Category: Fishing Reports

Hennepin Canal Report – March 16

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I had not been feeling well but I couldn’t pass up a chance to get on the water for a couple of hours on a decent mid-March evening. After all, it was March 16, which was my prediction for the first bass of the year as noted in the January 6 text exchange below with my friend, John Kirkemo. Fortunately, the monkey was off my back with a March 3 bass to get me on the board. Therefore, there was no pressure on this trip, and it turned out to be my best outing so far.

Stats
Date: March 16
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:50pm-5:50pm
Totals: 6 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy, 52F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 5 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-7

3:50pm – First cast bass at 1-14 (15″) on a chatterbait

Notes and Nonsense

Young Anglers – I had company on the stretch that I selected for this outing. Four young boys were prowling the bank after a parent had dropped them off at the lot. I thought that was cool and took a minute to talk with a couple of them, complimenting their lure choices. From the looks of it, I must be doing something right as these boys also had a chatterbait and a lipless crankbait on their poles. I also left them with a few of my blog “business” cards. So, if you guys are out there reading, good luck and perhaps we’ll cross paths again.

The setup for a bike and hike outing

First and Last – It isn’t often that you land your two best bass of a trip on your first and last casts. A first cast bass can sometimes be seen as a curse as no matter how your day turns out, it’s technically all downhill from there in terms of percentages. But, hey, I’ll take a first cast bass every day as I am only mildly superstitious. As far as a last cast bass, you can kind of make that happen. And that is what took place on this outing. I was near the truck, had perhaps ten more minutes to fish, and had just landed my best bass of the day at 2-6. Most outings I like to push my time on the water as long as possible (or sometimes longer than I am supposed to), but I found this catch to be a good bookend bass and called it quits.

 

 

The Usual Suspects – Five of my six bass came off wood cover: four from submerged logs and one from a laydown. The sixth fish hit in the middle of The Canal after a cast to a point. Classic early season spots and I hit every one of these targets as I make my way down The Canal and often hit them again on the way back to my truck. Of course, not every spot produces a bite every time but sufficient feedback from the bass proves that these spots are winners.

5:50pm – Last cast bass at 2-6 (16.5″) on a chatterbait

Another successful couple of hours on the water as 2024 is off to a solid, early start. As noted in the introduction, I predicted a first bass on March 16. The six bass on this trip boosted my yearly total to eighteen bass. Not too bad considering that the previous three years had seen a total of only ten bass during the entire month of March. And the early season bass were not done yet as I have several more March reports to come. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – March 10 & 13

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Since starting my own blog, I have committed to posting a fishing report to cover every outing, good or not so good. In the case of today’s report, I am combining a pair of reports from a couple hikes on The Canal. Read on for the details.

Stats
Date: March 10 & 13
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3.75 hours total (2.00 and 1.75)
Totals: 7 bass (2 bass & 5 bass)
Weather Sunny, windy 47F/Overcast, calm 67F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 3 bass, Lunkerhunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin) – 3 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-4 Red Eye Shad
Top Weight: 5-11

Notes and Nonsense

Sight Fishing (March 10) – I decided to take along a pole during a scouting hike on this day even though the wind and temperature had things on the chilly side. The two stretches that I walked offered limited bank access and few targets within reach of my casts. Fortunately, I did spot a bass hanging along some shoreline riprap and the Ned Rig worked its subtle magic in getting the fish to commit. In this instance, I cast the lure out beyond the fish taking care not to make much body movement and spook the bass. From there I gently swam the bait to the fish and left it sitting within sight. A few light twitches of the lure got the bass interested and on the hook. It doesn’t always work but it is rewarding to catch one that you spot in advance.

 

One That Got Away (March 10) – On the second leg of my hike, I hooked into something heavy with the Ned Rig. It pulled briefly, headed towards the surface as if it was going to roll, and then came undone. I never got a look at the fish and had visions of my first four-pounder on The Canal dancing in my head. Then again, it may have been a big old catfish. I guess I’ll never know but I do plan to get some more casts into the deep hole as the year progresses.

March 10 – 4:44pm Top Bass at 1-4 on a lipless crankbait

Perch Fishing (March 13) – There are no perch in The Canal areas that I fish, but there are several aqueducts built to traverse creeks that run below canal level. These are like highway overpasses but filled with water. On the side of the towpath/hiking trail, these structures feature a roughly five-foot railing to prevent hikers and bikers from taking a swim. To effectively fish the entire length of the aqueducts, I climb up and sit on top of the railing and lock my feet into the gaps so I don’t take a plunge. On this outing, I managed to land a pair of bass on the Ned Rig from such a vantage point.

 

 

These two trips resulted in adding a few more “bonus” bites to the log. You never know what you are going to get in terms of weather and opportunities to chase some bass in March, so I am glad to be off to a solid start. Now, if it is not too much to ask, I just need some bigger bites. More reports on the way so talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – March 3

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After being shut out on my first two trips of the year, I was able to get that first bass in the log about fifteen minutes into a bike and hike outing on The Canal. Turns out a few more were interested as well. Read on for the rest of the story.

Stats
Date: March 3
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 8:40am-11:10am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 64F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 3 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 Chatterbait
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-6

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Go Forth North – I chose this section of The Canal as it not only offered a shot at some quality bass, but it also featured hiker friendly bank access on the northern towpath. The north side also receives the brunt of any sunlight and on this day was also getting pounded by strong winds from the south. The latter can affect casting accuracy, but you just must adjust your aim, play the wind, and let Mother Nature assist in hitting your targets.

8:55am First bass of 2024 at 1-7 (14″) on a chatterbait

Just a bit windy

The Answer My Friend – No matter what season you are fishing, you play whatever cards Mother Nature deals and try to make it work in your favor. The wind was gusting up to forty miles per hour with a direct hit on the northern bank. In the early spring, such conditions are amplified as there is no foliage or undergrowth on the southern bank to break the wind. Full force in my face is where I want to be as I work into and parallel along the bank that is getting pummeled. The wind will stir things up and can stack up the food chain on cover along the windblown bank.

10:38 Top Bass of the day at 1-8 (14″) on a chatterbait

Wood is Good – Much of The Canal is shallow (five feet or less) and the rest is shallower. Any wood cover that I can find extending out from or entirely away from the bank is a primary target. Brush, laydowns, and submerged logs all get some casts. Large or small, each has potential to hold a bass. And I work them over from different angles where bank access permits. A favorite approach is parallel and so tight to the wood that my lures nearly touch the cover. If I need to work perpendicular to submerged cover, I rapidly retrieve a spinnerbait or chatterbait to barely clear the wood and then slow my retrieve and lower my rod tip to drop the bait in the water column next to the cover. Make enough of these presentations and you’ll get your bites.

 

You Gotta Wear Shades – A final factor that gets overlooked are polarized lenses. No matter sun or overcast, I always have my shades. Not only do they provide a bit of protection, but they also reveal targets that are hidden from the naked eye. Anytime that I walk or bike The Canal, my eyes are on the water looking for these targets. Just be careful as the occasional pothole or washout can trip you up when you are paying more attention to the water than to where you are going.

Told Julie I would ditch the winter beard once I caught my first bass of the year

On this day, the above factors resulted in my first five bass of 2024. It took some work as even though the air temperature was in the sixties, the water was still quite cold. Early March bass in our neck of the woods are sluggish but striving to put the right lure in the right place at the right time can still get it done. And as the weather warms and the daylight lengthens, things will only get better. Stay tuned as there are plenty more reports to come. Talk to you later. Troy

Early Season Shutouts

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Time to rack up some more fishing miles

The open water fishing season started earlier than normal this year as my first cast hit the water on February 25. Unfortunately, neither that initial cast nor three and a half more hours’ worth amounted to a bass in the boat. The next outing on March 2 failed to produce a bass as well. So, before I get started on the successful fishing reports it is only proper to hit the stats and “highlights” from the early season shutouts.

An impressive beaver lodge but held no hungry bass on this day

Stats
Date: February 25
Location: Knox County, IL public strip mines
Time: 11:10am-2:40pm
Totals: 0 bass (only one bite on a jig)
Weather: Sunny/windy, 52F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Tried a Strike King Rattling Jig and craw, Strike King Red Eye Shad, Rapala Shad Rap, Lunkerhunt Finesse Swimbait, Strike King KVD Jerkbait, and a War Eagle Spinnerbait

Solid cold water offerings but not takers

Notes and Nonsense

It is a rare combination to have open water and fifty-degree temperatures in February. Even rarer is to be greeted with such conditions on a day off. As a result, I got ambitious in breaking out the boat and investing in an hour drive to my Knox County strip mine stomping grounds. Hopes were high on a spot that holds some quality bass, but the extent of my “success” was a lone bite on a jig and craw. The fish was in the two-pound range but came unbuttoned as I attempted to lift it into the boat. Admittedly, I was a bit bummed out and could not muster another bite for a second chance. It was still good to get out and I reminded myself that a February outing is a welcome bonus whether the bass bite or not.

Miles and miles to choose from on The Canal

Stats
Date: March 2
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:40pm-4:40pm
Totals: 0 bass (only one bite on a Shad Rap)
Weather: Sunny/windy, 48F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Tried a Strike King Rattling Jig and craw, Strike King Red Eye Shad, Rapala Shad Rap, Lunkerhunt Finesse Swimbait, Strike King KVD Jerkbait, Z-Man Chatterbait, and a War Eagle Spinnerbait

Notes and Nonsense

After the shutout with the boat, I opted for a bike and boots outing on The Canal. I waited until late in the day to allow the air and sun to warm things a bit and had about an hour of decent daylight to try my luck. The best I could do was having a bass briefly hooked on a Shad Rap near the edge of an aqueduct. A bend in the pole, a swirl on the surface, and the fish was gone.

The old fishing companion is back for another year

While the outings left me 0-2 on my 2024 bites, I wasn’t too worried about a slump. Like Major League Baseball, I considered it “Spring Training”. Back in January, during a text conversation with my friend, John Kirkemo, I had made a first bass prediction of March 16. Spoiler alert, I beat the prediction. But that is another fishing report. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – November 18

Posted on by Troy Jackson

One annual goal is to end the year with a November bass. While the weather has been very favorable, time has been lacking. The time change means it is dark when I get off work on weekdays and the weekends have been busy with family activities. But with one more Saturday in the fifties, I sacrificed a couple hours of yard work in favor of a trip to The Canal.

2:20pm- November Bass at 2-2 (17.5″) on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: November 18
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 2:00pm-4:15pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Sunny/windy, 52F
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Spinnerbait
Top 2 Weight (only two at 12” or better): 3-7 (2-2,1-5)

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

One Bite Days – This late in the year with cold water conditions, and typically brief outings, my approach is what I call a “one bite day.” I am looking for one bite and anything else is a bonus. I also chose my destination to optimize crossing paths with a bass. On this day, it took me forty minutes of casting to some solid targets without a bite before I reached my specific confidence area. It then took three casts along a stretch of riprap and concrete slab bank with a steep drop, but it worked. Even better was that the “one bite” was a quality fish. Admittedly, it doesn’t always work out but it sure is cool when a plan comes together.

No Deer Repeat – Last month, I caught a bass off a dead deer that was floating at the end of an open water area bordered by riprap at the bank and lilypads along the channel. Well, the deer was still there on this outing, but a bass was not. Worth a try every time though, as it makes for a fun fish story when it works out.

3:35pm – Last Bass at 1-5 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Last Bass – After landing the targeted November bass, the pressure was off, and any other catches represented icing on the cake. Now don’t think that I became complacent or anything. I was still dialed in and working my spots, it was just a bit more of a relaxed vibe. The second and final bass of the afternoon also hit a spinnerbait and like the first catch it took several casts to an appealing spot. In this case, it was a small bankside catalpa with a mix of shoreline riprap and a batch of slender, scattered laydowns that was a winner.

 

Mission accomplished on the November bass, and I was torn on whether to extend my fishing another day with a pleasant Sunday to follow. While I profess that “the best time to go fishing is any time you can”, I opted to invest my Sunday in some chores and errands. It’s been a very good year and if these are the last two catches, I’m good with the finale. Plenty to write about to recap the year so stay tuned over the “off season” for those stats and rambles. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – October 22

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was able to hit The Canal for the third day in a row and selected another stretch that was lacking an initial Top 5 Weight. My only prior visit to the area was on May 25 of this year when I logged  four bass in two and a half hours of exploring. Only three of the bass were keepers with a combined weight of 5-2 (3-2,1-1,0-15). My aim on this outing was to fool two more keepers to fill the Top 5 for the pool and then see if I could bump the weight with a few more. Read on for the results.

12:43pm – Second “keeper” at 1-0 (12.5″ to fill out an initial Top 5 for this stretch of The Canal

Stats
Date: October 22
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 12:00pm-3:15pm
Totals: 11 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 50-58F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 9 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass, Strike King Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-9 Spinnerbait
Top 4 Weight (only four at 12” or better: 4-14 (1-9,1-8,1-0,0-13)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

The Pool – This particular stretch of The Canal covers two miles of water between a pair of culverts. During my only other visit back on May 25, I fished the eastern half of the stretch prior to turning around to fish back to the truck before it got dark. Wouldn’t you know that I caught all four of my bass in a forty-minute time frame near where I decided to turn around. This left me wondering what lay beyond, and on this outing, I was committed to finding out.

Catch Chronology
12:30pm – 12.5” (0-13) Chatterbait
12:43pm – 12.5” (1-0) Chatterbait
12:56pm – 11.5” Chatterbait
1:09pm – 11” Crankbait
1:15pm – 11.5” Chatterbait
1:21pm – 9.5” Chatterbait
1:26pm – 11” Chatterbait
1:47pm – 11.5” Chatterbait
2:04pm – 14.5” (1-8) Chatterbait
2:41pm – 11.5” Chatterbait
2:48pm – 14.5” (1-9) Spinnerbait

2:48pm – Top Bass of the Day and my final catch at 1-9 (14.5″) on a spinnerbait

Top 5 Established – My first two catches were “keepers” and took the pressure off having to find the fish needed to establish the initial Top 5 for this pool. As the day ended, I did manage to fool two larger “keepers’ to boost the overall weight. With these results, my Top 5 for this stretch currently sits at 8-3 (3-2,1-9,1-8,1-0,0-13). Ultimately, I would like to boost the total into double digits, but that will be a task for another year.

 

New Stuff – I’m always enthused to see new sections or new parts of stretches that I haven’t fully explored. Granted, a lot of The Canal looks the same and, in many instances, rather bland when viewing from the towpath. However, there are many details that come to light when able to get on the water in a boat or kayak. This stretch was no exception as I found one of the few beaver lodges that I have observed, several nice piles of riprap, and many logs/fallen trees that looked like a good hiding place for a bass. This time around, some held a fish, some didn’t but all had potential for some future casts.

Is this so long to The Canal for 2023? It’s been another good year of exploring.

Responsibilities and shorter days have kept me away from the water with this outing being my last opportunity to chase bass. My annual goal is a November bass, but it may be extra challenging this year. I have my sights set on a future date with The Canal, but time will tell if it works out or if I can outsmart that final fish. It’s been a very good year though, no matter how it all winds up. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – October 21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Fresh off the previous day’s trip where I had to work for ten bass in five and a half hours, I was eager to get back on the water. I had achieved my goal of 443 bass to make one thousand over the last two years, but I still had other Canal goals to work on before I put the gear away.

Picked a tough spot for these conditions but was on a mission

Stats
Date: October 21
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 10:30am-12:30pm
Totals: 1 bass
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 60-65F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-12 Chatterbait
Top 1 Weight (only one at 12” or better: 2-12 (2-12)

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

Destination – I had two late morning hours to fish before readying and heading to a high school band competition in Macomb, Illinois. I selected a stretch of water that I had only fished once before, back in May. The aim was to catch at least one “keeper” as my spring visit had left me one bass shy of a Top 5 limit. Establishing a Top 5 on the pool is part of the larger Canal Top 5 Project which aims to post a Top 5 on every stretch of The Canal from the Feeder Basin to the west (including the Milan section). I intend to explain this project in more detail with a series of blog posts over the winter.

Doesn’t really do justice to how ugly the wind was on this stretch

Rowing and Blowing – My choice of destinations was unwise due to heavy winds from the northwest. The combination of the orientation of this stretch, its broad width, and a less than ideal northern windbreak resulted in whitecaps. Shortly after launching the boat, I pondered packing up for another spot as fighting the twenty-plus mile per hour wind made for tough boat control and lure presentation. Instead, I opted to row all the way to the west end of the pool and let the wind blow me back in the general direction of my truck. Along the way, this resulted in periodically crashing into the willow lined bank.

Got the bite I was seeking and it was larger than I expected

One Winner in the Wind – The water that I was fishing looked good with abundant riprap, overhanging willows, and scattered wood. Being pounded by the wind added to the appeal but that wind also made lure presentation and thorough coverage difficult. It all boiled down to firing away as rapidly as possible to cover water before blowing right over the top of my targets. One such cast proved to be a winner with a 2-12 on a chatterbait. The fish was the “keeper” that I was looking for to complete a Top 5 for the stretch of The Canal and even better it established a new Top Bass for the spot. The former Top Bass mark was a 1-10 from May 29 and the latest catch pushed the Top 5 mark to 7-10.

 

A short, tough day of battling the wind and only one bass but mission accomplished in getting the bite that I needed to complete a Top 5 for this pool of The Canal. I’ll take it. One more report to come as I hit another spot the following day in search of two more keepers to establish a Top 5. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – October 20

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I headed out to The Canal on October 20 in search of nine bass to meet my goal of 447 bass for 2023. The mark would give me 1,000 bass over the last two years after a new personal record of 553 bass in 2022. After a tough bite to start the day, the bass came through as detailed below.

Chose this pump at a gas station along the way for good luck 

Stats
Date: October 20
Location: Hennepin Canal (three pools)
Time: 10:40am-5:35pm (5.50 hours fishing)
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 54-60F
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 6 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-10 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (three pools combined): 8-6 (3-10,1-12,1-1,1-1,0-14)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Slow Start – Arriving at my first destination, I was greeted by another angler who had just launched. We had a brief conversation to compare some notes and I elected to head for an alternate location to stay out of his way. The second location was new water, and the bass were not as welcoming as I had hoped. It took me forty-five minutes to get my first and only bite. I hung around for a total of two hours and gave it a good effort before heading for an area I had only seen from the bank on a family outing this summer.

1:41pm – New Top Bass record for me on The Canal at 3-10

New Top Bass – Fully aware that there are no guarantees in fishing, I opted to gamble on another stretch of unfamiliar water rather than any regular stomping grounds as I searched for eight more bass. I had previously seen about fifty yards of this area from the bank and that was while playing fishing guide for Julie and the kids in June. Two more hours of rowing and casting was much more successful with six bass, but I was still two bass shy of my goal. The highlight of the stretch, however, was a 3-10 bass that set a new Top Bass mark for me on The Canal, topping a pair at 3-6.

4:34pm – Bass #1000 as described below

Bass #1000 – Stop number three was a spot that I had fished twice before with the last visit being a week prior. That trip had produced a solid bite with fifteen bass landed. And with recent decent weather, I was hoping for a repeat performance. An hour and a half only produced three bass but that was one more than I needed. At 4:34pm, a chatterbait fooled a 12” bass that weighed in at 0-13 for Bass #1000. No matter that it was not a trophy in terms of size, it made the mark.

4:44pm – A new trick with a bass caught on an unusual piece of structure, a dead deer

Deer Bass – Having Bass #1000 in the log made my day but I still had some daylight left and some distance remaining to row back to the truck. The next hour only produced one more bass, but Bass #1001 turned out to be a memorable catch as well. I had fished the spot where it was landed a week earlier and thought that it set up perfectly. The shoreline featured a stretch of chunky riprap at and below the water level. This rocky run served as one edge of an open water trough that was lined with lilypads on the channel side. I had worked it over on the previous visit without a bite but figured that it was worth another look. As I approached, I observed what I thought was a log at the leading edge of the channel side of the trough. As I got closer, I realized that the log was actually a dead deer. It turns out that the added “cover” was just what the spot needed to produce a bite as a chatterbait duped a 12.5” (0-14) bass. It made for a good fish story (and video for a future post), and that’s what it’s all about.

 

It’s all icing on the cake from this trip forward as my days on the water are numbered with October drawing to a close. My annual aim is to finish the year with a November bass and the new month only lies a few days away. But I am getting ahead of myself as there are still a couple more October outings to report. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report-October 14 & 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I hit The Canal last weekend lacking twenty-six bass for my 2023 goal of 447 bass. Saturday evening consisted of a bike ride while Sunday found me dragging the boat along. Read on for the report and status on reaching my target.

October 14 – Top Bass at 1-1 (13″) on a squarebill crankbait

Stats
Date: October 14-15
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 4:05pm-6:05pm, 2:15pm-5:00pm
Totals:2 bass, 15 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy, 55F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) – 7 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 4 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 4 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Yum Wooly Bug (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (combined trips): 8-5 (2-2,1-14,1-13,1-7,1-1)

Winning Lures – October 14 (left) and October 15 (right)

Notes and Nonsense

Two Bass on Two Wheels – With only a couple hours to get away and windy conditions (yes, even on The Canal), I opted for bike over boat. I chose a mid-distance destination (less than 25-minute drive) with the days getting shorter and a late afternoon departure. The stretch features solid bank access and is home to several quality catches over the last two-plus years. With all of that said, it didn’t really work out as well as I’d hoped with two bass in the pound range and a similar fish that got away. All three catches were within a fifty-yard stretch although I did cover several miles on the bike.

October 15 at 2:36pm- Top Bass Runner-Up 1-14 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Sunday Gamble – Saturday’s struggle left me needing twenty-four bass to meet my goal and Sunday didn’t get off to such a hot start in terms of weather. Originally, I intended a late morning trip but waited out some unappealing weather and hit the water mid-afternoon instead. With a larger window of several hours to fish, I opted to drive a bit farther than normal to a section of The Canal that I had only visited twice. Those outings had resulted in ten bass in just over three hours of fishing from a boat. Beyond those results, I just had a good feeling about the spot.

October 15 at 4:13pm – Top Bass 2-2 (17″) on a chatterbait

Sunday Success – My gamble paid off to the tune of fifteen bass from 2:15pm to 5:00pm. I will admit that I did waver a bit upon arrival as the water was rather murky. The alternative would have wasted twenty minutes of fishing time while driving and instinct held that my first choice was still the best choice. My second cast with a Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait provided all the feedback that I needed, and it was game on. Along with the Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait, I mixed in a War Eagle Spinnerbait, and a Z-Man Chatterbait enroute to a solid day. Top Bass for the day came in at 2-2 and hit a chatterbait along a mix of riprap, sparse weeds and a ledge, a classic combination on The Canal. In fact, I found bass in all the right places as this stretch features an appealing mix of rock, weeds, wood, depth, and manmade structure.

 

Thanks to the successful Sunday, I am now only nine bass from my goal. With the weather and water still maintaining temperatures on The Canal to keep the bass active and feeding, I make as many casts as I can as tight to structure as I can and hold on. Hopefully, the activity level remains on the upside through the weekend, and I can get one more shot before I may have alter some presentations. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – October 12

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was able to visit Lake Storey twice in September for my annual shot at the fall drawdown (one solo trip and one with Brent). All told, we had landed twenty-six bass in thirteen and a half hours on the water. Nearly two bass per hour isn’t bad for Lake Storey but I still felt that we didn’t meet our expectations. There was only one way to fix that, head back for round three.

10:30am – First bass at 1-0 (12.5″) and only five minutes into casting

Stats
Date: October 12
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 10:25am-4:10pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/breezy to windy, 63-75F
Water temperature: 60-63F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) – 13 bass, War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 9-3 (2-8,1-15,1-12,1-8,1-8)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Compliments to the Chef – A shout out to fellow angler and storyteller, Chef Todd Kent, as I finally decided to buy into the Lake Storey chatterbait bite. Chef Todd has long endorsed chatterbaits and shared some solid catches on the lure from Lake Storey over the years. I’ve never been a chatterbait fan, just catching a few here or there on the strip mine ledges and flats. But on this day, I opted to start with a chatterbait on one rod and never took it off as the bass provided plenty of positive feedback.

2:38pm – Top Bass at 2-8 (18.5″) on a chatterbait

Juiced – When I head to Lake Storey, I plan to make a full day out of the trip. Typically, I don’t have a set time when I need to be home, so it comes down to what runs out of juice first, me or the boat batteries. The east wind took a toll on the front mount trolling motor battery as I fished my way down the lake taking a direct hit. While the wind was favorable pushing me back to the ramp, I effectively had no boat control after about five and a half hours on the water. It was disappointing to have to call it a day as I’d hoped to get in seven or eight hours of fishing, but it was comforting that the body was still going strong.

One That Got Away – I have noted before that my goals on each trip are as follows: Don’t get shut out, catch a Top 5 (five bass at 12” or longer) and post a Top 5 Weight of ten pounds or better. The latter item came up short, but I believe that I had the fish on that would have given my weight the necessary boost. Shortly before ending the day, I had one on the way to the boat, but it somehow let go of a chatterbait. Initially, I thought that I gave a little slack as I prepared to reach behind me for the dipnet. However, the video clip below does not seem to back up such a mistake. Instant replay is fun that way if you don’t mind having to relive the one the got away. If it had tipped the scales at 2-5 or better, I would have hit the ten-pound weight goal. I did get a look at the fish, and I am certain it would have made the mark. As I often say, “That’s fishing.”

 

As the Old Saying Goes – Adages are a fun part of language as their expression of conventional wisdom can talk out of both sides of the mouth, so to speak. For example, “birds of a feather flock together”, yet “opposites attract.” And so it was with this fishing trip as the forecast correctly indicated that I would be greeted with an east wind. Anglers who have been around for a while know that “wind from the east, fish bite the least”, supposedly. But I had vacation day from work and the air temperatures were supposed to hit seventy, so it was all systems go regardless of the wind. Instead of fretting about the wind from the east, I subscribed to another of my favorite fishing sayings. “The best time to go fishing is anytime you can.” And it all turned out just fine.

 

Seventeen bass on a Lake Storey outing is a rousing success for my level of fishing. When adding them to my database it pushed my 2023 total to 421 bass. As noted in the previous post, I am shooting for 447 bass this year. When coupled with last year’s personal best yearly total of 553 bass, it would give me a grand total of 1,000 bass over the last two years. Thanks to The Canal this past weekend, I’ve already chipped away at the 26 bass that were lacking.

In addition to The Canal report, I have a follow-up Lake Storey post in the works as it is hard to say it all in just one submission. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy