Backyard Fishing

Type: Nontidal
Region: Eastern
Location: Farm Pond

On Saturday evening (6/12), I took my son over to our neighbor's pond to see what was biting. The pond is only half an acre in size but is a short walk from the house. It has a good number of sunfish, and two largemouth bass, yes we know they are only two. May not sound like much, but this pond has been a place where my kids have learned how to bait their own hooks, cast, set the hook and take fish off their hooks. Our quest this year is always to catch one of the two bass that are in the pond, and last night we caught one - our third time this year (see attached photo). My son also caught a 1.5" bluegill on a 3-4" rapala (see attached photo) - made us both laugh.

Our fishing trip this weekend, made me reflect on the new 'Backyard Fishing Program' that we announced this week. This Fisheries Service program is intended to provide kids with a 'close to home' fishing area (Back Yard Fishing). We hope this program will provide more kids with an opportunity to go fishing, become lifetime anglers and be the next generation that will speak out to protect our natural resources. If you have a child that you'd like to get hooked on fishing, try pond fishing - fishing success is usually high, and when it is not, there is always some activity at the pond to keep the kids entertained - tadpoles, frogs, fish jumping at flies.

As a child, I was fortunate to have a pond that I routinely fished in. Like my son and daughters, this was the place that I learned how to fish. This weekend's picture of my son with his bass reminded me of a picture that I had of myself with a bass at the pond that I fished growing up. After digging through a box of old photos, I found it. This picture was from more than 20 years ago. I hope one day my son can reflect upon his photo when he takes his kids fishing. Get out and enjoy some Maryland pond fishing with your kids. As our friend, the late Bill Burton once said, 'take a child fishing - you may find that you will enjoy the experience more than they do'.