Fishing Trip #44 May 2, 2015 9:30 AM

I tried a new location today. I have seen a small lake in the southeast corner of Longview Lake when I drive to the library from work. I decided to give it a try this morning. Here are some of my observations:

• This is more of a pond than a lake, probably less than 4 acres in size (according to Google Earth).
• The water depth is very shallow. No matter where or how far I cast my line, my lures immediately hit bottom and brought in weeds or slime from the bottom. There are fishing limit signs posted around this pond, so I am assuming that there are fish in it. Perhaps natural bait, like night crawlers, would yield better results.
• There is a lot of wildlife in the area. Deer and beaver tracks are seen along the water's edge. A beaver dam and chewed-down trees are along the east side of the pond. Bird houses are located in several spots around the pond. I came across a snake in the grass near the water's edge. I showed a close-up picture of it to a friend who spent time on a farm near Truman Lake when he was growing up. He identified it as a cotton mouth.

I fished and explored for about 45 minutes.

Weather Conditions: 60 degree air temperature with 8 mph winds from the south. Partly cloudy skies.

No fish caught and no bites.

Looking North

Deer Tracks

Beaver Tracks

Beaver Dam

Beaver's "handiwork" on one of several trees

Bird House

Looking South

Snake in the grass