Tuesday, January 3, 2017

ON THE BOARD

Finn and I have been jonesing to get on the family pond and yesterday afternoon, even though it was raining off and on, we loaded up the Diablo Chupacabra and worked the edges on the upper end for pickerel.

With Finn on the bow learning how to cast and a retrieve a rooster tail, my own fly casting was limited but I did pick off one small pickerel to start my year. 


Minutes later Finn cast deep into a wooded pocket and as he was reeling it back I watched the lure stop once, twice, and as the rooster tail was near the rod tip a larger pickerel slammed it catching a hook on the edge of his jaw.  Finn was stoked but even more excited that his fish was larger than mine.






The pickerel in the pond are thriving and it would be a good idea to cull a few.  I watched a few videos last night on how to clean one and it does look a little labor intensive but I'm going to try it on a few larger ones the next time out.  They are supposedly good eating after all the work is done.

Great to be on the board and I expect we'll be out on the pond a lot this year as Finn (Hadley too) are enjoying fishing more and more as they grow up.

P.S.  If you're looking for a fiberglass spinning rod for ponds, lakes, light saltwater, etc., the 7'6" Medium Eagle Claw Featherlight is a ton of fun to cast and fish.  The 5' and 5'6" Ultra Light are as well but the 7'6" Medium is going to get a lot of use this spring and summer on the pond with bass lures.

7 comments:

RalphsFlyBox said...

COOL BEANS! There is no better time than sharing moments on the water. Guarantee you will both rememberthose fish for the rest of your lives. Very nice and thanks for sharing. Ralph

Eddie Rivard said...

With some practice and YouTubing I've gotten to be half decent at filleting Pike but I still don't consider myself an expert. I learned that if you pickle the pike you do not need to worry about the bones so this past fall I made pickled pike using the recipe from the field and stream site. It was pretty good.

Peter Cook said...

What's the white fly? Looks like Senyo's dubbing with flash...
Thanks

Cameron Mortenson said...

Ralph...no kidding. We have made so many great memories on this pond and it seems the children enjoy it more and more each year.

Eddie...I'm going to try to filet the next few larger ones I get. I've also considered pickling but here it can be hit or miss. I'll have to look for the recipe that you used.

Peter...every time I post that fly someone asked about it. I didn't tie it and can't remember who sent it. Those big eyes and spare body look great in the water.

Ryan S said...

Nice toothy critter!

Anonymous said...

That is a memory maker for sure, Cameron. I can see many more coming just like that. Finn looks like a natural angler! My kind of fishing, too. Treasure your time with your family..........

Cameron Mortenson said...

Ryan S... Yeah, even the little ones.

Grandpa Mel... We're trying to make as many memories as possible.