Author: Troy Jackson

2024 Bass Recap – Partners

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A regular part of my annual recaps is a look at who I got to chase fish with and how we did. Read on for a summary of each trip and the final tallies racked up by the 2024 trio of fishing companions.

March 31 – Jayce with Top Partner Bass at 3-4 on a chatterbait

Date: March 31 with Jayce
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 1:10pm-3:10pm
Weather: Overcast/windy, 58F
Totals: 4 bass (Troy – 3, Jayce -1)
Top Bass: 3-4 Jayce on a chatterbait
Top 4 Weight (combined only 4 at or > 12”): 7-9 (3-4,1-9,1-9,1-3)

April 13 – Brent with Top Bass of the trip at 2-4 on a jerkbait

Date: April 13 with Brent (bank fishing)
Location: Knox County public strip pits (7 lakes)
Time: 11:25am-7:15pm (6.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy, 64-74F
Totals: 65 bass (Troy – 43, Brent – 22)
Top Bass: 2-4 Brent on a jerkbait
Top 5 Weight (combined): 7-11 (2-4,1-10,1-6,1-4,1-3)

June 14 – Julie with Top Partner Bass #4 on a Whopper Plopper

Date: June 14 with Julie
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:40pm-8:40pm
Totals: 7 bass (Julie – 6 bass, Troy – 1 bass)
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 81-73F
Top Bass: 2-10 Julie on a Whopper Plopper)
Top 5 Weight (Julie only): 8-12 (2-10,1-10,1-10,1-8,1-6)

July 13 – Brent Top Partner Bass #2 at 2-13 on a Senko

Date: July 13 with Brent
Location: Knox County public strip pits (2 lakes)
Time: 5:45am-8:30am, 9:30am-1:15pm
Totals: 43 bass (Troy – 28, Brent – 15)
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 68-89F
Top Bass: 3-2 Troy (Senko), 2-13 Brent (Senko)
Top 5 Weight (combined): 14-3 (3-2,2-14,2-13,2-11,2-11)

August 3 – Brent with Top Bass of the trip at 1-10 on a spinnerbait

Date: August 3 with Brent
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 5:45am-11:40am (5.25 hours fishing)
Totals: 64 bass (Brent – 36 Troy – 28)
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 68-88F
Top Bass: 1-14 Troy (Buzzbait), 1-10 Brent (Spinnerbait/Popper)
Top 5 Weight (combined): 8-6 (1-14,1-12,1-10,1-10,1-8)

October 11 – Brent Top Partner Bass #5 at 2-9 on a lipless crankbait

Date: October 11 with Brent
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 7:40am-3:10pm
Totals: 23 bass (Brent – 12, Troy – 11)
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy, 51-77F
Water temperature: 69F
Top Bass: 2-15 Troy (Spinnerbait/Chatterbait), 2-9 Brent (Lipless Crankbait)
Top 5 Weight (combined): 12-12 (2-15,2-15,-2-9,2-4,2-1)

July 13 – Brent Top Partner Bass #3 at 2-11 on a topwater frog

Partner Numbers
Total Bass: 92
Top Bass: 3-4 Jayce
Top 5 Weight: 13-15 (3-4,2-13,2-11,2-10,2-9)

Always a treat when I can get on the water with family, and I look forward to doing it again in 2025. More recaps in the works with a look at the lures that fooled the bass along with bonus notes and video from a successful year on the water. Talk to you later. Troy

40 Years Ago – January 19, 1985

Posted on by Troy Jackson

On January 19, 1985, I made my first entry into a fishing log.

Forty years, and a pile of notebooks later, the habit is still going strong.

The inspiration to start documenting my fishing trips has been lost over the years. Was it something that I saw on a fishing show or read in a fishing magazine? Perhaps it was a concept offered up by an early idol, “The Bass Professor” Doug Hannon? Maybe it was a fondness for stats derived from being a sports fan? I suppose it could have been a combination of all the above but whatever it was, the habit stuck.

It is fitting that the initial entry was a fishing trip with Dad at Lake Bracken. While Dad had already been fishing “forever”, the early 1980s were when I got bit by the fishing bug. The rest is history as we could write quite a book of our fish stories over the years. Lake Bracken was a great classroom and in those days we generally had the place to ourselves whether walking, rowing, or trolling around the private fishing hole in search of some bites.

And funny enough, this log entry represents one of the few times that we failed to get a bite at Bracken. The spot was chock full of small bluegills, crappie, and green sunfish. None of the above showed up through the ice on this day but there was plenty of catching to come in 1985 and beyond.

AS 2025 progresses, I intend to revisit some of the log entries in that old green notebook. It’s a fun ride looking back on the days of limited angling knowledge, meager tackle, free time, fresh air, and a good batch of fishing partners.

Talk to you later. Troy

2024 Bass Recap – Locations

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Lake Storey Top Bass (tie) at 2-15 on October 11 caught on a spinnerbait

I fished a lot of water and covered a lot of miles chasing bass in 2024. However, the locations can be broken down into three classifications. The Hennepin Canal (23 pools), the Knox County public strip mines (23 lakes), and Lake Storey. Below is a closer look at the numbers from these locations ranked by the number of bass landed (least to most).

Lake Storey Top Bass (tie) at 2-15 on October 11 caught on a chatterbait

Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
(5 visits – 9/16 through 10/11)
80 Bass
35.50 hours
2.21 bass/hour
Top Bass: 2-15 (tie) Spinnerbait/Chatterbait both caught on 10/11
Top 5 Weight: 13-6 (2-15,2-15,2-10,2-8,2-6)
Comments: 2024 was a record year on Lake Storey as the 80 bass vastly exceeded my best yearly total according to data dating back to 1997. The previous best was 45 bass in 2007. The 2024 catch rate of 2.21 bass/hour also represented a significant uptick as the overall catch rate from 1997 through 2023 was a combined 1.11 bass/hour. While I fell an ounce shy of the three-pound mark for a Top Bass, among my catches were many solid, healthy fish. What was the secret to success? Practice, presentation, and precision are good places to start and concepts for another time.

Hennepin Canal Top Bass at 3-10 on September 29 caught on a frog

Hennepin Canal – Henry, Bureau, Rock Island County
(45 visits, 23 pools – 3/2 through 11/17)
270 bass
136.00 hours
1.99 bass/hour
Top Bass: 3-10 Frog on 9/29
Top 5 Weight: 15-15 (3-10,3-6,3-0,3-0,2-15)
Comments: One of my aims in 2024 was to expand my exploration of The Canal. As I explored, I also looked to land enough quality bass to establish a ten-pound or better Top 5 limit on each stretch of The Canal between Colona and the feeder basin just west of Sheffield. I made good strides towards the latter goal and the 3-10 bass represented my largest Canal bass to date. For 2025, I am looking to fill in the blanks on stretches lacking a double-digit Top 5 while still in search of my first four-pounder from the historic waterway.

Knox County strip mine Top Bass at 3-3 on July 13 caught on a frog

Knox County, IL Public Strip Mines
(11 visits, 23 lakes – 2/25 through 9/27)
276 bass
49.00 hours
5.63 bass/hour
Top Bass: 3-3 Frog on 7/13
Top 5 Weight: 14-13 (3-3,3-2,2-15,2-14,2-11)
Comments: The strip mines offer a multitude of fishing holes if you are willing to put in the effort. 2024 featured a combination of the regular haunts along with exploring several spots where I previously had limited experience. Results were all over the place with struggles on productive water, surprises on unfamiliar water, and exactly what I have come to expect on other fishing holes. The overall catch rate looks impressive, but I had to weed out a lot of small bass to get a handful of quality bites on a few different spots. The jury is still out on how I plan to attack the strip mines in 2025 as there are so many choices but only so much time to get on the water.

The recaps continue with posts on the way covering lures and partners. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

2024 Bass Recap – Intro

Posted on by Troy Jackson

2024 established a new BYOB (Best Year of Bass) mark with 626 largemouth bass landed. Today’s post is the first of a collection of submissions that delve into various details of those catches.

2024 First Bass – March 3 at 8:55am on the Hennepin Canal

2024 Bass Stats
Bass = 626
Outings = 61 (ranging from 1.00-hour to 8.25-hour trips)
Bodies of water = 47
Bass Fishing Hours = 220.50
Bass/hour = 2.84
First Bass of the Year: March 3 at 8:55am on the Hennepin Canal
Last Bass of the Year: November 17 at 3:10pm on the Hennepin Canal
Comments: Forty-seven bodies of water make me seem like quite the bass fishing vagabond. However, the truth is not as epic as it may seem. Twenty-three spots represent different pools on the Hennepin Canal covering Rock Island, Henry, and Bureau Counties. Twenty-three other spots were Knox County public strip pits. And the other fishing hole was good, old Lake Storey.

First Bass Video below

 

Top 5 Bass (Weight, Location, Date, Lure)
3-10 Hennepin Canal 9/29 Frog
3-6 Hennepin Canal 9/29 Frog
3-3 Knox County public strip pit 7/20 Frog
3-2 Knox County public strip pit 7/13 Senko
3-0 Hennepin Canal 6/29 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Total Weight: 16-5 (3-10,3-6,3-3,3-2,3-0)

2024 Last Bass – November 17 at 3:10pm on the Hennepin Canal

Access
Bank Bass (Northerner boots, hiking, and biking) = 232 bass
Little Boat Bass (over 40-year-old 8’ johnboat) = 314 bass
Big Boat Bass (1987 Bass Tracker Pro 17) = 80 bass
Comments: Nothing out of the ordinary here with eighty-seven percent of my bass coming via hiking, biking, and rowing. The remaining bass were caught on Lake Storey while fishing out of Dad’s Bass Tracker.

Last Bass Video below

 

Public vs. Private
Public Water = 626 bass
Private Water Bass = 0 bass
Comments: As best I can tell, this is the first year that all my catches have come from public water. Looking back over the logs, 2009 and 2022 were lean on private water catches but did include a few. I do need to invest more in my Little John Conservation Club membership as I am in the neighborhood when I fish the Knox County strip mines. However, there is something rewarding about catching public water fish where everyone can take their shot. Many of my public strip mine fish require considerable effort in hiking or dragging a boat and one of these years I will have to scale back on such adventures. But so far so good, and I intend to keep chasing those fish in 2025.

Next up is a breakdown of the locations where I caught my bass. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Nature Recap

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Continuing the recaps, today we look at some of the nature observed on the Hennepin Canal while hiking, camping, and fishing. There is never a lack of adventure out there on the historic waterway. The clip below includes oddities (white squirrel), reclusive critters (mink), an opossum relocation, spiders and snakes (do you recall the old Jim Stafford tune), flora, fungus, and more.

 

More recaps to come as I work on the 2024 stats, notes, and video. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 All-Time Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Eleven years of the Top 5 project have seen over eleven hundred bass submitted by a varying cast of anglers. Being a fan of statistics, here is the latest look at the all-time numbers.

Group Totals = 1125 bass
2014 = 154
2015 = 106
2016 = 136
2017 = 79
2018 = 116
2019 = 95
2020 = 90
2021 = 92
2022 = 100
2023 = 88
2024 = 69

Submissions by month
266 April
187 May
152 June
136 March
108 July
75 September
68 October
41 August
38 November
33 February
13 December
8 January

Top 10 Top 5 Monthly Weights (group total)
37-9 May 2014
29-8 June 2014
29-7 March 2016
29-2 April 2014
28-10 April 2022
28-9 October 2018
28-7 December 2016
27-14 April 2015
27-12 March 2015
27-11 July 2014

Top 5 Weights by Month (group total)
January (2018) = 13-5 (3-15, 2-7, 2-6, 2-6, 2-3)
February (2016) = 22-9 (6-7,4-15,4-10,4-1,2-8)
March (2016) = 29-7 (6-5,6-1,5-14,5-10,5-9)
April (2014) = 29-2 (8-0, 5-11, 5-10, 4-15. 4-14)
May (2014) = 37-9 (9-4, 8-10, 8-8, 6-1, 5-2)
June (2014) = 29-8 (6-11, 6-4, 5-10, 5-8, 5-7)
July (2014) = 27-11 (6-6, 6-0, 5-5, 5-0, 5-0)
August (2019) = 19-4 (4-14,4-10,4-6,2-14,2-8)
September (2019) = 24-5 (5-3,5-0,5-0,4-12,4-6)
October (2018) = 28-9 (6-3,5-14,5-10,5-10,5-4)
November (2018) = 26-1 (7-2,6-12,4-3,4-0,4-0)
December (2016) = 28-7 (7-7,6-5,5-13,4-11,4-3)

Monthly Top Bass
January
3-15 Mark Balbinot 1/27/18 Crankbait
February
6-7 Mike Overturf 2/27/16 Plastic Worm
March
7-0 Randy Sampson Sr. 3/22/15 Jig
April
8-0 Kamryn Kaesebier 4/13/14 Crankbait
May
9-4 Jake Bresson 5/23/14 Jig
June
6-11 Ty Hartlipp 6/11/14 Topwater Frog
July
6-6 Jake Bresson 7/11/14 Plastic Worm
August
6-8 Gary Le 8/16/14 Swimbait
September
6-0 Austin Chapman 9/19/15 Jig
October
7-4 Mark Balbinot 10/29/17 Jig
November
7-2 Mark Balbinot 11/23/18 Underspin
December
7-7 Mark Balbinot 12/11/16 Underspin

Public vs. Private Water
Public = 842 bass
Public Top 5 Weight Record 32-2 (2014) vs. 19-9 (2024)
Private = 266 bass
Private Top 5 Weight Record 33-14 (2017) vs. 1-3 (2024)
Undisclosed = 17 bass

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 605 bass
Boat Top 5 Weight Record 33-14 (2017) vs. 17-12 (2024)
Bank = 514 bass
Bank Top 5 Weight 40-14 (2014) vs. 18-14 (2024)
Undisclosed = 6 bass

The Baits (44 undisclosed)
300 Plastic Worms (Top Bass 6-8 Mark Balbinot 11/20/16)
124 Lipless Crankbaits (6-3 Mark Balbinot 10/20/18)
122 Spinnerbaits (6-14 Chris Schwarz 3/25/20)
89 Chatterbaits (5-15 Jim Junk 6/22/20)
87 Crankbaits (8-0 Kamryn Kaesebier 4/13/14)
66 Jigs (9-4 Jake Bresson 5/23/14)
55 Jerkbaits (5-10 Ty Hartlipp 6/5/14)
36 Buzzbaits (5-9 Troy Jackson 4/25/17)
33 Swimbaits (8-10 Gary Le 5/4/14)
30 Creature Baits (6-15 Mark Balbinot 5/13/17)
29 Swim Jigs (6-13 Jake Bresson 4/9/15)
22 Topwater Frogs (6-11 Ty Hartlipp 6/11/14)
17 Propbaits (6-2 Jake Bresson 5/1/15)
14 Underspins (Top Bass 7-7 Mark Balbinot 12/11/16)
13 Poppers (3-1 Troy Jackson 9/25/01)
12 Tubes (Top Bass 5-0 Jake Bresson 4/28/15)
10 Grubs (Top Bass 7-0 Chris Schwarz 11/28/20)
8 Livebait (5-14 Jim Junk 7/4/14)
6 Stickbaits (6-6 Mark Balbinot 8/27/17)
5 Ultralights (3-1 Paul Kessler 10/12/17)
2 Inline Spinners (5-2 Jake Bresson 9/17/17)
1 Blade Baits (5-3 Mark Balbinot 11/16/19)

Top 10 Top 5 Bass
9-4 Jake Bresson 5/23/14 Jig
8-10 Gary Le 5/4/14 Swimbait
8-8 Jake Bresson 5/23/14 Jig
8-0 Kamryn Kaesebier 4/13/14 Crankbait
7-7 Mark Balbinot 12/11/16 Underspin
7-4 Mark Balbinot 10/29/17 Jig
7-2 Mark Balbinot 11/23/18 Underspin
7-0 Randy Sampson Sr. 3/22/15 Jig
7-0 Chris Schwarz 11/28/20 Grub
6-15 Mark Balbinot 5/13/17 Creature Bait

The 20-Pound Club
33-14 Mark Balbinot 2017 (7-4,6-15,6-13,6-8,6-6)
32-13 Jake Bresson 2014 (9-4, 8-8, 6-6, 4-10, 4-1)
32-13 Mark Balbinot 2016 (7-7,6-8,6-5,6-5,6-4)
32-0 Gary Le 2014 (8-10,6-8,5-12,5-10, 5-8)
31-9 Mark Balbinot 2018 (7-2,6-12,6-3,5-14,5-10)
30-5 Chris Schwarz (7-0,6-14,5-12,5-7,5-4)
29-7 Austin Chapman 2015 (6-4,6-2,6-0,5-14,5-3)
27-13 Jim Junk (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-1,4-7)
27-12 Jake Bresson 2015 (6-13,6-2,5-5,5-0,4-8)
27-6 Randy Sampson Sr 2015 (7-0,6-1,4-13,4-12,4-12)
27-6 Jake Bresson 2016 (6-3,5-13,5-4,5-2,5-0)
26-13 Troy Jackson 2017 (6-2,5-11,5-9,5-0,4-7)
26-4 Austin Chapman 2016 (5-14,5-10,5-2,4-14,4-12)
26-1 Brice Wangler 2014 (5-11, 5-5, 5-2, 5-0, 4-15)
26-0 Jim Junk (6-0,5-5,5-3,5-2,4-6)
25-13 Jim Junk (5-15,5-5,4-15,4-14,4-12)
*25-9 Jim Junk (5-9,5-5,5-1,4-14,4-12)
25-8 Brice Wangler 2015 (5-7,5-4,5-2,4-14,4-13)
25-4 Mark Balbinot 2019 (5-5,5-3,5-1,4-14,4-13)
24-14 Ty Hartlipp 2014 (6-11, 5-10, 5-5, 4-0, 3-4)
24-14 Jim Junk 2019 (5-3,5-1,5-0,4-14,4-12)
24-9 Terry Isbell 2014 (5-8,5-4,5-2,4-8,4-3)
23-12 Jake Bresson 2017 (5-4,5-2,5-2,4-3,4-1)
23-11 Randy Sampson Sr. 2017 (6-0,4-14,4-12,4-11,3-6)
23-8 Jim Junk 2018 (5-4,5-2,4-9,4-5,4-4)
22-15 Adam Bean 2015 (5-13,4-9,4-6,4-2,4-1)
22-13 Mike Mooney 2014 (6-4, 5-7, 4-3, 3-9, 3-6)
22-12 Troy Jackson 2015 (5-13,4-13,4-10,3-12,3-12)
21-8 Randy Sampson Sr. 2016 (5-12,5-8,4-11,3-1,2-8)
*21-10 Troy Jackson (5-3,4-10,4-2,4-1,3-10)
21-7 Brice Wangler 2016 (4-8,4-7,4-4,4-2,4-2)
21-3 Troy Jackson 2016 (5-9,5-4,3-9,3-7,3-6)
20-15 Chris Schwarz 2018 (4-11,4-11,4-8,4-0,3-1)
20-14 Troy Jackson 2014 (4-13, 4-6, 4-2, 4-1, 3-8)
20-12 Chris Schwarz 2019 (5-3,5-0,3-11,3-10,3-4)
20-9 Austin Chapman 2014 (4-15, 4-4,4-0,3-13,3-9)
20-1 Bruce Zilkowski 2014 (4-11,4-3,4-0,3-12,3-7)
20-0 Troy Jackson (4-10,4-4,4-3,3-9,3-6)

And just for fun…

All-Time Weights (30-pound minimum “career” mark)
(Note: not all anglers have participated each year)
216-11 Troy Jackson
(20-14,22-12,21-3,26-13,15-9,14-4,18-12,20-0,18-9,21-10,16-5)
212-1 Jim Junk
(11-7,16-5,13-7,23-8,24-14,25-13,26-0,27-13,25-9,17-5)
168-6 Brent Jackson
(18-7,6-10,13-2,10-2,19-2,13-7,13-3,18-11,18-9,19-3,17-14)
123-8 Mark Balbinot
(33-14,32-13,31-9,25-4)
111-11 Jake Bresson
(32-13,27-12,27-6,23-12)
76-4 Austin Chapman
(20-9,29-7,26-4)
73-0 Brice Wangler
(26-1,25-8,21-7)
72-15 Bruce Zilkowski
(20-1,17-0,17-14,18-0)
72-10 Randy Sampson, Sr.
(27-6,21-8,23-12)
72-0 Chris Schwarz
(20-15,20-12,30-5)
66-12 Paul Kessler
(18-6,17-6,16-6,14-10)
45-11 Mike Mooney
(22-13,4-9,18-5)
54-15 John Kirkemo
(10-8,6-14,8-0,11-14,7-210-9)

A lot to digest there and eager to see how year number twelve of the Top 5 project will shake out in 2025. Talk to you later. Troy

2024 Top 5 Results

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Congratulations to our Top 5 winner for 2024, Brent Jackson, with a limit of bass weighing 17-14. Steadily boosting his weight from April through October put him at the top of our crew. He also becomes our first angler to claim the title while catching the bulk of his fish from a kayak, an approach that has seen a boom in popularity across the nation. Read on for the results of the 2024 season.

Angler Weights
Brent Jackson 17-14 (3-15,3-12,3-9,3-6,3-4)
Jim Junk 17-5 (4-6,3-14,3-10,3-1,2-6)
Troy Jackson 16-5 (3-10,3-6,3-3,3-2,3-0)
John Kirkemo 10-9 (2-8,2-7,2-0,1-13,1-13)
Julia Jackson 8-12 (2-10,1-10,1-10,1-8,1-6)
Jayce Jackson 3-4 (3-4)
Brady Jackson 1-3 (1-3)

 

Bass Totals (largemouth and spotted)

2024 Totals
March = 15 bass
April = 16 bass
May = 11 bass
June = 12 bass
July = 7 bass
August = 1 bass
September = 4 bass
October = 1 bass
November = 2 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
March = 18-3 (4-6,3-14,3-10,3-4,3-1)
April = 11-0 (2-8,2-7,2-4,2-0,1-13)
May = 14-15 (3-6,3-4,3-0,2-12,2-9)
June = 14-7 (3-12,3-0,2-10,2-9,2-8)
July = 16-2 (3-15,3-3,3-2,2-15,2-15)
August = 1-3 (1-3)
September = 11-5 (3-10,3-6,3-2,1-3)
October = 3-9 (3-9)
November = 3-0 (1-15,1-1)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 49 bass
Bank = 20 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 17-12 (3-15,3-12,3-9,3-4,3-4)
Bank = 18-14 (4-6,3-14,3-10,3-10,3-6)

Public vs. Private
Public = 68 bass
Private = 1 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 19-9 (4-6,3-15,3-14,3-12,3-10)
Private = 1-3 (1-3)

The Baits
Jerkbait = 18 bass (Top Bass 2-8 John Kirkemo)
Chatterbait = 10 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
Plastic Worm = 9 bass (Top Bass 3-15 Brent Jackson)
Frog = 8 bass (Top Bass 3-10 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 3-0 Troy Jackson)
Popper = 5 bass (Top Bass 3-12 Brent Jackson)
Lipless Crankbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 2-6 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
Buzzbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-9 Troy Jackson)
Crankbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-11 Troy Jackson)

Monthly Top Bass
March
4-6 Jim Junk
April
2-8 John Kirkemo
May
3-6 Brent Jackson
June
3-12 Brent Jackson
July
3-15 Brent Jackson
August
1-3 Brady Jackson
September
3-10 Troy Jackson
October
3-9 Brent Jackson
November
1-15 Troy Jackson

2024 Top 10 Bass
4-6 Jim Junk 3/3
3-15 Brent Jackson 7/19
3-14 Jim Junk 3/18
3-12 Brent Jackson 6/27
3-10 Jim Junk 3/3
3-10 Troy Jackson 9/29
3-9 Brent Jackson 10/19
3-6 Brent Jackson 5/4
3-6 Troy Jackson 9/29
3-4 Jayce Jackson 3/31
3-4 Brent Jackson 5/5

Other Species

Bowfin
Troy Jackson 3-13 (3-13)

Channel Catfish
John Kirkemo 2-3 (2-3)

Freshwater Drum
Troy Jackson 2-10 (2-10)

Gar
John Kirkemo 28” (28”)

Striped Bass
John Kirkemo 9-13 (3-5,2-6,1-12,1-6,1-0)

Trout (brown and rainbow)
John Kirkemo 24” (12”, 12”)

Stay tuned for a recap of the all-time Top 5 stats covering eleven years of the pursuit. And anyone who is interested is invited to hop on board as we work towards a dozen years of participation. Talk to you later. Troy

2024 Recap Intro

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With the New Year underway, I can officially put a wrap on the 2024 outdoor adventures with my annual series of recap posts. Over the course of another year of hiking, biking, rowing, and trolling, I amassed a great deal of notes, stats, pictures, and video. Many of the details hit the blog in the regular fishing reports or random rambles but there were plenty of items that wound up lost in the shuffle or needed editing. In addition, others required final tallies to provide an overall assessment of a year on the water.

Therefore, as 2025 progresses, I am working on a batch of posts to recap another fulfilling year outdoors. Coming your way as I work through the Cabin Fever months are a series of 2024 recaps. Among the batch of posts will be the announcement of our 2024 Top 5 Champ as well as a look at the all-time Top 5 Stats. There will also be an in-depth look at the 2024 fishing stats from my most productive year ever of bass fishing in terms of quantity. I also hope to post some loose ends that were missed over the last couple of years and get some video edited to accompany the words and pictures. Finally, I intend to take another stroll down Memory Lane with the forty-year anniversary of a habit that played a major role in the creation of this blog. That habit also led to your current investment of a few minutes of your day to read these rambles.

 

Stay tuned as I hit the ground writing and recapping while also looking forward to what 2025 outdoors has to offer. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A submission from the southeast gives us one more update as we head into the final month of the year.

Fish: Spotted bass
Weight: 1lbs. 6 oz.
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: November 26, 2024
Weather: Partly cloudy, Air temperature mid-60s
Water temperature: 67 degrees
Water depth: 33 feet
Location: Lake Keowee, SC (See attached map)
Lure: Rapala X-Rap (Perch)
Comments: Trolled shallow running silver and black Rapala for a while without any hits. Switched to the Rapala X-Rap which is a deeper running suspending lure and caught this fish trolling through the area indicated on the map.
Top 5 Weight: 10-9 (2-8,2-7,2-0,1-13,1-13)

Winning Lure – Rapala X-Rap (perch)

Winning location (I am also intrigued by the “Mississippi Gumball Company” to upper right of picture)

Thank goodness we have a representative in warmer climes as the ice is beginning to form in my neck of the woods. Will this be our final fish of 2024? Time will tell. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – November 17

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A November Sunday with temperatures in the mid-fifties was too good to pass up in searching for more bites before I put the gear away. I tried the “float trip” approach for the first time as my wife dropped me and the boat off and then took the truck three miles downstream to where we had left the van. It was a successful experiment as I didn’t have to row back to the original launch point. And I caught some decent bass along the way.

12:00pm – First bass weighing 1-1 (13.5″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: November 17
Location: Hennepin Canal (3 pools)
Time: 10:50am-3:40pm
Totals: 6 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, 58F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with 3.75” Strike King Rage Swimmer trailer (electric shad) – 6 bass
Top Bass: 2-14
Top 5 Weight: 8-8 (2-14,1-15,1-6,1-4,1-1)

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Spinner or Chatter – On this outing I started out with the trusty old spinnerbait but shifted gears to a chatterbait when my initial offering failed to produce. The spinnerbait garnered a lone bite (that got away) in about an hour of use. The switch to the chatterbait resulted in all six of my bass. Several anglers on forums have encouraged me to invest more casts with the chatterbait and their advice paid off on this day.

Lost Bass – In addition to the six bass that were landed, I also had several hooked that came loose on the way to the boat. The first was on a spinnerbait, while four or five others came undone after striking the chatterbait. In the chilly water, the bites were not rod jarring. Instead, it was a feeling of the retrieve getting heavy, or seeing my line moving, or observing a swirl at my bait. It felt like decent hooksets on the fish, but a couple seemed to strike while coming at me which can diminish the effectiveness. While you won’t land every fish that bites, this trip resulted in a higher percentage of lost bass than any other outing this year. I chalk this up to less aggressive strikes in the chilly water resulting in the fish not hooking up solidly.

12:25pm – Top Bass at 2-14 (18″) on a chatterbait

Angler Advice – Midway through my day, I crossed paths with another angler as we moved in opposite directions. We had a good chat, and he noted that a small crankbait had been his top producer of the day, landing ten bass to that point. I had only three at the time with the chatterbait doing the trick. During our conversation, we recalled that we had encountered each other previously on another stretch of The Canal. Near the end of the outing, we passed once again and he reported adding a couple more bass for an even dozen, doubling my total. It is always enjoyable to share fish stories on the water and the other angler was not the first to inform that a crankbait can be a productive option on The Canal. The drawback for me is that treble hooks and prolific vegetation can make for many frustrating casts. The fellow angler echoed this sentiment, but it sounds like a bunch of fouled casts can be offset by a batch of bites.

2:17pm – Top Bass Runner-up at 1-15 (16″) on a chatterbait

Top 5 Results – While I did not land an abundance of bass, five of the six were “keepers” (at or exceeding 12”). A pair of these catches also boosted the Top 5 Weights on two pools. One of the pools already had a double-digit Top 5 Weight and my goal was to push the other pool to ten pounds. I fell short of that latter goal which means there is more work to do on that pool next year. See the numbers below for the Top 5 boosts from this outing.

Pool One (Note: the 2-14 on this outing represented a new Top Bass for the pool)
Starting Top 5 Weight: 10-3 (2-9,2-7,1-14,1-11,1-10)
New Top 5 Weight: 11-7 (2-14,2-9,2-7,1-14,1-11)

Pool Two (Note: the 1-15 on this outing tied Top Bass for the pool)
Starting Top 5 Weight: 9-2 (1-15,1-14,1-13,1-13,1-11)
New Top 5 Weight: 9-6 (1-15,1-15,1-14,1-13,1-13)

 

A solid outing and a bonus to have warm, stable weather on a mid-November weekend with time to get away. Eventually, I will log the final bass of 2024. Time will tell if these fit that bill. Talk to you later. Troy