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Rain? Naw, it's not headed over here. Wind's blowing the other way. |
Work and dinner with a nonprofit donor took me to Maryland's eastern shore for the day. I thought I'd drag the kayak out for the first time in 2011, and if those weren't enough bugs to get out, I figured I'd take my new Cabelas TQR 5wt fly rod to a 1860s mill pond (previously a forested swamp) in the headwaters of the Chester River, near the Delaware border. Have I ever fly fished from a kayak? No. Was the forecast for a 40% chance of severe thunderstorms? Maybe. Did I let these minor details get in my way? Duh, of course not.
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Wow, the wind's shifting directions. Getting a little wet. |
This mill pond is actually a great habitat for warmwater fish - the bottom is sandy and there is a great freshwater supply from seeps and springs all along the length of the impoundment. The water is nice and clear, and I could see bass beds everywhere.
I was really intent on catching a big largemouth on a fly, so every time I got a hit on my spincast gear, I'd immediately switch to the fly. Yeah, that didn't work at all. Not a single strike on a nice big green hopper. My casting and "water whipping" definitely wasn't a factor ( ha ha). Again, with the "never fly fished from a kayak before " thing. Apparently, it's harder to keep your line flying above the water, when your casting arm is only 16" out of the water. Who knew? Didn't really matter - once the wind shifted and the thunder started rocking the lake, the bite shut off entirely. And then things got real in a hurry.
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Thank God for the tree I was under. It got nasty QUICK! |
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Not the evening I had in mind |
The wind fully shifted around and went from about 10-15kt to 25-35kt, bringing actual waves to the side of the swamp I was trying to fish. The skies opened up and thunder roared. I started crushing that water with the paddle and found shelter under a big old cypress tree after a few minutes of frantic searching. Luckily I had put my Marmot PreCip jacket on under my PFD before I left the ramp, so I was able to put the hood up and just put my head down and wait for the rain to let up. Which it did about 30 minutes later.
I continued to fish, but it was clear that everything was spooked. A few big bluegills bum-rushed my light spinning tackle but never even bit. When the sky opened up a second time, I sighed and paddled through the waves, back to the boat ramp. Unwilling to give up despite the fact that darkness was setting in and the rain was not relenting, I decide to fish the tail race of that old mill pond. I fished there once before, in 2010, seeing many more big fish than I caught. Despite the horrid fishing conditions, I caught a few moderate size sunfish and this world-record-setting golden shiner. It was a weird night. But I've had weirder, and worse.
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I wouldn't call this an "attractive" fish.... |
3 comments:
A true adventure. You may not have caught much but it's a trip you won't soon forget. And that's what fishing is all about.
You're totally right. I also learned some new things (like that I am not ready to fly cast from a sit-in kayak) and those lessons usually don't come this cheap.
It's always great to get out on the water - I'm posting a video of the storm rolling through, later this week. It's impressive.
In the end, I got out on the water, didn't get hurt, didn't lose any gear, caught several fish in what I would have thought were impossible conditions, and didn't have to burn a day off (or a day at home with my boy).
I would trade MOST days for a day like that!
Great adventure. Glad you had fun! That fish is awesome!
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