Due to vehicle issues, my approach to fishing the Hennepin Canal has shifted gears in 2026. This has resulted in limited time on the waterway in a boat and more hours spent walking or biking rather than rowing. While it is frustrating from an access perspective, there’s still plenty of bank out there for a quick hit like this outing.
6:12pm – First bass and Top Bass of the evening weighing 2-9 (18″) on a frog
Stats
Date: August 2
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:10pm-7:55pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy. 78F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (nasty shad) – 1 bass, Nibble Nation wacky rigged worm (gator) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-9 (frog)
Top 5 Weight (only 2 bass at 12” or better): 4-9 (2-9.2-0)
Winning lures
Notes and Nonsense
Just Like Old Times – My initial casts on The Canal came on June 5, 2021, and I stuck to prowling the bank until first launching a boat on the waterway on April 23, 2022. That decision opened literally hundreds of miles of water that are inaccessible to bank anglers and has been a prime factor in landing over 1,000 Canal bass to present. So far this year, I have spent roughly double the time on the bank (45.50 hours) versus in a boat (24.25 hours) on The Canal. The overall results comparison for 2026 are fodder for another article or two so I will shift gears back to focusing on this specific trip.
7:27pm – Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 2-0 (16″) on a wacky worm
Two Was the Magic Number – I spent just under two hours on the bank, got two bites, caught two bass, on two different lures, with each bass weighing in the two-pound range. The largest of the two bass (weight 2-9) hit two minutes into casting (although on my third cast of the evening). The other fish tipped the scales at exactly two pounds. Not too bad when you only get two bites.
Spectators – Having an “audience” present when you catch a fish is kind of a double-edged sword. Part on me selfishly has a sort of puff out the chest moment as I appear to know what I am doing. Another part selfishly hears a voice in my head saying, “Boy, I wish they hadn’t seen where I caught that fish.” In the instance of landing my first and largest bass of the evening, a family with two young boys were just exiting their vehicle in an adjacent parking lot. The boys (roughly ages four and seven) rushed over with the little guy exclaiming, “Whoa, I didn’t know there were big bass in here!” I think that I was more impressed than the kid, as I replied, “You guys know that is a bass, huh?” They both nodded and I told them that after I took a picture of the fish they could get a better look. By then their focus on the old guy with the fish was long gone and they had scampered back to mom and dad. I gave the family a wave and we headed separate ways to continue our outdoor adventures.
An added benefit of hiking The Canal is getting some needed exercise
Being bank bound does lend a nostalgic air to outings on The Canal and elsewhere but I will readily admit that I would prefer fishing from the boat. As a bank angler, there’s always the allure of and longing for spots that are “over there.” And over the years, I’ve been “over there” and in many instances the bass “over there” have treated me well. For my next outing, I was able to work out the logistics to get Dad’s truck and the little boat. I was also fortunate to have a kid of my own alongside. But that is another fish story. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy