“John Kelly, Jr. – Catching Walleyes, Crappie, Trout and Hybrid Striped Bass in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska with Mepps and Mister Twister”

Part 3: Catching Bass with the Mepps Aglia

Editor’s Note: John Kelly, Jr., from Denver, Colorado, a tournament walleye fisherman, works with the recreation department at Mount Elbert-Bellow Recreation Center where he teaches fishing classes to children from March through late June. Not only does he teach children to fish and catch bass and bluegills on a 10-acre pond behind the center, but once a year Colorado’s Department of Conservation stocks rainbow trout for the children to catch. Mepps and Mister Twister are proud to have a man like John Kelly, Jr., as part of their fishing team because he helps to ensure the future of fishing for us all.

Question: What are you using to catch largemouth bass, and where are you fishing?

Kelly: I use the Mepps Aglia No. 2 and No. 3. I seem to have more luck fishing with the undressed Aglias than with the dressed Aglias. I’m primarily fishing farm ponds for bass. Most bass I catch will be 12 to 16 inches, but I once caught a bass out of a farm pond that weighed 8 pounds. One reason I like to fish these farm ponds is that I can catch and release up to 30 or 40 bass a day. I go bass fishing as therapy. I’ll walk around the lakes and take a little box of Mepps Aglias. When I find an opening in the bank, I’ll start fishing. When the fish quit biting at that spot, I’ll walk around the bank until I come to another opening and fish for bass there. This way, I can bass fish while exercising.

Question: What color Aglia do you like best?

Kelly: I fish both gold and silver but seem to have more luck with silver Aglias fished on 6-pound-test line with an ultra-light rod and reel. I like watching the Aglia as it comes through the water. On a bright day, I can see the flash off those blades for a pretty-good distance at these lakes. Sometimes I’ll even see the bass take the bite, but usually I’ll just feel a bump on the line. Most little ponds I go to, I’m the only one fishing that day because most people don’t realize how good the fishing is at these ponds.

Question: How do you get permission to fish these farm ponds?

Kelly: The Fish and Game Department distributes maps of local lakes, and I give out these maps to children taking my course. So, I not only teach these children how to fish but also give them maps to lakes where they can go fishing. These small ponds are often 10 to 30 acres, and most serious bass fishermen don’t fish them. However, I have lots of fun and so do the kids fishing in these ponds. One pond I fish is on the rec-center property and holds numbers of bluegills, bass and crappie. We hold classes inside, and then the kids go right out the door to fish. The Fish and Game Department also stocks the ponds with rainbow trout at certain times of year.