John Rentch, mchottie (Michael) and I visited Unicorn Lake in Millington for a few hours late this morning.
It’s rare that you see any body of water this calm:
P1030432.jpg
Here’s John coming over to compare notes an hour or so into our trip.
P1030437.jpg
You can see that even then, the breeze was still almost nil.
The lack of wind made fishing quite enjoyable. All portions of the lake were easy to reach and of course, hitting desired targets with casts was simple.
Nevertheless, even though I nailed the spots I wanted with precision, I got off to a slow start. I fished for well over an hour without a nibble. I tried a white and then a yellow Mister Twister grub on a 1/8 oz. jighead. I caught nothing with it. However, both John and Michael had success catching pickerel with the yellow grub. I also tried a weedless paddletail. Again, nothing. Not even a tap.
I then went to my fly rod and a white bullethead darter. I cast quite a few times before connecting with this little guy:
P1030436.jpg
It wasn’t my first fish of 2018, but it was my first MD fish. So, it was worth the pixels if only for that reason.
In the meantime, John hooked a couple more picks to go with one he caught shortly after launching. I believe he caught each on the yellow grub.
Then Michael got into the act catching the largest pickerel of our trip. It was a chunky one.
P1030441.jpg
He used a chartreuse grub.
Then I finished the day with my second and last catch shortly before heading in:
P1030442.jpg
It also hit the white bullethead darter.
When fishing is slow like it was for me today I take the time to enjoy the surroundings. According to Michaels’ electronics, the water temperature was 47 degrees. Obviously, this turtle was looking for the sun.
P1030433.jpg
Also, because no leaves were on the trees, I could see a huge hornets nest at the water’s edge. I assume it was too cold for the inhabitants of the nest to be active. However, I will remember where it is so that I can be mindful of the potential for aerial attack on future visits to Unicorn.
P1030435.jpg
It was a nice day to be out, a bonus of sorts in February, especially given our harsh winter. It was also good to fish with Michael and I look forward to him joining us again.
Lastly, although I don't have a photo, I sighted a snowy owl swooping across Rt. 301 on my drive home. I have read that they have been common here this winter. It was the first one I have seen.
It’s rare that you see any body of water this calm:
P1030432.jpg
Here’s John coming over to compare notes an hour or so into our trip.
P1030437.jpg
You can see that even then, the breeze was still almost nil.
The lack of wind made fishing quite enjoyable. All portions of the lake were easy to reach and of course, hitting desired targets with casts was simple.
Nevertheless, even though I nailed the spots I wanted with precision, I got off to a slow start. I fished for well over an hour without a nibble. I tried a white and then a yellow Mister Twister grub on a 1/8 oz. jighead. I caught nothing with it. However, both John and Michael had success catching pickerel with the yellow grub. I also tried a weedless paddletail. Again, nothing. Not even a tap.
I then went to my fly rod and a white bullethead darter. I cast quite a few times before connecting with this little guy:
P1030436.jpg
It wasn’t my first fish of 2018, but it was my first MD fish. So, it was worth the pixels if only for that reason.
In the meantime, John hooked a couple more picks to go with one he caught shortly after launching. I believe he caught each on the yellow grub.
Then Michael got into the act catching the largest pickerel of our trip. It was a chunky one.
P1030441.jpg
He used a chartreuse grub.
Then I finished the day with my second and last catch shortly before heading in:
P1030442.jpg
It also hit the white bullethead darter.
When fishing is slow like it was for me today I take the time to enjoy the surroundings. According to Michaels’ electronics, the water temperature was 47 degrees. Obviously, this turtle was looking for the sun.
P1030433.jpg
Also, because no leaves were on the trees, I could see a huge hornets nest at the water’s edge. I assume it was too cold for the inhabitants of the nest to be active. However, I will remember where it is so that I can be mindful of the potential for aerial attack on future visits to Unicorn.
P1030435.jpg
It was a nice day to be out, a bonus of sorts in February, especially given our harsh winter. It was also good to fish with Michael and I look forward to him joining us again.
Lastly, although I don't have a photo, I sighted a snowy owl swooping across Rt. 301 on my drive home. I have read that they have been common here this winter. It was the first one I have seen.
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