(NOTE: All trips described below were on sections from Colona to Geneseo, and all bass were released)
After a bit of a delay, the monthly “Prowl the Canal” feature is back for another year. And it looks like me and The Canal are going to see a lot more of each other in 2022. My first ever attempt to fish The Canal took place on June 5, 2021, and I was pleasantly surprised. Between that success and this administration’s fuel prices, more of my 2022 fishing will be closer to home.
The uptick in time on The Canal also means that the “Prowl” series debut for 2022 will be a two-part piece. First up, “Stats” with “Lessons” to follow.
April 15 at 5:30pm first bass from The Canal for 2022
Stats
Date: April 15, 2022
Time: 5:25pm-6:55pm
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, temp 49-45F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail trailer (root beer pepper green) – 3 bass
Top Bass: no “keepers”
Top 5 Weight: no “keepers”
Comments: My initial prowl of 2022 was on foot, and I came armed with a new spinnerbait that was made by an old high school and Legion baseball teammate. It was a winner run parallel to shoreline riprap or brush.
April 23 at 8:00am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass 3-5 (18″) on a spinnerbait
April 23 at 7:07am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #2 at 3-2 (18″) on a spinnerbait
Date: April 23, 2022
Time: 7:00am-9:45am
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy, temp 64-72F
Lures: Special K Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail trailer (root beer pepper green) – 9 bass, Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill Crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-5 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 10-8 (3-5,3-2,1-9,1-6,1-2)
Comments: On the heels of my spinnerbait success on the first outing, I hit a new stretch of The Canal that was littered with wood. An ideal setup for a spinnerbait fan and the bass were right in the thick of the structure.
April 24 at 7:24am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #3 at 2-12 (18″) on a crankbait
Date: April 24, 2022
Time: 7:20am-10:20am
Totals: 16 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, temp 60-59F
Lures: Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (red craw) – 13 bass, Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) with Zoom Creepy Crawler Twin Tail trailer (root beer pepper green) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 2-12
Top 5 Weight: 10-1 (2-12,2-5,2-4,1-8,1-4)
Comments: Different structure on a different stretch, with riprap taking top billing over wood, was a spot for a shallow crankbait to shine. The Mann’s Baby 1- dominated the haul in another textbook approach, cranking parallel to riprap shoreline and weed edges.
April 24 at 8:04am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #4 at 2-5 (17.5″) on a crankbait
Date: April 29, 2022
Time: 5:40pm-7:55pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Overcast/breezy, temp 64F
Lures: Whopper Plopper (I Know It) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-3
Top 5 Weight: 3-7 (2-3,1-4)
Comments: I brought my son, Jayce, along and was focused on finding him some bites with a one-two punch of the Mann’s Baby 1- and a Whopper Plopper. I’d seen several posts on social media of bass with the latter lure lodged in a lip and was optimistic that we might entice some topwater bites. Two decent bass were right on target and the Whopper Plopper has a new fan.
April 29 at 6:28pm – Jayce with a 2-3 on a Whopper Plopper that narrowly missed the April Canal Top 5
April Totals
Time: 9.50 hours
Totals: 41 bass (Troy 39 bass, Jayce – 2 bass)
Lures: Spinnerbait (bold bluegill) – 25 bass. Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (red craw) – 13 bass, Whopper Plopper (I Know It) – 2 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill crankbait (sexy shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-5 Spinnerbait on April 23
Top 5 Weight: 13-12 (3-5,3-2,2-12,2-5,2-4)
April 24 at 9:53am – 2022 Top April Canal Bass #5 at 2-4 (17.5″) on a crankbait
RECORD BOOK UPDATE
Hennepin Canal (2021-present)
Top Bass: 3-6 Troy Jackson 7/21/21 Plastic Worm
Best Top 5 Day (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 7-4 (3-6,2-10,2-0,1-4) 7/21/21
UPDATE BEST TOP 5 DAY: 10-8 (3-5,3-2,1-9,1-6,1-2) 4/23/22
All-Time Top 5 Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)
UPDATE: added a 3-5 and 3-2 to boost the All-Time Top 5 Weight
NEW ALL-TIME TOP 5 WEIGHT: 16-2 (3-6,3-5,3-4,3-2,3-1) culls 2-14 and 2-13
Comments: It now takes a bass over the three-pound mark to enter the all-time Top 5 list.
So, that’s the April Prowl by the numbers. Coming next is the “Lessons” portion of the project as each visit is a learning experience. Talk to you later. Troy