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