As I got a day off work for the Fourth of July holiday, I opted to get up bright and early to take a second shot in a week on a stretch of The Canal that needed a Top 5 boost. Read on for the results.

Stats
Date: July 4
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 5:55am-9:55am
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm, 74-87F
Lures: Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-12 Frog
Top 4 Weight (only four bass at 12” or better): 7-12 (2-12,2-0,1-8,1-8)

Starting lineup

Tune of the Trip
Courtesy of the Red, White. and Blue (The Angry American) – Toby Keith (2002)
“Man, we lit up your world like the Fourth of July.”
My brain has a steady soundtrack and among the lifetime of music to choose from, this line seemed apt for a 2025 Fourth of July fishing trip.

Notes and Nonsense

Selecting a Spot – I revisited the same destination as my last trip on June 28 as I still had some loose ends to tie up with the bass that call the pool home. My Top 5 for the stretch lacked ten ounces of reaching my double-digit goal and I had not been able to find the quality bites needed for the boost on the prior visit. With the lightest fish in my Top 5 weighing 1-13, that meant a bass tipping the scales at 2-7 would take me all the way. As the morning began my Top 5 weight for the pool sat at 9-6 (1-15,1-15,1-14,1-13,1-13).

5:56am – First bass on fourth cast within sight of the boat ramp

5:56am – First Bite
I landed a bass on my fourth cast of the morning but at 11.5” it was not a “keeper” let alone a boost to my Top 5 weight. However, I took it to be good sign as it took me over two hours to land my first bass on the June 28 outing.

7:01am an exciting topwater strike on the frog

7:01am – This one gets away as that is my frog flying back at the boat

7:01am – One That Got Away
Early in the trip. I had the fish on that may have been the one I was seeking. It created a good boil as it struck the frog and put a solid bend in the pole on the hookset. As it broke the surface after being hooked, my brain registered a fish in the two-pound range during a brief glimpse. Unfortunately, the lure came flying back in my direction seconds later as the hooks did not get a grip. After one “doggone it”, several “shoots”, and a “dangit”, I took a few seconds to regroup and then resumed casting in anticipation of my next shot.

7:10am – Top Bass #2 at 2-0 (16″) on a frog

7:10am – First Cull
Admittedly disappointed in losing a decent fish, I did not have to wait long to get another strike on the frog. This one tipped the scales at 2-0 to give me a boost of three ounces (culled a 1-13) and raised the Top 5 weight to 9-9. Even better than the uptick in weight was getting two quality bites (one lost, one landed) in less than ten minutes. On an area where I have struggled in the past, a boost in confidence can outweigh a boost in weight.

8:39am – Top Bass at 2-12 (18″) on a frog

8:39am – Mission Accomplished
After landing a pair of matching bass weighing 1-8, I was nearing my turn around point. The sun was still low enough that shade was cast on the northern bank so I figured that I would focus most of my casting in that direction. As it turned out there was a good one hiding in the weed mat on the shady side that allowed me to reach my goal. I had a tense moment where I could not get a grip on the lip at boatside but observing that the bass had engulfed the frog, I was confident that it was not going to get away. At 2-12, the fish bumped another 1-13 and pushed the Top 5 weight for the pool to 10-8. It also represented the largest bass I have landed on the pool, displacing the 2-0 that I had caught an hour and a half earlier.

I fished for another hour after reaching my goal but never landed another bass. While that stinks, there was much relief in having the Top 5 monkey off my back. The Canal is an interesting collection of fishing holes and like anywhere, it can boost you up and it can get you down. This stretch had me down, but a couple bites can alter your attitude. That’s fishing. You just gotta keep on casting. Talk to you later. Troy