A Spectacle at Spectacle Ponds.

I have a dirty secret; do you want to hear it? My secret is that I went Bass Fishing Sunday. I know, I know, my name is thecrustytrout, but I grew up pond hopping for Bass. So, when I got skunked fishing for Rainbows twice in a row; I went with ol’faithful, to break the cold streak. See, Bass Fishing for me is the equivalent to a favorite comforter. It’s nice, warm, and you can throw it over your head when the boogey man is under the bed. While getting skunked twice isn’t necessarily the same as fighting off the boogey man, sometimes it sure does feel like it. Am I right?
The ponds I chose were Spectacle Ponds 1 and 2. These ponds were completely new to me. In fact, before this trip I did not even know they existed. Not knowing anything about where I was about to fish seemed to add to this adventure. Who am I kidding. While the term adventure sounds sexy, in reality, I knew a great deal about these ponds because of Google. I knew that they were round, shallow, and the dominant species would be Bass. I also found out that public access is limited to permissive trespass. Which meant that my cheap Wal-Mart kayak would make an appearance. With the preliminary bull shit out of the way I loaded my kayak and gear in the truck and headed towards the ponds.
This is where things get boring. I found an access point that was not posted, for the north pond. I then spent the better part of two hours fishing the weed line around the entire shore. I caught a baby pickerel and this bass.
While uneventful, it was relaxing. The calm windless waters soothed my skunked soul. I paddled about almost aimlessly, rhythmically casting and retrieving my spoon.
Imagine if that was the end of this blog? That would suck, right? Save your boos because the boring hipster part is over. We are about to transition to the red-blooded American Bass catching portion of the story. You know, the part where I move to the South pond and bass fall from the sky like manna from heaven. I’m just kidding, although I do move ponds and I do catch some fish we both know it doesn’t rain Bass, that would be impossible.
With both this transition and the one to the other pond out of the way I proceeded to get my bearings. This pond was similar to the first which is to say that it was round shallow and had lily pads. Although similar it was unique in the fact that it had a bay. I decided this bay would be where I would start. I am glad I chose this spot because on my first cast out, as while rounding the point that marked the beginning of the bay, I had a hard strike. With my adrenaline boosted, I made a cast to the same spot. Whap, hit again. I made a third cast and snagged a large crappie. I know from experience that crappies are usually found in schools. So, I pushed farther in to the bay because while fun, Crappies were not the target of this adventure.
My next casts were aimed at the weed line of the bay hoping that the bass were using it as cover to ambush their prey. My fish senses were right because my first cast to the weed lines I hooked up to a nice Bass.
I made several more casts after the first bass and I started to fear that that first Bass was a fluke. I continued to slowly make my way down the weed line hoping that I could catch just one more. In fact, just one more became a mantra that repeated in my head each cast. Just one more. Just one more. Jus-, Bam something big took my spoon and I set the hook. My rod bent in an angry manner, and I reeled crazily, trying to rip this fish from the clutches of the weeds. Success; the fish was now in open water, which allowed me to let my rod fight the fish instead of my 6-pound braided line. This was a battle of wills. The graphite will of my rod pitted against the reptilian will of a fish. The graphite will prevailed and the fish drew closer to the boat. Giving me my first view of the fish; a bass!

I grabbed my line above the spoon and pulled the Bass into the boat. While not as big as I expected it was still a nice fish. Nice enough that this fish cured my skunk fever. I no longer felt that gaping hole in my fishy soul. In fact, after this fish, I realized that it was getting late and I should return home to my wife and child. So, I paddled back to my truck saying good bye to the creatures of the pond for now.
All in all, it was a great adventure I caught some nice Bass and a Crappy, I got to pull out my kayak for the first time since my back surgery, and most of all, I found two new fishing spots. While this blog was a little ranty and at times pretentious I hope you enjoyed. Until next time; tight lines and good eats.