Month: April 2023

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

While the Hennepin Canal has had a solid Top 5 showing the last two years, this year the bass have been stubborn for our resident Canal angler. But knowing that some quality bass call it home means you keep on casting. This week it paid off.

Weight: 2-14
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 26
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 57F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with double tail trailer
Structure: Logs
Angler Comments: This year’s up and down weather was on a down trend but having an afternoon off work prompted me to spend a couple hours on The Canal. Fifteen minutes into casting, I fooled this bass and had my hopes riding high. However, I could only muster one more bite on the two-hour trip.
Top 5 Weight: 16-9 (5-3,3-1,3-0,2-14,2-7) culls 1-4

Good to get a solid Canal bass that provided a significant boost to my Top 5. The weather has taken a downturn as I put this post together, but it looks like a real warm-up on the horizon. Here’s hoping the bite warms up along the way. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – April 26

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I keep waiting for a chance to open one of my reports from The Canal with something like, “Boy, The Canal bass really turned things up a notch…” Well, this report doesn’t feature such an intro as the bass in that old trough continue to outsmart me in 2023.

3:40pm – Top Bass at 2-14 on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: April 26
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:25pm-5:40pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-14
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-14 (2-14,1-0)

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Canal Struggle – Last year, by April 26 I had landed twenty-nine Canal bass during seven hours of April trips. In contrast, this year I have a total of four bass in just over thirteen hours of fishing The Canal starting on February 11. Water conditions have been solid and while weather conditions have been up and down, I have hit the water during a couple favorable warming trends. Just one of those things that I chalk up as “that’s fishing.” Some days you look like you know what you’re doing, and other days the fish prove to be elusive.

 

The Beauty of Bass – As the years have passed, I have found myself becoming more appreciative of my favorite fish. I could write a substantial post on this aspect of my fishing evolution but today I will simply touch on observing the coloration of my catches. As I lipped the Top Bass of this outing, I commented on how dark the fish looked. Just a casual, unrehearsed remark on camera that says a lot about my approach to this hobby. After landing thousands of bass over the past forty plus years, each one deserves a pat on the back and a little more than just unhooking and tossing back over the side of the boat. I’m proud of this progress in my fishing approach and hope that I am not alone in complimenting the catch.

April 26, 2023 bass sandwiched by two similarly sized April 23, 2022 bass from same stretch of The Canal highlight coloration differences

Not much more to add to this report other than to say that I will keep plugging away on The Canal as I know there are friendlier bass to find. Fortunately, the strip mine bass have been winners for me in 2023. Perhaps they felt neglected during my focus on The Canal last year. Who knows? Just keep trying to think like a fish and keep on casting. Talk to you later. Troy

4:18 pm and 1-0 on a spinnerbait – When you only land two bass, you can include pics of them all in your report.

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After getting spoiled by some unseasonably warm weather, the area temperatures have taken a real dip and some snow flurries/sleet even made a recent appearance. But those unfriendly fishing conditions did not stop our Top 5 leader from taking his shot and reeling in the rewards.

Weight: a pair in the two-pound range
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 16
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Dark Sleeper and chatterbait
Angler Comments: Bet you didn’t expect a fishing report from me today. Miserable temperature and winds really had me thinking of just staying home today. However, really hard to pass up a free day this time of the year, so was just looking for a reason to go. Wound up looking at the weather and noticed that the wind had changed to West direction from a consistent wind out of the South for the past couple weeks. An old saying came to mind, “wind from the west, the fish bite the best.” Headed out about 11:00am-3:00pm. With layers and rain gear, it really wasn’t terrible…as long as the wind was at my back. Ended up with four bass, two dinks that I didn’t take a picture and two that I took pics but didn’t weigh. Notice the wind blowing the fish and my jacket in the first pic.

Weight: 3-13
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 23
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Structure: Flat
Angler Comments: Long cast and hit came just after one or two cranks of the reel.

Weight: 5-5
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 23
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (white)
Angler Comments: Not exactly where I would expect a bass this time of the year but notice the bloody tail fin. This hog was definitely on the bed.
Top 5 Weight: 23-15 (5-5,5-1,4-12,4-8,4-5) culls a 4-4

Well done by Jim, as the 5-5 not only adds over a pound to his creel, but it also establishes a new Top Bass mark for 2023. To go along with Jim’s “wind from the west” comment, I would add another item related to his inclement weather success. “The best time to go fishing is anytime you can.” Talk to you later. Troy

Tough to take my own advice with the weather on Saturday

Top 10 Trip Tunes – April 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Over the years, I have wandered into some music related posts on what is an outdoor blog. I call them “Trip Tunes” as they are a list of the Top 10 tunes that I encounter on the radio dial on my drive to the fishing hole. Well, the feature is back for 2023 so away we go.

10. Live to Tell – Madonna (1986)
Not much of a Madonna fan but she was all over the radio and MTV when I was a teenager, and I vote this one as her best. A haunting tune from an interesting movie, At Close Range.

9. Good Day Sunshine – The Beatles (1966)
You don’t hear The Beatles enough on the radio these days. Therefore, it’s always a treat and you can’t help but smile and sing along to this happy ditty.

8. Over the Mountain – Ozzy Osbourne (1981)
This one chugs along musically with an entertaining lyrical delivery and a batch of Randy Rhoads guitar work that is all over the place. Guitar solos that sound like they belong in several different songs but all part of the fun of the early Ozzy albums.

7. Funk #49 – James Gang (1970)
Joe Walsh had me at “Life’s Been Good” back in 1978. Later, I would discover that he was a member of this gang and always an interesting oddball before becoming an Eagle. But, seriously folks, is there anyone more fun in rock and roll than this talented, entertaining, legendary performer?

6. Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty (1978)
I love the radio and this one takes me back to WLS 890 AM and summer nights with a bedside clock radio. You know, the kind with the flip numbers. I often ponder musical lists and this one would get a spot on the best intro and best sax solo rankings.

5. Dream On – Aerosmith (1973)
It’s crazy to think how long these guys have been around. Maybe a bit too long in terms of some of their 90s chart success but who am I to judge? I like a lot of their 70s stuff, a handful of the 80s cuts, and one tune after that. My two cents are that their oldest single remains their best. Fifty years after the recording of “Dream On,” I still stop on the radio dial and sing along.

4. Rich Girl – Hall and Oates (1977)
Once upon a time, I was a nine-year-old kid wondering, “Did they just sing that word on the radio?” Well, it does rhyme with rich. Cool, but you’ve got to be careful to not sing that word around certain company. Just a great song and fun memory as now I can sing whatever I want, wherever I want. And funny that my boy, Zac, left out a word in “Black Betty” as he was singing along yesterday (not the “B” word, but the “D” word).

3. Use Ta Be My Girl – The O’Jays (1978)
What a fun, smooth song for a tune about losing your lady. Fortunately, I still have my girl and my favorite lines from the fellows in this cut offer up, “Not only good lookin’, the girl was so smart, can’t beat her cookin’”. What more could a guy ask for?

2. Band on the Run – Paul McCartney & Wings (1974)
I distinctly remember the summer of 1974 and the popularity of this tune on the radio dial as it made its way to the top of the Billboard chart. It was my favorite song and its peak coincided with a trip to the Wisconsin Dells with my grandparents and cousin. Early radio memories with the tune hitting #1 after “The Streak” and prior to “Billy Don’t Be a Hero.” Those were the days.

1. We Just Disagree – Dave Mason (1977)
I mentioned song lists in a blurb about an earlier cut and this tune would garner a high ranking on my ultimate list. Definitely a Top 10, probably a Top 5 on my personal all-time greatest hits list. A great sentiment on relationships over forty-five years after its release but I must be careful about what I write these days and “leave it alone, ‘cause we can’t see eye to eye” and I’ll leave it at that.

Been a while since I did one of these and I have to say that I miss my musical strolls down Memory Lane. And I do have another set of Trip Tunes waiting in the wings should I get around to another post. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – April 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

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

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

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

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, as I put this week’s post together on Sunday night, it’s spitting snow. Which makes it all the better to revisit the fishing results logged during the recent near-record weather. Three of our anglers got it done as we have quite the Top 5 Update.

Weight: 2-15
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 9
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait

Weight: 3-3
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 9
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait

Weight: 3-4
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 9
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait

Weight: 3-9
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 9
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait

Weight: 3-11
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 9
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait

Weight: 4-4
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 9
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 4-12
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 9
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait
Angler Comments: Spent about eight hours at Banner and kept pretty busy. Took pics and weighed seven bass. Caught another six or seven that I didn’t weigh. Weeds are starting to grow up, so catches were a mix of lipless cranks and chatterbaits.
Top 5 Weight: 22-14 (5-1,4-12,4-8,4-5,4-4) culls a 4-0

Weight: 2-7 (17”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 10
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: ¼ oz. Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin)
Structure: Drop
Angler Comments: I cast the lure along a drop and watched as slack indicated that the lure had reached the bottom. As I took up the slack and prepared to crawl the bait, it felt heavy, so I set the hook and the rest is Top 5 history.

Weight: 3-1 (18”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 10
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: ¼ oz. Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin)
Structure: Finger/trough
Angler Comments: After landing a 5-3 two days prior on a lake that is not a regular stop, I figured that another visit was in order on this outing. Well, luck was with me again as this fish cooperated.

Weight: 3-0 (17.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 10
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: ¼ oz. Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin)
Structure: Finger/trough
Angler Comments: Fifteen minutes after landing the 3-1, I got lucky again with a bass that was a near twin. A crazy couple 2023 April visits to this lake as our previous lake record was 2-3 with no other fish over two pounds. You just never know, but I suspect it will be a regular stop going forward.
Top 5 Weight: 14-15 (5-3,3-1,3-0,2-7,1-4) culls 1-2 and 1-0

Weight: 2-4
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 15
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 12-13 (2-13,2-13,2-12,2-4,2-3) culls 2-1

Good catching by all and one of the bass above wound up being Bass #1000 all-time for the Top 5 project. More on that milestone in a future post. In the meantime, we set our sights on Top 5 Bass #2000. Only nine hundred and ninety-six bass to go. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 10

Posted on by Troy Jackson

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

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

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

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Ned Rig getting it done again

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

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

Much better steps/bass than previous outings

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

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

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

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

 

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

Catch Analysis – Big Ned

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Trying something new with a post that delves into the details of a specific catch. I call today’s post “Big Ned,” an oxymoron with a small lure presentation fooling a large catch. Read on for the data, background, play-by-play, and video that put this bass in the log.

Tale of the Tape
April 7, 2023 at 2:49pm
Island Lake – Knox County public strip pit
1/4 oz./3” Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin)
Length: 22”
Weight: 5-3

Previous lake record of 2-3 caught by Brent on April 12, 2021

The Lake
We have taken to naming the unnamed strip mine fishing holes that we have prowled for years. This one goes by Island Lake as it has an island or two in it. Prior to this catch, the lake record was a 2-3 landed by Brent on April 12, 2021. Not being one of our more frequent stops, my wanderings had only resulted in 28 bass in 4.75 hours of fishing over the last ten years.

The Lure
Brent and I elected to invest in a lightweight, low key, finesse bait on this outing, generically called a “Ned rig.” Our unassuming stubby worms, grubs, or swimbaits were fished on light jigheads and crawled or hopped slowly along the bottom in the cold-water conditions we encountered.

The Catch Chronology


7:17pm Thursday – A plan develops.


11:28am Friday – First Ned rig catch of the day.

12:06pm – Brent scores on the Ned rig

2:32pm – “Since we’re this close, I am going to give Island Lake a shot.” No luck on my first spot along the bank.

2:42pm – “Since we’re here, I’m going to fish down this finger.” Turned out to be a good decision.

2:48pm – I spot the silhouette of a large fish in roughly three feet of water.

2:49pm – I gently pitch my Ned rig out past the fish, hop it back, and then kill the retrieve about a foot in front of my target.

A puff of sediment appears as the bass nears the lure. Instinct, vision and feel all tell me that the fish has inhaled the bait and I set the hook.

The fight is on, and I quickly realize that the fish I estimated in the three-pound range is considerably larger than I thought.

As I am perched on a rise in the bank, I must now figure out how to land the bass. I plop down on my backside, slide down the slope, dangle my boots in the water, and successfully manage to grab the bass near my left knee.

 

2:50pm – I half crawl/half climb back up the bank without losing or grounding the fish and it’s time for the measurements. The bass comes in at 22” and I guesstimate it going 4-6. To my surprise the scale reads 5-3. I guess I don’t catch enough that big, so my eyeball calibration needs some more practice.

2:51pm – After a few pictures, the bass is released to grow up. With a little luck, I have just boosted the lake record by three pounds.

2:57pm – After catching my breath, bragging time is on as I shamelessly text Brent, my wife, Mom and Dad, and my friends, John, and Jim. Hey, that’s all part of the fun, right?

The thing that stinks about the catch is that my GoPro video was somehow corrupted. The original clip was fifty seconds long but for some reason I was only able to salvage thirty-four seconds of video without sound. It is what it is, I guess although no such thing as making a fishing video was possible for me until I got some technology in 2017. The salvaged clip is below and still hoping that I can find a way to recover the entire clip.

 

We’ll see how the rest of the year goes and how the GoPro holds up to determine if I revisit any more catches. Any feedback on whether you find this feature worthwhile is appreciated as well. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – April 7

Posted on by Troy Jackson

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

Pre-hike predictions

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

Brent Lures

Troy Lures

Notes and Nonsense

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

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

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

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

Brent Top Bass on a Ned Rig

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

Brent followed up on Saturday with some quality bites

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

Final Results – April 7

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The three-day Easter weekend proved to be quite productive with nearly a dozen more bass joining the project. This pushes our all-time Top 5 total submissions to 998 bass, only two bites away from the milestone of Bass #1000. Read on for the scoop on the latest catches totaling well over twenty pounds of bass.

Weight: 2-0
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 7
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait
Structure: Flat

Weight: 2-5
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 7
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait
Structure: Flat

Weight: 2-8
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 7
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Lipless crankbait
Structure: Flat
Angler Comments: Pretty productive couple hours after work. These three were between two and two-and-a-half pounds and a couple that were smaller. Typical Banner spring pattern. Lipless crank over flats.
Top 5 Weight: 22-2 (5-1,4-8,4-5,4-4,4-0)

Weight: 1-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 7
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Spinnerbait (white)

Weight: 2-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 8
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Jerkbait

Weight: 2-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 8
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Jerkbait

Weight: 2-3
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 8
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Spinnerbait

Weight: 2-13
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 8
Location: Snakeden Hollow
Lure: Jerkbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-10 (2-13,2-13,2-12,2-3,2-1)

Weight: 1-2
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 7
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: ¼ oz. Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin)
Structure: Finger/flat
Angler Comments: Sight fishing on this one although I was actually targeting a larger fish. The larger fish ignored my offering and this one came out of nowhere to get it instead.

Weight: 1-4
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 7
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad)
Structure: Ledge/drop
Angler Comments: Nabbed this one as the day was winding down for me and Brent to put us within one more keeper of a Top 5 day. It also put me within one more keeper of completing my 2023 Top 5 but I couldn’t fool another fish. The final keeper bite wasn’t meant to be but hopefully won’t be long.

Weight: 5-3
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 7
Weather: Sunny/windy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: ¼ oz. Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin)
Structure: Finger/drop
Angler Comments: I spotted the shadow of this bass cruising in the shallows but had no idea it would top the five-pound mark. The stars were aligned, and I was able to fool it. A play-by-play of the catch coming your way later this week in the fishing report.
Top 5 Weight: 8-9 (5-3,1-4,1-2,1-0)

The bite is picking up even on some challenging sunny strip mine days. And while I sometimes wish the wind would tone it down, it is a benefit when the sky is high and bright. After this solid Easter weekend, Jim remains far and away the top angler while Brent has completed his Top 5 and can begin boosting his weight. I am still searching for my fifth keeper. But I’m not wasting much time before continuing the pursuit. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy