Muddy Water - Part 2 of 4

Rick Zieger, Iowa - June 22, 2009

It had not rained for a few days. Time to put the canoe on the rack and head for a pond. I head out and get to the pond. I get all the stuff in the canoe and go to the edge of the pond. It looks like chocolate milk. But the canoe is ready and it is time to be on the pond.

My thought is that any fish are going to be near the shore looking for food. There are crappie, bass and green sunfish in this pond. Care to guess what the quarry of choice is? I make casts near the shore and retrieve the flies out. I want to try to drop the flies along the breaklines that I know are in this pond. Not a chance. Either as the fly hits the water or it is just begriming to be retrieved a small bass will hit it. These fish are about six inches long and I cannot get a fly past them.

After spending an hour trying to find the places where there might not be a bass I give up and leave the pond. Much easier to drive down the hill than to get back up. It takes a few times of swing back and forth to get up the hill.

I head to another pond that I know I will have to hike into. I want some fish for dinner. I get to the pond and decide to try a white boa yarn leech. Not sure why, but it seemed to be the thing to do. The fly was down about three inches in the water on the first cast and a gill came up and took it. The gill made so many turns that I think it was dizzy before I got it landed. I found that if the fly was kept within about five feet of shore and moved very slowly the fish would take it. Not many fish in any area, but enough to keep it interesting. Just keep moving around the pond and picking fish off wherever possible.

After making the circuit around the pond it was time to head for the barn. They're enough fish to share with some other folks and to have a good meal.

Hopefully the water will clear some time.

Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick