I have had this report completed for nearly a week but work, life, and lethargy have combined to delay the submission. So, better late then never, here is the latest fishing report.

Stats
Date: March 30
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 12:30pm-2:45pm
Totals: 4 bass
Weather: Overcast/very windy/light rain, 59-55F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with twin tail trailer – 4 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 Spinnerbait
Top 2 Weight (only two at 12” or better): 2-12 (1-8,1-4)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones (1969)

1:39pm – First bass at 1-4 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Notes and Nonsense

Weather – Initially, I had no plans to get on the water on this cool Sunday, but free time opened up and as the old saying goes “the best time to go fishing, is any time you can.” With the temperature reading just shy of sixty degrees, it sounded like it wasn’t too bad out there, but wind and lack of sun made things chilly. As the afternoon progressed, the “feels like” reading had dipped to forty-two degrees. Now, I can fish all day but on this afternoon I will admit that I wasn’t too disappointed in having a projected quitting time. And this time, I stuck to it.

Winning Lure

Lone Lure – On three out of the four trips this year when I have landed bass, success has come courtesy of a single lure per outing. In the case of this trip, it was a War Eagle spinnerbait that got the job done. Similarly, all catches on March 14 fell to a chatterbait, and on March 27, a lipless crankbait was a winner. Granted I am not knocking them dead with between two and four bass per outing, but it seems the bass are picky early in the season even though I present them with multiple offerings each time I hit the water.

Fellow Fisherman Report – The cooler than expected weather did not keep a couple other anglers off the water. I spoke with a kayaker mid-trip who was struggling for a bite. At that point, we both only had “one that got away.” A bank angler that I chatted with prior to my launch had fared better, reporting four bass in the general area of the lock. That turned out to be my total even though I fished a mile of water compared to his limited access. While I prefer having free reign of the entire stretch, there is something to be said about working over a small area more thoroughly when that is all you have available.

2:18pm – Top Bass at 1-8 (14″) on a spinnerbait

To the Rescue – As I began rowing upstream after my launch, I spotted the bank angler mentioned above with a bend in his pole. I had witnessed one of his earlier catches but in this case, he was snagged. I hollered at him to hold on, not break it off, and I would see what I could do from a boat. Luck was on our side as his crankbait was snagged on a submerged branch within reach for me. He thanked me for the assistance, and I told him that as an old bank angler myself, I was happy to help save a few bucks and maybe a lucky lure.

Four bass fell short of my expectations but considering it took me an hour to get the first one in the boat, I was happy with a solid finish. It’s been a slow start to the year and circumstances are keeping me off the water for another week. Luckily, I have a pair of secondhand reports from my brother, Brent, and some Trip Tunes to fall back on until I get back to casting. Talk to you later. Troy