A Day on the Water

This local farm pond used to have very big Bluegills and Pumpkin Seed Sunfish.  Lately blue worm containers have been left littering the bank.  Today, this spring, there were no more worm containers an no big Bluegills left.  I started with a #4 Lime Mist Mop Popper that seemed good for 6 quick fish, but none took early in the retrieve, they all took on a dead stick pause at the end.   Pretty soon no more fish would even give it a look.  I tried one foam Lip Klinkhammer emerger that was absolutely ignored.  A trimmed down October Caddis...

 4/0 Musky Bangers   4/0 Musky Bangers Hook:  4/0  Preadator Hook VMC 7250BN here Thread:  210 denier Chartreuse Flat Waxed Nylon here for color Tail 1:   Sparse Long Bucktail,  Magnum Opal Flashabou 3 strands folded Tail 2:   1 or 2 Saddle Hackles vertical on each side, 3 Mag Opal Flash folded Body:    Chartreuse 210 thread and glue Shouder 1:  Medium Short Bucktail spread over top 60% of shank Shoulder 2:  Medium Bit Shorter Bucktail on top 60% of shank Shoulder Flash 1:  3 Strands Mag Flash Opal Shortened 2inches & Folded Collar Flash:  Ice Dub or (Ice Wing fiber broken...

I fished the evening in a shallow, weedy Huron River impoundment that lacks any access for Motor Boats.  I seldom see another fishing human here. The deadfall on the right shoreline is an excellent spot except today there was a heron hanging out there.  He disappeared, but by carefully examining scenery photographs such as this, one can occasionally find Photographic Proof of their extraordinary skill of holding their wings just so, and hanging motionless in the sky, waiting for the impatient, unseeing human gaze to move on. The muddy main river channel is out of sight on far left behind...

Tried 4/0 Banger Poppers on heave tackle for Muskies with none showing.  When I tried for bass with a 3/0 Marabou Banger also nothing.  There were many small Bass in with the spawning Bluegills in the shallows below high eroded clay banks.  Bigger ones were also in there and they all were hitting a #2 Lime Mist mop Worm Popper without hesitation on a retrieve of a steady rhythm of medium pops.  Finesse or pausing the retrieve was a waste of time.  The Bluegills were harassing the popper also but too small to get hooked. I caught and lost this...

Very high and fast currents by the Flat Rock Dam, some Gar Pike breaking the surface.  I got a Rock Bass, a Gar Pike and 3 small Crappies all on a #2 White Opal Minnow Jiggy.  The Gar managed to get his upper beak wedged into the gap of the hook with the point and barb in some skin and flesh on the tip of his upper beak.  The last of the crappies I got by High Sticking the heavy jig fly along a shoreline eddy line, Euro Nymphing style.  The rest of the fish came to random, haphazardly slapping...