A little over a week ago the St. Paul Fly Tiers and Fisherman's Club had our annual panfish outing at an east metro lake. The date had been chosen months in advance hoping that the weather would cooperate. It turned out to be a warm sunny day and the fish were eager to bite. This made for a great day for fishing.
The group of about a dozen men and women meet at the lake in the morning hoping that fishing would be good. We showed up equipped with several canoes, float tube, lawn chairs and plenty of food. The small private lake offered good fishing for anyone willing to cast a line whether from shore or from a canoe.
I brought my float tube to allow access to other portions of the lake. I started by going with my old faithful fly, a tiny yellow popper with rubber legs. The bright sunny day had the fish looking up to the surface and taking the popper aggressively. I caught a bunch of nice bluegills, sunfish and a few bass that didn't read the fishing regulations. All of the fish were returned to the lake unharmed. Some of the others in the group also caught some nice sized crappies.
Shore lunch consisted of homemade lasagna with salad, bread and fresh brownies. Lunch was great and provided the forum for everybody to share fishing stories and discuss which flies worked best. The outing turned out to be a great day for everybody.