Urban Fishing

Although much of what our society refers to as "summer vacation" is spent going on adventures to far-reaching lands, a much greater portion of it is spent sitting on the couch in your underwear. Noisy, unpleasant fans feebly flap at the blistering heat that has permeated every inch of your being while reruns of tasteless sitcoms drone in the background. It's a miserable existence for someone without money or a working car. Fortunately, there is hope. Fishing can still be had in the dog days of summer, as the beautiful and pristine Bethany Pond is only minutes away from where I live!

Okay, maybe not beautiful and pristine. By this time of year, it would be better described as "cholera ridden" and "a toxic wasteland." Despite the faint sewage smell and popularity among local drug dealers due to the heavy shoreline cover and lack of sufficient nighttime illumination, the lake is a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of sitting on the couch in my underwear. There is good fishing for a variety of species during the summer, and I started off my fishing by setting up an ultralight rod with a small hook and a bobber. There are numerous species of panfish in Bethany Pond, and nearly every inch of shoreline is loaded with them. Although generally small, they are fun to hook on light tackle and extremely abundant during the late summer.

My endless hours of exploring Bethany Pond during both the trout and warmwater fish seasons has given me a pretty good understanding of the lake. Although the summertime means that the lake will be covered in duckweed, it's important to remember that the surface dwelling plant moves around at the mercy of the wind and current. A spot that might be unfishable in the morning could easily clear up by mid-afternoon, and vice versa. There are particular holes that have larger Bluegill than the rest, places that have high numbers of them, and areas where other species of panfish are abundant.

Pumpkinseeds might be small, but their colors rival even the most expensive of aquarium fish. 

I've found the panfish here to be unusually finicky. The numerous small panfish jigs and grubs commonly offered in stores are rarely effective. Gulp! worms work to a certain degree, but nothing beats a live worm for these fish. Pieces of nightcrawler work well, but I prefer smaller garden worms in the 1-2" range. They should be meticulously baited on small hooks so as to not be nibbled off.

A small Warmouth taken from the very end of the lake. 

I also threw a few soft plastics for bass with no luck. Although I've heard rumors about a potential state record bass lurking within the muck of the lake, I've never had much action fishing for bass here. It might have to do with my inability to accurately cast into the lily pads without snagging (say what you want about Bubba McGuire, but he has a mean cast), not fishing using the right techniques, or there just not being any bass in the lake. Or so I thought before catching this little guy.

This must have been the state record bass they were talking about. 

Panfish are fun for awhile, but I eventually got bored of repeatedly catching tons of tiny fish. I headed over to my favorite carp spot on the lake, a rare stretch of open water largely free of the lily pads and underwater obstructions that spell disaster whenever I hook a big carp in any other section of the lake. The carp fishing in Bethany Pond can be very good, and many of Oregon's few carp fishermen can be seen here on a frequent basis. These guys are ridiculously decked out with the latest carp gear, from electronic bite alarms to fancy high-tech doughballs from England. I always hear them talking in a strange language I do not understand, arguing about stiff-hinged rigs vs. chod rigs and which brand of bristle filament is better. I always see them with some elaborate rig that they seem to be able to materialize in seconds, whereas it takes me the better part of an Arrested Development rerun to tie a simple hair rig. I also use corn as bait, and three kernels of canned yellow corn fished off the bottom works very well in a lake where the carp are all used to seeing high-tech doughballs on stiff hinged choddy filament rigs or whatever the heck they're called.

If anything, all this ridiculous carp fishing equipment puts things into perspective. These techniques and highly technical rigs are all from Europe, where carp are king. Unlike the trash-fish status these fish have garnered in the United States, carp in most other parts of the world are revered as both a sport and a food fish. England seems to particularly love this species, with tons of tackle companies, movies, books, YouTube channels, and websites dedicated to the challenge of carp fishing.

Once you start catching carp, it's easy to understand their appeal. These fish are readily available to almost any angler in the country, face comparatively little fishing pressure, grow to large sizes, are difficult to hook, and fight extremely hard. They are also incredibly neat fish to look at. Although not as colorful as a mountain trout, their iridescent golden coloration has a peculiar beauty of its own.

Hooking even a small carp on an ultralight rod isn't for the faint of heart. 

The carp began to bite more frequently and eagerly as the sun slowly began to disappear over the treeline. I missed many strikes because of my primitive rigs but was still able to hook a few more fish by nightfall. At around this time, some random Police cover band began a terrible-sounding set from somewhere in the nearby neighborhood. I wasn't about to investigate exactly where.

If you listen carefully, you can hear an off-key version of "Message in a Bottle" coming from the other side of those trees.

I don't think Sting ever wrote anything about carp.

After carefully releasing my last carp, I realized that it was nearly pitch black outside. When fishing through the sunset, your eyes become accustomed to the gradually darkening sky and it's often difficult to realize how late it really is. but decided to stick it out and try to get one more carp. Besides, I wasn't alone. Lots of people like to walk their dogs and go on bike rides on a warm summer's night, and there was still the Police cover band. Of course, I had to remember that nightfall also brings on the hordes of catfish that I was all too familiar with.

Once the catfish turn on, it's close to impossible to get a carp in and among all the ravenous little Bullheads. I decide to reel in my lines and head back to the car. It's almost nine at night, and I realized that I spent the better part of six or seven hours exploring this small, unassuming lake. Although Bethany Pond is far from glamorous and will never, ever be mentioned in any sort of fishing magazine, it goes to show that fishing is as good or bad as you make it. To many, a small muddy lake filled with warmwater fish isn't even worth fishing. However, to me it offers solitude, exploration, good fishing for a variety of species, and the chance to head out at a moment's notice. And that's good enough for me.

Don't drink or even touch the water.

Kamran Walsh