Delightful Reading

I guess I knew it would happen. You can only stretch 211 pages so far. Still, I was disappointed when reached the end of Tents, Boats and the Ones That Got Away by Tim Mead. I nursed it the best I could -- reading only a chapter at a time, and not every day -- because I realized right away that I would come to the end too soon. Still, the end did come. Thankfully, I can revisit these stories. As Tim notes in Chapter 26, sharing a lesson he learned from a librarian many years ago, some books should be read more than once.

Of course, a few of my "on deck" books also make this one a little easier to finish because the list stemmed from its contents. I was excited to get Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac and Henry David Thoreau's Walden for Christmas. I've read A Sand County Almanac, but it has been too many years, and I did not own a copy. I certainly should have read the others, but I haven't.

Tim's stories, which he says are "the truth, mainly," quoting Mark Twain, are built around fishing trips and a few other outdoor adventures, but they are about much more. Sounds cliché to say that, I realize, but it this case it's true. He does an astounding job capturing the wonders of spending time on the water with friends (and alone), the sense of accomplishment in learning a skill, the joy of teaching a skill or passing along a passion to someone else, the thrill of discovering new places, the odd romance of sometimes-miserable conditions... The list could go on. Tim also weaves in life philosophies without preaching, is candid about his own relationships, and shares many of the influences on him as an angler and as an outdoor writer.

Tim Mead is a long-time friend. (He would say, an old friend.) And we've spent a fair amount of time together both on and off the water. Therefore, many of the stories' characters and settings -- and even a few of the stories themselves -- in Tents, Boats and the Ones That Got Away were already familiar to me. The personal tie (including my own name in one surprise mention) added an element of fun. However, my greatest reading joy, and one I'm certain would be shared by virtually any angler or close friend of an angler, came from very relatable themes throughout the book and stories told in a way that simply make them fun to read.

Tim and I have a plan to fish together soon, and I look forward to trading some fish stories and creating a few new ones. Ideally not a memorable story about a fish that gets away, but if so, I suppose that's OK!

Couldn't Not Go Fishing

High, muddy water from yesterday's all-day rain, 38-degree air, and northwest winds blowing 20 and gusting higher all suggested that today was a day to stay home. So what did we do? Of course, we went fishing. We didn't fish terribly long. Maybe an hour and a half. The sun had come out, though, and we'd gotten it in our heads that today was a pond day, so it seemed the only way to get that out of our system was indeed to go fishing.

The wind made boat control a challenge and the fish bit about the way I would have expected, giventhe chocolate milk water (one bite). I did really like the one fish that I caught because it ate one of my Ugly Bugs, which is what I like to call the jigs I've been tying lately. Specifically, the fish ate a Road Runner tied with dark Flashabou and a bit of marabou in its tail and some dark but shiny chenille for a body.

I actually don't think all my Ugly Bugs are ugly, and I'm looking forward to taking some of them to a trout stream some time soon! We also may hit the pond again Friday, and the water should be a better color and the wind is supposed to be gone. Both would be good things.

Outdoor Adventure Opportunities to Abound on Saturday

Smith Creek at Unicoi State Park gets well stocked for Outdoor
 Adventure Day, which is always held on National Hunting &
Fishing Day. Georgia DNR photo.

Smith Creek will be full of trout and its banks full of trout fishermen this Saturday, but that won't be the only activity at North Georgia's Unicoi State Park. As part of the National Hunting and Fishing Day celebration, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources will host Outdoor Adventure Day at Unicoi from 10 to 4 on Saturday. Activities ranging from skeet shooting to fly tying will be available to children and adults alike and concentrated in a big field along Smith Creek within the park.

If you want to learn more about opportunities for activities such as camping, hiking, fishing and hunting or try some of those skills first-hand, Outdoor Adventure Day is tough to top. Likewise, if you want to provide some opportunities for your children or maybe for a co-worker neighbor family, it's the place to be. Putting on such an event calls for a vast volunteer team, and most volunteers are knowledgeable and experienced outdoorsmen from this area.

You don't even need even need a fishing rod to fish. Although you're certainly welcome to bring your own gear, and most folks probably will do just that, loaner tackle will be rigged and ready for visitors to use. Live worms, by the way, are tough to top for freshly stocked trout.

Making Saturday an extra good day to bring a friend to Unicoi or to one of your favorite fishing holes, Saturday, Sept. 28 is Free Fishing Day in Georgia, meaning that no license or trout stamp is needed to fish Georgia waters.

While Unicoi's Outdoor Adventure Day gets my attention because it is the nearest special activity to my home, don't feel left out if you're not nearby. Similar events occur all over the country on the same day, and several states offer a free fishing day or two on the same weekend. Do a little searching online, and chances are good that you can find a fun event to attend or opportunity to share your love for fishing in your neck of the woods.

For information about National Hunting and Fishing Day activities in Georgia visit the Georgia DNR website.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

An baker's dozen of my favorite fishing experiences, in no particular order:

-watching a bobber dart out of sight
-hearing a chorus of frogs, bugs and birds at first light
-feeling the distinctive thump of a bass picking up a Texas-rigged plastic worm
-witnessing game fish herding a school of baitfish
-fishing totally by feel on a very dark night
-stepping knee deep into a cool creek on a hot day
-simultaneously seeing, hearing and feeling an explosive topwater strike
-seeing a smallmouth bass go skyward
-releasing a fish and watching it race away
-recounting a noteworthy catch with a friend who shared in the experience
-joining an enthusiastic angler on his favorite river or lake
-savoring redfish or salmon, fresh off the grill
-helping my children catch fish

Gear: Boat in a Backpack?

Photos courtesy of Creek Company.

With the ICAST show only a few weeks away, I'm starting to get word about some of the cool new stuff that will be released at the fishing industry's biggest trade show. As a fisherman who likes getting off the beaten trail and who has a fondness for small boats and small waters, I couldn't help but take note Creek Company's new Osprey Fishing Stand Up Paddle Board. This cool inflatable craft rolls into its own backpack and weighs in at only 36 pounds. Unroll it, inflate it, grab your paddle and you're ready to hit the lake.

Creek Company Osprey Fishing Stand Up Paddle Board, fully rigged

I haven't seen these in person yet (although I'm eager to check 'em out at the show!) However, I know that Creek Company has been making float tubes, pontoons and other inflatables designed for fishermen for many years. Therefore, I'm confident they've thought through the practicalities of making a craft of this sort into a functional fishing platform, and I have no doubt that it's seriously stable.

The bare basics approach for true backcountry fishing is to tote just the boat and the paddle. However, the Osprey also is set up so you can strap in an optional cooler for storage and a seat and so you can rig it with extras like rod holders, cargo straps, a fish finder and an anchor. Either way, it fits in the back of a vehicle and offers easy access to waters of many different kinds.

Keep watching. I'll continue to pass along work about cool stuff, both from what shows up in my inbox and especially from what I see for myself on the floor of the show.

Georgia Fishing Photo Contest

If you plan to spend any time fishing in Georgia this spring, take a moment to look at the rules of the facebook fishing photo contest that's being putting on by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. Basically, you send a 2013 Georgia fishing photo by e-mail, the folks running the contest select photos to post each week, and then you spread the word and try to gather votes based on photo "likes." Two winners win $50 gift cards from Bass Pro Shops. Details are on the page, but that's about all there is to it.

Fish Should be Biting

 

Two things about today's weather have me distracted this morning. First, the temperature is weirdly warm for January. We're in the high 40s right now, an hour before first light, and the forecast says we'll hit mid to upper 60s before the day is done. The same forecast tells of major storms that will arrive tonight, which tells me that the pressure will drop through the day. All that suggests that the fish should be biting this afternoon and makes me think that I might need to find a way to get out there and get after them.

I have fish story work that needs to get accomplished today, so my ability to focus and be productive this morning will impact my capacity to get out later. And there are other practical factors that could get in the way of an afternoon outing. Still, given Sunday's discovery that Nathaniel's boat will fit in the back of my truck and what the weather reports are telling me, it seems like this afternoon might be a better suited for fishing than for organizing the fishing basement.

The basement, by the way, is coming along really nicely, with better order than it has ever seen. However I think that's really another blog for another day. For now, I'd better get to writing fish stories in hopes of sneaking out this afternoon.

All That's Cool & New for Fishing

Photo courtesy of the American Sportfishing Association.

In a little less than a week a huge segment of the sportfishing industry will gather under a single huge roof in Orlando for the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades -- better known simply as ICAST. At ICAST, which is the world's largest sportfishing trade show and is produced by the American Sportfishing Association, tackle manufacturers will reveal their new products for the 2013 model year.

Rods, reels, lures, hooks, waders, ice augers, fishing hats, fly vests, pliers, kayaks, electronics...  You name it. If a product is used for fishing, it's probably represented with some new twist at ICAST. Manufacturers primarily use the show to highlight new offerings for sales to distributors and retailers (who travel to the show from all over the world); however, it's also the time when media folks like me get to see all the new stuff for the first time. For that reason, you'll soon begin to see lots of stories about cool new stuff on the web, on TV, in tabloids, newspapers and magazines and more.

I typically attend ICAST, both for the chance to see all the new products, which helps me tremendously with story ideas, and for the opportunity to visit with many manufacturer representatives, fishing pros writers and editors in a single place. It really feels like the whole industry gathers at ICAST, so it's a great place to build relationships.

I won't make this year's show because the Samsel family is due to expand very soon. Holly Samsel is due July 10. I'll be watching reports from manufacturer and media friends, though, and will report about some of is happening and what is begin revealed. I've already begun getting quite a few e-mails previewing the new stuff that will be shown.

Most manufacturers will travel to Orlando over the weekend. Set-up begins Monday, and the show kicks off Tuesday evening with a New Products Showcase preview reception.

Fishing Hard Labor Creek State Park

Nathaniel, Asher and I spent a fun day exploring the waters of Georgia's Hard Labor Creek State Park in Nathaniel's johnboat. The park's two lakes, Lake Brantley and Lake Rutledge, both provide boating and bank-fishing opportunities, and park literature notes that both lakes are stocked with bass, bluegill, shellcrackers and catfish. Of the stocked species, we caught bass and bluegill. We also caught a couple of crappie and a couple of other sunfish.

Both lakes impound Hard Labor Creek. Brantley is the smaller of the two lakes and is close the park's main day-use areas, campground and cabins. It is extremely shallow, and I've only seen its waters heavily stained. Rental boats provide extra access to anglers who don't want to fish from the bank. Lake Rutledge doesn't have rental boats, but it does have a boat ramp. That, along with it's larger size, seem to cause it to get more attention from fishermen who aren't necessarily camping in the park or staying the cabins. It also offers more depth variety and can be less stained.

We heard good reports about the crappie, catfish and bluegills from a neighbor in the campground, and while we didn't catch anything very large, we saw enough fish and enough promise that we'd gladly return to Hard Labor Creek to give its waters another try.