Treasure Under the Tree

It almost seems like cheating to gain so much experience by reading a single book. In addition to having fished extensively within the borders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than half a century, Jim Casada has spent countless hours astream with many of the finest fly-fishermen who have ever fished the Smokies. Plus, he has studied everything that has ever been written about sporting pursuit in the same cold, tumbling waters. And in his new book, Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An Insider's Guide to A Pursuit of Passion, Jim holds nothing back.

I received a copy of Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a Christmas gift from my family, and I've been soaking in its contents ever since. Most guidebooks and where-to articles (including many that I have written) are largely reporting projects or come from quick looks at places. Rarely does anyone pour such a wealth of experience and love for a place, its resources and its history into a single volume.

The book, which is 440 pages long and includes seven very useful appendices, accomplishes the rare double duty of being highly practical and immensely pleasurable to read. I could say much more, but I need to get to work on my own fish stories so I can get back to my Christmas present!

Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Ceasar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cerenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them; and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, let us go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the sayings which was told them concerning this child.
And all that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, and it was told unto them.
Luke 2: 1-20

Just Put One Foor in Front of the Other

Multiple cars in the parking area for Smith Creek concerned us upon arrival. The stream is small, and the stretch we were to fish only a mile or so long. And with other delayed-harvest waters likely too high for most anglers to fish comfortably, I'd suspected we might find a crowd.

And close to the nearest point of access, there seemed to be an angler or two in every run.

As often seems to be the case, though, once we got 1/3 mile or so downstream of the most direct access point, we had the creek pretty much to ourselves, passing one other angler and a couple of hikers along the trail. The trout also got more abundant - or at least more aggressive - as we worked our way downstream.

The creek itself was in beautiful condition, with a heavy flow making the fish much less skiddish than they can be. My friend, Mark Wiese, enjoyed the best action, catching seven fish on a Rebel Deep Teeny Wee-Craw in a Stream Crawfish color pattern (treble hooks removed and replaced with one single hook on the back split ring). My best lure was a Lindy Premium Marabou Jig. I only landed one trout in our short afternoon outing, but I missed several others.

The folks fishing in the most trodden waters were mostly throwing in-line spinners, and none reported much success. The only other person we saw downstream was fly-fishing, and he had caught several trout.

Mark and I determined that next time we fish Smith Creek we'll hike all the way to the lower end of the public access before we ever make a cast and then fish back upstream. There's much to be said for making an effort to get away from the easiest access point in almost any stream.

A Present from Mom

Today is my Mom's birthday, but it's a present from her that is on my mind - a present from more than three decades ago. It was neither Christmas nor my birthday when Mom noticed an old Royal typewriter at a yard sale. She didn't need an event though, because she knew her middle child loved to write stories.

I don't suppose most 10-year-olds would have been that excited about an old and already well-worn mechanical typewriter, but it was a treasure to me, and I spent dozens (maybe hundreds) of hours in my room, converting the stories in my head into manuscripts. Mom also showed me the proper hand positions and wouldn't allow me to "hunt and peck," so by the time I enrolled in a typing class in high school, I could already type 40-plus words per minute.

When I look at that old typewriter today, I cannot help but think of the significance of Mom's gift in shaping my career. She recognized my unique interest and encouraged me with an outlet, and today I make my living "writing fish stories."

Thank you, Mom, and Happy Birthday.

Warm Wishes

Tomorrow's forecast of rain and highs in the 30s makes me dream about days I've spent in warmer places - like those with Tim Mann of Jacksonville, Fla., sight-fishing for largemouths in springs that feed the St. Johns River. The springs stay warm all winter, and by now they should be loaded with beds and bass.

While northern Florida has its cold days, they are the exception, not the norm. And there's something about a double-digit-weight largemouth bass that will break the chill on any winter day.

The water's as clear as you would expect from spring water, so the fish can be tough customers. That's not all bad, though. You learn an aweful lot about spawning bass behavior and sight-fishing stretegies when dozens of bass are on beds, you can see them clearly, and they are all decidedly fussy. Of course, the learning is magnified, when you're tagging along with one of the best sight-fishermen on the river!

DH Waters Calling

It's hard to believe we're a week into December, and I've not yet put a foot in any delayed-harvest trout waters this fall. Heavily stocked and open only to catch-and-release fishing with single-hook artificial lures from fall through spring, these waters provide wonderful opportunities during the cool months.

Both North Carolina and Georgia have several delayed-harvest streams, and collectively they offer everything from tumbling creeks to big tailwater flows to a beautiful section of the Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River.

With all the rain we've had of late (and possibly a bit of snow later this morning!) I'll bet Smith Creek is carrying a nice flow and fishing really well. I'll try to check that out soon and will report back after I do.

Fall Steelhead

"Do largemouth bass fight like that?" Jim Bedford said with a knowing laugh in his voice. I replied only by smiling through gritted teeth as my first fall steelhead made yet another sizzling run. Earlier Jim had likened steelhead to baby tarpon with their high flying acrobatics, powerful surges and fast runs. Having caught my first (and only) tarpon only a couple months ago, I could easily understand the likeness.

Jim Bedford fishes for steelhead almost daily through the heart of fall run out of Lake Michigan, and he has been chasing them all his life. He has authored four books (one to be released next year), all heavy on trout and steelhead fishing, and has written hundreds of magazine articles about the subject. Spending time astream with him, therefore, is like getting a Master's education in Michigan steelhead fishing.

Jim does the bulk of his steelhead fishing with in-line spinners, which he makes, and with minnow-imitating plugs. His No. 1 plug is a Bomber Suspending Pro Model Long A. He also likes the XCalibur Twitch Bait, which was the bait I was swimming through a boulder-bordered run in the Grand River when my first fall steelhead attacked.

Our time together in steelhead waters passed too quickly, and I'll definitely be back.