Youngman Lake

Found at 192nd and West Dodge, Lawrence Youngman lake rests in a bowl behind a sandpit and across the street from the new Women's Hospital here in Omaha.

With more salad in the water than Golden Corral, it was a complete and utter disappointment... again.

Until I started catching 9" bluegill. Then had one of them eaten off my line by a catfish.

I arrived a little before eight with a group of guys from Church. The building was occupied and the group didn't play B-Ball, so I suggested we fish instead. My physicist and astronomer friend Vincent, quoted in this Wikipedia article (Cool!), reported that the weeds were bad. We got our lines wet for a while, moved around, more people showed up... went to the fishing dock. Nothing. Squat. Zilch.

By the way, wind speeds were constantly 20-25 mph with gusts at higher.

Moved up the shore to a protected cove. Caught a small largemouth (didn't get skunked, yay!) Vincent and my friend John came up and followed. No luck.

"A bad day at Cunningham is better than a good day at Youngman," John said. "I'm outta here."

And he was.

"You taking off, too?" I asked Vincent. He was. Not catching anything, so why stay?

I was of the same mind, but I'm also thoroughly competitive, so when mother nature throws me a curve, I swing different. I made up my mind, though. One more spot, then I was done.

I'll never forget that spot.

Rabbit-tail Eyelash Yarn Leech on the line, and I'm landing it gently along some rings that are popping up here and there around a break in the weeds. First bluegill is about 4". Not bad, nice little fighter.

Next one was 8".

Then 9". My blood was really pumping.

Next one was about 7". These are the biggest bluegills I had ever caught! At this point I snapped a picture with my stupid camera so that y'all would believe me.

 

I didn't take any other pictures, because I had my stupid camera, not my good one. But a couple of fish later, I put my fly in a large furl near the weeds, and hooked a gill, only to have the furl suddenly turn and thrash its nearly 3 ft. body and snap the fish off my line. 

I almost pottied on myself.

Last fish of the night was a 12" crappie. Hit my size 2 leech. Note to self: the Gammy B10S#2 is definitely  not a very good hook for the Boa Yarn or Mohair Leech pattern. 

Ok, so Youngman... you gained some serious points in my book. Now, where do I get the money to get my wife a license? And a kayak?