Time Well Spent

I've been trying to save my money lately. Buying lunch can really add up so I've been trying to either bring my lunch or just not eat. Fishing seems to distract me just enough so I can get through the day and not think about my stomach. The work pond hasn't had very good fishing lately. I tried the usual popper that at least gets some lookers. I had a few fish swim up but they just hung behind the fly and never committed. I switched flies a few times but nothing seemed to do the trick until I put on a Chernobyl Ant. There were 3 bass cruising by shore. This is the best time to catch a fish. The competition seems to trigger the instinct in the fish and they race to the fly. I caught one of the feisty bass instantly. On my next cast I had a bluegill come up from the depths and hammer the fly. The next two casts were the same. This specimen in particular I thought was beautiful. The fish looked really healthy. There are some catfish that cruise the pond and hang out near the surface. I dropped the ant maybe a foot in front of the fish's nose. It hit the fly but spit it right away. It would be pretty cool to catch a catfish on a surface fly. All the players were out today. I saw a huge carp while working the banks on the other side. I think my lunch's are going to be well spent.

Fishing at Lunch

The thing I love about where I work is that I can fish at lunch. The ponds aren't big but they provide a nice get away from the rat race. Today was extra special because the winter has kept the fishing pretty slow in these ponds. After a few casts today, I knew not only the weather was heating up.I didn't see any surface activity but minnows huddled in the shallows. A few strips past them and this bass was produced. I caught a couple more bass then made my way to the other side of the pond. After almost getting my back cast stacked up and getting my fly caught on my back, I ducked and was able to sling it over my head. While taking up the slack line and starting my first strip I felt resistance. I lifted my rod and saw a big silver shape silouhette under the water. It looked like a really big bass but didn't fight like one. The fish made a few runs and gave a pretty good tug on my 4wt. When I got the fish near the surface I could tell it was a crappie. Pretty good size too.This is probably one of the largest I have caught so far. I went back to work re-energized and looking forward to warmer weather and even better fishing. No sign of the carp today. I'll be targeting them this year.