By Capt. James McManus
Well, the last few weeks I’ve had lots of folks from Florida on the boat. The fishing has been great; we’ve caught good numbers and good size, but that’s just part of why I’ve realized how blessed I am to be in the mountains. Most have talked about the lack of rain, oppressive heat, traffic congestion, all the things I don’t miss about being anywhere but here.
Had quite a few young kids, and their perspectives on fishing here have been priceless. My favorite conversation lately was with a young man who fished on his high school bass fishing club. We were trolling down near the dam at Fontana, catching trout on downriggers with spoons. He had asked about largemouth fishing and whether there were any lily pad areas on the lake, saying in Florida right then they were hiding in the shade as it was sweltering hot. I explained there weren’t any and that our bass just went deeper when our temps climbed or moved out into open water. Also, I added that we didn’t have many largemouth, mainly spotted bass and they were a different animal.
A couple of minutes later we had a fish on and a two and a half pound spot jumped across the back of the spread. After a good accounting of his strengths, we netted it and the kid went crazy. He had his picture snapped, snapped a view of the sonar, “ I just caught a bass in 350’ of water, fifty feet down—the guys at home are going to freak!”
This is an amazing place. Beauty without equal, uncongested waters, fish galore and a “You ain’t in Florida no more, boy.” feeling. I try and remind myself of that almost every day and thank the Lord for these blessings.
Y’all give me a shout if you want to catch a few.
Later, Capt. James
Capt. James McManus owns 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day on the water at (828) 421-8125