4/12/16

Rule #5:  NEVER wear your pants inside your boots, unless they're rubber--I mean the boots.  If your pants are rubber, a whole different set of rules applies to you.

Mansfield Park Pond

Well, the 2016 season is off and running!  Last Saturday, March 13th, I went fishing.  I headed down to the river, but as I crossed the Wheeling Avenue Bridge, I could see that there weren't going to be fish taken out of that particular body of water on that particular day.  We've been having rain, but the Water Company must have also let water out of Prairie Creek Reservoir in the days leading up to the weekend--it was running the color of a Burger King Chocolate Shake and the waterfall below the bridge was just a "speed bump"!  So, where could I go without having to drive to the Reservoir, and without prior permission?  I settled on driving down to Mansfield Park.

But even when you CAN catch fish at Mansfield, it's kind of a boring, desperate place to fish.

The pond has primarily stunted bluegill and mud cats.  At least, that's all I have ever caught from it. Since I was rigged to fish the river, I had a small tackle box with an assortment of little crankbaits, a Panther Martin spinner, two Beetle Spins, and a black and blue "jig-n-pig."

I said my annual prayer for Grandpa Bird--which must be done before the first cast of each season--and started in.

The jig was on the bronze ML pole with 6 pound monofilament on the light Pflueger President reel.
 I had previously modified the 1/8 oz. blue glittery jig by cutting back some of the fiber weed guards; the "pig" part was a Tiny Paca Craw in black.  I was very encouraged by the way the rig slid through the rocks and slimy weeds--until after about an hour, I got it stuck on something that did NOT want to give it up.  Had it been warmer, I'd have gone in after it, but that would have been a cold and miserable drive home.  I'm going to wear my waders next time I go out there.

I had one of my new tiny Bass Pro Shops crankbaits on the long yellow UL pole with the ultra-light Pflueger President reel with 4 pound test.  I was pleased with the distance I could get out of the outfit, but the action of the crankbait was way too exaggerated.  The "wobble" didn't look like anything I'd seen in any water, and  apparently the fish were repulsed as well.

CONDITIONS:  It was about 50 degrees out; it rained later that evening, so it was overcast and the air was damp.  There wasn't enough wind to hamper tossing small crankbaits into the wind, and there was minimum chop on the water, so I could watch for those small "ticks" in the line, indicating a nibble when casting that "jig-n-pig."

I didn't get so much as a nibble in the hour and a half of fishing, but did make some observations:

Even though Mansfield is a very shallow body of water and should warm up quickly, there weren't any signs of the panfish moving in to start to build their nests.

There are signs of crawdad activity in the form of those little mud towers they build on the shore, so I think when I return, I'll try to match the pattern of whatever color those 'dads are.  Maybe I'll even poke around with a stick under some rocks to see if I can spook one out of its hiding place.  Ideally, I could catch one, but at any rate, I should be able to see what color they are.  Depending on the water and the composition of the bottom they crawl around on, I've seen them from bright orange to a green so dark it's almost black.

No pictures from the day's activities.  It was cold, humid, and there was litter everywhere--and, of course, Canada Goose shit.

Ideas for the next time I visit Mansfield Park:

1)  As per above--wear waders.  If I go back soon, I should definitely wear some sweats under the waders.
2)  Bring some bait.  When they're in season, the bait store on Memorial west of the park, sells soft-craws, or used to.  It's also one of the last places to get Kelly's Pier-Boys.
3)  The water here is murky, stained to say the least.  I need to use brighter colors--perhaps the small, brighter orange and white crawdad-imitating crankbaits (I also have one in a silver finish that may additionally, look like a small shad if there are any in the pond.)
4)  The two poles I brought are fine.  Until I hook something large enough to warrant it, I'm not going to use anything above 6 lb. monofilament.
5)  There's a fountain out in the middle of the pond, and I've heard that the majority of the fish hang out near there, probably for the oxygen.  It's a long cast at best!  I might consider a weighted bait rig, either a 3-way swivel with a hardware nut for bottom fishing, or a "Gescheidler"-rig with one of those lead-weighted bobbers to fish just off the bottom.
6)  If I bait fish, I'd bring another long rod, instead of the 6 foot ML pole.  Crickets, worms, leeches, crawdads, maybe some shrimp left out to spoil for some bull-heads!  Also, that place gets so  fishing pressure, I think I'll go with a flourocarbon leader.

If I can get permission, I'm going to try to go fishing Tuesday or Wednesday of next week at the Fisher Ponds.  Those mark the first days when it should be warm enough to fish and when my wife won't need me at home.