What A Day, But It Got Better!

[jdmidwest]

Monday. Coming off a 3 day weekend, arrived at work to find that over half of the office staff decided to make it a 4 day weekend. Pounded by impatient customers all day, 4 o'clock arrived and visions of morels on a friends farm was calling me. A fellow worker exclaimed that he wanted to go fishing at his Grandfather's farm near town. Luck be on my side, I had a fly rod and a box of flies. It has been too dry for mushrooms, lots of hunting and no finding.

We arrived at the farm and pulled up along side the big lake, about 6 acres. He had a spinning rig rigged and cast out a jig. He hooked up on a nice bass about 16". Fishing was on and it only got better.

I had my Trout Bum 5wt 8' rod and tied on a yellow bead head wooly with a peacock herl stripe and brown tail. I walked around the lake and started fishing a corner. Lots of bluegill came to hand, most were stunted, little on the small side for a frying pan. I hopped up on a floating dock and noticed a swirl near the bank. I cast to it and my line started sideways. A nice little 20" largemouth came to hand. Several bluegills later and another bass 18".

My buddy was pulling crappie out of the other side about every cast. I decided to search for them. I found a bed of them in the fading sunset and started having the best crappie fishing of my life. My first crappie on the fly. I caught over a dozen medium size, kept 6 in the 10-11" range and had several smaller ones. Along with a mix of bass and bluegill in between. Rough estimate of over 50 fish to hand in less that 3 hours of fishing with the same fly.

A deer walked up behind me and watched. Turkeys flew up to roost in an oak tree nearby at sunset. A pair of Canada Geese made several flyby's trying to get in during that time.

A perfect end to a rotten day.

[Greasy B]

That last half hour of daylight is magic this time of year.

[laker67]

Very good JD, thanks for an honest to goodness fishing report.

[jdmidwest]

I finally had a good report for a change. Friday at Lake Girardeau, fishing was horrible. Front came thru, wind from the east, only a few dinks. 2 weeks ago at Terre Du Lac lakes for 2 weekend days on Shane and several of the other smaller ponds and lakes, same story, a few dinks. Otherwise, not much fishing going on.