June 05 - Pondwood
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Finally !! The weather turned in our favor for a whole day's fishing. We woke to a perfect Summer's day. Clear blue skies, a fair breeze and the occasional fluffy cloud sailing by.... what more could anyone ask?
We set out early and found one of our favorite pegs at Pondwood's Snake practically boiling with carp. They were cruising down the mud bar in the middle... they were mooching about in the reeds making them move and sway... they were nose down, tails up, in the muddy bottom causing silty clouds to drift up to the surface. Yes this was going to be a good day for fishing!
In no time at all we were set up and ready to go... it was barely nine o'clock. We spent some time baiting our swims; I chose a location right in front of me by the bank and a spot about 8 feet further out on the mud bar. As is my wont I went with sweet corn again, with some trout pellets as an added attraction; I'd be float fishing with a single rod, alternating between my chosen locations. Steve, at the next swim, was going to ledger on the mud bank using a variety of bait... trout pellets, luncheon meat (spam), sweet corn and I don't know what. He was also going to use dog kibble and/or bread to surface fish with his second rod.
I started off on the mud bar as that's where the activity seemed to be at the time. By quarter past 10 I had the first fish of the day. True to form, as I seem to catch the halt and the lame of the carp world, it was blind in one eye and I decided to call it One Eyed Jack... after an old movie from the '60s... think it had Marlon Brando in it.... and I remember that I saw it at the Starlight Drive-In. Sadly, the Starlight was replaced years ago by a shopping center... the fate of most Drive-In theaters.
Anyway.. moving on... I had the second fish of the day just before 11 o'clock.. a fine mirror with a pronounced hump (there seems to be a strain of carp with this conformation). Steve suggested the name Humperdink ( I thought maybe Igor or Quasimodo, but I didn't want to spoil his fun ).
Three quarters of an hour later and Steve had his first fish, a good size common that he had a hard time to hanging onto for the obligatory photo.... so this one was dubbed Mr. Wiggly.
We fished on for a while longer. Both of us had strikes but lost the fish... I think, at this point, I'd lost one and Steve had missed two. That's fishing for you.... don't count your fish til they're in the net.