I have been trying my best to try to hit the ponds lately despite the amount of work I have doing lately. I really would like to get myself up the mountain and hit some trout but when I only have an hour or two free between trips and housework, the trout are just going to have to wait.
It also seems like the bass want to wait. I have not been getting much luck lately. It was only a week or so ago that I finally got a hit on my line when a big bluegill took a #1 frog imitation but the bass seem to still be sleeping. That is until the other day when this young bass darted from the dark shadow of a log and snatched up my red headed rabbit strip streamer. It wasn't a big guy but it was still a bass and my first of the year. It was also the only hit I was lucky to get in the two hours I fished.
That first photo is of particular interest to me. I'm a bit of a herpetologist so I can't help but comment on a pic with turtles in it. Were those just shells? One appears to be just a shell, but the other could be alive from what I see. If they were both found in the same spot, devoid of their living resident, that would indicate a Raccoon feeding station. Those are both Eastern Mud Turtles (Kinosternon subrubrum) just in case anyone wanted to know. Very cool find- even if they were just remnants.
ReplyDeleteJay - They were both empty shells and found on the side on the pond close to each other. Both were in great shape with only a few bones left inside. It might be a feeding raccoon but there is also a large nest high in the top of a pine tree right over where they were found. I figured that the herons that live there were feeding their young with a few tasty morsels from the pond. I didn't know they were mud turtles though but that fits with where they make their home. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo of the turtle shells. That was cool. And thanks Jay for the natural history lesson.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting your first for 2012!
ReplyDeleteHoward - Jay is a wealth of knowledge! That's half the reason I enjoy blogging. People like jay always shed a little light on things that interest me.
ReplyDeleteG Lech - thanks. It took a few trips but persistence pays off. I might not have won the lottery with that small guy but its enough to bring me back for more.
Turtles for fly fishing! Not bad;) Very cool picture! Greetings from Polish.
ReplyDeleteI also loved that first photo. It's a nice counterpoint to the rod and reel always with a fish. I also like turtles, though I'm no herpetologist like Jay. But I was glad to learn their identity.
ReplyDeleteTomek - thanks for the visit from across the pond
ReplyDeleteJim - thanks, when I don't have many fish to pose with my fly rod I need to get creative. Jay has helped me identity animals and insects on more than one occasions. Truly a wealth of knowledge.