Met up with tallyfly at a little after 7:00 to fish the newly opened east river pool. We were hoping to find starving fishies that had not seen pressure in 6 months. Instead we pissed off a bunch of gators that were not happy that people were back in the pool. I missed a couple of perch on the crease popper the BK gave me and took only one picture.
I guess I should mention the day started out a little foggy. About 10:30 I guess we decided to find a landing and skip over to the east river. Bad move there was no water in the river that far down. There were signs of life in the creek with fish crashing the surface or very near the surface. After sight casting for about thirty minutes I hooked up on the 7 wt. It was probably a good thing as there was a pretty good tug on the end of the line. I ended up with a about a three pound cata-red-bowfin. This is a magical fish that starts off as a catfish, then quickly converts to a redfish and ends up a mudfish. No pictures as the bank was way too steep to get the waters edge and while trying to get the unwrapped fom the gill plate he came unbuttoned and flipped back into the water. Gerald and I threw everything we could for another hour and did not get another take. It turns out these fish were landlocked by the tide and were mudding minnows and maybe crabs to kill the time. I am pretty sure that there were a mixture of fish there too. I know I pretty plainly saw the outline of a gar in the "pool" as well.
By the time we mananged to hike some of the trail, fix both broken or almost broken kayak carts and then relaunching into the lake to paddle back to the cars - it was time to head to the Rez to check in on WW and Team Hobie at the demo day. I stooped to pick up a Perception hatch Lid that surely came off the WW kayak caravan (not the case as it turns out) sitting in the middle of Monroe street in front of Revel's. I got there and the line to park for the Rez extended to the airport. I conveniently mentioned that my kayak was intended for the fishing demo so I got to park inside the gate. I did not know that Rick was going to bring in a couple of bands and the Swedish All Bikini Volleyball Team. (Note: Mirrored sunglasses aare important lest you be begged as a dirty old man in these instances.) Sorry guys no pictures there. Talked to BK, Seminole and several others at the Rez before headed back to the coast for a leisurely float and fish afternoon. Dang it sure got windy Saturday afternoon. Faced with white caps at the lighthouse I tucked my tail to head home and get after them in the morning.
I did hit the local pond on the way home to practice a little more long rod. I used the crease popper on the 5wt from the morning and ended up with 3 dink bass and a perch. I missed a ton more small pokes at the bait 9perch). Those the first fish I have ever or even ever seen come out of the local cesspool. I finished about forty five minutes after dark when I broke off the popper in the low hanging branch (as in hanging from the monofilament / rattletrap combo). The fish under that branch was leading a charmed life.
Sunday morning I let the weatherliars convince me to forego the trip to the coast to prove them wrong. Did some chores around the house and started trying to make some crease flies from memory of the BK design. I also tied up the first surf candy of the year - something that will continue this week to hit SGI on Monday with the kids. Around 4:30 I called BK figuring he was working the local pond already but he had brave the morning wind and was just getting back from the coast. I asked if he was going to hit the pond but he wasn't sure at the time. I was impatient and headed back to the park pond. Sunday I had several more competitors but they stayed on the better maintained side of the pond. I trudged down the bank and laid out some line on top of the Virginia Creeper and pitched my "crease popper" to the water. About the tenth cast I got it to a promising spot chugged it about three times and ...
I caught an actual bass prolly about two pounds. I noticed that the dorsal fin had taken a bruising in the past. The fly stuck in the corner of the mouth and was actually a pain to get out.
A couple hundred times pulling the flyline out of the creeper, finding BKs missing popper from the day before mysteriously hooked into the current popper, a few more dink bass, a thrty minute phone conversation with my older brother about pouring his own lead pyramid sinkers, a group of teenagers armed with rattle trap but not armed with a sense of territory or how to catch a bass from the shore, and it was dark. The last fish of the night was a first on the fly for me. A little 9 inch black crappie or "speck". Gosh I will never get used to that name.
My arch nemesis fish under that hanging branch missed the pooper several time but I will still get him in the end.
