More Fun WIth Pickerel

This week, at my other house, I was blessed with a no homework weekend (the first in a LONG time).  My desire to hit the pond again, as I had to leave on an adrenaline pumped mind last time, drove me back.  Snow had fallen overnight, and church took up the first part of the day, so the excursion was set for the afternoon.

My dad met me there because I now had him excited with stories of big pickerel.  The first fish came quick, off a grassbed again.  The pattern began to be apparent, and I theorized that the fish were gaurding their beds in the grass.  These fish all came on the Berkeley Rippleshad.

After a few fish we changed to yamamoto grubs, rigged on jigheads.  Casts into the depths of the pond began to yeild larger fish.  Soon a big splash and tailwalking thrashes came from my dad's direction, he lifted the big 20 incher onto the bank with a swing of his rod--the big fish of the trip.

Several fish later, we came across a shallow fish, who kept taking my dad's grub.  two, three, four, five times, then he was gone.  With my ultralight rod, I flipped a small, gold spoon into the fish's path.  As expected, he took it and ran.  Before I lifted the little guy out of the water, at my feet, the razor-like teeth of the pickerel severed the light four pound line--he was gone. 

A few minutes later, I hooked a small fish on my grub in the same spot, but in deeper water.  This time I got it in my hands.  As I worked him into shallow water, a small gold flash came from his head--my spoon!  We snapped a quick picture and removed  both lures from the fish's mouth.  after removing the bulky grub, I noticed a tail protruding from his throat.  Upon pulling it out, we identified his last meal as a creek chub.  We now know the main forage.

Naturally, knowing the main forage present in the pond, I started brainstorming ways to catch more fish.  I was excited to plan a trip with my brother who loves pickerel.  We figured we'd sein minnows and chubs from Cunningham Creek just down the hill, and then smash some pickerel under slip bobbers.  I can't wait!