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Monday, July 18, 2011

Fishing for Goldfish? (Blog Forty-two)

Yesterday I was at Chief Logan State Park and Conference Center in West Virginia doing a river smallmouth fishing seminar as part of an outdoors' expo. Since the event did not begin Sunday morning until 10:30, I decided to visit the state park's pond (picture below), which is a very good fishing hole and hosts largemouth bass, bluegills, and catfish among other species.

Upon arrival, I encountered a local angler who told me that he had already caught and released a "half dozen cats" that morning and that the largemouths were feeding along the shoreline. Looking in that direction, I did see a number of fish feeding on top, so I hurried over there.

For the next half hour, I cast to every rise I saw and failed to gain even one strike. Then I saw, as one fish wallowed on the surface, what I had been fishing for...huge goldfish. I asked my fellow angler about the pond's goldfish and he confirmed that he had caught them before and, in fact, had even eaten one, stating that it "tasted like a carp but had purple flesh."

A few minutes later, I saw huge pods of golden colored fish finning the shallows and decided that I had better return to the expo to prepare for book signings and a seminar.

I am in a fishing slump right now. Counting the ill-fated excursion for goldfish, I have gone four straight trips without catching a good size fish. What's more the guides and friends who have been fishing with me have also been doing very poorly. Perhaps the slump will end this week...at least the destinations I am heading for won't have goldfish - I hope.

About Me

Bruce and Elaine Ingram live on 38 acres in Botetourt County, Virginia and have two wonderful children who live in the area. Elaine is a retired school teacher while Bruce continues to teach high school English. Both are freelance writers but for Bruce it is a profession while for Elaine it is a hobby.