We had a warm week with temperatures that climbed into the 60's, plus some good winds. As an example of how quickly the ice disappeared, I drove by a few ponds on Friday evening after work. Most were ~95% ice-covered. One pond I fish often was 100% ice-covered. Then by noon on Sunday, every pond I drove by was 100% open water! I wouldn't have believed it could all have disappeared so quickly!
Anyway...Saturday morning I visited a local lake that just had maybe 50' of open water along the edges on 3 sides of the lake. Fishing was difficult, but I managed to catch my first pair of open-water fish of the year while flyfishing.
Very nice, Dave! What fly did they eat?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Justin! Beadhead Woolly Buggers...#8. The first one ate one that had a gold metallic body with grizzly hackle, and tan barred marabou tail. The second one was similar, but with a tan chenille body that had some green flash.
DeleteDave
ReplyDeleteColorful rainbow and healthy too---I wish I had access to ponds like that, enjoy the upcoming season. thanks for sharing
Thanks, Bill. I've got great news for you...you DO have access to these lakes/ponds. They are all public waters. All you need is an Iowa Fishing License and some time behind the wheel of your vehicle! :)
DeleteDave
ReplyDeleteI think you told me this before, but I will ask again--are all these ponds located in subdivisions neighborhoods?
Not the lake with the trout it it....but yes, the warmwater ponds I fish most of the time are really in what amounts to residential neighborhood parks. They were generally created to serve as stormwater detention basins. Typically, there are paved walking trails near the ponds, and a grass buffer between the ponds and residential backyards. A few have their own parking lots, and many have on-street parking, with designated paved access to the ponds (so you don't have to worry about walking through anyone's private yard. Its really nice! The downside of having all these nice ponds with mowed lawns right to the edges, is all the geese and ducks that blanket the shorelines with their droppings, and they muddy the water when they swim/wade in the shallows. Hey, nothing's ever perfect...but I admit I really do enjoy having all these fishing opportunities within 2-20 minutes driving. If one pond looks crowded, I just go to another one.
DeleteI love your neighborhood ponds. How clever of your town to take something as necessary and mundane as stormwater basins and turn them into attractive parks for fishing! My town just blocks off the areas near the stormwater basins and forbids unofficial entry. I also love that your community has gone to the trouble of creating paved walkways. So nice!
ReplyDeleteYes! :) I love the ponds in my town, and the town itself. It has been one of the fastest-growing towns in Iowa and the U.S. for the past 15 years. When I moved here 15 years ago, the town had ~21,000 residents. Now there are over 50,000!
DeleteDuring this growth, when new subdivisions would be built, the developers would set aside some of the land for stormwater detention....and would give those areas to the City for use as parks/ponds. I agree its my favorite thing about Ankeny, Iowa. The downside is....upkeep on all these parks and ponds (grass mowing, snow removal from the paved trails, algae treatment, portable restrooms, etc) has a price tag, and the City is stuck with it. They do a really great job with the funds they have. In addition, some local non-profit groups have gotten together to try and assist in the various ways that we can...to try and keep these waters and their fisheries as good as we can.