Back-to-back mornings on The Canal as I chased the bass on a stretch where my Top 5 sat at 7-8. The aim was to fool a few to knock the lighter bass out of my creel and boost the Top 5 weight into double digits.

6:06am – First bass and an impaired eye did not seem to hinder the aim on a buzzbait

Stats
Date: May 19
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:50am-8:20am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 64F
Lures: Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-9 (Buzzbait)
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 6-2 (2-9,1-10,1-3,0-12)

Winning Lure

6:11am – Top Bass at 2-9 (18″) on a buzzbait

Notes and Nonsense

Buzz and Bust – All five of my bass fell to a buzzbait and all within a one-hour stretch. My first bass was landed at 6:06am, about fifteen minutes after launching the boat. Bass number five came at 7:06am and I never caught another fish in the remaining seventy minutes on the water. Once the sun rose above the tree line, the buzzbait bite was over and I never found a backup bait to get the job done.

Gnasty Gnats – The gnats were less terrible than the previous day but still ugly. It is futile to swat at them or brush them away from your face, so you just must grin and bear it. Which is not always easy to do when they are in your ears, up your nose, between your shades and your eyes, or occasionally breathed into your mouth. Occasionally, though, I must take a slap at some of them, and I have to say that it is quite satisfying to feel one smash in the process. They bite too, but I really didn’t notice it a whole lot at the time. Instead, I now have over a dozen welts on my face, jaw line, ears, and neck from those nasty little bugs. And another thing. I bet that I sneezed a couple dozen times while on the water between the two mornings due to those pesky insects. You just have to decide whether you love fishing more than you hate bugs and that’s a no brainer for me. By the way, I hate lotions, potions, and sprays so thank you in advance for any suggestions, but I likely won’t heed the helpful advice.

The morning did not live up to my expectations and the catches only boosted my overall Top 5 to 9-5. That means a return trip in search of eleven more ounces to reach the ten-pound mark and meet my goal. The bad thing is that this section has a tough “boat ramp” that is littered with poison ivy and bound to get worse as we head into summer. In fact, I got my first dose of it on this outing but fortunately only on a couple fingers. Such are the perils when prowling The Canal. But I plan to be back somewhere on its waters before too long. So, stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

In keeping with my effort to provide a fishing report for each trip, here is the scoop on a brief hour and a half bike and hike on The Canal. The aim was more of a reconnaissance mission but if you’re going out you might as well take your fishing stuff.

A small largemouth

Stats
Date: May 10
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:10pm-7:40pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/calm
Lures: 5” Yamamoto Senko (pumpkin black flake) – 2 bass
Top Bass: No keepers
Top 5 Weight: No Keepers

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Gathering Intel – The primary objective of this evening bike ride (with poles included) was to assess the status of this section of The Canal. In my opinion, it has been a wreck for the last two years due to lack of water. The level is controlled by a valve/gate on the downstream end, and it has remained open for quite some time. Last fall, the water was so low that the bottom was visible on nearly the entire two-mile stretch and water covered less than half the width of span. The official explanation stated that the level was dropped to knock down the abundant aquatic vegetation. To me, it is a losing battle by solely dropping the water level. In 2021, I landed a 2-13 and coupled with an 0-14 in 2023, my paltry Top 5 effort consists of two bass weighing a combined 3-11. My two small bass did not help with a boost, but I did see a pair of “keepers” along the way and the water is nearly back to normal pool. Time will tell if/when I take another shot to see if I can find some more “keepers.”

What’s In a Name?
Common Name: Largemouth Bass
Scientific Name: Micropterus salmoides
Taxonomy dictates a scientifically recognized genus species designation to clearly identify organisms and avoid confusion over any regional variance in a common name. As noted below on a screenshot from one of the catches, the closed jaw of a largemouth extends beyond the eye. In contrast, a smallmouth bass jaw will generally be in line with the eye. Thus, while the catches on this outing had small mouths (and every other part of their anatomy), they still qualify as largemouth bass.

Not much else to report beyond saying that the stretch was formerly reported to contain quality bass. Here’s hoping that they found somewhere to hide during the “drought” and survived the low water winters. I have two more Canal trips in the books in a quest to boost the Top 5 Weights on these sections into double digits. Stay tuned for the reports and talk to you later. Troy

Work has been hectic this year, resulting in longer days and weekend duty. For the effort, my boss suggested that I take a weekday off and “go fishing.” No sense arguing with that directive, so I headed to The Canal last Wednesday to try my luck on unfamiliar waters.

Stats
Date: May 8
Location: Hennepin Canal (two pools)
Time: 7:50am-10:50am, 1:30pm-4:30pm
Totals: 14 bass
Weather: Sunny to overcast/windy to very windy
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) with a Zoom Z Swimbait trailer (electric blue chartreuse) – 10 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 2 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (blue pearl/silver flake) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-12
Top 5 Weight: 9-1 (2-12,1-15,1-9,1-7,1-6)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Row, Cast, Repeat – I chose a destination that would allow me to check another uncharted spot off my Canal quest. The main factor that has kept me off this stretch is that it is devoid of shoreline windbreaks. As the forecast predicted a mere 3-4 mph breeze, it was time to give it a shot. However, I should know better as 2024 has been windy as ever and the weather prognosticators were way off the mark.

8:46am – Top Bass Runner Up at 1-15 (16″) on a Senko

Dirty Water – In addition to the wind factor, the water was quite dirty due to recent rains. The Canal does have a green color in this area, but the cleaner green was replaced by a dingier green. I’ve got to admit that the wind and clarity gave me fits and the bass weren’t cooperative. I fought the challenging conditions for three hours and three bass before deciding to switch to Plan B.

2:53pm – Crooked Canal bass, may have been a “keeper” if straight

Plan B – My aim was to head east to another unexplored stretch once I had taken a shot at my initial destination. Unfortunately, the water clarity got worse as I drove east and checked a pair of spots. Therefore, I headed west for Plan C.

4:04pm – Top Bass at 2-12 (18″) on a chatterbait

Plan C – I ended up on a stretch that I had only partially explored by boat and bank for a few hours. The wind was still ugly, but the water clarity was improved, and I had driven enough that it was time to get back in the boat. Three hours produced eleven bass, a welcome improvement over my three bass morning shift. Included in my haul were four of the day’s Top 5 and Top Bass of 2-12.

Endangered Species – As I ended my day, I ran into a rare sight, someone who reads my blog. I believe that we had met previously on a winter hike while scouting a mile or so upstream. On this afternoon we swapped Canal information and experiences as I rowed near the ramp. Once I reached dry ground, we chatted a bit more and I was able to witness the angler land a bass on a topwater propbait just before I hit the road. It’s always fun to chat with fellow Canal anglers and I was happy to see his success on a topwater presentation. I’d employed a similar bait throughout the day and never got a single strike. It’s good to know that I am not wasting my time throwing such a lure too early. I guess that I just need to work on my touch and keep plugging away.

4:30pm – Last cast bass, a good way to call it a day

A slow start followed by a change of scenery saved the day. I only managed three “keepers” on my first stop which means a return trip in the future to complete a Top 5. In contrast, I did complete a Top 5 on the second stretch. However, the 8-7 Top 5 Weight leaves me within striking distance of the ultimate goal of a double-digit Top 5 from each section of The Canal. So, I guess that I will pencil in both stretches for future visits. Talk to you later. Troy

It has been a struggle to find quality bites on The Canal this year with a lone two-pounder being my best catch. So, I figured that I would step away from the regular Canal spots and try one that I had never fished before. No matter the results, it is always fun to try new water and it is part of my overall goal to explore the entire stretch of The Canal from Sheffield to Colona.

10:41am – First topwater catch of the year

Stats
Date: May 4
Location: Hennepin Canal (two pools)
Time: 10:40am-3:00pm
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: overcast/windy to very windy
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 8 bass, 5” Yamamoto Senko (blue pearl/silver flake) – 1 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-0
Top 5 Weight: 7-5 (3-0,1-8,1-4,0-14,0-11)

Winning Lures

1:52pm – Top Bass at 3-0 (19.5″) on a spinnerbait

Notes and Nonsense

Topwater Report – Several anglers on the internet had reported topwater catches in the past week or two but I had yet to convince any bass with my initial efforts. Previously, I had tossed around a Whopper Plopper but on this outing, I decided to try a buzzbait and a frog as the water was littered with lily pad stems (unfriendly to treble hooks). The frog kicked off my topwater catches not long after launching but that bass would be the lone topwater strike of the day.

New Pools – In my pursuit to establish Top 5 marks on every section from Colona to Sheffield, I selected two new stretches of water for this outing. The pools were adjacent and connected by a navigable tube allowing for only one launch to give them both a shot. Pool One produced six bass in 2.75 hours and featured an extended drought of nearly two hours between catches at 11:21am and 1:09pm. I rowed two miles of water and wound up catching four of my six bass within sight of my truck. Pool Two consisted of an hour and a half and resulted in four bas including an impressive three-pound fish for Top Bass of the day.

Weather Report – I started the late morning in a sweatshirt under partly cloudy conditions but ditched it around noon as the sun showed up full force. I ended up with sunburnt arms as I wore short sleeves and neglected any sunscreen. As I wrapped up the day, the clouds returned and as I fished east back to my truck, I failed to pay attention to what was unfolding to the west. Rumbles of thunder accompanied by sprinkles got my attention and I made a more rapid return towards the lot with casts only at prime targets. I made it just in time as the skies unleashed as I loaded the truck and took an overdue bathroom break prior to heading out. Boy was I lucky as it rained so hard that I could barely see as I made my way to Atkinson for an iced tea. In fact, I sat in my truck for about five minutes at the convenience store waiting out the rain and taking in the Cubs-Brewers game on the radio.

As far as the Cubs were concerned, they were victorious on this day. For me versus the bass, I’d have to rate it a “draw,” although that would be boxing term rather than baseball. I landed my biggest bass of the year and had a Top 5 for the combined pools but I came up short on my expectations and separate Top 5 marks for each pool. Do you know what that means? I guess that I will just have to come back for another try. Talk to you later. Troy