I was able to work in a trip on the last day of May and chose a stretch of The Canal that needed a boost to reach a double-digit Top 5 weight. Prior to the trip my all-time Top 5 for the stretch sat at 7-7, so it would take a good fish or two to reach the ten-pound mark.
Stats
Date: May 31
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 7:25am-10:40am
Totals: 6 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy, 63-74F
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (redear) – 3 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 2 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (snow white shad) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-10 Buzzbait
Top 3 Weight (only three bass at 12” or better): 4-9 (1-10,1-8,1-7)
Starting Lineup
Tune of the Trip
Dirty Water – The Standells (1965)
I couldn’t get this song out of my head as cast after cast landed in the dingy water. Like last year, The Canal gets increasingly stained as I head east.
7:36am – Top Bass #3 at 1-7 (14.5″) on a frog
Notes and Nonsense
Pros – This section of The Canal has more exposure to wind than many other stretches due to sparser tree lines on some portions. As such, this morning worked out well in terms of not having to fight any wind. Conditions featured only a light breeze which made for less attention to boat control. This generally results in more casts, more precision in those casts, and the opportunity to slow down my presentations if I choose. Each of these factors are favorable but rarely are fishing conditions “perfect.”
9:03am – Top Bass #2 at 1-8 (14″) on a spinnerbait
Cons – While I did not have to fight the wind, there were several other challenges. The cottonwood trees that line The Canal are having a banner year in terms of distributing “fuzz” which gets stuck to your line and lures. It is nearly impossible to remove and adversely effects casting. The water clarity was also lacking making it tougher to locate targets and to avoid lures fouling in the weeds. Beyond the water, the gnats were out in full force and the poison ivy has taken over the banks, including my makeshift boat ramp.
10:14 – Top Bass at 1-10 (15.5″) on a buzzbait
Lure Selection – Three bass on the frog in the first thirty minutes had me thinking that I was onto something but then the frog bite shut down. I shifted to a spinnerbait amidst the abundant wood targets but could only muster two bites. To finish the morning, I swung for the fences with a buzzbait hoping for a big bite or two but only fooled a lone bass for my Top Bass of the trip at 1-10.
Winning lures
Top 5 Update – I did not find the bites that I needed to reach the double-digit mark. In landing the 1-10 and 1-8, I was able to cull a 1-4 and a 1-3 but the boost was only eleven ounces. This pushed the Top 5 on this stretch to 8-2 meaning that a return trip will be required.
Lost & Found on The Canal – These “chip clips” seem to disappear from my house but found one on The Canal although it was a litle sprung.
Overall, a tough morning on the water as I fell short of my goal. However, I have plenty of other missions to accomplish on The Canal and I have been able to work on those in June. Stay tuned as I have some catching up to do on the fishing reports. Talk to you later. Troy