JUNGLE JIM 1

Beautiful brown and bow. They look a lot better than those hatchery trout I've been catching.

I fished there a couple of times and caught little ones like those but seen some bass in there. Talked to a guy that said he's caught bass up to 5# in there.

Where are the other fishermen? Looks like you had the park to yourself. My favorite trout park, it's the closest to me.

My first fish caught was plastic while fishing in the bath tub when I was two. Mom would fill the tub, add some plastic fish and I would catch fish for hours. First real fish was a bass maybe 8-10" shortly after that. We were in a boat and dad hooked it and let me reel it in. First fish caught on my own was at Carondelet Park fishing with my older sister with cane poles. Between the two of us dad couldn't take off the little gills fast enough. We ran out of worms. That trip lit the fire and it's still blazing 65 years later.

I used to fish for carp as a youth back in the 60's. They actually stocked carp in city park lakes then and they were a blast to catch. Biggest one then was an 18 lber. Learned how to fight big fish because of carp. Caught my first grass carp in 2017 on a whopper plopper and have caught four more since then on jigs. Been over 50 years since I fished for them and just getting started fishing for them again. Some giant grass carp in the lake I'm fishing but only hooked one in three tries and only hooked one but lost it when it jumped and landed on the 6# line and popped it. Ordering supplies for carp fishing, next item is the baiting sling shot. Thinking of trying mixed vegetables on a hair rig. Maybe a carrot, pea and corn combo. When I catch one I'll post some pics. This tutorial was very helful.

In 2015 I fished there with friends and pulled up to a spot early morning just after sunrise. First cast was a nice smallie. Next cast I hooked a giant redear and started ripping drag. When it surfaced buddy said that's a 4#er. Netted it and it started crapping on the deck. No scale in the boat so we put her on ice and fished the rest of the day. We weighed the fish 8 hours later and she weighed 4-09, a post spawn female. Did a length and girth measurement and she was 17.25" long with an 18" girth. Might have been 5# if we weighed fish right away. Definitely longer than this record. Had a replica made. Disappointed when I got it back because replica was only 16". Guess they didn't have a bigger mold. My fish might have been a length record. Next day caught a 3-02 and a 2-07 at that spot.

It's a shame because there were some nice bass in there before the fish kill. After that they did a fish survey and there was no fish over 10" collected. Lake was full of huge tadpoles so plenty of frogs this year but majority of bass were killed.

I hear them sometimes but this is only the second owl I've seen in the wild. I took this photo yesterday at 7:30 am. Long walk uphill to fish a pond I had heard about and seeing the owl was the highlight of the day.

On a couple of other sites we used to have jig swaps which were fun. I don't tie flies anymore but my experience I got from tying flies has carried over to jigs. I don't know where to post some of the jigs and spinner baits that I make on here. Maybe they could add a small section here for that. Perhaps do a jig swap as well.

I can hook you up with some heads Daryk. I pour them on #8-#12 hooks. Have them in 1/80 as well. Send me your address in a pm and I will send you some. Have some painted if you want some. BilletHead, if you have some Gadwall I'll be happy to take them. Thank you very much.

The head is a 1/48 custom chub from a one of a kind mold I designed and had made 15 years ago. My favorite ultralight jig. I call them float n fly jigs. Gadwall and mallard flank jigs are like magic when it comes to catching fish. Still hurting on my Gadwall supply if anyone has some. Would trade some hand ties for feathers.

Wow, that was really bad. I liked the after surgery pics better. Glad to see you back out there fishing, nice hybrid.

I've been using the 3.25 inch Rage Swimmer rigged with a small coil keeper with belly weighted head that I pour and paint. They seem more durable than the fat Keitech baits which I also use. First bait is 1/4 oz with blade and second is 1/8 rigged with 1.5" crappie tube.

That's traveling light, fun little outing for sure.

Last year I was catching a half dozen almost every trip at one spot but this year in half dozen trips haven't caught one. They are in there but I don't know where. Maybe with the river coming up will get some moving.