Rained in Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday evening and today is a blue bird sky day. However, in my infinite wisdom I decided to fish the ponds at a local country/golf club just to get out and wet a line knowig that the fishing would be difficult.

 

The ponds were dirty, which I thought to be unusual, until I remembered all of the ponds are tied together by underground pipes and they are fed by the Historic James River at two intake creeks.  But that did not deter me.

 

I tried a shaky head and got a hit. A strong hit, too.  So I let him run and set the hook.

 

The fish jumped out of the water and threw my shaky head. Nothing unusual about that.

 

What was unusual was that the fish was a needle nose gar! Yes, a needle nose gar in a golf course pond.

 

He probably swam up the creek and into the pond system during the rain yesterday, if not before, and could not figure out how to get back into the river.

 

No other bites and after 45 minutes in the hot sun I went home.

 

At least I got to go fishing which was enjoyable even though not productive.

 

You guys catch anything "different" in your golf course ponds, etc.? Let us know.

Pretty cool!! Weirdest I ever caught was a crappie 

I was cast netting shiners once in one, and caught a 5 pound bass!!

The security guard came up about that time and said I had to let it go…which I already was going to do. It was the most color less bass I ever saw. 

 

Went to the same pond at night to try out the catfishing. I caught turtles, freshwater eels, gars and a mudfish, If I remember correctly. But no catfish…

 

 

 

 

I had a aquaintance that slipped into the same course at night and was frog giging. He had a sack full and someone called the law. He ditched the sack of frogs and ran and hid in a thicket until the coast was clear.. then he retrieved the frogs and walked the half mile or so home…?

On 9/26/2022 at 7:42 PM, Sam said:

What was unusual was that the fish was a needle nose gar! Yes, a needle nose gar in a golf course pond.

Most likely a houndfish.