Friday, March 18, 2011

First Open-Water Fish of the Year

Over a period of a couple weeks in late February, early March, the local ponds and small lakes started to thaw out. Some got as close as 40% ice-free...and then we had a cold snap and most froze over completely once again. But they can't (and didn't) stay frozen over forever. Another week went by, and most ponds were 100% open at last!

I had fished one pond a few times during my lunch hours. While there was still some ice on it, I wasn't successful in catching anything. Once all the ice was gone, however, the fish were willing to bite.

I used a fly rod, a pink-n-white microjig, and a strike indicator during my lunch hour on May 11, 2011. I had one fish hooked, that shook free halfway to shore, and another strike that I missed completely. It was WINDY! But that one fish gave me confidence. I stopped by the pond after work, and eventually caught 12 crappies and 3 green sunfish.

Here is Open Water Fish #1 for 2011!...a smallish crappie:
And below is a chunky green sunfish:

We took the kids on Spring Break...and did a little snow-skiing in Minnesota.  When we got back, the weather had been in the 50's and low 60's for most of the week.  The fish were even more active!  I didn't need a strike indicator when I fly-fished during lunch today, March 18, 2011.

Chartreuse fly patterns worked really well today.  I caught 8 Green Sunfish and 6 Crappies, a few of each on 2 different subsurface patterns that I tried...a Craft Fur Clouser, and a Myakka Minnow (both chartreuse).

Some fish hit on the drop, some hit on the slow retrieve, so I had to watch my line.  It was a fun 35 minutes of fishing, and the weather was excellent!


1 comment:

  1. Dave
    Glad you got to hook up with some nice crappie. I know you can't wait for the top water action.

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