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.
Showing posts with label Fly Fishing Smith Lake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fly Fishing Smith Lake. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Bluegill Bonanza Fishing the Caddis
I had my phone set for 5 AM Tuesday to make my first bluegill fishing trip on Smith Lake this year. After eating a bowl of cheerios, oatmeal, and some fruit I
made it out the door. Tuesday’s forecast was cloudy skies and the chance of rain in
the afternoon and through the night; my kind of forecast fishing before a
front.
My plan was to search and
find bluegill spawning in as many sloughs as I could before the heat and
humidity force me to leave. My first slough had numerous gills and
one redeye native bass but not the big bulls I was searching for. The bass and female gills were killing the Caddis!!!
After fishing through five
more sloughs I finally made a connection on my 7th slough. Three of
kind here using the Caddis; my five weight was the
perfect combo to land these bulls.
Unreal fight put forth by
this gill, which left a few fibers of the Caddis sticking out of its mouth. During the spawn, the male bluegill will attack anything that comes close to the beds. This bluegill was spawning in super clear water 11 ft. deep. It is unusual to find any more than 5 or 6 bluegills spawning in the back of any of the sloughs on
Smith. With over 500 miles of shoreline, the fish are spread thin.
I continued to fish the
back of nooks that I thought bluegills would spawn in. I seldom find them
in the same sloughs year after year spawning. All the fish I found today were
in new spawning waters. A lot of fish brought to hand today will make an excellent meal with hushpuppies, coleslaw, and french fries. By the way, guys have I mention how much fun it is landing these monster bluegills??
Friday, October 27, 2017
Moving Back Home
My wife and I have been discussing for some time to move
back to Jasper. Why, you ask, well we are lonesome for our friends and the
small-town atmosphere that we had in Jasper Alabama .
For me, I’ve missed fishing with my buddies that I fished
with for over 25 years. I’ve also missed my beloved Smith
Lake and the Sipsey
Tailrace. I didn’t realize until after we left Jasper that I gave up a
fantastic fishing area. I could be on Smith
Lake in 20 minutes
and on the Sipsey fishing for trout in 25 minutes. The fishing in and around
Spring Hill is limited to a few small lakes that are fished heavy and
fertilized to the limit. The Caney was a great place to trout fish but driving
an hour and a half to get there was a bit too long for me. In fact, I could
actually see myself as I got older fishing less here because of the distance I
had to travel to connect with bluegill, bass, or trout.
Cathey and I hope our house moves fast and we can be back
in Jasper by the first of the year. We differently need to be back before the spring
fishing season begins on Smith, Walker
County Lake
and the Sipsey.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Some of my Favorite Post From 2016
As I sit here today and scan through some of my blog posts
from this past year, they make realize why I love to fish so much. I still
remember every detail from the trips, the other fly fishermen I encountered and
fishing with individuals who love fly fishing as much as I do. I thought I
would share with you guys what I think was my top five outings for 2016; some you
may have viewed and some posts you may have missed. I have to admit some of my
2016 outings may be hard to top for 2017 starting with a memorable trip with the grandchildren and my daughter in June 2016 :
Grandkids + Mom Fishing with Pops
Grandkids + Mom Fishing with Pops
What made this trip special was lots of fish landed that day both from the boat and from the bank. My daughter grew fishing with me at the same age her children are fishing with me now. I'm glad the tradition will continue.
Putting a Dent in my Bluegill Quest
I’m sure I will
find lakes here that will match the bluegills that Walker
County Lake
had swimming in it. I still remember the spots where I landed these bulls and
of course, talking with the gentleman fishing for catfish.
This is one fishing trip I
will never forget, mainly because I was able to do something I’d never
accomplish on the Sipsey, land numbers of quality rainbow. The video footage link above sums up the
trip!!
This post carried
me back to my childhood and the fond memories I had of my younger brother, Mom , and Dad. The only brother left out of five is my older brother Bobby.
A memorable trip
for sure landing this huge Spotted Bass with my 8 ½ ft. 3weight; I think I may
better this fish when I visit Laura
Hill Lake
come spring.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Landing Quest Size Bluegills on Smith Lake
Saturday brought a windy morning on Smith; again the bass
wasn’t having anything to do with poppers on top. In fact, no bass was taken at
all for the morning. Some bluegills were still in the nooks, but the cold fronts
lately had driven most of them off the spawning beds or someone had already got
to them.
If I had one warm water lake to fish the rest of my fishing
days Smith Lake
would be it. It’s magnificent rock walls, monster boulders, above surface and
underwater is unforgettable. Oh, I forgot to mention the super clear water,
which enables one to see at 10 feet depths or better.
Two monster gills were hanging out around this brush. I was
using my 4 weight 9 ft. today for added strength. I fished until 10 AM close to the launch. A lot of boats were all around me most of the morning. Once the sea doos showed up
along with the big ski boats I decided it was time to leave.
I know I’ve shown you guys homes on this lake before, but
this one has to be one of the most unusual. I really don’t know what theme if
any they were trying to imitate when they build this house. Individuals from
all over the U.S come to build houses on this lake to use for summer homes.
The wind and a little cool front cut the bite today, make; I counted 8 in the
cooler as I was getting ready to leave with these three nice gills.
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