Just recently I had the chance to get out to one of my local ponds for an hour or so. When I got there I was a little disappointed and surprised by the number of people who were fishing this little pond. I knew that with my busy schedule that day that I wasn't going to be able to drive to a different body of water and hope for a better opportunity.
I decided to fish my ShadowFIRE 365 Tenkara rod and to see what I could accomplish while avoiding trees, reeds, and other bits of vegetation. I almost immediately saw activity from a few fish in the shallows, but after fishing the first few flies I tied on (experimenting with new patterns) I did not get there results that I was hoping for.
I knew that my time on the water was expiring so I quickly tied on a green (pale caddis) Disco Dubbing Leech. I cast along a reed edges and pulsed the fly back to me when I was rewarded with a flash and my line going tight. A solid bluegill bent the ShadowFIRE 365 into a nice curve as the bluegill tried to escape from the little thing that bit it back. A few moments later and the fish was in hand.
I managed to find a tree branch way above my ability to reach and lost my fly. I quickly tied on a purple Disco Dubbing Leech (because gotta catch fish with all the colors, right?). I quickly landed another bluegill - this one was a little smaller, but had absolutely beautiful coloration.
I decided to move around the pond to see if I could find any bass. I tied on a a size 6 popper (yes, I was fishing a popper on a tenkara rod). While I wasn't able to find any bass that afternoon I was able to get several strikes from bluegill, but due to a funky angle (I was dodging branches) I couldn't get the hookset I was hoping for. Nothing was landed on a popper.
I decided to move my way back around the pond in my last few minutes and switched over to a purple Disco Dubbing Leech. And, BAM, a similar experience! Casting along the reed edges a darker colored Green Sunfish (possibly a bluegill/greenie hybrid) came and smashed my fly! It was great!
I had a blast fishing the pond that afternoon! I can't wait to get back on a less crowded day, find some more bluegill, and hopefully find those elusive bigger bass as well!