Bass Fever Continues

For some reason, many fly fishers aren't keen on bass.  I have to admit that for many years I wavered between apathy and antipathy for bass, but when I moved to Pennsylvania I hooked up with a local guide who introduced me to fly fishing for both smallmouth and largemouth bass.  The first time a largemouth came flying out from under a submerged picnic table and crashed down on my popper, I was sold on bass, big time.  I still love trout, but in the area where I live, the average bass puts the average trout to shame in terms of size and strength, and they are often more of a challenge to catch on a fly rod.

Yesterday I took my kayak to a small lake in Delaware Canal State Park.  I often go there in the early spring, just when the bass are waking up, but this was a little earlier than usual.  I tried several kinds of poppers and a few flies that imitate leeches, minnows and crawfish, but to no avail.  I couldn't crack the code with flies.  So I went to Plan B, pulled out the spinning rod and caught two solid largemouths before the sun dropped behind the ridge.  It was another learning experience, and a great day on the water.  Waterfowl were abundant, mother geese were nesting, and there was only one other boat on the lake.  Very nice.

If the weather cooperates this week, I hope to take the kayak out one more time before I return to trout environs and start acting like a respectable fly fisherman again.  I'm fortunate that one of my friends, Jeff Landis, has some private property on Bushkill Creek in the Poconos, and we'll be going up there on Friday.  Should be very interesting to test my skills at matching the insect hatches to trick the wily wild browns of the Bushkill.