Family Time 2026

Cathey and I spent this past week in Greystone Farms, fishing, hiking, and enjoying time with our daughter Jenny and our son Jason at his house. We wish Jenny's husband, B.T. could have joined us but his work schedule wouldn't permit him to come. We had a three‑day get‑together and Jenny and the kids ended up landing more fish than they had ever caught on the lake, using fly rods and spinning gear. The lake was high and the water a little off‑color from all the rain, but it didn’t slow down the bass or bluegill bite. What made the trip even better was the time together — sharing meals, laughter on the back porch, and catching up on everything the grandkids have been doing since we were all together last year. Their lives are changing so fast. Even little Hallie, the youngest, will be four in August, and it seems like yesterday she was just a baby. Moments like these remind us how quickly time slips by, and how grateful we are to spend it with family who matters the most.

All the fish were landed using ultra light combos and micro lights combos, which matched the fish the kids were landing. At times they just knew they had a fish on bigger than what they actully caught, which added to the fun of fishing for this size bass and bluegill. It was a shame the spawn was over for this cycle but still the gills could be caught in deeper water using the crystal buggers. All the bass were landed using a 4" mister twister worm. 

When Does a Pond Become a Lake

 When does a pond become a small lake? If you had asked me that question when I was a young boy fishing with my younger brother on our two-acre pond, I would have told you it was a lake. According to Google, a typical body of water is considered a lake at 10 acres or more. So, the 15-acre lake in Greystone Farms, where my son’s house is located, is indeed a lake.

The lake sits in a deep ravine surrounded by a couple of subdivisions to the west and east. It is spring-fed, which helps the water level remain fairly consistent throughout the year. No boats or swimming are allowed on the lake, and the only individuals permitted to fish there are the residents who live in the neighborhood. It is an excellent bank-fishing lake for spinning gear, casting reels, live bait fishermen, and, of course, fly rods.

I can count on one hand the number of fly fishermen who fish there regularly. My son and I, a couple of other guys, and one lady who is probably better than all of us—and that is saying a lot. Of course, she has been fishing the lake for years.

Fishing this lake brings back many memories of when my younger brother and I would walk the banks of our little pond using cane poles rigged with long lines the same length as the pole, usually 8 or 9 feet long. We would cast a hook rigged with a grasshopper or redworm close to the edge, fishing for anything cruising the banks looking for an easy meal. Sometimes we would wade the shallow water just to make a longer cast. Bluegill and small bass were usually the catch of the day, with an occasional shellcracker mixed in. Those memories make me wish I could go back and relive those days again, when time seemed to pass more slowly.

There is something special about fishing a small lake like Greystone Frams with a light fly rod. You don’t need a boat, expensive electronics, or heavy tackle to enjoy this 15-acre lake. My son’s house is less than a minute from the shoreline, and there are no time restrictions. Whether it is a quick 20-minute trip or an hour-long outing, the lake provides a relaxing escape and a chance to relieve the stress of the day. In fact, some of the best bass and bluegill action happens right from the bank late or early using simple flies and lightweight rods.

Using 2-, 3-, or 4-weight fly rods turns even modest fish into memorable battles. A hand-sized bluegill feels like a trophy, and a one-pound bass on a light rod can test both your nerves and your drag system. Small lakes are ideal places to slow down and experiment with flies that may have sat in your fly box for years but, for some reason, were never used.

This lake is heavily fished with traditional tackle and, as mentioned earlier, by a few fly fishermen as well. Since no boats are allowed, all the pressure comes from the bank, making the fish extremely spooky. Late afternoons and early mornings are the times I prefer to fish. I still use many of the same techniques I learned while fishing our pond years ago. Casting parallel to the banks is often far more productive than making long casts into the deeper parts of the lake. Fish cruise the shoreline early and late in the day, feeding on anything close to the bank. I use only small flies and tiny buggers instead of large patterns.

I have found my third home waters fishing the lake at Greystone Farms. I am close to the water, close to the fish, and every strike feels personal like the species that I have landed there using my 2/3 fly rods.

A Mix!!

 Reporting in on Saturday's Walker Lake trip and Tuesday's Smith Lake trip, fishing with my son Jason, both days were filled with wind and more wind. I thought March was supposed to be our windy month, but somehow March and April got reversed when you factor in the wind fishing at Walker and Smith Lake. Water temperatures on both lakes are well below 70 degrees but rising, making it ideal to fish surface poppers at daylight, which is the best time to land numbers of quality fish. 5:30 to 9:00 AM is the prime time, giving Jason and me roughly 3 hours to hit the active sweet spots in that time slot. You can continue to fish after 9, but you really have work for the hits. So we packed it in around 9 oclock. When Jason is home, he always wants to work in as many trips as he can fishing Smith Lake. 

Guys, catfish on a 7 1/2 ft. 2 wt is a fight--fishing with a size 12 pheasant tail nymph--now I know the pheasant tail will catch anytbing!

Nice size bull taken on the Doozy, size 12 which I tied back in the winter. I landed two more this size using what was left of the fly, as it came apart, because of poor fly tying. I hope to improve with my fly tying in the winter months. Rest assure I will tie more of the Doozy!

My largest largemouth, to date taken on Walker this trip using a size eight betts popper. Wal Mart carries this brand popper. They are average poppers, which will last mid way through the bluegill spawn. They don't deserve a rating of a 10, but a 7 is more in their range, but they will get hits!!

Jason landed numerous spotted bass in the 12 to 15 inch mark Wedneday fishing the, Boogle Bug size 6 olive, which is his favorite color to fish at daylight. Unbelievable fight using his Hardy Streamflex 9ft. 5 wt. 

I'm not saying this becasue he is my son but I haven't seen anyone that can master his skill-set at false casting and delivering an oversize 6 Boogle Bug so light that it resembles a small bug touching the water. With him, the presentation is what get the takes. Two fun days on the water for sure!

Forgot to mention the Shellcracker was landed by me along with a few smaller bass using my 3 wt. I was testing nook areas for the bluegill, which was not active on this day.

Meal Time!!

 Spring is my favorite time of year to fly fish. The fish are far more active, the early spawn is getting closer, and they’re in a protective frenzy around their beds. During this time of year, they’ll strike almost anything that comes near their beds. You can expect a vigorous fight from both bluegill and bass. After feeding heavily through late fall and winter, these fish are in top shape and ready to put a serious bend in any fly rod.

Today my 2/3‑weight fly rods got quite a workout as I fished Walker County Lake. I landed numerous small bluegill along with some quality bull gills. None of these fish were spawning yet, but they were holding about ten feet off the banks. It was the same script as last year — steady action with hits spaced about ten to 15 minutes apart. In other words, patience was the key to putting together a good catch today.

Tiny poppers and small buggers were the bluegills’ choice of fake food this morning. My season always starts at Walker County Lake and finishes up on Smith Lake in the fall.  Today was the start of my twenty first season fishing this great lake. I never tire fishing its waters

Little Fish Keep You Focused

As stated in the title of this post, little fish can be a motivating factor to keep casting even on slow fishing days. That was the case yesterday, when I made my first trip of the year to Walker Lake. Water temp was a cool 60 degrees and no wind and overcast skies, which is near perfect conditions for fly fishing: but it was not to be. I am glad I was fishing with 7 1/2 ft. 2 wt. becasue even these little guys seem big on the 2wt. I landed bunches of these little gills during my 3 hour trip, which was fun and great practice to land the big bulls I will encourter in the next 3 weeks. 

The Caddis fly that I had tied a few weeks back was the main fly the little gills would inhaled, which please me becasue now I know some of the flies I have tied have value. The water was super clear and the least movemnet of the boat would spook the fish, so I changed my tippet size to an 6X --2lb test to get a lighter presentation of the caddis. This was my first time to use a tippet this light: I was impressed 

After tying the flies last week I decided to apply some Stay Dry floatant on the few I was going to fish with. I was amazed at thow well it worked. I was able to fish the last couple of hours without appling anymore. The has to be the best floatant I have ever used! 

It was Spring Break this week for our grandchildren and Cathey and I were glad we got to spend the weekend with our Daughter and her two girls. Our two grandsons were on deep sea fishing trip with their Dad and Grandpaw. Our youngest grandchild, Little Hallie got to land her first fish, using redworms, she was really excited!!  

Fishing Small Lures is a Winner!!

 As most of you know, I fish three different places where we live: Walker County Lake, Smith Lake, and the Sipsey Tailrace. All three are within 25 minutes of our house, and all three are heavily fished. In other words, they are pressured waters. I learned years ago that if I wanted to be successful fishing pressured waters—especially the areas you call your home waters—I couldn’t fish the way everyone else was fishing.

When we called Tupelo, Mississippi home back in the mid-70s and early ’80s, I fished with baitcasting and spinning reels. I would always carry two to three combos with me—both baitcasting and spinning gear—and I consistently landed more fish using the spinning gear. Both setups were medium to medium-heavy. Landing a standard 12- to 14-inch bass wasn’t much of a fight on either combo, but the spinning gear was always the winner.

Then came my first experience using ultralight combos in the spring of 1977. Back then, nobody really used light tackle on the four lakes my fishing buddy and I fished. True, you could purchase light tackle, but it wasn’t promoted like it is today. I started with a 6½-foot Eagle Claw ultralight action rod and a small to medium Garcia spincast reel spooled with 6-pound test monofilament.

I still remember that trip because we had company coming for dinner that night—and I was late. The reason? I had the best fishing trip I had ever experienced. In one afternoon, I landed between 40 and 50 bass in the 11- to 14-inch range using my Garcia combo. It was mid-afternoon, overcast, and there was no wind. That one trip changed the way I fish to this day.

Ralph, my fishing buddy during our years in Tupelo, caught fish too—but not nearly the numbers I landed. In fact, I felt so bad about the success I was having that I gave up the front seat in the boat to him. On our next trip the following week, guess who had the same combo I was fishing with? We still talk about that trip and all the others we made together.

Over the next couple of years, I really got into ultralight fishing. The day we left Mississippi for Jasper, I owned five ultralight combos. Two of those were microlight rods in lengths of 7½ feet and 8 feet. Those two are the only ones I still have from the original five. Since then, I’ve added a couple of 7-foot Spinmatic ultralight rods to go along with my microlights.

Today, I mainly use the micro light rods when Cathey and I fish for the huge bluegills on Smith Lake in July and August. My grandchildren use the 7-foot ultralights when they’re fishing the 15-acre lake in Greystone Farms, where Jason has a house. He lives there four to five times a year, and the rest of the time he’s in Sacramento working for Kaiser Health. Cathey and I house-sit for him while he’s away.

So how did I land all those bass that day with the Garcia combo? I was fishing a small 4-inch bleeding shiner curly-tail worm rigged on a 1/0 hook. I rigged the worm so it would have a slight bend, which caused it to swim with circular motion. I worked the worm slowly with short jerks—there was no mistaking a strike. I attached a barrel swivel to the eye of the hook to prevent line twist, which is a must when fishing this worm using a finesse presentation. I still land bass today on Jason’s lake using this method—and so do the grandkids. It’s a little unconventional, but believe me, it works.

That little 4-inch worm is not the only lure that produces results with ultralight combos. Remember, you’re presenting lures to the fish that the fish don’t see very often. Tiny crankbaits, rattle traps, 1/32- to 1/8-ounce jig heads rigged with Z-Shad grubs—or any grub that resembles a baitfish—can all be fished effectively on a 7-foot ultralight. The microlights spooled with 2 to 4lb. test line are also very effective when fishing tungsten-bead Woolly Buggers slowly. . The lighter the line the more distance you get with each cast. I’ve landed huge bluegills fishing Woolly Buggers with both the microlights and fly rods.

The rule I have followed ever since that epic day in 1977 is this:

When fishing clear, pressured water—go smaller.

When fishing cold water—go smaller.

Even in the springtime, stay with smaller lures.

You will be rewarded.