On Halloween, I made a midday trip to The Canal in search of thirteen bass (my lucky number) to reach Bass #500 for 2026. Did I trick enough to make my mark? Read on for the results.

11:54am – Top Bass Runner-Up weighing 2-0 (16″) on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: October 31
Location: Hennepin Canal (2 pools)
Time: 10:30am-2:20pm
Totals: 12 bass
Weather: Overcast/calm, 55-63F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (black/blue) with Sixth Sense trailer (clearwater rose) – 12 bass
Top Bass: 3-1 (spinnerbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-15 (3-1,2-0-1-7,1-5,1-2)

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Destination and Presentation – While I have one more pool remaining in my ten-pound Top 5 quest, I decided that final piece of the puzzle would have to wait until next year. Instead, I cut the drive to the fishing hole by about twenty-five minutes and hit an area where I’d had a solid early October day. The bass cooperated again on this day once I decided to put down my spinnerbait and start tossing a chatterbait. As an angler who cut his teeth casting a spinnerbait in the 1980s, I still prefer that presentation. But if the fish aren’t showing any interest, I am not adverse to shifting gears as 2026 started out (and may finish) as the Year of the Chatterbait.

Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31. 1926)

Houdini – October 31, 2026, marked the 100th anniversary of the death of legendary escape artist, Harry Houdini. The fact that it occurred on Halloween lent an eerie sort of footnote to the biography of magical artist. Believe it or not, his legacy lives on in the fishing world, and specifically in my tackle bag. My go to spinnerbait trailer is the Bass Pro Shops Double Tail Grub in the color “Houdini.”

1:58pm – Top Bass weighing 3-1 (18″) on a chatterbait

Escape – Whether you fish or not, everyone can relate to “the one that got away” in some manner. As an angler, it is all part of the pursuit. No matter how good you are, how sharp your hooks, or how solid the hookset, you don’t get them all reeled in. For this trip, I was seeking thirteen bass to reach five hundred for the year. I got the thirteen bites but only twelve made it to the boat. As a result, when it reached quitting time for the day, I left the water one bass shy of my goal. I guess that you could say that the lost bass “pulled a Houdini.” I suspect that Harry would have been impressed and I chalked it up to a timely coincidence that made for a good story.

 

2:40pm – 2026 Bass #499 and final bass of the day on a chatterbait

I certainly could have stuck around to get that final bite. However, I had other responsibilities and had reached my truck after a round trip on the water covering about two and a half miles. A tough call as there have been plenty of outings when I have kept casting longer than I was supposed to. This would not be one of them as I took the “escape” as a sort of supernatural sign. Besides, it gave me another reason to get back on the water at least one more time as I would also need a November bass to meet my annual goal. Being Halloween, I did not have to wait long. Talk to you later. Troy