The eve of summer and overcast skies seemed like an ideal time to get out after the 5:00pm end of a Wednesday workday. The forecast did call for a possibility of some light rain, but I’ve been wet before, so not much of a problem, right? Well, I got wet again. Real wet. But I also had a solid night of catching.

Looked like I had it made

Stats
Date: June 19
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:20pm-8:50pm
Totals: 14 bass
Weather: Overcast/calm/heavy rain, 85F
Lures: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 9 bass, Whopper Plopper #110 (bone) – 3 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-11 (Whopper Plopper)
Top 5 Weight: 7-7 (1-11,1-10,1-8,1-5,1-5)

7:00pm – Top Bass at 1-11 (15″) on a Whopper Plopper while dry under a light gray sky

Notes and Nonsense

Limited Media – For starters, I was in such a hurry to get to the water that I forgot my GoPro. Lack of video wasn’t much of a concern as I fished for decades without such technology and the torrential rains would have put a damper on shooting anyway. The rainy conditions also limited my ability to take pictures of my catches. I only got shots of half of the fish, being those that bookended the heavy rain. In addition, I had to rely on memory for several catches and document them later in the Notes app on my phone. Even then, the screen was wet, and my fingers were so wrinkled and saturated that the phone screen would not consistently register touches or swipes.

7:08pm – Under cover of the trees as a light rain begins

Nowhere to Row, Nowhere to Hide – When your watercraft propulsion is via rowing, there is simply no such thing as a quick return to the boat ramp. My nearly fifty-seven-year-old motor is in decent rowing shape but even at top speed it takes a while to get where I’m going. When the rain began, I had just landed a bass and drifted under some trees to unhook and document. From there, I elected to wait out the downpour with the leaves as an umbrella. However, the canopy soon provided little protection and I was stuck about a half-mile from the truck. That left no option but to keep on casting and get soaked.

Winning Lures

Buzzbait Boon – During the downpour, I relied solely on a buzzbait, and it did not let me down. The crazy thing is the rain was so heavy that it was difficult for me to see and hear the commotion produced by the bait during the retrieve. Fortunately, the bass did not have any issue dialing in their aim as I landed half a dozen amidst thirty minutes of steadily soaking rain.

The deluxe Big Gulp “bailer/bilge pump” 

Bonus Gear – I took a Big Gulp of iced tea (unsweetened, of course) along for hydration but it tipped and began floating in the water accumulating in the bottom of the boat. This made it unpotable, so the cup’s role shifted to bailing water out of the boat. While I was in no danger of sinking or anything, the rain made for a substantial puddle at my feet. I have begun taking a Rubbermaid tub with me to ease hauling tackle and tools and it really saved the day in preventing my gear from getting drenched. Finally, an emergency rain poncho was a winner for the ride home. Now you may ask why I did not wear it to begin with and I will admit that it is a legitimate question. It probably wouldn’t have made much difference but it sure was nice to sit on for the drive to prevent my truck seat from being soaked.

Emergency rain poncho seat cover for the ride home

8:20pm – Soaked to the bone but the bass were still biting

Fourteen bass in two and a half hours of challenging conditions was quite a successful outing. Sure, I was uncomfortable for most of the trip and the entire ride home, but it did convince me of one thing. The rain affects the angler more than the fish. After all, they are already wet. Talk to you later. Troy

I enjoy this time of year as the longer days allow me to work in a few hours of fishing after the typical workday ends around 5:00pm. And twelve days was long enough between trips so off to The Canal I went.

7:44pm – Top Bass at 2-9 (17″) on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: June 11
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:05pm-8:35pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny/breezy, 80F
Lures: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 15 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko wacky rig (pumpkin black flake) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-9 (Buzzbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-4 (2-9,1-8,1-8,1-6,1-5)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

The Plan – I was lukewarm on my intended destination as two previous visits hadn’t produced much to brag about. In fact, my Top 5 sat at a mere 5-5 (1-3,1-1,1-1,1-0,1-0), barely over one pound per bass. That was part of my goal; to give that Top 5 a boost. In addition, the water levels in this area looked to be higher than previous years, which was to my liking. Higher water on The Canal may only amount to half a foot but it brings new cover into play and makes existing cover more appealing. And it is always fun to visit a body of water under varied conditions to see what you can learn.

Plan B – So, with all that said regarding my initial plan, I never made a single cast at my intended destination. I spotted another angler in the area and as there is not much of a “passing lane” on The Canal, I opted to fish in the other direction instead. Like the intended stretch, this area also had much room for improvement with a Top 5 of only 6-8 (1-6,1-6,1-6,1-3,1-3) from three prior visits.

Top Bass Runner Up clip below

 

Close But No Cigar – Seventeen bass in a two-and-a-half-hour trip is a definite winner, especially after a slow start of only three bass in the first hour on the water. I also shattered the Top Bass mark for the pool with the 2-9 more than doubling the previous record of 1-3. However, I still fell short of the boost needed to push my all-time Top 5 for the pool to the ten-pound mark. The Top 5 mark now stands at 8-5 (2-9,1-8,1-8,1-6,1-6). Which means that I need a return trip. That prospect became more encouraging as the results of this trip were much better than the prior visits. By the way, did you know that the phrase “close but no cigar” is said to have originated on the carnival midway? Apparently, cigars were once given as prizes and if a patron fell short on a game, well, there you go.

 

This impromptu outing on a low-ranking stretch of The Canal turned out to be an eye opener with a dozen “keepers” and a new Top Bass for the spot. It just goes to show that my previous struggles to find a good bite on this stretch don’t mean that they aren’t there. More like it simply wasn’t my day. I took this lesson and put it to work on the next visit as I hit the area I originally intended to fish on this outing. And I had a special guest angler along for the row. Stay tuned for that report as well as a Top 5 Update to begin next week. Talk to you later. Troy

I took a day off work last Friday to continue my quest to hit a double-digit Top 5 on each stretch of The Canal from Colona to Sheffield. The area I chose sat at a Top 5 Weight of 9-14, so all I needed was a catch to give me a two-ounce boost. While I did not get that bite, I did catch a fair amount of bass along with a first for a bonus species. Read on for the results.

10:59am – Top Bass at 1-5 (14″) on a Senko

Stats
Date: May 31
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 7:00am-11:30am
Totals: 10 bass, 1 bowfin
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 57-75F
Lures: 5” Yamamoto Senko (pumpkin black flake) – 6 bass, 3.75” Strike King Rage Tail Swimmer (pro blue/red pearl) with 3/8 oz. belly hook – 3 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (blue pearl/silver flake) – 1 bowfin,
Top Bass: 1-5 (Senko)
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 4-1 (1-5,1-2,0-13,0-13)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Senko Success – The Senko wacky rig is arguably my best presentation of all-time, but my use is limited on The Canal as I tend to rely on other lures. The shallow waters of The Canal let me get by with a collection of power presentations and the clarity of much of the water isn’t top notch for the wacky rig. However, it can still get the job done as it saved the day on this outing with half a dozen bass in the last hour and a half on the water.

7:33am- First ever bowfin at 3-13 (23″) on a Senko

Bonus Bowfin – As noted above, the Senko wacky rig was a winner. And not only on bass as it also landed my first ever bowfin. I have wanted to add this species to my list for many years but had come up empty on my two previous hookups. My first encounter was a dozen years ago at the Emiquon Preserve when one threw my spinnerbait at boatside. Just last year, I lost a second one within reach on The Canal when it broke my line after hooking up on a Senko. Luck was on my side on this outing and that’s what it boils down to as the catch was an “accident” while bass fishing.

Species List – The Canal is a wild waterway as there are stretches that harbor a crazy collection of species. On this outing, I landed only two different species (largemouth bass and bowfin) but had a third hooked (green sunfish). However, I also observed several other species over the course of the morning consisting of bluegill, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, common carp, shad, an additional bowfin, and a large freshwater drum. Earlier this week, I saw a social media post with an angler landing a white bass/striper, and two years ago, I landed a sauger. Farther to the east, I have also seen posts of paddlefish and buffalo. Of course, there are also crappie, flathead catfish, and I suspect a couple other panfish species along the way. Suffice to say, The Canal is a unique manmade fishing hole, and I am happy that I chose to start exploring back in 2021.

 

While I was seeking a 1-11 to knock out a 1-9 and get me to a double-digit Top 5 on this stretch, the best bass I could muster was a 1-5. No help to my quest but adding more bass to my yearly total and a bonus bowfin all made for a successful trip (and better than working, right?). So, at some point I will be back. June starts as a busy month on the family side of things so fishing will take its rightful place a ways down the priority list. But stay tuned as the Top 5 quest will continue along with a few other ideas over the summer. Talk to you later. Troy

The Canal is an interesting body of water to fish as there are many choices when deciding where to go. It’s like having thirty long, skinny ponds to choose from within about forty-five minutes from home. This time around, I chose two pools covering two miles of water in an area that showed up as Atkinson on my weather app. I’d fished each a pair of times but was still lacking a few quality bites to push the Top 5 Weight for each pool into double digits.

Stats
Date: May 25
Location: Hennepin Canal (two pools)
Time: 6:15am-11:05am
Totals: 11 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 51-70F
Lures: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 4 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 3 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (blue pearl/silver flake) – 1 bass, 3.75” Strike King Rage Tail Swimmer (pro blue/red pearl) with 3/8 oz. belly hook – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 (Spinnerbait)
Top 5 Weight: 5-15 (1-8,1-7,1-3,0-15,0-14)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

6:26am – First bass and Top Bass at 1-8 (15″) on a spinnerbait

“That’s close enough to perfect for me.”
Close Enough to Perfect – Alabama (1982)
I would say that if you are looking for perfection on a fishing trip, you aren’t going to find it. Like most any endeavor, there are far too many variables for the stars to be precisely aligned. On the positive side of this outing, the gnats were not bad, the water was nearly devoid of cottonwood fuzz, and the wind was manageable for a guy rowing a boat. Room for improvement included poor water clarity, too much sun, and a lack of quality bites. But, hey, I was on the water doing what I enjoy, getting some exercise, fresh air, and peace of mind.

“Losing” lures but they are really “winners”

“He’s a loser but he still keeps on trying.”
Lonesome Loser – Little River Band (1979)
I hit the water armed with six lures tied on to my rods and reels: Senko, chatterbait, lipless crankbait, buzzbait, spinnerbait, and topwater frog. Four of them landed a bass and a swap to a swimbait late in the day also fooled one fish. The “losers” on this trip turned out to be the chatterbait and the topwater frog. Of course, those two baits are not “losers.” Instead, they are vital weapons in my arsenal, just not the ticket on this morning.

8:24am – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-7 (15″) on a buzzbait

“And there ain’t no road too long, when we meet in the middle.”
Meet in the Middle – Diamond Rio (1991)
Technically, I suppose my version of the lyric would be “ain’t no ‘row’ too long.” One of the stretches that I fished on this trip covers roughly a mile and a quarter between roads/tubes. During my two previous visits, I had launched from the western end and fished about midway down the pool to the east. Therefore, on this outing I elected to put in at the east end and fish west to cover the portion of the pool that I had yet to see. New water is always exciting, but I found more of the same bass in the one-to-one-and-a-half-pound range.

 

A fair amount of bass was fooled but I still need better bites to hit the double-digit mark for each spot (currently sitting at 6-12 and 8-8). I suspect that those bites are there, just a matter of finding them, so I will be back. Talk to you later. Troy