Outdoors Column | You don’t always have to go far from home to make fishing memories

During the past week Mother Nature produced consistent heavy afternoon westward moving rain lines for the first time this summer. When that occurred I knew it would be the perfect time for a unique style of fishing. I grabbed a light spinning rod, some soft plastic lures and headed to a storm drain that leads into a freshwater pond.

Locations are numerous. From freshwater ponds that overflow into saltwater or creeks with deep cuts leading to roadside drainage canals, anywhere spillways overflow with heavy rains pushing water into bigger areas can lead to great surprises.

I went to my secret location miles away from saltwater. The spot had rainwater gathering and then emptying to a storm drain and into a pond. Smaller fish get caught up in the current and sent down confused, where hungry predators await.

The rain was still persistent as my jacket and hat kept me moderately dry. The sun crept lower in the sky as the clock approached 8 o’clock in the evening. Just the chance to cast a few times was all I wanted.

I walked up and looked at the storm drain. Was I seeing, tarpon!? Before making a cast I took a moment to see what the activity was. The running water looked almost like a stream and the tarpon were confirmed to me. They were gathering and rolling in front of the storm drain eating the doomed baitfish. I checked my tackle to make sure everything was good in case I was lucky enough for a bite. A weedless 4/0 Mustad worm hook with a red Bass Assassin shad on 20-pound leader was my normal freshwater rig.

The first cast went awry, not near the running water, and wasn’t eaten.

The second cast, I put right into the mouth of the storm drain. Twitch, twitch, slurp! I set the hook, and a tarpon went airborne! In my disbelief I watched as the fish put on an aerial show with jump after jump. The water was only a few feet deep and the pond maybe 30 yards wide, so it didn’t have anywhere to go. I kept tension and let it tire itself out, careful not to pull the hook.

After 10 minutes, it was closer to me, but still had plenty of energy. I was able to video a few of the jumps only feet away as it was one of those situations people would never believe. Five more minutes and it was worn out, near my feet. I attempted to drag it onshore. A foot onto dry land it’s last burst of energy sent the hook loose and the tarpon freely back to it’s freshwater home. The light tackle fight was amazing and the tarpon was probably 20 to 30 pounds.

Further exploration of the pond lead to my discovery of more small tarpon, some maybe as small as 12 inches, but they wouldn’t eat my offerings. A bass and armored catfish did, making me wonder how many species could possibly be there.

As we experience the rainy season over the next few months and the potential of tropical weather to bring even higher rainfall it’s a great time to do a little exploration. Land based, quick trips can lead to lifetime memories.