I do not fish ponds very often. I like moving water and the challenges it offers. But, about once a year I like to take the 4 wt. to the local park and kill an hour. This allows me to practice my casting, which I need, and maybe hook a bluegill or small bass. With the rivers not fishable due to summertime storms today was a perfect day to hit the pond. By 6:30 in the morning the sun was already heating things up, and coupled with calm winds made for an ideal early morning topwater bite. Woolly buggers stay home!
A perfect spot, a perfect day. The reeds on the right produced a personal best largemouth.
(Click on image for a larger view.).
The first half hour went as expected. Throwing a panfish popper I was catching a few sunfish. In fact, just about every cast brought a curious sunfish to the surface. I finally had enough with the small fish. I wanted to feel the tug of something bigger. I changed to a larger topwater slider in hopes of enticing a largemouth bass. I like it when a plan comes together.
I worked my way over to a pier that had some reeds growing along the edge of the pond. Using this time on the water to improve my casting accuracy was going to be put to the test. There was a small break in the reeds that screamed “fish here”. I made the cast and hit the middle of the opening. At that point I was satisfied to have made a good, accurate cast. I let the slider sit for a few seconds and then stripped in some line to get it moving. It was at that point the water boiled and a largemouth bass inhaled the slider. The bass tried to take me into the reeds but with 8lb. tippet I didn’t have to baby the fish. Bringing him in, the fish went deep and briefly got hung up, but keeping pressure on the fish I brought him out of it. After a couple of jumps a nice, thick, 16” largemouth came to hand. Because I river fish for smallies I catch very few largemouth bass, and the ones I have caught were on the small side. This fish was a personal best.
This largemouth inhaled a topwater slider.
Not a bad way to kill an hour, don’t you think?
Go out and fool a fish!
