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!

Finally, Spring Crappie

Crappie fishing is one of the great simple pleasures in the life of a fisherman.  This time of year they can be found in shallow water hanging out close to brush piles and generally eating just about anything.  Usually they really turn on by the middle of March, but this year everything is running a little behind schedule.  When Tyler called the other day to ask about fishing for some crappie I figured it was time to go take a look.

When we got to the lake, the fish were noticeably absent from some of the better spots.  The water was low and clear, the previous night had been cold, and the sun was high and bright in the sky.  In situations like that, it can be best to just cover water until you find what you are looking for and that is what we chose to do.

Back in a shaded cove that has held fish in past years, we finally found what we had been looking for.   The fish were tight in to structure which made getting flies to them a bit tricky.  We finally figured out the right combination of fly and presentation though and were soon catching fish.  Tyler had a big grin on his face every time he pulled one out.

The warm water fishing will only get better over the next few weeks as things continue to warm.  With plenty of rain the past couple of days and more on the way for early next week, I'm starting to think that tailwaters may be off the to-do list for a while.  Local lakes and ponds will provide some fun action filled trips until I can get back on the Caney Fork or over to the Smokies!