2022 turned out to be my “Best Year of Bass” as I wound up topping my all-time bass catch record of 418 set in 2020. After bass #419 was landed on September 17 to establish a new personal best, I set my sights on reaching Bass #500 before the year was over. Read on for the results and tune in for a collection of breakdowns on the statistics from 2022 including time on the water, co-anglers, Top 5 weights, lures, destinations, presentations, records, and more.

Bass #419 sets a new personal best total but there were more to come

Grand Totals (bass fishing only)
56 outings (41 outings in 2021)
187.00 hours fishing (136.75 in 2021)
553 bass (313 bass in 2021)
2.96 bass/hour (2.40 bass/hour in 2021)
Comments: The significant increase in outings was the direct result of a heavy focus on the Hennepin Canal. Forty-three of the fifty-six trips this year were at various spots along the historic waterway. Proximity made for many quick early morning or evening getaways on The Canal and the expanded exploring via boat proved to be quite productive.

First Bass – March 20 at Snakeden Hollow

First Bass/Last Bass
March 20 – Snakeden Hollow 1:20pm 9.5” Shad Rap
November 25 – The Hennepin Canal 3:38pm 13.5” 1-1 Spinnerbait
Comments: My annual mission of starting the year with a March bass and ending with a November bass was accomplished. I did give December a brief shot but came up empty. For the third straight year, the Shad Rap came through with the first catch. And fittingly, my last bass of the year came on a spinnerbait which was my most productive lure of 2022.

Last Bass (#553) – November 25 on The Hennepin Canal

Monthly Breakdown (Top Day Weight is Top 5 unless noted)
March – 1 trip, 6 bass, Top Weight (3/20 2 bass Snakeden) = 1-6
April – 7 trips, 74 bass, Top Day Weight (4/23 The Canal) = 10-8
May – 9 trips, 94 bass, Top Day Weight (5/27 The Canal) = 9-9
June – 6 trips, 39 bass, Top Day Weight (6/24 The Canal) = 11-3
July – 9 trips, 77 bass, Top Day Weight (7/2 The Canal) = 9-6
August – 6 trips, 67 bass, Top Day Weight (8/13 The Canal) = 10-6
September – 9 trips, 134 bass, Top Day Weight (9/18 Lake Storey) = 9-4
October – 5 trips, 40 bass, Top Day Weight (10/30 The Canal) = 8-15
November – 3 trips, 22 bass, Top Day Weight (11/6 The Canal) = 9-3
December – 1 trip, 0 bass
Comments: Solid production throughout the year and hoping to get on The Canal earlier this year than my April 24 maiden voyage last year. I was also quite pleased with the home stretch of September through November which produced nearly two hundred bass. Thumbs up on quality Top 5 results for each month as my goal is a ten-pound limit when I hit the water and I made the mark in three months and came close for five others.

Top 5 Weight
16-10 (3-10,3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2)
Comments: My annual goal is a twenty-pound Top 5 and while I fell short this year, I can’t say that I was disappointed. My fourteen months of experience on The Canal still has me in search of the four-pounders that I need to reach the twenty-pound mark. I’ve seen posts of such fish from The Canal, so I know that they are out there, but I suspect they are few and far between. I did have a couple misses in 2022 that may have been such fish. So, I know where they live and hope to encounter them again with better results.

The 2022 Fishing Recap series has just begun. Next up, will be a look at the locations that produced the bass. Talk to you later. Troy

As October passes, I am nearing the end of my first full year of fishing The Canal. And quite a year of exploring it has been on the historic waterway. But those totals and tales will wait for a complete wrap-up after the New Year as today we focus on how October shook out with the latest monthly wrap-up.

2022 October Totals
Four outings covering two different pools
27 bass in 11.25 hours (2.40 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-10 October 1 Buzzbait
2022 October Top 5: 10-9 (2-10,2-4,2-3,1-14,1-10)
2022 Best October Top 5 Day: 8-15 (2-4,2-3,1-10,1-7,1-7) – October 30
Top 5 All-Time October Bass Weight: 10-9 (2-10,2-4,2-3,1-14,1-10)

Notes

Disappearing weed cover makes for better wood targets

Waning Weeds – Having covered a lot of water via boat this year, it has been interesting to see how The Canal changes over the seasons. At present, it is in a stage where the weeds have died back. This provides for better lure coverage of the ample shoreline wood on some of the spots I fish.

Winning Spinners

Spinnerbait Success – I will save the lure stats for the end of the year but no doubt that a spinnerbait has been my most effective presentation. My first Canal bass of the year came on a spinnerbait back on April 15. My latest Canal bass was landed on a spinnerbait on October 30 and there have been close to two hundred more in between.

October 1 – new October Top Bass at 2-10 (19″) on a buzzbait

Top 5 Notes – In October 2021, I fished The Canal four times from the bank for a total of eight hours. Results were less than impressive with nine bass and only two “keepers” weighing 1-4 and 1-1. Thus, I needed three more bass to reach an October Top 5 and then work on booting those two from last year. Things worked out well thanks to a solid outing on October 30 and I now have a double-digit Top 5 Weight for October.

2022 Overall Canal Stats
347 bass in 116.25 hours (2.98 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 (tie) 4/23 Spinnerbait 8/21 Buzzbait
Best Top 5 Day: 11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) 6/24/22
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15)
2021 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)

November can be tough in terms of getting on the water with a typical 5:00pm end of workday meaning its weekend fishing or none at all. My annual goal is to end with a November bass and that was accomplished yesterday at Lake Storey (full report to come later this week). However, I have never fished The Canal in November, so my sights are now on a Canal bass before the month is over. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Another month of prowling in the log means that it is time for the latest batch of stats and lessons.

September 2022 Top Canal Bass at 2-12 (18″)

2022 September Totals
Five outings covering three different pools
54 bass in 16.00 hours (3.38 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-12 September 20 Whopper Plopper
2022 September Top 5: 11-7 (2-12,2-8,2-4,2-1,1-14)
2022 Best September Top 5 Day: 9-1 (2-12,2-8,1-7,1-5,1-1) – Sept. 20
Top 5 All-Time September Bass Weight: 13-4 (3-1,2-12,2-11,2-8,2-4)

Lessons

Hot Bass – My September 20 outing saw summer head out with a flourish as the heat index hit the “Feels like 98 degrees” mark mid-afternoon. It was one of those instances where I had time to fish and come heck or heat stroke, I had to give it a go. You can’t control the weather and you can’t catch fish sitting at home in the air conditioning. A pair of two-pounders (2-12 and 2-8) reinforced my view that the best time to go fishing is anytime you can.

Whopper Plopper is a winner

 New Lure – I am a creature of habit but even I can’t ignore the fact that the Whopper Plopper is a winner on The Canal. Earlier this summer, I had a canal-side chat with a fellow who I consider my Canal fishing hero. He is Whopper Plopper aficionado, and you can bet I was all ears as we talked. One of my takes from the conversation was that I needed to up my Plopper game. In addition, his catch photos on the internet also indicated that I needed to up my Plopper size. The move from the 90 model to the 110 paid immediate dividends with a 2-4 as my first bass on the new lure. More proof of the effectiveness of the presentation was the fact that my Top 5 bass for September all came on the Whopper Plopper 110 (bone).

New Water – In my fifteen months of Canal prowling, I have learned a lot of stuff. Some of that stuff is a result of direct and indirect observation of the fisherman mentioned above as well as several other anglers. The learning process led me to a new stretch of water that is quite productive for this crew of fellow Canal prowlers. I finally got around to giving it a fair shake from end to end this month and wound up humbled. I know that there are quality fish in the stretch, but they outsmarted me when I took my September shot. That’s okay, as that’s fishing.

2022 Overall Canal Stats
321 bass in 105.00 hours (3.06 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 3-5 (tie) 4/23 Spinnerbait 8/21 Buzzbait
Best Top 5 Day: 11-3 (2-15,2-10,2-3,2-1,1-6) 6/24/22
2022 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-15 (3-5,3-5,3-4,3-2,2-15)
2021 Top 5 Canal Weight: 15-6 (3-6,3-4,3-1,2-14,2-13)

Another productive and educational month on The Canal. While my 2021 Canal prowls found me fishing until a final Halloween trip, I intend to push it into November if I get the opportunity this year. As always, you’ll be the first to know how it goes here on the blog. Talk to you later. Troy

As June rolls on, it is time for another Top 5 Stat Update that takes us through May with a look at our totals of 57 bass and one trout.

2022 Totals
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 15 bass
April = 35 bass
May = 7 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
January = no submissions
February = no submissions
March = 14-2 (3-3,2-15,2-14,2-12,2-6)
April = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
May = 11-9 (2-12,2-11,2-5,2-0,1-13)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 21 bass
Bank = 36 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 14-11 (3-5,3-2,2-12,2-12,2-12)
Bank = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)

Public vs. Private
Public = 57 bass
Private = 0 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 28-10 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-4,5-1)
Private = not applicable

The Baits (* = new record)
Lipless Crankbait = 15 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
*Chatterbait = 13 bass (Top Bass 6-9 Jim Junk) tops 5-15 Jim Junk 6/22/20
Spinnerbait = 7 bass (Top Bass 5-4 Brent Jackson)
Crankbait = 5 bass (Top Bass 2-12 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 2-5 John Kirkemo)
Jig = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
Plastic Worm = 3 bass (Top Bass 5-12 Jim Junk)
Propbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-3 Jayce Jackson)
Buzzbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 2-11 Troy Jackson)
Swimbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 4-3 Jim Junk)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 0-13 Troy Jackson)
Underspin = 1 bass (3-12 Jim Junk)

Monthly Top Bass
January
No submissions
February
No submissions
March
3-3 Jim Junk
April
6-9 Jim Junk
May
2-12 Troy Jackson

2022 Top 10 Bass
6-9 Jim Junk 4/4/22
6-0 Jim Junk 4/15/22
5-12 Jim Junk 4/21/22
5-4 Brent Jackson 4/24/22
5-1 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-7 Jim Junk 4/4/22
4-6 Jim Junk 4/19/22
4-3 Jim Junk 4/21/22
3-15 Jim Junk 4/19/22
3-12 Jim Junk 4/13/22

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 27-13 (6-9,6-0,5-12,5-1,4-7)
Troy Jackson 14-10 (3-5,3-2,2-12,2-12,2-11)
Brent Jackson 13-15 (5-4,3-9,1-12,1-11,1-11)
John Kirkemo: 8-4 (2-5,2-0,1-13,1-3,0-15)
Jayce Jackson 3-7 (2-3,1-4)

Other Species – Trout

John Kirkemo 12” (12”)

Some movement in the standings over the course of May although our leader, Jim Junk, remains firmly entrenched atop the list. I leapfrog my brother with a couple catches from The Canal, but he will have the last laugh in tomorrow’s Top 5 Update with some June Snakeden catches. And John Kirkemo fills out his limit to pass our youngest angler, Jayce. Guess I need to get that boy back out on The Canal with his Whopper Plopper. As always. send your fish my way when you catch them at troy@troyjacksonoutdoors.com. Talk to you later. Troy