Monday found a favorable forecast and me trekking through the sand again. The first pond was the furthest and most difficult to find and was still too low to fish. These ponds fill up as spring gets going and the irrigation water turns on. It's hard to believe the fish can survive in some of them. And its hard to predict what you will find until you put in the work to put eyes on them.
By the time I made it to the second pond I was soaked in sweat. I found a miracle path to the water.
Didn't take long:
Shortly after launching two otters approached me. This can't be good for fishing:
Although I caught sporadic fish on pond two, it didn't seem the same as prior years. I blame big otter.
I was really excited about pond three. This required a long kick and another portage through the mud and the muck. I was getting a work out in. Pond three started slow with the occasional nice top water fish:
One stretch in particular I decided to flip. It just looked juicy to pick apart. As I was stretching out the 25 pound test my jig fell off the tube and I watched a bass swim out for under my tube and chomp it. It wasn't little either!
The next 90 minutes was surreal. Fish after fish on the jig in a slot about 100 yards long and from in the cattails out 10 yards of so. It was just stacked.
At one point I think I caught 7 in a row.
When the glove goes on the works getting done:
Rinse and repeat:
My happy place:
I thought my arm might fall off at one point
After about 30 fish I decided to start kicking my way along and make a big loop back to my starting point. The ponds are really alive this time of year and the bird watching is surreal:
Picked up a few more on topwater:
Black and blue with dual black @SpawnFlyFish tails was the top card:
Big bellies like I like:
Prespawn is my favorite season by far!
Billy
By the time I made it to the second pond I was soaked in sweat. I found a miracle path to the water.
Didn't take long:
Shortly after launching two otters approached me. This can't be good for fishing:
Although I caught sporadic fish on pond two, it didn't seem the same as prior years. I blame big otter.
I was really excited about pond three. This required a long kick and another portage through the mud and the muck. I was getting a work out in. Pond three started slow with the occasional nice top water fish:
One stretch in particular I decided to flip. It just looked juicy to pick apart. As I was stretching out the 25 pound test my jig fell off the tube and I watched a bass swim out for under my tube and chomp it. It wasn't little either!
The next 90 minutes was surreal. Fish after fish on the jig in a slot about 100 yards long and from in the cattails out 10 yards of so. It was just stacked.
At one point I think I caught 7 in a row.
When the glove goes on the works getting done:
Rinse and repeat:
My happy place:
I thought my arm might fall off at one point
After about 30 fish I decided to start kicking my way along and make a big loop back to my starting point. The ponds are really alive this time of year and the bird watching is surreal:
Picked up a few more on topwater:
Black and blue with dual black @SpawnFlyFish tails was the top card:
Big bellies like I like:
Prespawn is my favorite season by far!
Billy
