In the town of Hygiene, there are a few ponds worth checking out. I was out there fishing recently and was exciting to find a lot of action. I walked up to the spot I always fish and was surprised to see Catfish and Smallmouth milling around all over. I experimented with a few flies and finally decided to try something they hadn’t seen before; saltwater shrimp patterns. Sure enough, it only took a few casts, and a girthy Smallmouth came out from the weeds and it’s mouth met my fly. The Bass put up a phenomenal fight, including a couple leaps and the usual Smallmouth “bulldog” moves. I caught a few more while casting into the weeds and had a blast reeling them in on the five weight.
Later in the day, I noticed a decent Catfish frequenting one particular spot and chasing any minnow that came nearby. It finally came to me….this was it’s home! Based on my knowledge and consistent viewing of noodling videos, I knew what I had to do. It only took three casts to hook into the Cat, and within five seconds I was into my backing. The Catfish put up a fantastic fight, and it was a new species I finally got to add to my list. All and all, it was a good day.
