Since starting my own blog, I have committed to posting a fishing report to cover every outing, good or not so good. In the case of today’s report, I am combining a pair of reports from a couple hikes on The Canal. Read on for the details.
Stats
Date: March 10 & 13
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3.75 hours total (2.00 and 1.75)
Totals: 7 bass (2 bass & 5 bass)
Weather Sunny, windy 47F/Overcast, calm 67F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 3 bass, Lunkerhunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin) – 3 bass, Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a BPS Speed Shad trailer (pro blue) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-4 Red Eye Shad
Top Weight: 5-11
Notes and Nonsense
Sight Fishing (March 10) – I decided to take along a pole during a scouting hike on this day even though the wind and temperature had things on the chilly side. The two stretches that I walked offered limited bank access and few targets within reach of my casts. Fortunately, I did spot a bass hanging along some shoreline riprap and the Ned Rig worked its subtle magic in getting the fish to commit. In this instance, I cast the lure out beyond the fish taking care not to make much body movement and spook the bass. From there I gently swam the bait to the fish and left it sitting within sight. A few light twitches of the lure got the bass interested and on the hook. It doesn’t always work but it is rewarding to catch one that you spot in advance.
One That Got Away (March 10) – On the second leg of my hike, I hooked into something heavy with the Ned Rig. It pulled briefly, headed towards the surface as if it was going to roll, and then came undone. I never got a look at the fish and had visions of my first four-pounder on The Canal dancing in my head. Then again, it may have been a big old catfish. I guess I’ll never know but I do plan to get some more casts into the deep hole as the year progresses.
March 10 – 4:44pm Top Bass at 1-4 on a lipless crankbait
Perch Fishing (March 13) – There are no perch in The Canal areas that I fish, but there are several aqueducts built to traverse creeks that run below canal level. These are like highway overpasses but filled with water. On the side of the towpath/hiking trail, these structures feature a roughly five-foot railing to prevent hikers and bikers from taking a swim. To effectively fish the entire length of the aqueducts, I climb up and sit on top of the railing and lock my feet into the gaps so I don’t take a plunge. On this outing, I managed to land a pair of bass on the Ned Rig from such a vantage point.
These two trips resulted in adding a few more “bonus” bites to the log. You never know what you are going to get in terms of weather and opportunities to chase some bass in March, so I am glad to be off to a solid start. Now, if it is not too much to ask, I just need some bigger bites. More reports on the way so talk to you later. Troy