FIRST CANOE TRIP OF 2016
It was not really dry, but I knew that there was one pond that I could drag the canoe into. It is not far from the parking to where the canoe can go in.
I grabbed two rods and the other accumulation of stuff and headed out. When I got to the pond I saw that the wind was increasing. I quickly loaded all the stuff into the canoe and headed to the pond.
I tried a few casts from shore and had no success so I got in the canoe and headed out onto the pond. I dropped one anchor down part way to the bottom so that I could drift slowly. Then I tried several casts with the flies and caught one little bass.
I got near the dam and let the anchor down all the way. I cast near the dam and had a gill inhale the fly on the drop. The rod tip danced a lot as this fish came to the canoe. The fly was so deep I needed forceps to get it out. I made several more casts in this area without success. I figured that the fly had to be coming out almost perpendicular to the shoreline for fish to hit it. Anything over about a 20 degree angle did not tempt the fish so I moved the canoed fairly often. However, I picked up from 3 to 5 fish at each place. About 20 % were small bass.
I reached the place where I know there are several tree limbs in the water. A guy took the two gallon ice cream containers and filled them with excess concrete when people were doing pours. He also had limbs with him and would stick one or two limbs in each bucket. He let them dry and then he would drop them in this pond. I think there are about 25 of these buckets in the pond and they are about 60 feet off shore. They sit in about 10 feet of water and stick up about 6 feet most of the time. They love to eat flies and other hooks.
I cast out over this area and kept the flies up in the water column. I picked up some nice crappie that would come up and take the fly. I lost a few big crappie and bass that came up, took the fly, and then went back into the brush and they also took the fly with them. Some day one of those fish will come to hand.
I moved on after this area slowed down and picked up some more fish along the western shore. I was trying other flies to see if they would work and I got fish on most of the flies.
I had another task that I needed to help with in the early evening so I decided that I should head home and get the fish taken care of. I headed across the pond to where I could beach the canoe and get it to the truck.
I had noticed a group come to use the picnic area that is near this pond. I got the front of the canoe on the shore and moved so I was out of the canoe. I quickly grabbed the rods and fish basket and took them to the truck. From the pond to the truck it's uphill and I wanted to get a few things out of the canoe and stretch my legs a little. I got the rods broken down and the fly box in the front of the truck, and when I turned around to head back down and the canoe was at the back of the truck. The kids that were having the picnic decided to haul it up for me. One of them that I see often while I am jogging said they wanted to help the "old man". I did thank them for doing it.
Then I headed home and took care of the fish. Fortunately I had fillets to eat and to share.
Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick