The Canal content rolls on as I get caught up on my recent fishing reports. Today’s post covers another May outing on some more new water. This stretch featured some quite dingy water courtesy of countless spawning carp along with sparse, scattered cover amidst a modest batch of shoreline weed mats.

6:52am – First bass and not sure there is confidence in my brother’s reply

7:26am – Second bass, smaller than the last

Stats
Date: May 29
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:25am-10:10am
Totals: 9 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 65-74F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (perch) – 4 bass, Booyah Buzzbait (black) – 3 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-10 Buzzbait  and Senko (tie)
Top 5 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-14 (1-10,1-10,1-0,0-10)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Early Bird? – I love to be on the water when it is darn near still dark before sunrise. Well, I didn’t make it on this trip as my first cast splashed down at 6:25am. From there, I proceeded to catch a total of two bass in the first hour and forty minutes. The remaining two plus hours resulted in seven bass. Now, there are many variables in play when assessing my “luck”, but I swear that some days I get up earlier than the fish, even when I have a later arrival than hoped.

8:16am – Top Bass at 1-10 (15.5″) on a buzzbait

Vegetation Variations – I am pondering a topwater frog post or two as therapy for my lack of luck, but I will leave specifics for another time. On this trip, I gave the frog a shot in froggy spots to start the day without a ripple. Therefore, it was on to Plan B. I targeted as many variances as possible in the otherwise identical stretches of weed mats. If there was a pocket, channel, swing, or void, I took my first shot with a power spinnerbait/buzzbait approach and collected a handful of bites. As the sun began to hit the shore full bore, I switched my focus to pitching a wacky rigged Senko around such spots, especially if they combined shade, wood, or shoreline riprap with diminished weed cover. The Senko came through with four bites in forty-five minutes to somewhat save the day.

 

For the second time in four days in this general area of The Canal, I fell one bass short of establishing a Top 5 on my maiden voyage. Like the other stretch, it is unlikely that I will make a return trip anytime soon in search of that fifth bass. Now I am not naïve enough to think that my first impression is a true representation of what the pool has to offer, I just have other new waters seeking a first impression of their own. Talk to you later. Troy

After success on two new waters two days prior, I set out again for an unfished stretch of The Canal. My mission was twofold; establish an initial Top 5 for the pool and decide if the spot would be worth another visit.

7:20am – Top Bass at 2-7 (17.5″) on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: May 27
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:55am-9:10am
Totals: 8 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 48-65F
Lures: Booyah Buzzbait (black) – 4 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (perch) – 3 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) –1 bass
Top Bass: 2-7 Buzzbait
Top 5 Weight: 7-8 (2-7,1-7,1-4,1-4,1-2)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

The Launch – Some may lament the lack of actual concrete or gravel boat ramps on The Canal, but you won’t hear me complain. With a little effort, you can get a car top or truck bed boat or kayak in the water. That said, remember that gravity works more to your advantage going downhill. On this trip, I got into a spot where I got the boat into the water but wasn’t so sure that I could get it back out. As a result, I found an easier spot at the end of the day which required a longer drag back to the truck. Kind of created a new saying for me that “there is more than one way to launch a boat.” Oh yeah, also watch out for the poison ivy.

Weeds – Three of the stretches that I fished in my four days on the water featured a ridiculous amount of shoreline aquatic vegetation. While it does vary, several width descriptions of The Canal generally cite it as being ninety feet wide. Using that as a gauge for the waters I fished, then about sixty feet of that span were weeds with a thirty-foot open water channel down the middle. This provided plenty of cover for the bass to hide and eliminated open water casting access to the sparse collection of wood along the banks. Determining targets in such conditions tests my mettle as it is hard to pinpoint something different when everything looks the same.

Texting my friend, John, and confessing my imitation amphibian ineptitude

Quote of the day:
“I am the worst frog fisherman in Canal history.”
Based on the description and picture above, you’d think that an angler would have a heyday with a topwater frog. And I see the photos and descriptions on the internet that boast of quality catches with such presentations. But for the life of me, I cannot get bit even though I toss a frog in all the places that any frog in its right mind would not go. As a result, I was talking to myself on the water uttering the above phrase. I’ll keep plugging away as I should, but I am all ears if anyone has any pointers.

 

Returning to my intro for this report, I was successful in getting my initial Top 5 from some new water. I’ll admit that I give myself a pat on the back when I achieve that goal, but I still fell short of my ultimate double-digit weight target. This leaves me pondering a return trip to find the boost I need from my 7-8 Top 5. As of now, I would say not this year as I have other stretches of The Canal that are calling my name to establish a Top 5. The reports from two of those stretches are headed your way next. Talk to you later. Troy

After separate strip mine visits for me (May 6) and Brent (May 13), we were able to team up to try our luck. For a few years now when we get together, I have incorporated some prognostication prior to making our first casts. Directly below are the pre-launch predictions followed by the lowdown on how it all shook out.

Pre-launch predictions

6:40am – First bass at 2-4 on a Mann’s Chug and Spit popper

Stats
Date: May 20, 2023
Location: Knox County, IL strip pits (1 public, 2 private)
Time: 6:25am-2:25pm (6.50 hours fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy
Air Temp: 50-72F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 29 bass (Brent – 15, Troy -14)
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (perch) – 13 bass, 5 3/8” Bass Pro Stik-O wacky rig (green pumpkin) – 10 bass, Mann’s Chug and Spit Popper – 5 bass, Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-9 Senko wacky rig (Troy)
Top 5 Weight: 15-5 (3-9,3-4,2-15,2-13,2-12)

Mann’s Chug and Spit

Notes and Nonsense

Public Water – We spent 6:25am-9:25am on a public strip pit landing eight total bass which included seven over two pounds and four of our eventual Top 5 for the day. Sun and a frustrating wind pushed us to relocate after a solid start to our day.

11:01am – Top Bass at 3-9 from Little John on a Senko wacky rig

Private Water – From 10:25am-2:10pm we fished a pair of lakes at Little John Conservation Club (LJCC) landing twenty-one more bass but only one that would boost our Top 5 weight. That 3-9 would be our Top Bass of the trip with thirteen of our haul being “keepers” weighing between 0-14 and 1-13. The day ended tough with only four bass on our second LJCC lake in the final hour and forty-five minutes of early afternoon casting. The LJCC portion of the outing was my first time on these waters since November 17, 2021. Skipping out on 2022 marked only the second year in over thirty-five years that I had not made a visit to LJCC.

Whopper Plopper and Senko wacky rig

Got Pliers? – While fishing at our first stop, a kayak angler hollered at us requesting some pliers. It turned out that he had caught a bass in the three-pound range that had another hook in its gills. Brent and I were able to extract the hook and an attached four-inch swimbait. The angler was surprised and indicated that it was a lure that his partner had broken off on a fish during an earlier trip. Indeed, I had seen what his fellow kayaker was throwing on this trip, and it sure looked like the same deal. Not the first time I’ve seen such a thing but those are tales filed away for my “Believe it or Not” series one of these days.

Final results and prediction winners

Armada or Flotilla – As Brent and I left the public water we were greeted by half a dozen young anglers dragging out their kayaks and a johnboat. One of the anglers spotted our GoPros and asked, “Do you guys do YouTube?” I confirmed the YouTube content as well as a blog and dug around in my tacklebag for a few business cards to pass around. I also gave the angler looking for pliers a couple so who knows, maybe someone else will look at these fish stories. If you guys are out there, I enjoyed chats, and you have some catching up to do as I wasn’t lying when I said that there is a ton of content here on the blog.

 

Another good day on the water and always fun to share it with Brent. We’ve been doing this for a long time but don’t get a shot to do it often enough these days it seems. As reported in this week’s Top 5 Update, we were able to post four bass that helped our 2023 weight. The LJCC addition marked the first private water submission of the year. I dig LJCC, always have, but there’s an added satisfaction when you fool them where everybody can fish as we did to start our day. Talk to you later. Troy

 

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, I used to think I was a baseball player. In those days, we didn’t say someone was “in the zone”, we would say “Have a day”. Well, no matter what lingo you use, last Saturday was one of those days for a guy who now thinks that he is a bass fisherman.

 

Stats
Date: May 6, 2023
Location: Knox County, IL public strip pits (5 lakes)
Time: 7:15am-3:50pm (6.50 hours fishing)
Weather: Overcast to sunny/very windy
Air Temp: 58-76F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 27 bass, 3 crappie
Lures: Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 12 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 4 bass, Lunker Hunt Finesse Swimbait (perfect pumpkin) – 4 bass and 3 crappie, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 4 bass, 5” Yamasenko weighted wacky rig (natural shad) – 2 bass, 5 3/8” Stik-O weighted wacky rig (candy corn) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 4-10 Whopper Plopper
Top 5 Weight: 17-15 (4-10,4-2,3-7,3-1,2-11)

Notes and Nonsense

Plan B – I rolled out of bed at 4:14am for some prep and roused my son, Jayce, at 4:52am as we had planned. By 5:08am, I was on the road flying solo as he elected to go back to bed. I was looking forward to getting one of the kids out for the first time this year but no hard feelings on the change of plans. I suspect that over forty years ago when I was his age, I may have reconsidered as well.

A good day when your ninth largest bass is just shy of two pounds and the Whopper Plopper bite is on

Dual Approach – I started my morning rowing around a couple strip pits from 7:15am-11:15am. Before the wind ran me off the water, I was laughing at my good fortune as my haul consisted of a dozen bass including a Top 5 of 15-13 (4-2,3-7,3-1,2-11,2-8). Quite a start but little did I know that my Top Bass of the day was yet to come. A hike from 12:45pm-3:50pm produced fifteen more bass with a Top 5 of 11-8 (4-10,1-15,1-14,1-11,1-6). The overall 17-15 Top 5 for the day stands as my best Top 5 weight for public waters.

Winning Lures

Quote of the day: “Boy, that looks like an ideal spot for a spinnerbait.”
As I landed, photographed, and logged a 2-11 bass at 8:20am, I drifted across where I had hooked the fish. In the process, I spotted a laydown about a foot under the surface, and it did not surprise me that a good fish called it home. Such a spot set up perfectly for a parallel retrieve with a spinnerbait. I don’t know if I said the above quote only in my head or out loud (yes, I do talk to myself on the water), but I hit the log again after letting it settle for a bit. At 8:39am, my second cast back to the spot resulted in a 2-8 on a spinnerbait. Tough to beat when things work out that way.

Changeup – As the wind was beating me up and making boat control tough, I opted to let it push me up into the bank in a pocket with some deep water (meaning I couldn’t see the bottom). My natural anchor allowed me to fancast along and across the oval shaped area. I worked it over with a Whopper Plopper as it had been my top lure up to that point but no takers. The spot looked too good to not hold a bass, so I shifted gears to a spinnerbait. A cast to a ledge with the back-up presentation worked out well to the tune of a 3-7. Tough to beat when things work out that way.

Not all about the bass

After the above catches, I moved from boat to bank, but I will save elaborating on that aspect for a couple other blog posts I have in the works. But bass were not the only species encountered as I also landed three “accidental” crappies, found a pair of ticks, and watched a snake swim past.

By the time I pulled back into the driveway at 5:24pm, it had been a long, productive day with a good workout. Just over twelve hours of driving, rowing, dragging, hiking, and battling some quality fish had me worn out. In fact, I passed on a Sunday morning outing on The Canal to sleep in like Jayce had elected to do the previous day. Some days my body is eager to remind me that I am a long ways from being a teenager. But it’s worth it and I am ready to do it again when I get the chance. More to come from this fishing trip so stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

I keep waiting for a chance to open one of my reports from The Canal with something like, “Boy, The Canal bass really turned things up a notch…” Well, this report doesn’t feature such an intro as the bass in that old trough continue to outsmart me in 2023.

3:40pm – Top Bass at 2-14 on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: April 26
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 3:25pm-5:40pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a BPS XPS double tail grub trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-14
Top 5 Weight (only 2 at 12” or better): 3-14 (2-14,1-0)

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Canal Struggle – Last year, by April 26 I had landed twenty-nine Canal bass during seven hours of April trips. In contrast, this year I have a total of four bass in just over thirteen hours of fishing The Canal starting on February 11. Water conditions have been solid and while weather conditions have been up and down, I have hit the water during a couple favorable warming trends. Just one of those things that I chalk up as “that’s fishing.” Some days you look like you know what you’re doing, and other days the fish prove to be elusive.

 

The Beauty of Bass – As the years have passed, I have found myself becoming more appreciative of my favorite fish. I could write a substantial post on this aspect of my fishing evolution but today I will simply touch on observing the coloration of my catches. As I lipped the Top Bass of this outing, I commented on how dark the fish looked. Just a casual, unrehearsed remark on camera that says a lot about my approach to this hobby. After landing thousands of bass over the past forty plus years, each one deserves a pat on the back and a little more than just unhooking and tossing back over the side of the boat. I’m proud of this progress in my fishing approach and hope that I am not alone in complimenting the catch.

April 26, 2023 bass sandwiched by two similarly sized April 23, 2022 bass from same stretch of The Canal highlight coloration differences

Not much more to add to this report other than to say that I will keep plugging away on The Canal as I know there are friendlier bass to find. Fortunately, the strip mine bass have been winners for me in 2023. Perhaps they felt neglected during my focus on The Canal last year. Who knows? Just keep trying to think like a fish and keep on casting. Talk to you later. Troy

4:18 pm and 1-0 on a spinnerbait – When you only land two bass, you can include pics of them all in your report.