Monday, April 27, 2015

Finding That Gem of a Restaurant in Asheville

  
My wife and I were on a trip to Asheville, North Carolina recently and discovered a fantastic restaurant, Fatz Café.  If you haven’t been to this incredible place, then it needs to be on your bucket list for sure. When we travel, food always comes into play, especially great restaurants, and my wife and I found a gem on this trip.
   Fatz Café is a polished gem not only for the food, but also for the personnel who work at the restaurant. They create a homey atmosphere while you’re enjoying the delicious food. Our waitress Hannah was a prime example of genuine hospitality and making the customer feel at home. My wife and I eat out a lot, but we seldom are blown away with the service and food like we were with Fatz. We enjoyed the food and service so much we dined there twice while we were in Asheville.
   I will end this post by saying if any of you are within driving distance of the Fatz Café, then make it a point to go and take in the great hospitality and the
diversified menu.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Fishing a Fertilized Lake can be a Challenge

I was back on Walker County Lake last week to see if the bluegills have started their spawn? I arrived later in the day and saw numerous boat and bank fishermen scattered around the lake. The lake itself had been fertilized four days earlier so the fish should be a little more active. The fertilize can cause the fish to become somewhat dormant two or three days after the fertilization. I started my journey on the east side of the lake to avoid the bank fishermen who had the west side well occupied.
 I had tied on a white Bar Nunn popper using my 4 weight 8 ½ ft. Redington. The white and light chartreuse have always been a great early spring popper for me on this lake. The long rubber legs on these poppers drive the bluegill nuts. I was fishing closer to the bank today because the fertilize had turned the water cloudy.
My first of the day on the white Bar Nunn put a bend in the 4 weight. This one will become a counter.

Nice Shellcracker on the light Chartreuse Bar Nunn popper; if you want a fight on the fly rod land a Shellcracker!!!
This brush pile gave up the Shellcracker, at its edge where I think more will show up for the spawn.
 
As the sun stated hitting the banks the top action stopped so I went subsurface the rest of the trip. No big bluegills after the sun hit the banks but numerous small gills using the bead head grub subsurface. I had a limited amount of time today because of yard work I had been putting off, but rest assure I will return closer to the spawn.
Some of you have asked me about my Pelican boat. This is actually my newer version of the boat, meaning I replaced my 8 ft. with this 10 ft. to have more room for the Grandchildren. Two individuals can fish out of this boat with ease. I can even stand and cast from it. It is extremely stable. I did replace the seats that came with the boat with thick cushion seats which are much more comfortable.
 
Post Note: I am now 45 away with a long way to go to reach the 50 mark.