A quite frustrating day at Silver Lake! Arrived at Thornton Sullivan Park at 6:15 AM and waited and waited... the sign at the gate CLEARLY states that the park hours are from 6:00AM til 10:00PM. The idiot that unlocks the gate finally made his appearance at 6:55... must be nice to have a job where performance is optional! Made my way to the lake and took my place on the northern-most pier. Two other fisherman beat me to the lake and were already fishing... what can I say, I'm a bit slow! Anyway... air temp was at 48 degrees, and water temp at 20' off the pier was 58 degrees... quite warm! Very high broken clouds, and the sun already reflecting off the surface of the lake. I began fishing with Power Eggs (Fl. Orange) on one rig (4' leader) and a nightcrawler under a float on the other... lines in the water by 7:30 (an hour late due to the gate unlocking cretin)! Fish were rising furiously along the shoreline, obvious that they were slurping emerging midges ("Pink Ladies") as the flies were skimming the lake's surface everywhere. About 8:15 my float begin to move laterally, then dove beneath the surface... set the hook and reeled in a nice stocker of about 11". Had not had a hit on the PE, so about 9:30 changed up to chartreuse... fifteen minutes later, rod tip doubled over and I reeled in another cookie-cutter stocker. Twenty minutes later another hit on the chartreuse PE, this a larger fish that surfaced 100' out... fought me all the way in, then leaped out of the water about 20' out and spit the hook. By 10:30 the sun was high in the sky and the temp was rising. Fish continued to rise, taking flies, but not interested in worms or PE. Tried spin-casting spoons and spinners, various PE colors and combos, nada. During the afternoon, a brisk breeze came on out of the north, adding a chop to the lake surface. I changed back to the float and nightcrawler and began to have hits... probably a dozen hits, but no hook-ups... finally, bout 2:30 was able to hook my third stocker... the hook just snagging its upper jaw when I set the hook. A few more hits on the worm, but no more hook-ups. Left the lake at 4:00Pm.
By noon the lakeside was full of children and parents, swimming and enjoying the bright sunshine. Saw at least 15 to 18 fishermen and fisherwomen during the course of the day... saw perhaps 18 trout landed, most of them on worms fished under a float. About 2:00 I heard a loud shout coming from the pier to the south of me, where a family of five was fishing. Turning, I just caught sight of a large Osprey (the first I've seen this year) coming off the water with a trout in its talons... beneath the trout trailed the float and terminal tackle that one of the family had been fishing with. Watched a large flock of Cormorants (at least 60) fishing the lake all day long. They will soon leave for their nesting sites on the Sound and leave the lakes alone until Fall. Watched a hen Mallard feeding along the shoreline with her brood of ten ducklings that couldn't have been more that a day old. Wondered how many would reach adulthood, with Crows, Eagles, Otters, large Bass and dozens of other predators waiting to snatch a duckling dinner!
Just a delight to be out, enjoying the grandeurs of our world and a glorious warmth of Springtime! PTL!

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