I headed to Fort Parker after work, today. Mainly, I was hoping to catch a couple of Rainbows, and I am still trying out my Bass Brunch fly. Since I haven't used it on Lake Springfield's waters, today was as good as any other day to try it out. It was a rough day on the water, and the wind was behaving. Everything is on its bed right now, which means very little was biting. For the day, I ended up with a small Largemouth Bass and two Bluegill. I thought the fish would be pounding my flies, just because it has always been that way when I've fished Springfield, and I had FishOn! the third cast. The Bass Brunch snared all three of the fish, but I fished a Popper and a Bonefish Bitter. The Bitter had no takers, and the popper garnered some interest, but I saw only seven fish total for the day--very, very low.
The day was beautiful, somewhat windy, and areas of the Duckweed had dissipated, but the pollen from Monday's and Tuesday's high winds coated the water. I wanted to stay on the water until dusk, but since the pathway from the parking lot to Lake Springfield had wash-out spots all along the way, I came off the water early. For some dumb reason, Sunday night I had a nightmare that I was fishing Springfield and was attacked by Water Moccasins, Lonesome Dove style. In addition to that, I "Like" Texas Parks & Wildlife on facebook and have seen the two different pictures on their page where the snake is eating a fish. Lake Springfield does have a few springs feeding it in places, but I did ask the Rangers when I checked in this afternoon about snakes, especially on the trail and in the water. I do not want to be bitten by a snake! The rangers said there had been no reports of snakes out there, so I felt good. Then, I walked around the corner and a noise in the bushes attracted my attention; boy was I surprised but remained calm. I let the Rangers know, and we all watched the Chicken Snakes doing their mating ritual.
No Rainbows, but my fly caught fish, and the Chicken Snakes were really cool--all in all, a good day!
