Upon arriving at the lake I noticed there were very few boats that had launched for the morning. This told me that the fishing might be somewhat slow. There was a slight breeze out of the south with a light chill in the air which convinced me to wear a long sleeve shirt while I motored to the area I was going to fish. The lake level was up and the generators were on, which meant falling water. Falling water, wind out of the south, and a slight cool front set the morning up as a challenge; but I was up for the task.
First fish of the morning, a
nice 12” spot using the 4 wt. Redington. I started the morning at daylight with
no success with the Boggle Bug Popper, so after daylight I changed to the
Muddler Minnow. This fly has never let me down when fishing conditions are
tough. I tied on a number of nymphs with no success, so the Muddler
was the choice and it proved its worth. I fished for an hour and half before I
landed this fish; talk about determination.
Later in the morning I moved
from the shallow banks where I was landing numbers of small bluegills and the 12" spot to deeper
water. The deeper water allowed me to find some nice bull bluegill near rock
ledges in the shade. These were a lot of fun using the my 4 wt. Redington.
I didn’t brother to remove
these bluegills from the cooler because you guys have seen this size before for the
quest. Trust me these three did qualify which puts me 61 away. After a lot of
fishing with bright sunlight and humidity rising I called it a morning knowing I
had met my challenge. I dressed 7 from this cooler, all landed on the super Muddler.
As I dressed my catch for the
day I soaked up the sweet smell of the Gardenia blooms on one of the many
brushes we have in our backyard. Thanks for viewing guys
Nice bass, and your quest go's on.
ReplyDeleteBill how deep is the lake?
Alan
ReplyDeleteSmith Lake is considered one of the deepest lake in the south. The deepest areas are a little over 300 ft. deep. It is super clear, one can see down 12 ft or better. The National Game and Fish has rated it the cleanest lake in the south. When the lake was flooded the water cover lots of trees and even some small tenant houses. Thanks for the comment
Bill.
ReplyDeleteI never lost confidence in you buddy. Great looking gills. Now I'm hungry.
That is a really deep lake with lots of territory to track fish. Admirable job, my friend, sticking with it and landing some solid Bluegills. Were you fishing a smaller Muddler for the Bluegills?
ReplyDeleteOh man, I can't wait to land some bass on my fly rod! You are doing great with your gill goal! good job!
ReplyDeleteWith a deep lake like that, the water must be cold. Are trout present?
ReplyDeleteHoward
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit it but if I don't come up with some fantastic numbers in August; then I will miss the goal again this year. Thanks for the comment
Mel
ReplyDeleteThe Muddler is a size 6 for the bass and sometimes I changed to a size 8 for the gills. Both sizes worked well on either species. Thanks for the comment
J
ReplyDeleteI have to warn you fly rod fishing is very addictive. Thanks for the comment
Alan
ReplyDeleteThere are no trout in the lake. Yes it would support trout, but there is much more interest in bass fishing on the lake as opposed to trout fishing. There is smallmouth in the lake but only a hand full have ever been caught. The water temperature down 12 to 15 ft. hovers in the 60's, so yes trout could survive.
In the county where I live there are only 3 or 4 four individuals who fish below the dam for trout and I am one of them. All of us fish together either below the dam or above the dam with the fly rod. All of us have mentioned stocking trout in the lake to the Game and Fish, but it has fallen on deft ears. Thanks for the comment
One of these days, I will get down the hill and try that stuff you sent me. One of these days, it'll stop being 100+ degrees in the valley. I have to whole package sitting on my desk as a constant reminder.
ReplyDeleteMark
ReplyDeleteA good time to try the stuff I sent you would be fall. I am doing a post for Sport Fishing next dealing with the nibbles and the color jigs to use each time of the year. My brother is landing lots of crappie using the injection nibbles in the tubes now. Hope you get top try it soon. Thanks for the comment
Nice pics, reminds me of some waters here in Kentucky. JGR
ReplyDeleteKeep chasing them! I'm going to share your link at Panfish on the Fly at Facebook because you've got a lot to offer.
ReplyDeletePretty fish there Bill, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJGR
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling the lakes there are as deep as Smith. Thanks for the comment
Josh
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out on Facebook, ---the quest is getting more difficult every year. thanks for the comment
Daniel
ReplyDeleteBluegills on the fly are special--thanks for the comment
Good fish sir, it is always tough fishing when water levels are on the decline.
ReplyDeleteAtlas
ReplyDeleteFalling water is a challenge--can't wait for fall fly fishing--thanks for the comment