Another Fun Day of Pond Fishing

            There has been a lot going on lately so my dad and I haven’t been able to put the boat in the water as often lately. But last Saturday I had the itch that I needed to feel a fish pulling on my string.

            So I drove out to New Kent and decided I would spend a few hours fishing the pond in my parents’ back yard.

            I grabbed one of my rods off of the boat and the needle nosed pliers and walked down to the pond. My dad was not far behind me. I walked around the bank throwing a spinner bait having high hopes I would catch some fish when I got to the corners of the pond where I usually have some luck.

            My dad came down and through a chatterbait and of course caught one fish pretty quick. I was not having much luck on the spinnerbait. Even when I got to the first corner I didn’t get a bite.

            My dad went up and switched to a buzz bait. It was a little overcast so the top water bite was on and he came down and caught another good healthy fish.

            I circled the entire pond throwing the spinnerbait. Spending a little extra time and a few more casts into the corners. I had no luck. So when I got back to the walkway behind my parents’ house I decided I would go up and switch weapons.

            My dad had caught one on a buzz bait so I figured why not give it a try. So I switched rods and headed back down.

            I worked my way towards the left corner of the pond. I didn’t have any luck early. Then I threw the buzz bait down the edge of the pond from one corner to the other. As I worked it back to me all of a sudden it went underwater. Before I could set the hook the fish was off and I said out loud “just missed it”

            I was feeling like my luck would not change and that wasn’t the end of it. A few casts later the bait hit the water in a strange way and shot right to the bottom. I looked at my rod and the line had broken somewhere inside the reel and I am not sure why but that is just bass fishing for you.

            So I had to go back up to the house and switch to my third different bait option. I decided to go to the old trusty worm. Although my luck was not going great my hopes hadn’t dwindled. And I had seen my dad catch two fish so I couldn’t say they weren’t in there or weren’t biting.

            One of my first casts with the worm I was slowly working it back to the bank. As I was pulling the bait out of the water I heard an aggressive splash. It actually scared me. I looked down and a bass had been following my worm toward the bank and when I pulled it out of the water he made an aggressive turn. Once the shock of the splash wore off I looked to see a tailfin swimming away.

            So a good sign the fish were interested in this bait as well. I kept working my way around the pond without another bite.

            I got to the corner of the pond and cast the worm down the edge of the bank. I slowly worked it back. As I got it almost back to the bank I felt a pull. But it wasn’t very strong.

            I was a little unsure if I was just stuck on a stick or if I had a bite. But I set the hook hard and up came a very small bass. It wasn’t much of a fight at all. But I reeled him in quickly then unhooked him and threw him back.             It had taken me a few hours but I had accomplished my goal of feeling a fish pulling on my string. I walked up to the house and said yep I caught one little one.

            Not the most exciting story but something I enjoy and look forward to passing on. I think about how fun just catching a fish is, and not long from now my nephew will be old enough to walk down to the pond, and I will be able to show him how to catch one just like my dad showed me. And I hope he falls in love with it the way I have again.