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 Afternoon
Pond Fishing
Howard County, MD
6/1/08
Mark
Burchick
Pond Fishing in
Howard County,
MD
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After an
afternoon of
domestic choirs
it was time to
get in
some family pond
fishing. Joshua
went to the
Outer Banks,
Michael went to
Ocean City, Mark
was cutting
neighbors fields
for good money,
and Jeb was
reluctantly
willing to go
fishing. We
asked Mom, and
to our surprise,
said yes too!
I had
one container of
12-worms in the
outside
refrigerator,
and off we went
to a private
pond of a
friend, in
Howard County.
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With so many
mediocre
days on the
water, it
was great to
have a
fishing
bonanza. We
all caught
several,
quality
fish.
Michelle and
Jeb used
live worms
on bobbers.
The hooks
were
inferior,
Eagle Claw,
thin wire,
tiny junk
hooks, but
they
definitely
caught
fish. With
4-pound
test,
Michelle
finessed
this nice
bass back to
shore for
the
photo-op. |
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While
walking
along the
shoreline
with my
camera in
hand I
flushed two
baby redwing
blackbirds.
They had
feathers and
could fly,
but they did
not have
developed
tails and
flight was
strained and
awkward.
Just then
Mom bombed
my head in
rebellion,
and I was
able to get
off this
photo as I
hightailed
it away from
the cattail
enclosed
nest. |
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Cinquefoil
and fleabane
were in
flower along
the dam
face, blue
iris was on
the wane and
fragrant
water lily
were just
coming into
bloom. |
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Michelle and
I caught a
fish at the
exact same
time. Her's
was a bronco
bluegill. |
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Great color
pattern,
almost looks
like a
tropical
fish! |
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I used YUM
Dinger
Worms (green
pumpkin and
neon flaked)
and YUM
Doozee Tubes
(green
pumpkin) on
pre-weighted
Gamakatsu
Jobee
Finesse
Hooks. I
think I
could have
caught fish
all day. |
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The bite was
on, and I
believe that
just about
any lure
presentation
would have
worked
today. |
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I watched
the entire
event . . .
Jeb caught
this male
largemouth
bass by
sight
fishing.
The bass was
guarding a
bed and
there was a
cloud
(school) of
tiny fry
bass over
the bed and
the male
guarding
them. Jeb
cast past
the bed and
inched the
worm into
the center
of the
nest. The
strike was
immediate,
better than
textbook! |
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Michelle
caught three
bass over
three-pounds,
all on
4-pound test
and tiny,
excuse the
pun, crappie
hooks. |
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Dang, I
think we
caught at
least six
larger,
largemouth
bass and an
endless
stream of
bluegill,
but then,
with only an
hour on the
water, the
clouds
quickly got
dark and we
heard
thunder
nearby. |
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On our way
out to the
truck, and
along a
forested
trail, I
noticed a
14-inch
diameter
American
chestnut.
The chestnut
blight (at
face height)
appears to
blow out the
bark of the
tree and has
100%
lethality to
our native
chestnut.
If the tree
can flower
and fruit,
it is then
considered a
Maryland
endangered
species.
This tree
was just
beginning to
show its
flowering
catkins and
will likely
produce
subsequent
nuts. We
can still
find sapling
suckers
growing from
the former
giants that
died off by
the 1930's,
but rarely a
tree sized
specimen . .
. and then
the sky
opened up
and it
poured as we
just made it
back to the
truck. |
Submitted by
Mark Burchick
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