WHAT FLY?
I took time to go out to a pond. We had just had another gully washer rain storm so I would have to walk. So grabbed a couple of rods and headed out to a pond. When I arrived at the pond and I headed to the furthest spot from where I parked. That way, as I fish I was getting closer to the truck. I had a black fantailed mohair leech and a Goldie Jr on the two rods. This is a good place to start and I cast the mohair fly first.
I tossed it out so that it would come in over the flat that was to my right. There is a lot of brush at the edge of the pond there and I can't walk through it, but can fish around it. I let the fly drop and started to retrieve. I had moved the fly a few feet and had a fish inhale it. It turned out to be a decent bluegill. Then made several more casts with no results. I tried the Goldie Jr and nothing happened, so I moved a little way and tried again. I knew that the water is about four feet deep and it extends out from the shore for about eight feet and then drops off. The flats at each end of the dam are about four feet deep and then it slopes down to about 14 feet in the deepest water.
I tried several casts and nothing happened so I changed flies. I went to a hare's ear and the rubber legged dragon in yellow. I tried the rubber legged dragon first and got several hits on that fly, but unfortunately no hook ups. So I tried the hare's ear and got another bluegill, but missed many more that I didn't feel on the line. I tried a hook set at odd times to see if that would hook fish. It was agreat theory and I would feel weight on the line, but no hook ups. So I went from a size 12 to a size 16 hare's ear. Maybe, I though, if it's shorter I will hook up. I made several more casts and learned that this is a great theory. I still had hits but not hook ups.
I decided to move along and see if the fish would be more cooperative in another spot. I got several taps in that place, but still I could not hook up with the fish. I changed the rubber legged dragon for a size 16 PTN. This fly is tied with 7 different colored feather barbs. I cast it out and got a gill to hit it on the drop. Then the action stopped at that place. I moved a short distance and tried again. I got another decent bluegill in that area and then the action stopped.
I move again to another place along the shore where the water slopes up from about seven feet deep to the shore line. I wondered if any fish would be in that area so I made a cast with each fly and ended up with a few more gills. I decided to put a fly on that is made of yarn light eyelash with reflective material in it. This did nothing.
I moved to the last place I was planning to fish on the pond. There is another big patch of brush that I would have to go around to get to the very shallow end of the pond. I cast out in that area with the PTN, and picked up two decent bluegills in that area. I cast the other fly out and let it drop. I saw a swirl and set the hook. I thought I had a bass until I got the fish closer and saw that it was a nice crappie. Here is a picture of the crappie and a gill that went just under 7 inches.
Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick