Welcome to The Bluegill Pond

A 95-degree afternoon led me to a rocky, shade-shrouded stretch of river clad in shorts and wading boots. Armed with a 5-wt. rod, I knotted a size-8 Mini Minnie to 4X tippet in response to my observation of small minnows leaping from the water to escape predation....

A pattern of near-constant rains has sidelined numerous fishing trips and removed the option of streams from the equation. Finally, a warm, windless afternoon sent me to a favorite pond in search of surface-feeding largemouth bass. I launched a float tube accompanied...

Many describe their fascination with fishing by stating that “the tug is the drug.” Likely, most anglers agree, but shouldn’t we then ask what provides the best tug? A heavy percentage of those I’ve asked believe it is the size of the hooked fish. In other words, they...

The sun danced among fluffy white clouds as I waded into the stream. The White Bass migrating from the nearby reservoir to spawn in the river were the target, but the fishing is shared with many others. The smashing strikes and wild, bull-dogging battles of these bass...

Warm days coupled with lengthening periods of sunlight convinced me that the crappie population would be staging at fishable depths at my favorite reservoir. Based on past experiences, I knew the fish would be located 8 to 15 feet deep and awaiting warmer water to...

For the second consecutive day, the air temperature rose into the 70s, which prompted a trip to a small pond with the hope of encountering active bluegills. A persistent breeze convinced me to leave my favorite 3-weight rod encased in favor of a 9-foot 6 wt. A yellow...