When a day comes along and I know I should have made it in the woods, but I don't for one reason or another, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. This was one of those days. The days are getting shorter by minutes a day now and the dreaded daylight wasting time is just ahead. If I tarry at work for a bit too long, the afternoon hunt is a loss.
But despite today's lost opportunity, I was thinking back to my last fishing trip and an unusual occurrence. I fish a local pond frequently, year-round, and enjoy a fair amount of success there. I know where to find the bass, which parts of the pond the pickerel favor, and the locations of the submerged boulders the black crappie lurk around. I have fished this water for about three and a half years now.
Over my last couple trips there I have began to catch fish I have never seen there before. The above pictured fish (Image Credit: Wikipedia) is a Golden Shiner and very popular bait with those who like to fish for largemouth bass with live bait. I was catching these fish anywhere from 5"-8" in length with my fly rod using a variety of sinking flies. I was trying to catch crappie or even a bass, but these fish were striking regularly and eagerly.
Question: How can I suddenly and easily be catching a type of fish that I have never seen here previously using methods I use frequently in areas I fish regularly?
Answer: The fish weren't there before. Before what? Before someone started using them for bait and they started escaping into the ecosystem, or before someone stocked them as feed for the bass to hopefully increase their size. Golden Shiners are allowed to be used for bait under NH Fish and Game guidelines, but I wonder how it will affect the pond if there are suddenly a lot of these shiners multiplying and jumping into the food chain.
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