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Date: April 24, 2021 Body of Water: Peters Pond - Sandwich, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Full Moon minus two days; waxing gibbous Tides: N/A Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Stocked Trout Time: 7:30 AM - 1:30 PM Conditions: About 50 - 60 degrees; full sun; westerly winds (10-12 mph) swinging to the south with gusts well over 20 mph; water was clear, chalky green and 50 - 51 degrees F While migrating stripers might have used the day's strong wind and warm temperatures to arrive on the Cape's south side, I'd proven to my satisfaction the previous week that I should extend my trout season. I decided to try another local pond, knowing I could always fall back on Ashumet to complete my day if conditions were not to my liking. And they generally were! The ramp was suitable for amybaby22, the lake is not fully developed, bald eagles, loons and ducks were present, the water was clear, and the trout were biting pretty well. Peters Pond shined on my inaugural visit, and I'll likely return by choice. My initial spread included an S7 Rapala in black/gold, 80 feet back; and an S7 Rapala in blue/silver, 60 feet back. I picked up the shoreline to my left and quickly identified the break into deep water at about 8 feet. I attempted to slowly weave along this break as best able, and within ten minutes the black/gold bait (deep side of boat, perhaps ten feet of water) was eaten by a smallish brown trout. I was off to a good start and was re-establishing a productive pattern for the day. I rounded the bend and lost this favored lure to a hidden snag; fortunately, I had a replica in reserve and was soon back in action. I found nothing in the pond's southern reaches and so turned around and trolled into the eastern arm. My next action occurred on a 9-foot saddle midway down the arm, when both rods jumped. A brook trout ate blue, a rainbow ate gold; each was 14 or 15 inches long and fairly typical for the day. One of the reasons I'd chosen Peters Pond was the potential for variety; that had been realized quickly! The next ninety minutes offered a steady pick of trout on these same baits as I continued to troll as slowly as possible in 8 feet of water (plus/minus). It seemed as though my baits were swimming six or seven feet down, and hedging shallower (but without snagging bottom) seemed to be more productive than my couple of forays into deeper water. The trout of the day (so far) was a fat, 17-inch rainbow, but I'd also picked up another brown and brookie, each about 16 inches. By 10 AM, I'd landed ten trout and had already had a great day. I decided to probe deeper water (of which there is a lot in this pond). I replaced the gold/black S7 with my light-duty lead-core setup, swimming a small gold/black Stinger spoon on two colors of lead. Although I marked a fair amount of fish in the depths, I didn't have a bump for the hour I wandered about; and so by 11, I was re-orienting to the shallows. I chose to explore the northern arm. I also replaced the lead-core/spoon combination for a J9 Rapala in gold/black/orange. I fished this on a spinning rod, presenting the lure a cast "plus one rod sweep" of line back. Wouldn't you know, this imprecisely fished bait caught the only trout of this northern tour; a beautifully bright and spunky rainbow took this new lure in about seven feet of water. By Noon, I was setting up this same spread for a pass or two in the productive eastern arm before calling it a day. The first pass produced a nice rainbow and another brook trout. Of course I need to continue fishing! I ran upwind and past the tip of a prominent point. The wind was pounding into this bank, and I noticed both baits were occasionally ticking bottom as the boat was pushed into the windward shore. Trout 14 of the day hit hard, just as the baits crossed the shoal of a secondary sand/gravel point. I could tell right away this was a trout of a different class and played it carefully. It came to the boat fairly easily, but then bulldogged stubbornly, staying out of reach of the net with short runs against my drag. Soon enough, I scooped up my best Massachusetts trout yet. Beautifully marked and about 21 inches of trout; but what kind? Perhaps a brown, or perhaps a "tiger" (a hybrid of brook and brown trout, known to be stocked in this lake.) It didn't really matter; I'd achieved all of my goals for the day.
I continued to fish for a bit while I watched for an opening at the ramp. I caught three more trout, including a very cool, steel-blue and virtually unspotted brookie. This fish chose to eat the blue S7, like all his brethren this day. The final catch (17 trout including four brookies, two browns, the tiger (?) and ten rainbows) was just about evenly split among the three Rapalas I swam for the day. And, while I very much enjoy precisely replicating productive patterns, I do have to admit, the J9 just tossed behind the boat did as well as anything else... Brown trout or Tiger trout? The spots blending into vermiculations (especially towards the tail) gave me a Tiger vibe; but I could be wrong! Regardless, this fish completed my Cape Cod Trout Slam either as my fourth trout species of the day or as a qualifying, bonus "large" trout. Or perhaps, as both and therefore part of a Super Slam!?!?! I do love trolling Rapalas for trout! The J9 (bottom) took the biggest fish of the day, and Old Blue has caught so many fish there's hardly any blue left. But if I could have only one of these baits, it would be the black-and-gold S7. It works over a wide range of conditions, and Brown Trout seem to have an extra special affinity for it. What do I have to say about this? To have such a nice, productive day capped off by such a beautiful fish, and one of size, too, was simply a gift; a gift that I have happily and gratefully accepted! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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