First Fly Rod Trout

We've been either without Internet access or on the run, so I've been slow in reporting, but Nathaniel spent his first day ever fly-fishing earlier this week and caught several trout from the Clinch River with guide Mike Bone. He and I both caught several fish, all on Pheasant Tail nymphs. Nathaniel's catch included one beautiful colored brook trout. All the rest were rainbows. Some looked like typical stockers. Others were bigger, fatter and more colorful, suggesting they'd been in the river a while. We also spent a couple of nights in the Clinch River House, a fabulous riverside retreat and enjoyed a morning of exploration at the Museum of Appalachia before driving to Louisville for a dulcimer festival. That's where we are now. Next stop is the Beaver Lake tailwater in Arkansas.

First Stop, Clinch River

Nathaniel and I will point the truck north tomorrow morning and will be on the road through the end of next week. Along the way we'll make a variety of fishing stops, along with visiting the Museum of Appalachia and spending the weekend at the Ohio Valley Gathering in Louisville, Kentucky. First stop, though, is the Clinch River, below Norris Dam. This fabulous fishery produced the Tennessee state record brown trout many years ago and is considered one of the South's premier tailwaters for trout fishing.

The second half of our journey will land us in Arkansas and Oklahoma, where we will fish with several friends and for a variety of fish species. It promises to be a fun and productive but very full week.

I supposed I'd better get some fish stories done and then work on loading the truck with junk!

Brother First

"Let's start at the beaver pond," Nathaniel suggested as we pulled onto the property of the ponds we most often fish. "There are a a couple of spots along the bank where I think Asher might be able to sight-fish and catch one."

It didn't matter to me where we started, so I drove to the field near the beaver pond and parked the truck. When we got out, Nathaniel grabbed a rod from the truck bed and handed it to Asher and then picked up a little bag with some lures in it.

"Just one rod?" I asked.

"We can fish at the other pond," Nathaniel said. "I want to help Asher try to catch one from here."

The two of them made a good team, with Nathaniel spotting fish and coaching and Asher casting. They weren't able to get one from the banks of the beaver pond, but it was fun watching Nathaniel trying to help his brother catch a fish.

After hitting a couple of spots on the beaver pond, we moved to our normal pond, where Nathaniel keeps his boat, and we ended up catching 11 bass, with all three of us getting in on the action. Nathaniel almost caught a big one -- twice -- but that's another story that hopefully is not over yet, so I'll save it!

Asher Setting Sights on Bass

"Sight-fishing is my favorite part about spring fishing," 7-year-old Asher informed me the other day. At first I thought he was just repeating what he'd heard his brother say, but then I realized that he really had discovered the fun of getting to "look at them." Asher had spotted a shallow cruiser from the dock the day before and had tried to catch it with Nathaniel's coaching. Apparently, he could see it too well for his own good, though. When the fish turned toward his bait and opened its mouth, he jerked, pulling the bait away and spooking the fish, which wasn't locked onto a bed. The reason I think the sight-fishing bug really has bitten Asher is that he was thinking more about that fish than the ones he landed by casting blind, and he really wanted to go back to get another try at that particular fish. He did go back the next day, and he did catch a few bass. Maybe we'll go give them all another look today.

Ish Monroe, Big Day on the Big O

California pro Ish Monroe took a big lead after Day 1 of the B.A.S.S. Power-Pole Slam on Florida's Legendary Lake Okeechobee. B.A.S.S. photo by Gary Tramontina

A 34-pound 5-ounce bass limit is impressive anywhere and anytime, but what stands out about the giant bag that Ish Monroe brought to the scales yesterday is that he had no true kicker. His biggest fish weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces. To rack up nearly a 7-pound average, he had to have five fish that were all about the same size. Monroe's big bag easily put him in the lead of the B.A.S.S. Elite Series Power-Pole Slam on Lake Okeechobee after one day. Second place is nearly nine pounds behind him.

Monroe is flipping a new bait by Missile Baits called D-Bomb. Apparently it's a big-profiled bait, which is no big surprise. Monroe is a classic California fisherman who works the extremes. He fishes a lot of stuff that would seem too big to even try to a lot of fishermen and connects with a lot of jumbo bass by doing so. However, he's equally adept going total really little, with tiny hand-poured worms and specialized finesse rigs. It doesn't appear he'll need any of that stuff this week, though!

The very fact that Monroe caught such a big bag without weighing in any double-digit fish shows why no lead is safe on the Big O. Someone else might catch the same sort of limit today or tomorrow. That said, if Monroe's pattern or his spot is really special, he could keep stacking it on. We'll find out soon!

Having Fun Without Me

Nathaniel and Asher slipped off to the pond for a couple of hours yesterday while I was sitting at the computer writing fish stories. Spring is progressing quickly, and it was obvious at the pond. A couple of weeks ago, the fish wouldn't touch topwater. Less than a week ago, they were slapping surface lures but not quite taking them. Yesterday they were smashing them, and a Tiny Torpedo was Nathaniel's best lure.Asher caught four fish yesterday, all on a Lindy Watsit Grub. Cast, reel, jerk, catch! He's getting ever-more proficient casting and working a lure. He also spotted a shallow fish from the dock and tried to sight-cast to it. Apparently he could see it too well, though, because when the fish turned on his bait and opened its mouth he reacted by jerking and yanked the bait right out of the water, also spooking the fish. He told me this morning that he hopes they can go back today to get another shot at that fish.

Topwater Bass Video -- Well, Almost

Nathaniel and I had fun trying to catch a topwater fish on video a couple of days ago. This one came close and made for entertaining video. I'm going to make a refreshed effort to do a bit of video stuff on my trips. Nathaniel has a new Youtube channel for his music, so I've taken over the Youtube channel I had established for him a few years ago and plan populate it with hopefully interesting videos over time.

Ice Melting Fast

Reports from friends throughout the north all suggest the same thing: Either the ice has gotten too thin to safely walk on it or it is headed that way quickly. Lots of "last day on the ice until next winter" Facebook posts, Tweets and such from my network of friends.

It was a tough year for ice fishing, from all I've gathered, with many place never having gotten good ice and others having gotten it late and lost it earlier than normal. Considering all the woes, I'm thankful to have gotten to take three good trips this winter. All three produced fish and first-rate opportunities to gather photos and story material. Each was quite distinctive in terms of the species mix, the location and the nature of the fishing.

I'm still a new guy in the ice-fishing world, but I'm fortunate that I get to spend my days on the ice with genuine experts. That really helps the learning curve.

Enough winter thoughts, though. The azaleas are blooming, the bass are moving shallow and the temperature is supposed to top out in the 80s today.

Nathaniel's Reaction

Well, we didn't quite get a topwater catch on film, but it's still a fun little clip to watch.

Alton Jones' Wins Being Sold Short

Alton Jones with his wife, Jimmye Sue, just after his fish were weighed and he was named champion of the 2012 B.A.S.S. Elite Series opener. B.A.S.S. photo

Virtually every story I've read about Alton Jones winning this weekend's B.A.S.S. Elite Series opener has included mention of Jones' "first Elite Series win," and most have had it in the opening sentence. Technically, that description is accurate, but to state it without qualifiers sells short Jones' B.A.S.S. accomplishments.

To me that description suggests that he's broken a new barrier, finally winning at the Elite Series level -- as if his previous wins had all be opens. However, if you take a closer look at Jones' resume', all of Jones six B.A.S.S. wins have been at the highest level of B.A.S.S. competition. They just weren't called the same thing.

Other than this weekend's Elite Series win and of course the 2008 Bassmaster Classic, Jones victories have included an Elite 50 (exclusive field of only 50 angler and part of a string of structural changes that led to the establishment of the Elites), a Bassmaster Tour and Bassmaster Top 100 (each the top B.A.S.S. tour level of the time) and a Megabucks, another specialized top-tier type of event that no longer exists.

However someone wants to dub the win, Jones got this year's Elite Series off to a great start by targeting big bedding bass on Lake George with a 6-inch YUM Dinger. Congratulations Alton!

Sights Set on St Johns Win for Alton Jones

Alton Jones leads the Elite Series Opener on the St. Johns River after three days. Photo courtesy of B..A.S.S; by Seigo Saito.

The good news for Alton Jones is that he's leading the St. Johns Showdown by more than 9 pounds going into this morning's final day of competition. The bad news is that a single fish could erase that lead on the St. Johns River, and any one of the 12 anglers who qualified for the final day could catch a monster bag today and win the tournament.

Jones is in his element, though. He's one of the best sight-fishermen on tour, especially when the bedding fish are getting hit hard and have gotten fussy -- and that's exactly what is going on at the St. Johns River right now. He's adept at finding fish, moving away from them and then "sight fishing by feel." He's also understands when NOT to catch a fish. In fact, leaving males so that more females would move into the area has been an important part of his strategy this week.

"I've been fishing professionally for 21 years now," Jones said this morning on Facebook, "but I still have a few butterflies this morning. I'm going to go out and give God my very best effort today and leave the results in his hands."

Pair of Eights Helps Jones to 28

Alton Jones brought a 28-pound, 7-ounce bag to the scales on Day 2 of the 2012 Elite Series opener on the St. Johns River to take a substantial lead.

Two 8-pound-plus fish and a third that weight more than 6 pounds helped Alton Jones bring 28-plus pounds to the scales on Day 2 of the Bass Elite Series opener on the St. Johns River. The big bag allowed Jones to jump from 17th place to leading tournament by 7 pounds halfway through it. Jones isn't counting his chickens before they hatch, though. Last year around this time on the St. Johns, he led by about the same margin after two days, and he ended up finishing third in the tournament.

Back to the Pond

The boys and I couldn't resist another quick pond outing just before dark yesterday. With the boat already pond-side, it was quick and easy too slip it in the water and make a lap before we lost all our light. The fish were a little more tentative than they had been the day before, but we did manage to catch a few. Asher contributed to the catch with a bream that ate a worm he had dug from the front yard before we left home.

Nathaniel's back out there this morning. His mom gave him a ride over to the pond, and I'm sure he's enjoying padding around on his own in the early morning light and working all of his favorite spots. I wonder whether he's coaxed any to the top with a buzzbait or a Tiny Torpedo!

First Outing in Nathaniel's Boat

With yesterday topping out in the high 70s, we decided it was time to get Nathaniel's boat to the pond (where it will reside most of the time) and put it to work for the first time. He has replaced the seats, added rod-holders and a couple of rope cleats and made a few other basic repairs, so the boat is in fine condition.

It was an after-dinner outing, so by the time we loaded and tied down the boat, gathered a bit of other junk, drove over there and got it untied, unloaded and down to the pond, we only had an hour or so of fishing time. That was enough time, though, to give the small pond one decent lap for and for Nathaniel, Asher and I to catch eight bass and bream. We gave topwater lures a bit of a try and couldn't get the fish to come up. They took other stuff pretty aggressively, though, so it shouldn't be long.

Nathaniel's boat sits pond-side now, so we'll be in the water much faster next time we get the opportunity to fish.

Alabama Bass Trail Up and Running

Lawrence Taylor of BOOYAH Bait Company delights in a Guntersville largemouth that walloped a YUM Money Hound Taylor had been walking across the Guntersville grass on a fall afternoon.

Alabama & largemouth bass are like cake & ice cream. They belong together. For evidence, you need not look any further than this year's Bassmaster Classic, where the top three finishers, six of the top 12, and nine contenders from the field of 49 were Alabama residents. And the fact that some of those, including champion Chris Lane, are Alabama transplants only adds to the case. Each chose Alabama as home for a career in bass fishing. Of course, B.A.S.S. itself recently chose to return home to Alabama!

Want more evidence? Last week, the Alabama governor's office announced the Alabama Bass Trail. A cooperative effort of Governor Robert Bentley's office, the Alabama Department of Tourism, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, the trail highlights eleven of the state's stellar bass fisheries, with waters spread from Lake Guntersville to the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.

The Alabama Bass Trail website includes pages about each of the 11 rivers and lakes, bringing together in a single place things like pro tips, guide service lists, lodging information, lake maps and fishing reports and making it very easy to plan a fishing trip anywhere in the state. The site also details tournaments and other events on each of the lakes. Along with promoting the state's bass fishing and providing information to anglers, the trail puts a major emphasis on conservation and education and will help fund and facilitate habitat-improvement projects on each of the lakes.

I've spent at least a little time on each of the eleven waterways (some far more than others), but I think I need to make a fresh effort to visit each stop along the trail The Alabama Bass Trail is new, but the traditions are longstanding, and it's exciting to see the state of Alabama's recognition of those traditions and desire to build on them.

Congratulations Brent Ehrler

It's never a surprise when Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California ends up in the top spot in a bass tournament -- as was the case yesterday. Ehrler's seven career victories with FLW include the 2006 Forrest Wood Cup, the 2004 EverStart Series championship, three regular season FLW Tour wins and two FLW Series wins. He has garnered nearly $2 million in less than a decade of professional fishing.

Ehrler won last weekend's FLW Tour major on Lake Hartwell, which straddles the Georgia/South Carolina border. He brought in more than 20 pounds on the final day and topped his nearest competitor by more than 3 pounds in the four-day event.

I'm always happy to see Ehrler do well. I met him early in his career at a writer event put on by Lucky Craft, and he has always been an outstanding and extremely helpful source for stories.

Meanwhile, Back in Georgia

It's hard to believe that I've been home from Costa Rica for more than 24 hours. Yesterday passed in a moment as I enjoyed time at home with my family, shared trip photos with my children (Asher, Autumn and Eli were pretty eager to see pictures of monkeys), dug through the mail pile, enjoyed a party for Sarah and helped Nathaniel prepare for his CD release on Monday.

Maybe harder to believe is that a couple of days ago I was in Costa Rica, where the temperature is always between 70 and 90, scarlet macaws seem about as common as cardinals in Georgia and anglers catch billfish and roosterfish virtually every day. Asher asked me my favorite thing about the trip, and I had trouble giving him a definitive answer. I suppose seeing the monkeys and the tropical birds in their natural habitat probably topped the list, but many trip aspects would have been close.

FLW Finishing Today

Meanwhile, much closer to home, the FLW Tour will complete a Tour Major today on Lake Hartwell, which is one of the closest lakes to me. I had considered slipping out there at some point yesterday or today, but I won't make it. As already mentioned, yesterday was full, and home took top priority. Today is extra special because my daughter, Sarah, turns 17 (hence the party yesterday), and my wife and I are taking her out for a birthday dinner tonight.

Tom Monsour is leading the FLW event after three days, with Brent Ehrler close behind and Marty Stone in third. They final weigh-in is this afternoon in Greenville.

Many Monkeys & So Much More

It's unusual for me to be happy to have not gone fishing any day. Considering that today was my last day at one of the greatest sportfishing destinations on the planet, the might seem almost unimaginable. The truth is, though, that I wouldn't have traded today's rainforest exploration for any fishing trip, and if I ever get another chance to visit Crocodile Bay Resort, I'll definitely schedule one day on another eco-tour.

I spent an incredibly fun day today with Dennis, a Crocodile Bay eco-tour guide, Keith Sutton and Larry Bozka, exploring the Osa Peninsula and taking pictures of everything from toucans to monkeys to ants to caimans. We probably identified 50-plus bird species (Dennis is an amazing naturalist), and collectively we shot several thousand photos. The forests themselves and two beaches we visited were spectacularly beautiful, and many of the species (if not most) were ones you'd only expect to ever see in a pet store or a zoo.

The unified pursuit of photos, the fellowship and the fun of exploring amazing new places and seeing so many species for the first time made for a truly fabulous day.

Jump, Jump, Jump

I'm not sure how many times Keith Sutton's sailfish jumped, but the answer would be best stated in dozens. There's little doubt in my mind why people travel to Crocodile Bay Resort from all over the world to fish. Along with the sails and dorado, I heard that at least on marlin was landed today on another boat.

Tomorrow we're leaving the fish catching to everyone else and heading into the rainforest to explore, see wildlife and take photos. As much as I'd love to spend another day targeting roosterfish or billfish, I'm even more excited about tomorrow's tour.

First Full Day in Costa Rica

Today began with a spectacular early-morning flight over the mountains of Costa Rica's interior, and we landed on the Osa Peninsula, only minutes from Crocodile Bay Resort. The wildflowers and wildlife are astounding. Brilliant-colored birds you only expect to see in zoos all around the resort, everything in bloom, the sound of howler monkeys in the trees, iguanas casually sunning themselves, humpback whales rolling beside our fishing boat, jumping manta rays...

We didn't connect with the roosterfish today (although I'm pretty sure one fish I missed was one), but we did catch some bright-colored snappers that I'd never seen before and that they tell me will be highlights when we sit down for dinner after awhile. Tomorrow, we'll target billfish, and we'll have all day to fish. Off to take pictures of some birds now!

We'll Miss You, Gaston's Friends

This week, several friends will gather at Gaston's White River Resort for an annual writer event that Nathaniel and I have participated in several times. With world-class trout fishing and what may be the best shore lunches on the planet, Gaston's is one of our favorite places to visit at any time. It becomes even better during this particular week, though, because of the fine friends who come together to collect story material on the river and share fish stories around the table. The group includes several wonderful musicians, and Nathaniel always enjoy joining the pickin' and grinnin' evening session.
We won't get to join you this year, friends, but you can bet we'll both be thinking about you and watching facebook pages for pictures of fat brown trout, bacon-wrapped pork tenderloins and pickers gathered with their instruments.

Larry, is it too early to sign up for next year?

"Playing in the Creek" Release

I must break from fish stories for a day to share some exciting news. My son's first CD, Playing in the Creek, will be released in a little more than a week on Monday, March 12. Nathaniel, who is 13 years old, has been seriously anticipating that day for quite some time! Nathaniel plays the mountain dulcimer and has been playing since he was 8 years old. He is the current Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Champion and Georgia State Mountain Dulcimer Champion and he finished third in last year's national competition. For more details, including ordering information, please visit nathanielsamsel.com. CD artwork, by the way, was shot along the Tallulah River in North Georgia. We didn't carry rods that day so that we wouldn't get distracted, but its a good place to catch a trout.

GoPro Ready to Go

The FedEx truck brought a cool new tool/toy yesterday that I suspect will serve me well in Costa Rica. The GoPro Hero2 is a high-definition video camera that also shoots 11 MP still shots and is designed to to wherever you want to take it. It's compact and easy to operate, comes housed in a box that is waterproof to nearly 200 feet and is designed to attach to a huge range of mounting accessories.

I think I'll use mine mostly on the headband, so it films wherever I'm looking. In Coast Rica, that approach could get me video of jumping billfish that I am fighting and of cool stuff in the rainforest as I swing through it on a rope. However, you can also put a mount on a helmet, the front a kayak, bike handlebars... Pretty much anywhere, with the right accessory, best I can tell.

I haven't put it to the test yet, so I won't make any claims about the photos and the videos. The cameras get great reviews, though, and some of the the stuff that has been shot with one that's posted on the GoPro website is pretty amazing. Soon we'll see what I'm able to do with it.

Fishing the World with Senor Catfish

It struck a while back that once I get to Costa Rica and begin fishing with my good friend Keith "Catfish" Sutton, he and I will be sharing angling experiences in our fourth country. In fact, the only country where I have fished but have not spent time in the boat with Catfish Sutton is Canada. Beyond United States and soon Costa Rica, countries where he and I have spent time fishing together are Mexico and Brazil. In Mexico, we targeted largemouth bass at Lake Mateos; in Brazil, peacock bass and big catfish in the Amazon watershed (although the prize of the big-cat outing was a freshwater ray).

In Mexico and Brazil, where Sutton is affectionately known as "Senor Catfish" by the native guides, he and I have also shared unique dinner-table experiences, with meals that have ranged from barbecued goat to piranha soup. I'm looking forward to tropical fruits, Pacific-fresh seafood and other regional flavors in Costa Rica.
Within U.S. borders, Catfish and I have fished together for everything from Goliath grouper in South Florida to gargantuan coppernose bluegill in North Carolina to spotted bass and rainbow trout in Arkansas, which is his home state. Our first outing together, about 15 years ago, produced bull redfish, cobia and a stingray, all in the shadows of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

In Costa Rica, we're scheduled to spend a day inshore and a day offshore, and both days offer good potential to produce fish I've never caught before. I'm also eager to watch Catfish swing from tree to tree like a howler monkey on a ropes course through the jungle! I'm thankful for the all the days Senor Catfish and I have spent together in many settings, and I look forward to many more.