Walleye World

Most anglers don't associate walleyes with Southern waters, but certain reservoirs in Arkansas and Tennessee actually grow some of the biggest walleyes in the world. Tomorrow, I'm headed for one of those places - Arkansas' Lake Ouachita - with hopes of hitting the annual walleye run head on. I'll be fishing with some of the world's greatest walleye anglers - pros from Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle - and expect to return with a Master's Education in the ways of the walleye. I'm also going to go catch some big crappie from Oklahoma's Lake Eufaula while I'm "in the neighborhood." I'll share a fish story or two along the way if Internet access allows. If the blog goes silent for a week or so, access didn't allow.

A Favorite Place

For Holcomb, Overflow and Big creeks, it's the end of the line, but each goes out with a bang, tumbling over a waterfall to complete its run. Together, the merged flows form West Fork of the Chattooga River, a relatively short but spectacular river within the Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River corridor. Just downstream of Three Forks, where the creeks converge, the West Fork pours through a remote and rugged gorge that can only be traversed with extreme caution and more than a little exertion - and only at low to moderate water levels. River-wide falls alternate with deep plunge pools as the river races between bluff wall and house-sized boulders. Rhododendron abounds and brown trout better measured in pounds than inches lurk in dark and difficult-to-reach places. So what makes the upper West Fork's gorge one of my favorite places? Splendid scenery? Fun fishing? Extreme remoteness? An indisputable Southern Appalachian flavor? To a degree, I suppose it's all of the above, because all are aspects of the true reason, which is a collection of memories of days on the West Fork with a good friend and the promise of many more to come.

Can't Catch 'Em at Home

"I haven't seen another boat all day," Brian Latimer said with a smile. With a northwest breeze making an upper 20s temperature feel substantially colder, we both knew why. And it had been even brisker in the morning: ice in the rod eyes, snow flurries, a biting wind but no biting fish...

Cold never keeps Brian from the lake, though. He had the day off work, and he wanted to fish. Having eventually connected with some nice largemouths and possibly figuring out a few new things about Lake Hartwell - a lake he already knows intimately - he was glad to have spent the day on the lake.

Brian called me after he had caught a few good fish because he knew I could use photos for magazine work. He was right, and I'm glad he called. Partly because I got some nice photos. But also in part because it was nice to see the fruits of his determination on a day when most anglers apparently determined that they ought to stay home.

Fishing Rain or Shine

An overabundance of green on the radar and even more black in the skies didn't look promising. Nathaniel and I had enjoyed good success catching redfish the previous day with Capt. JR Waits and had gotten some nice photo work done, so calling Day 2 a washout and starting the trip home wouldn't have been a total loss. Still, it wasn't raining YET - not very hard, at least - and I sure do enjoy fishing on the Santee Cooper Lakes.

"Maybe we could just try right there in the cove?" Kevin Davis offered, pointing to a spot not 100 yards from the dock at Black's Camp. "Then we wouldn't be too far away if it really started to pour."

That was good enough for me, and I sure am thankful for Kevin's proposed plan. We ended up catching four different kinds of fish, including some nice crappie, all within sight of the dock. It was a fun and productive day, the skies actually turned clearer as we fished, and Nathaniel got his first taste of Santee Cooper fishing - not to mention the fabulous lunch buffet at Black's Camp.

-Charleston Redfishing, Capt. J.R. Waits, http://www.fishcall.com/
-Santee Cooper fishing, food & Lodging, Blacks Camp, http://www.blackscamp.com/

South Carolina Bound

Nathaniel and I are headed for South Carolina tomorrow morning to enjoy a couple days of fishing with long-time friends to take pictures and gather story material.

We'll spend a day with Capt. J.R. Waits (http://www.fishcall.com/), sight-casting to redfish in the beautiful salt marshes around Charleston. The water turns clear in the winter and the fish gang up, creating some exciting opportunities.

Next stop will be Blacks Camp (http://www.blackscamp.com/) on the legendary Santee Cooper lakes, where we will spend one night before fishing a day with Kevin Davis, co-owner of the camp and an excellent fishing guide. Not sure yet whether we'll chase big catfish, schooling stripers, crappie or something else. The opportunities are endless at lake Marion and Moultrie, which together make up the Santee Cooper lakes.

Under Cover

When bass move into the thick stuff, close isn't close enough, according to angling legend Jimmy Houston. The long-time TV show host and former BASS Angler of the Year contends that anglers often miss opportunities to catch many (if not most) of the fish that are nearby simply because they do not spend enough time practicing their casting, flipping and pitching and lack either the ability or the confidence to put their baits way up under the cover and tight to the thick stuff, where bass tend to stick their noses. Precise placement of a jig or spinnerbait can be especially important during the winter, according to Houston, because stained water or high pressure commonly draw fish close to thick cover and because the bass will not chase baits when their metabolism rates are down. And while a bass cannot expend the energy to chase a meal during the winter, it likewise can't afford to not nab a bait that lands right in front of its nose.

New Year, New Job (sort of), New Blog

The new job is only sort of new because it's what I did for a full decade prior to spending the past three years working in public relations for YUM Bait Company and the other fine fishing brands found on www.lurenet.com - a time for which I am very thankful. I suppose the new job is only sort of a job, too, as I write magazine stories on a free-lance basis, not as an employee of a certain company. I'm excited about new opportunities to travel with my family and write about people and places. I'm also excited about this new blog and the chance to tell a few fish stories as they happen and to share a bit of what I have gleaned and will continue to glean from the the many outstanding anglers I get to spent time with. I hope you'll visit often and that you will find something worthwhile on this page.

Nantahala Trout

Ask Nathaniel, my 10-year-old son, about winter trout fishing, and he'd likely point you toward North Carolina's Nantahala River, where heavy cool-season stockings and a seasonal catch-and-release requirement combine to create a stream that stays loaded with rainbows, brookies and brown trout. Of course, Nathaniel might tell you how fun it is to wade knee-deep in the rocky river or how beautiful the Nantahala' deep pools, waterfalls and narrow gorge are before he gets to the fish. The four miles of "Delayed Harvest" waters along the Nantahala, which are just upstream from the river's famous whitewater rafting section, offer a fabulous variety of riffles, runs, rapids, pools and pockets. The scenery is wonderful, the fishing can be spectacular and the access is simple, with a road running right beside the river. One warning about the Nantahala: It's very popular. Go on a weekday, if possible. Also, one important note: Only single-hook artificial lures may be used (or possessed on the water) during the catch-and-release season, which runs through the first Saturday in June. As for lures, Nathaniel's "hot bait" last time out - on a day that began in the low 20s and never got out of much past 40, was a Thill Premium Marabou Jig (1/32 ounce, Pearl Pink/White) fished very slowly, close to the bottom.