Upcountry Embraces Classic

I'm no more a fan of sitting in a traffic line waiting to park than is anyone else. That said, I like what it tells me about bass fishing fans in the South Carolina Upcountry, and it illustrates one of the reasons the Bassmaster Classic was back to Greenville and Lake Hartwell this year. I got within a mile of the TD Convention Center about five minutes before the expo was supposed to begin this morning, and traffic was lined onto the road. Some lots were already filled and others were filling quickly. By the time I got in the expo, at a little after 10:00 a.m., it looked like the show had been going full stream for half a day, with every aisle packed and all the booths hopping.

Every industry friend I've spoken with in the expo has been thrilled by the crowds. And not just by numbers. The South Carolina Upcountry crowd visits booths to talk fishing, check out stuff and buy stuff. They are fishermen and fishing fans.

In 2008, the only other time the Classic has been in this area, the Expo was similarly full (in fact, I'm pretty sure the fire marshal had to close entry for a while on Saturday), and the crowd excitement in the arena was some of the best I've witnessed at a Classic. I expect the same level of tonight. In fact, it might be more, with South Carolina's own Casey Ashley in legitimate contention. If he wins, they'll blow the roof off the place!

Ice Edge Trout in the South Carolina Upcountry

"I've never seen that before."

I'm not sure how many times Bruce Stanton and I said that or something like it today, always related to the cold and its effects. It started with crunching through a wide rim of ice just to get to open water. The snowy banks and icy river reminded me of pictures I see of fishermen targeting brown trout and steelhead in Pennsylvania and New York and were not what I'd expect to ever see in South Carolina.

We also saw trout rising, something I've not seen with the water and air as cold as it was today. I guess they were eating miniscule midges or something in the surface film because we never saw any bugs come off the water.

The next "never seen that" was major icing on lures. I'd seen plenty of ice in rod eyes (had to clear that about every four casts much of today) and on reel spools and bails on other trips, but never on lures that stayed submerged much of the time. Our lures got so icy so quickly that we couldn't fish hard baits as effectively as normal, and even with jigs we had to clear the ice off the hooks every now and then. I'm pretty sure a couple of fish I missed today were because of a hook that was iced over and lacking a sufficient point.

On the positive side, we ended up utilizing a pattern that I certainly had never seen. The fish were holding right along the edges of the ice in the big pools, seemingly using the ice as cover and ambushing baits in the modest adjacent current. Once we figured that out, we were able to aim casts upstream and close to the ice line and work Lindy Watsit Jigs and Fuzz-E Grubs close to the bottom and close to that edge and found good success by doing just that.

I suppose it's not surprising that we had the river to ourselves, considering a starting temperature of 12. Fishing was good, though, and it was a fun day on the river. And in truth the extremity of the conditions for this part of the country and all the ice only added to the adventure.

For more on one of my favorite areas to play, visit Upcountry South Carolina.

Cabela's Greenville Visit

Cabela's Greenville, SC. Photo courtesy of Cabela's

A couple of weeks ago I had mentioned that I hoped to visit the new Cabela's store in Greenville, S.C. on the way to Columbia for the Forrest Wood Cup. I did indeed get to make that visit happen and had a big time exploring the store. Upon arriving in Columbia, I jumped straight into Cup coverage, and I've sort of been playing catch-up ever since I get home. Thus the delayed report. Still, I'd be remiss to not share a bit about what I saw.

I turned right, upon entering Cabela's. That led me toward the camping department, which has a cool and distinctively regional décor. Wall displays highlight state parks and wilderness areas throughout South Carolina's mountainous Upcountry. Each includes images, basic park information and a piece of a topo map that provides a sense of what's there. I appreciated added the local flavor, and having enjoyed time in most of the highlighted areas, I found myself lingering there a while before continuing through the store.

Regional displays in camping area. Photo courtesy of Cabela's

Like any Cabela's, the Greenville store has everything an outdoorsman could ever want, a Bargain Basement, the feel of a giant outpost and gazillions of fish and game mounts throughout (including full-body mounts of North American game animals on a mountain side the back of the store). My favorite parts, though, and the places where I hung around the longest, were the fly tying section and in front of the aquariums.

The tying stuff actually caught me. My supplies at home lacked olive, which is pretty important to the way I like to fish, so I was unable to escape without olive bucktail, marabou and thread (plus a few other things) finding their way into my basket. I also made good use of the opportunity to pick from a lot of jigheads and get the head shapes and sizes and hook sizes that would work best for the bugs I like to tie. I've already had fun playing with that stuff since getting home.

Giant aquariums filled with game fish always fascinate me, and I can spend way too long watching the fish, dreaming about those I'd like to encounter in the wild and seeing how the species are true to their normal distinctive behavior patterns, even in a big tank. At Cabela's I thought it was cool that they had distinctive warm- and cold-water tanks, which together offered glimpses of a large representation of the freshwater fish we catch in this part of the country. I also had fun playing with my GoPro and got a couple of photos that I thought were pretty cool for aquarium shots.

GoPro view of the warmwater aquarium. Jeff Samsel photo.

Beyond specific highlights and sections, I liked just roaming around Cabela's, looking up, looking around, and happily realizing I was only an hour and a half from home. Next stop for me is the Acworth, Georgia store, which is even newer than Greenville and about the same distance in a different direction!

Anniversary Exploration

Our morning breakfast began with fresh fruit that included blueberries and blackberries picked by the innkeepers earlier this morning on the grounds of Three Pines View. My wife and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary at Three Pines View, which is located near Lake Jocassee in the South Carolina Upcountry.

After breakfast, we enjoyed a walk around the Oconee Bells Trail in Devils Fork State Park, which is only a few miles from the inn. The trail's namesake Oconee Bells had finished blooming, but the rhododendrons was showing its colors in full force.

We also spent time exploring mountain roads and looking for roadside treasures. My favorite stop was Issaqueena Falls, a gem of a waterfall on a tiny creek that is located just off the highway near the town of Walhalla. A short and easy trail leads to a viewing platform partway down the falls. A short but slightly rugged climb down a less formal trail leads to much grander views.
Of course, given the view from our balcony and the total setting at  Three Pines View, we didn't really nee to go anywhere today!

Welcome to Sunrise Farm

There's nothing quite like a plate of freshly baked cookies to make you feel welcome, and 14-year-old Madison had baked our cookies to perfection. Madison's family operates Sunrise Farm Bed & Breakfast in Salem, SC, and my wife and I were checking in for an anniversary stay.

Situated on a 10-acre farm in the South Carolina Upcountry -- very handy to much of the state's most spectacular scenery -- Sunrise Farm has much to boast: a traditional farm house, two unique cottages, attention to details, wonderful breakfasts, friendly farm animals... Still, it's the people that make or break a B&B stay, and Jeff, Julie & Madison Pierce have mastered the art of hospitality.

Denise and I stayed in the Corn Crib Cottage, which, as the name suggests, is housed in the farm's original corn crib building. Julie personally showed us the cottage and made sure we were comfortable with everything from how to work the TV's remotes to where we would find drinks and snacks. She also gave us plenty of options for breakfast and had us pick a time. We didn't see the Pierce's again until breakfast, but Jeff and Julie both made it clear that they were happy to help if we needed anything at any time. And we knew they meant it.

Coffee was freshly brewed and waiting to be poured when we stepped into the main house, and the hand-written breakfast menu on the wall included a "Happy Anniversary" note. Julie greeted us and visited just a bit before going to work on breakfast, and she explained each course she brought it, each time asking a thing or two about our family and answering questions we had about the inn and its keepers.

The mission statement of Sunrise Farm says: "Sunrise Farm Bed & Breakfast exists to glorify God by providing a welcoming, peaceful environment where individuals, couples and families will receive rest and refreshment." From the standpoint of the Samsels, mission accomplished, and accomplished well.