On the trail with Can-Am’s latest Defender side-by-sides

The Fishing

While the burgers were grilling, I fished the bank of the small pond near where we stopped for lunch. I had rigged one rod with a weightless wacky rig, and another with a Ned rig. After 20 minutes with no luck on either, I cast the worm toward a sunken log, let it sink slowly and started to reel. I thought I was snagged on the weedy bottom, but then felt a familiar head shake. I pulled back quickly, but apparently didn’t set the hook hard enough, and the fish got off. Still, it was a good sign, and after taking a break to eat one of the delicious venison burgers, I tried another spot on the pond and ended up catching a decent little largemouth on a shallow-running crankbait. Still, I think the biggest highlight of the fishing experience was seeing a baby alligator swimming toward me. Thankfully, its mother wasn’t with it! I also saw a small water snake, which might have been a water moccasin, so I gave that a wide berth, too.