04 Apr 2022 - West Central Indiana

[jdfog2]

Hi all,

Broke my kneecap and tore my quad to knee tendon attachment in early Feb so been kinda hobbled up a while and haven't been able to fish.

I tried fishing a park pond a couple of weeks ago and almost fell in due to favoring that knee while trying to get down the face of a small dam on the pond. So I decided to rest that a while.

Was hoping to go when I visited Oklahoma! this past extended weekend but couldn't find my dadgum lifetime fishing license that I didn't look for until the last minute. And once I got there family had other plans for my time anyway. Not sure standing in the Illinois River tailwater would have been the wisest idea anyway.

I have a bit more flexibility now and have access to a 5 or 6 acre pond with better bank access so I went over tonight after work.

Caught one 5 inch bluegill on a sz 10 white bh wooly bugger. Then nothing more along that bank of the pond. Walked over the other side that gets late day sun thinking it might be a bit warmer over there. (It's also a bit shallower over a wider area.) Still no luck on the white wooly bugger. I decided that maybe it wasn't getting down quick enough so I replaced it with a black Mayer Mini Leech jig style fly with a tungsten bead.

Two or three casts later and I caught a monster bluegill. Monster for me, maybe not for everyone. (10 to 11 inch, thick)
Then another not quite as monstrous but still pretty good size, I would estimate at about 9 inches. Then a Crappie that was about 11 inches, followed by two more smaller bluegill and then one more pretty sizeable bluegill. No Bass though.

I guess the mini leech must have been the ticket. Probably because they were looking for something a bit deeper. they weren't right against the bank, more like 15 to 30 feet away from the bank I guess holding in deeper water.

That's it for today. Going on my first ever guided freshwater trip on Thursday. (River Smallmouth in a boat)

I'll make sure I take pictures from now on.

Take care all,
JD

[Rick Z]

You did better than I did I got two crappie and missed several others as I could not tell they hit. Fishing into a 20mph wind. Then they started burning the long dry grass around the pond and My allergies kicked in.
Guides choice hares ear and a black pine squirrel leech on a jig head
Rick

[jdfog2]

Hi ya Rick,

Not so sure I did any better. We both had a good time, right? So I figure we're about "even"

I hear ya on the allergies. And my leech was also constructed from black pine squirrel.

Hope you can get out again soon and get some more friend!

JD

[FishnDave]

Great report!
Keep doing your physical therapy. All the new knee guys I've talked to say that makes a HUGE difference. Glad you are getting around better and can get your OTHER (fishing) therapy in!
Any bluegill 10" or bigger is HUGE!

[ohiotuber]

My favorite targets in fishing are big bluegill (8" & over) & ANY 'gill 10" or bigger certainly qualifies (as David wrote) as HUGE! Congrats.

Mike

[jdfog2]

Thanks for the kind replies guys.