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I headed out for my normal Saturday morning
fishing expedition. I decided to go to a pond
that I had not been at all year. Part of the
reason is that it is half a mile off the road
and all downhill to get to it. Coming back is
the opposite. I got the canoe off the truck and
on the little wheeled carrier that I have. I
loaded the other stuff in and headed down.
When I got to the pond there were weeds and other
junk around the edge and out about fifteen feet.
It was a good thing that I brought the canoe in
as fishing would be hard from the shore. I moved
the canoe through all the stuff in the pond and
got to the point where I could cast.
I cast and cast and did not get anything to hit.
I tired fourteen different flies. I was zero for
fourteen. The next thing I tied on was a White
Cyperts Minnow. If nothing else this fly was bright
and might be seen better. Any excuse when you aren't
catching fish.
The fly hit the water and the line tightened. I
set the hook and was into a crappie. This fish
headed for the bottom and circled around the canoe.
If it works once then try it again. Cast out to the
same spot, and nothing happened. I started to
retrieve the line and on the first pause I had
another strike. Brought in a carbon-copy crappie.
I cast out again and nothing happened on this
retrieve. I cast again and let the fly drop a
little and then started to retrieve it. The first
retrieved was a few short strips and then a pause.
The other was a long slow strip with a pause. Both
caused fish to bite. I found that I could catch
several fish from each area if I varied the depth
and the speed that I retrieved.
I spend the first hour and fifteen minutes figuring
this out. Then I got that first fish and was on the
way. I did find out that after I caught the fish
around the canoe I would need to move about thirty
feet and I could start again. I would catch fish
and then need to move.
At about 8:00 a.m. another fisherman showed up. He
was fishing from shore. He did have waders and a
life vest but found out that getting out of the mud
around the shore would be very difficult if, not
impossible. He was not able to cast far enough
out to get to the fish.
Once in a while I can be a nice guy. I invited
him to get in the front of the canoe and fish
with me. He accepted and I went up to the shore.
I did suggest he take the wader off before he
got in the canoe.
I had the paddle I was using and that was it so
I was a little bit like a guide. I told him what
I had been doing to catch fish. He was using tube
jigs, but I had just met him so there had not
been time to convert him.
My first cast when we got back out into the pond,
I latched onto a large bass. I saw her jump one
time and then she ran into the lily pad and broke
me off. I did not have another white Cyperts Minnow
with me. I did have an all white Marabout Miss and
I tied that on.
We agreed that I would fish the right side of the
canoe and he would fish the left side so that I
was able to cast without snagging him. I continued
to catch fish and he would get one every now and
then. He did jokingly call me "a fish catching
machine."
We fish for almost an hour when I told him that
I would need to leave. He said that he would
leave then also as he had no way to fish when
I left. He did help me load the canoe and haul
it out. It was much harder to get out than to
get it in. I finally took the anchor and my
fish basket to the fence and then came back
to get the canoe.
When we had almost everything loaded, I asked
him if he had enough fish for what he wanted
to do? His reply was that they had some friends
coming over for a fish fry, but they would not
have a lot of fish. I opened my basket and dumped
some into his bucket. He tried to object, by saying
that I had caught them and I should take them. I
told him that I could do what I wanted with the
fish and that giving him a few means that I did
not have to fillet as many.
He asked for my phone number and I gave it to him.
I went home and unloaded all my junk and then got
ready to filet fish. My wife then informed me that
we were going to have to leave 30 minutes earlier
to go see some friends than I had thought. That
meant that I was going to have to do this with
as much speed as possible.
I filleted the fish and then buried the guts in
my garden. Turned the hose on and cleaned the
board and washed the table off where I had cleaned
the fish. I went inside and washed the fillets off
and counted them.
I ended up with 75 crappie that I brought home.
Just as I was finishing the man I fished with
called me to tell me that he was halfway done
with his fish. I had given him 18 and he had
caught 11 himself. He wanted to let me now before
we left. He asked how far along I was on the
filleting of the fish. When I told him that
they were being covered to go into the refrigerator,
what he said is not for polite company.
He did say that he wants to go out again and
try a fly rod. He also wants me to show him
how to fillet fish. All in all it was a fun
morning. I did get the fish taken care of, a
shower taken and clothes on just it time to
leave on the day trip.
Hope you can get out on the water. ~ Rick
ziegeria@grm.net
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