This outing marked three consecutive days of fishing on The Canal. Each was a brief outing although I intended to stick around longer on this hike. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans as a thunderstorm showed up over an hour earlier than forecast. I got back to my truck in the nick of time as the clouds opened up with a heavy downpour just before noon.

Stats
Date: April 13
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 9:05am-11:50am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to overcast/windy
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with BPS Speed Shad trailer (sight fish) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-1 Chatterbait
Top 4 Weight (only 4 bass at 12” or better): 6-4 (2-1,2-0,1-2,1-1)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
“Yeah, you go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin’ ‘round and ‘round.”
Do It Again – Steely Dan (1972)
Early season fishing has been like the proverbial “broken record” with the same lure in the same spots racking up some quality catches. But to use another adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so I went back and did it again.

The chattebait continues to get it done, catching all fifty-two of my bass in 2026

Discards after my retying routine to start every day on the water

Notes and Nonsense

Retie and Recheck – Prior to my first casts when I arrive, I strip off several feet of line and clip it past the kink created by the top eye on my rod during the time my poles have sat idle. Then I run several feet of the remaining line through my fingers to check for any abrasions and retie my lures. In addition, I check my line after each catch and periodically when running it through any sort or potentially abrasive cover such as rocks, wood, or vegetation. When in doubt, retie. You will never regret investing those few extra seconds to prevent wondering “what if” should you break off a fish.

10:19am – Top Bass of the trip at 2-1 (16.5″) on a chatterbait

Angler Tips – I encountered a fellow angler on my hike who passed on a few fish stories, pics, and a couple tips. He mentioned landing some four to five-pounders recently and I had to ask, “On The Canal?” As he began to answer, I said that all I was seeking was a “Yes or No” as I was not looking for any specific spots. I just wanted confirmation that such fish still swim in that old water. Turns out they were not from The Canal but from a local, public, off the beaten path fishing hole. He also offered me a tip on a scaled down lure that is successful on The Canal and even gave me a couple to try. You can’t beat that and I will give the lures a shot. But I was a little unsure on the directions to his hotspot so I’m not sure if that will come into play. I am a little reluctant to hop on somebody’s spot, even if they are willing to share insider information. Besides, I have ample water to fish and some milestones on those spots that are in my sights.

A telltale sign that the bass are in the mood to create some more bass

Spawning Tales/Tails – The angler above also noted observing some bass with beat up, bloody tails. I shared that I had also caught a pair with the same look over the weekend. In addition, I had spooked a half dozen bass along the shoreline on this outing as they darted of bare spots on the bottom. All the above points to the bass’ thoughts turning to making more bass in the shallow, warming water of The Canal.

11:38am – Top Bass Ruuner-up of the trip at 2-0 (16″) on a chatterbait

So, the Canal continues to produce what I categorize as “good ones” with a pair of bass at two pounds or better on this trip. However, I have yet to reach the three-pound mark on a catch this year. I know they are in there and the time is approaching to employ one of my favorite techniques to fool some, topwater fishing. Hopefully, it won’t be long although this morning’s cold front thirty-degree temperatures are a letdown after seventies earlier this week. And yep, it is the weekend, go figure. Talk to you later. Troy