BIG BASS

Dipped my nose in the water by 5:30 on Saturday morning at Wickett Pond in Wendell (just east of Montague), my first time on this body of water. The pond is contained within Wendell State Park, so it is entirely bounded by woods, accessible by dirt road only, and a distant second in popularity to nearby Ruggles Pond which features a beach for the kiddies. As a rule, I canoe before I fish (more or less), so firstly I cruised over the glassy surface, parting the mist and making ripples in the dawning light, marking my speed as the shoreline trees coasted past my flank, aiming my bow for the farthest end. A beaver took offense to my early presence, slapping his tail a few times for intimidation, but finally conceding the daylight hours to my less industrious pursuits. Fishing was slow but incredibly exciting (see fishing pics). I tried new things on a new body of water, had a rustic pond all to myself, used my "anchor" for the first time, jigged up live bait on site (i.e. free bait), and caught my biggest bass ever! Not to mention being able to peruse the tornado impact site on the shoreline from last July's tornado (yeah, a tornado in Wendell!). I'll be back there in the near future for sure (barring baby arrival).