Pond Boss
Posted By: Rangersedge Had a therapy session today! - 06/25/17 12:36 AM
Life has been beyond hectic for long enough the second wind has came and gone. Stole about 45 minutes for myself this evening to saddle up the Yamaha Rhino, grab four pre-rigged poles and drive about 1/2 mile to one of my ponds. In about half an hour, I caught 3 bass that were maybe 3/4 pound, 2 bass that were around two pound each, a few redear and I don't know how many big bull bluegill. The star of the trip was a redear measuring 11.5 inches. The bite was sporadic until i hit a spot where the bluegills were hitting every cast. After several straight, I packed up and headed back. Figured that was a good note to end on. Just what i needed!
Posted By: LarryHale Re: Had a therapy session today! - 06/25/17 12:40 AM
A pond is the best form of therapy there is, whether you're fishing or just taking time to relax.
Posted By: Rangersedge Re: Had a therapy session today! - 06/25/17 04:39 PM
Fwiw: all the redear and all but one bass were caught on a Small jig with white molded minnow head with eyes and white black silver silicone skirt. I've tried to find more and name without luck.

All the bluegill were caught on small silver Johnson silver minnow spoon with pink Berkley nymph added.
Posted By: catmandoo Re: Had a therapy session today! - 06/26/17 02:50 AM
I did something similar this past Friday afternoon. Except I went to a public 80 acre state-managed BG/RES/CC/Black Crappie lake. No LMB can be taken. The lake supposedly has northern pike and musky, but I've never seen either while fishing this lake over the last dozens years or so. It is regularly stocked with trout from October through May.

This mountain lake is at about 1500 feet elevation and has unlimited water visibility. It is surrounded by wooded mountains up to about 3500 feet. It was kind of busy on Friday -- two boats, each with two people, and another bank fisherman like me.

The sunfish fishing was absolutely crazy. Nothing could hit the water without an immediate strike.

I got the biggest wild RES I have ever caught -- a 10" female that was oozing eggs.

I'm generally not into bucket stocking, but she in my main pond now, along with five good sized males (each about 8 inches) that looked like they were ready to explode.

I also brought back quite a few ready-to-spawn 9-10 inch male and female bluegill for my neighbor's new pond.

It was much better therapy for my brain than any of my yoga sessions or my nightly meditations.

Ken
Posted By: Quarter Acre Re: Had a therapy session today! - 06/26/17 12:21 PM
Sounds like it's been a good weekend for fishing...

I took a trip to a friends house where I used to live and we fished the lake he lives on and we got a surprise call from an old friend who came out and fished with us all day. That does not sound sooo exciting, but I have not fished with brother John without his bipolar wife since they met 18 years ago. Somehow he managed to get away for the day and it was like old times, very therapeutic. You never could tell how the event was going to turn out if "she" was around, sometimes good, sometimes downright aggravating. Anyhow, the fishing was not all that great, nothing that made you get the camera out, but it was a great day with good friends on the lake!
Posted By: canyoncreek Re: Had a therapy session today! - 06/26/17 12:42 PM
Catmandoo,
It is interesting that the the RES haven't dropped eggs yet! Is that a function of water clarity, temps, or altitude? I would have though all RES would be done by now?
Posted By: catmandoo Re: Had a therapy session today! - 06/26/17 01:42 PM
We had a strange winter and an even stranger spring. April and May were very wet and cool. We got ten inches of rain during the second week of April, and then again during the third week of April. The emergency overflow of my lowest pond had 18-24 inches of water, 8-foot wide, for over two weeks. It is rare to have water in the overflow. Maybe a few inches every year or so.

I suspect it washed most of my CC, LMB, HSB and big BG out of that pond. I found lots of my big HBG in my brood pond and a settlement pond that came from my uppermost HBG/CC/HSB pond. They are between my uppermost and lowest ponds.

Things seemed strange. In May, my friends and I were catching almost nothing. No bluegill over about 6-7 inches, in a pond that regularly produced 10-11 inch bluegill. Almost no LMB. The few we did get were 6-7 inches. There was no evidence of spawning.

About the third week of May, the water in my lower pond was only at 58 degrees and the upper pond was at 53 degrees. I just started to see spawning activity about two weeks ago. The fish started feeding about three weeks ago.

Last week the water was finally in the mid 60s. I'm kind of starting over. I think the BG will recover in that pond. I put 100 2-4 inch tilapia in each of the ponds last week. It was time to add CC to both ponds, so they each got 25 5-7 inch CC. The HBG pond got 100 3-4 inch HBG. Both ponds will get HSB in the fall before the tilapia start to die off. I'll see if the LMB have grow in that pond. If not, I'll stock some with the HSB.

So, that is a long winded way of saying that our spawns have been very delayed this year because of very cool water conditions.
Posted By: Rangersedge Re: Had a therapy session today! - 07/07/17 02:50 AM
Started big long posts multiple times and lost them (on cell). Condensed version...

Two more quick trips. Broke brand new semi expensive rod when unloading rhino on first trip. Replaced with other rod. Christened it with LMB in the 8-9 pound range (wife suggested 10, but don't think it was quite that big) caught on 1/16 oz johnson silver minnow with pink berkely nymph on hook. Had good luck on bluegill using brownish panfish magnet (which doesnt look like much but really works).
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: Had a therapy session today! - 07/09/17 11:13 AM
Sounds like things worked out pretty well after breaking the rod.
Posted By: Tbar Re: Had a therapy session today! - 07/09/17 09:55 PM
Sounds like you had a good time...... cool

I finished my chores and went to the pond to fish early afternoon and the bass were biting slow. Got my favorite lure hung and didn't want to loose it so got the 2 man bass boat out(thanks again Zep) and recovered it.

While I had the boat out I puttered around the pond fishing......It was a little windy and my cast got blown over a bullrush bush. I turned around to engage the trolling motor to get my line loose when a 6.5# LMB grabbed that worm and took off!!! He/she danced 3-4 times on the surface before I landed it and I was pleasantly surprised how fat and healthy it was.
Posted By: Rangersedge Re: Had a therapy session today! - 07/17/17 01:50 AM
Went to island to water dunstan chestnut, and apple trees planted there a couple years ago.

Threw out some fish food (feeder quit, gotta find time to figure what is wrong with it). Hybrid striped bass and channel cats remembered. Weren't as many hitting but maybe scattered out since not been feeding. Channels are big and likely dying off as they're getting old.

Bluegill must be spawning or something. From beach area, you could see probably 75 suspended and moving around area. Casting almost anything yielded a hit from good size panfish. Can't stop thinking it was like some of those panfish fishing videos where everything works and that maybe i should make a video.

Motor died at island. Paddled pontoon boat back to trailer against the wind. Guess i needed the exercise.
Posted By: Rangersedge Re: Had a therapy session today! - 01/01/20 02:53 AM
Just going over some old posts... Life still hectic. One of new year's resolutions to myself is to try to make some time for myself in 2020. I keep thinking someday; but I also realize someday may never come if I don't make it happen.
Posted By: Sunil Re: Had a therapy session today! - 01/02/20 05:20 AM
Rangersedge!!

Happy New Year!!
Posted By: ewest Re: Had a therapy session today! - 01/04/20 02:42 PM
Glad you posted. How are the fish ?
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