50 X 2

As I pulled out of Beaufort, the rain started.  And the rain pounded all the way to Knoxville.  I was suddenly very happy I decided against riding the bike for this trip.

Driving through the Great Smokey Mountains immediately takes me back to simpler times.  We traveled here often when I was a child.  I always knew there were trout in this area, but I would have never thought I would travel here for something toothy.

My destination was Melton Hill Reservoir.  This reservoir was made from 1960-1963 on the Clinch River with the construction of the hydroelectric Melton Hill Dam.  Over the last decade, Melton Hill has become a well known stripped bass and muskie destination.

As I was researching where I wanted to finish up my Spring trip and I knew I wanted to get on the water for muskie with someone that I could learn a lot about muskie from.  It became quickly obvious that I needed to spend the day with Billy Davis.  Billy obviously had the Melton Hill muskie scene dialed-in. One thing that really caught my attention was the fact that Billy regularly shoots television shows for muskie and strippers with Larry Dahlberg.  Larry is a legendary muskie fisherman and has developed many of the muskie lures and techniques used to chase this fish of 10,000 casts.  I knew if Billy was good enough to guide Larry, he would send me into muskie overload.  AND HE DID!

My intention was to spend the day casting big streamers and hopefully get a stripper and a muskie on the line at some point.  We hit the water early and were marking strippers everywhere, but we could not get them looking up.  I was casting a large chartreuse streamer and Billy was casting various shad imitating lures.  We never did get a stripper to come up.  After a couple of hours of not moving a fish, we decided to move up and start hunting gators.

The muskie program on Melton Hill was started in 1998 and quickly became successful.  The number and size of these fish quickly put Melton Hill on the map as a premier muskie fishery.  My thought was that this is the a perfect situation for a guy that is new to muskie.  I wanted to be able to see and move some fish.  I understood coming into the day, that hooking and landing a muskie would be a different story, but being in the boat with a pro would help.

Billy would not call himself a fly fishing guide, but I did not care. I just wanted his expertise on the fish.   He was happy to accommodate my fly problem.  As we made our way to the muskie waters we discussed techniques and strategy.  I casted flies for several hours in some prime water, but just couldn't get the fish moving on them.

I was getting tired of casting flies...literally tired.  Billy had move a couple of fish on Double Cowgirl spinners.  So, I decided to take break from casting flies and grab the bait caster.

Within no time I had moved a small muskie, but did a poor job with my figure-8 and did not get her to strike.  Billy and I immediately started hammering out the details of the figure-8 at side of the boat and what I needed to do to keep a fish in play that follows to the boat.  Little did I know, the time we spent on this would ultimately make or break my day.

Things were going very well.  I continued to move fish and then mid-retrieve...WHAM!  I got hammered and my line was running deep.  The power of this fish was incredible.  Billy kept yelling at me to keep pressure on the fish, and in my mind I was.  The fish then turned and ran straight at the boat.  He was headed to the tree beneath us and he found it.  Once he got in the tree...it was over.  The line was broken off quickly.

As we discussed this fish, we came to some common understanding.  When Billy said, "Keep pressure on the fish."  What he meant was...get that fish up to the surface ASAP and let's get a net under him before he gets to the trees.  All right, we are now on the same page.

At this point I am bummed about loosing a fish, but thrilled that we had moved so many fish and even had a chance to get one on the line.  It was moving towards late morning and Billy suggested we fish for another hour, take a break, and then come back out and hit it again in the evening.

A very large tree came straight out from the shore line.  We started discussing tactics about how to approach a tree large tree like this.  Billy wanted my 1st cast out past the end of the tree parallel to the shoreline.  He said the fish like to sit right in the end of the trees and ambush things coming by and that it is important to make a few of these casts before for casting along the length of the tree to avoid startling fish.

I made the long cast in front of the end of the tree.  As the Double Cowgirl came close a big fish was right behind her.  I was not too excited at that point, but I was starting to get anxious because I knew I was going to have to figure-8 this spinner correctly to hook this fish.  As I reeled the line in the leader came to the tip of the rod and I plunged the rod down deep and made the 1st figure-8.  The fish didn't hit, but she was still following.  I made a 2nd figure-8 and as I brought the Cowgirl up closer to the surface...CRUNCH!  FISH-ON!

She was insane.  I pulled and reeled with all I had to keep this leviathan at the surface. She was thrashing and made one really strong dive, but I was able to get her head to the surface and Billy was ready with the net.  We had her...and I just experienced the biggest quickest rush of adrenaline I have had in years.  And, there was a toothy MONSTER in the net.

She was really big, so we hoisted her up to the boat so we could get a measurement and weight.  50.5 inches and 35 pounds.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  That is a fish of a lifetime.  I'm done.  I'm retiring.  This is crazy.

We snapped a few pics and quickly got her back in the water and revived.  She swam along the surface for a little while and we followed along snapping pictures and making sure she was fine.  Eventually she turned back towards the deep and down she went.

Sweat is dripping off of me and I was still breathing heavy.  Billy is just laughing.  I felt like I had just come off the wrestling mat.  I started drinking a sports drink and Billy says, "It looks like we have a pretty good window of the fish feeding.  We better get back at it."  I was ready for lunch and a nap.  But, I mustered enough energy to pick up the bait caster again.

We moved back into the cove a couple hundred yards.  Billy says, "You know what to do."  I made 3 casts and on the 3rd cast, a nice fish is following again.  Billy saw what was happening and again grabbed the net.  The fish followed right up to the boat.  I made one nice figure-8 and again, as I brought the Cowgirl up shallow the ski attacked.  FISH-ON!  Here we go again.

She made 2 really strong runs straight down towards the tree below us.  I pulled with everything I had and got her head up.  Billy netted her and we just starred at each other.  IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?  She was bigger than the 1st fish.  And broad...she had some broad shoulders.  Billy says, "You did get your fishing license....right?  Because this fish could be a state record."  WHAT?

We lifted her to the boat.  She was 51.5 inches and 38 pounds.  The TN state record is 42.8 pounds.  This fish is just post spawn and Billy is fairy certain, had we caught her a month ago, she would have been a state record.

SURREAL!  I had just landed 2 fifty inch muskie.  And when we went back and checked the time on the camera, they were 20 minutes apart.

We took a lunch break and met back at the lake later that evening.  My arms were still Jello, but we had to keep going.  I quickly moved another couple of fish and then hooked another fish away from the boat.  Again, the fish was strong.  I got him to the boat.  As Billy dunked the net below him, he shook his head, sent the Cowgirl flying and quickly turned before the net scooped him up.  That fish was in the 42" range.  A dink, really....by my standards.

We fished a while longer and the bite seemed to shut down.  My arms were limp noodles and it was just time to call it a day.

What more can I say?  I wanted to learn about muskie from a pro and hopefully hook one.  All objectives EXCEEDED!

If you are new to muskie and want to spend a day learning from one of the best or you are an experienced muskie guy that wants a new adventure, you have to get down to Melton Hill and fish with Melton Hill Bill.  Obviously he can't promise anyone a day like I had, but he knows his stuff and is dialed-in on this lake.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Red Bull

My wife and I have been in love with the low country since we got married in Hilton Head many moons ago.  Over our years of traveling to South Carolina, I have discovered a fantastic inshore fishery and you have to get down there and try it for yourself.

The Beaufort, SC area is full of history.  Plantations, traditional southern architecture, Paris Island, huge oak trees, Spanish moss, and low country feasts define this area of the country.  But at the end of the day, shrimping, crabbing, and fishing are the true face of this region.

Sport fishing has always been popular along the coast in the South.  But, have you ever thought of this as a fantastic fly fishing destination?  You should!  These inshore waters are full of redfish, speckled trout, cobia, lady fish and tarpon.

My intent was to come down and fly fish the Broad River for cobia in early June.  This is the prime time for this pelagic species as they come inshore to the Broad to spawn.  Cobia will cruise at the water's surface to hunt while they are in the river and explode on stripped streamers.  These tanks range from 30-90lbs.  Unfortunately, conditions have to be perfect to fly cast for these fish.  Wind can ruin a day of fly casting for cobia as it ruins the surface visibility of these fish.  And wouldn't you know it, the wind kept us off of the Broad Rivers both days I was in town.

Luckily, the South Carolina redfish fishery is fantastic and the redfish are well distributed in all kinds of areas.  So, if there is wind keeping you off of the big river, hit the creeks for redfish.  And we did!

The redfish were tough this past weekend.  There were plenty around, but they did not want to play.  We kept finding schools of redfish, hundreds of fish in a couple of them, and they were taking nothing. We were switching out flies, switching out to lighter tippet...nothing.  They mocked us.  At the end of day one I had hooked one redfish and one lady fish, and lost them both.

Day 2 held greater promise.  The weather reports indicated we may get less wind and be able to chase some cobia, but when we hit the water at 7:00am, it was obvious that was not going to happen.  We headed back to find the redfish again.  I quickly caught a platinum colored lady fish and this time got her in my hand.  This little pygmie tarpon was a spectacular fish.  For her small size she was strong and she was jumping 3 feet out of the water.  What a show!

As we moved on, we found a couple of schools of redfish early that were again snubbing us.  Captain Tuck was working hard and putting us on fish.  I was putting flies right in front of them.  But the fish refused to do their part.  Finally as the tide was rolling out fast we found a large school holding in a deeper hole off of a point to wait out the low tide.  I shot the little black and purple crab imitating fly out in front of a push and BOOM...I was finally hooked-up.

This fish had some shoulders and was pulling strong.  My 8wt rod was doubled over in the fight, but not relenting.  As the fish tired it came near the boat, but not ready to give up the fight, she shot to the back of the boat behind the tower.  Tuck ducked down and the line cleared his head, but then the fish brewed up another plan.  She shot straight under the boat.  That in and of itself is generally a manageable thing, but something happened and my line was no longer pulling.  Tuck reached down to see if the fish was wrapped around something and came up with the fly line with the leader cut off only a few inches long.  WHAT?

As we progressed through the morning it became obvious what happened.  The leader got hung on the
mount for the transducer for the depth finder and in the process broke the mount and then was cut off.  The transducer was just dangling below the boat giving crazy readings.   Murphy was dictating the day and it was starting to stink.

And from there Murphy started plaguing us even more.  The forecast called for partly cloudy with no rain.  And then the rain started.  We moved to a different area in the rain and identified a huge school of fish.  There were 200 fish in front of me.  They were not spooking because to rain was concealing us well.  Cast after cast right in front of them....hundreds of them and not even a sniff.  We moved around this school 3 times and they would not take.  And better yet...we're freezing our butts off from being soaked.  At this point, I'm ready to call it.

Finally, the rain stopped.  The clouds broke and the sun came out.  Tuck and I dried out and our moods lightened.  The tide was rolling back in and we decided to go back and find the school of fish in which I hooked-up earlier.

We found the school waiting in some shallow water at an inlet to a large area where they like to feed.  They just needed a couple of more inches of water and they were going to be able to move into a very large area and spread out a little to feed.  This was our chance to get that fly in front of a lot of concentrated fish.  Tuck gave me directions and I sent the little fly sailing right to his coordinates.  BANG!  FISH ON!  The Tibor reel was singing and this fish was really pulling.  He was moving away fast and staying down.

Tuck asked me, "Are you to your backing?"  I said, "Am I too my backing?  I'm half way through the backing!" I kept the pressure on and got back to the fly line only to be taken to the backing several more times.  This fish was panning out to be a real beast.  After what felt like a 20 minute fight the 29" TOAD finally came to hand.  A perfect ending for the day.

If you are going to be in the Beaufort and Hilton Head area and need a day on the water or you are just looking for a new fishing destination, call Bay Street Outfitters and get on the water with Captain Tuck Scott.  Tuck is a true pro.  He can and will put you on fish, but even more important, he will help you continue to perfect your fly casting and fishing skills.  That in and of itself is worth the price of admission!

AND, this is just the 1st half of my Spring fishing adventure.  Stay tuned for the 2nd half of the story
that will play out just West of Knoxville, TN.

Fly Swap

One of the great parts about being a fly fishing guide is meeting other guides.  It's really great when you run across another guide that does not chase what you chase.  And it's even better when you both want to fish for the other guy's quarry.  That is exactly the story for Dave and I.

Dave has started a guide service for brown trout on Ohio's Clear Fork River.  Clear Fork is one of the 3 Ohio streams that is stocked yearly with brown trout fingerlings.  ODNR has selected these 3 streams based on water temperature and habitat that should allow the trout fingerlings to holdover year to year and grow up big and strong.

Clear Fork river has upper and lower sections separated by Pleasant Hill Lake.  I am very familiar with the lower Clear Fork and have caught some nice browns down there over the years.  What I really wanted was someone to show me around the upper Clear Fork to see if slinging my streamers was just as effective up there.  Dave is the guy with the knowledge to help with that.

Dave is a fantastic fly fisherman, but has not had the time to get dialed-in to the steelhead game on the Lake Erie tribs.  Well, you see where this is headed.

We spent 2 days together fishing Clear Fork and then Rocky River in April.  It was fantastic learning some new tactics from Dave and being able to share some knowledge of steelhead waters to help him with his game.

If you have wanted to check out the brown trout fishery on Ohio's clear Fork River, Dave Radomski is your guy.  He has excellent knowledge of the river and the fish and his rates are really great.  Contact Dave with Mohican Fly Fishing Guide Services, LLC for a great experience on the Clear Fork.

This is a 2nd year holdover Clear Fork brown.  You can see a year of naturalizing to the stream diet has allowed for the red dots on the adipose fin and the blue-gray dot behind the eye to start to develop.

In the 1st hour of the morning the trout were really active.  We both caught about 5 brownies each ranging from 10-15".

Dave showing off his landing skills.

We didn't catch any monsters on this day, but the trout were beautiful.

This pretty little hen hammered a wet fly on the swing.

Dave let's one go so it can head back to the lake and return next season even bigger!

Tragedy in Connecticut

Well, there really are no words of consolation we can offer the folks in Connecticut.  These types of tragedies are becoming all too common in this country.  I'm not sure I have many words of wisdom on this topic.

I guess what I'd like to say is this, as men, let's not kid ourselves about how much time we invest in our children today.  I'm not talking about the time we spend at work to earn the money it takes to put a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and clothes on their backs.  I'm referring to the actual face to face time we spend with our children.  While it's essential that we provide these necessities for our children, it's an even greater necessity that we invest personal time with our children daily being their fathers.

I hear all of the arguments about gun control and greater school security and I understand the many sides to these arguments.  But the biggest impact we could have on our communities and country going forward is to put down some of the things we often think we deserve for all of our hard work and just spend time strengthening our relationships with our children.  Our children need us daily as fathers to mold them, to teach them, to disciple them.  Our children need us to listen to them and they also need us to teach them how to deal with adversity in life.

Please pray for the families in Connecticut.  Pray that God brings them peace, understanding, and forgiveness.  And please, be proactive with your beautiful children today.  Make time.  Sacrifice your time and just commit to giving them that time going forward.  As men, we can lead our communities and our country forward on this issue, but it starts one home at a time.

As Christmas approaches, it's a great time to make time with the kids.  Think back over your childhood.  Are your greatest memories really the things that were under the tree or are they of the special things you did with your family?  It's that time we spend together that makes us who we are, not the stuff we have in life.

Embrace your kids today guys.  If there is anything I can do to help you on your journey with this, just say the word!

Take some time with your little pumpkins today!

Remembering Dad

I met David nearly 20 years ago during my brief time as a bad college wrestler.  David and I worked out together over the summer and went to several tournaments together.  At that time, David was already 40 years old and he roughed me up regularly on the mat.  We've maintained a relationship through the years, and I'm glad when we get together there is no longer any blood or bruises.

David's father was really into fly fishing many moons ago.  He built many rods and loved to tie his own flies.  As my fly fishing passion has further developed, David decided he would like to get on the water again with a fly rod and give a go at these steelhead I keep talking about.

It's been 22 years since David had a fly rod in his hand.  So, today's experience was a new beginning in fly fishing.  We spent the day getting David used to handling the fly rod, casting, and managing line.

Often in this type of situation it is difficult to get a fish to hand, let alone early in the day.  But, today was an exception.  We spent about 20 minutes in the 1st run of the day readjusting to the gear.  As David began looking more comfortable, I suggested we move to another run that should hold fish in the fast stained flows of the day.  It didn't take long and David's reel was screaming with his first fresh chromer.

This hot lady made a good first impression with long sustained runs that boasted her strength.  David was an excellent student as I coached him on battling and bringing the fish to hand.  As he admired the fish, I could see David remembering the days of old when he fished with his father.

As the day progressed David continued to improve.  The fishing was pretty tough today with the faster flows, but he was persistent.  As the day was winding down, David was doing an excellent job of accurately placing casts and maintaining good drifts.  In the last run of the day it all came together.

I pointed out a shelf on the far side of the stream and asked David if he thought he could now cast across the stream and maintain a good drift along the shelf.  I had caught many fish in the past along that self in the conditions this day presented us.  David was confident he could make the cast and manage the drift.

His line dropped at the top of the run along the shelf.  David made a nice mend in his line and BANG!  A beautiful fresh little buck came jumping out of the water.  The fish made a strong run up stream and David needed no further coaching.  He kept excellent pressure on the fish and even did a great job of rapidly reeling in line as the fish darted towards his feet.  In no time he brought the fish to submission and it was in the net.

At the end of the day, David said he thinks he will get out his dad's old rods and get them rigged up again and put them back to work.  I don't think the day could conclude any better than that.

Whether your fly fishing skills are a little rusty or even if you have never had fly gear in your hands at all, I'd love to help you put some beautiful steelhead like these in your hands too.  Call me...  LET'S GO FISHING!

Tweaking

Derek has been discussing finding time to get up to Steelhead Alley with me since back in August.  He is an accomplished trout fly fisherman, but steelhead have been giving him fits for several years.  He had planned to make the trip back in October, but he and his bride were expecting another baby and the new addition was threatening to come early, so he decided to reschedule.  Fate found a favorable time this past week for Derek to make the trip.

The conditions on Steelhead Alley have just been terrible for a couple of weeks.  We have had no rain and the tributaries have been low and clear.  The fishing has been really tough.  I had been preparing Derek for a tough trip and that is when fate stepped in.  0.67" of rain fell about 36 hours before our time on the creeks and this resulted in absolute perfect conditions.  Derek's 6 hour trip was feeling more palatable.

The biggest issue for folks with a lot of trout experience is how they view the fish.  Trout fisherman know that steelhead are genetically identical to rainbow trout, and often they assume that catching steelhead is no different than catching rainbow trout that are lifelong stream residents.   What trout fisherman forget is that the reason rainbow trout were renamed Oncorhyncus mykiss is because they are genetically closer to Pacific salmon than the Salmo species that include brown trout.  Once trout fisherman adjust their thinking of steelhead to being salmon, it becomes much easier for them to bring steelhead to hand often.

As the sun rose over the creek Derek was ready for a full day steelhead action.  He already had a handle on fly selection and getting the presentation to the fish.  He was really struggling with identifying water that held actively feeding steelhead in different water conditions.  I put him on a run and instructed him to make a drift.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  BOOM...FISH ON!  A beautiful fresh chrome hen came to his hand.

His grin was from ear to ear.  I told him it was pretty likely there is more than one fish in that run.  Hit it again.  BAM...FISH ON!  He quickly landed another dime bright fresh steelhead.  As he released the 2nd fish he admitted he would have never considered fishing that run.  We further discussed that run and why it would hold fish with the conditions of the day.  I could see the light come on for Derek. He got it.

The rest of the day, he identified runs that held fish and his reward was a double digit number of steelhead on his line.  A few simple tweaks to his game and now Derek is ready to successfully tackle the Alley on his own in the future.  It doesn't get any better than that!

If your game just needs a little tweaking...call me.  LET'S GO FISHIN'!

A dime bright reward.

The perfect drift in the right run equals FISH ON!

Look at the bend in that rod.

Yes, it does look like a rainbow trout...

A perfect release.

My Girl!

One of my daughters has been itching to get out on the water for a few weeks.  Over the past year she has landed her 1st rainbow on the fly and started tying a little.  She is just interested and I have not pushed her towards this.

She's really accomplished a lot with her fly fishing for an 8 year old.  When we hit the water the other day she hit the fishing hard for a half our or so and landed one little rainbow.  Not long after she landed the fish, she started getting distracted.

The fishing was a little slow and she started playing with rocks and splashing in the stream.  I started to get a little irritated.  I mean really, doesn't she know this will just disturb the fish?  In that moment I realized I was starting to act like a grumpy old man and not like a dad that should just be enjoying some precious time on the water with his daughter no matter what we were doing.

As Thanksgiving Day was winding down, my stepmother was telling me about how she used to fish with her dad when she was little.  I asked her what she remembered about fishing with her dad?  She told me she just remembered him grumping at her about not doing anything right on the water.  WOW!

This really got me thinking about the time Chelsea and I were fishing the other day.  I remember starting to get short with her because she wasn't taking her fishing very serious.  But, I decided to let it go, and we ended up spending time walking the stream while I held her little hand so she didn't slip.  I hope that's what she remembers and not that I started to grump at her when she was getting tired of fishing.

Kids have a short attention span and really just can't focus on tasks the way we do.  Their brains are not even developed to the point that they can focus the way we do.  I just want to encourage all of you to enjoy the time you get on the water with your kids.  And if they get tired of fishing, then so be it.  Enjoy some time skipping rocks and hanging out with them.  They grow up so fast.

Our ability to help our children mature and develop their relationship with Christ hinges on days just like Chelsea and I had.  The focus on the day should always be strengthening our bonds with our children, not producing perfect drag free drifts.  As we build trust with our children we give them the confidence in us they need that allows them to share tough issues in their lives with us.  That last thing any kid needs is fear that we will blow up at them over something as insignificant as fishing.  And, if they are not comfortable with us with unimportant things like fishing, they are not likely to be comfortable that we won't blow up on them with important issues.

Get out on the water with your kids and enjoy them.  I hope this gives you some food for thought on your next outing with your children.

Big Brown Comin' Down...

I've been itching to fish the Lake Ontario tributaries in New York for a while.  These tribs get great runs of salmon, brown trout, and steelhead each Fall and Winter.  The lake run brown trout fishery is legendary.  It's difficult to pass up the chance to get into 30" brown trout.

Dead drifting egg patterns is the mainstay of fly fishing for these big browns.  But as the evening cooled water begins to warm in the late morning sun and the browns start to get a little more active, don't underestimate just how willing these fish are to hit streamers on the swing.  Between slab browns and fresh steelhead in the systems, you will have tired arms by the end of the day.

Started the trip off right with a 27" hen right out of the gate.

I love the variety in brown trout color patterns.

TOUCHDOWN!

One stream we fished had beautiful resident wild bows as well.  Look at that rose stripe and those rose fins.

Even in slower small runs, don't hesitate to swing a bugger or smaller wet fly from the top of a run.  WHAM!

I knew that switch rod was going to pay off! 

This little hen hammered a swung egg sucking leach.

Just be aware...there are some places in NY that DON'T allow chairs in the stream :-D

And just when you think all you are going to swing up is brown trout...a steelhead crushes your streamer!

Iron Sharpens Iron

Scott was fortunate to spend some years in Montana sharpening his fly fishing skills, but after more than a decade in northeast Ohio, he had not yet taken time to chase steelhead on the fly.  When we met a few months ago, we immediately set a date to get that done.  Today was the day.  And, we got it done.

Being the lead pastor of a growing congregation has not afforded Scott as much time on the water as he once had.  I respect that.  I love where Scott has his priorities.  Getting to spend the day on the water with Scott was a treat.

Although Scott had not chased steelhead previously, he took to the game quickly.  He was the model student, and boy does that make my day easy.  The first fish he hooked caught him off guard as it streaked across the stream and vanished from his line.  He quickly made some recommended adjustments and fish were coming to his hand regularly the rest of the day.

As we walked the trail back to the truck I wondered to myself if Scott gained as much from this day as I did.  He is a guy that truly understands what it means when we talk about iron sharpening iron.  I know Scott walked away from the day with better fishing skills.  It's always my goal for the folks that fish with me to walk away from the day as better fishermen and as better people.  Today, I have to say, I walked away a better man for the time I spent with Scott.  For that, I owe you one buddy!

The first steelhead is the one that starts the addiction!

The second steelhead builds one's confidence.

This is the thrill we all look for.

The third steelhead is the one that earns a lifetime of appreciation.

A healthy release of life's stressors.

Fresh

It's great to be able to get out on the tribs of Steelhead Alley during the mid-week for a day of fishing.  My buddy Greg decided to take the day off and asked me to get out on the water with him.  I agreed as long as I could go along for the ride for a change.  We piled in his car in the darkness of early morning and headed to Pennsylvania.  Our old friend Elk Creek was calling and we obliged her ring.

If you would like to see some of these fresh chromers in your hands...call me.  LET'S GO FISHIN'!

This little guy was hanging along side a newly fallen tree compliments of Sandy.  He kicked our day off nicely.

Shelves...look for shelves.  And when you find them, drift along them.  This fellow will be waiting for you.

Greg had seen enough fish in my hands.  A small green egg caught this hen's attention and he was on the board.

Greg had caught a fish out of this run earlier.  It was a challenging run because it was short, deep, and fast.  As we came back to the run, I told Greg I wanted to take one swing at it.  He told me I would need to get my bugger down quick.  Watch this....  I took the indicator off my line and made one cast just above the hole.  BAM!