Month: December 2022

Prowl the Canal – November Stats

November represented uncharted territory for me as the latest that I had previously landed a bass on The Canal was October 31, 2021. For the overall annual goal of a November bass, I figured that The Canal deserved a shot, and it did not disappoint.

2022 November Totals
Two outings covering two different pools
11 bass in 5.75 hours (1.91 bass/hour)
Top Bass: 2-8 November 6 Spinnerbait
2022 November Top 5: 9-3 (2-8,2-3,1-9,1-8,1-7)
2022 Best November Top 5 Day: 9-3 (2-8,2-3,1-9,1-8,1-7) – November 6
Top 5 All-Time November Bass Weight: 9-3 (2-8,2-3,1-9,1-8,1-7)

November 6 – November Top Bass at 2-8 on a spinnerbait

Lessons

Waning Weeds – In the October wrap-up, I noted the waning weeds as colder water temperatures took hold. Not surprisingly, most of The Canal weed growth continued to disappear throughout November. However, one stretch that I visited regularly was still looking downright ugly with a substantial covering of nasty, surface vegetation. The Canal is a dynamic fishing hole and observation over the course of the last seven months has been quite interesting.

Spinnerbait Success – Also expanding on the October wrap-up, a spinnerbait continued to be a winner throughout the calendar on The Canal. My first Canal bass of the year came on a spinnerbait back on April 15 and my final bass of 2022 fell to a spinnerbait on November 25, a span of 224 days. In between there were a whole lot more Canal bass landed on spinnerbaits, but those numbers will be part of the 2022 Canal wrap-up.

Top 5 Notes – Having never fished The Canal in November, every “keeper” was a qualifier for the monthly Top 5. In the end, among my eleven bass landed, nine measured at twelve inches or better. The five heaviest fish came in at a respectable 9-3 for an initial Top 5. Not quite the double-digit weight that I was seeking but there’s always next November to gain those missing ounces.

November 25 – last bass of the year

2022 Overall Canal Stats
358 bass in 122.00 hours (2.93 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)

Farewell to The Canal for 2022

The Canal came through in November and a forty-degree December afternoon found me back on the bank in search of any more bonus bass. It just wasn’t meant to be as I posted my only shutout of 2022 during an hour of biking, walking, and casting. 2022 was quite a year on The Canal and I look forward to more prowling in 2023. But first, stay tuned for a comprehensive “Prowl the Canal 2022” wrap-up in the new year. Talk to you later. Troy

Friday Flashback Finale

 

A couple Fridays ago, I wrapped up the five-year project known as “Friday Flashback”. I wanted to post some final thoughts, but it is tough to briefly recap a series that covered just over two hundred posts. That’s a lot of “fish stories” and more.

Since these tales have already been told, I’ll stick to some short stats and a couple videos. The clips in today’s wrap-up cover “Friday Flashback” posts from March 18, 2018, through November 25, 2022. Each weekly post in the project looked back 5, 10, 15, 20…even 45 years for a tale from that week. The span of memories would cover adventures dating from March 28, 1976, through December 2, 2017.

The video clips feature over twenty fishing partners, thirty fishing holes, some classic lures, many species (fins, fur and feathers), several outdoor pursuits, a few celebrities and more. All were part of the “Friday Flashback” series over the last five years.

 

Every one of the pics you just watched was part of a story on the “Friday Flashback” along with hundreds more photos. With only a glance, I could once again tell you the tale that goes along with every shot. And those tales would certainly lead to more tales and on and on. For me, that is the essence of my blog as life is all about stories.

While the “Friday Flashback” series may have run its course, there’s plenty more tales to tell and memories to make. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy