RUDENESS
I had a chance to get out to a pond that I have not been to for a while. It is near the University and the golf course. I have been told that the fishing has improved a lot in this pond over the last few years. Winter kill a few years ago did a lot to help this pond.
As I came in on the Westside of the pond I saw another car come in on the east side of the pond. That is OK as there is plenty of room for folks to fish around this pond. I had two 5 wts with me as they had the Goldie Jr and a black boa yarn leech on them and those are the flies I wanted to start with.
Got to the middle of the dam and started casting out into the pond. I wanted to bring the flies in over the break line to see if there might be any fish relating to that. After I find if there are fish there then I start fishing the whole area of the break line, but the first casts are always perpendicular to the break line. That way depth and retrieve are the variables.
On the third cast I got the first gill of the day. The fish wanted the fly fairly deep and moving very slow. If that is what they want then that is what I will do. Each time I got the fly about 15 feet of the shoreline a cooperative bluegill would take it. Great fun to catch some decent size gills when they are ready and eager to take the fly. I had six fish in the basket when I had a guy right on my shoulder. No room to cast as he was less than two inches from my right shoulder.
I asked him what he was doing and he replied that he was going to fish this place. I told him that I would move once, but not a second time. He could have these fish. I moved about 50 feet and started casting again. I did not want any hassles; I wanted to have fun with the fish.
The first thing I hooked was a nice bass. It was a fish went about 18 inches and did not want to be on the end of the line. This fish had taken flying lessons as it spent a lot of the time in the air. I had to climb down the bank to get this fish landed. Not an easy thing to do on this pond. Got the fish in my hand and heard a voice tell me to pass it up as the voice wanted it.
I put the fish back in the pond and explained that I returned bass to the pond.
As I did this I climbed back up the bank. Got to the top and got hit for not giving the bass to this individual. Grabbed my rods and the fish basket and moved them about 15 feet back and to the side. He followed me describing my parentage. I put my stuff down, grabbed him and ran him toward the pond. At the edge of the dam I swung him and let him go. When he came up I told him he was where the fish were. He would have to go about 60 yards to get to a place where he could get out.
Grabbed my stuff again and headed to the west side of the pond. I know there are some deeper spots here and that some fish might be in those places. I also figured that he would be too tired by the time he got out to come and bother me again.
I found fish in the slightly deeper spots along the bank of the pond and had several take the fly. Catching fish sure makes rudeness disappear in the euphoria of having fish take your fly.
I had another person come to the pond and ask me what I was using to catch the fish. I showed him what I was using and how I was fishing it, and I told him where to cast and he tried it and got a few fish. It’s great fun to help someone catch some fish. He was not using flies, but he was fishing.
Even with the rudeness it turned out to be a fun day. I caught fish and had fun with another fisherman, and even got him to land a few on the fly rod.
He said that the fly rod just might be too much fun. Is that possible?
I had lots of fillets to share. One couple had called to see if I was fishing that day. When I got to their house there was a cherry pie, their gift of fish to me. It was made from cherries pitted the night before. I got the better of that exchange of fish.
Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick