Four anglers contribute to this week’s update. Longtime participant, John Kirkemo, is on the board with a pair of quality spotted bass from South Carolina. Jim Junk adds another solid fish to get one step closer to filling out his initial limit. And both Brent and I knock out a lighter fish to add a few ounces to our creels.

Weight: 2-1
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: April 7 (11:00am-3:30pm)
Weather: Almost cloudless skies, air temperature low 70s
Water Temp: 68.3F
Location: Lake Keowee near South Cove County Park, Seneca, SC
Lure: Black and silver 3 ½” shallow running Rapala
Angler Comments: Trolled the Rapala along the South Cove County campground shoreline in 11 feet of water.

Weight: 2-1
Angler: John Kirkemo
Date: April 7 (11:00am-3:30pm)
Weather: Almost cloudless skies, air temperature low 70s
Water Temp: 68-70F
Location: Lake Keowee near South Cove County Park, Seneca, SC
Lure: Black and silver 3 ½” shallow running Rapala
Angler Comments: Trolled the Rapala along the South Cove County campground shoreline in 20 feet of water.
Top 5 Weight: 4-2 (2-1,2-1)

Weight: 2-5 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: April 11
Weather: Overcast/windy/light rain
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad trailer (sight fish)
Structure: Channel
Angler Comments: Midway back on a lengthy retrieve from one of the few points on The Canal, my chatterbait ticked some submerged weeds. I popped the lure to get it free and tried to shake any vegetation and this bass loaded up shortly after that slight change in the retrieve.
Top 5 Weight: 12-9 (2-13,2-10,2-7,2-6,2-5) culls 2-3

Weight: 2-15
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: April 12
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Dark Sleeper (white/blue)
Structure: Flat
Angler Comments: This long and skinny fish hit on a white and blue Dark Sleeper. Didn’t have a tape measure with me but wonder what the “usual” Banner fish at this length historically has weighed.
Top 5 Weight: 9-9 (4-4,2-15,2-6)

Weight: 1-8
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 12
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 12-7 (4-1,2-9,2-5,2-0,1-8) culls 1-3

Now that’s a fun week when each of our anglers contributes to the update. Hopefully a sign of things to come as we hit the Ides of April. Stay tuned for the latest fishing reports from several trips to The Canal. Talk to you later. Troy

Brent had a great Friday on Good Friday as he got on the water for the first time, trying his luck at the Knox County strip pits. He selected a spot that allowed kayaking access rather than opting for a hike and/or bike trip. As the results show, his approach worked out quite well.

Weight: 4-1
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 3
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 2-9
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 3
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 2-5
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 3
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 2-0
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 3
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Chatterbait

Weight: 1-3
Angler: Brent Jackson
Date: April 3
Weather: Overcast/breezy
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Lure: Chatterbait
Angler Comments: A pretty good day. The wind was tolerable and my hands did not get cold. I think two of the two-pounders and the four-pounder came from about the same place. The spot where a log comes out in the deeper bowl area. (Editor’s Note: Fortunately, I know exactly where that spot is and it has long been a winner.)
Top 5 Weight: 12-2 (4-1,2-9,2-5,2-0,1-3)

Great to get a report from Brent and all told he logged just over two hours on the water and landed six bass with the five above being “keepers” to fill out his initial Top 5 limit of 2026. Thus far, it looks to be the Year of the Chatterbait as all sixteen of our 2026 Top 5 submissions courtesy of three different anglers have been caught on the lure. Good luck out there and talk to you later. Troy

This past week produced a good batch of bass. To start with, our defending champ, Jim Junk, is on the board with a pair of bass from his old stomping grounds. In addition, I managed to complete my Top 5 and cull my original catches all in the span of a short afternoon. Read on for all the details.

Weight: 4-4
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 22
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (red/black)
Structure: Flat
Angler Comments: First cast, on typical Banner flats produced a nice 4-4 bass that picked up the chatterbait close to the end of the retrieve.

Weight: 2-6
Angler: Jim Junk
Date: March 22
Location: Banner Marsh
Lure: Chatterbait (black/red)
Structure: Flat
Angler Comments: Third cast produced another bass at 2-6. This one was about mid-retrieve.
Top 5 Weight: 6-10 (4-4,2-6)

Weight: 2-13 (18.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 22
Weather: Overcast/very windy, 56F
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish)
Structure: Open
Angler Comments: I was targeting a log in the middle of The Canal, but this fish hit well away from the cover as I completed my retrieve.

Weight: 2-10 (18”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 21
Weather: Overcast/very windy, 56F
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish)
Structure: Stump
Angler Comments: This was my highlight of the day on a great looking piece of offshore cover. I had gotten a solid strike on the previous cast but came up empty on the hookset. I was bummed but hoped that the fish was still there and not spooked as I made a follow-up cast. It all worked out just fine.

Weight: 2-6 (18”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 21
Weather: Overcast/very windy, 56F
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish)
Structure: Log
Angler Comments: I made a long cast parallel to the riprapped shoreline primarily to address some loose line down in the spool of my reel. This “maintenance” cast proved to be a winner in more ways than one.

Weight: 2-3 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 21
Weather: Overcast/very windy, 56F
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish)
Structure: Log
Angler Comments: This was my final bass of the day, and it was icing on the cake as I had already reached my daily goal of posting a ten-pound Top 5. Nothing wrong with being a bit greedy and this bass was right where it was supposed to be as I ran my chatterbait along a log that lay perpendicular to my spot on the bank.

Weight: 2-1 (16.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 21
Weather: Overcast/very windy, 56F
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish)
Structure: Log
Angler Comments: On my first spot of the morning, I made a total of ten casts at various angles to an offshore submerged log. A fish had bumped my chatterbait on the fifth cast, and perseverance paid off with a quality catch to start my afternoon.
Top 5 Weight:12-1 (2-13,2-10,2-6,2-3,2-1) culls 1-13,1-8, and 1-4

Now that’s more like it and hopefully a sign of good things to come. Talk to you later. Troy

And we’re off and running for another year with the first two Top 5 entries of 2026. Back in January, I predicted that I would catch my first bass of the year on March 7. Well, I was late on my guess, but only by a day.

Weight: 1-13
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 8
Weather: Sunny/windy, 60 F
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white) with a Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee Shad)
Structure: Log
Angler Comments: A standard early season target on The Canal is a submerged log. This one was nearly perpendicular to the bank, so I quickly retrieved the chatterbait up to the log and then let it drop on the near side. This bass was lurking on the spot, just like it was supposed to work.

Weight: 1-4
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: March 8
Weather: Sunny/windy, 60 F
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white) with a Yamamoto Zako trailer (Tennessee Shad)
Structure: Drop
Angler Comments: A cast to open water bumped something causing a brief pause in the retrieve. A few cranks of the reel later, my second bass of the afternoon loaded up.
Top 5 Weight: 3-1 (1-13,1-4)

Boy, does it feel good to get a few bass in the logbook for a new year. This winter hasn’t been that bad and while it’s only been 79 days since my last bass, I have sure been chomping at the bit to get the next one on the line. Stay tuned for the report from this outing and if you wish to submit any catches for this year’s Top 5 send them to troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Here’s to another exciting year on the water. Talk to you later. Troy

2025 Top 5 Champ Jim Junk with a a strip mine largemouth bass

Jim Junk returns to the top of the Top 5 after a runner-up finish the previous year. This marks Jim’s fourth title in the last five years as he racks up another batch of impressive catches from his public strip pit stomping grounds. Five anglers posted a total of 70 bass along with a couple additions of other species during a productive year on the water. Read on for all the stats from our twelfth year of the Top 5 project.

Bass Totals (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted)

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 24-9 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-13,4-7)
Troy Jackson 20-11 (4-14,4-14,3-13,3-12,3-6)
Brent Jackson 16-1 (4-10,3-8,3-1,2-8,2-6)
John Kirkemo 11-1 (2-8,2-8,2-4,1-15,1-14)
Carly Jackson 1-2 (1-2)

2025 Totals
March = 10 bass
April = 16 bass
May = 22 bass
June = 5 bass
July = 11 bass
August = 0 bass
September = 4 bass
October = 1 bass
November = 0 bass
December = 1 bass

Brent Jackson with a strip mine smallmouth

Top 5 Weight by Month (as a group)
March = 11-3 (2-15,2-8,1-15,1-15,1-14)
April = 18-9 (4-14,4-10,3-13,2-14,2-6)
May = 22-9 (5-7,4-15,4-7,3-15,3-13)
June = 16-3 (4-0,3-9,3-4,2-11,2-11)
July = 19-15 (4-15,4-13,3-8,3-6,3-5)
August = no submissions
September = 11-7 (3-12,3-6,2-8,1-13)
October = 4-14 (4-14)
November = no submissions
December = 1-15 (1-15)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 36 bass
Bank = 34 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 18-14 (4-14,3-12,3-8,3-6,3-6)
Bank = 25-0 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-14,4-13)

John Kirkemo with a South Carolina spotted bass

Public vs. Private
Public = 68 bass
Private = 2 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 25-1 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-14,4-14)
Private = 6-11 (3-13,2-14)

The Baits
Plastic Worm = 16 bass (Top Bass 4-15 Jim Junk)
Jerkbait = 12 bass (Top Bass 2-8 John Kirkemo)
Frog = 11 bass (Top Bass 3-6 Troy Jackson)
Chatterbait = 9 bass (Top Bass 4-14 Troy Jackson)
Lipless Crankbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 4-10 Brent Jackson)
Underspin = 4 bass (Top Bass 5-7 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-14 Troy Jackson)
Swimbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-13 Jim Junk)
Popper = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-4 Brent Jackson)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 2-2 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-13 Troy Jackson)

Carly Jackson with a Hennepin Canal largemouth bass

Monthly Top Bass
March
2-15 Jim Junk
April
4-14 Troy Jackson
May
5-7 Jim Junk
June
4-0 Jim Junk
July
4-15 Jim Junk
August
No Submissions
September
3-12 Troy Jackson
October
4-14 Troy Jackson
November
No submissions
December
1-15 John Kirkemo

Troy Jackson with a Lake Storey largemouth bass

2025 Top 10 Bass
5-7 Jim Junk 5/17
4-15 Jim Junk 5/25
4-15 Jim Junk 7/19
4-14 Troy Jackson 4/19
4-14 Troy Jackson 10/12
4-13 Jim Junk 7/10
4-10 Brent Jackson 4/6
4-7 Jim Junk 5/30
4-0 Jim Junk 6/7
3-15 Jim Junk 5/2

Other Species

Channel Catfish
Brent Jackson 3-4 (3-4)

Walleye
Brent Jackson 1-6 (1-6)

Stay tuned for a follow-up post that tracks the all-time stats covering the twelve years that we have pursued a Top 5. Talk to you later. Troy