Climbing Fences

Most definitely, April 23 and 24, we are going to Cohutta to camp and fish the Conasauga River. Boo-yah to wild trout and the great outdoors and hopefully bears. Really? OK. Maybe the bears can stay their distance. Anyway, it will my first camping trip in quite some time, so here's to preparation and being old I guess. In my 20s I could just throw my pack in the car and head out for a week or so. Now I'm not so sure. Can I bring enough food? Water? I guess I could hike out and hit a Wendy's.

To be one of them

Went fishing today. Lake Conasauga and Sandy Beach Lake and caught nothing. I really didn't even see any fish. Lots of people were walking though and there were lots of ducks. Ducks, duck turds, and trash in the water.

This weekend, the Coosa Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host a Trout Expo on Saturday from 10-2 at the North Floyd Park across from Armuchee High School. Be there or be square.

Who wants to go fishing?

I just raised my hand. But I've got to work on this water problem. We still don't have a good flow of water in our sinks, so it looks like a couple of more weeks, before we get to do some fishing.

Only One Life

If I had to say there was something I had that I could only live once, it would be a life. Most people would say, "get a life," to which I would say, "Get two, to go." I know. None of this makes any sense. But whatever.

I accidentally pocket dialed Ken Bradshaw today. He called me back about ten minutes later, and I had to have an awkward and unscripted conversation with him this morning. Neither of us had been doing anything, except he had been hunting this morning "in the land of the ice and snow" and had no luck.

I hadn't even done that. I left work about 9:00 and the truck broke down. I limped it back and got another truck and finished everything from there on. I had such a boring day. For lunch I ate a chicken sandwich and read the newspaper. I saved the sports section to read during the game tonight. I hope I don't forget it. I need to set it out to make sure. I start every sentence with "I", almost.

I'm very cold also.

But don't give up now. You have only one life.

There's more to life than meets the eye.

I'm sitting here the day after Christmas, watching Garden State. I'd have to say that it's not going to make my top 10 list. Anyway, as I said, it's the day after Christmas, and I've accentuated my fly fishing gear very nicely. We've racked up two new, water proof fly boxes, leaders, and a new fishing pack.

I bought the pack for myself with money we got from my Granmother. It's a very nice Orvis model with lots of pockets and compartments. I think this is going to be extremely handy when I finally get back out there. After I use it a couple of times, I'll write about it. The old one was a hunk of junk I got from work. It was a promotional item that held everything I needed and was functional, but I needed something with separate compartments and more flexibility.

I'm having an Ebay yardsale to try to raise some money and get some waders. I think I'm going to need them for the Conasauga. Not sure at this point when or where I'm going fishing next, but I'll let you know how it was.

Until then, buenos nachos.

I've been doing everything wrong

I haven't been fishing in forever. The plan is to go to Little Cedar Creek, which I found out is open year round for trout fishing, hopefully Christmas weekend, or the first Sunday in January.

I'm also working on a trip to the Conasauga River, in the Cohutta Wilderness area, for the spring. I'm not sure if I want to make this a daytrip, a weekend, or just go all out and do it for a week. Ken Bradshaw, of the Cohutta Chapter of TU has fished the area for many years and recommends doing a whole week there. But I'm not sure I'm up for it. Maybe it's just the cold, and maybe I'll be more enthusiastic when it gets warm, and when everything gets settled at work so I can start taking some weekends off.

Anyway, if anyone wants to go to Little Cedar Creek, that can fish, just let me know.

9/25/2010 The hole in the wall that you made with your elbow

Saturday, Sept 25 2010

On the banks of Little Cedar Creek in Cave Spring, GA, sits a small fishing village. Well, not really a fishing village, just a few extended stay cabins on the west side of town. I want give the exact location because it's not open to the public. Anyway, the fishing is excellent. I caught my first trout on a fly. My spinning rod is non-functional, so I didn't try it out there. This area is open wide on the one side of the creek, while the other is inaccessible brush. But one side's all you need.

I started out directing my casts under the overgrowth and floating under the tree limbs without much luck. As I moved my way down the creek, I hardly saw any fish at all except some bluegills along the opposite bank. But when I got down to the bend in the creek, where the water slows a bit, from where I was standing, I could see the rainbows hovering in the current. After a few casts, and getting the drift just right, they were all over my mayfly. I may have caught the same fish, but I caught him a dozen times, all eight inchers, and looking about the same.

I'm not sure if John's Creek is going to make the short list this year. Everything has been so busy lately and only two more, well this weekend is out, so one more chance, and then it's over. Next spring though, we'll be all over it. I've heard about some secret holes they've been stocking and I bet those fish will be big in the spring. Speaking of this weekend, Andy Bowen, owner of Cohutta Fishing Company,, has an intro to fly fishing, covering gear, necessities, and maybe a little casting out back, for free, which is sweet. It's from 9:30am to 11:30am at the store in Cartersville, on Main Street behind the Wachovia.