On the afternoon of March 26th, after a productive morning at my first stop, I still had time on the clock. The drive was short, and I wasn’t ready to hang up the rod just yet.
A few minutes later I was pulling into the small parking lot shown below — and what I found there stopped me in my tracks.
First Order of Business: Clean Up Someone Else’s Mess
It was a real shame. Someone — or a group of someones — had turned this little parking area into a dump. Beer cans, packaging, assorted debris scattered through the lot and into the tree line.
This is what I found waiting at the parking lot. Not exactly the welcome mat you hope for.
Scattered throughout the lot and into the tree line — beer cans, bottles, packaging.
It looked like someone had held a party the night before and left every bit of it behind.
I spent a chunk of time picking it all up. It’s one of those things that bothers me deeply. These ponds are a gift, and they deserve better than this.
When I was done, the place looked much better.
Into the Water
Clean lot, waders on, ready to go. Time to fish.
The view across the pond more than made up for the rough start. Ducks and geese were swimming around, and as I was gearing up I caught movement overhead — my first osprey sighting of the year. That got my blood going.
I waded in to the right of the boat ramp and began working my way down the shoreline, planning to cover about 300 yards before I’d need to head home. The water was clear with a muddy bottom in spots, and the shoreline ahead was beautiful — pine trees, a stretch of white sandy beach.
The boat ramp access — easy to get in.
I kept the same black inline Rooster Tail spinner that had produced at my earlier stop, using a slow and steady retrieve.
Along the way I found more trash in the shallows — a frustrating reminder of the impact of our consumerist way of life. I tried to keep my focus on what was still worth celebrating: the tree line, the wildlife, the silence and fresh chilly air.
The Fish at the End of the Wade
The reward at the end of a 300-yard wade — a colorful, feisty rainbow that came straight to the surface.
Right at the far end of my planned stretch, just as I was starting to think it might be a quiet finish, the rod loaded up. The fish came immediately to the surface and put on a show — a rainbow with beautiful coloring and a serious attitude about being caught. A quick photo in the net and it was back in the water.
I switched to a Baker Jerk Bait for the walk back, working it at medium speed with some faster twitches mixed in, but the fish weren’t interested in an encore. By the time I made it back to the boat ramp the afternoon was winding down. I wanted to keep exploring — this pond has more to offer than 300 yards — but it would have to wait for another day.
The Baker Jerk Bait got some time on the walk back, but the trout had made up their minds.
All told, the pond left a strong impression — not just because of the fish, but because of everything surrounding it. The osprey, the clear water, and even the satisfaction of leaving the place better than I found it all added up to something memorable.
Best of luck if you make it out fishing anytime soon.
Tight lines!
Ryan
About the author
Glad you enjoyed the story. I’ve been using the Firetiger Thomas Buoyant Spoon and a black In-line Roostertail.
@admin Great write-ups … seems like you’re sticking with a handful of lures. Can you (re) list them?
Enjoyed the read Ryan. Good for you on the catch and the clean up. I appreciate that.