Month: November 2024

Hennepin Canal Report – November 10

Posted on by Troy Jackson

After achieving my goal of landing a November bass a couple weeks ago, I was content to put the gear away. However, a stretch of mild, stable weather led me to reconsider, and I hit the water again.

Stats
Date: November 10
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 12:25pm-2:45pm
Totals: 3 bass
Weather: Overcast/very windy, 58F
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 3 bass
Top Bass: 1-15 (Spinnerbait)
Top 3 Weight (only 3 at 12” or better): 4-3 (1-15,1-5,0-15)

Winning Lure

Notes and Nonsense

Destination – Initially, I intended to hit my top producing spot on The Canal. Since first fishing The Canal in June of 2021, this stretch leads the way with one hundred and ninety-two bass. However, I have not caught a single bass on the pool this year as my focus turned to other less fished pools. So, as I drove to the fishing hole, I changed my mind and opted to stick with the seldom fished trend instead. I chose a spot where I had only spent a total of five hours and landed sixteen bass, so it was deserving of further attention.

12:32pm – Top Bass at 1-15 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

The layout of The Canal often provides an escape from a mighty wind

Wind – A cool thing about The Canal is that on most days you can find a spot to get out of the wind. For a guy who rows around in an eight-foot johnboat the narrow, mostly tree-lined corridor of The Canal is a winner. Especially this time of year, as I want to focus on casting over boat control and getting my lure as tight to as many targets as possible. As the water cools, the bass are not going to be as prone to chasing lures that aren’t in close proximity to where they are hanging out. Wind makes this precise presentation tough and hinders the ability to hit a target with multiple casts to work it over. My spot on this day was a solid choice as there was only one short section of unprotected bank that caused a bit of frustration. Not a problem as there was no way that I would have been able to fish more wide-open body of water effectively.

1:00pm – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-5 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Top 5 Quest – The spot I chose was also in need of a Top 5 boost as the all-time weight was 8-12, which falls short of my double-digit goal. The first bite on this outing came in at 1-15 only seven minutes after launching and set a new mark for Top Bass on the pool. The catch had my hopes up, but I did not get another boost from the other two bass that I landed. I also had one other fish hooked that came loose on the way to the boat, but it would not have been large enough to give me the boost I needed. Therefore, a return trip will be required in search of a fourteen-ounce bump in weight.

Top 5 Weight increased from 8-12 to 9-2
Starting Top 5 = 8-12 (1-14,1-13,1-13,1-11,1-9)
New Top 5 = 9-2 (1-15,1-14,1-13,1-13,1-11) culled 1-9

1:45pm – Final bass of the day, will it be the final bass of the year?

Every catch at this time of the year is a bonus and it remains to be seen if these are the final “bonus bass” of the year. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I normally get the stat update posted at the beginning of each month but got lazy this time around. Hard to believe there is only a month and a half remaining in 2024. Time flies when you are reeling in some fish.

Bass Totals (largemouth and spotted)

2024 Totals
March = 15 bass
April = 16 bass
May = 11 bass
June = 12 bass
July = 7 bass
August = 1 bass
September = 4 bass
October = 1 bass
November = 2 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
March = 18-3 (4-6,3-14,3-10,3-4,3-1)
April = 11-0 (2-8,2-7,2-4,2-0,1-13)
May = 14-15 (3-6,3-4,3-0,2-12,2-9)
June = 14-7 (3-12,3-0,2-10,2-9,2-8)
July = 16-2 (3-15,3-3,3-2,2-15,2-15)
August = 1-3 (1-3)
September = 11-5 (3-10,3-6,3-2,1-3)
October = 3-9 (3-9)
November = 3-2 (1-15,1-3)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 49 bass
Bank = 20 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 17-12 (3-15,3-12,3-9,3-4,3-4)
Bank = 18-14 (4-6,3-14,3-10,3-10,3-6)

Public vs. Private
Public = 68 bass
Private = 1 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 19-9 (4-6,3-15,3-14,3-12,3-10)
Private = 1-3 (1-3)

The Baits
Jerkbait = 18 bass (Top Bass 2-8 John Kirkemo)
Chatterbait = 10 bass (Top Bass 4-6 Jim Junk)
Plastic Worm = 9 bass (Top Bass 3-15 Brent Jackson)
Frog = 8 bass (Top Bass 3-10 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 3-0 Troy Jackson)
Popper = 5 bass (Top Bass 3-12 Brent Jackson)
Lipless Crankbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 2-6 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbait = 4 bass (Top Bass 3-9 Brent Jackson)
Buzzbait = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-9 Troy Jackson)
Crankbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 1-11 Troy Jackson)

Monthly Top Bass
March
4-6 Jim Junk
April
2-8 John Kirkemo
May
3-6 Brent Jackson
June
3-12 Brent Jackson
July
3-15 Brent Jackson
August
1-3 Brady Jackson
September
3-10 Troy Jackson
October
3-9 Brent Jackson
November
1-15 Troy Jackson

2024 Top 10 Bass
4-6 Jim Junk 3/3
3-15 Brent Jackson 7/19
3-14 Jim Junk 3/18
3-12 Brent Jackson 6/27
3-10 Jim Junk 3/3
3-10 Troy Jackson 9/29
3-9 Brent Jackson 10/19
3-6 Brent Jackson 5/4
3-6 Troy Jackson 9/29
3-4 Jayce Jackson 3/31
3-4 Brent Jackson 5/5

Angler Weights
Brent Jackson 17-14 (3-15,3-12,3-9,3-6,3-4)
Jim Junk 17-5 (4-6,3-14,3-10,3-1,2-6)
Troy Jackson 16-5 (3-10,3-6,3-3,3-2,3-0)
John Kirkemo 10-9 (2-8,2-7,2-0,1-13,1-13)
Julia Jackson 8-12 (2-10,1-10,1-10,1-8,1-6)
Jayce Jackson 3-4 (3-4)
Brady Jackson 1-3 (1-3)

Other Species

Bowfin
Troy Jackson 3-13 (3-13)

Channel Catfish
John Kirkemo 2-3 (2-3)

Freshwater Drum
Troy Jackson 2-10 (2-10)

Gar
John Kirkemo 28” (28”)

Striped Bass
John Kirkemo 9-13 (3-5,2-6,1-12,1-6,1-0)

Trout (brown and rainbow)
John Kirkemo 24” (12”, 12”)

While we won’t hit the one hundred bass mark this year, the Top 5 project is a treat no matter the haul. Stay tuned for the latest fishing report from The Canal as the casting in our neck of the woods winds down. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Update

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A pair of November bass shows up this week. And while neither was large enough to boost either angler’s Top 5 Weight, it sure is nice to still be catching bass as the year winds down.

Weight: 1-3 (spotted bass)
Angler: John KIrkemo
Date: November 6
Weather: Partly cloudy
Air Temp: 70s
Water Temp: 72
Location: Lake Keowee (near the Fairfield Inn on Route 123, Seneca, SC
Lure: Rapala X-Rap (perch)
Angler Comments: Trolled a shallow running silver and black Rapala for a while without any hits. Switched to the Rapala X-Rap which is a deeper running suspending lure and caught this fish trolling through the area indicated on the attached map. I turned around and began trolling the same lure across the same area in the opposite direction and hooked another fish but lost it before I could get it close to the boat. No other hits during 2 hours of fishing.
Top 5 Weight: 10-9 (2-8,2-7,2-0,1-13,1-13)

Bonus pics from John of the Rapala X-Rap and an “X” marks the spot of where to troll it

Weight: 1-15 (15.5”)
Angler: Troy Jackson
Date: November 10
Weather: Partly cloudy, very windy
Water Temp: Not available
Location: Hennepin Canal
Lure: War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white)
Structure: Drop
Angler Comments: This was the first bass of the outing, and it bit five minutes after launching. I had high hopes, but the bite turned out to be slow with only two more bass in the next two hours. All good though as they are all “bonus” bass at this point in the year.
Top 5 Weight: 16-5 (3-10,3-6,3-3,3-2,3-0)

Time will tell if we get any more submissions, but the weather up here is still holding out, so you just never know. And those South Carolina bass should still be plenty active with water temperatures in the seventies. Stay tuned for an overdue Top 5 Stat Update soon and there’s a fishing report to submit to cover my November 10 visit to The Canal. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – November 2

Posted on by Troy Jackson

One of my annual goals is to land a November bass before I put the gear away. So, I hit the Canal on November 2 and managed to get it done. I was also in search of the quality bites needed to boost some Top 5 totals into double-digits on three different pools.

11:29am – November bass in the books at 1-12 (16″) on a spinnerbait

Stats
Date: November 2
Location: Hennepin Canal (3 pools)
Time: 11:25am-3:30pm
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy, 52-61F
Lures: War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-5 (spinnerbait)
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 7-10 (2-5,2-0,1-12,1-9)

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Pool One – Four minutes after launching on my first spot, I had a bass in the boat and the pressure to catch a November was off. Unfortunately, it was the lone bass on the stretch in an hour of casting. I was also seeking a boost of two ounces as my all-time Top 5 on the area sat at 9-14. To reach a double-digit Top 5, I needed at least a 1-11 to knock out a 1-9, and I got it with a 1-12.
Starting Top 5 Weight: 9-14 (2-8,2-2,1-14,1-13,1-9)
Top 5 Boost: Caught a 1-12 at 11:29am
New Top 5 Weight: 10-1 (2-8,2-2,1-14,1-13,1-12)

12:31pm – Top Bass at 2-5 (17″) on a spinnerbait

Pool Two – Having accomplished my aim on the first pool and struggling to find more bites, I rowed through a tube to try my luck on another area. The Top 5 Weight on this stretch sat at 8-1 meaning that I would need one big bite or a couple quality bites to reach double-digits. While the bite was not hot with four bass in seventy-five minutes, I did get the bites that I needed.
Starting Top 5 Weight: 8-1 (3-0,1-14,1-7,0-14,0-14)
Top 5 Boost: Caught bass weighing 2-5,2-0, and 1-9
New Top 5 Weight: 10-12 (3-0,2-5,2-0,1-14,1-9)

2:50pm – Top Bass Runner-up at 2-0 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Pool Three – The overall bite wasn’t fast and furious, but I was pleased to have found the late season boosts I was seeking to push the Top 5 on two more pools into double digits. Well, as Meatloaf sang, “Two out of three ain’t bad.” An hour and a half on this stretch produced a lone short fish that provided no help to the pool’s Top 5 Weight of 6-12. But hey, there’s always next year.

3:09pm – Top Bass #4 of the day at 1-9 (15″) on a spinnerbait

And speaking of next year, time will tell if that is when I will land my next bass. The weather outside is far from frightful though, so perhaps there are a few more casts left in 2024. However it works out, it has been quite a year on the water. Talk to you later. Troy