I visited my Dad in North Carolina the week leading up to Easter. We had hoped to get a jump on some good pre-spawn smallie action. However, my expectations for fishing Lake James are tempered by the lake’s technical nature and past experiences working all day for one or two quality fish.
Within the first hour and a half on the water we found a school of smallies. My Dad hooked three quality smallmouth landing two that both exceeded 15 inches. We were sure our pre-spawn smallie-fest was on. Unfortunately, the bite abruptly stopped and the electronics on Dad's boat completely fried -- a real killer on a cold, deep mountain lake. We ultimately settled for about twenty minutes of smallie glory. We later went to Cherokee and each caught trout on the Oconaluftee. This river is so beautiful you can honestly view the hook ups as a bonus. Even though we never really dialed in the trout bite, it was a needed break from fishing for lock-jaw smallies on Lake James.
Looking back on the trip I am most happy to have spent some real quality time with my Dad and I am proud to have been there to net two of his prized Lake James smallmouths. Fishing always seems to teach valuable life lessons. In this case I was left with the thought that all things are fleeting, so enjoy the moment. But as I reflect on the trip I can’t wait to start planning the next one.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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