I don’t usually combine multiple trips into one report, but when the fish get the better of you, sometimes there isn’t much to say. To put it bluntly, I would simply use a favorite saying that is apt for a wide range of experiences on the water. “That’s fishing.” But I’ll dive a little deeper with the standard report format to cover three separate outings that each resulted in a lone bass.
Stats
Date: October 3,9,18
Location: Hennepin Canal (3 outings, 4 pools)
Time: Mid-morning to early afternoon
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Sunny or cloudy/calm or breezy, 50s and 60sF
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog (nasty shad) – 2 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with BPS double tail trailer (Houdini) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 (Frog on 10/3)
Top 5 Weight: Not applicable over three separate outings
Notes and Nonsense
October 3 – Lone Bass weighing 1-15 (14.5″) on a frog
October 3 – For this outing, I returned to the spot that has the largest Top 5 Weight in my “career” on The Canal at 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15). I had not fished the area in nearly two years as I have been focusing on exploring and boosting other pools. The bass were not very welcoming on my return as I managed only three bites and landed one. The lone catch came on a frog and tipped the scales at 1-15.
October 9 – Lone bass (and first cast bass) weighing 1-4 (13″) on a frog
October 9 – Next up was a spot closer to home as I only had a short window to fish. Like the October 3 trip, I managed three bites and caught one. Believe it or not, that catch came on my first cast of the day on a frog. In this case, a first cast bass was a jinx. Over the next hour and forty-five minutes I would get two more bites. One would miss a frog, and another resulted in a break off on the hookset after a strike on a buzzbait. Oddly, the line broke near the reel. Even more strange was getting an oar clogged up with the abundant vegetation as I relocated and snagging some discarded fishing line. Which turned out to be mine, with a buzzbait still attached.
October 18 – Screenshot from video of lone bass release, did not take a pic as I figured that I would catch more and larger. Nope.
October 18 – The third of my outings with a lone catch was on a stretch of water where I had late season success in November of 2024. Nearly two years later, my “luck” was not the same. Nor were the conditions as low, dirty water and abundant vegetation thwarted my spinnerbait plan and I found no other presentation that would put bass in the boat. My only catch came off one of the few laydowns that had enough open water to effectively present a spinnerbait alongside the wood.
The highlight of these trips was an odd buzzbait revovery as described earlier
Well, my first goal when I hit the water is to not get shut out, so based on that criteria, I guess these outings were successes. And I guess that’s all I have to say about that. More reports to come so stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy