Category: Fishing Reports

Lake Storey Report – May 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

My “good luck” this year on Lake Storey brought me back again for the fourth May outing of 2026. Like many football or basketball games these days, it was a tale of two halves when looking at the start and finish to my day on the water. Read on for the stats, first and second half breakdowns, and what I found to be an interesting conversation.

Starting lineup

Stats
Date: May 15
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 8:15am-3:45pm
Totals: 16 bass, 1 shad
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/windy to very windy, 55-77F
Water temperature: Not available
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad (sight fish) – 16 bass, 1 shad
Top Bass: 3-5 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-12 (3-5,3-3,2-5,2-3,1-12)

Tune of the Trip
“Okay, here’s the situation…”
Parents Just Don’t Understand – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1988)
My mind has a soundtrack and at times I wonder stuff like, “Why in the world am I singing part of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.” Such was the case as I loaded my boat and gear as I prepared to leave the lake. Then it dawned on me that I had just texted Julie regarding my status.

1:26pm – Top Bass at 3-5 (18.5″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

First Half Stats – I caught eight bass during each of the two halves of my day. However, from 8:15am to noon the quality was not as good with a Top 5 Weight of only 6-13 (1-12,1-6,1-6,1-5,1-0). A fast start of four bass in the first forty-five minutes had me pondering a thirty bass day. But the next three hours would only double my total, leaving me with eight bass at “halftime.”

1:35pm – Top Bass Runner-Up at 3-3 (19″) on a chatterbait

Second Half Stats – From noon to 3:45pm, eight more bass were entered into the log and four of them would give my Top 5 Weight a significant boost. First was a 2-3 at 12:46pm followed by a pair of three-pounders caught in rapid succession only nine minutes apart (1:26pm and 1:35pm). The final boost came at 2:54pm with a 2-3 to push my Top 5 Weight to 12-12. And that’s why you maintain your focus, hit your spots, and keep on casting as your day can turn around at any time.

The Scavenger Meets the Sculler – Late in my day, I crossed paths with a self-proclaimed “scavenger” rolling his bicycle along the exposed shoreline. He looked to be similar in age, but he had opted for the shirtless look on this pleasant day and sported a ballcap along with a full, ample, graying beard. He was a well-spoken fellow who entertained with a few tales of finds during his endeavors as well as a little personal history and a couple of fish stories (yes, they were actually the fishing kind). Later, I told Julie of the brief encounter, and I said that he was probably telling his acquaintances about the weird, old guy with the floppy hat that he saw rowing an eight-foot johnboat over, around, and across the windblown lake. A couple of oddballs, just doing our thing. I did have to laugh at Julie taking a stab (or was it a jab) at helping me feel less weird in saying, “Well, at least you didn’t still have your scraggly beard.”

The chatterbait continues to dominate, landing 134 of my 152 bass thus far in 2026

 

Another good day on the old home lake gets me one step closer to the 2026 goal of landing one hundred bass on Lake Storey. Currently, I sit at eighty-four Lake Storey bass, so another solid day will allow me to hit the mark much sooner than I anticipated. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – May 14

Posted on by Troy Jackson

On Thursday, May 15, I took my first shot of 2026 at dragging a boat into a Knox County public strip pit. Not by coincidence, the Illinois High School Bass Fishing Regional was being held on nearby Lake McMaster at Snakeden Hollow. The plan was to invest a few hours of my own casting before heading over to see how the prep anglers fared with their efforts.

Starting lineup

Stats
Date: May 14
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 9:50am-12:35pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 56-70F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (blue pearl black and holo flake) – 13 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black or white) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 (Buzzbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-0 (2-2,1-12,1-8,1-6,1-4)

10:10am – Top Bass at 2-2 (17″) on a buzzbait

Battered buzzbait from the Top Bass, just had to bend it back in line

Notes and Nonsense

Lost Lures – This outing cost me two lures. First up was a black Booyah Buzzbait that I launched into the middle of the lake after hitting a dead tree limb on my backcast. Next was a chatterbait the broke off on a hookset. I saw the flash of the bass that hit the lure but not enough to get an estimate on size. Lucky for me, Farm King in Galesburg had Z-Man chatterbaits marked down 15%. So, I bought three to replace the one that I lost.

Always have a spare (or two or three) of a productive lure

Winning lures

11:41am – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-12 (16″) on a Senko wacky rig

Firsts of 2026– I began my day trying to force feed the bass a buzzbait in less-than-ideal buzzbait conditions (clear skies and clear water). My thought process was that I had limited time on the water, so I opted to swing for the fences in search of a big bite. I did get my  first topwater bass of the year and my Top Bass of the day weighing 2-2 mangled my buzzbait but that was the largest of my four buzzbait bass. For the last hour on the water, I shifted gears to a wacky rigged Senko resulting in my first Senko bass of the year with a dozen more to follow.

Lake McMaster IHSA Regional teams headed for the weigh-in

IHSA Tourney – Back in 2009, I was able to attend the weigh-in at Banner Marsh during the first year of the Illinois High School Bass Fishing Tournament as my nephew was fishing for Canton High School. For the second straight year, I have invested a vacation day from work to watch the Lake McMaster Regional weigh-in, working in a pre-event fishing trip of my own on a nearby water. Thirteen of the twenty teams were able to post five fish limits, but the bigger bites were elusive. It is always exciting to see what the young anglers reel in, especially on a lake that I first fished in 1987, several years before it was opened to the public.

Lake McMaster IHSA Regional Results

A solid day on the water for anglers both young and old. Comparing our hauls, I would have finished in third place with a weight or 8.00, trailing the top two teams who boated 9.39 and 8.53, respectively. Apples and oranges for sure as they had to cover a lot more water. But they also got to fish for over twice as long as the old guy. I did get to put in a full day on Friday at Lake Storey, however, but that is another story. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – May 8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Along with fishing, one of my passions is baseball. And this day on the water reminded me a lot of a ballgame. There were extended periods without much to cheer about combined with flurries of activity when the bite picked up. Of course, for the dedicated angler or true baseball fan, the wheels are always turning, and the focus remains high as every cast (or pitch) could be a game changer.

Stats
Date: May 8
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Totals: 15 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy, 56-73F
Water temperature: Not available
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad (sight fish) – 15 bass
Top Bass: 3-1 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 10-4 (3-1,2-2,1-14,1-11,1-8)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
A Pirate Looks at Forty – Jimmy Buffett (1974)
“I passed out and I rallied and I sprung a few leaks
But I got to stop wishin’, got to go fishin’”
While I did not pass out, I fell out of the boat recently (while it was on the bank, video some other day). I had several lengthy lulls without a bite and did rally at various times for a solid day. And that last line sums up 2026 thus far as I have been able to spend ample time on the water. (Note: I am not a pirate and I am way past forty, but my boat does leak a bit)

12:42pm – Top Bass Runner-Up at 2-2 (16″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

Slumps – Three minutes into the outing, at 9:03am, I had my first fish in the boat courtesy of the hot lure of 2026, the chatterbait. It would take me until 10:22am to land my second bass (did have on come unhooked in the interim). Throughout the rest of the day, I would have periods where I blanked for durations of fifty-two minutes (10:22am-11:14am), forty-eight minutes (11:54am-12:42pm), ninety-one minutes (1:30pm-3:01pm) and forty-two minutes (3:18pm until quitting time at 4:00pm).

3:01pm – Top Bass at 3-1 (18″) on a chatterbait

Rallies – Between a couple of the slumps noted above, there were flurries of activity that saved the day. From 11:14am-11:54am, five bass came onboard. Another rally occurred from 12:42pm-1:30pm when six bass were entered into the log. At 11:49am, I landed my fifth keeper to establish a starting Top 5 Weight well before my midway point of the day. While the initial total was only six pounds, the latter half of the day brought bigger bites allowing me to post a double-digit Top 5 for the outing.

 

Complete Game – I am an old school baseball fan and miss the days of a starting pitcher going the distance. On this day, the chatterbait was once again the workhorse in fooling every bass of the trip. I did make casts with several other lures, but a lack of results pushed me back to throwing the chatterbait. And I was glad that I stuck with it as my next to last fish of the trip was a three-pounder. The chatterbait is my 2026 confidence bait for a reason.

Lake Storey has treated me well this spring. My initial goal was to visit once a month from March through October this year, but the bite has been solid enough to rack up three trips in May. And May visits may not be done yet. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – May 4

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Although I had met my goal of a monthly Lake Storey visit the previous day during a trip with my son, Jayce, I chose the lake again as a destination the following day. Read on to see if I was wearing out my welcome or just getting warmed up.

8:59am – First Bass at 2-11 (18″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: May 4
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 8:50am-3:35pm
Totals: 20 bass
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 62-77F
Water temperature: Not available
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white) with BPS Speed Shad (sight fish) – 19 bass, Strike King KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-9 Crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 13-6 (3-9,2-14,2-11,2-4,2-0)

Starting lineup

Notes and Nonsense

10:10am – Top Bass at 3-9 (19″) on a crankbait 

Streak Breaker – At 10:10am, I landed my Top Bass of the trip weighing 3-9 on Strike King KVD 2.5 Squarebill crankbait. It was Bass #87 of 2026 and marked the first bass of the year that had not been caught on a chatterbait. I was letting the wind drift my boat along a bland bank with a fairly steep drop as I worked from one target area to the next. I thought, “This looks like a good spot for the crankbait”, tossed it ahead and landed this fish on my first cast with the lure. Any three-pound bass is a winner, but this one was extra cool as it made me feel smart for deciding to shift gears and make a cast. Oh yeah, I then went back to my chatterbait for next sixteen bass of the outing.

11:49am – Top Bass Runner-Up at 2-14 (17.5″) on a chatterbait

Healthy Bass – I term any bass over 12” in length as a “keeper”, even though all are released after the catch. I also record the data on all the bass that I catch, whether “keeper” or “short.” From 1997 through 2025, I have data on 586 largemouth bass from Lake Storey. Of those, 319 bass measured 12” or better for a “keeper rate” of 54%. On this trip, 15 of my 20 bass were keepers for a whopping 75% keeper rate. Thus far, for 2026 the keeper rate stands at 71% (45 of 63 bass). Body shape is also impressive as the fish are robust and have average to above length to weight ratios. Obviously, a small sample and a hit or miss sampling method but my conclusion is that the Lake Storey bass are doing well.

Co-Angler Blues – I had fished the previous day with my son, Jayce, and we had a productive day in combining for thirteen bass and a solid Top 5 Weight of 10-3. However, the bass were overachievers on this follow-up outing, and I sent my wife updates as I have been known to do. As she teaches where our boy, Jayce, goes to school, she was able to share with him as noted in the text snip above. While there is a popular fishing adage stating, “You should have been here yesterday”, I later told Jayce that this was an amended version. As in, “You should have been there tomorrow.”

Winning lures

Top 5 Notes – The 13-6 Top 5 Weight for this trip represented my third best Lake Storey Top 5 of all-time (best is 14-5 from 9/30/2007). It is also the third straight double-digit Lake Storey Top 5 of 2026. A double-digit Top 5 is one of my statistical goals for each outing so it has been a very good spring on Lake Storey.

 

And spring fishing on Lake Storey ain’t over yet. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – May 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

In my 2026 quest to fish Lake Storey once a month, I was able to check off May right away. And, as a bonus, my sixteen-year-old son, Jayce, was along for the row. Read on to see how we fared on this day along with a flashback memory as well.

2:06pm – Dad Top Bass Runner-Up at 2-4 (17.5″)  on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: May 3
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 12:15pm-4:30pm
Totals: 13 bass (Dad – 7, Jayce – 6)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/very windy, 63-70F
Water temperature: Not available
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white or sexy shad) with swimbait trailers – 13 bass
Top Bass: 2-9 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 10-3 (2-9,2-4,1-15,1-12,1-11)

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Learning Curve – No matter how long you fish, you will never be able to avoid mishaps, and you should never stop learning a thing or two along the way. Between the two anglers in the boat, we wound up snagged several times. I told Jayce that means that we were casting where the bass live and the advantage of fishing out of a boat means that we can get those lures back. One that we won’t get back now lies on the bottom of the east end of the lake. Jayce experienced a pronounced backlash that abruptly halted his cast, breaking the line and launching the lure. On a windy day, even the best of us cannot avoid such “professional overruns.” On the upside, Jayce got a better feel for casting and catching on a chatterbait along with being right on target with the dipnet on our Top Bass of the trip.

2:28pm – Jayce Top Bass at 1-8 (14″) on a chatterbait

July 26, 2019 – Jayce with a Lake Storey bass flashback

Fishing Flashback July 26, 2019 – Jayce and I have teamed up in a boat on Lake Storey a few times, and only one other instance where our focus was on bass fishing. That trip took place on July 26, 2019, and Jayce out fished me on that evening to the tune of four bass to zero. On our latest outing, I got an early lead, but Jayce landed our last two bass of the day, leaving him one bass shy of a tie at seven to six before we ran out of lake. However, if you combine that 2019 outing, he has the edge at ten bass to seven. I’d say, “Who’s counting”, but I am pretty sure we both are.

4:13pm – Dad Top Bass at 2-9 (17.5″) on a chatterbait

Narration and Conversation – I always enjoy fishing with Jayce and an eight-foot johnboat made for much closer quarters than our previous bank fishing trips this year. Beyond just hanging out, I got a kick out of providing insights into our approach and relating fish stories gathered over the years. I try not to lay it on too thick, but I could talk fishing all day long and when you are within less than a rod’s length on the water, it’s just what you do. Earlier this year after a visit to my folks’, Jayce said, “I really like listening to Papa tell his stories.” I do as well, and hopefully days like this will spur Jayce to carry on the tradition.

4:30pm – Jayce Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-2 (13″) on a chatterbait

Chalk up some more memories on Lake Storey. Feels good to keep things going with the next generation. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Notes – April 25

Posted on by Troy Jackson

One of the goals that I outlined in my 2026 Targets post was trying to hit Lake Storey once a month. So far so good with a March and an April visit in the books. Beyond that general goal, I also have several statistical aims in mind. For today’s post, I look at how the catches from the recent trip contributed to those goals. In addition, I will provide details on the unusual conditions at Lake Storey here in the spring of 2026.

Record Book Data
Landing twenty-four bass in six hours is an absolute winner for me anywhere, but it was extra rewarding on Lake Storey as those bass can be wily. Here’s a look at how the numbers on this outing stack up in the all-time Lake Storey stats.
24 bass – Second most one day individual total (27 on 9/30/2007)
4-5 Top Bass Weight – My largest April Lake Storey Bass topping a 4-0 on 4/4/1999
4-5 Top Bass Weight – 6th largest Lake Storey Bass all-time (includes partners)
12-6 Top 5 Weight – 5th highest Lake Storey total all-time (14-5 on 9/30/2007)
12-6 Lake Storey April Daily Top 5 – New Record beating 4-0 on 4/4/1999

The video below features Lake Storey Bass #600 since 1997 when dedicated, continuous logging began

 

Battle of Adages
“Wind from the east, fish bite the least.”
This saying has plenty of merit as an east wind can often be associated with cold front conditions. And clear skies accompanying east winds can also present difficulty as the fish can be more wary. However, I have never minded fishing Lake Storey under sunny skies as the water has some color to it and on this day, there was also some shade in many of the areas that I fished.

“The best time to go fishing is anytime you can.”
To meet my monthly goal, I needed to get on the water before I ran out of April. Saturday was my only option as I had family plans on Sunday, and the Monday forecast was substantial rains and scattered thunderstorms. In this case, this adage won out over the previous one as I had one of my better days on the lake. And that’s saying something considering I have been a dedicated bass angler on that old fishing hole for about forty years.

A blury and skewed look at the West Boat Ramp, nearly high and dry

Public Service Announcements

Bad Ramps – For anyone considering fishing Lake Storey from a boat, do so at your own risk. With the lake still being lowered, there are only a couple feet of the west ramp still in the water. The end of the concrete has a significant dropoff of six inches or better across the width which has the potential to damage a trailer. The east ramp is high and dry. It features an even larger drop at the end of the concrete with about fifteen feet of knee-deep muck before you reach very shallow water.

Pack your boots to contend with the muck on the lowered lake

Muddy Mess – If you wish to launch a carry-in boat, canoe, or kayak, I recommend packing along a pair of knee boots. The west end has enough packed sand and gravel that I was able to get by with my tennis shoes. However, as I was fishing the entire length of the lake and taking out at the east ramp, I packed my boots in the boat. As I finished my day, a group were taking out their kayaks and warned me of the quicksand-like muck with one teenager chuckling about having lost a shoe. I laughed along and informed him that I had dealt with the drawdown longer than he’d been alive as I stepped out with my boots on. He did help me drag my boat to solid ground though as he said he was already a mess and later assisted me in lifting it into the truck.

I have one more item to pass along from this Lake Storey trip. It is video footage documenting a strange encounter coupled with a first of its kind bass “catch.” Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – April 25

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Keeping up with my 2026 goal to hit Lake Storey at least once a month from March through October, I was able to work in my April outing last weekend. For years, I have primarily fished the lake in the fall but after the results on this trip, it seems like I have been missing out.

10:49am – Top Bass #3 weighng 2-5 (16.5″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: April 25
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 9:55am-3:55pm
Totals: 24 bass
Weather: Sunny/windy, 60-71F
Water temperature: Not available
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish) – 24 bass
Top Bass: 4-5 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-6 (4-5,2-12,2-5,1-11,1-5)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
“I said, rock, rock ‘til you drop, rock, rock never stop”
Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) – Def Leppard (1983)
On this day, I found a productive bite when targeting spots on the lake that featured rocky cover. Rockpiles, riprap shoreline, gravel bottoms, and areas with scattered debris were winners.

12:43pm – Top Bass weighing 4-5 (20″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

Fellow Anglers – Not surprisingly, the lake was a popular place on a pleasant Saturday morning and afternoon. On the water, I spotted one other boat and a flotilla of close to a dozen kayaks. Among the latter, only a couple were fishing. And I wasn’t the only angler catching as I saw the boater land a few crappie, one bank angler real in a big carp, and another bank angler releasing a quality catfish.

Winning lure as the chatterbait once again lands every fish on this outing and 76 of 76 bass in 2026

Talking the Talk – Last week I was texting fishing stuff with my friend, John Kirkemo, as we are wont to do. One of his texts noted that he had to replace one of his favorite lures, a Rapala Floating Minnow, as the plastic lip had fallen out of the balsa bait while fighting a fish. As I like talking fishing, I offered up a trio of my top fishing tips that would later come into play on my Lake Storey outing. Those tips were as follows:
1. Check your line regularly and when in doubt, retie.
2. Never wonder if you should make some casts to a spot, just do it.
3. Always pack along spares of your favorite lures.

2:27pm – Top Bass #2 weighing 2-12 (17.5″) on a chatterbait

Walking the Walk – On this trip, I put each of the above tips to work. In one instance, they all took place within a few minutes as noted below.
1. After catching a bass, I checked my line and found a few worn spots, so I retied.
2. After retying, and reluctant to fight the wind, I debated whether to row over to a piece of offshore cover. But, when in doubt, check it out, so I moved to the spot.
3. On my first cast to the target, I had a strike, set the hook, and broke off my highly productive chatterbait. It was a clean break, so the issue was not the knot, and my thoughts point towards a toothy muskie. Fortunately, I had plenty of identical spare chatterbaits and had another one tied on in less than a minute.
I then rowed back to the target and made two more casts. While retrieving the second cast, I observed a shad shoot out of the water nearby indicating that it was likely fleeing a predator. As a result, I made a follow-up cast in the vicinity and was rewarded with a bass weighing 1-5.

Always pack a spare of your favorite lure

 

I led off today’s post mentioning my general aim for Lake Storey but there are other goals and milestones on the radar for 2026. As such, I have a supplemental post covering additional aspects of this outing coming your way next. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – April 13

Posted on by Troy Jackson

This outing marked three consecutive days of fishing on The Canal. Each was a brief outing although I intended to stick around longer on this hike. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans as a thunderstorm showed up over an hour earlier than forecast. I got back to my truck in the nick of time as the clouds opened up with a heavy downpour just before noon.

Stats
Date: April 13
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 9:05am-11:50am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to overcast/windy
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-1 Chatterbait
Top 4 Weight (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 6-4 (2-1,2-0,1-2,1-1)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
“Yeah, you go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin’ ‘round and ‘round.”
Do It Again – Steely Dan (1972)
Early season fishing has been like the proverbial “broken record” with the same lure in the same spots racking up some quality catches. But to use another adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so I went back and did it again.

The chattebait continues to get it done, catching all fifty-two of my bass in 2026

Discards after my retying routine to start every day on the water

Notes and Nonsense

Retie and Recheck – Prior to my first casts when I arrive, I strip off several feet of line and clip it past the kink created by the top eye on my rod during the time my poles have sat idle. Then I run several feet of the remaining line through my fingers to check for any abrasions and retie my lures. In addition, I check my line after each catch and periodically when running it through any sort or potentially abrasive cover such as rocks, wood, or vegetation. When in doubt, retie. You will never regret investing those few extra seconds to prevent wondering “what if” should you break off a fish.

10:19am – Top Bass of the trip at 2-1 (16.5″) on a chatterbait

Angler Tips – I encountered a fellow angler on my hike who passed on a few fish stories, pics, and a couple tips. He mentioned landing some four to five-pounders recently and I had to ask, “On The Canal?” As he began to answer, I said that all I was seeking was a “Yes or No” as I was not looking for any specific spots. I just wanted confirmation that such fish still swim in that old water. Turns out they were not from The Canal but from a local, public, off the beaten path fishing hole. He also offered me a tip on a scaled down lure that is successful on The Canal and even gave me a couple to try. You can’t beat that and I will give the lures a shot. But I was a little unsure on the directions to his hotspot so I’m not sure if that will come into play. I am a little reluctant to hop on somebody’s spot, even if they are willing to share insider information. Besides, I have ample water to fish and some milestones on those spots that are in my sights.

A telltale sign that the bass are in the mood to create some more bass

Spawning Tales/Tails – The angler above also noted observing some bass with beat up, bloody tails. I shared that I had also caught a pair with the same look over the weekend. In addition, I had spooked a half dozen bass along the shoreline on this outing as they darted of bare spots on the bottom. All the above points to the bass’ thoughts turning to making more bass in the shallow, warming water of The Canal.

11:38am – Top Bass Ruuner-up of the trip at 2-0 (16″) on a chatterbait

So, the Canal continues to produce what I categorize as “good ones” with a pair of bass at two pounds or better on this trip. However, I have yet to reach the three-pound mark on a catch this year. I know they are in there and the time is approaching to employ one of my favorite techniques to fool some, topwater fishing. Hopefully, it won’t be long although this morning’s cold front thirty-degree temperatures are a letdown after seventies earlier this week. And yep, it is the weekend, go figure. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – April 12

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After a successful day of casting in the rain the previous day, I found myself contending with a strong wind on this outing. Read on for the results, a rescue, and thoughts on the windy conditions.

Stats
Date: April 12
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 9:15am-12:00pm
Totals: 8 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy, 65F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish) – 8 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 Chatterbait
Top 3 Weight (only 3 bass at 12” or better): 4-0 (1-15,1-1,1-0)

Starting Lineup

Tune of the Trip
“Blow away, Blow away, Blow away.”
Blow Away – George Harrison (1979)
The wind was wicked on this day. When walking The Canal, it really doesn’t pose much of a problem, but it did rock me a few times as I stood on uneven shoreline riprap. More on the wind later in this post.

10:24am – Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 1-1 (12.5″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

Battered Chatter – My chatterbait has begun to show some wear upon landing every single one of my bass this year. The unusual streak reached forty-seven with the eight landed on this outing. The battle scars consist of paint knocked off the head and many of the skirt strands ripped away. In addition, I have gone through a batch of swimbait trailers along the way. While ugliness is not a deal breaker, I did bust out a new bait on this trip to give the old one a rest.

Rescued – I nearly donated the chatterbait to The Canal as an errant cast landed on downed limb several feet from the bank. I have a hole in one boot and the muck on the bottom of The Canal is crazy, so I was unable to wade out to the bait. Fortunately, I had a rod and reel spooled up with braided line. I tied on a swim jig, stepped into the edge of the water with my good boot and proceeded to snag the branch. As the braided line is darn near impossible to break, it allowed me to pull the branch within reach and retrieve my lure to cast another day.

Wind Pros – On the upside, wind can be beneficial as it can push the food chain towards the riprapped banks of The Canal. It also breaks up the surface making the shallow fish less spooky which is a bonus for a bank bound angler. I prefer the wind blowing towards me in terms of positioning fish in proximity but at my back or a crosswind has a positive effect on casting distance. Generally, accuracy is more important to me than distance, but it is cool to make some casts that span the entire width of The Canal.

11:15am – Top Bass of the trip at 1-15 (16″) on a chatterbait

Wind Cons – I’ve been slinging a baitcaster for over forty years but even a seasoned angler must deal with a professional overrun from time to time (fancy term for a backlash). The wind also got me on this day as I did not compensate properly on a cast parallel to the bank and caught a branch as described above These days, I always hit the water with my GoPro, and the wind wreaks havoc on the audio as I do not have a fancy wind muff accessory. One final drawback was not being able to hear a bike rider approaching and he scared me half to death even though I was well off the path when the movement hit my peripheral vision.

Good numbers on this outing but I could not find any big bites. However, I had the opportunity to get out the following day to make it three consecutive days on the water. Stay tuned for that report and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – April 11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

This trip tested the approach that “the best time to go fishing is anytime you can”, as the forecast for rain and blustery conditions weren’t the most appealing. But hey, I’ve been rained on before, and the fish don’t care as they are already wet.

4:28pm – Top Bass at 2-5 (16.5″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: April 11
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:15pm-5:30pm
Totals: 7 bass
Weather: Overcast/windy/light rain, 60-56F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish) – 7 bass
Top Bass: 2-5 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 9-7 (2-5,2-3,1-12,1-11,1-8)

Winning lure is once again this battered chatterbait

Tune of the Trip
“It’s the same old, same old situation”
Same Ol’ Situation – Motley Crue (1989)
With the seven bass on this outing, the chatterbait extends its string by catching the first thirty-nine bass of this year. It is an oddity but not entirely surprising with seven of my nine outings of 2026 being on the same stretch of water.

5:12pm – Top Bass Runner-up at 2-3 (16″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

3:52pm – Two views of a bass with a deformed or injured lower lip

A Look at Lips – There’s more to catching a fish for me than just set the hook, reel it in, unhook, and release. Of course, there is the documentation via a log entry, perhaps a picture, and in more recent years, video. But beyond those aspects, I take a good look at the fish as you will find that not all bass look the same. In the instance of the fish above, the lower jaw came to a pronounced point with a knob rather than the normal more rounded shape as shown in the photo below. The best that I can find online is that the characteristic may arise genetically or from an injury. Either way, it is an interesting feature, and I take pride in giving my catches a closer look to spot such a variation. On the flipside, I have wondered if bass think we all look alike. I hope not after all of the effort to introduce myself to thousands of bass on a couple hundred lakes over the years.

Example of a bass with a normal uniform, rounded lower lip

The tale of the scale as it read 2.30 on the bass caught and weighed in the video below

 

Guesstimation – When I catch a decent bass, I often try to employ my “built-in” scale to estimate a weight before actually putting the fish on the scale. The clip above is an example and it turns out that I was right on the money, even though I profess an accuracy of +/- 2 ounces. I also profess that it doesn’t always work out as precisely as this catch. But therein lies the beauty of being the video and blog editor.

 

A good day in the rain as I nearly reached my goal of a ten-pound Top 5 for the outing. Even better, the bass were able to put me within nine ounces of the mark in just over two hours on the water. The success inspired me to hit the water again the following morning. Stay tuned for that report and talk to you later. Troy