No Georgia on my Species List

Saturday's catch on the Nantahala River included a couple of brook trout -- my first brookie of this year.

When I added brook trout to the written list that I keep I couldn't help but notice that I've added fish from five different states, but not my home state of Georgia. Don't get me wrong. I've caught fish in Georgia this year. As recently as Friday, in fact. I only record the first fish of any give species, and none of the first fish have come from Georgia waters.

The brook trout, which came from North Carolina, was species 15. I've also caught "first fish" from Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New York. I also noticed that so far I've added at least one new fish each month of the year. Given fishing travel plans to South Dakota, Wisconsin and Mexico in June, it seems likely that streak will continue.

The Black Hills region, where I'm headed next, offers a big variety of species, so I won't try to guess what kind of fish I'll get to add next. Of course, I might end up slipping out and fishing somewhere close to home between now and next Monday, when I fly to South Dakota. So maybe Georgia will be next!

Vicarious Ice

I admit it. I spend far too much time looking at weather conditions in Minnesota the Dakotas and the rest of ice country. I wonder about how the ice is thickening and get concerned about strong winds or heavy snowfalls that might break up or sink newly forming ice. Most aren't even places I'm likely to travel this winter. When home is Georgia and every ice trip calls for at least a couple of airplane rides, it's tough to bring everything together more than a couple of times per winter. I just like to watch how things are developing and joining my friends in various parts of the ice belt as they anticipate good ice and time on it.

I also enjoy reading the reports and seeing the photos and am thankful that social media sites let me see who is catching what, and where -- sometimes almost as it is happening. Occasionally I even pull up Google Maps, type in a few things and think, "Hmmmm. It would only be a 20-hour drive to..." So far I've only thought about it!

I'm not sure if it's the ice culture, the ridiculousness of the conditions or the fishing itself that I like best. I suppose it's a blend, and I know the visual game of watching fish on electronics and figuring out the bite plays a major part. Whatever the mix of reasons, there's little doubt that I'm way more interested in pulling fish though holes in the ice than are most fishermen who call Georgia home. I have ice plans in mid-January in Western Pennsylvania. Whether I'll make another trip between now and then I'm not sure. If not, I'll have to keep ice-fishing vicariously.

2012 Species Count at 30

Although it's certainly possible that I'll slip out to a pond and catch another fish or two before the calender page turns, it seems very unlikely to me that I'll add any species to the catch list in the next six days. This year I decided to keep a tally of all the kinds of fish I caught, recording where I caught the first of any given species and the month of the catch. Unless I forgot to record something, it appears the final tally will be 30 species.

Looking at locations, eleven states and one other country (Costa Rica) added at least one "first" of a kind of fish this to this year's list. South Dakota and Arkansas added the most, with five a piece. The South Dakota additions came courtesy of an early-in-the-year, multi-species ice excursion. Among them was the laker pictured above, which was one of my favorite catches this year. Arkansas added to the list on a couple of different trips. Five specie came from the saltwater; the rest fresh.

The most surprising fish to me that is not on the is a spotted bass because I live in the heart of spotted bass country and fish in a lot of good spot waters. I cannot say for certain that I didn't catch any spots this year, but I cannot identify a specific one that I remember and therefore record.

Come Tuesday, I'll start the count anew.

Double Trouble

A double-up approach was the key to success for me during my last day of ice-fishing in South Dakota. More often than not, I wouldn't seeing anything when I first started fishing a hole, and if I used a silent approach, nothing would show up. I could call in the fish by working a Lindy Rattl'n Flyer Spoon pretty aggressively, but most fish weren't quite aggressive enough to take the spoon. Eventually I figured out that if I started with the spoon and could get some fish in the area, I could then pull it up and drop a Fuzz-E Grub in the same hole and usually catch the fish. Neither on it's own was quite doing the job. Together, they worked wonderfully.

Catch List to 13

Three days on the South Dakota ice allowed me to expand my 2012 Catch List by five species, bringing the tally for the year to 13. Four of the five were types of trout. (Well, a lake trout is technically, a char, I guess.) The other was a rock bass that was almost too small to count!

Here's the updated list in the order that each was added: blue catfish, black crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch, walleye, northern pike, bluegill, hybrid, lake trout, rock bass, rainbow trout, cutbow trout, brown trout.

Waters in five states -- South Carolina, Georgia, North Dakota, Florida and South Dakota -- have contributed to this year's list. Next month's travel takes me to Costa Rica. I'll bet I'll add a few new species there!

Black Hills Ice Fishing Wonderland

Having returned from South Dakota's Black Hills yesterday, I'm only now beginning to digest the vastness and rugged beauty of the region and the tremendous ice fishing opportunity found in the lakes that are scattered through the region. We fished five different lakes in three days and only scratched the surface. Each was unique in its appearance, character and species mix. All were beautiful, and all yielded fish.

Fishing with Tyler and Alex of Dakota Dream Outdoors, I caught seven different kinds of fish. The big laker that bit on the first morning ramains my favorite catch, but the brilliantly colored cutbow that came from a tiny little forest service lake on our final day of fishing stands as a close second.

Day 3's fishing plan also put us close to Mount Rushmore, so I got the opportunity to visit this treasured national landmark and see it with my own eyes. How they carved such detail out of granite in such large scale and so high on the mountain 70 years ago is beyond my comprehension. We fished three small mountain lakes that day, and the drives from lake to lake were almost as fun as the fishing itself.

We spotted wild turkeys, mule deer, whitetails and coyotes along the way. Other big game species that make heavy use of the same mountains include pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and mountain lions. Virtually every gas station, motel lobby or eating place in the area has mounts ranging from bison to pronghorns on the walls, and the bighorn crossing signs stretch almost into the town limits of Hill City.

Of course, staying in Historic Deadwood only added to the Wild West feel of the trip. Walking snow-covered streets with steep mountain rising on both sides, I really felt like a gun-slinging cowboy could come riding up on his horse at any time!

Lake Trout Success

Day 1 on the Black Hills ice definitely goes in the books as a success. My first-ever South Dakota fish was a 10-pound lake trout that took about 20 minutes to land. It took a Lindy Whatsit Grub just off the bottom in 70 feet of water. We fished Lake Pactola, a spectacular mounted shouted lake, and landed about 15 lakers, plus one brown trout.

The day started with big breakfast burrito at the Howlin' Hawg Diner in snowy downtown Deadwood, which is just footsteps from the Branch House, where I stayed last night. After fishing, we tried to go see Mount Rushmore, but it was fogged in. We'll try again tomorrow afternoon if the skies are clear.

Ready for the South Dakota Ice

The Deadwood forecast calls for a bit of snow Tuesday, the first fishing day of my upcoming trip. That would be nice for photos, but one day of falling snow would be enough. The outlook actually looks pretty comfortable, with a lowest low of 17, but as Nathaniel and I were reminded last year in Colorado, that can change quickly.

Our first morning of fishing is scheduled for Deerfield Lake, where brook trout, splake and yellow perch are the main attractions. I'm looking forward to introducing the fish to Lindy Whatsit Grubs. Bernie Keefe in Colorado has been making good use of these for lakers this winter, and I have a feeling they might work well for Deerfield's fish. Of course, I'm also bringing stuff that was designed for ice-fishing.

The duffel is packed with lots of warm clothes. Camera, netbook and a bag of cords and chargers are likewise waiting by the door. I'm driving to an airport-area hotel this afternoon and will stay there tonight to avoid beginning tomorrow's travel in the teeth of Atlanta's Monday rush hour. Instead, I'll start with a short shuttle ride. By tomorrow night, I'll be settled at the Branch House in Deadwood, resting up for three days of ice fishing!