Gorgeous Natives

I've made a few short trips recently that resulted in fun fishing for some of CT's best dressed native species. Not brookies, more like their warm water alternatives. Pumpkinseeds and red breast sunfish. My friends, there is little in the land as handsome as a pumpkinseed in spawning dress. And this time of year it can be an absolute blast to sight fish for them around their beds. When bed fishing for native sunfish like pumpkinseeds and redbreast, I always make sure to skip over every other bed. These guys are very hardy, and there is little evidence that bedfishing for sunfish has negative population impacts, but I always like to show some restraint when dealing with fish doing the deed. Bluegills on the other hand, I will fish over every bed I find. They aren't supposed to be here after all.

On one of my outings I got to see one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed while out on the water. The weeds in the margins were holding some very small chain pickerel, probably but a year old and no more than 7 inches long. They were occasionally jumping for damselflies. One honed in on a flying damsel, shot out of the water, launching itself three feet horizontally and a foot high, turned a right angle upon re-entry, and repeated the action, this time connecting with its query and somersaulting back into the water. It was spectacular. I'd never seen anything like it.

This is also the season for sight fishing a dry fly for largemouth. I found a few around the sunfish beds. They were suckers for a foam beetle.

Nothing takes me back like pond fishing on a warm sunny day. Those are the moments when life is at its simplest and most pure. It's not difficult like tempting large trout, it isn't awe inspiring like big stripers bitzing, it's just pure, simple, unpretentious relaxation. I never walk away frowning.