This was a month of improvement by way of breakdown on Kit Lake, my home water, in central Florida’s largemouth bass country.
Sometimes our music came through only one channel, then for a modern eternity, social media didn’t come through at all. And all too often, people climbed on data they tortured. But, while mockingbirds sang like James Brown to welcome the yellow-rumped warblers, the weather cooled and the fishing became easier.
As it moved southward, the sun showed its face at more relaxed hours and with less ferocity. So sleeping late was possible, and steam even rose from predawn mugs of hot coffee. The sun also warmed our waters more slowly, so fish spread out into different parts of the comfortable water. They were a bit tougher to find, but the rain has lessened, so we had time. When we found them, often still in the shade, they were more aggressive, especially toward smaller flies like Smitty’s Crystal Beatle. Tickling chisywinks are returning which means that smaller flies like Polk Zebra Midges, presented slowly will fool the active fish.
Were we better off on that one day our entire world became quieter? Were we better off with long conversations at the ramp rather than fishing. Or even just staring at that friendlier sun? The only way to be sure is to head to the water.
