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Worm Farming... Again!

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Rocket Bass Love Shiners

Sunday, March 10, 2024
Gentry Pond, SC
Weather:
- Temps - 66℉, cool
- Strong breeze, 10-15 mph
- Sunny and clear
Water temp: high 40's

    We had a rainy, mixed storm front come through and settle softly over us early yesterday. Last night, though, it pushed out and we got the usual north-westerly winds backing in behind.
The clouds were gone and it was sunny - YAY! - but cool and quite breezy.

    This means I would need to find somewhere on the pond that had three things going for it...

1. It would catch the sun
2. It would offer shelter from the breeze
3. It would have the wind pushing water into it.

    It so happens one of the swims I've been catching fish in lately fits this description exactly.

    So I put on my hip waders and got out in the water. 

    After the usual trial and error learning which flies the fish would take, I settled on 2 old favorites:

The BRIMINATOR - which I've described at great length here....

>>>  BRIMINATOR

The PEACOCK and BROWN - a classic old pattern described here...

>>>  Peacock And Brown

The latter is basically just a fat Peacock herl
 body with a brown-ginger hackle... a 2 material fly 







People like to call these little guys, "ditch pickles."
But I've been calling them Rocket Bass for so long, it has stuck. 
The way they take off like a rocket when hooked, well... the name is a natural. And they put just enough of a bend in the rod to keep your line tight.


But, they aren't just jumping on every fly I throw at them.
Surface flies are a total waste, right now. And either they're selective with the subsurface patters, or they are moving in and out of the shallows and it takes time for them to cycle back around to the swim where I'm fishing. It might be both, because smaller and darker patterns seem to the be all they WILL take right now.


This was a surprise - Red Fin Shiner
They're not unusual or rare, I just wasn't expecting one and certainly not one that size.
The bass all seem well fed in this pond, and Mr. Shiner may go some way towards explaining why. It also suggests a diverse forage base and fish population, which could prove interesting as the season progresses.  
It also makes me think that somewhere out in the deeper water, there's a bass bigger than the 1 and 2 pound versions I've seen so far.

The season is changing, The first blooms are here and the fish are on the move. Let them know you are on the job.

===== 🐟 =====

Even half-baked writers like me should strive for a job well done. If you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you want to add the catching flies seen here to your own fly, or tackle box?
Do you have ques
tions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, email me at
...dahutist@gmail.com

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Thanks so much for reading, and...


Tight Lines,

David Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2024 







 

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