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     Catching one fish, no matter what the size, can make for a successful day on the water.

 

Not the biggest steelhead I've caught but it is the prettiest.

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     Go out and fool a fish!

Find A Pond Near You

 

For many fishermen, their first experience with catching a fish was at a small pond. Hooking that first sunfish has put a smile on the face of many kids. I know that was the first fish I caught almost 65 years ago. In my case, I caught it in Marblehead, Ohio, near Cedar Point, long before the park became a popular destination. Now, maybe in an attempt to reinforce my belief that the size of the fish doesn’t matter,  or to smile like that kid again, at least once a summer I head to one of the local ponds near my home. It’s usually during the hottest and driest portion of the season, when the rivers are low, and in need of a good rain to freshen the flow. 

 

Hot summer day on a small pond.

Instead of a cane pole and worm, my tackle of choice is now a 3wt fly rod and a small popper. But, any lightweight rod will make catching these willing panfish a lot of fun to land. And, if you happen to hook a bass, so much the better. Panfish are not shy. They will sip just about anything off the surface.

Panfish love small poppers.

So, find yourself a pond, and spend an hour putting that kid smile back on your face.

Go out and fool a fish!

Bits And Bobbers

 

I’ve been away from the writing desk for a long time but now feel the urge to say a few words about a lot of nothing. Sit back and enjoy….or not.

The older I get the more I gravitate to warm water fishing for bass. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to swing a fly for steelhead but my body is telling me warm weather is better. Besides, I only have one more year with a leading 6 in my age, so maybe I should listen to my body. Problem is, my mind gets in the way. I know come September I’ll start having thoughts of steelhead that will pull me to the river. Talk about conflicted!

For various reasons, I put the rods away last Thanksgiving and didn’t fish for almost four months. That was my longest break since I got back into fishing 10 years ago. Ended up missing most of the steelhead season. And, I’m still alive, so I guess it didn’t kill me.

Having all that time over the winter allowed me to check out several fishing websites. I happened to see a post someone made about wanting to report a spin fisherman for poor handling of a fish. Why specifically mention the method of fishing?  I’m sure there are fly fishermen and centerpinners who have handled a fish poorly. Sometimes it just happens no matter how hard you try to protect the fish. Unless you were born with a fly rod or centerpin outfit in your hand you started out with a spinning or baitcasting rod. Let’s not forget how we got our start in this great sport.

Congratulations to all the fishermen who participate in organized river clean-up activities. The sad thing is we have to have organized river clean-ups. Too many people rely on the other guy to pick up their trash. Check out the CLE Fishing Company. They have a bag that you hook to your belt or pack and can be used to hold trash. Just a great idea. 

 

I can be happy on the water and not catch a fish.

 

                                     Warm weather smallie.

There are a lot of people who try to take advantage of others. Watch your equipment when you’re on the water. Put a pack down and someone may just walk off with it. And, don’t leave a rod behind in the parking lot. You won’t get it back.

A strike indicator….it’s still just a bobber!

Go out and fool a fish!