Month: June 2023

Prowl the Canal – May Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After a tough start to 2023 on The Canal in March and April, things took a turn for the better in May. Overall, I managed to hit the water for six outings covering eight different pools. Five of the pools represented new water as I tried to do some exploring in hopes of establishing Top 5 weights for these spots. Some worked out, others fell short, so I suppose that means a return trip to complete some unfinished business. Those will be tales for another day. For today, here’s the monthly look at the totals from prowling The Canal in May.

May Breakdown
May 2023 Totals: 41 bass in 19.75 hours (2.08 bass/hour)
May 2022 Totals: 57 bass in 19.50 hours (2.92 bass/hour)

May 2023 Top Bass: 3-2 May 25 Buzzbait
May 2022 Top Bass: 2-12 May 27 Spinnerbait

2023 Best May Top 5 Day: 10-4 (3-2,2-6,1-10,1-10,1-8) – May 25
2022 Best May Top 5 Day: 9-9 (2-12,2-7,1-10,1-7,1-5) – May 27

2023 May Top 5: 12-6 (3-2,2-8,2-7,2-6,1-15)
2022 May Top 5: 12-9 (2-12,2-11,2-8,2-7,2-3)

2023 May Lure Breakdown
Buzzbaits – 12 bass
Spinnerbaits – 12 bass
Propbaits – 9 bass
Plastic Worms – 8 bass

Top 5 All-Time May Bass Weight: 13-9 (3-2,2-12,2-11,2-8,2-8)

2023 Overall Canal Stats
52 bass in 35.50 hours (1.46 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-2 Buzzbait – May 25
Best Top 5 Day: 10-4 (3-2,2-6,1-10,1-10,1-8) – May 25

Yearly Top 5 Totals
2023 Top 5 Canal Weight: 13-5 (3-2,2-14,2-8,2-7,2-6)
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15)
2021 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)

And with that I close the books for another month on The Canal. A pair of June bass are already in the log with a couple upcoming outings in my sights to see about finding some more. Stay tuned for those reports and drop in tomorrow for another Top 5 Update. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – May 29

Posted on by Troy Jackson

The Canal content rolls on as I get caught up on my recent fishing reports. Today’s post covers another May outing on some more new water. This stretch featured some quite dingy water courtesy of countless spawning carp along with sparse, scattered cover amidst a modest batch of shoreline weed mats.

6:52am – First bass and not sure there is confidence in my brother’s reply

7:26am – Second bass, smaller than the last

Stats
Date: May 29
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:25am-10:10am
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 65-74F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (perch) – 4 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (black) – 3 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-10 Buzzbait  and Senko (tie)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-14 (1-10,1-10,1-0,0-10)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Early Bird? – I love to be on the water when it is darn near still dark before sunrise. Well, I didn’t make it on this trip as my first cast splashed down at 6:25am. From there, I proceeded to catch a total of two bass in the first hour and forty minutes. The remaining two plus hours resulted in seven bass. Now, there are many variables in play when assessing my “luck”, but I swear that some days I get up earlier than the fish, even when I have a later arrival than hoped.

8:16am – Top Bass at 1-10 (15.5″) on a buzzbait

Vegetation Variations – I am pondering a topwater frog post or two as therapy for my lack of luck, but I will leave specifics for another time. On this trip, I gave the frog a shot in froggy spots to start the day without a ripple. Therefore, it was on to Plan B. I targeted as many variances as possible in the otherwise identical stretches of weed mats. If there was a pocket, channel, swing, or void, I took my first shot with a power spinnerbait/buzzbait approach and collected a handful of bites. As the sun began to hit the shore full bore, I switched my focus to pitching a wacky rigged Senko around such spots, especially if they combined shade, wood, or shoreline riprap with diminished weed cover. The Senko came through with four bites in forty-five minutes to somewhat save the day.

 

For the second time in four days in this general area of The Canal, I fell one bass short of establishing a Top 5 on my maiden voyage. Like the other stretch, it is unlikely that I will make a return trip anytime soon in search of that fifth bass. Now I am not naïve enough to think that my first impression is a true representation of what the pool has to offer, I just have other new waters seeking a first impression of their own. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – May 28

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last Sunday morning found me back on The Canal around sunrise. The plan was to get in three hours of fishing and then make a donut run for my son’s birthday. I did invite him along, but at fourteen I guess getting up at 4:30am wasn’t high on his birthday list. I suppose at that age I wasn’t up before daylight much either. Hard to remember though as that was a long time ago. Anyway, my donut mission was a success and read on to see how the fishing turned out.

5:58am – Top Bass at 2-8 (18″) on a Whopper Plopper

Stats
Date: May 28
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:35am-8:35am
Totals: 6 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 54-68F
Lures: Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 6 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight: 8-9 (2-8,1-15,1-11,1-9,0-14)

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

Top 4 to Top 5 – In 2022, four hours on this stretch of The Canal had left me one bass short of completing a Top 5 with an unimpressive weight of 4-4. I know there are some quality fish in the spot, so my first goal was to land one more keeper. Three minutes into casting, I had a 1-9 in hand and an initial Top 5 of 5-13. Next up was a daily Top 5 which I completed via a 1-11 with about twenty minutes left to fish. This put me at 8-9 for the day and that’s where I would stay. Overall, my all-time Top 5 for this pool now stands at 9-0 so I still have some work to do for a double-digit creel.

Near real time updates are fun as Brent and I were on different water at the same time

Synchronized Fishing – I sent my brother, Brent, a text after I caught my 2-8 and was not surprised to find that he was getting ready to start casting at Snakeden Hollow. It turned out that I was not the only one fighting aquatic vegetation as his text and pic below described the weeds on his fishing hole as “crazy.” He reported back later with a 1-15 and 1-14 on a topwater frog after a short morning on the weeds, I mean water. While it is preferable to share time on the water in person, today’s communication allows for some near real time updates from our stomping grounds. Those devices are good for something after all.

I guess the weeds on The Canal may not be so bad after all

 

Check off another Canal location with a Top 5 but keep it on the list as I intend to give it a boost to double digits before the year is over. One more report to get things caught up and the monthly “Prowl the Canal” posts are in the works to put a wrap on May. I hope to get back on The Canal soon to see how the bass treat me in June. I am also looking to have some company one of these days now that school is out and the evening light is longer. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy