LAZINESS DOESN'T PAY
I had a chance to get out go fishing so I went to a pond that I had fished from the shore earlier this year. I wanted to see what I could do when I was out on the water.
I got lazy and grabbed two boxes of flies that have worked well for me this year. It was too warm to be wearing the vest along with the life jacket. I swim like a rock so I have the jacket on whenever I am in the canoe.
It has been dry enough for a long enough so I could drive into the pond with no problem. I got there and unloaded everything, but I did notice that there was an algae bloom on the pond. I expected this with the warm temperatures we have been having.
I had a 3 weight graphite rod and a 5 weight bamboo rod with me. I do have to admit that bamboo is getting ahold of me. It seems to resonate with me. That is why at times I leave it home and fish the other rods. But this time it is out with me.
I have a white boa yarn leech and a black fur tailed mohair leech on the two rods. Two of my favorite flies and it seemed to be a good place to start. It would let me know if light or dark worked better. More to the point I start with what is on the rod. For some dumb reason I don’t like tying on flies. So I always start with the flies on the rod and then change them all at one time.
I made a point to grab the graphite rod first sense I wanted to see if that fly would work. If I started with the boo I might not ever try the other rod. I know where the break line is so I made the first cast so it was about five feet beyond the line. I let the fly drop a few seconds and then started a slow strip, pause retrieve.
The fly was near the break line when a fish took it. It turned out to be a nice crappie. I did notice that there were five other fish that were spooked as the crappie came to the canoe. This fish had been just under the surface and I saw the swirl of water as they vacated the premises.
I made the next cast shorter to see if there were any fish closer. I did not get any fish, but spooked two more fish as the fly was retrieved. If they are that close to the surface it is time to try a popper. So as much as I don’t like to change flies I tied on a popper.
I spooked a lot of fish that did not seem to be interested in the popper. That meant that I should try an emerger. Not a single one in the two fly boxes. There are several in the vest that is back home. I don’t have the fly I need because of laziness.
So I change the popper back to the fly that was on the rod before. Then I cast so the fly can come over the break line. I go for the fish that will be cooperative. About every fourth cast would result in a fish.
Even when I moved that ratio seemed to keep intact. It seems that fish might be moving along the break line. If I stayed in place I might pick them up as they came by. Moving did not seem to improve the fishing. I got fish on both of the flies I started with. Each one worked equally well. The flies had to come almost perpendicular to the break line. Flies brought along the break line did not catch fish. There were other places that I had to be later in the day so I headed home.
I had a good mess of fish, and almost equal number of crappie and gills. Good to eat and good to share the rest of the fillets.
Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick