Water and Fish Where You Find Them

by Alan Luecke
(Kansas City, MO)

A small stream runs out of an older Kansas suburb and is channeled underground at the state line. A few blocks later it emerges in the median of a four lane parkway. Until recently it was completely overgrown with trees and brush. I had driven by it for twenty years and never new it had year round water.

Over course my first thought was, "I've got to fish it". I went by early one morning and caught some green sunfish--they're everywhere. This week I went back to check for micros and catch some sunfish about sunset. No targetable micros, but my first fish was this good sized golden shiner. Nothing like a good surprise. I later caught another one almost as large, and of course, lots of sunfish.

The creek has been dammed into some neighborhood ponds upstream. I assume these are bait fish that made it to freedom.

On my first trip about sunrise I spotted this beaver cruising around.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.