Category: Fishing Reports

Prowl the Canal – August 28

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After a Knox County strip mine trip in mid-May, all my subsequent fishing trips have been on The Canal. Most of those trips have been within twenty miles of my driveway as I look to keep fuel costs down. And it doesn’t hurt that those “local” spots provide decent fishing as well. So, on this morning I decided to splurge on gas and wander roughly forty miles to the east to try new water. Read on to see if it was worth the money.

Winning Lures

Stats

Date: August 28 (two spots)
Time: 6:05am-11:20am (4.50 hours fishing)
Totals: 11 bass (2.44 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 71-80F
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 8 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (black) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-12 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 7-2 (1-12,1-7,1-6,1-5,1-4)

 

Notes and Nonsense

First Impressions – I have found the pools to be considerably less weedy as I head east. While several of the local pools have surface vegetation so thick that you could darn near walk across it, the new water I fished had wide open channels between the modest weed beds lining both banks. However, the water clarity diminishes to the east with a fellow Canal angler describing it as “split pea soup—green and thick with chunks of stuff in it.” In terms of cover, I hit every piece of wood I can find, and I would describe the availability as sparse. Finally, the depth is much better as I make my way east. Locally, I can often see the bottom in the clearer stretches, whereas the pools on this trip were deeper than the oar which is my crude depthfinder.

6:12am – on the board on a new stretch of The Canal

Startling Start – So, I am rowing up The Canal in the near dark before sunrise and lost in a daydream when something explodes near enough to the boat that the splash got my pants wet (luckily, I’d relieved myself prior to launching). It scared me half to death, made me jump and involuntarily utter something unintelligible as my mind snapped back to reality. In hindsight, my best guess is that a beaver and my boat were on a collision course before one of us steered clear. Possibly a carp but it would have been massive based on the splash. I also scanned the bank to see if Sasquatch had tossed a boulder at me and my watercraft (don’t laugh as I know of a Bigfoot report from The Canal about a mile and a half downstream). As a seasoned rower, when moving from spot to spot, I often just put my head down and row with only an occasional look over my shoulder. Therefore, I cannot say what caused the commotion, but I sure was glad that the sun was peeking over the horizon.

A necessary task to reach some new bass

Tubes – While on the subject of creepy, travels on The Canal can feature a row through a tube under the roadways. And those corrugated corridors are crawling with cobwebs. I suspect that there are plenty of the cobweb creators present as well but I don’t look too closely as I don’t really want to know.

9:40am – introducing myself to a bass on another new stretch of water

Oh yeah, I also saw a snake slither by the boat within oars reach. Many creatures were astir on this day even if the bass sightings were a bit below expectations.

Got ugly by the time I was headed home

I ended my day exploring since I was already a ways from home. This was simply driving as my back was hollering at me and I did not really have time to launch the boat to give any spots a true test. I checked out every road crossing or parking access in the vicinity and have several new spots on my wish list. Time will tell if those spots get a shot in 2022 as I have other destinations to visit beyond The Canal before the fishing year is over. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – August 21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I readily admit that August is my least favorite open water month of the year but another solid morning on The Canal has me reconsidering. Read on for the latest fishing report in the Prowl the Canal series.

Stats

Date: August 21 (two pools)
Time: 6:40am-9:45am (3.75 hours fishing)
Totals: 10 bass (2.67 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 66-68F
Lures: Strike King Toad Buzz (green pumpkin with chartreuse belly) – 4 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (black) – 3 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) with Zoom Creepy Crawler trailer (root beer/pepper/green) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 3-5 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-4 (3-5,2-7,0-14,0-13,0-13)

Notes and Nonsense

A new lure for me on this outing

New Trick – After having a large fish blow up my white Booyah Buzzbait earlier this month, I decided to try a new lure. A fishing friend who had checked out the video of the missed strike offered up that he never uses a skirt on a buzzbait. Instead, he rigs with a Strike Kind Rage Bug. As I could not find any Rage Bugs in the neighborhood, I went with the Strike King Toad Buzz as a close approximation. The new lure produced four of my ten bass including a solid 2-7.

6:46am – Toad Buzz comes through with a 2-7 (17.5″)

Old trick – While I was pleased with the effectiveness of the Toad Buzz, I felt that it did not produce enough racket in the stained water. As a result, I went back to my noisier, Booyah Buzzbait in black. The Booyah hooked three of my ten bass, one of which was Top Bass of the day at 3-5.

Near Miss – The 3-5 bass fell one ounce short of tying my all-time Top Canal bass, a 3-6 caught on July 21, 2021. It also equaled my Top Canal Bass of 2022 with the other coming on April 23 on a spinnerbait.

7:36am – Top Bass at 3-5 (19.5″), one ounce shy of my Canal Top Bass

Goals – I recently made a social media post on a local fishing group that listed my goals on The Canal (and in general). Goal number one is always to learn, whether a new fishing hole or old. Goal number two is not to get shut out. Goal number three is to land five bass at 12” or better to establish what I call a “Top 5 Weight”. The final goal is a Top 5 Weight that reaches or exceeds ten pounds. I had a good day with a weight of 8-4 thanks to a pair of “good ones” (3-5 and 2-7). However, my other three “keepers” left much to be desired and lacking a “kicker” (one more good one), I fell shy of reaching the final goal. No complaints though, as three out of four ain’t bad.

 

Well, August isn’t so bad after all, thanks to The Canal. I have one more August trip in the books already and weather permitting I am hoping to take one more shot before we hit September. Stay tuned for those reports and I am also hoping to work in a Top 10 Trip Tunes feature as well. It’s cool when I get to fish so much that I can’t keep up with the blog posts. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – August 14

Posted on by Troy Jackson

With the summer sunrises getting a bit later, I decided to splurge on some fuel and wander a bit farther from home for a daybreak launch. My destination was a stretch of The Canal on the east side of Henry County that I had not fished or seen before. New water is always an interesting undertaking, so read on the see how it turned out.

6:37am – First bass on some new water

Stats

Date: August 14
Time: 6:10am-10:40am
Totals: 10 bass (2.22 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 70-76F
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 9 bass, Special K Buzzbait (green/white) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-0 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 7-14 (2-0,1-15,1-13,1-3,0-15)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

First Glance – The first couple items that catch my eye when checking out a new pool are water clarity and aquatic vegetation. In terms of water clarity, this stretch had a heavy green tint which limited visibility to about half a foot before losing sight of my lures. In addition, there was a significant surface covering of algae. Neither aspect was what I would consider favorable, but I did like the amount of open water available compared to other stretches that are weed choked by this time of the year.

 

Goals – My three standard goals on an outing are as follows: Learn, don’t get shutout, post five bass at twelve inches or better for what I call my “Top 5 Weight”. Goal One takes care of itself, especially on new water. Goal Two took me about a half hour and had me worried after no takers on some decent looking spots. Goal Three was checked off the list with my tenth and final catch of the morning, a bass weighing in at 1-13 at 10:15am.

One More Log – I am fortunate to have a small johnboat that is ideal for prowling The Canal. However, as I made my way down this lengthy stretch of water, I found myself a long way from where I started. I call it the “One More Log Conundrum.” At some point, I know that I must turn around and row back, but I regularly see an appealing piece of structure in the distance. And before I know it, “one more log” has me a long ways from home.

10:01am – Top Bass at 16″ and 2-0

Goal Four – In addition to my three primary goals noted earlier, the icing on the cake is a double-digit Top 5 Weight. I fell one or two “good ones” shy of hitting that mark (note: a “good one” is my term for a bass at two pounds or better). The only bite I missed was one that I had briefly hooked on a creature bait, but I never saw the fish in the murky water and have no guess on whether it would have boosted my weight.

 

Time (and fuel costs) will tell if I get back to this pool or any others in the area. However, a friend reported that his initial visit to an adjacent portion produced several quality bites. He landed a “good one” and had two “better ones” that got away. Overall, encouraging results from our outings as The Canal continues to leave a favorable impression. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – August 13

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Still playing catch up with reports from The Canal as I have shifted gears to individual trip reports as opposed to monthly wrap-ups. Today’s post draws on a musical theme as my drives to the fishing holes are much shorter and don’t lend themselves to my Top 10 Trip Tunes project.

Stats

Date: August 13
Time: 6:05am-9:20am, 9:45am-10:00am (two locations)
Totals: 13 bass (3.71 bass/hour)
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy 64-75F
Lures: Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad or black) – 5 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) – 3 bass, Zara Spook (natural frog) – 2 bass, 5” Yamamoto wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, Bomber Long A Jerkbait (red/yellow) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-4 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 10-6 (3-4,2-10,2-3,1-3,1-2)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

 

Jump (Van Halen – 1984) – The strike on my Booyah Buzzbait in the above clip was vicious and up close. Obviously, the fish also came up short on getting hooked. Lucky for the fish, I guess, but a bummer for the fisherman. Such a strike does get the heart racing and can make you jump, especially if your mind is wandering as happens to me on the water from time to time.

What Might Have Been (Little Texas – 1993) – My current Top Canal Bass is a 3-6 from July 2021. Would the bass in the video clip have eclipsed that record? I guess I will never know but I am going with “Yes.” If nothing else, it makes for a better fish story and it certainly displaced enough water to indicate a good fish.

6:15am First Bass at 18.5″ and 3-4 on a spinnerbait

How Long (Ace – 1974) – While the fish in the video clip above was “one that got away”, I did get a few other quality bites. Included among those bites, were a pair of bass that set a new mark for the longest bass I’ve landed on The Canal in 2022. Both fish came in at 18.5” with weights being 3-4 and 2-10. These fish topped the half dozen 2022 bass landed that have measured 18”. As far as my all-time longest Canal bass it remains a 20-incher from July 2021.

7:11am another 18.5″ bass at 2-10 on a buzzbait

You Make Me Feel Brand New (The Stylistics – 1974) – Well, the big bass strike on the buzzbait damaged the skirt to the point that it needed replaced. While I did not have a new skirt on hand, I did have a backup bait with a black skirt. Similarly, the skirt on my favorite spinnerbait had taken a beating in 2022 prompting a change from bold bluegill to bleeding shiner. Both changes were winners with the black buzzbait landing a 2-10 and a 2-3, while the spinnerbait posted a 3-4 as my first catch of the morning. Gotta love some immediate, positive feedback.

 

I Missed Again (Phil Collins – 1981) – After my latest YouTube post bragging up the effectiveness of following up with a Senko after a missed topwater strike, the technique has let me down. The last four fish that have missed on buzzbait strikes have not been fooled by the Senko approach. Perhaps the bass have caught wind of the trick via my YouTube post which has a whopping eighty-six views.

Well, “That Just About Does It,” don’t it (Vern Gosdin – 1989), for another productive day on The Canal. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – August 8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

For August, I am going to go back to individual fishing reports for my trips to The Canal as the wrap-up for July was so lengthy it spilled over into two parts. Both of those were each lengthy as well. In addition, I will continue providing a month end look at overall results. More content is always the goal as time permits.

Stats

Date: August 8
Time: 5:20pm-8:05pm
Totals: 15 bass (5.45 bass/hour)
Weather: Overcast/breezy 75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 9 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 3 bass, 5” Yamamoto wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-4 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-6 (2-4,1-13,1-4,1-1,1-0)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Shared Space – As I approached my first-choice spot, a pair of kayaks were launching so I drove to an alternate area. However, the aquatic vegetation was not to my liking, so it was back to my first stop. The Canal is unique in that you just can’t go to the opposite side of “the lake” on a ninety-foot-wide fishing hole. I asked the duo if I could pass and let them know I would get well out of their way. As such, I rowed over half a mile away before I even made my first cast. A third kayak later joined, and I passed all on my eventual way back to the ramp. All’s well that ends well, as everyone reported landing some bass during our passing chats.

5:55am Red Eye Shad 1-13

Something New – I fly blind when I fish in terms of a depthfinder although I do not know how much of a benefit such technology would be on the shallow waters of The Canal anyway. Instead, it is visual observation dependent on water clarity or using lures to get a feel for depth changes. On this trip clarity was such that I could discern where there was a clean break to the channel between the weed lines on each side of The Canal. In this case, I ran a Strike King Red Eye Shad along the break and was rewarded with my runner-up Top Bass of 1-13. I successfully hit the same stretch with a different lure on a later trip but that catch is for another report. The takeaway is that I was proud of myself for trying something new and pleased that it worked. Perhaps I should expand my offerings more often.

8:05pm Top Bass at 2-4 on last cast

Best for Last – My Top Bass came on my final cast of the evening proving that you need to hang in there until the very end as you never know when a good one will show up. I even mentioned on my GoPro video at 8:05pm that I was making my last cast. Makes for a good story at least, and you’ll have to trust me on this one as the video is a bit revealing so not sure if it will see public release.

 

Another solid few hours on The Canal as the hits keep coming. Having reached the 200 bass mark from the waterway to end July, I am looking forward to just how many cooperative bass I can find before the year is over. Two more trips are already in the books so stop back by for those reports. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part II

Posted on by Troy Jackson

July Stats Part II covers the final four outings of the month along with some cumulative July numbers.

Date: July 17
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Totals: 5 bass (2.50 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 77F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, Zara Spook (natural frog) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 Zara Spook (natural frog)
Top 5 Weight: 4-10 (2-6,2-4)
Comments: I set out on this evening with a mission to land a bass while using a near thirty-year-old reel recently acquired from a longtime friend. And I was going to use a Zara Spook in the natural frog pattern to do it. A bass cooperated as the lure affectionately known as “The Pickle” remains a winner.

Date: July 23
Time: 8:00am-11:15am
Totals: 5 bass (1.54 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy 71-89F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight: 5-10 (1-6,1-3,1-2,1-0,0-15)
Comments: Thunderstorms at sunrise delayed my birthday outing on this incredibly muggy and hot morning. The bass seemed a bit sluggish in the heat as did I by quitting time. Only five bass but at least all of them were “keepers” for a Top 5 limit.

Date: July 24
Time: 4:50pm-7:50pm
Totals: 11 bass (3.67 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to breezy 86-80F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) –3 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Senko wacky rig
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-7 (1-5,1-4,0-15,0-15)
Comments: Numbers were good on this evening, but I couldn’t find any big bites. However, the highlight of the evening was a fellow angler hollering from his bike, “Who’s down there in that boat?” The resulting chat along the bank with a Canal fishing hero of mine was worth the trip no matter what I caught. While I made mental note of several general pointers gathered during our twenty-minute conversation, the Canal history and simply talking fishing were a treat. Eddie, if you are out there, just wanting to say thanks for the conversation.

Date: July 31
Time: 1:35pm-4:50pm
Totals: 9 bass (2.77 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/breezy 81-83F
Lures: Strike King Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 5 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 Strike King Squarebill Crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 4-11 (1-5,0-15,0-14,0-14,0-11)
Comments: My mission on this outing to end the month was to catch nine bass to reach the 200 bass mark on The Canal for 2022. It took some work, but I ended up right on the money in landing my ninth bass of the afternoon about thirty minutes before calling it quits.

2022 July Totals
Eight outings covering seven different pools
22.75 hours and 66 bass (2.90 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-11 July 2 Spinnerbait
Top 5 July Bass Weight: 11-6 (2-11,2-6,2-4,2-3,1-14)

 

2022 Overall Stats
200 bass in 67 hours (2.99 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 on 4/23/22 Spinnerbait
Best Top 5 Day
11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) on 6/24/22
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 14-14 (3-5,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-12)

Haven’t been able to get on The Canal yet in August. It is unlikely that I will get as much time on the water as I did for July but still have a couple blog items in the works to complete last month’s warp-up. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal-July Stats Part I

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was fortunate to chase some bass on The Canal nine times during the month of July. Most of my outings consisted of two to three hours on the water with the aim of landing five “keepers” (bass at 12” or better). I was able to meet that goal on four of the trips while the other trips resulted in one to four “keepers.” Of course, all are released to fight again after a quick picture and log entry. Too much to pass along in a single post so read on for Part I with Part II to follow this weekend.

Stats

July 2 8:53am Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-13 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 2
Time: 6:35am-10:20am
Totals: 16 bass (4.27 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/breezy 60-82F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 14 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-11 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 9-6 (2-11,1-13,1-11,1-10,1-9)
Comments: I divide the section that I fished into eastern and western sections. Typically, the eastern section produces better fish but, on this morning, four of my Top 5 bass were landed on the western stretch. No doubt, it was worth the extra rowing.

July 3 – 6:13pm Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-10 (15″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 3
Time: 6:05pm-8:50pm
Totals: 13 bass (4.73 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 86-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 10 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-14 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-11 (1-14,1-10,1-3,1-0)
Comments: Weeds make this spot a challenge but continued casting to open stretches and limited, accessible wood came through with my regular one-two spinnerbait-buzzbait punch.

July 4 – 4:03pm Top Bass at 2-3 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Date: July 4 (2 spots)
Time: 3:00pm-4:45pm
Totals: 1 bass (0.57 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 78-81F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: (only 1 at 12” or better): 2-3 (2-3)
Comments: Tried a new spot after some heavy rain early in the day and nearly got shutout. A fair number of good-looking targets and a quality catch have me pondering a return trip later this year.

July 10 – 8:54am Top Bass at 1-1 (13.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 10 (2 spots)
Time: 6:00am-8:15am, 8:30am-9:45am
Totals: 5 bass (1.43 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 66-75F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 3 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 2 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-1 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12″ or better): 2-15 (1-1,1-0,0-14)
Comments: High hopes but low results on my first choice prompted me to do some exploring on a second stretch. I had previously fished the western part of the second area and covered the eastern half on this morning. Lots of good-looking structure but neither have impressed in terms of quantity or quality.

July 13 – 7:36am Top Bass at 1-6 (14.5″) on a buzzbait

Date: July 13
Time: 6:15pm-8:45pm
Totals: 12 bass (4.8 bass/hour)
Weather: Sunny/calm 80-76F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 5 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 4 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 5-15 (1-6,1-6,1-3,1-2,0-14)
Comments: As my first spot was occupied, I had to shift gears to Plan B in visiting a weed congested stretch. Try as I might, I still can’t get anything dialed in on topwater frogs but the Senko wacky rig as a follow-up to my spinnerbait-buzzbait combination produced some rewarding catches (more on those in a later post).

Plenty more to come from the July Prowl the Canal wrap-up with posts featuring stats, lessons, and video. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – June Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

June marked an anniversary of sorts as my first ever bass from The Canal was landed on June 4, 2021. As such, I have passed the one-year mark in terms of canal experience and the learning just keeps moving forward. Read on for the statistics from the June 2022 prowls.

Stats

June 12 Top Bass on a spinnerbait

Date: June 12 (two sections)
Time: 8:50am-10:50am, 11:20am-1:05pm
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy to windy and 71-80F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 6 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O wacky rig (candy corn) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Special K Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-4 (1-6,1-0,1-0,0-14)
Comments: A slow bite on one of my better spots led me to expand my exploration on another nearby stretch. More of a tough bite but did enjoy seeing some new water. The clarity on these two stretches was darn near crystal clear. Quite unusual compared to prior visits, and teamed with bright sun this provided my excuse for the challenging day.

June 15 Top Bass Runner-Up on a buzzbait

Date: June 15
Time: 6:05pm-7:50pm
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Sunny to overcast/windy and 85-92F
Lures: Special K Buzzbait – 6 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-12 Special K Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-7 (1-12,1-11)
Comments: Gotta dig The Canal for a quick trip after getting home from work as there are plenty of access areas within a twenty-minute drive. This outing got cut short by some lightning and thunder sending me packing even though the bite had kicked up a notch. Safety first, the bass will still be there when I show up next time.

June 17 Top Bass on a wacky rig

Date: June 17
Time: 7:15pm-7:45pm
Totals: 1 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy and 81F
Lures: Bass Pro Shops Stik-O wacky rig (candy corn) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 0-15 Stik-O
Top 5 Weight (only one at 12” or better): 0-15
Comments: A quick evening walk after arriving for a Father’s Day camping trip on The Canal produces a bite and avoids a shutout. That’s always the goal when I have a few minutes to cast, fool at least one bass. Mission accomplished.

June 18 Top Bass on a Whopper Plopper

Date: June 18
Time: 9:00am-9:30am, 1:00pm-3:00pm, 6:00pm-6:45pm
Totals: 4 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy and 72-85F
Lures: Bass Pro Shops Stik-O wacky rig (candy corn) – 3 bass, Whopper Plopper 90 (I Know It) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-3 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 2-3 (1-3,1-0)
Comments: Camping along The Canal afforded three separate prowls on this Saturday. A family hike where I primarily focused on playing “guide” was sandwiched in between a couple short walks to begin and end the day. The rest of the family posted an additional ten bass, but those results deserve their own post later this month.

June 24 Top Bass on a spinnerbait

Date: June 24
Time: 6:50pm-9:05pm
Totals: 14 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm
Lures: Special K Buzzbait – 9 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-15 Special K Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6)
Comments: My standard one-two punch of a buzzbait and a spinnerbait comes through again with four bass between two and three pounds. Gotta dig The Canal for a quick getaway of a couple hours, especially when the bite is on and establishes my best Top 5 outing on The Canal (see Record Book Data below).

June 26 lone bass of the evening caught by my son, Jayce, on a Whopper Plopper

Date: June 26 (with Jayce)
Time: 5:45pm-7:30pm
Totals: 1 bass (Jayce – 1 bass, Dad – 0 bass)
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy
Lures: Whopper Plopper 90 (Terminator)
Top Bass: none at 12” or better
Top 5 Weight: none at 12” or better
Comments: For the second straight outing with my son, Jayce, he outfished me. In fact, I’ve been shutout 3 bass to zero. He said, “I must be bad luck.” I told him that it was good luck if he caught fish, just one of those things and that I would probably take him again anyway. Top 5 angler John Kirkemo offered up the possibility that, “Maybe you are spending more time coaching and less time fishing.” Indeed, plenty of advice and explanation along the way but I am pretty sure that I made more casts than Jayce as he took a break here and there. I hit it just as hard as normal, and my partner simply came out ahead. That’s cool and looking forward to one of these days when I can put him on more and larger fish.

June Totals
Six outings covering five different pools
11.75 hours and 37 bass (3.15 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-15 June 24 Spinnerbait
Top 5 June Bass Weight: 11-9 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-12)

 

RECORD BOOK UPDATE
Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
BEST TOP 5 DAY NEW RECORD
11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) on 6/24/22 tops 10-8 from 4/23/22
All-Time Top 5 Canal Weight: 16-2 (3-6,3-5,3-4,3-2,3-1)
Comments: One monthly highlight is topping my best Top 5 day with 11-3 on the June 24 outing. This haul tops the old mark of 10-8 from April 23. It still takes a bass over the three-pound mark to enter the all-time Top 5 list, as the best I could fool this month was a 2-15, a few ounces shy of displacing one of my all-time Top 5 Canal bass.

Another good month of getaways on The Canal. July is off to a solid start as well and four more weeks of prowling to go before the totals and highlights head your way in the July edition of “Prowl the Canal”.  In the meantime, stay tuned for some further notes and data on the June prowls. Talk to you later. Troy

Prowl the Canal – May Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As I near the one-year mark of fishing The Canal, I grow more appreciative of what is has to offer. Proximity is key as I can be on any of the spots that I fished within a half hour after I get off work around 5:00pm and still have ample time to cast. Throw in an activity free holiday weekend to end the month and I was able to find plenty of time to prowl. Read on for the stats portion of the monthly recap.

Stats

May 1 Top Bass at 9:54am weighing 1-6 on a spinnerbait

Date: May 1
Time: 7:40am-10:40am
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Overcast/windy with 48F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 10 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-15 (1-6,1-,3,1-3,1-3)
Comments: New water on a nasty day still produced some fish on a morning where I nearly needed gloves on May Day. And yes, there was a strong east wind. Is it proper to estimate windchill in May?

May 8 Top Bass at 7:34am weighing 2-11 on a buzzbait

Date: May 8
Time: 6:35am-9:50am
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy with 56F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 6 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 2 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-11 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-15 (2-11,1-4,1-2,0-14)
Comments: Revisiting a spot that produced a pair of three-pounders in April got another good one and kicked of the 2022 topwater bite.

May 24 Top Bass at 6:57pm weighing 2-2 on a buzzbait

Date: May 24
Time: 5:50pm-8:05pm
Totals: 11 bass
Weather: Overcast/very windy with 66-69F air temp
Lures: Special K Buzzbait – 7 bass, Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 7-3 (2-2,1-10,1-5,1-1,1-1)
Comments: Back with a buzzbait on the same spot as the May 8 outing and the bite did not disappoint. Always fun once the topwater bite kicks into gear.

May 27 Top Bass at 7:33pm weighing 2-12 on a buzzbait

Date: May 27
Time: 6:00pm-8:30pm
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy with 60-64F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 7 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O (candy corn) – 2 bass
Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2- 12
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (2-12,2-7,1-10,1-7,1-5)
Comments: A second visit of the year to this pool resulted in a pair of bass topping our previous Top Bass for the section (former Top Bass caught by Jayce on April 24 at 2-3).

May 28 Top Bass at 7:43am weighing 2-3 on a wacky rig

Date: May 28
Time: 6:00am-9:00am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm to windy with 53-72F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 2 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O (candy corn) – 1 bass
Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-3 (2-3,1-0)
Comments: A favorite stretch and decent conditions did not pan out for the solid bite I was anticipating. Fortunately, a tried-and-true area produced a two-pounder on a wacky rig to save the day.

May 29 Top Bass at 7:26pm weighing 2-8 on a spinnerbait

Date: May 29 (two sections)
Time: 4:55pm-6:25pm, 6:30pm-7:15pm
Totals: 6 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/very windy with 82F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 4 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 1 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 6-8 (2-8,1-9,1-4,1-3)
Comments: I wandered out to a pair of new pools and got immediate feedback with a catch on my second cast of the evening. The remaining two hours only produced five more fish, but I don’t think these stretches revealed their true colors and are worth another shot in the future.

May 30 Top Bass at 7:58am weighing 1-9 on a spinnerbait

Date: May 30
Time: 7:50am-11:05am
Totals: 6 bass, 1 sauger
Weather: Sunny/windy with 73-82F air temp
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail (rootbeer pepper green) – 5 bass, Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass, 1 sauger
Top Bass: 1-9 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 3-15 (1-9,1-6,1-0)
Comments: Extended exploration on a pool that has produced well from the bank turned out to be a disappointment. However, I am blaming it on a later morning start than normal and blazing sun. On the plus side, I did learn some stuff and happened to hook my first ever sauger on The Canal.

 

May Totals
Time: 20 hours
Totals: 57 bass, 1 sauger
Lures: Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 38 bass, Special K Buzzbait – 12 bass, Bass Pro Shops Stik-O (candy corn) – 3 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (red craw) – 3 bass, Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill (sexy shad) – 1 bass, 1 sauger
Top Bass: 2-12 Spinnerbait on May 27
Top 5 Weight: 12-9 (2-12,2-11,2-8,2-7,2-3)

RECORD BOOK UPDATE – NO NEW RECORDS ESTABLISHED
Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day: 10-8 (3-5,3-2,1-9,1-6,1-2) 4/23/22
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 16-2 (3-6,3-5,3-4,3-2,3-1)
Comments: It now takes a bass over the three-pound mark to enter the all-time Top 5 list.

A lot of stuff to digest there as I was extremely fortunate to spend a decent amount of time on the water. Next up, we go beyond the numbers for some “Lessons” learned from the month of May. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – May 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Well, when you write fish stories as a hobby, every once in a while, you run into a report such as this submission. Getting right to the point, Brent and I had a rough day on Lake Storey a couple weekends ago.

6:01am – I said we’d better take a pic just in case we don’t catch any more. I was kind of joking.

Stats

Date: May 15, 2022
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 5:55am-11:40am
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 71-73F
Water Temp: 76F
Totals: 2 bass
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait – 1 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer – 1 bass
Top Bass: None at 12” or better
Top 5 Weight: None at 12” or better

7:19am – even goofing around doesn’t really make my lone catch look any larger

Notes and Nonsense

Bad Timing – On Tuesday May 10, my friend, John Kirkemo, reported in from Lake Storey noting, “Lake is full. Lot of timber normally only partially submerged is now barely showing above the water. Water is about as clear as I have ever seen it. No weeds showing on the surface.” Those were definitely some encouraging words, but a nasty storm blew through on the evening of Friday the 13th and the lake was still a mess two days later. Tons of floating debris and dirty water dampened my spirits and had both the bass and this bass fisherman out of sorts. Mother Nature and Lake Storey conspired to make things tough. That’s fishing.

Clumps of debris from the oak trees were abundant after the recent storm

Mats of floating vegetation in the dingy water were also an unusual post-storm result

Theories (take your pick)

1. The storm and cold front knocked the bass for a loop.

2. The recent proliferation of shad in the lake are making for a tougher bite as the bass have an increased natural forage base.

3. We just aren’t that good of fishermen.

Winning lures, one bass apiece, and we threw plenty of other stuff without getting a strike

Really, there’s not a whole lot to report, not even “one that got away” as we landed the only two bites we got. No doubt it was good to avoid a shutout but neither bass was much to write home about. But fishing stories are what I do and long ago I guaranteed a fishing report for every trip, good or not so good. This outing was one of the latter and tested that vow. I suspect that we will cross paths with Lake Storey again in 2022 to see if we can show those bass who is boss. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy