5/27/11 - "Friday Night Fishing...Gills and Grassies"

Friday evening found me in the middle of a six day work stretch that would continue right on through Memorial day to my dismay. On my drive home it seemed that every vehicle I passed was towing a boat or travel trailer and headed to the lake / river for the start of their 3-day weekend. They say misery loves company and it must be true , these holiday weekends are the ones that I hate to work most , when it seems that everyone else is off playing. A quick call home to the wife had her rounding up something that we could throw in the cooler and cook on the grill out at the barn while I made a quick stop by the liqour store to pick up some adult beverages. During the nicer weather months it's a Friday night routine of ours to hang out at the barn with friends , we get a couple of grills going and indulge in a few refreshments while sitting around relaxing. I always enjoy it but with the discovery of a secret little fishing hole just down the road I've got a little more reason to get excited about going these days.

As if on cue, the previously gray day began giving way to breaks of sunshine as we pulled into the gravel lot at the farm. A couple of our friends were already there working on their Friday night attitude adjustment , we unloaded the truck and popped the top on a couple of cold ones while catching up on the weeks events. With one beer down and feeling better already I asked Jim if he was up for heading to the pond for a little evening action before dinner , he was game so we loaded up the fishing gear, grabbed a couple cold ones for the road and took off around the corner.

As soon as I laid that first section of line out on the glassy surface of the water the weeks issues and the thought of work just vanished , this was my element , what I look forward too when everything else seems to be working against me.
Even the fish themselves were a distant thought right now , the bullfrogs chorus along the weedy shoreline , the buzz of cicadas in the trees , the constant conversation of a small flock of canada geese and their goslings on the far bank , all of these sounds along with the serenity of the pond itself were putting me in that "happy place" we all look forward to each trip.

For the first time in several days I was where I wanted to be, doing what I wanted to be doing....life was good once again. Just like my last trip the pond didn't dissapoint this night either, the big gills were still taking flies as if they hadn't eaten all winter.


Our biggest issue was trying to keep the 12-14 inch bass from taking our offerings before the bluegills. After changing out the second chewed up bugger pattern and catching more chunky little fish than I could count something caught my eye over on the far side of the pond.
At first I thought it was a muskrat playing in the shallow water but after walking over and looking closer I realized there were two large fish working the weedbeds over , apparently feeding. It took a few moments for me to come to my senses and figure out the mystery...Grass Carp and big ones at that!! I know that they're practically impossible to catch but I was excited to have the opportunity at these fish and quickly put on my favorite carp pattern and began the stalk. They were so intent on feeding that getting close enough for a cast was the easy part ,getting them to eat any of my flies turned out to be an entirely different story though. I worked those fish with every pattern in my box to no avail , they just weren't going to be tempted this night. As the sun was setting over the horizon I gave in to reality and decided to give up on these grass eaters and finish out the evening with something I knew I'd have a little better luck at.



This is the way friday nights are meant to be I thought as I made my way along the bank...friends , food , fishing and a fine cigar to top it all off. A few hours like tonight and the weeks troubles are a distant if not nonexistant thought and all is right with the world if only for a short time.....