TR: What a surprise

As I said when I bared my soul earlier, I've pretty much put the rods away
for a while; but happenstance gives me a chance to relate at least a minor
TR. Thanks to SWMBO, we had the task of an overnight a babysitting gig for
my two nephews, ages 3 & 8. Part of the deal was that I needed to take the
older one to a Cub Scout meeting on Friday night, about a half hour away up
in PA. Fine.

In getting home after work, the details were revealed to me. It wasn't a
meeting exactly, but a fishing expedition in a local farm pond. Now, I had
just moved my rods & other gear top another room in the basement, so I knew
where almost everything was. Why not, I figured; and I grabbed the 6 wt. &
the nearest box of flies I could find. That turned out to be a brief
assortment of small Clousers and deer hair spiders. I'd tied up for the
Rappahannock a few years back.

Got the kid to the pond about 2 hrs before dark. About a dozen similar
urchins were already harassing the local sunny population with an assortment
of Zebcos, bobbers, & garden hackles. The older, grandfatherly fellow on
site said howdy & began telling me of the large bass & other fish hiding in
this 1/3 acre puddle. Yeah, sure; but I have hours to kill, so I rig up.

I don't have much of a selection, but I tied on about a #2 brown/white
Clouser & start working the center edges, with no effect. The Cub Scouts
are hauling in sunnies one after another. It's been a while for casting at
all; even longer for tossing Clousers, and smoothness is not a word anyone
would use to describe my style. Still, this ain't exactlt technical fishing,
and I'm good enough.

Eventually, as I'm stripping in, there's suddenly a weight at the end of my
line. Sonofabitch, I've hooked something. It's soon clear this is no
little sunny as the thing actually strips line from the drag. By now, I've
got everyone's attention as the fish keeps a good bend in the graphite and
the reel sings. Cool.

It only takes about a minute befor the roll at the surface reveals a
surprisingly large catfish; and a minute later, the monster is shoreside.
Thing must have gone 2 or 3 pounds. In trying to lift him onto the bank,
the #5 leader parts easily, and he's gone before Den Mother can snap a
picture. Lost the Clouser, damn. I know that catfish in these ponds will
eat damn near anything, but I was surprised to pick one up on a fly; I've
never caught a catfish on a fly before.

Otherwise, it was uneventful, except for launching a 3" sunny on a backcast.
It was good feeling the rhythm again, & good to see little kids getting
excited about catching little fishies.

Joe F.