Faith, Family, Friends & Fish

It almost seems cliche' to blog about stuff I'm thankful for this morning. Still, I'd rather risk sounding cliche' than show even a hint of callousness about God's tremendous blessings. In truth, I have so much to be thankful for that it sort of hard to know where to start.

I'm writing from my living room couch, so maybe that's the best starting point. It's the same couch where I just sat with my wonderful wife Denise and prayed about the new day. I'm thankful for my wife, for our daily morning prayer time, for Christ's shed blood that allows us to go directly to God the Father and for a home-centered lifestyle. The same couch is also where I begin most workdays when I am not traveling, and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to make my living by writing fish stories from home.

When I'm not at home, I'm often in the sort of place most folks would only get to visit on vacation and often with a fishing rod in my hand. This year's adventures have taken me from Maine to Alaska to Texas and fishing adventures have ranged from ice fishing for trout in the Colorado mountains to casting Road Runners for giant bluegills in eastern North Carolina. I miss my family when I travel, but I am thankful for the wonderful places I get to visit as part of my work. I'm also thankful for Denise taking care of our home while I'm away. I could not do what I do for a living without her complete support.

I'm very thankful for Sarah, Nathaniel, Asher, Autumn and Eli and for what each adds to our home. It's so fun seeing God's gifts developing in our children. This year, I'm especially grateful for Sarah's Lavender Cottage, which is my oldest daughter's new art studio/gallery, and I've had so much fun watching Nathaniel grow as a performer and teacher in the mountain dulcimer community and as an aspiring outdoor writer.

I'm realizing even as I write this that I won't scratch the surface of all I have to be thankful for, so maybe a list of a few things -- a sampler, which will be far from inclusive and in no particular order -- would be a good way to finish:

My Bible, mountain laurel, the West Fork of the Chattooga River, freshly ground wheat, Sarah's Bible memorization, the Gruber family, bird feeders, smallmouth bass, Miss Charle', Mountain View, carrot juice, Mr. & Mrs. Kollock, pictures from Autumn, the Main House at Acorn Hill, Christ Covenant Reformed Church, my parents and siblings, the World Wide Pressed Flower Guild, dulcimer teachers, Asher's army guy wars, my truck, the Wiese family, running with Denise, our fence, the Community Garden, NGFDA, Central Alliance Church, Friday pizza, our Thanksgiving tree, family praise time, SEOPA, home education, fish stories, hymns coming from Nathaniel's dulcimer, Eli's greetings...

"Hometown" Pride at Lake Ouachita

As fellow guests raved about the wonderful cottages at Mountain Harbor Resort, the striking, undeveloped landscapes around Lake Ouachita and the friendliness of the people, I felt a strange sense of hometown-like pride. I say "strange" because I don't live in Arkansas. In fact, I've never lived in Arkansas, and I've actually only stayed at Mountain Harbor a half a dozen or so times over the years.

Still, I felt a sense of ownership, and I think that goes back to the friendliness of the people. Folks like Chris Elder, a local angler I've gotten to fish with several times, and resort owner Bill Barnes have a way of making you feel so much at home that when you return for visits you're eager to share the area's virtues with anyone who hasn't been there before. When Barnes asks if you need anything at all, you can tell that he really means that question and that he is genuinely pleased that you've chosen to visit the resort that his family has owned and operated for more than 50 years.

I'm back in my real home in northeast Georgia, but I know I'll be back to Lake Ouachita and to Mountain Harbor Resort, and I have no doubt that I'll again feel right at home and will swell up at least a little with pride when someone talks about a great day of striper fishing or the beauty of the mountains that surround the lake.

Hobie Play

I'd often heard about what great boats Hobie kayaks were to fish from, but until today I'd never had the opportunity to spend significant time in one. The ease of the MirageDrive pedal system and the stability and spaciousness of the Hobie Mirage Pro Angler were everything I'd always heard. Most importantly, though, these boats are just plain fun to maneuver around in and to fish from.

We didn't tear up the fish today, but Lake Ouachita is a great place to spend a day whether or not fish cooperate. I did manage to catch a couple of largemouths on a Super Spook Jr. and a spotted bass on a Rebel Crappie Crank'R.

I'm not sure exactly what tomorrow's plans are, but from looking at the forecast, I'm pretty sure I'll make good use of my Frabill FXE Stormsuit and my waterproof camera!

Destination Arkansas!

Beautiful Mountain Harbor at Lake Ouachita in Arkansas

My bag is nearly packed, and I'm ready to fly to The Natural State tomorrow. The plane lands in Little Rock, but my final destination is Lake Ouatchita, a splendid playplace in the Ouachita Mountains. The fall color should be past peak, but I suspect the high hills will still show plenty of gold and bronze. The weather looks like it will be mild.

I get to Arkansas as often as possible, but usually I find myself in the Ozarks -- whether enjoying folk music in Mountain View, trout fishing out of Gaston's Resort or floating Buffalo National Scenic River. The Ouachitas rival the Ozarks in beauty and get less attention overall, and I've enjoyed some really fun days of fishing on Lake Ouachita. Probably my favorite was a day I spent with Gary Roach (Mr. Walleye) about 10 years ago. We were officially walleye fishing, but the fish that kept grabbing our minnow-tipped jigs were 10- to 20-pound striped bass. We were fishing with fairly light spinning gear and 8-pound-test line, so every striper was seriously exciting!

One cool element of this trip is that it is co-sponsored by the folks who make Rebel Lures and set at Mountain Harbor Resort, and Mountain Harbor played an important part in Rebel's history. The first Rebel Minnows were "tank tested" in the pool at Mountain Harbor 50 years ago!

Another extra fun part for me will be fishing from a Hobie Kayak. I've played a little with these boats and their unique Mirage Drive foot-control system, but I've never before spent a full day fishing from one.

Better finish packing!

Working Toward a Goal

Today we moved one pool down from Weiss Lake and fished Neely Henry, which is amazingly different from Weiss for being on the same river and so close. It was my first visit to Neely Henry, so I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about it.

I spent the morning with Heath Smith, a tournament angler who grew up fishing Neely Henry. A firefighter from Gadsden, Ala., Smith hopes to make a career out of professional bass fishing and has a well thought out plan for working his way into the full-time pro ranks. For now, he's fishing the BASS Southern Opens and making a serious study of tournament bass fishing. Smith also understands that there's a lot more to building a solid career in tournament angling than an ability to catch fish, and he's working hard to build industry relationships and learn all he can about all sides of the industry. From what I saw this morning, Heath Smith is a name to remember and one you'll be hearing more often in the future.

November Color in North Alabama

Most autumn travelers associate October with fall color, but in North Alabama, the prettiest color hangs on for a week or two into November. I spent today on beautiful Weiss Lake and the color was spectacular. We spent a fun day catching crappie, spotted bass and largemouths. Tomorrow we visit Lake Neely Henry.

Unique Alabama Double Dip

The fact that I spent time catching crappie on Alabama's Lake Weiss wouldn't surprise most fishermen, but the first half of today's outing might seem a little more surprising. Soon after arriving at Chattokee Lodge around noon today, I hopped in the truck with lodge owner Harlan Starr so we could go trout fishing. Trout fishing? Yep. Trout fishing. The lodge offers and exclusive opportunity to fly-fish private spring waters filled with a fat rainbow trout. My most productive fly today was one known as a rubber-legged dragon.

After a couple hours of trout fishing, I met Weiss Lake guide Lee Pitts at Little River Marina, and we took a short ride to some docks where he thought we could catch some crappie. He was right. In fact, in the short time remaining before sunset, we managed to catch quite a few crappie, along with a couple small cats.

Two fishing trips and lots of success in half a day, and the official trip plan hasn't even began. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week brings!