By Tammy Millsaps
The Swainglers had a treat for our January fishing excursion. I supplied them fresh, hot pizza! Students usually miss lunch unless they pack it and eat it on the bus. Skies were cloudy and temps were cool, so fresh, hot pizza on the riverbank was a bonus!
We ventured to the River Road where the Tuckasegee River and Deep Creek connect. A few chose to fish the river while others headed to the creekside. A lone fisherman was already in the creek side when we arrived in our huge yellow taxi bus! I apologized if we invaded his spot. He said with a huge smile, “Oh no, this is a great sight to see all these young people outside fishing!” It’s not every day you see over a dozen high school students unload from a school bus with fishing gear in hand! Aside from stuffing our faces with pizza, fish were caught too! Fish were defenseless when two die-hard anglers cast into their home on the upper end of the River Road. Sophomore Nich Bishop caught a twelve-inch rainbow. He was using a Panther Martin single hook gold spinnerbait. Kinley Biggs, ninth grader, caught two trout. His tackle of choice was a Panther Martin single hook grey spinnerbait. His first fish was snagged right at the bank. Kinley describes his last catch; “I threw in a dang good current, reeled it slow, the fish come up and it hammered it!” His advice is to “never have a bad attitude, always feel confident and it’s always a good day when you’re on the water!”
We always have fun on our trips. Whether we catch or not, but this trip was extra fun and special! I went a little overboard ordering the pizza, as each student took extra pizza back with them to school. DJ, a junior and veteran of the club stated; “I came for the fish, but stayed for the pizza!” Sophomore Stefan Haymond, second year in the club, explains it well; “Crystal clear water, pizza in hand and good company, makes for a good time!” and I agree!
Tammy Millsaps is the Leader of The Swainglers fishing club at Swain County High School in Bryson City, North Carolina. They fish once a month of the school year during club time. Contact her at tmillsaps@swainmail.org for more information or to support this popular club.