I was hoping that the third time would be a charm on a stubborn stretch of The Canal that was lacking only six ounces of having the sought after ten-pound Top 5. My starting point was a weight of 9-10, and I knew the bite(s) were there as I’d had them hooked twice before only to have them come loose at boatside. Read on to see if I had any better “luck” on this outing.

7:26am – First bass weighing 1-3 (13.5″) on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: September 13
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:45am-10:30am
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy, 56-70F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Booyah Blade Spinnerbait (snow white shad) with BPS double tail trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 (Spinnerbait)
Top 2 Weight (only two bass at 12” or better): 2-11 (1-8,1-3)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

History – I have it in mind to create a series of posts covering the details on each of the twenty-five pools in my Top 5 Quest but that is quite an undertaking. Perhaps a wintertime project. For now, the brief synopsis on this pool featured a 2026 starting weight of 7-15 that got a boost to 9-10 after a July 20 trip. On that trip, I landed a 2-1, a 2-5, and had the bite the I needed within arm’s reach before it spit out my buzzbait. A return trip on September 12, saw the scene of “the one that got away” replayed as the bass I needed came loose from a buzzbait at boatside yet again. Oddly, both bites came from within a few yards of each other. I worked the spot over on this latest trip, but nobody was interested.

9:29am – Top Bass weighing 1-8 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Mystery – This spot has got my number, and I really don’t know why. It has an incredible amount of wood cover that is custom made for my spinnerbait approach or a buzzbait ran over and around. Those offerings produced all my fish on this trip, but that was only three bass. The previous day, I had been given a tip about tossing a chatterbait, but I got no interest on this outing. In addition, I spoke to a pair of anglers on this trip that were tossing creatures and wacky rigs, but they were faring no better.

Post-trip outro that I often make in the event that I ever get around to posting more YouTube clips

 

“So let’s leave it alone, ‘cause we can’t see eye to eye.”
We Just Disagree – Dave Mason (1977)
One of my all-time favorite tunes was apt to sum up this trip, and this stretch of The Canal. One of these days, those fish will bust loose and go crazy as I am confident that my approach has what it takes. In the meantime, I took my lures and tested some other spots that needed a Top 5 boost for my next adventure. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy