as the catching.

9:56am – Jayce with his Top Bass weighing 1-1 (13″) on a Senko

Peripherals –Jayce mentioned that there were some random topics as we conversed during the lulls in fishing action. We remain puzzled as to how folks could regularly wonder “It’s a bird…it’s a plane…” when it was clearly Superman. There were wildlife sightings including a great blue heron, a redtail hawk, a gregarious murder of crows, several turtles, countless tiny frogs, dragonflies, and various spiders up close and personal when we drifted into shoreline trees or towering shoreline arrowhead. Yes, we also talked fishing such as the “natural entry” presentation with our topwater frogs. This consists of casting your frog onto the bank and hopping it into the water to begin the retrieve. Not only is it effective but it also serves as an excuse for errant casts that end up in the trees.

It wasn’t for lack of gear that we struggled a bit as we arrived well prepared

All in all, it was a good few hours on the water and fun to spend one on one time with one of my kids. Ten bass was a decent haul but did not live up to my expectations. That’s on me for not figuring them out. No big strikes or big bass on our frogs was a bummer as I wanted Jayce to get some firsthand experience with topwater bassing. Of course, once you get a taste it can be addictive and you wind up force feeding the fish a frog as I did for too long on this outing. The Cubs split the two games we watched to take two out of three on the road against a struggling Royals team, but I’ll take that percentage for any road series all season long. Talk to you later. Troy