It’s March already! While I’ve been writing a bit more about fishing in 2024, I hadn’t actually done any fishing to this point, which might be the longest drought I’ve ever had to start a new year.
So, I gathered up the 4-weight fiberglass rod, a clicker reel, and a clutch full of flies and headed out to the pond over at the ball fields near my house.
After a rainy morning the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds, and it was turning into a pretty nice afternoon. It made for a fun hour or two of sight fishing for the local micro bass, as well as the bluegill by-catch.
Technically, my first fish of 2024 was this bluegill. Not a slab, not a dinner plate, just a normal bluegill. And that’s OK with me. It threw caution to the wind for a tasty mop fly.
Then the bass fishing picked up a bit. There were quite a few of them in the shallows and they were pretty active when coaxed into action with a black leech pattern.
This cadence repeated a bunch as I circled the pond. While it yielded no beasts, a lot of fun was had. Living in a neighborhood with a ton of these retention ponds, I tend to take them for granted. I suppose my obsession with trout fishing sometimes gets in the way of just having a good time. It certainly felt good to get a bend back in the fly rod.
2024’s year of fishing has officially begun!
