The Show Me Fly Guy: March 13, 2016

Date: March 13, 2016

Body of Water: Farm Ponds

Weather: 60’s, foggy in the AM, cloudy, mist/sprinkles

Air Temperature: Lower 50’s in the AM and warming to upper 60’s

Water Condition: Up, stained, and

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent

Fishing Equipment: 9 foot Fenwick 8 weight with floating line and 9 foot Cortland 6 weight with floating line, & medium heavy action spinning combo

Flies/Lures/Bait: The Brave, The Goblin, and Wild Eye Strike King Spinner Bait

Hatches or Fish Behavior Observed: LOTS of small fish in the shallows and larger fish off the bank and surprisingly not on the banks

Species Targeted: Bass

# of Fish Hooked: 40 or so

# of Fish Landed: 30 or so

# of Fish Released: 30

# of Fish Kept: 0

Largest Fish Description: 20 inch, 4 pound 8 ounce bass

What Happened:

I decided to hit some farm ponds and see if the fish were responding to the unseasonably warm weather we are experiencing this year. On the high side, I thought maybe I would catch 5-10 fish over the course of the day, and on the low side I thought I might catch a fish or two. These expectations were exceeded and I still can’t believe that I must have hit things just right. I fished 5 farm ponds and caught fish at every single one. The fish were active, good fighters, and hungry. I couldn’t have asked for more. On top of catching more fish than I expected, there was the added bonus of catching a number of fish in the 1 and ½ pound to 2 pound range. Even more, there was the incredible experience of catching two big bass that I was able to transplant into a lake that is overpopulated with smaller fish. I hope that the added large predators will cause the stunted fish population to decrease but I am going to have to wait a few years to see if that experiment pays off. More than all the fish, the big bass, and the fact that the vast majority were caught on a fly rod was the fact I got to do all of this with my dad. He had a good day too and landed a number of fish on a spinnerbait while throwing a baitcaster. He landed a number of fish around 2 pounds and landed a beautiful 3 pounder as well. I got to throw a fly rod all day, the fish were biting, and I got to enjoy it all with my dad, the guy that taught me how to fish. I love you dad and thanks for spending time with me.