By Capt. James McManus
My wife Judy and I went to the lake this weekend just to ride and look. I realized it had been two years exactly since we took the same trip, as “lockdown” was in full swing. It really has been a two-year cluster. We didn’t know when we were driving then if we would be arrested, run up on road blocks, or all of a sudden be overtaken by a crew wearing hazmat suits and gas masks. The roadblock became reality at the Graham county line. Without our passports and other papers, there was no guarantee we weren’t going to spend the night with others, who dared leave the house, in a COVID detention center. Kudos to the nice deputies; when they saw us with our boat, they let us pass to get to the boat ramp at Lemmon’s Branch on Fontana.
Fast forward two years, and we never thought twice about leaving our house. Thank God the worst of this mess is behind us. I have kin, friends, and others who have not been as lucky as we have; some are no longer with us. There have been terrible trials on us all through this pandemic. One of the saving graces though has been the ability to get on the water. At the onset, even that was in jeopardy. I pulled the boat to Hartwell at one point and found all the ramps closed. That seems like a century ago and thankfully that chapter didn’t last long. The point of this rambling is that we are blessed to live in a country, and particularly, in a part of the country that is surrounded by beautiful water.
Whether you fish, ski, swim, or any other water sport (except for wakeboard), we all need to be thankful for what we have. This time of the year, our fish will feel the urge to hit the banks “lookin’ for love”. Our mountain lakes typically hide fish in deep water during the coldest weather. Once spring breaks, they head shallow and that first cast to the bank that receives that well known “thump” melts my heart. I concentrate on gravel points that aren’t too steep. They are better if a breeze is blowing into them, breaking up the surface and making an ambush station for our finny friends. Along with jigs, I love to throw jerkbaits; toss them across the points and include some long pauses during your retrieve. You might get the rod snatched out of your hand if you aren’t careful. Keep a few for the table and again be thankful for what we have been granted. Share as you can with younguns so they can appreciate God’s blessings. Spend time just riding sometimes; it ain’t all about filling the cooler. Later, Capt. James
Capt. James McManus owns 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day on the water at (828) 421-8125.