Snow for Thanksgiving

Just let that sink in a little while.  Our third snow of the year fell overnight.  In recent years, we have often been lucky to get that many snows in a whole winter.  Maybe we are headed back to the deep freeze from my childhood when regular heavy snowfall was common here on the Cumberland Plateau.  Admittedly this one is more of a dusting and my friends from Colorado are probably chuckling as they ski in deep powder high in the Rockies.  Still, it is snow and we take every little bit we can get.  The woods are beautifully decorated with just enough snow to make the scenery interesting without actually completely covering everything in white.  The muted tones of winter blend with the white to make a rather enjoyable scene.

My poor canoe is shivering under a thin layer of the white stuff.  Probably right now it is wishing for another trip to the Everglades where at least it would be warm.  In fact, I'm thinking about another trip that way, this time with a lot more fishing involved.  So far nothing has been decided but the possibility is definitely intriguing.

The hemlock trees have collected more snow than some of the others, mostly because they have somewhere to collect all that white goodness.  The birds are strangely absent although that may have more to do with the fact that I still need to put out some seed on the feeders.  Occasional snow flakes are still falling but I doubt we'll see any more accumulation.

Each year, it seems, we get snow on Thanksgiving.  Most years it is just a few flurries, but they are there nevertheless.  Each year, I am thankful for that snow, mostly because we never have as much as I would like (yes, I definitely miss Colorado).  This year, in addition to the snow, I am thankful for friends and family, good health, and the opportunity this year to do something that I love.  Guiding has been an incredible journey thus far, and I have been blessed far beyond what I expected in my first season.  Yes, there have been a lot of difficulties over the past year, but life goes on and I'm thankful for all the blessings I have.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving today and maybe can even get out in the next couple of days to wet a line.  We are getting pretty low on time to do that this year so enjoy it while you can!

Canoeing with Dad

One of my favorite summer time trips is over to a little lake set deep in the woods perhaps 15 minutes from my house.  The lake is deep and unusually cool for this area and contains panfish and bass as well as a few carp.  Occasionally I'll take my float tube over there and just kick around for a few hours, but the best way to really fish this lake is to take a canoe.  Gas powered engines are prohibited so this lake sees very little traffic.

My dad enjoys canoeing so I planned a short excursion to take him over there and paddle.  Naturally, anytime I'm canoeing the fly rod should come along and my dad was gracious enough to let me fish a bit.  We spent the majority of the trip paddling but when good shoreline structure would appear, we would both drop the paddles, and I would give it a few casts.

Normally I can catch a lot of bluegill on this lake if I want to but this trip I was after bass.  I'm not sure why but I've been after the bass more than usual lately.  Anyway, on the return trip, drifting along the north shore, I cast the Clouser right onto the bank and began a slow retrieve that would swim the fly into deeper water.  When the line hesitated, I thought I had snagged the bottom or perhaps a submerged log.  Just in case, though, I set the hook.  Pleasantly surprised when the line started to move, I found myself playing a nice little bass.  One fish is better than no fish and I was pretty happy with this one.

The rest of the trip was mostly uneventful, but I expect this lake to get much better as the weather continues to warm.  The fish will be more aggressive with the increasing water temperatures.  I'll be back soon, probably with my float tube, and will spend a few relaxing hours drifting around and maybe even catching some more bass!