[Michael]

Friday I arrived at Mondo Ponds around 3:40pm to find open water everywhere. Forecast was calling for afternoon showers, fog, light southerly flow, and temps steady in the 50s. It was already rainy as I was riding my bike over the Devon Bridge.

The spring pond had clumps of dead weeds floating on the surface now that all the ice has melted there, making it hard to fish there, unless it was weedless.

I hit a number of spots and played with many different lures, from inline to HJ-6 to Tiny Torpedo to frog to FLR-8 etc. I was very surprised and disappointed with the bite, which resulted in a total of 1 crappie on the Strike King and a slender 14" pickerel on the HJ-6.

I saw 2 other fishermen later. 1 was throwing a 3/8 oz black Strike King spinner and the other a weighted Senko. The only fish they caught was a 16" pickerel on the Senko.

Headed back to the bike around 7:15.

With the conditions outside, I was expecting an active pattern with some topwater action and pickerel being fast and aggressive.

Birds I heard and saw this time included common egret, great blue heron, and robins being very loud. Also, for the first time this year, I saw many robins on the school ballfield searching for insects and worms. Peepers were heard in the marshland on Bridgeport Ave on my way back to the Stratford Stop & Shop. Common egrets are migratory birds that come here once air and water get warmer.

[ChaoSki]

I was there thursday and today.

Skunked on Thursday, but we did see 8+ Common Egrets flying around and an Oshprey.

Today my son pulled on a Crappie and a Yellow perch. I had a Pickerel chase my bait...but didn't bite.