I was able to get away for a couple of hours on Saturday while everyone in the family had gone different ways for the day. I headed over to Harveston (still saving up my pennies for a day with James at DVL or Skinner) to see if I could catch anything. It has been a while since I was there in the daylight. Apparently, half the city had the same basic idea I did because there were people everywhere. That's ok, though. I pretty much expected it. I rigged up my rod and walked towards the bank. As I got to the edge I spooked a school of about 8 young bass. Nice! I've never actually seen bass just hanging out by the bank in this lake.
I fished for a while, then helped a little boy untangle his rod. He had his line wrapped around his rod and couldn't figure out how to get it off. As we worked to free his line he stopped suddenly and almost noticeably started to shake as he realized that not only was his bait gone, but he had accidently hooked himself ... right in the zipper!!! He was alright. That little hook couldn't have gotten through those cargo pants, but when your 7 years old that can give you quite a fright.
As his dad came over I told them about the school of bass and they and their friends headed over there to see if they could hook one.
As I worked another area of the lake I actually saw the same kind of giant carp we see over at RSM. I knew they were in there, but I had never actually seen one. Later I saw another one, but this one was white and orange and looked a lot like a Koi.
Now I have to mention that not only was half the city there at the park that day, but it seemed like half of them were fishing. There were fishermen everwhere. Not shoulder to shoulder, but the pressure was definitely on. And if that wasn't enough, a construction crew was working on the community pool (which boarders the lake) ... with a jackhammer. I may be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure jackhammers going full-tilt, non-stop for several hours 15 feet away from a lake you're trying to fish will have some adverse affects on your chances of hooking up. I tried to get to a place where reverberation of the jackhammer would be diminished, hoping to find a bunch of bass there plugging their ears. Unfortunately I didn't get a bite. Those hammers were going when I got there and continued non-stop the entire time I was there.
So I figured since the sun was still up and I still had some time left, I'd head over to the local pond. So I broke my rod down and said goodbye to the crowd and the jackhammer, taking with me the only thing the lake had to offer that day. A skunk.
As I entered the little park where the pond is, I only saw one guy and his family by the pond fishing. I asked if he'd had any luck and he said his daughter had caught a large mouth. Good signs! This was much better. I started heading over towards the first bunch of reeds. As I rounded the bend and the rest of the pond came into view, what do you think I found? That's right!! The other half of the city! Now this is a very small pond with limited shoreline due to the reeds and the boundaries of the park. And fishing that limited shoreline had to have been what seemed like two dozen people. Ok, maybe it was more like 12, but when you're not expecting any, 12 might as well be 100.
I worked my way down the bank trying different baits, fishing where I could. Most everyone else was catching bluegill on live worms. I didn't have live worms. I didn't want to fish for bluegill. And I still don't have any more of those bluegill pattern swimbaits that the bass in this pond probably would have gone for.
So, as the sun started to set I headed back to my car having fished two different bodies of water and came away with my limit of 2 skunks in one day.
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