Quick Trip to Delaware Pond

[J. Rentch]

My friends Mark Bange and Rich Batiuk visited a Delaware pond yesterday mid morning to hunt for Pickerel. Had some moderate winds from the SW, so we fished mostly the southern shoreline. I started throwing a Blue/Black Deceiver on my 7wt. along the shoreline. Even with some of our colder mornings, the pond was still covered with Hydrilla, so you had to look for holes to throw your fly. The water temp at launch was 48o, so the fish were not too excited to eat. Around mid morning after I switched to a Red/Yellow Bendback, I managed to average sized LM Bass. Both were caught among the decaying Lily Pads where there were holes in the bottom.

[Mark]

It was a beautiful day on the water even if the fish registered low on their aggression meter. Their strikes were tentative at best.

I boated only three picks and three bass, nothing large. My largest pickerel was just 20 inches. It hit a weedless paddletail which it shook as soon as I netted it:

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I missed at least 6 other fish on the fly and on the paddletail. For whatever reason, bites were slow and light. The fish were hesitant to commit.

My other two picks, each 17 to 18 inches, hit an articulated crystal bugger. Here's one with a mouth full of crystal chenille:

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Two bass liked the same fly. Here's one:

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And one chose a Bendback Minnow:

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But again, an absolutely beautiful day to be out with fall colors and plenty of honking geese:

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Here they are hurriedly taking off as I enter their cove:

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I really enjoy fishing Eastern Shore ponds. In a couple of weeks it will certainly be chillier. But the ponds will be easier to fish and much more productive on the fly when the SAV subsides.

[Mark]

Looks like a great time, thanks for sharing your trip fellas. Beautiful time of the year!

Gerry,

That pond is full of pickerels and bass. Double digit catch days there are common. It's amazing how a thick mat of hydrilla can suppress the bite. Perhaps a heavy weedless jig or a TX rig could have enticed fish hugging the bottom under the growth.

DE treats some of its ponds with herbicide to control hydrilla. Evidently this one was omitted from their schedule this year. They'll usually post a sign when they've treated the water.

But yes, even a slow bite day on an Eastern Shore pond is enjoyable.