The reservoir is home to many largemouth bass, as well as the usual assortment of warm water species. The land surrounding the reservoir is one of the oldest US Fish & Wildlife Refuges in the country. I have been lucky to live across from this lake and refuge for the past 51 years, and each year I have learned more about enjoying this environment.
I broke down and bought a pair of size 13 waders so that my oldest son could wade along with me and take some photos of what it is like in the jungle. Here are a few from yesterday’s (April 14) excursion.
I start fishing in knee deep water and have caught quite a few fish where this deer trail enters the dense brush.
The fish seem to prefer water that is from my knees to my waist. I usually fish this water by pitching and flipping plastic baits (in this case a tube) at the bushes and large tree trunks. Forty years ago, we fished the area with salmon rods and black hair jigs with pork eels. I have since found that shorter rods (6 to 6½’) suit me better. I have still broken several rods (one already this year) when setting the hook and hitting an overhead branch or tree trunk. It is impossible to get a boat into the jungle so I have this water to myself – and the wildlife.
Beaver also enjoy the lake and have been expanding their population the past decade. This pair found their house flooded this spring when the lake was filled to near capacity for the first time in the past four years, and seem to have taken up temporary residence on a floating dock that crashed into the jungle during a storm several years ago. Wading the jungle provides a silent approach that didn’t disturb these toothy critters.
Just past the beaver’s temporary digs, I caught my first fish. When I saw my line swimming off I set the hook and this sprout with big ideas came sailing through the air. He wasn’t much bigger than the tube.
A larger fish took the tube a few feet away and he put up a good fight for a limited time. I hook the fish on a short line and you can’t allow them to gain much line or they’ll get around a tree. Most four pound or over fish win the battle, but I have landed fish over six pounds in the jungle.
By the time I landed my third fish the cold water temperature was creeping through our waders. A short hike home to a hot cup of coffee felt great. All these photos were taken within 200 yards of our house.
