I keep waiting for a chance to open one of my reports from The Canal with something like, “Boy, The Canal bass really turned things up a notch…” Well, this report doesn’t feature such an intro as the bass in that old trough continue to outsmart me in 2023.
3:40pm – Top Bass at 2-14 on a spinnerbait
Stats
Date: April 26
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:25pm-5:40pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-14
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-14 (2-14,1-0)
Winning lure
Notes and Nonsense
Canal Struggle – Last year, by April 26 I had landed twenty-nine Canal bass during seven hours of April trips. In contrast, this year I have a total of four bass in just over thirteen hours of fishing The Canal starting on February 11. Water conditions have been solid and while weather conditions have been up and down, I have hit the water during a couple favorable warming trends. Just one of those things that I chalk up as “that’s fishing.” Some days you look like you know what you’re doing, and other days the fish prove to be elusive.
The Beauty of Bass – As the years have passed, I have found myself becoming more appreciative of my favorite fish. I could write a substantial post on this aspect of my fishing evolution but today I will simply touch on observing the coloration of my catches. As I lipped the Top Bass of this outing, I commented on how dark the fish looked. Just a casual, unrehearsed remark on camera that says a lot about my approach to this hobby. After landing thousands of bass over the past forty plus years, each one deserves a pat on the back and a little more than just unhooking and tossing back over the side of the boat. I’m proud of this progress in my fishing approach and hope that I am not alone in complimenting the catch.
April 26, 2023 bass sandwiched by two similarly sized April 23, 2022 bass from same stretch of The Canal highlight coloration differences
Not much more to add to this report other than to say that I will keep plugging away on The Canal as I know there are friendlier bass to find. Fortunately, the strip mine bass have been winners for me in 2023. Perhaps they felt neglected during my focus on The Canal last year. Who knows? Just keep trying to think like a fish and keep on casting. Talk to you later. Troy
4:18 pm and 1-0 on a spinnerbait – When you only land two bass, you can include pics of them all in your report.
