Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Fluctuating Water Levels Produce Tough Fishing Conditions

My son Jason and I left at daylight this morning to fish Ryan Creek on beautiful Smith Lake. This is the first time I have been back on the lake since the last of June when I developed a leak in my boat. The leak isn’t repaired but the boat is fishable. We were battling fluctuating water levels on the lake due to the annual draw down this time of the year. When the generators are running the fish go super deep and develop lock jaw. That was the case today, but I really didn’t mind, because it gave me and Jason a chance to spend some fishing time together.
A really outstanding point in the spring, but really tough this time of year when the water is falling---we worked it with the Boogle Bugs with no takes
11” Spot after the sun came up on the black Boogle, Jason did get the bend in the 5 wt. even with this small spot, I really admire these fish
Numerous lots are being cleared to make way for more floating docks. This area where this dock will be placed will cover one of my honey holes.

Jason landed this bluegill right before we left the lake for home; yes I did dress this fish, because I expect another trip in a few days that will add to this meal. Dad came up short today!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Two Fishing Rods That Mimics the Fly Rod And The Tenkara


I really enjoy sharing products with you guys that I find from time to time either on the net or by simply talking with other fishermen. While visiting the Academy Sports in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago I came across what I consider the perfect fishing pole to start a youngster out fishing.
 
 

The B & M Little Jewel 10' Freshwater Ready Rig Panfish Rod is extremely light and easy for even a 4 year old or up to handle. In fact this rod could be the training rod for future Tenkara fishermen. My Grandson will be using the one I bought for him when he comes to visit in October. It comes with the line, float and sinker already attached to the end of the rod. I did keep the float, but I replaced the line with 4 lb. test, instead of the 8 lb. test which came with the rod. A small bluegill will produce quite a bend in this medium light action rod; at 13.00 this rod is a bargain.  I can’t wait for Bryson to give this Little Jewel a try when he comes to visit.

 
Micro Light spinning rods are my second favorite fishing rod next to my fly rods. Before I got back into fly fishing some years ago, the micro light spinning rod was my go to light action rod to fish for crappie and bluegill. I have three micro lights in the 7 ½ ft. lengths that I use to fish for crappie in the spring. Using these rods actually mimics a fly rod in many ways, because of the lightness and of course the length. All the rods I owe are matched with small spinning reels spooled with 4 lb. test line.
                                                                   

For me this is the ultimate in ultra light fishing with a spinning rod; but to get even more micro light extreme Daiwa sell the Daiwa Spinmatic C UltraLight 8 ft. Spinning Rod, which is my other product I want to share with you. This rod gets one even closer to the fly rod again because of the lightness and more length. Imagine using this rod landing bluegill, crappie and even trout.
 
 
 

Friday, August 1, 2014

A Good Road Trip in Choctaw County Mississippi


My fishing trips have taken a hit here lately with my wife and me helping our daughter and husband out with the grandchildren and the newborn. I took a break from the babysitting with my wife last week and spent the week in Mississippi visiting my brother. We didn’t do any fishing but made a couple of road trips that proved to be very productive.  One of the days involved selling my brother's older bass boat, and traveling to the Mississippi Tennessee line to purchase a 1985 Bass Tracker TX in great condition. It needs some minor work before he puts it on the water, but it will prove much safer than what he had. Thursday the day before I left for home we decided we would make a trip to our old home place where we were raised as boys.  Going back to these places always brings back some fond memories. We also paid a visit to our Great Great Grandfathers cemetery; which is located at his old home place now isolated in a wooded area in Choctaw county Mississippi. I did a post about the cemetery sometime back, but I wanted to share some new photos of our restoration work in the cemetery.
We finally located all the pieces of the headstone of our GG Grandfather, which shows his birth 1800—1874—74 years is a remarkable age to survive in that day and time
This is a concrete slab placed over the grave with a long inscription engraved in the top part ---the slab was 4” thick and has broken over the years
James’s wife Mary is buried beside him with a 4” concrete slab covering her grave with an inscription as well---1808—1874---66 years of age at her death
Placing treated 4 X 4’s around the cemetery will ensure it stays intact, for years to come. My brother's son will take care of the cemetery after we are gone.
I thought it would be appropriate to make a sign indicating the name of the cemetery.
This is one of four other graves with rock headstones and footstones with no names on them buried to the left of James Trussell’s grave. We know this is not any of the children, because I have accounted for all of them when I did the research for our family tree. 
My brother’s Badboy proved to be the way to reach the cemetery and haul all the posts and equipment we needed to restore it. We have found out that one can go on a great road trip with this vehicle; an enjoyable day for both of us.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

What Characteristics Determines a Good Fishing Partner?


This is a follow-up post from my “To Fish With or Without Someone” post. Today I thought I would discuss the following characteristics that I think make a good fishing partner. I realize this may not be that important to some of you guys, but for me, as I get older it is something that I tend to focus on when I am fishing with someone else. So I will start with the one I consider the most important for me:

 I really enjoy fishing with someone who loves the sport as much as I do.

 I prefer to fish with fly fishermen, this is especially true if I am fishing from my boat or fishing from the boat of another individual. It really makes it difficult if the individual in the boat with you is baitcasting and you are trying to fly fish. The speed difference is tremendous between the baitcasting reel versus the fly reel.

 A fishing partner with a good personality can go a long way in determining whether or not you have an enjoyable trip.

 Someone who is very knowledgeable of the sport and is willing to share information about the sport as well.

 Fishing etiquette, by that I mean someone who is not selfless in sharing fishing space on a stream or fishing from a boat; if you are fishing in the front of the boat leave water for your partner to land fish as well. I always try to share any productive spot I am fishing with my fishing partner, especially if that individual isn’t landing fish; an example of what I am referring to is my last fishing trip on Walker County Lake this year:

 Ivan one of my fishing buddies was fishing with me that morning. He decided to fish the west side of the lake in his little aluminum boat and I decided to fish the east side of the lake in my Pelican. We both knew that the spawn was coming to a close, so we needed all the advantage we could muster. I found spawning bluegill first and wanted to share my find with him, especially after learning he had not landed any big bull bluegills. I pulled his aluminum boat to the spot and he was able to land some super size gills from the spot as well.

 Over the years I have fished with lots of individuals who I consider great fishing partners, but there are a few I would have left behind. 

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Ticks The Silent Insect


For all of us who have encounter the Tick weather on a stream fishing or just hiking outdoors, the bite can be punishing. This post is a follow up to the hiking trip my Grandson and I took the other day in Tennessee. We were hiking a trail near a stream when somewhere along the trail I got bite by a tick. I didn’t know it until the next day when I discovered some red spots on both hips and both legs below the knee. I have been bitten by ticks before and been able to find it on my body; this tick was nowhere to be seen. What puzzled me about this bite were the multiple reds spots that showed up the next day and the day after. Usually a tick will attach itself to your skin to suck blood and one can see the tick if they look closer enough, but this tick was something completely new to me.

I went to the doctor Wednesday evening and the doctor had blood work done and prescribed a powerful antibiotic with some medication for itching. He told me that some ticks can leave multiple red spots, beside the traditional one bite mark. He ruled out Lyme Disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, because I didn’t have any symptoms related to either disease, which are: Fever, Joint Pain, vomiting, muscle aches, or severe headaches. I did go back to the doctor on Friday and he gave me a shot for further infection, which has helped I believe more than the medication I am taking. After five days of dealing with I can see signs of healing taking place, because the red spots are not as pronounced as they were Tuesday and Wednesday. I hope all you guys will take heed to this post and be extremely cautious when you are in the woods, whether you are fishing or just hiking as I was doing. I am including a link that I found extremely helpful in explaining the in results of tick bites.   

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Hiking With My Grandson Bryson



On Monday my grandson Bryson and I did a short hike down a trail that runs parallel to a scenic creek in the Springhill area. The creek is located near a park that Bryson and I visit quite often when my wife and I are in town.
The trail we were following is man-made over some years of traveling up and down the creek. I told Bryson to lead the way and Pops follow along.
This is a beautiful little creek with some signs of small fish swimming mainly in the shaded areas.
Bryson found a number of these vines that he tried to climb without much success.
We were both fascinated with the way this tree was laying over the trail; it was not only rooted in the ground at the stump but at the top as well. I recently got my camera back after a so call overhaul, so my images should improve with future posts.
Laelyn, Cash, and Bryson with Pops and Meme

Saturday, July 12, 2014

To Fish With or Without Someone??---And Arrival of Cash!!!



I have never been one to shy away from fishing with anyone, who loves the sport as much as I do. Of course, there are some of us who prefer to fish by themselves and when the opportunity presents the right situation I am one of those guys as well.  Let me explain, my Pelican boat is only 10 ft. in length and would easily hold two fishermen, but with both of us using fly rods it could get a little crowded. I bought this boat to fly fish from and have never used it any other way. It is the perfect boat for me to fly fish small lakes and ponds by myself. I do prefer a companion when fishing from my Bass Tracker along the 500-mile shoreline of Smith Lake, not only for the company but for security reasons as well.

The SipseyTailrace is a place I can fish most of the time alone, the guys I fish the lake with doesn’t fish for trout, their only interest is in the warm water fly fishing. I seldom fish the tailrace without seeing other individuals fly fishing there. Fishing with someone or fishing alone differently has its pros and cons. I am sure there are a lot of opinions as to why someone would rather go it alone on the water or always have a companion to tag along. What is your opinion?
Cash Miller Atkisson came into the world Thursday at 3 PM; mother and baby are doing well as is the rest of the family. His big brother Bryson and sister Laelyn are fascinated with this little guy. Pops and Meme will be keeping Cash company for a while until Mama gets back on her feet. Looks like I have another future fisherman in the making.
 

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Fishing The Sipsey Tailrace on a Cool Morning July 3rd.

I was met today with some of the coolest weather we have had this summer on the tailrace. As I suited up I could feel the cool 65-degree temps, which was quite a contrast compared to the high humidity a couple of weeks ago which the south is famous for in July.
Walking the trail to the first access point I notice this apple tree loaded with green apples. The deer had already started eating the ones on the ground. This is the first apples I have seen on this tree.
I couldn’t have asked for a better morning to fish the Sipsey; the slight fog which hovered over the water surface was an inviting sight for me to make my first cast with the AdamsWhile working the area I notice a trout to the right of me continually breaking the surface. I really couldn’t determine what the trout was taking, because I saw to hatch at all on the surface. I know this trout was surface feeding because I saw the bubbles it expelled as it submerged each time. Let me explain the bubble theory, Randy at the local fly shop told me sometime back that I could determine if the trout were taking anything on top by the expelled bubbles of air they release when they inhale the insects on the surface. So with this faint evidence of surface activity in front of me, I begin to pursue this particular rainbow.
Getting the right drift was somewhat a problem because this trout was stationed in a narrow seam, adjacent to some faster water. I had fished this area before during early mornings but with no success because of drift problems, so today I was determined to make the right cast with the perfect drift. Casting some distance above the trout and letting the fly get that good drift through the seam finally paid off with this nice rainbow. I worked this trout for at least 15 minutes before I finally enticed him to take the dry, patience, and more patience.
As I moved up the tailrace I just couldn’t resist fishing some of this fast water that I often have had success on. I have taken a couple of spills here, because of the moss-covered rocks and current so I waded out with my staff extremely careful. I tied on a pheasant tail soft hackle and high stick it through some of the numerous seams in this area. I was using my 9 ft. 3 weight, to work the fly just under the surface. Fishing a wet fly is somewhat new to me and I must admit I am still in the learning process when fishing any soft hackle fly, but I am determined to become successful fishing wet flies on this tailrace. No one fishes wet flies here, so this would be a plus for me.
I decided to tie on the standard zebra midge which almost everyone uses on the Sipsey. I used no indicator only a small weight to get the midge down in the fast current tight-lining which brought this rainbow to hand. I really felt a sense of accomplishment for today’s trip because I reinforced my patience factor, and I continue to land trout in the fast water that no one ever fishes here. Now if I can just get my first rainbow on the soft hackle in the fast water.