As the temperature was just above freezing and the sun was beginning to rise, I arrived to fish the pond closest to my home. I had not succeeded at this pond in months and hoped to turn things around on this trip. It started hot but quickly turned sour. I persisted, and that made all the difference.

After a fisherman leaves, I move spots to cast out into the deeper water. This shift opens up other holes for some of the bigger fish in the pond. The change proves successful almost right out of the gate. I soon abandoned using my float rig to focus on where the action was coming from. I jinxed it for a time, but soon, the bite returned, and I pulled in a few more good fish.

The float no longer triggers the bite, but the bottom rig starts to heat up. Catch the two biggest fish of the day on the bottom rig. I even managed to get a rough-looking tangle out of my line just in time. Ended up soaked and chilled to the bone from all the rain and snow. Despite that, it was a great day, and I am glad I braved the elements and overcame the skunk during the first hour. It was all worth it.

I was just trying to find a pond with some fish. After trying two other ponds without a single bite, I was getting cold (temps were below freezing with wind chill) and frustrated. Mariposa Pond turned everything around. The Powerbait Eggs were the big winner here, but I also caught one on a Honeyworm off a float. The most interesting development of this outing was the difference between two Powerbait Egg colors. I caught bigger fish when using the yellow and white egg combination; however, I caught smaller fish when I switched to yellow and pink eggs.