Man Did I Pay for Those First Fish of the Season

You know you can only watch so many fishing videos and video clips, before you just have to get out on the water. That water in this case was a private small lake of ten acres. I usually fish this place when everything else is out of kilter. The 4 wt. rigged with one of my Road Kills I purchased from Fly Fishing and Tying Obsessed was the choice of the afternoon. The cream color was getting the most attention with a tiny weight clipped on about a foot above the fly. The hits were extremely slow and most were not heavy enough to set the hook. After about an hour the action played out and I left the wind and the lockjaw fish to itself.

This trip didn’t help my sinus infection that started last week. It only got worst with all the wind and cold breeze. So I spent Saturday morning in Urgent Care getting a shot in my rump and a Z-pack that has made me feel worst than the sinus infection.

I am still waiting for the generation at the lake to stop so I can try out my Streamflex fly rod below the dam. I know the trout are waiting but I just can’t get to them with roaring water pouring out of the generators.  

Water temp was 52 which made for a slow presentation--lots of fun on the 4wt.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I have been debating whether to even type this post. That is how hard it has been for me to digest my latest fishing adventure. When I say adventure I mean this one I will never forget. The title says it all beginning with the GOOD. It was really good to fish with Trent my nephew and his son Will and some of their friends, and Jay and Kelly of the Naturalist's Angle Blog. We had been planning this trip for months and everyone was really looking forward to a great float trip on Bear Creek in north Alabama. There were numbers of fish that were taken from some exceptional looking places on the creek. It is one beautiful place with the high rock walls and huge beech, fur, and hardwood trees lining the banks of the creek. This creek when the generators are running reminds one of a stream out west with its snowpacks melting. That is how beautiful it is.  Fast rapids throughout the six-mile stretch can make for some exceptional canoeing and kayak floating. But it can also make for some unexpected BAD experiences. Fire Station rapids started the BAD. Trent and I had already been through some fast water, but this run was a bit more challenging because you needed to maneuver the canoe to the left of the main rapids to make the run successful. The canoe we were using was not supplied by the rental company, but one Trent had borrowed from a friend. Trent noticed when we started the float that the canoe seemed a little unsteady, so we knew we needed to be extra careful during the float. The canoe and the fast rapids were what turned the trip upside down for Trent and me as we got gobbled up my rapids next to the rock wall. In short, the canoe overturned and we were in 60-degree water for at least five minutes trying to get to the bank. The current was so strong that it kept pushing us downstream, and it took a lot of effort to swim to the nearby bank pulling the canoe. Luckily we both had on life jackets and we had some of the equipment tied down in the canoe. Two items lost was one of Trent’s microlight reels and rod and my Battenkill III reel with my Redington fly rod. The overturn in water over our heads was not as bad as it seemed, because one can expect this sort of thing when canoeing, especially in fast water, but the loss of my retirement gift ( reel and rod ) will take a while to get over. We both agree we should have tie down all equipment before attempting a run that fast, but the truth is we thought it was not that bad and we would make the run fine. We were proven wrong big time. Thanks to Jay and Kelly and some individuals at the bank that help us get the canoe upright. Trent suggested to his son Will that they switch canoes with us so we would be in a more stable canoe the rest of the trip, so we loaded our belonging in the narrow bottom canoe as opposed to the wide bottom canoe we were using and continue downstream. It was difficult for both of us to forget about what had just happened upstream, but as we landed a few spots it put some zip back into the trip. The zip I am talking about soon disappeared as we encountered the UGLY part of this trip. We had both just landed two nice spots when we noticed two rapids ahead separated by a huge uprooted white oak tree that was lying downstream. You could either take the left rapid or one could take the right rapid to the right of the tree stump. We choose the right, and in this case right is not always right, for us it was wrong as the canoe bounced off the tree stump throwing both of us out of the canoe and pinning the canoe against the tree stump. As for equipment on this turnover Trent’s fly rod got broken. Luckily Jay and Kelly were close by again and while Kelly picked up the microlight and my fishing vest in some of the shallows below, Jay, Trent and I unpinned the canoe in the fast current. The canoe hit the tree stump so hard on the turnover it dented in the bottom of the canoe. Lucky for Trent and I neither was hurt. We were both glad that Jay and Kelly were nearby to help us out because we would have lost more equipment. I know some you are saying why we didn’t learn from the first turnover and tie down the reels and rods; we asked ourselves the same question. So after getting all the water out of the canoe and TYING DOWN all the equipment, we continued on. After landing some more spots things kind of got back to normal? As for equipment we were left with a couple of microlights and my TFO reel and rod, which help me, land my best spot of the day at the end of the six-mile stretch. Everyone else made the trip o.k. but for some reason, the bad ugly stick was all over Trent and me from lunch on. But wait to add more ugly to the ugly aspect of this trip: we are unloading everything from the canoes and I notice I can’t find my fishing vest with all my flies and accessories in the canoe. We both looked throughout the canoe and in the packs, but no fishing vest. To this day I can’t figure how that vest got away from me. The last time I saw the vest was on the last turnover, when Kelly handed it to me and I put it back in the canoe, after that I don’t know.
You know there are fishing trips that bring back great memories of fish being caught and the companionship of your fellow fishermen, and this trip had all of that, but the part that I want to forget is the bad, and ugly of this adventure. Just let me say in closing that the fish Trent and I caught was the most expensive fish we ever landed.

Trent, Will and his buddy getting ready for the float

Jay and Kelly at the launch area

Nice run with some ripples

Trent with one of his spots of the day, notice his shirt is still dry

Fire Station rapids, notice the drop, it looks harmless but proved different

Below the run with swift current

Below the rapids

Good spot landed right above the take out area

The Cat and the Spot

Back to Ryans Creek today at daylight for some spots and a surprise Catfish or two. All the spots were taken on a dark turquoise Boogle Bug size 4, the lake was falling and I was lucky to land the four I did. With the lake falling I had to be a little innovative because of falling water. I decided to carry my 11 ft. crappie pole and drop a cricket with a white crappie nibbet tipped on the hook against the rock walls. The walls prove to be quite productive. I landed two channel catfish in depths of 15 to 18 ft. Lots of fun to land catfish anytime on any type rod---did I mention it was hoooooot and humidity was dripping wet.

  Nice Spot at daylight, if you are not on the water early, you lose out on the top water action

Nice Channel Cat using the 11ft. crappie rod, some kind of fun on the long rod. Notice I am holding the fish with both hands, if you know anything about a catfish you know that you need to hold the top and side fins down, if these fins stick you it can be painful.

Fishing With One of my Fellow Bloggers

Today’s trip was not quite what I expected as far as number of fish was concerned, but the companionship and the friendship I developed today with Jay from The Naturalist Angle Blog was worth the trip. Jay arrived at my house around 5: 15 and we left and proceeded to Smith Lake to try our hand at some of the big Kentucky Spots. There was only one problem the Spots forgot to turn on that violet hit mode. So we both spent the morning landing some nice bull bluegill and Jay did manage to land a 12 ¼” spot and another smaller one both on top. The top wasn’t working not because of the weather, but because of the feeding pattern. I told Jay that late yesterday evening there was a lot of cloud cover in the area and that was probably when the feeding occurred. Some of the best top water action is on cloudy days on Smith. This morning there was little wind to speak of and the water temp was around 85, which is excellent for top water action but nothing was happening.

I found out what I already knew about Jay, that he is an accomplished fly fisherman. He was making some exceptional fly presentations and some extremely long cast this morning, because most of the morning we were some distance from the bank. I told him at the start of the trip that if the spots could see you they would not hit, so some long cast was in order. As the morning wound down and the sun started to take away the shade banks we switched to nymph style flies, which produced one spot for me on a size 8 crayfish: nothing else happened from down under the rest of the morning. It was not from like of trying because we both put forth a valiant effort, with exceptional placement and presentations, but none of that matters if the fish aren’t there and not hitting. I looked forward to another trip with Jay and hope the Kentucky Spots are in a better mood whenever he makes his way back to Jasper again. 

   Jay with one of the big bull bluegills

Jay with the best spot of the day

Rock, Bluegill, Spots, Largemouth Combo

Little did I know this morning at 3:45 AM, which by the way is the time I crawled out of bed I would land a four species combo? Why so early to go fishing? Well in the Deep South especially during the summer months, you have to be on the water early to avoid the heat and humidity. After 10 AM it starts to get humid and hot and the longer you stay on the water the more it feels like a sauna bath. In other words don’t brother to go the gym and sit in a sauna, just get out in this weather and in a few minutes your clothes are all wet and you have accomplished the bath.
Back to the combo where it all started with the typical Kentucky Spot which Smith Lake is famous for and shortly later a good largemouth . Both these fish were taken on the size 4 Boggle Bug Popper using my 5 wt Redington 8 ½ ft. As the morning progressed I picked up a few more Spots and a another largemouth. Both of these fish were taken on a size 8 orange popper using my Temple Fork 4 wt. The 4 wt. also help me land some nice bluegill and one Rock Bass which gave me the combo. This was not one of those hot popper days. The fish were somewhat finicky so I started to scan through for fly box for a different color popper. As the morning progressed I fish through 4 different colors and two different patterns. Yellow was really early, followed by a white and then I lost a turquoise popper because I didn’t brother to check my line at the fly eye, and it broke off with a tiny gill, which may still be swimming with my $4.00 Boggle Bug Popper. Around 8:30 I tied on the Green Grasshopper, which I could see after some casting that it was too close to the color of the water and it was put back into the fly box. The trip ended  around 10 AM with the Orange size 8 popper which actually produced most of the fish I landed. It is an amazing little fly because it is so unusual in color and has black legs not white legs to compliment the look. I have used this fly for the past couple of years and it always seems to rescue me on slow popper days. Today’s conditions were a slight wind out of the south, with water temps hovering around 85, which I think before by the end of the day would have reached 87. Some days fishing with the poppers produce violet hits, but today all the takes were very sudtle with the fish rolling onto the fly. Sudtle or violet I'll take the hits either way. Charles made the trip with me today, and I hope we can get together again real soon.

Sorry for the dark image, but it was still dark when I took this picture of my first spot of the day on the Boogle Yellow Popper

This largemouth kills this white popper deep down

A nice largemouth on the white popper, no this fish did not die, he had a small cut in the roof of his mouth from the popper hook, I watched him swim off.

This big gill gave the 4wt all it wanted, it made numerous deep runs before it finally gave up. Great fighter.

This 2lb. largemouth was taken on the little orange popper, he just roll on the popper, no violet hit

Nice Rock Bass on the orange popper, first one of this season

This big gill inhaled the orange popper deep in its throat. Forceps was the ticket to get to the popper

Last Spot of the day on the little orange popper

One good meal from these 3 bulls

I will be getting more of these little bugs

Fishing With Jason on Smith Lake Landing Spotted Bass

Monday, Jason and I left the house at 5 AM for a daylight fishing trip on Smith Lake. I seldom get to fish with Jason, because he is in school and that has taken up pretty much all his time for the past two years. We were going to fish for some of the Kentucky Spots using the fly rod and also to see if there were still any crappie left in the area I fish Saturday. Starting at 5:30 AM has not produced the fish I consider good this season, and Tuesday was in the same lane. The first fish came at 7:30, with one of the crappies in the same area where I had success Saturday. Jason and I spent about an hour in the honey hole and landed 6 more slabs using the smoke and glitter curly tail grub with the redhead jig. The fish this time was bigger and slower to hit. I suspect the reason for the low numbers was the fact that we had caught all of them or the on-off hit factor crappie process. Leaving the crappie area we decided to start looking for shade because the sun had taken over most of the banks where we had fished earlier. If you are going to fish Smith topwater, you need to look for shade after the sun comes up because the lake is so clear the fish can see you at a considerable distance. It also helps to wear dark clothing instead of white or bright clothing. The Kentucky Spots on this lake have seen it all and are very wary of anything that threatens them. So you need every advantage you can muster. With that said, we pulled up on a steep rock wall bank near the dam where Jason did a long shoot cast that propelled his size 8 little white popper right next to the rock wall. He let the popper sit motionless for a few seconds before he gently moved it, which produced a violet hit yielding a 16” Spot. He had quite a fight on his 8 ½ ft. 4 wt fly rod. He played the fish to perfection and eventually landed it. This is what makes fly fishing so exciting and challenging is the play and landing a fish that is most of the time superior to the tackle you are using. It is the fish and you and sometimes the fish wins and sometimes you win. I noticed something on this trip that may make the next trip even more productive, which is popper size. The larger poppers haven’t produced as well this season so today was a test using smaller poppers, which really worked well getting the larger spots to hit. Before we left Jason and I landed 6 more spots and one largemouth, all on the white popper with the white legs. It was a great trip with my son whom I very seldom get to fish with. I hope we can make many more trips after he graduates.                    

Tuesday's Fishing Trip Produced a First!

Tuesday’s regular fishing trip was on beautiful Smith Lake. I say regular because Tuesday and Thursday are my fishing days, and the rest of the week is taken up with the gym and catching up on chores. Man, it is nice being retired!

The trip started around 6 AM and ended at 10:30.  The setup for the day was again the 5 wt and 4 wt rods rigged with a size 4 popper on the 5 wt. and a size 4 Zonker on the 4 wt. I was targeting Kentucky Spots and landed 6 in the 12” range, but missed out on the larger fish. They were not hitting the popper as well as I had seen them hit in the past, so I had to really work the bug to get the takes I got. The one thing I have discovered on Smith when using the poppers is you must find a shade to get a take, and after 10 AM that is hard to do. The perfect time to land quality spots on the lake is daylight. After the sun comes up you are either looking for shade or going down under with buggers, crawfish, craws, zonkers, or any other fly that produces a slow fall. This lake is gin clear and shade or daylight is a must for success on top. I did manage to land a quality catfish using the zonker on a slow fall stripping the line as if I was using a streamer, and in a way, the zonker is a streamer pattern. The catfish was a first for me on the fly and I have to say it gave the 5 wt a good bend. I am off the rest of this week because my wife and I are spending some quality time with our grandson in Tennessee. Who knows I just might share a few Bryson stories with you guys this week. Take care everyone.





He really wanted the Boggle Bug

The Kentucky Spot fights like the Smallmouth, that is why I love to go after them

The Zonker in craw color, this was a nice male catfish

First Fly Outing on Smith for the Kentucky Spots

Monday was my first trip this year for me to fish for the Kentucky Spots using the fly rod on Smith Lake. I started out using a size 4 Boggle Bug in dark turquoise on my 4 wt. After a few minutes of casting I discovered that the size 4 popper was a little too much bug for the 4 wt because it required to much effort to get the distance I wanted. I had my 5 wt with me but it was rigged with a cream Wooly Bugger. I usually fish the size 4 Boggle Bugs with the 5 wt, but I needed the backbone of the 5 wt for the Buggers, to help with hook set. With all that said I lost the lone Spot of the morning on the turquoise popper, and never got to stretch the leader again with that fly. The top water action was not happening so I decide to go to the Wooly bugger and a Craw. I did manage to land two Spots using a cream bugger and the other three spots was landed using a unique craw pattern tied by Pat Cohen from the blog Warm Water Journal. This craw is amazingly life like, and will be one of my top producing flies this season. Pat ties some exceptional flies and this pattern is just one of many he ties. The spots in this lake feed heavily on crawfish and this fly is the perfect imitation to entice big hits. The down side of this whole trip was the fact I only got to fish an hour, because my crack battery went out. I have learned over the years if you own a boat, there is always something that is going wrong with it, and today was an example.

Good fight on the 5wt--the lake is super clear so this spot had no trouble seeing the Craw. I expect to land some larger Spot using this fly.

This Craw pattern is going to be a winner on this lake for me, because the bass have not seen anything like this pattern before

That Fish is Still on my Mind*********

 I thought I would give you guys a little background into the Spotted Bass. The catch the other day is still on my mind and I just wanted to share with you why this fish is so special with me. I told you the other day that I put it in the class with the smallmouth. It never knows when to quit fighting. That is what intrigues me so much about the fish—it is like the energizer bunny it just keeps going and going and going----the following is an article from our Bama Bass Fishing Magazine –hope you enjoy***


Spotted Bass Fishing
Don’t forget the Spotted Bass! Thousands of Alabama anglers seek the popular largemouth bass as their primary target, although many say that catching a Spotted Bass gives them a better fight. Both species live in many Alabama lakes, explaining why you can catch the occasional “spot” while fishing for largemouth bass. The bass are well known for their aggressiveness once hooked; however there are many other distinct differences between these two black bass species.
Spotted prefer cooler water. This is why you don't find them in farm ponds where summer surface water temperatures can reach 90 degrees. They also favor areas low in turbidity, which excludes sites that receive excessive runoff. Spotted Bass tend to stay in rocky areas and avoid mud bottoms and dense vegetation. Two Alabama reservoirs that have excellent populations of the bass include Smith Lake and Lake Martin, both of which are deep, clear water systems with abundant steep rock ledges.
The bass reaches sexual maturity when they are one to two years old or about 10 inches long. The normal spawning period in Alabama lakes occurs from mid-April to late May, depending on geographical location. The spawning period typically lasts around 30-45 days. This is much shorter than the largemouth, which can last over 65 days. Spotted Bass generally spawn deeper than largemouth bass and nest sites can be at depths from 3 to 21 feet.
Adult bass primarily eats crawfish, fish and insects, with a strong preference to crawfish. In one study, stomach analysis revealed that crawfish made up 73 percent of the total diet of the bass.
You will find two types of Spotted Bass in Alabama. The Kentucky Spotted is found in the Tennessee River drainage in North Alabama, while the Alabama version of the Spotted Bass is restricted to the upper Mobile Basin. The Alabama bass usually grows bigger than the Kentucky.
The current Alabama record for spotted is 8 pounds 15 ounces and was caught from Smith Lake in the late 1970s. This fish once held the world record and still remains one of the largest spots ever caught. Spotted Bass do not achieve weights as heavy as the largemouth bass but, pound for pound, many anglers feel the spotted bass is second to none.
Don’t forget the spotted bass while fishing in Alabama. We all love the largemouth, but there is something to be said about a feisty Spotted Bass on the end of your line.

My Largest Kentucky Spotted Bass Ever Using the Fly Rod

For me today it was not my ordinary day on Smith Lake. Mike and I were fishing shade with some cooler temps in the 50’s. The water temperature was running between 69 and 70 degrees. The fish were far and few between. The water was extremely clear and extremely low. The lake this time of year is down 10 to 12 ft. getting ready for all the spring rains. We moved into one of the high rock walls areas in the Ryan Creek area where I had landed some quality spots earlier this year. I had been using my 5Wt. 8 ½ ft. Redington all morning with a dark turquoise size 4 popper. The poppers I have started using is the Booglebug brand because of their finish and the eye detail. With only limited success on the turquoise (small rock bass and a couple of largemouths, I decided to tie on a # 4 size charturse black-legged popper. I was using a 5X tippet. I chose the light tippet because of the clear water. As I have mentioned in previous posts the water is so clear in this lake one can see 10 ft. down. So the lighter tippet gave me a better chance of getting the hit. As I moved the boat into a position to make a long cast into one of the rock overhangs, I notice some movement under the rock overhang. I twitch the big bug a couple of times with no success. So another cast was in order to the left of the rock overhang. As I twitched the bug lightly I saw the wake and then the bug was gone. I immediately set the hook and the fight was on. The fish started to move into the 50 to 60 ft water trying to strip the hook out. I was using my line at my feet to give the fish all the lead way it wanted. I told my buddy to take control of the trolling motor as I moved to the back of the boat to get a better feel for the fish which I had not seen. As all my line at my feet was gone I finally manage to get the fish on the reel, which helped out because I needed my drag to help handle this fish which I still had not seen. The drag was humming and the fish was still going even deeper as the depth finder registered 110 ft. I told Mike that I had a big catfish, because of the depth dives this fish was making. After about two minutes into this battle, I finally was able to see the fish as it came up about 50 ft. from me, and that is when I went ballistic. This was the largest spot I had ever caught on the fly and as a matter of fact the largest spot I have ever caught period. It weighed in at 3 ½ lbs and proved why the Kentucky Spot is one of the toughest fighting fish around. I would put it on the same level as the smallmouth. They are extremely hard to catch in this pound range because they didn’t get to be this big by being dumb. I have caught a lot of fish in my life and I would have to say that this catch is at the top of the list. For 2 minutes this morning, I experienced something only a few fishermen can experience in a lifetime---landing a huge Kentucky Spot on the fly rod. I was told at the dock that this could be a record for Alabama on the fly rod. I will check and let you guys know.  -----Side note: little did I know this would be one of many big Spotted Bass I would land on Smith in the coming years!!    

     

  The big bug had a death hold

A proud guy even if part of his hat is gone--all that

matters were the fish

The rock wall the big male came from.

Something I haven’t done in a While

Went out to the local lake the other morning and decided to leave the fly rod at home and just cast a top water plug. I was using a short 5 ½ ft. rod with a low profile Shimano casting reel. This is the set-up I use to tackle the small creeks way back when in Mississippi. It brought back memories of how it use to be with the casting rigs. When I retired my priorities sort of changed as far as fishing was concerned. I found myself fishing with guys retired too and most all of them either fly fished or ultra light fished. I had for year’s fished light tackle and that was one of my favorite ways to land quality fish and get the ultimate enjoyment out of the play. But while fishing with another one of my buddies who was very proficient with the fly rod -----well it really brought back memories. I had fished with the fly rod most all my life but on a very limited basis and it always took a back seat to my bait casting rigs. Little did I know that one day I would just about give up the bass rigs and totally devote most all my time back to the fly rod. That is what has happened with me at this point in my fishing life. The trip the other morning was enjoyable catching the spot on top with the cripple killer lure, but I found myself wishing and wondering how it would have been to land this 16” on the fly. My only regret through my years of fishing has been the fact that I totally let the bass rigs dominate my trips. I find myself wishing now that I had use my fly rod more, and I probably would not have missed out on some of the awesome fights I get with the it now. I will be making a trip to Mississippi to fish with my brother on Monday and you can bet the fly rod will be my main rig I carry. Hope all of you have great weekend fishing.

Landing Stripped Bass Using the Bouface Fly

I decided today I was going to fish the huge levee of Smith Dam and place the big Boggle Bug popper in and around the big boulders that were put in place when the lake was created. So with the boat launched, I proceeded to the east end of the levee where the depth finder was reading between 100 ft. to 110 ft. off the edge of steep rocks.  With the lake being low I could see the shelf bank that the low water revealed. I started with my 5wt. and made a long shoot cast right to the edge of the rock bank and let the popper sit idle for a few seconds and started a short jerk hop motion for about a 6 ft. run. This was the presentation I used throughout the early morning until the sun overtook the banks. With the levee being only 200 yards in length I had to make every cast count. The water was extremely clear and at times I could see the fish before I ever made the cast. The only problem was if you could see the fish then they could see you. So I made all the cast seated in the Bass Tracker. I found if I stood up the fish would spook and head for deeper water. The levee produced 3 nice spots for me all over the 12” mark using the idle jerk pop presentation.  The hits today were vicious.  I really like to fish this popper when the fish are really after it and this morning they meant to kill it. At the end of the levee, I debated whether to go back and fish it again or go to another area that I had fish last year. The other area got the vote and I worked that area the same way with the poppers but with no success, not because the sun was on the bank but because the topwater hit was over. You only have about an hour to fish the top before the fish turn off. So I switched to a fly that looks somewhat like a streamer but on a smaller scale called the Bouface Brown. Little did I know that this little # 6 fly was going to give me the best nymphing experience I have ever had with a fly rod on Smith Lake.  I positioned the boat so I could fish this long gravel point. I made a long cast across the point and starting stripping the fly back to me when I got a hit and landed a nice spot.

I was glad I was using the 5 wt. because it gave me that extra backbone I needed to fight the fish and land it. This activity lasted for about 20 minutes and in that time I landed one of the largest striped bass I have ever caught on the fly which was a 3.3 lb strip bass again with the Bouface. Using the fly rod on schooling strips who would have thought I started the day with 3 Bouface flies in the box and ended the day with none. I lost all three on break-offs on fish I never turned around. I got to do something today I had never done landing striped bass using the fly rod and it is something I will never forget. Today’s trip shows me that there are so many ways to enjoy this great sport.  

Finally Back on the Water

I guess you have notice for the past couple of weeks that I have not posted any fishing trips. I spent my fishing day last week visiting with my best friend while his wife was undergoing an operation. Everything turned out fine. This past weekend was taken up with my wife and me spending three days in Dallas Texas at my nieces wedding. We made it home late Sunday night. So needless to say I was looking forward to getting back on the water. One of my fishing buddies and I spent a couple of hours on Smith this morning fishing for some more of those fighting Kentucky Spots. We had some jarring hits on some of the large poppers. The water is falling on the lake. Lake management always lowers the lake in the fall anticipating the spring rains. This is one of the best times to see what is actually under water. Lots of ledges are always exposed, which creates a constant shade for some big bass. So the whole trip today was centered round learning how to get that big popper under a ledge which would protrude back sometimes 2 ft. If you was lucky enough to land that bug as close to the back wall and under that daunting ledge---then your bug would get killed by a largemouth, big bull gill or one of those mean spots. I manage to land a couple of nice spots in the 15” range under the ledges and a nice meal of gills to carry home. The 4 Wt. got a work out today. My buddy helped out with the gill donation. He was having the same problem I was with the close mouth hits by the bass. So we were really glad to land the fish we did. I always learn something on every trip I make and today was no exception. My buddy was using a skip cast to get his fly underneath the ledges, which was producing some awesome hits. To say I learned how to master this cast today is an understatement. Let me put it this way I will need to make more trips. Sorry guys no pictures my camera was still in my wife’s car full of wedding pictures and not in the boat with me----BOMBER!!!!

The Bugger and the Spotted Bass

Some days on the water can prove to be rewarding and frustrating at times. That was the case today when Mike and I made a daylight trip to one of the many creeks on beautiful Smith Lake. The conditions today were nice, with just a hint of early fall in the air. The scenery what can I say its Smith Lake, crystal clear waters high rock formation, large boulders underwater, and of course the many species of fish in the lake. I decided on today’s trip to use two set-ups one with the 5 Wt. and the other was my new addition the 4 Wt. The 5 Wt. was the perfect fit with the Tungsten head brown Wooly Bugger, to imitate the many crawfish that find a home in the rock crevasses.

The 4Wt. was set up with a number 6 concave face popper in cream white with some red sprinkled dots along the sides. During daylight hours or heavy overcast days, it is always best to use light colors especially a white variation. The fish can see lighter colors better at that time of day instead of a darker color. The exact opposite holds true for sunny days. With the 4 Wt. and the cream 6 popper, the very first presentation produced a nice 12” spot located in a brush pile adjacent to a large boulder in 30 ft. of water. What a way to christen the new 4 Wt. I must say it didn’t disappoint on that fish. The frustration part of the trip came right before the sun clipped the tree line. I made a long shoot cast standing on the bow of the boat. The big popper just floated in place under an overhanging rock ledge. With a slight jerk, the popper disappeared and I set the hook only to have the big spot to take the popper and wave it in the air in front of me. It was like this fish wanted to let me know who was boss, and I must admit today he was. To add insult to the misery I had to see the 20” plus fish, as it flung its body in the air with my popper in its mouth. Along with the frustration and the sun came an end to the topwater action. I wonder if this popper is still in his mouth?

 The frustration earlier now had given way to the rewarding part of the trip. As the trip ended with bluebird skies and winds out of the southeast it was time to call it a morning. I must admit the frustration part of this trip will take a while to get over. After a great fight, I landed a 16” spot. Maybe what the doctor needs to prescribe is another daylight outing soon.

Fishing Boogle Bug Poppers With Jason

Today was a trip with my son Jason, who seldom gets to fish with me. He is in school at the University of Alabama and most of his time is taken up with classes and studying. He is between summer and fall break and we had the opportunity to hit the lake this morning at daylight. We got to one of my favorite spots on the rock walls around daybreak. Today's trip was to go after the Spotted Bass with the bass popper. I haven't really fished for the Spotted Bass this year with a large popper, because I have been into landing the bluegills. Jason told me before we planned the trip that the Spotted Bass was what he wanted to go after, mainly because of the tremendous fight one gets when landing one of these fish. They are in the class with the smallmouth when it comes to giving the angler a great tussle on the fly rod. The best approach with landing a quality spot or any large fish with the fly rod is to get the fish on the reel as soon as possible if, you can manage it. I know at times one doesn’t have that luxury to do that. Everything was working for the most part until the sun came up and it was like someone turned the lights out and all the bass developed lockjaw. I knew we could go deep with a Wooly Bugger or Bouface Leach, but this would take time and that was something we didn't have a lot of especially when the temps were going to reach triple digits after lunch. So with a couple of hours to fish before the humidity and heat set in I maneuvered the boat in a position to start down the rock wall presenting the number 6 turquoise Boogle Bug Popper. With daylight just breaking and on his second cast a nice bull gill plugged the popper smack into the opening of his mouth.

After numbers of side run and pretending to be ready to be netted the spot finally ease to the edge of the boat and was lipped. Jason had just landed a 16" spot, which ended a great trip with a quality fish. Quality Spotted Bass on Smith Lake are hard to come by, during the hot summer months, and a 16" is a quality Spotted bass any day.