Lily has always preferred the more direct approach when fishing. She doesn't have my patience and persistence with rod and reel and would prefer sight fish. I remember the first time she saw me throw a cast net, and she wanted to do it herself, but was far too small at the time. Her and her sister kept asking me to throw it so they could see the little fish, shrimp and crabs that got caught in the mesh. Not too many years later, a buddy of mine gave her a smaller net to throw, and she mastered it one day, to the dismay of the local Tilapia. Now, my little Katniss wants a bow, but the Tilapia are not yet on the beds, so we practice. Move forward to recent weeks and there was a PSE Kingfisher set on sale at our new Academy Sports, so now Lily is starting the archery chapter of her life. Look out Tilapia, gar, plecos and soda bottles, strawberry Katniss is on the hunt.
In Orlando, there are a lot of Green spaces, and it's not hard to find water with Tilapia, but the trick is finding the clarity that you need to shoot. Make sure you look at the rules for the fish in your area. I had always assumed that carp were fair game because they are a non-native, and when they get big they no longer perform as well for weed removal. They are also, in my opinion, a nuisance to bedding bass, but for all that, it is still illegal to shoot a grass carp. Read your FWC site information for methods of taking fish and the species legal to take.
Not far from my work is a great little green space for exercise. Drew said I couldn't bring a fishing rod because this was to be a cardio gig, but she did take some pics of a crime scene, and we tried to figure out who the perpetrator was. The place is called Shadow Bay park and it is on the corner of Turkey Lake and Conroy. The first pond is stalked with catfish but we have also caught bass and crappie in here. There are two smaller ponds you will come to on the path and I have tried the one with the long dock once, but with no success.
Also, farewell to Frank, my wife's grandfather. He was a favorite and we will miss him. ♥
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