I hope to use this blog as an avenue to express my thoughts and adventures of all of my fishing expeditions and any other journeys I may undertake.
Cathey and I spent Thursday morning on Smith Lake searching for some late-season bluegill still in the spawning mode. This may be the last spawn of the season. The lake is on the pull-down, getting ready for next Spring's rains, so we will be fishing falling water, which means the fish will be moving out of the nooks into deeper water. I hope I am wrong. We started the morning in Rayon Creek,…
Dry flies, nymphs, wet flies, and terrestrials are all associated with fly fishing, but are plastic worms? What inspired me to try fishing with plastic worms on a fly rod was our family get-together a month ago at Greystone Lake, where Jason, our son, lives. I had everything ready for the grandchildren's two-day trip that day, including 7-ft ultra-light combos, small sling packs, and tackle boxes…
I watch a lot of fly fishing videos on the net, and almost all the fly fishermen fish using backpack straps on their backs. I haven't asked any of the guys what's in the backpacks. I will ask that question next time I am finished watching one of their videos. They never show you what they're carrying in the packs, so I am going to speculate what is stashed in them. First off, I would assume a…
Cathey and I spent this past week in Greystone Farms, fishing, hiking, and enjoying time with our daughter Jenny and our son Jason at his house. We wish Jenny's husband, B.T. could have joined us but his work schedule wouldn't permit him to come. We had a three‑day get‑together and Jenny and the kids ended up landing more fish than they had ever caught on the lake, using fly rods and spinning…
When does a pond become a small lake? If you had asked me that question when I was a young boy fishing with my younger brother on our two-acre pond, I would have told you it was a lake. According to Google, a typical body of water is considered a lake at 10 acres or more. So, the 15-acre lake in Greystone Farms, where my son’s house is located, is indeed a lake. The lake sits in a deep ravine…
Reporting in on Saturday's Walker Lake trip and Tuesday's Smith Lake trip, fishing with my son Jason, both days were filled with wind and more wind. I thought March was supposed to be our windy month, but somehow March and April got reversed when you factor in the wind fishing at Walker and Smith Lake. Water temperatures on both lakes are well below 70 degrees but rising, making it ideal to fish…
Spring is my favorite time of year to fly fish. The fish are far more active, the early spawn is getting closer, and they’re in a protective frenzy around their beds. During this time of year, they’ll strike almost anything that comes near their beds. You can expect a vigorous fight from both bluegill and bass. After feeding heavily through late fall and winter, these fish are in top shape and…
As stated in the title of this post, little fish can be a motivating factor to keep casting even on slow fishing days. That was the case yesterday, when I made my first trip of the year to Walker Lake. Water temp was a cool 60 degrees and no wind and overcast skies, which is near perfect conditions for fly fishing: but it was not to be. I am glad I was fishing with 7 1/2 ft. 2 wt. becasue even…
As most of you know, I fish three different places where we live: Walker County Lake, Smith Lake, and the Sipsey Tailrace. All three are within 25 minutes of our house, and all three are heavily fished. In other words, they are pressured waters. I learned years ago that if I wanted to be successful fishing pressured waters—especially the areas you call your home waters—I couldn’t fish the way…
I thought I would share some of the projects I’ve been working on during the cold month of January. As many of you know, one of my hobbies is woodworking, and during the winter months I spend a lot of time in my wood shop. Too cold to fish this time of the yearfor me, especially when the temps are in the mid 50's or lower during the day. I remember being on the water during those cold temp days…
Fly fishermen, like most anglers, are always searching for the perfect gear—whether it’s the rod, reel, flies, line, leader, tippet, waders, or boots. The list could go on, but you get the idea. Over the years, I’ve told my family not to buy me fishing equipment for Christmas or any other holiday, since I already have everything I’ll ever need for the rest of my fishing days. That said, after…
Bad, Fair, and Better is how I am going to evaluate my fly-tying classes. I have spent the last couple of days experimenting with different wooly bugger patterns that are fairly easy to tie. I have found the best way for me to learn how to tie a decent fly is to watch the video of the fly I am trying to duplicate. I didn’t realize how many fly-tying videos are available on the internet, serving as…
As most of you know, I have always been drawn to light fishing tackle, whether it's my 7½-foot micro-lite rods or my 2-weight, 7½-foot Redington fly rod. There’s something special about a 2-weight fly rod. Is it the lightness, the delicacy, the sensitivity, or the simple fact that no other fly rod can provide such a connection with the fish when fighting it? This rod isn’t designed for power or…
Hey everyone, I just wanted to check in. Cathey and I have been supervising a renovation project at our son's house, which started in late September. Unfortunately, this has really disrupted my fall fishing plans. However, as the saying goes, you'll do anything for your children. Jason works in California and doesn't get home often, but when he does, he tries to fish as much as he can. So, the…
Jeff and I made an early morning trip to Smith Lake this past Thursday to test the top action for the bass and some giant bluegill. We were surprised to get some action even with the surface temps still near 80 degrees. The cool nights have started to cool the water somewhat, but not to the point where the hits are more like spring or late fall, as of yet. Sorry for the vertical video, my camera…
Has anyone noticed the price of fly reels? Most of you know that I fish with the G-Loomis free spool reels, which cost between $150.00 and $ 200.00. That is the most I have paid for a fly reel and probably will never pay more than that price. In fact, at my age, I don't intend to buy another fly reel ever. With that said, the three main components that entail fly fishing for me are the fly rod,…
Well, "as Ronald Reagan used to say," Cathey and I have reached a significant milestone in our lives: our 50th wedding anniversary this Sunday. We look back on that day with fond memories, but we also understand that many of the individuals who attended our wedding are no longer with us. This is why we feel so blessed at this stage in our lives. We celebrated the day early during the last weekend…
Cathey and I have become quite a team when it comes to fishing with Micro Light combos. One of the combos is 7 1/2- and the other is an 8-foot rod. We used both micro-lights this past week while fishing on Smith Lake during the last bluegill spawning cycle of July. There may be another spawn in August if the lake level does not drop too quickly. I hope we get to fish that cycle as well. I've been…
I’ve started my beginner lessons in fly tying, using YouTube as my instructor. In my last post on June 6, I began thinking about tying some wooly buggers first. As I progressed, I also tried my hand at tying pheasant tails and caddis flies. These three flies are the top patterns I use 90% of the time when fishing in the lake or tailrace for trout. While using these flies over the years, I've often…
In the second week of April, I published a post discussing this small 1/16 oz. bugger while fishing for bluegill on a windy morning at Walker County Lake. However, I didn't share how I discovered this fly. Many of you probably have a place where flies go to rest, unused until they are rediscovered. For me, that place is a set of small plastic drawers in my fly fishing closet. I found this…
While fly fishing this past Tuesday in Ryan Creek on Smith Lake, I noticed the bite slowed after 10 o'clock. I also saw that the fish still interested in my poppers were extremely scattered. In other words, I was fishing a lot of dead water, which is water with basically no fish, with the exception of a few tiny bluegills in the shallows. That trip on Tuesday caused me to share my own assumptions…
Tuesday was supposed to be a slow bite on Smith because two generators ran all morning, but the spotted bass and giant bluegill didn't get the report. The Mountain Laurels are in full bloom on the lake! One of my former bloggers, Jay Eubanks, joined me for the early morning trip. It was good to fish with him again after a 6-year lapse. This spotted bass inhaled an olive boogle bug popper size 6…
Early Thursday morning was cool, with winds gusting around 20 mph. However, that didn’t stop me from heading back to Walker County Lake to catch more bluegills before the influx of live bait fishermen took over during the upcoming spawn. The cool nights, with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s, had kept the fish from beginning their spawning activities. I started fishing at 6:30 AM, dressed in a…
I always look forward to the spring of the year because that's when I get to fish for one of my favorite species: the bluegill. This past week, I spent my time exploring Walker County Lake for early bluegills, searching for potential spawning areas. I usually start fishing the lake in the last week of March when the water temperatures begin to warm up, encouraging the fish to become active.…
My fishing season this year started this past Wednesday. According to my official Accu weather amp, Tuesday and Wednesday would be the key days to toss some flies to see if I can could attract some bluegill and red-eyed bass to eat. I am a big believer in weather conditions that affect whether a fish will feed or get lockjaw on any given day. Some of the factors I note when planning a fishing trip…