I had a day off. There was a slight wind and the temperature was warm enough to just wear a shirt. Although it was March and still too wet to drive into any ponds it was time to go to a pond
I grabbed two rods and headed out. I had a fanny pack with a fly box and five hook boxes of flies in it. My forceps were on a lanyard, with a pair of nippers. The fish basket completed the equipment list.
I got to the pond and went to the dam. I went to the far end as it is the farthest from the truck. This way if I catch fish the basket gets heavier as I get closer to the truck. I’m not sure if this is from smartness or laziness.
I had a black boa yarn leech on the one rod, and on the other I had an EP bait fish type fly I tied up out of Congo Hair. I had been wanting to try some of these flies.
I decided to try the black boa fly first. I knew the water was shallower here and I thought that there might be some gills there. It’s very nice when the act comes together, and I was getting a fish on about every other cast. I did a slow strip of about 3 inches and then pause the fly. The fish hit on the strip or the pause, but they hit the fly. In the process I also picked up a few bass on this fly.
When it slowed down I moved about 40 feet and started casting again. I picked up a few more gills. Then I tried the other fly and picked up a few crappie. I discovered that I did better with the baitfish pattern if I did less with the fly. The crappie seemed to take the fly when it had been setting for a while.
As the water got deeper I found that I got a few fish at each place I stopped. It was a mixture of crappie and gills with the occasional bass. I was still catching fish on each of the flies I was using, and since they were working I was not inclined to change. Later in the year I would probably change.
I got to a spot where I have caught some nice crappie before so I cast one of the bait fish patterns and let it set. I soon saw the line going to the side, and I set the hook and had a nice crappie come in. I did this several more times, and I was having a ball catching nice sized crappie.
The next thing I knew there is a person on each side of me. They told me they want to catch some crappie, and that I could move because they want this place. I left as they both had dilated eyes. I was wondered what they might be on and what they might have done if I had not vacated the premises.
I moved about 100 feet away and found another spot with fish. I caught several more, and I even caught a few fairly large bass at this spot. I noticed the other guys were not catching any fish and then I saw that they were packing up to move and head off down the pond.
They went to where I had been, but they still did not catch any fish. I picked up a few more as I kept moving down the pond. I finally decided that the basket was getting heavier and heavier. I walked back to the pickup and put my gear away and headed for home. I had a great time on the water.
When I got home and found that I had picked up 46 crappie and 44 bluegill. With the bass that I threw back in it was a triple figure day. That’s crazy this early in the year.
Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick
Originally published July 16, 2012 on Fly Anglers Online by Rick Zieger.