The gang floating the Duck

Well, it has just been that hot outside, hot enough to make me call up some good friends, and head for the Duck River while the fly rod stays at home. That’s right, I said it. I felt like the kids in The Sandlot, just defeated by the heat that we have been dealing with. It was time to go canoeing. It turned out to be a great day for it, although it was a billion degrees outside, but we made it work, that’s for sure.

Hanging out with Cash

Even before we made our first stop we had a nice Discovery Channel moment, as we came across two Rattlesnakes all tangled up near the bank of the river. And these were no baby snakes either, these reptiles were legit. Of course we got closer than we should have to get some cool pictures and a bit of video. No worries though, no one felt the need to act like any of the crazies on the Discovery Channel and try to handle the snakes, thats just dumb. Not to mention the snakes were busy enough as it was.

Rattlesnakes on the banks

It wound up being a great way to spend a day on the water with some great friends. A couple of canoes flipped over, no adult beverages were lost, but enough were consumed, and everyone made it out safe and sound. Unless some people floating behind us got a little too close to the snakes of course.

Mel and Mols

Adam and I made it over to the Caney a few days ago to bother some trout for just a couple of hours. After we made it to the river, as luck would have it, a thunderstorm rolled in. No sooner had we waded into the water that the rains came, and thunderheads started to speak their mind. Since there was no lightning in the picture just yet we decided to reflect on how hot it had been lately and just enjoy standing out in the driving rain. As bad as the weather got, we spend a solid hour catching fish pretty steadily. Nothing of size, but the resident eager stockers that will fall prey to a go-to wooly bugger and things of that nature.

Right at dark, some lightning chased us off the water hitting much to close to home. Point taken. we had our fun for the evening, and we just more than happy to be leaving the Caney without a skunk on either of our backs, even if we were soaked to the bone.  No camera-worthy fish, but enough to keep us busy for a bit.  Good luck and be safe if you go.

Early and late is the best time to throw poppers for bass and panfish.

When these crazy heat waves are upon us, the fish feel it to, that’s for sure. Trout become more and more lethargic as the heat raises the water temps in their habitats. Water temperature aside, they become more and more pressured as anglers and boaters alike flock to tailwaters to escape the heat.  Summers in Tennessee can be very trying times for trout, especially our stocked tailwater residents. If you do go after them, early and late in the day are best.

Molly landed her first trout on a fly rod on a mid-July morning this year!

Tim's first fish on a fly rod

A pretty nice little Thursday

Thursday found me back in Florida, and after some time on the beach, I was itching to get on the water for my night Snook trip. After dinner I met up with Steve Gibson of Shallow Pockets Fishing, and we were off. We set off for the lighted docks that hopefully held my first Snook. I must admit, I don’t have much reason to throw 9 wt. rods for hours on end back home, and this time I was learning to do it proficiently from a kayak. Lets just say that it throws a whole new bunch of challenges into fly fishing. 

It didn’t take us long to find fish, but finding fish that were feeding was a different story. I had no expectation of my first Snook coming easily, and I knew I had all night. That knowledge coupled with Steve’s awesome knowledge of the quarry and the fishery made me totally confident that I stood the best chance I could.  A handful of docks and a few hours into the trip, we were in the right place at the right time.  A well lit dock with a few fish starting to feed, and just like anyone would hope, I got a good cast close, and just like Steve said, on my first strip the fly just stopped dead. A quick hookset and the line took off under the dock, spelling disaster. Don’t ask me how, but like Steve said, I just pulled as hard as I possibly could and the fish shot out into the middle of the canal, and I really got to understand just how strong these fish are. Fighting and landing fish from the kayaks gets very interesting to say the least. After an awesome fight, my first Snook was at hand, taping out at 27 inches. What a rush!!

After some good pictures and a quick measurement, the fish was released with only a bruised ego. A quick re-tie and I was casting to some other docks. It took  a couple more hours, but we found a bunch of fish stacked up around a light, where I missed 2 fish on the surface and hooked into another Snook that put my kayak under a dock and then broke me off after a solid jump. It is amazing how hard these fish fight, especially when you are used to freshwater species that you can handle on a 5 wt!

All in all, there is not a better way to spend a summer night. I was in bed by 4 a.m.  Sure my shoulders are sore from paddling and my casting shoulder felt like it was made of gravel this morning, but that was truly an experience of a lifetime. If you have never experienced Saltwater kayak fishing and are in the Sarasota area, you need to get in touch with Steve at Shallow Pockets Fishing. Trust me, you will leave with an unforgettable experience, and be up close and personal with these fish, whether it be Snook, Redfish, Trout, Tarpon, or anything else this amazing fishery has to offer.

I will be fishing with Steve again on Sunday, with a report and pictures to follow, so stay tuned for the next episode of this awesome kayak fishing.

These guys wore the poppers out

Now that summer is upon us,  it’s time to break out the poppers and start hitting the lakes and ponds. Adam and I spent most of the evening keeping some bass and bream occupied at one of our local haunts. The action was steady from the start, with plenty of good-sized bream attacking the poppers and some smaller bass thrown in the mix as well.

The past two days I have been teaching myself how to fish with a cast on my left hand, after breaking it 3 weeks ago now.  I must say the self-lessons are going quite well, I have been able to keep up just fine with a few adjustments,

Making it work with the cast

and a lot more patience.  The trickiest part has been the landing and releasing of the fish, but so far so good.

When fishing your local lakes, rivers, or ponds,  keep it simple.  remember you’re not chasing the finicky trout that spooks easily. Bass and bream are much quicker to ambush a fly and the surface takes are just awesome.  a 5 wt rod will do, but a 6 or 7 is recommended if you are targeting sizeable bass.  a fly box with assorted color and size poppers will do just fine fished on a shorter leader. And of course, wooly buggers should be at hand when the surface bite turns off, keep them right next to the bug spray! Good luck and be safe out there, always leaving it cleaner than you found it.

Adam on the stalk

One of our own Caney Men of Darkness, Jamie Osteen, aka Darth Clouser, recently visited the White River, here is what he had to say: 

Well,  It was an AWESOME weekend fishing the White with Rachel and friends!!

 It was Rachel’s maiden voyage with the whole fly fishing thing which she has seen me do and which she was eager to learn. She’s taken some lessons and was anxious to figure out just what all these terms, techniques, etc. all meant and had to do with actually getting out there and trying it on the river.

Rachel enjoying a ride on a White River boat

Well, let’s just say she stuck with it and had an unbelievable first trip!! We didn’t have any action in the morning further down river and battled with lots of weeds and junk coming off the bottom. It actually worked out great for Rachel because it gave her ample opportunity to get used to casting from a boat, learn some tips from our very patient and knowledgeable guide, Marc Poulos, and get the hang of things. By the afternoon, we made the move to fish up by the Bull Shoals dam and the day instantly got better!!!

Hooked up!

 When she hooked up with her first ever fish on a fly rod I gave a big “Wooohooo!”… that got everybody’s attention around us…but I just couldn’t help it!! Now she had gained some confidence in what she was doing which continued throughout the afternoon as she landed 14 more nice rainbows including one outstanding fish!! The “big one” measured near 21 inches and was estimated by our guide to weigh just over 4 lbs.!!!! We also had four doubles keeping me and the guide, Marc, busy netting fish, taking pictures, and giving high fives!!

Osteen's loving it!

It was just one of those times the fishing was unbelievable and couldn’t have been a more ideal experience for a beginner! We both caught plenty of fish, most of which were big hard fighting rainbows and it made for a great day. It was hilarious and a day I know I’ll never forget!!!

Hats off to Marc Poulos for the great day! I would definitely recommend him it you want a professional guide who truly loves what he does, is very patient, is willing to take your interests in catching fish to heart, and just a great guy to spend a day on the river with. Both Rachel and I were amazed at the wealth of knowledge he possesses about fly fishing this area of the country! His website is www.whiteriverfishingguide.com if you want to go check it out or book a day on the river with him, you won’t leave disappointed!!

- Jamie Osteen

21" Rainbow, Great job Rachel!

Nice work!

Osteen got some work in too