Month: September 2024

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It’s been a while, but I get to contribute a couple of bass to this week’s update. Hopefully, it is a sign that there will be a strong finish to the year as the catches below represent my top two bass of the year.

Weight: 3-6 (19″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: September 29
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 80F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino)
Structure: Log/weed edge
Angler Comments: An offshore log in a mix of surface and subsurface vegetation was a winner on what would be my Top Bass of the year. A mark that it held for about two hours before landing the bass below.

Weight: 3-10 (19″)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: September 29
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 80F
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino)
Structure: Laydown/weed edge
Angler Comments: My new Top Bass of the year came off a classic spot. I ran the frog over a weed mat near a laydown and right as it hit the edge of open water, this bass exploded on the bait. Gotta dig it when a bass is right where it is supposed to be.
Top 5 Weight: 16-5 (3-10,3-6,3-3,3-2,3-0) culls 3-0 and 2-15

Two good fish and there’s more to the story involving a lure adjustment but I will save those details for the full fishing report. And after a four-day weekend courtesy of a couple vacation days, I am behind on the fishing reports again. Stay tuned for the scoop from Lake Storey (9/26 outing), the Knox County strip pits (9/27 outing), and the Hennepin Canal (9/29 outing). Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – September 21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A successful Monday on Lake Storey prompted me to get back out on the old fishing hole again on Saturday.

9:32am- Top Bass Runner-up at 1-15 (16″) on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: September 21
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 7:30am-11:30am
Totals: 8 bass
Weather: Sunny to heavy rain/breezy to windy, 64-77F
Water temperature: 76F
Lures: War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 6 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass, ZMan Chatterbait (sexy shad) with swimbait trailer – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-10 (Spinnerbait)
Top 5 Weight: 9-10 (2-10,1-15,1-14,1-11,1-8)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Avian Anglers – There’s more to fishing than fishing and there are more anglers than just the guys and gals on boat and bank. Several birds that have fish in their diets were also hanging around the lake. Prowling the bank and perching on some dead trees were several great blue herons and their smaller relatives, green herons. The trill call of a kingfisher also caught my ear as it flitted about the shoreline in search of a meal. Twice a barred owl emerged far enough out of the woods for a good look (did some research to verify that these eat fish on occasion). Lake Storey is also good for spotting a one-of-a-kind bird of prey, the osprey, and this day it did not disappoint. And finally, I had the good fortune of observing a bald eagle. The majestic bird is a much more common sight these days around fishing holes but remains a treat.

 

Missed Spots – I strayed from my regular route to start the day as bank anglers and one boat had beat me to my spots. All good though as it forced me to explore water that I don’t normally fish. And maybe there’s a reason I skip these stretches as my first two hours on the water only produced two bass with one keeper weighing in at 1-8. Once I got to my go-to spots the next two hours resulted in six bass, four of which were keepers totaling 8-2. Then the storm started brewing.

Night and Day – It wasn’t only the bite that was like night and day between the start and finish of the trip. The day began bright and sunny as I launched around 7:30am intending to fish until 3:30pm. I made my way down the entire lake focusing mainly on the southern bank with the intent of hitting my spots on the north bank as I made my way back to the ramp. Around 11:30am I found myself near the beach and the skies did not look so good in the west. My weather app confirmed that a storm was headed my way just about the time that Brent sent the above text. Rumbles of thunder and a few flashes of lighting got my attention as I trolled back to the launch, arriving nearly in time to avoid getting wet. Thankfully, Brent was waiting and assisted with loading the boat just as the skies unleashed. We ended up sitting in the truck for over thirty minutes before finishing boat prep for the ride back to my folks.

9:37am – Top Bass at 2-10 (17.5″) on a spinnerbait

Lucky Me – An abbreviated trip but I counted my blessings considering the plight of a few fellow anglers encountered along the way. As I was launching, I met a fisherman headed back to the boat ramp. He had elected to end his day out of concern that his two-wheel drive wasn’t going to cut it after spinning out on the ramp after he launched. I offered to assist and was ready to pull his truck, but all was good. Turned out, his trailer had dropped off the end of the ramp when launching resulting in the earlier spin out. At the end of the day, a pair of anglers beached their boat in the rain and hustled to their truck shortly after we’d pulled out. Brent and I were left scratching our heads as they headed back out during a slight break in the downpour. Unfortunately for them, the skies opened up big time, and I suspect they were left bailing their boat and certainly drenched.

 

While I was disappointed that the weather ran me off the lake only needing one more decent bite to get a ten-pound Top 5, it was a solid four hours on the water. But I’m not done with Lake Storey quite yet as I plan to be on the lake again real soon in search of that double digit Top 5. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – September 16

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It’s that time of year again when the decision is made to pull the plug on Lake Storey for the annual fall drawdown. This fisheries management practice drops the lake level and limits the hiding places for prey fish allowing the predator fish an increased opportunity to thin the herd. It can also reveal secrets on the lake bottom and give anglers a shot at a quality bite as fall feeding activity kicks into gear. Last week, I paid a visit to my old favorite lake and had a solid day.

Gotta love fishing on a weekday

Stats
Date: September 16
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 6:45am-3:00pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 61-85F
Water temperature: 75-78F
Lures: War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 10 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 7 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 (Red Eye Shad)
Top 5 Weight: 9-0 (2-6,1-15,1-13,1-8,1-6)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Drawdown Status – The extent of the drawdown seemed to be lagging as a week prior, direct, and secondhand observations had me concerned that the practice may have fallen by the wayside. Fortunately, the water level was indeed on the way down when I arrived at the ramp, so my worries were unfounded. As it turned out, the drop was at an appealing stage as a substantial amount of shallow cover was still fishable and not high and dry.

8:42am – Top Bass Runner-up at 1-15 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

Droughts – My results on this outing were solid with a catch rate of 2.06 bass/hour compared to an overall 1.14 bass/hour average dating back to 1997. Even with my favorable catch rate, I did have several lengthy stretches of time without a catch. I had a two-pound fish break off on my fourth cast due to a line abrasion and then failed to get my first bass in the boat for over an hour (6:45am-7:51am). Later in the day, I also experienced droughts from 9:47am-10:59am, 11:00am-12:05pm, and 1:46pm-3:00pm.

10:59am – Top Bass at 2-6 (17″) on a lipless crankbait

Good Wood – As I hop around Lake Storey, I have dozens of potential targets in mind. From specific spots, such as Chilly Willy Stump or The Most Fished Tree to sections of bank like Freak’s Point or Cannon Hill, I hit as many as possible (sometimes twice). There are stumps, rockpiles, logs, brush, points, flats, manmade structure, and more that are on my list. On this trip, a number of them let me down or were inaccessible due to being occupied by other anglers on the shore or in watercraft. However, early feedback from the bass indicated that a pattern of a spinnerbait cast and worked tight to any wood cover was a winner. I wore out every log, brush, laydown, and stump that I could and was rewarded with good results.

 

I look forward to matching wits with the Lake Storey bass every fall and the first outing of the season did not disappoint. (Note: while September 16 is not technically fall, once Labor Day passes, it is fall in my book). Before the week was over, I was back again so stay tuned for another Lake Storey report. Talk to you later Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After a struggle on The Canal in the morning, I made a quick evening trip to the Knox County strip mines following a visit to my folks. For this outing, I opted to invest my entire time on one lake to maximize fishing and minimize walking.

4:49 pm – An mmbitious bass at 7″ caught on a 5″ Senko

Stats
Date: September 15
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 4:45pm-7:15pm
Totals: 42 bass, 1 green sunfish
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 80F
Lures: Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 20 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 12 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (PB&J or blue pearl/silver flake) – 10 bass, 1 green sunfish
Top Bass: 2-7 (Whopper Plopper)
Top 5 Weight: 5-2 (2-7,1-8,1-3)

Winning lures

Bonus species with a feisty green sunfish

Notes and Nonsense

Maiden Lake – Eleven years ago, I named this spot Maiden Lake as it was the first lake that I ever fished on the property. The upside of the lake is that it is only a short walk from a parking area. The downside is that I have difficulty finding quality bites. Coming into this trip, I had landed one hundred and one bass on the water but only eight were “keepers” (an 8% keeper rate). My Top 5 total stood at 10-3 prior to this outing, anchored by a Top Bass of 3-10 that was landed last year. Here’s the thing though. My brother, Brent, has landed a 5-4, 4-0, and 3-9 from the lake so there are definitely good bites in there, I just can’t find them.

5:45pm – Top Bass #2 at 1-8 (14.5″) on a topwater frog

Quantity Over Quality (Again) – Yet again, I racked up big numbers with forty-two bass in two and a half hours. Yet again, a small percentage were “keepers” with only three bass at 12” or better (a 7% keeper rate).

5:56pm- Top Bass #3 at 1-3 (13″) on a topwater frog

One Good One – Any bass that I land at two-pounds or better is what I call a “good one.” As I reeled in little bass after little bass to start my evening, I still felt there were a couple good ones that would show up. Well, at least I was halfway correct as bass number thirty-four of the evening tipped the scales at 2-7.

6:44pm – Top Bass at 2-7 (17″) on a Whopper Plopper

Forty-two bass on this outing pushed my yearly total to 493 bass. My all-time best year of bass was 2022 when I landed 553. I hadn’t really thought about a shot at the record until wrapping up this outing but now I’ve got my eyes on the prize. I fished the following day in an effort to boost my total on what is not such a numbers lake. Stay tuned for the first Lake Storey report of the year. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report-September 14-15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Once September arrives, I consider it “fall” fishing even though we aren’t quite there yet. And fall fishing brings anxiety on two fronts. On the upside, the bass will go on a feed and if you time it right, the bite can get wild. On the downside, the next couple of months are the home stretch for my fishing year with the final goal being a November bass before I put the gear away. Choices are tough too, as I have a lot of water that I want to visit and limited time to invest. For this pair of outings, I stuck to The Canal, and I use some pop/rock tunes to help tell the tale in today’s report.

September 14 at 8:18am – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-0 (13″) on a lipless crankbait 

Stats
Date: September 14-15
Location: Hennepin Canal (2 pools)
Time: 6:45am-10:00am, 6:40am-8:40am
Totals: 3 bass (two on 9/14, one on 9/15)
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 63-79F
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 (Spro frog on 9/14)
Top 2 Weight (combined trips): 2-5 (1-5,1-0)

Winning – Santana (1981)
“I’m winning, I’m winning, and I don’t intend on losing again.”
The winning lures from September 14

Notes and Nonsense

Dirty Water – The Standells (1966)
The Canal has given me fits lately while hitting spots farther from home. I have found that the further east I progress, the dingier the water. Whether it is solely this variable or not, the results have been as ugly as the water clarity. These two outings were no exception as I could not get anything going despite throwing a bit of everything. From top to bottom and fast to not as fast, it just wasn’t my weekend. The “Dirty Water” tune from The Standells offers up, “I love that dirty water.” Me, not so much.

September 14 at 9:08am – Top Bass at 1-5 (14″) on a topwater frog

Right Place Wrong Time – Dr. John (1973)
My experience of three years and over a hundred miles of rowing, biking, and hiking The Canal has convinced me that there are quality bass all along the waterway. Some stretches are better than others on any given day. For instance, while these two spots had each produced a three-pounder on prior visits, the bass sure had lockjaw on this weekend. In addition, there were a couple glowing reports from anglers fishing to the west of my location. To add my own line to Dr. John’s “Right Place Wrong Time,” I would say that “I was in the right trough, but it must have been the wrong pool.”

September 15 at 6:43am – Lone bass of the morning on a spinnerbait

Go West – Village People (1979)
In my pursuit to post a ten-pound Top 5 on each pool from Colona to the Feeder Basin, I have focused a great deal of time east of Geneseo. On most of the water west of Geneseo, I had already accomplished my goal. While I have not ruled out any more visits to the east before the year ends, I am leaning towards wrapping up the year on the clearer western stretches. Heeding the words of the Village People, “Go west, we will do just fine.”

Just Once – Quincy Jones with James Ingram (1980)
“I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough.”
Losing lures from September 14

After these tough outings on The Canal, I opted for a change of scenery for my next trip. And I didn’t wait long as I hit the Knox County strip mines on the evening of September 15 for a couple of hours to try and save the day. Stay tuned for that report. Talk to you later. Troy

Top5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Our southeast field rep, John Kirkemo, comes through with another submission and additional insights on spotted bass.

Weight: 1-3
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: September 10
Weather: Evening light with air temperature in the high 70s
Water temperature: 83 degrees
Location: Lake Hartwell at Oconee Point Campground, Seneca, SC
Lure: Black and silver 3.5” floating Rapala
Angler Comments: I was casting the lure toward the top of a tree standing in about 20 feet of water. Only the top foot or two of the tree extended above the water’s surface. The treetop had a few very small leaves but was mostly just thin bare branches as shown in the attached picture. Before I could begin my retrieve, the bass slammed the lure so hard the reel handle hit my finger causing a bruise as shown in the picture. This was not a big fish but was very aggressive. I have been catching spotted bass since late March 2024. In my opinion, spotted bass tend to be more aggressive and fight harder than their close cousin largemouth bass. I discovered this tree top two days ago and have fished it every day since. It always holds a bass or two.
Top 5 Weight: 10-9 (2-8,2-7,2-0,1-13,1-13)

Gives a whole new perspective on “bass thumb” with that catch. Good luck out there and keep sending them my way. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

On the heels of an active bite the previous day, I couldn’t resist another stop at the Knox County strip mines. I happened to be in Galesburg visiting my folks and took “the long way home” to allow for a couple of hours of casting.

If you are not a fan of these creatures, you will want to steer clear of strip mine hiking as they are everywhere

Stats
Date: September 8
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 3:50pm-6:05pm (2.00 hours fishing)
Totals: 7 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 73F
Lures: 3.75” Strike King Rage Swimmer Swimbait (pro blue/red pearl) with a Twist Lock Flashy Swimmer jighead – 4 bass Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 2 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 (Whopper Plopper)
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 6-9 (2-8,1-11,1-9,0-13)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

4:23pm – Island Lake 1-11 (15″) on a Whopper Plopper

Island Lake – The first stop was a spot that was crazy good in 2023. Last year, I was able to do a complete overhaul on my Top 5 from the lake in boosting a meager weight of 6-11 up to 18-14 via a five-pounder, a four-pounder and three three-pounders. However, in my lone stop this spring, I failed to catch a single bass. On this day, I managed to fool a pair with the largest being 1-11.

5:08pm – Gazelle Lake 1-9 (15″) on a swimbait

Gazelle Lake – This small cut lies on the route between Island Lake and my final stop, Maiden Lake, so I decided to make a few casts. I do not fish this spot much as I have only caught one bass over a pound. Fifteen minutes on this outing produced three bass including a new lake record weighing 1-9, all on a swimbait.

5:38pm – Maiden Lake 2-8 (17″) on a Whopper Plopper

Maiden Lake – This lake has had my number in the eleven years that I have fished it. My first visit in 2013 produced a 1-14 and I had not caught another decent bass there until last year when I got a 3-10. However, Brent has fooled a pair exceeding four pounds including the lake (and site) record of 5-4 in 2022. Those kinds of fish keep me coming back for another shot. On this trip, I did land my best bass of the evening with a 2-8 on a Whopper Plopper. The catch gave my Maiden Lake Top 5 a significant boost from 10-3 to 11-7. Even better, it claimed the fifth spot in the overall Maiden Lake Top 5 (combined with Brent) which now stands at an impressive 18-15.

 

Not a bad haul for a couple of hours of rapid-fire casting. Many of the Knox County strip mines will close their gates in the next several weeks so I hope to get in a visit or two before the end of the line. I also have my sights set on boosting the numbers on The Canal and hitting Lake Storey for the fall drawdown. Stay tuned as the 2024 fishing year heads into the home stretch. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 7

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I gave The Canal a break and headed down to Knox County for an afternoon/evening hike on the strip mines. Feeling spry, I elected to hit several lakes that I had not fished since 2021 which required considerable foot travel to chase those bass.

5:56pm – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-5 (14″) on a swimbait

Stats
Date: September 7
Location: Knox County public strip pits (4 lakes)
Time: 1:30pm-7:35pm (5.00 hours fishing)
Totals: 45 bass, 1 crappie
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 64-55F
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 18 bass, 3.75” Strike King Rage Swimmer Swimbait (pro blue/red pearl) with a Twist Lock Flashy Swimmer jighead – 16 bass and 1 crappie, 5” Yamamoto Senko (natural shad or blue pearl/silver flake) – 8 bass, Rebel Pop-R (purple shad) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 6-5 (1-6,1-5,1-4,1-4,1-2)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Twin Lake – Back in April 2014, I landed a 4-6 bass from this spot but the largest catch since has been a 1-10 among 167 total bass going back to 2013. So, I have been pursuing another big bass in this lake for ten years and still can’t find one. This outing once again produced numbers with twenty-one bass but the only “keepers” came in right around a pound. Now the question is, do I continue to visit this spot or invest my time on better water?

A bonus “accident” crappie at 0-15 (12.5″) on a swimbait

Horseshoe Lake – A pair of quality catches continue to convince me to make a return to this spot. Brent posted a 3-13 and a 3-8 during 2014 to put this lake on the radar. Like Twin Lake, we have not caught anything worth a darn since. That trend continued this afternoon as I landed ten bass with all falling under twelve inches.

With my daughter in the NIU Huskie Marching Band and performing at the game, I will always remember right where I was when this went final.

Cottonwood Lake – This lake is loaded with small bass, but I still hold out hope that some of them will grow up. Over the years, I have recorded fifty bass from this lake but only nine have been “keepers” and the Top Bass weighing a mere 1-1. This outing produced five more bass between nine and ten inches. But the highlight of this stop was following the Northern Illinois-Notre Dame football matchup. My daughter, Carly, is a member of the NIU Marching Huskie Band and was onsite in South Bend, IN and got to perform on the field. She also witnessed an impressive upset that will be talked about for a long time. My cell reception was spotty, so it kept me on edge waiting to see the result of what was the game winning field goal attempt.

7:03pm – Top Bass at 1-6 (14″) on a Senko

Strip Mine Lake – My finale for the evening was a spot where I have not invested much time fishing over the years. My previous Top Bass among the seventeen bass caught in my brief stops is a 1-15 but I did observe another angler with a five-pounder earlier this year. My results on this day were nine bass (and a quality crappie) in just under two hours of fishing including seven “keepers” but a Top Bass of only 1-6. Encouraging, but tough, steep bank access makes the lake a challenge. Unlike the other three lakes on this trip, I am eager to give it another shot before the year is out.

Plenty of steps and most of them aren’t particularly easy

Wear and Tear – Each year, I intend to get in better shape so that these strip mine hikes aren’t quite so taxing. Yet again, I failed to do so just like every other year going back to 2019. I pushed my hike well off the beaten path and wound up with two sore heels, a twinge in my right knee, and a sore back. And it did not take long for an ongoing case of “caster’s elbow” to start nagging my right elbow. In the middle of the night a cramp flared up in my left calf but fortunately I was able to move around and fend off a full-blown instance.

 

In the end, a particularly good haul in terms of quantity but could not find the big bites. Was it worth the effort and the sore muscles? Well, I was back for more the following afternoon. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Welcome back to John Kirkemo out of our “southeast field office” with a striped bass entry to complete his Top 5 for the species.

Hybrid Striped Bass
Weight: 1-6
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: September 7
Weather: Evening light with passing rain showers. Air temperature about 80 degrees.
Water temperature: 85 degrees
Location: Lake Hartwell at Oconee Point Campground, Seneca, SC
Lure: Black and silver 3.5-inch floating Rapala
Comments: Caught this fish while trolling open water.
Top 5 Weight: 9-13 (3-5,2-6,1-12,1-6,1-0)

Bonus pic, the classic Rapala Floating Minnow

Sounds like the heat has subsided down there in South Carolina so here’s to some more casting and catching. Good luck to all and send them my way. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – September 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The Labor Day holiday afforded me a chance to get away for my September kickoff of what I view as the home stretch of the 2024 fishing year. Read on for the results and stay tuned for plenty more fishing on an expanded collection of waters over the next couple of months.

8:20am – Top Bass at 1-14 (15.5″) on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: September 2
Location: Hennepin Canal (2 pools)
Time: 6:55am-11:05am
Totals: 13 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 52-72F
Lures: 3.8” Keitech Swing Impact Fat Swimbait (electric blue and chartreuse) with a Twist Lock Flashy Swimmer jighead – 5 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 4 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 3 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top 5 Weight: 7-8 (1-14,1-11,1-7,1-4,1-4)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Taking Notes – I encountered two other boats with three total anglers as I rowed around this morning. A pair in one boat reported less than double digit catches and no quality fish. In contrast, a lone angler that I spoke with around 7:30am stated that he had landed and released his five bass “limit. He added that all were between fifteen and eighteen inches and all on a buzzbait. By the end of my morning, I finished somewhere in between the two reports but I must say it was encouraging to hear of quality bass in the pools.

A decent “one that got away” just left me with a pile of weeds at the boat

Two That Got Away – Not long after I spoke with the angler who had his limit, I got my best bite of the morning on a buzzbait. I was unable to keep the bass out of the subsurface weeds but got it to the boat along with a mass of weeds as I observed it still thrashing under its accompanying vegetation. Unfortunately, one of the thrashes was the bass coming unbuttoned as all I wound up with was a buzzbait and several pounds of salad. Later, I had a heavy hookup on a swimbait but never got a look at the fish before it let go of the lure.

A new Species as it looks like someone emptied the fish bowl in The Canal

 

New Trick – Once the sun gets above the tree line in the morning, the topwater bite typically subsides and on this morning, it wasn’t really fierce anyway. Limping along to the home stretch, I had eight bass in three hours. For a change of pace, I decided to try my luck with a swimbait, as I have long thought that I needed to invest more time on the presentation. As an added wrinkle, I had recently picked up a swimbait jighead that featured an underspin spinner. Much of The Canal that I have fished this year features murky water so I figured that the extra flash could hold added appeal. I was pleased with the results as I landed five bass in just under an hour.

9:41am – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-11 on a frog

Top 5 Update – One of the pools that I fished already had a Top 5 weight of 10-2 so my primary aim was to boost the 9-5 Top 5 Weight from the second pool. My two Top Bass of the day weighing in at 1-14 and 1-11 did the trick in pushing my weight for the pool to 10-3.

 

Decent numbers, just enough quality bites to hit my Top 5 goal, and positive feedback from a fellow angler all made for a successful outing on The Canal. September always raises those first thoughts that time is running out on another year of fishing. While I try to push into November, these next couple of months just seem to speed by and limited daylight after the workday ends also get me anxious to get in as many casts as I can. Time to invest in a few vacation days to supplement the weekends. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy