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The pond that bounced back

847 views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  crankybass 
#1 ·
I decided to visit a pond in Des Plianes that was very productive for me several years ago. It was a pond that was stocked for the summer fishing competion for kids, and I would rountinely catch 1.5-2 lb largemouth, and slab-size bluegill almost every time. The 2013-14 winter kill devestated this small body of water--my first visit in 2014: a couple hundred dead fish, including a 3-4lb largemouth, and dozens of 10-12" largemouth. Last year, I visited this pond and it was full of tadpoles--dozens--and dink bluegill. I fished it, but just caught small gills. Today, I found that this little gem has started to bounce back. I saw a few tadpoles, a lot of frogs, and I caught a 16", 3.25 lb largemouth. I was using my new Fuego reel and Tatula rod, and I was throwing a 5" Junebug Yum Dinger on a 3/0 EWG Gamagatsu worm work. It was an amazing fight, and when I landed him a woman walked by and remarked that I had a nice fish. She took a picture for me--on my LG phone, not an iPhone, so the picture isn't anything to brag about. I measured him and weighed him, and then I got him back into the water--got my foot in the water too. I compared my avatar photo for my posts to this fish and it appears that they are very close to each other in size.

I fished a couple more hours, and I had some gills. I didn't have my topwater gear, which I think would have been the key, as it was getting toward evening. Well, it may be that the fish I caught is the top of the food chain in this pond, so I don't know how many, if any, other bass live in it. I am not going to put too much pressure on this little gem, but I hope to get out to it a couple more times before the winter decends.
 
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