Autumn's Arrival Occuring in Georgia

Finding a leaf-littering roof upon returning from the road and seeing a 10-day forecast with no highs over 80 both suggest that fall really is arriving. Autumn color changes won't occur significantly in Georgia for a couple of weeks, at least, and our brightest hues remain more than a month distant. Still, change is in the air, and the homemade apple pie that helped welcome Nathaniel and me home from our travels truly did fit the season.

I'm glad to get to enjoy a week or so of early autumn at home before traveling again. Beginning early next week, things get busy again, beginning with a trip to Johnson City, Tennessee to hunt squirrels, fish for trout or smallmouths and attend a Southeastern Outdoor Press Association conference. Johnson City is well north of here and higher in the hills, so maybe there will be a few hints of color there.

The next trip takes me in the opposite direction -- well South of New Orleans, in fact -- and I don't expect fallish temperatures in the marsh. That's OK. The fishing for bull reds is supposed to be red hot during early October. Reds are seriously fun to catch, and I have high hopes of catching some "eater size" reds along with the heavyweights and bringing home a cooler filled with delicious fillets.

I suppose I'd better quit daydreaming about days ahead, though. I have lots of fish stories to write this week!

Bassmaster Classic Begins Today

2010 Bassmaster Classic Champion, Kevin VanDam. Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

Fifty boats will launch this morning to ply the vast waters of the Mississippi River Delta, with each seeking a three-day catch that outweighs the rest. The top prize is half a million dollars. More significant to most, if not all, is the title of "Bassmaster Classic Champion." Every angler earned his place in the Classic field, which includes many of the biggest names in bass fishing.

I often attend the Classic and the huge outdoors expo that comes with it, so it's always a little odd to be watching from afar. Many of my friends from the fishing business are gathered in New Orleans this week. Among them are writers, magazine editors, bass pros and folks who work for the companies that make the rods and reels and lures and such. For the past few days I've been seeing their facebook comments about feasting on Cajun food and have been spotting familiar faces in photo galleries from the Classic.

I'm thankful for the many channels of live communication, and I'll be watching blogs and other reports to track how the events take shape. Unless they get delayed by fog, which reportedly is a possibility with the way the weather is shaping up, the boats will launch in a little less than two hours.