Never stop looking

[pnc]

Found prime freshwater fishing. Fish so easy I felt guilty.
Thinking about posting reminded me of first time it happened to me.
Condos in E Stoudsburg had small ponds at entrance. Man made one with fountain. Both small bigger of 2 had the fountain and might have covered 1/8 of an acre. Sitting out one night cooling off heard something besides fountain that got me up to get rod. Sure enough bass. Had a little pond 15' from back door loaded with bass. And a pretty fountain to boot. After a few days of play I left them alone. Ponds were never stocked but full of fish.
A few days ago neihbor was talking about playing golf & the gators. Gators, golf = ponds. Yep full of fish that never saw a hook. Walking close also.
Since being in Florida I've learned of what are called rain minnows. Eggs hatch in clouds and 1/4" fry fall from the sky when it rains. Not all the time but often enough. Had a freind that couldn't figure why goldfish kept disappearing from a 2' x 3' garden pond. Reason, she already had a 4" pet bass. Pond was installed year before.
Point is one never knows without trying. Anyplace that holds water year round more than likely has fish in it. Stop & check places close by regardless of size. You might be surprised.

......... pc

 

[james w 3 3]

This applies not only to ponds, but most every unlikely little stream I cross in the Sierras and the foothills has fish in it. ��
Sometimes pretty darned good sized, sometimes so close to major highways you can feel the swoosh of air as a big truck passes.
A very short Tenkara rod with a Sawyers Killer Bug quickly tells the tale. Then it's on the list of places to try more seriously in future days.
You just never know . . .

 

[knotjoe]

Since being in Florida I've learned of what are called rain minnows. Eggs hatch in clouds and 1/4" fry fall from the sky when it rains.
......... pc

I think they’re just funnin’ around with ya on the Cloud Based Hatchery thing, the phenomenon is thought to occur when small critters get sucked up in storms (waterspout, tornadic waterspout, etc.) and then deposited elsewhere over land. Usually small stuff like minnows, sometimes frogs, sometimes larger fish. Love to see it sometime.

Regarding oft overlooked “anywhere” waters, I concur and have lived a fishing life that has always been partly, if not largely, based on the these water types. Specifically rented apartments a mere spit from waters edge just so I could walk off the porch and wet a line, it’s awesome for rod building and fly tying experiments.

Around here, utility companies often modify the eyesore of high tension wire junctions and other electrical structures by building a public park around the facility. Almost always has a pond and fountain to help surrounding real estate values. This scenario makes for some of the best bluegill/bass fishing one can find, just have to watch the backcasts and not line the dog walkers:doh:

Retention ponds are another area I look for angling opportunities in, access can be dicey sometimes but they always have some decent bass to bother. With all the canals of Florida, I would be in ditch fishing Nirvana and would rarely make it to the ocean. You’re in a good place.

 

[pnc]

No , what are called rain minnows if Florida. Do exist. Have seen this several times. Fry about 1/4" fall with rain. First time I saw this was working on roof w/friend. Rained long enough to get us to climb down & stopped on the way down ladder. Back up passing gutter a dozen twinkling lights in each direction. Oddity was such my nose was 6" from gutter before I knew what it was. Look like poppy seeds with translucent tails. Second time was at a Memorial day party. Skies opened for a minute or two. And there on a tray and in the pitcher of lemonade on the tray. I dumped the tray in a bush and put the pitcher back.

Many people overlook what is close at hand as being fishable. Or perhaps worth fishing. Several other sources have been mentioned. Found an oddity one day in a tiny stream I followed into woods when I lived in PA. Water may have been a foot deep in spots , only 3' wide max. About 10 mins after starting sat on rock & watched fish for next hour. Water being skinny & clear was spotting fish moving ahead of me. Then saw fish not moving at a distance. Thinking light is just right I proceeded on bank. Then it hit me can't be trout something about color. Walked up bank looked down at an albino trout. All white w/pink eyes. Sat on rock 3' from edge and watched. Didn't mind me. Rose several times to eat before I left. Might have been a total of 4 1/2' from where I sat. Had no idea of such being fish related.
Went back a couple of more times to watch him. Same place each time.

......... pc

 

[corn fed fins]

My H.S. buddy and I used to keep 2 piece throw away rods in our golf bags, rigged with a streamer. Once we were even asked to leave the course because we fished a water hazard. Course Marshall didn't care we were the last party to tee off. For the price of that particular green fee a few casts into one hazard should have been included! LOL. I always keep a cheapo rod in the truck, hidden. The wife would not go if she saw me put a fly rod in the truck for our "drive". Sometimes, along that dirt road in the middle of nowhere, you just have to try that stream you cross. Never know what you may find! Some of the best unexpected fishing I've found was right in the middle of towns.

 

[bluechipfish]

Huge believer in this thread's message, and it reminds me of the two biggest lobsters I've ever found. Opening day of lobster season in the Bahamas is usually a circus. Everyone's out on the reefs, coral heads, or searching for man-made "condos" that provide shelter. People pass up beautiful spots just because they aren't what one typically thinks of as a lobster spot.

The two biggest I've ever found (truly monsters) were on a rock jetty protecting a harbor full of boats. The same boats that leave on opening day to run miles to their first dive. And me... well, I didn't have to leave the harbor! One was so shallow and big, his antennae were sticking two feet out of the water!

 

[philly]

Even happens on what you might call your "home" stream. The creek runs through the NW corner of Philly. I had fished it since I was a kid. The state stocks it with trout and I had caught sunfish from it. About 20 years ago just before I started fly fishing, I caught a smallmouth. Never knew they were in there, figured the state must have stocked them. Ran into a conservation officer when I was walking back to my car and asked him when the state started stocking smallmouth in the creek and he told me they'd never been stocked. Since then I've discovered it also has largemouth and crappie in it. My sister has a place in south central Vermont. One of my favorite things to do when I go up there is to take out the Gazetteer and look for dirt roads that have creeks running alongside them and drive them. It amazes me how a creek not much more than trickle can hold small brook trout.