A hybrid bluegill caught in a Meriden pond during the Fourth of July. Photo by Josh Rouse.
Sam Shenk holds a five pound bass he caught. Photo by Josh Rouse.
I spent my Fourth of July celebrating America's birthday in the best way I could think of: fishing, eating delicious food and watching fireworks at my uncle's pond in Meriden, KS.
I arrived at the pond at about 6 p.m. and started fishing. This particular day was sort of a special one for me because I was fishing with my Grandpa Rouse's fishing pole, who passed a few years ago. It was a classic Zebco 808, and hadn't been used in quite some time. I was fishing with a firetiger Berkley PowerBait BladeDancer, which is what I used the last time I fished at this pond to catch crappie.
I was joined by Sam Shenk, a friend of the family, who was fishing with a diving lure. I started strong, catching three largemouth bass of the side of the dike. Then, Sam caught his first fish of the day, and what a fish it was!
I arrived at the pond at about 6 p.m. and started fishing. This particular day was sort of a special one for me because I was fishing with my Grandpa Rouse's fishing pole, who passed a few years ago. It was a classic Zebco 808, and hadn't been used in quite some time. I was fishing with a firetiger Berkley PowerBait BladeDancer, which is what I used the last time I fished at this pond to catch crappie.
I was joined by Sam Shenk, a friend of the family, who was fishing with a diving lure. I started strong, catching three largemouth bass of the side of the dike. Then, Sam caught his first fish of the day, and what a fish it was!
My grandpa's old Zebco 808, which I got to use to catch 8 bass on the Fourth of July. Photo by Josh Rouse.
He pulled out a huge 4-5 pound largemouth bass, the biggest bass I'd seen in that pond. It was a beautiful fish. I struck next, hauling in four more bass in only about eight casts, with a fifth one coming off the hook. After that, Sam hauled in a gorgeous hybrid bluegill, which probably weighed in the 2-3 pound range, and a nice crappie. I cast out a few more times with no success, so I decided to move down to the other end of the pond. As I cast around, I hooked a few fish but they came off the hook before I could get them ashore. Across the pond, Sam was having much more luck, pulling in some nice crappies and a few small bass.
I caught an eighth bass when I cast into a big bunch of weeds. I was surprised I even had a fish on, because there was no fight. It was caught up in the weeds and I thought my lure had just been caught up in them. I cast out a few more times with no bites before heading up the hill to get some food and cool off. The spot we were in had no wind at all, so the heat was trapped down there. Up on top of the hill it wasn't much better, I was sweating quite a bit, so I cooled down with a beverage. Then I grabbed some pasta salad and cooked some hot dogs, which made me even hotter.
When the sun finally set, the fireworks began. I grabbed a seat in a good spot and grabbed my camera and video camera. I put the video camera on a tripod and shot the fireworks as best as I could. It was kind of tricky to do both at once, but I managed.
Overall, it was a great night even though I was covered in sweat. Definitely a great Fourth of July weekend and it was awesome that I was able to use my Grandpa's fishing pole and catch a bunch of bass with it. It brought back a lot of memories and it was very appropriate that when I got in the car, the first song on the radio was "Just Fishin'" by Trace Adkins, a song about making memories while fishing.
I caught an eighth bass when I cast into a big bunch of weeds. I was surprised I even had a fish on, because there was no fight. It was caught up in the weeds and I thought my lure had just been caught up in them. I cast out a few more times with no bites before heading up the hill to get some food and cool off. The spot we were in had no wind at all, so the heat was trapped down there. Up on top of the hill it wasn't much better, I was sweating quite a bit, so I cooled down with a beverage. Then I grabbed some pasta salad and cooked some hot dogs, which made me even hotter.
When the sun finally set, the fireworks began. I grabbed a seat in a good spot and grabbed my camera and video camera. I put the video camera on a tripod and shot the fireworks as best as I could. It was kind of tricky to do both at once, but I managed.
Overall, it was a great night even though I was covered in sweat. Definitely a great Fourth of July weekend and it was awesome that I was able to use my Grandpa's fishing pole and catch a bunch of bass with it. It brought back a lot of memories and it was very appropriate that when I got in the car, the first song on the radio was "Just Fishin'" by Trace Adkins, a song about making memories while fishing.
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