As I was not having much success close to home, I decided to take the show a bit further down the road. The stretch that I selected runs over a mile and a half in length between tubes, and I had only covered roughly a third of the water during one prior visit. The Top 5 quest continued as this spot lacked a couple quality bites of hitting the ten-pound mark. Read on for the results.
8:54am – Top Bass at 1-5 (15″) on a frog
Stats
Date: July 6
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 6:05am-11:35am
Totals: 11 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 61-77F
Lures: 6” Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm (white pearl or junebug) – 8 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (albino) – 1 bass
Top 2 Weight (only 2 bass at 12” or better): 2-9 (1-5,1-4)
Winning Lures
Notes and Nonsense
Top 5 Update – I launched in search of a near three-pound boost in my Top 5 as the mark for this stretch stood at 7-2 (1-12,1-7,1-6,1-5,1-4). Well, I left disappointed as I only fooled two small “keepers” among the eleven bass that I reeled in. At the end of the day, I boosted my Top 5 on the pool by an entire ounce so there’s still plenty of work to do to reach my goal.
A swimming worm was a new trick that racked up some bass and some casualties in the process
New Presentation – For some reason, a solid June topwater bite has completely dried up in the last two weeks. I was on the water shortly after sunrise on this trip when the topwater bite should shine but I could not raise a single fish on a Whopper Plopper, buzzbait, or frog during the lowlight window before the sun cleared the tree line. This prompted me to try a new presentation that a fellow angler had mentioned to me while conversing on the water in late June. The swimming worm offering saved the day in landing eight of my eleven bass. Positive feedback but lacking in quality as none of those eight bass made the 12” mark.
10:56am – Top Bass Runner Up at 1-4 (14″) on a lipless crankbait
Talking Trash – While on the water, I was occasionally checking a local fishing forum on social media. I was lamenting the lack of a topwater bite on recent outings and found that others were in the same boat. The strange thing was that amid badmouthing the Canal bass, I landed my Top Bass of the day (only 1-5) on a Spro frog in less-than-ideal bright sunny conditions. I was hoping that my trash talk would get a few more fired up but not so lucky as I never had another topwater strike.
Another tough day on the water and while I saw three other boats, they all went in the opposite direction from my choice. I did not get an opportunity to speak with any of the anglers, so I have no clue on their results. Regardless, I stick by my choice as many firsthand hours and secondhand reports on The Canal have convinced me that the bass are there no matter which direction I turn. Some days I win, some days I come up short and I was back the following day in the direction that those other boats headed in search of some answers. Stay tuned for that report and talk to you later. Troy