Working Through Some Frustration

 

I'm glad summer with its humidity, rain, and heat is coming to an end. I got a feel of some early fall weather Friday morning as I launch my boat at the dam on Smith Lake. A light jacket felt good to be wearing as I motored to one of the many rock walls in Ryan Creek. Fall is some of the best times to fish the lake using a fly rod and popper. 

The closer you get the popper to the wall the better chance you have to get the hit. The heavy rains didn't affect the clarity of the water, making it easy for the bluegill and spotted bass to target the popper. 

The bass was not hitting anything on top and this one was the only one that hit the little popper. I am not complaining because anytime I can land quality bluegill using the 3 wt. I'm pleased!

The winner today in the popper category was the size 8 Orvis Bluegill Bug. I have mentioned how effective this little popper is before in a previous post, but today it outperformed anything I was casting. What makes this popper so special is its ability to go subsurface when moving it. Most all the hits today occurred when the tiny popper was submerged. I always select this popper when the fish are not responding to surface poppers and today was one of those mornings. 

What a great way to spend a cool early fall morning fishing some of my favorite rock walls on beautiful Smith Lake. All these beauties were taken using the little subsurface Bluegill Popper. 

32 fillets ready for the freezer to be enjoyed during the winter months. 

A little frustration, no a lot of frustration trying to maneuver a trout fishing trip on the Sipsey these days. I do have the option to fish on the weekend, but I'm not a fan of casting thirty feet from someone else above and below me. The weekends are the only time the generators are not running. I am grateful I have Smith Lake to fish during the drawdown. Today's trip help me work through my frustration----Hopefully, the drawdown will be complete by October.  

The Color "Orange"

Orange, red, green, chartreuse, and white are all colors that are used when fishing poppers for bluegill and bass. One would think brown or black would be dominant colors fishing for warm water species, but not the case when trying to get a hit from weary bluegill or bass. The primary color of almost all insects that touch the water surface on Smith is black and brown, but I get many more hits using bright colors as opposed to the insect colors. 

The fish were hitting orange on Tuesday morning. I tried other colors which resulted in no hits. As soon as I tied on the Orange popper the bass jumped on it. This Spotted Bass came out of the water to inhale the orange popper. This fish was the second landed on the popper off the wall in the background. The first bass on this same wall was larger and broke me off while I was trying to get it on the drag. Never let your fly line get tangled up at your feet while you are trying to land a fish. How I wish I could have touched that fish I lost!!

The following are some more orange lovers. The bluegill sucked the popper into its gills; it would be my only good bluegill of the morning. The depths on most all the walls now are 10 to 20 ft. as the drawdown continues getting ready for the fall season. The lake is well below full pool during the fall and winter.  I kept wondering what bug the fish thought this popper was? All the Spotted Bass today were respectable giving my 3 wt. a workout!

Who needs a ruler when one can simply have it tattooed on your leg. I think I will pass on this tattoo. Tuesday was another fun day on beautiful Smith Lake!!

Awesome Flyfishing Video

 Guys, I'm going to make this post short and let the video do the talking. Amelia and Dave Jenson do a fantastic job filming some of the most scenic and informative fly fishing videos I have ever watched. I've been watching their videos for over a year now and look forward to everyone they film. Check out their latest it is one of their best!!   

The Amnesia Popper Bug

 

Never think you know what the fish will hit from one day to the next. Looking in one's fly box will attest to that statement. I have flies and poppers in some of the fly boxes that I haven't used in a couple of years. But I still keep them thinking one day on a particular outing that special fly will be called upon to produce some takes. Such was the case on a special outing my son Jason and I made fishing Ryan Creek on beautiful Smith Lake this past week. I say special because Cathey and I had not seen him for a year and a half because of Covid. All three trips we made while he was here fishing the lake were special. Thursday's trip was his best because the popper he was using had not been used since early last year. This was a popper that was in one of my reserve fly boxes that had been on standby for over a year. Do I need any more flies or popper no? But I keep finding flies and poppers I think will be the ONE!! I have enough flies and poppers to last me the rest of my fishing days. So, Thursday's trip begins with a 4 AM wake-up alarm enabling us to leave the house at 4:30. We were on the water at 5 AM fishing on one of the epic rock walls before the sun came up. What makes this time so special aside from the bite, is the silk smooth water surface one encounters at this time of the morning on the lake. In other words, you make the most of what time you are given before the boat traffic takes over. 

The lighter the popper can touch the silk smooth surface film the better chance you have of attracting a bite. 

The first bass and bluegill of the morning that Jason landed. The popper that got all the attention from the bass and bluegill this day was the size 6 Amnesia Bug in pearly white. As stated in the intro this popper hasn't seen any action since early spring last year. Jason would land over 15 bass using this one popper for the 4 hour morning trip. I was using the smaller version and landed a third of his catch. 

This largemouth was taken off the wall behind Jason. The bass hit light making him think it was a large bluegill. As quick as it headed for deep water stripping drag he knew it had size. All larger bass here when hook will try to break off by finding a boulder and cover in deeper water. They seldom break the surface during the fight the depth dives are their strength! 

Another Largemouth landed to the right of the boat pier using the Amnesia Bug--one great popper when one is trying to imitate shad, which is the main diet of the bass on Smith. No surface fight in this video all the fight was down deep. This bass ended its fight in a depth of 52 ft. some distance from the rock wall. Next to this wall, there is a shelf depth of 20 ft. where the bass chase the shad close to the surface and inhale them as they try to make it to the wall for cover. Jason landed this fish using his 9 ft. Sage 4 wt. fast action fly rod----Jason and I are convinced if one wants to experience the ultimate fight from the largemouth and spotted bass on Smith one needs to use the fly rod. It takes skill to land these fish using a 5X tippet ---in other words, one doesn't rush the landing, because if you do you missed your chance to touch one of these great fighters!! 

Family Time

 

 This past week Cathey and I have been enjoying the company of our daughter and her children and our son Jason who is an RN in Sacramento. It has been a year and a half since we have seen Jason because of Covid. He is home for two weeks to help with the remodeling of his house and catch up on some fishing. 

We started our week fishing Smith Lake which is still well above full pool. Super clear water and lush greenery were a welcome sight. 

Jenny and Bryson fishing with crickets on Smith this past Wednesday; both landed some really nice bull bluegills fishing with  7 1/2 ft. ultra-light rods and reels.

Laelyn and Cash got in on the action Thursday fishing for catfish on Park Pond. Neither Cash or Laelyn would touch the catfish so Pops did the honors. They did a great job playing and landing both fish!! Bryson hit a milestone landing his first fish using his Redington 7 1/2 ft. 2 wt. Congrats Bryson, Laelyn, and Cash on a great outing fishing with Pops and Jason. 

Tellico Hatchery trout--Fighters!!

The Sipsey Tailrace is one of many tailraces that depend on trout hatcheries for a supply of trout year-round. The two main hatcheries that release trout into the Sipsey are Dale Hollow Hatchery and Tellico Hatchery both located in Tennessee. Most of the time the trout arrive in great condition considering the distance from the hatchery and the tailrace. Sometimes some can be lost due to the oxygen content in the tank they are transferred in. Of the two hatcheries mentioned Tellico releases the largest and healthiest trout. Dale Hollow's trout are smaller and not as healthy as the Tellico trout. I was lucky to fish the Sipsey this past Friday the day after Tellico released 1100 pounds in the Sipsey Thursday afternoon. All the trout released were quality trout a challenge for any fly fishermen using a fly rod.

I like to fish the tailrace when it's super clear because you can spot the trout you are targeting and know exactly where to place your fly. Friday was the last day of a three-day wind blitz we had been experiencing, so I was wondering if the wind would be a factor. To my surprise, the wind was a plus, because the ripples created by the wind made it difficult for the trout to see you up close in some of the holes I fished. This particular run was very good to me for the morning outing. 

Dana one of my blogging and fly fishing buddies from Huntsville met me at the tailrace around 8:30. He is a member of theTennessee Valley Fly Fishers Club in Huntsville Alabama. He is also the editor of their monthly newsletter. So between fly fishing and reporting news from the club he stays busy. He had his best day fishing the Sipsey Friday. We both agreed as we were leaving and walking up the banks of the gorge that the trout were active this morning. Thanks, Dana for joining me on a successful trip for both of us!

This fatty rainbow was my first to get the morning started for me fishing an area I like to fish in clear water. I saw this trout moving back and forth in a tight run feeding. I noticed he was rising some and would settle back into his comfort zone. I tried a couple of nymphs trying to get him to commit to a hit but no luck. At times he would turn and move toward the nymph but no take. So after changing flies 4 times I finally hit on the nymph he took. What is so cool about tight lining is seeing the take and knowing you have only seconds to set the hook, otherwise you miss the trout. I am getting better at detecting the take as shown with this beauty taken on my 10 ft. 3 wt.---colorful gill plate on this trout. He put the 3 wt. through an unbelievable fight before he was netted. Gotta love it when a plan comes together!!

Another healthy Tellico rainbow landed fishing pocket water near access six. Every trout I landed this morning engaged the drag. I would have lost some of the trout today if not for my drag. A 5X tippet can easily be broken when this size trout charges in and out of rock beds fraying a tippet line quickly. 

Sorry for the reflection in the background, but I was trying to get the photo before this trout jetting off.  This trout was more of a fighter than any I landed for the morning. He made numerous runs before I netted him. 

Another Tellico beauty landed as I was waiting for Dana to catch up with me at access five. By the way access, 5 is the best way to leave the tailrace if you are a senior. Access 6 and 7 are for those young bucks to climb all those stairs upward to leave the gorge, not us seasoned guys! 

What a great way to spend a morning doing something that both of us love to do, landing numerous rainbow trout fishing on our favorite tailrace!!----------------tightlines!!

Rare Saturday Morning Fishing on The Sipsey

 Guys I've been trying to fish the Sipsey for weeks. Well, this morning I made a rare visit on a Saturday. I didn't get lonesome I had plenty of company. I was fishing my 10 ft. 3 wt. this morning tight-lining in places where others were not fishing. Anytime one can land a few trout on a beautiful morning without rain, tornados, and cold fronts is always a plus.!! 

If you haven't given the 10 ft. 3 wt a try it is worth a look. This stocker trout was quite a workout for the 10 ft. Netting the trout takes some adjustment when dealing with an extra foot in length. 

You all know how proud Cathey and I are of our grandchildren, well we feel like our oldest one Bryson is growing up too fast. He will graduate from the elementary school next week. Just seems like yesterday we were rocking him to sleep when he was a baby----makes us wonder sometimes how times zooms by!

I can't mention Bryson without mentioning Cash our youngest grandson. He is the number one player on his tag football team. He has a lot of speed for 6 years old. Laylyn, Pops hasn't forgotten you I will feature some of your tennis skills soon. 

Another rainbow landed today fishing deep in unknown waters on the Sipsey. Look for the 10 wt. to make an appearance on Smith Lake soon fighting some of those bull bluegills. This trout was a hoot to land on the 3 wt. 

I'm a big fan of wild fern in wetlands and shaded wooded areas. To duplicate the sound of a small stream with wild fern around it like Alan's fishes I decided I would created a little wetland near our front door. Alan, I can't fish this place but it reminds me of all those small streams all you guys have the pleasure to fish .  Tightlines!!

The Spotted Bass a Worthy Opponent on the Fly Rod

 Jeff and I started our Smith Lake fishing season off with a bang Tuesday, fishing high water 10 ft. above full pool. Two generators were active during the morning but that didn't stop both of us from landing some nice Spotted Bass and a few quality bluegills.

Jeff landed this nice Spotted Bass in one of the nooks close to the launch, using what else the famed Boogle Bug popper. The male bass put up a tight fight!!

The size 10 Boogle Bullet was what got this Bass's attention. It is the smallest Boogle popper in the collection. Moving this popper will cause it to go subsurface and then float upward. The hit will usually occur when the popper is sitting still. This bass just couldn't resist inhaling the small popper. The two best colors in the small bullet collection are white and electric blue.

A few bluegills were taken using the White and Electric Blue bullet letting the popper rest motionless for a few seconds and then wait for the take. The really big bull bluegills haven't moved into the back of the nooks yet to get ready for the spawn. Water temps play a big part in the spawning process and the temps at 65 degrees in Smith at the present time are too cold for any active spawning. 

I thought I would update you guys on the progress made with the clean-up behind Jason's house and the rest of the houses on the street his house is on after the tornado hit. This is what the common area behind almost all the houses look like before the clean-up was finished last Saturday. 

This image is what the common area looks like now after the Church of the Highlands finished moving all the fallen trees, stumps, and huge limbs from the area. They even filled in all the huge root holes after all the big trees were removed. The Church of the Highlands is the largest in Alabama with a membership of well over 30,000 members. Their mission work is remarkable and many of the residents were so grateful for their assistance in the clean-up effort. Many residents of the subdivision also volunteered to help remove blown insulation, decking material, shingles, and household items that had been blown all over the subdivision. There is still a lot of debris to be moved but everyone felt we made huge progress with Saturday's work. 

Jeff recorded a video using his phone of me fighting a nice Spotted Bass but he missed filming the landing of the fish -- the link for the video is https://youtu.be/-vxwzJqI2vw  -----I was going to share it in this post but for some reason, the video link on blogger would not transfer it into this post because it was not found on Utube.  The only way to find it on Utube was by using the link. I will be filming more videos this season using my Contour video camera so you guys can see just how hard these Spotted Bass and huge Bluegills fight when hooked. 

Sorry, I couldn't be a little more professional with the video but sometimes technology can outwit you. 

Heavy Rains, Flooding, Tornadoes and No Fishing

 Guys I can't begin to tell you how much I've been looking forward to this fishing season. Well, the weather here in the South has been so erratic that all my early season fishing plans have been washed, or shall I say blown away. We have experienced some of the worst flooding and destructive tornadoes in years here in Alabama. I like to think that this type of weather is a normal occurrence for this region, but year after year is too much to stomach. I can remember growing up as a young boy in Choctaw County Mississippi, near Mississippi State never witnessing a tornado. A little wind and heavy rain but never a severe tornado. We have already experienced 45 this season and may be on track to equal the 145 that hit the state in 2011. Of course, along with the tornados comes the heavy rains, flooding, destruction and we must not forget the loss of life occurring each time one of these monsters hits the state. I hate to be pessimistic but I feel we are going to witness even more destructive storms in the coming years. We can thank Climate Change for this misery!!

I have never seen Smith Lake this muddy with the lake at 522 ft. which is 22 ft. above full pool. Numerous piers broke free of their cables and floated south towards the dam. The entire parking lot and launches at Smith Lake Dam were completely underwater. The last time I've seen the lake this high was at 518 in February of 2019 but never at 522 height. There will be no productive fishing on the lake until the water recedes at least 10 to 12 ft and the water clears some. We are looking at weeks before this happens. I am thankful I have Walker Lake to fish because it never gets muddy. 

Another causality of the recent tornado we experienced this past Thursday was this house that Jason bought about three months ago in Greystone Farms. Cathey and I had been overseeing some work on the house before the tornado hit it. This house was lucky that its roof didn't collapse with this size tree landing on the roof. The base of the tree was at least 30 inches in diameter. He can be thankful that his house wasn't damaged as bad as a lot of the other homes in the subdivision. A lot of residents in Greystone lost everything including all their furniture. This one tornado stayed on the ground for an astounding 167 miles according to James Spann the main weatherman in Birmingham. He had heavy damage to his house. The tornado started in Columbia Alabama and ended in Rome Georgia. 

Even Jasons Alabama birdhouse which was setting on the top of this post wasn't spared the destructive winds. All the common areas along the street where Jason's house is was demolished. Some of the trees were spared but most huge trees were taken down. His house overlooks a 15-acre lake that had trees blown down in it. The mile and a half walking trail around the lake will be close until trees can be removed. One would never know there was a tornado by viewing the lake's southern end of the subdivision. Notice all the houses across the lake still intact. Funny how tornados miss some areas and destroy other areas. Cathey and I will be busy in the coming weeks dealing with storm damage and work on Jason's house. I hope to have a more favorable post soon involving landing some fish waiting to inhale a few flies. Everyone take care

My Second Home Lake

 This post was supposed to be about learning the Euro Nymph fishing technique fishing the Sipsey Tailrace. That trip got washed away with heavy generation occurring on the tailrace below the dam on Smith Lake. This time of the year is a tuff time to try to fish the tailrace or the lake because of generation. So I loaded the Pelican Boat in the back of my truck and headed for Walker Lake. I seldom fish this lake with my Bass Tracker because it's much easier to navigate the small nooks that make up the body of the lake. My fishing season always starts each year on Walker Lake because its waters warm up much quicker than a large lake the size of Smith. 

Cold and clear lake water was what I was going to be fishing for today. The water temp was 55 degrees, which is the coldest I've ever fished here. The county is still recovering from the 12 to 15-degree temps we experienced the week earlier. I knew today was going to be a challenge but I was up for the task and just glad to be on the water!

A quality bass on the Yellow Gant, which was the last one I had in my fly box. This fly brings back a lot of memories because it is a fly my brother, who passed away a couple of years ago had tied for him and me some years ago. He also had the same pattern tied in black and red. I've written posts concerning this fly over the years. I like to fish the Gnat using a slow retrieve while watching for line movement. Even in the cold water, this bass put up quite a fight against my 7 1/2 ft. Redington 2wt.

A better view of the fly with red added as an attractor. 

The bass and this Shellcracker are two fish I seldom catch on this lake, but today I got to touch both species. I got my best fight of the day from this fish. As quick as it hit the Gnat he headed for deep water making me think I had a large bass or one of the big carps that roam the lake. The poppers didn't work on this day all they wanted was something slow and easy to latch onto. 

A Little Frustration Mixed With Landing a Few Rainbows

 

I didn't think I was going to make the Sipsey trip today, because of numerous distractions in the form of few jobs. Once at the tailrace I suited up and enter the gorge at access 5. I was joined by 5 other fly fishermen fishing access six and seven. I was actually glad they were quite a distance from me because I was really having trouble learning the Euro Nymphing technique. I've been reading and watching videos centering around Euro Nymphing for the past couple of weeks and I thought I had the technique under control. After a few casts, I realize I need MORE time to learn how to master Euro Nymphing. I won't go into the details but to put it mildly, my patience ran OUT!! I will cover the experience in another post. 

There was no surface activity at all on the smooth super clear water surface. So I went deep for the trout today using my 10 ft. fly rod intended for the Euro experience----I found out it lands trout just as well as my 9 ft. 

The first trout that touched the net in the 2 1/2 hours I had to fish the Sipsey this afternoon.

An excellent seam located at the entrance of access five where I started my Euro Nymphing technique. I could see trout below the high boulder, but no luck in getting a take. The time spent in this area will hopefully help me correct some of my mistakes in future trips.

I've noticed that the stock trout from Dale Hollow are not as colorful as some of the other hatchery trout that are stocked here. There was no mistaking the takes from the trout I landed today, in other words, jarring hits!! 

The last trout of the evening that escaped an aerial attack or a down under creature swimming in the tailrace. It did have a little more color. I lost one other trout in the same run where I caught this trout. At times I was fishing with weights to get the nymphs down to the trout's level. 

I remember reading a short essay by George Daniel this week, where he stated that most of the time it's not the flies you are using that attract a take it's the depth you're fishing. That statement proved true for me this afternoon!