The Angler Magazine | April 2020 | Great Smoky Mountains & Upstate Edition by Coastal Angler Magazine

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Photo courtesy of Knockin Tail Lures

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

or those who want to catch a heavy speckled trout, April is perhaps your best opportunity. April trout are still heavy from their lowered metabolism of winter. They are heavy with eggs and about to spawn. This makes April a prime month for heavy fish. The warmer water also makes them extremely aggressive and more willing to strike artificial lures of all styles. Let’s go over the how, when and where to target trophy trout in the spring. How: When water temp reaches the low to mid 70s, topwater action can be some of the best of the year. Aggressive trout are attracted by the rattling sound and erratic sway of the cigarshaped lures. You can’t go wrong with bone/white/ silver or a combination of these colors. I like to match the size to the conditions and forage in the immediate area. Required casting distance and surface conditions also play a vital role in my decision making. In rougher conditions, I typically use a large lure. The rattles of various lures also have different pitch. I prefer to use the higher pitch over a muddy bottom and a lower tone over sand, grass or shell. Slow-sinking, rattling, shad-style twitch baits

are also a good choice when trout don’t want to “rise” to the occasion. I prefer these lures with near-mirror reflective finishes. They do an excellent job of impersonating a wounded baitfish, and no large spawning trout in its right mind will pass up an injured baitfish. I can’t leave out the most versatile trout lure of all, the soft plastic. There are many styles, sizes and colors, but I prefer those that give more bang for the buck. When the fish are aggressive, I steer toward a soft plastic with a larger paddle that vibrates, creates a great swimming motion even on the pause, and one that rattles. These three components stimulate a fish’s lateral line, and they can’t resist the need to feed. When: I plan trips according to the solunar tables. I make every effort to be at my spot fishing during peak feeding times so that I’m not traveling from spot to spot when the fish are eating. Where: In spring, I direct my attention to grass flats. Wading is the superior method to consistently catch large trout, but you can still target flats from a boat. I prefer a flat with broken grass patches, potholes, channels, the dreaded prop scar or anything else that breaks up the grass to create ambush points for trout. Try to cover each transition from multiple angles, as trout will

stage on the edge of the sand against the grass. Pay attention to the where, when and how on your next trip. It will increase your odds of landing a trophy trout. It never hurts to practice catch and release on these beautiful fish. Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures, Controlled Descent Lures and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

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atching big pelagics is one of those “someday” goals for many kayak anglers. Venturing into the open ocean under paddle power after species like kingfish, mahi, sailfish and tuna can seem daunting to anglers accustomed to inshore waters or freshwater lakes and rivers. The first question you might have is: “Where am I going to find them?” Inshore, there are grass flats, mangroves and channels drop-offs that offer kayak anglers good places to start. Offshore waters don’t always give up information quite as easily, but the clues are out there. You just have to know what you’re looking for. The ocean is a big place, but I believe 10 percent of the water holds 90 percent of the fish. Narrowing it down to that 10 percent is the first step. Start your research off the water by locating a beach or other launch point that is close to hard bottom, wrecks or a reef line. This can be done with a little online research and a good mapping chip for your GPS. When the day comes to venture into the pelagic zone, take some time on the beach before heading out. Know the current, wind and water conditions. Is it calm? Is it rough? Are there a lot of weeds on the beach? Is there bait close to shore? Which way is the wind blowing? Answering these questions helps you decide what baits to use and at what depths to fish them. In general, calm days call for running baits deeper in the water column. With some surface chop or visible action on top—like bait jumping or fish breaking the water—run baits closer to the surface. Other things to look for are rips, color changes, birds and weed lines. A rip is an area where two currents meet. The water will look more turbulent than surrounding areas. A defined color change will have strong current running along its edge. Usually these color breaks and rips consolidate debris and weeds, and often birds will hover over these areas. The weeds and current attract bait, which in turn attract the pelagics. When you’re offshore, you have to take what the ocean gives you. Anything that looks different than the surrounding water is a place to put baits out. If you find yourself on the water with no wind, surface activity or weeds, look to your GPS to show you the way to hard bottom, structure, rock piles or reefs. There will always be some type of baitfish around these areas to attract pelagics. Find the bait, and you will find the fish. If you are new to offshore kayak fishing or are thinking about trying it, this information should give you a start on your quest to land a pelagic from your kayak.

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ennessee’s Lake Chickamauga has garnered a lot of press in recent years for giant largemouth bass. The introduction of Florida-strain largemouths certainly paid off for this 60-mile-long Tennessee River impoundment. The thing is, all the hype over bucketmouths has overshadowed world-class fisheries that already existed on the Tennessee River from Chickamauga down through Chattanooga. Flowing between high ridges of The Scenic City, the big river pumps out some pretty spectacular action for catfish and smallmouth bass. Richard Simms, of Scenic City Charters, said the fishing heats up with water temperatures this time of year. Whether you’re looking for bigshouldered river smallies, giant blue cats—or a little bit of both—right now is the time to be on the water. Smallmouth Bass: The Chickamauga tailrace lights up with aggressive smallies in spring. They feed up in a 10-mile stretch below the dam. Simms said fishing jigs and soft plastics around rip-rap, current seams and edges is productive. But drifting live threadfin shad or shiners with the current leads to faster action. With light 6-poundtest line enticing the most bites, any smallmouth is a handful. They typically run from 2 to 4 pounds on the river, and a decent day will produce 10 to 15 of

these scrappy bronzebacks. Simms said to expect a mixed bag on live bait. Everything eats shiners, so anglers will also catch white bass, spotted bass, largemouth bass, crappie, yellow bass, catfish and maybe a striped bass. Catfish: Big blue catfish are abundant on the Tennessee River from Chickamauga Dam all the way down through Chattanooga. When flows are right, the tailrace can be very good. When too much water is being released from the dam, Simms heads up to the reservoir. Either side of the dam, the prespawn bite peaks in April. “Both fisheries hold great big catfish,” said Simms, “and pre-spawn is a great time for catching trophy fish.” On the reservoir, deep drop-offs and river channel holes with structure are the places to vertical drop cut skipjack herring, bluegill or chicken breast. Below the dam, Simms drift fishes those same baits on light 10-pound tackle. In 2009, Simms’ client, Jerry Uhrine, caught a 52-inch-long, 75-pound blue catfish on 10-poundtest line. It is a National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame line-class record. “That light tackle technique is really fun because the average catfish we catch is 5 to 10 pounds,” said Simms. “Those 10 to 20 pounders aren’t unusual,

Photos courtesy of Scenic City Charters.

and every now and then we get one of those really big fish.” An average half-day trip from April through October typically yields 50 to 100 pounds of catfish. “It’s real easy to stock a freezer,” said Simms. Check out Scenic City Fishing Charters at www.sceniccityfishing.com.

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Photos courtesy of Tuna Duck Charters, Hatteras, NC.

April action can be fast and furious off the Outer Banks. Here’s one on deck and another on the line.

By Tom Schlichter

he Outer Banks of North Carolina needs little introduction to fishing fans. A true angling Mecca, it boasts super action with striped bass, red drum, cobia, sea trout and a host of inshore species while also offering tremendous offshore action for tuna, billfish, wahoo, mahi and additional pelagic favorites. These ocean predators really get your blood boiling in April, when the action comes alive 25 to 30 miles offshore. “We really do see a great mix of blue water species in April,” said charter Capt. Dan Rooks of the 51-foot custom Carolina Sportfisher, Tuna Duck (252-216-6160; http://tunaduck.com) which sails out of Hatteras Harbor Marina (252-986-2166; https://www.hatterasharbor.com.) “Typical action this month sees yellowfins in the 40- to 70-pound class, blackfin tuna weighing 20 to 25 pounds, and wahoo to 60 pounds. Early in the month, you might also deck a bluefin while the end of the month sees white marlin, blue marlin and sailfish arrive on the scene. Many of the big blues will top 400 pounds.” It’s the combination of bottom structure and a meeting of offshore currents that draws big game species to these waters, explained Rooks. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream flowing up from the south and cool waters of the Labrador Current dropping down from the north meet along the edge of the continental shelf, providing sharp temperature breaks that stack squid, ballyhoo, flying fish and other baitfish. Match a Anglers aboard Capt. Dan Rook’s Tuna Duck Charters celebrate a break over some structure, and you have a great spot to start hefty tuna that slammed a popper off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. your search. “It’s not as important that the temperature break be large as that it be well-defined,” noted Rooks. “I’ve seen breaks here as small as half-a- said. “A storm might push the cool water farther out or bring warmer water degree and as large as 20 degrees. Any break can produce if the surrounding closer in, so you constantly need to make adjustments. Expect to spend some conditions are right. Look for clean water, active baitfish and plenty of life. time searching out the fish even if they were stacked up just a day before. That’s one plus for heading out with a charter skipper; we’re on the water daily, Those are tip-offs that you are in the right area.” Although he’ll sometimes jig or work poppers for tuna, Rooks spends which helps us keep track of shifting currents, temperature breaks and baitfish most of his time trolling. His favorite setup is a natural dead-bait spread, with schools. Some days you find the predators sooner than others – but never give eight ballyhoo trolled in a V-pattern at 7 knots. He works hard to drag his up hope because once you dial ’em in, the fishing here is as good as it gets.” Anglers looking to trailer to this area can find transient dockage, fuel, hotel offerings across structure points, where temperature breaks are discovered accommodations and a boat launch ($10) all at Village Marina (252-986-2522; using on-board temperature gauges and satellite imagery. “The breaks move, of course, and you need to be aware of that,” Rooks www.villagemarinahatteras.com) in Hatteras. COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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Stripers on Lake Hiwassee By Shane Goebel

ain, rain, rain! Mother nature is definitely showing herself in 2020. The good thing is that April is finally here, and it brings with it some rip-roaring striper fishing action on Lake Hiwassee. Spring time is the most exciting time of the year for us on this lake. It’s the perfect time of year to get hooked up with some huge hard fighting striped bass, and trust me, we’ve been slaying them out here. So, enough sitting around complaining about all this rain— the weather is getting warmer and spring is in the air. Time to get out of the house and book that striper trip with Murphy North Carolina’s #1 striper guide service, Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service. Currently, Lake Hiwassee is 16 feet below full pool. Water temperatures have been in the low to mid 50’s. Water clarity is clear in the main lake and just slightly stained in the backs of the creeks and rivers. Striper fishing has been super out here lately. We’ve have had such an amazing late winter striper run and it’s only going to

get better! Most of the stripers we are catching have been in the 20 to 40-pound range, and we have been loading the boat with these monsters. The warmer unusual water temps have had these fish schooled up and aggressively biting. Our boats have had a bunch of 20 plus striper mornings in the past couple of weeks. We have also been wearing them out on light tackle, which is so darn fun! This pattern should continue into the month of April and increase as the stripers start their pre-spawn. Pulling planer boards with live herring and huge gizzard shad in the backs of creeks and around shallow, sloping banks is going to be the best technique. It’s also a good idea to work the banks by casting a Zara Spook or a Red Fin. As the sun comes up, turn your focus to fishing the mouths of creeks, as the stripers will follow bait to deeper water. With pre-spawn in mind, more and more stripers will start to stage in the mouths of creeks in April and start to work their way to the backs. Also, Keep an eye on your electronics for schooling stripers,

What To Expect From Your Guide

By David Hulsey

ly Fishing guides are a strange bunch. I’m talking real fly fishing guides here. Not daddy’s little boy with his gold card and ten thousand dollar website. Not Joe Blow that caught a couple of fish after a heavy stocking of soap heads and decided, “Hey, I can be a fishing guide!” Not the guy after a quick buck. I’m talking about the guys and girls that bang it out day after day untangling a million knots and still keeping a smile on their face, even though they would really like to hang you from your fly line. Folks with 20

years of experience and thousands of days on the water that have a pair of waders that never dry out through the year and then they decide they will give it a shot. Real Professional Guides. Professional Guides will give you the best days of their lives just to see you screw up all day long and then hook up and catch your first trout. Knowing they probably have just put another link in the fly fishing chain. To a pro guide, it’s all about passing along a few skills during the day to make you more effective on your next trip and to

and pay attention to where the bait balls are. I guarantee you, if you find the bait, the stripers will be close by. The smallmouth and spotted bass bite has been extremely good. We are catching some very nice smallmouth and spots in the 3-5 lb. range and in large quantities. We are at least averaging 20 to 30 smallmouth and spotted bass a trip. Several largemouth in the 8 to 10 pound range have been caught as well. These spotted bass and smallmouth have been schooling up on points and shallow areas around the lake. Down-lining live bluebacks has been the best technique for catching a slew of these great bass in 15-25 feet of water. April is a fantastic month for catching a lot of trophy stripers

and smallmouth on this Western North Carolina Lake. Give Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service a call and let the area’s #1-rated guide service put you on some of Lake Hiwassee’s best trophy stripers during the fishing trip of a lifetime. We are Murphy, NC’s premier full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lakes Nottely and Chatuge (in North Carolina), and Lake Blue Ridge in Blue Ridge, GA. And for all your live bait and tackle needs, check out Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA. They carry everything you need for a successful day of fishing and have the best live herring around. So, come fish with the pros for the opportunity to be featured in Angler Magazine, and let us help you get your fish on!

Shane Goebel owns Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service and is a member of The Angler Magazine Fishing Team. See the website at www.bigolfish.com or call (828) 361-2021.

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CONTINUED, SEE WHAT TO EXPECT, PAGE 4 COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

APRIL 2020

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Lake Chatuge Hybrids and Spotted Bass By Darren Hughes

arch was another great month of fishing on Lake Chatuge and with this warmer-than-usual spring in place, we expect April to be even better. Currently, lake temps are in the mid 50’s. Water clarity is clear all over the lake and water levels are holding at about 4 feet below full pool. The hybrid bass bite has been crazy. We’ve been catching some nice 7 to 10 pound fish in good numbers for early spring. The hybrids are presently staging in their spawning areas in the backs of creeks and feeding on small bait. This should continue through the month of April and into May. Early morning planer boards and free lines have worked the best. As the sun really comes out, the fish are moving to slightly deeper water and hitting on our down lines. Live bait is key here to catching some quality fish, but don’t hesitate to cast a spook, Red Fin, or sexy dog, especially when theses hybrids are busting top-water. Our spotted bass bite has also been insane. We are averaging anywhere from 30 to 40 fish a trip out here. Lake Chatuge offers the best spotted bass fishing in Western North Carolina, and I highly recommend booking a trip with us to experience this super exciting fishing thrill. These big spots are stacking

up on shallow points, humps and flats all over the lake and preparing for the spawn. Look for these fish in the 10-30 foot range. The early morning bite has been okay, but it really fires up once the sun comes up. The late afternoon bite has also been pretty productive. Once you find these fish, they are hitting just about anything you can cast at them. Jerkbaits and crankbaits have been working great, but as always, our super lively blueback herring are the biggest producers for some huge spots. April fishing on Lake Chatuge is always exciting. Remember, live bait on this lake can be the difference between a successful day of fishing and a horrid one. For all of your bait and tackle

needs, come visit us at Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA and We also carry live herring at The Ridges Marina in Hiwassee GA. -it’s the best place around for quality live blueback herring. For guided fishing trips on Lakes Chatuge, Hiwassee, or Nottely, or

questions about the bait shop, call me, Darren Hughes, at Hughes General Store. And whether you’re a seasoned angler or just starting out, give Chatuge a shot for some of the best spotted bass and hybrids in the area. Good luck, and get hooked!

Darren Hughes is the owner of Hughes General Store & Bait Shop, a member of The Angler Magazine Fishing Team and a guide for Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service. Look him up at www.bigolfish.com or give him a call at (706) 745-6569 or (828) 361-2021.

WHAT TO EXPECT

continued from page 3

have a good time doing it. Teaching about conservation, and the environment that those trout live in, should come up during the day. Pro Guides don’t have “pet flies” or techniques that limit your ability to learn new things. Changing flies and techniques should be commonplace on a trip if you haven’t figured out the silver bullet for the fish. A guide should never fish on your trip unless you insist or unless he or she is trying to show you a more effective technique. If he does, he’s probably a beginner trying to learn himself. If you do catch a nice fish, make sure the guide lets you hold it safely and properly for a picture. If he

wants to hold the fish by himself for the pic he is probably trying to get pics for his Instagram feed… Again, beginner city. Trying to make a short cut to fly fishing fame without putting in the days on the water is a sure way to turn off experienced clients. They can spot this a mile away. A guide should be courteous and helpful, to a fault, if he or she wants to make it in this business. Sacrificing flies, leaders, tippet and sometimes a fly rod or two along the way can take a toll on the guide’s brain and finances, but yet they still lace up those wading boots day after day, putting that next link in the fly fishing chain.

Give David Hulsey a call at (770) 639-4001 to book a class or a guided trout trip. See his website at www.hulseyflyfishing.com. 4

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EAST TN / GREAT SMOKIES /SWAIN COUNTY

A Great Day for Swainglers By Tammy Millsaps

RJ Radford and Bri Wesley

Sponsors: Pat Smiley, Tammy Millsaps, Samantha McFalls

reat memories were made for sure this day! We enjoyed a busy, fun-filled field trip! Two dozen Swainglers, and three extra chaperones, loaded the bus after first bell. The bus was full of excited anglers along with all of their gear. Our first destination was Carolina Mountain Trout Hatchery (owned by Howard Brown) on the Straight Fork prong of Big Cove in Cherokee, NC. We couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide than Andy Helton. He was very patient and informative with my excited group of teenagers. Mr. Helton led the group around the grounds and answered many questions. We were fortunate enough to

Trevor Jones

Campbell Fuller

be there at feeding time. We observed an employee riding on the back of a truck using a homemade fish feeder, made out of a leaf blower and a huge pipe, blowing out loads of fish food to thousands of eager fish jumping to catch their share of breakfast. I think we could have stayed there all day, It was definitely the best part of our busy day! I highly recommend other school groups visit. Feel free to contact the Hatchery at 828-321-3335. Our next stop was a late breakfast/early lunch at Peter’s Pancakes in Cherokee. With bellies full of the best southern breakfast cooking around, we headed to the Ela Dam area and fished down the river for a few hours. Several fish were caught.

Campbell Fuller caught his first of many trout on a white tube with red and orange flakes. Trevor Jones caught several fish using a Rainbow Rapala CountDown. Waters were high due to recent flooding, making catching a little harder than normal. The river was full of debris and trash. But that didn’t matter to two of my top anglers. I think Campbell and Trevor could catch fish in a mud hole! We had a great time. The day started out overcast and cool and ended with warmth from the sunshine. Students learned a lot at the hatchery, some are

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even interested in a career in the fish business. It was such a treat to sit down with these kids and enjoy a meal. Laughter filled the restaurant. I want to give special thanks to Jackie Parton Corn, of Great Smoky Mountain Bait and Tackle, for donating funds to help buy our meal! A huge shout out to Swain High Principal, Sonya Blankenship, for allowing us to go on our adventure. My hope is that, days like this, are what the students will remember as one of their fondest high school memories. I know it will be one of mine.

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.

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Fly Fishing Big Snowbird Creek North Carolina

o get to the key feature quickly, lets just say that Big Snowbird Creek is one of the best small stream brook trout streams in North Carolina. It rivals the Raven Fork in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but many claim it’s the state’s best brook trout stream. Like any other good brook trout stream, one reason it’s able to retain its “good” status is the remoteness of its waters. To get to the best brook trout fishing in Big Snowbird Creek you are going to have to do a lot of hiking. Big Snowbird Creek, located near Robbinsville, North Carolina, flows into Santeetlah Lake. Its waters are managed by the state two different ways. It has a wild trout section in its headwaters, and a hatchery supported section in its lower end. The creek’s reputation as a good trout stream comes from its wild brook trout territory, which is protected from upstream migrating brown and rainbow trout, by three large waterfalls. The creek

By James Marsh

starts out as a very small brook trout stream on the Snowbird Mountains near the Cherohala Skyway and becomes a rather large brook trout stream in its lower wild trout section, that is twenty to thirty five feet wide in places. The three waterfalls are Big Falls, the lowest one; Middle Falls, and Upper Falls. The best brook trout fishing is above these waterfalls. To get there you have two options. You can travel to the end of Big Snowbird Creek Road, which is Forest Service Road #75, to a location known as the Junction, and depart by foot up the trail at least six miles to the better brook trout water. You can also hike down the King Meadows Trail from Hooper Bald on the Cherohala Skyway. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Cherohala Skyway is a twenty-mile long highway that runs along the top of the mountain ridges from Tellico Plains Tennessee to Robbinsville, North Carolina. This trail is very steep and it

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probably takes more effort to reach the better brook trout waters than the lower trail. Once the trail gets to the main brook trout waters, its decline drops drastically and it falls at a much slower pace. There are several small tributary streams that also have populations of brook trout between the lower falls and the middle falls, but you normally will find the largest brook trout in the big pools of the main stream. Brook trout exist up to about 12 inches but most of them probably average about 5 inches. The lower section is followed by Forest Service Road (Big Snowbird Road) with not much access. It flows through a mixture of public and private property for its length of eight miles from Santeetlah Lake. The first three miles upstream from the Junction, Big Snowbird Creek, lies far below the trail but can be accessed in places. It has excellent wild brown trout and

rainbow trout fishing. There are campgrounds in the upper section and camping is probably the best approach to use to fish the better brook trout waters. Above Sassafras Creek, the stream falls through a series of cascades that are a few hundred feet high. These are known as the Mouse Knob Falls. Above the falls you will find brook trout only. The thing that defines Big Snowbird Creek from other streams in this area of the state of North Carolina is its wide streambed. The stream has numerous deep pools, long runs, some short riffles but it’s mostly pocket water with boulders and large rocks spread throughout its waters. There are plenty of Rhododendrons that makes for tight situations in the extreme upper parts and all the small tributaries but you won’t have any casting problems at most any other location on Big Snowbird Creek.

James Marsh is the Owner of The Perfect Fly online and catalog mail-order store. www.perfectflystore.com

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Reflecting on Crappie Fishing

By Capt. James McManus

verybody that fishes knows that the only antidote for April 15th is that spring has sprung and all fishes are hungry, willing and accessible. Almost anyone who wets a line can be a hometown hero this time of the year. Wayward cold fronts being the exception, most days on the water will add to our collective memories of personal bests, heavy limits, fish fry supplying outings and novice supporting ventures for all things piscatorial. It’s a time when I try and get my dad out, as an active 91 year old, he still enjoys and is proficient at catching fish. His favorite, for several reasons, is the crappie. Growing up in Eastern North Carolina we had access to some of the best crappie fishing anywhere. My granddaddy owned a farm and dad built a pond of about eight acres when I was nine or ten years old, on a small creek bottom that ran below

the tobacco barns. We lived on the edge of town and a short two-mile bike ride put me in crappie heaven. Many a day I would ride to the ballpark, just upstream, practice baseball and then ride down to the pond and lay out stringers of fish for supper. We had a ten-foot johnboat that, with a sculling paddle, I could cover every inch of the pond and knew where the best holes lay that held schools of crappie. The local dimestore had a small supply of streamer flies, three to a pack with one being a red, yellow, and silver, which was my secret killer bait. People used fly rods then but most had those spring-loaded reels and were used as fancy cane poles. I went whole hog, buying the little knuckle busting reel and matching it to a spinning rod with slide rings so I could properly switch from the Zebco “33” to fly mode depending on conditions. Fly fishing meant popping bugs for

CONTINUED, SEE REFLECTING PAGE 8

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Springtime Fishing Bonanza By Ronnie Parris

ey folks, Old Man Winter has finally turned loose and it’s time to get the kids out and hit the water. This month will have multiple possibilities .The hatchery supported trout streams will be opening. This is a great time to get a kid hooked on fishing as most hatchery supported waters will be teaming with Rainbow, Brown and Brooke Trout. Stock trucks usually focus on any bridge passing over the creek or any pull off close enough to the water to make it a simple transition from stock truck to stream. The lake fishing will also be wide open, with the crappie spawn and white bass spawn being at a frenzy, at times. Bass anglers should be willing to be versatile as some days fish will be right up on the banks and some days, out in the middle portions of the lake chasing bait. Walleye should be pretty much done with their spawn and be looking for good clay banks

REFLECTING

where they will ambush bait fish and nightcrawlers. This has always been a great time to night fish for walleye. I always like to pull a live nightcrawler on a painted lead head. Placing one about a foot off the bottom right under the boat and casting one right up on the waters edge and slowly fishing it back to the boat. Hits will be subtle and very hard to detect .My buddy Marvin Oliver always likes fishing with a Rapala ice jig right under the lights and is one of the best at this tactic .The fish usually start taking the ice jig better as the minnows start coming around the lights and circling the boat. When you hook one on an ice jig, you better have the net ready when it surfaces or it will get off. Otherwise, your better to just highpole it in the boat and really watch the trebles on the ice jig, as when it comes out of the fish’s mouth, it’s easy to get hooked and it sure doesn’t come out of a hand as easy

don’t miss a chance to get the family on the water. Give me a call if you would like to book a trip or just need a good spot to take the family out and need a few pointers. I’d love to help in any way. Stay safe and, as always, take a kid fishing.

Ronnie Parris is owner and head guide of Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited-Fontana Lake Fishing Guides, headquartered in Bryson City, N.C., heart of the Great Smoky Mountains (www.smounlimited.com; (828) 488-9711).

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bream and I’m pretty sure I was the first in Robeson County to attach anything other than a popper to the end of my leader. One of dad’s friends, Allen Warren, was a proper fly fisherman, but was amazed to hear about this new type of fly, not made of painted cork, leggy rubberband appendages and big painted eyes. I still remember his approving nods when I presented the bait to him as he downed another

crappie, explaining the nuances of stripping and resting the bait while watching the green flyline twitch from the subtle take of another slab. I started to write crappie filet but that came much later because all fish were scaled and eaten off the bone back then. There were six of us kids and by three years old, you were on your own to get fish off the bone and avoid choking, an art lost today with helicopter

Fontana Lake Fishing Guides – Ronnie Parris, Owner & Head Guide LAKE, CREEK & RIVER FISHING • FLY FISHING • CAMPING We offer both full and half day trips with the most competitive rates available. All tackle and supplies you will need while you are on your trip is covered by our listed price.

1012 East Alarka Road, Bryson City, NC • 828-488-9711, Cell: 828-736-9471

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parents hovering over every action with possibly hurtful consequences to their little dears. Today, fishing for crappie on mountain lakes is not as easy as the old pond days. Fontana has TVA to deal the deathblow to most extended periods of proper water levels that if consistent, would enhance finding and procreating our crappie population. Just when the stars align, fish concentrate around the little bit of cover available and drop eggs and fertilizer, but then the eight to ten foot cover becomes twenty to thirty foot cover and they tend to scatter with only a brief

window to socialize. I remember a couple of years ago I heard the wildlife folks pulled up crappie in their nets from almost 100 foot depths. That is a long way down to fish a one sixteenth oz jig. On the positive side, crappie are known for being very productive so here’s to hoping this year yields a bumper crop of these tasty buggers. Take advantage of the warming weather and calmer days. I can feel that little tick that precedes an upcoming fish fry. I may just scale a few and chance the bones this year. Later, Capt. James

Capt. James McManus is the Owner of 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day of boat fishing!

smokymountainoutdoorsunlimited.com

as the fish’s mouth. Perch seam to really like the springtime water temps and a live crappie minnow or small jig should get you a great mess of these tasty fish. Warmer temps mean more comfort for you and your young fishing partners, so

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HIGH COUNTRY

Springtime Fly Fishing

By James Bradley – Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide

ell folks, April is right around the corner. Milder weather is not only a plus for anglers and guides, but for trout as well. Rainbow trout will be beautifully colored up due to their spawning activities. April will have all kinds of insects coming from abroad. This will get many trout looking up for these tiny morsels. If you like dry fly fishing, it’ll be picking up this month! Our friends at the Department of Natural Resources started stocking many streams back in March. They will continue to fill streams with trout until July 4th for the first half of the year. Keep in mind that the delayed harvest streams and rivers will continue to get some fish until the season ends on May 14th.

Some flies to have for your outing in the Southern Appalachians will be caddis, mayflies and stoneflies. The following is a good assortment to have on hand: black, brown, grey and green caddis sizes 14-18 (elk or deer hair caddis), Quill Gordon (early in the month), Blue Quill, March Brown, Red Quill, and Light Cahills (late in the month) sizes ranging from 10-20 (mayflies). Lastly will be stoneflies like little black stones, and yellow stones sizes 14-18. I personally like stimulators and elk hair caddis size 14-16 for my dry fly fishing during this month. Regardless whether you are fishing with dries or nymphs, it is important that you try to match the size you are seeing first, then

the color. If nymphing, take a little time to flip some rocks to match the mayfly or stonefly sizes. Mak-

ing a good choice for your dry fly and dropper fly, if permitted, will help lead you to success!

Reel Em In Guide Service is an Orvis Endorsed operation serving mainly in North Georgia’s Historic High-Country region. They have been offering their services to fly anglers since 2001. Permits have been granted for guiding in Georgia and North Carolina, offering over 6 miles of private trophy waters across Georgia, and operating drift boat trips on the Chattahoochee and Toccoa Rivers in GA, and the Tuckasegee River in NC. www.ReelEmInGuideService.com, (706) 273-0764 mobile

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General Tips and Advice Gleaned from Three Quarters of a Century

By O’Neill Williams

t’s funny that the older you get, the more you have to say to people, whether they want to hear it or not. The redeeming factor is that, at my age, one doesn’t care if you listen or not, agree or not, or can improve on the subject or not. The tips are here for the taking or just ignore what you choose. In no order of importance, here goes. Try turning the tail of any curly tail jig up or down. If the tail is down, it will sink slightly slower because of the resistance. If turned up, it will sink slightly faster with less resistance. Rig them both on different rods with the same line size and see what works best. When using a drop-shot, use a Road Runner or any other jig as your weight at the end of your line. This increases your chances of catching fish, as they might bite

that instead of the drop-shot rig farther up. If you hook up, don’t be in a hurry to reel him in as there are others looking and feeding there also. Pick one day a month as family outdoor sports day. Take the entire family fishing, hunting, boating, seashell hunting, hiking, sporting clay shooting, or even camping. Getting the family outside once a month can prove to be enlightening and fun for everyone. Participate in shoreline cleaning events in your local area or even organize one yourself through your church or bass club. Keeping the banks and shorelines clean is a positive for the fishery and the environment. Run a piece of cotton through the guides on your rods. If any of it sticks to the guides, there must

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be a crack in the fiberglass inside the guide and needs replacing. Do not power spray your reels with a hose. It forces impurities into the reel that may cause corrosion. Use only a light spray and douse or submerge the reel in a bucket of water for a couple of minutes. Dry it off with a lint-free cloth and spray the entire reel with Real Magic. It will protect the reel and line from UV rays and help prevent corrosion. Keep an angler’s journal. Each time you go fishing, write down as much data as possible about the weather, water color, temperature, wind direction and always include what you were using to catch fish. Do not forget about moon phases, barometric pressure and cloud cover. You can refer to this journal over the years to condition your approach to each body of water. If you are a proficient angler and you want to pass on your knowledge, do some volunteering. Local high schools and colleges need mentors for fishing teams. These youngsters are the future of the sport and they need additional guidance. Be respectful at the ramp. Have your rig ready to launch when it is your turn. Do not back up to park on the ramp then load the boat from your vehicle. This wastes other anglers’ time on the water. Wash your boat off when moving from lake to lake. Contaminants from one lake can stick to your boat and wash off into another lake. This is how the zebra mussels infested lakes out west. Use the long shank Tru-Turn, light wire hook for panfish. The longer shank makes it easier to grab and remove since you cannot get your fingers in a smaller fish’s mouth. When fishing with younger kids, use a rod with a handle that floats. If the rig falls out of

their hands, you will be able to recover it. If you’re fishing deep for bass and you have one on and it gets off, don’t reel in immediately. Could be that many more bass were with that one and wanted your bait also. Leave it in the water at that level and don’t be in such a hurry to reel in. You will probably get another bite. When using a buzzbait, or something similar, and a trailer hook, which I recommend, turn the trailer hook down instead of up and mash down the barb. You’ll double your catch. If you get a bite on a buzzbait and it’s missed, have a plastic worm to throw back to the strike area. While the bass will not likely hit the buzzbait if you toss it back, he’ll almost always take the worm. I learned that from Rick Clunn in a tournament about 50 years ago. Every time you rig up to go fishing, cut off one rod length of line. Start with a fresh 6 or 7 feet of line. This will require you to re-tie your lures and hooks with new knots also. Want more incidental tips and shameless unsolicited advice? Tune in “O’Neill Outside” radio on WSB and the SB Nation affiliate network across North America every Saturday morning from 4AM to 6AM. We have many callers smarter than “O’Neill” to hand it out.

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Beginner’s Tips – What You Should Upgrade First By Ben Wayne

have found that most fly anglers start out in a similar fashion, the kit rod. My first fly rod was a kit rod. Kit rods are a great economic way to get into the sport of fly fishing without overextending yourself financially, if it ends up not being for you. I remember when I was ready to upgrade pieces of that original kit rod and I had no idea what to spend my money on or why. Here is what I think you should upgrade first and why. 1. The fly line: Good fly line can make your rod outfit feel completely different. Fly fishing is an expensive sport, and relative to the cost of rods and reels, upgrading your fly line will have the biggest impact on your fishing for the smallest investment. You can buy a top-of-the-line fly line for $90-$130 currently. Top of the line rods run $800-$1000, and top tier reels are $1000+. I would recommend Rio Gold, Rio In-touch Gold, Scientific Anglers MPX, or what I am currently using, Scientific Anglers Amplitude MPX. Good fly line rolls over easier, floats in the air longer, floats better in the water, and loads up your rod better. 2. The Rod: The rod is to a fly fisherman, as a sword is to a knight. Every angler has a favorite rod that he’s had countless adventures with, given a name, and intends to pass down one day. Just like the legendary swords of fairy tales. There are a lot of fly rod companies out there and the

market is saturated with new rod technology. This makes selecting a new rod very confusing, or overwhelming, for a first or second time buyer. Set a budget for yourself, do some research, read/watch reviews, and the best thing you can do is to go to a local fly shop and try the rod out for yourself. The action of the rod should suit your style- I prefer medium and medium fast rods. Length and weight should have to do with what you will be fishing for the most. The 9ft 5wt rod is the Swiss Army knife of the fly fishing world but if you are a dry fly purest who only fishes tiny creeks for native fish, a 7-8ft 3wt rod would probably serve you better. 3. The Reel: The reel got the last place for me because of my area, Western North Carolina. In WNC, for the most part, you hardly ever hook into a fish that you cannot bring by hand-lining. As a result, reels are just line holders and are the last thing I would recommend upgrading. I did not upgrade my reel until I started fishing tailwater fisheries and creeks that had reputations for having larger fish. The drag system is the most important aspect of a new reel. You don’t want the reel to jerk or take a lot of momentum to start up when fighting a big fish. Where you will spend the most money on reels is in the weight and materials the reel is made of. I have owned everything from plastic kit reels to an Abel reel.

Ben has earned his reputation as a wild water specialist in Boone North Carolina through his years of exploration into wilderness areas in order to map out the best hidden gems in high country. Ben attended Appalachian State University for his undergraduate education in Biology Secondary Education and is currently working on his master’s degree in Higher Education with a concentration in teaching biology. Ben’s ability to teach clients stems directly from his years as a public school teacher. Whether it’s the biology of the stream or casting techniques, Ben can give you the knowledge you need to be a better angler. 14

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APRIL 2020

Fly of the Month

By Eli Crumley, Blackhawk Fly Fishing keepemwet94@gmail.com

Hare’s Ear Hook: Tiemco TMC 3769 size 12-18 Thread: UTC 70 denier (color) Black Body: Hare’s Mask Dubbing Natural Ribbing: Gold Tinsel Thorax: Dark Hare’s Mask Dubbing Wing case: Pheasant Tail The Hare’s Ear nymph will attract fish even when there is no hatch on, and this pattern imitates al-

most any natural nymph. Try it in runs and riffles, or fish it in still waters too.

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ASHEVILLE / HENDERSONVILLE / BREVARD

It’s Here By Scott Norton

t’s here. That time of year we’ve all been waiting for. Let the games begin! I know most of you are ready to hit the ground running. Reels are oiled and hooks are sharp. The loss of sleep is affecting your job. Give in to your nature and let it flow. It’s that time of year. Scratch that itch and get out there. Whose plan will dominate the water? The hunt and the technique is on next level this year. So let’s get started shall we. Let’s start with the plan. Where do you start? It starts before you hit the water and in some cases months leading up to pre-spawn. First of all, you need to know your gear and equipment won’t fail on you. Next comes the hunt. Much like deer hunting, you set up your areas of ambush to tip the scale in your favor. How do you do that, you might ask? Scouting and

technology will be your friend for this process. In the wintertime, most lakes run the water levels very low and this is a great time to scout your bottom contours and structures for hot spot areas. Satellite images can be a great tool in your box. A top view can give you a tremendous advantage, much like birds use when they hunt. The software can allow the angler to compare the body of water in different water levels, with overlays. With the advantages an angler has nowadays, it’s just not fair to those poor bass. Now that you have made it there, you have a built-in confidence already and in a tournament state of mind, this is a game changer. Your mental state can make you or break you causing disruptions of thought and doubt in your abilities. To know the

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wind is at your back and the odds are in your favor, will boost your sense of awareness. You are now the predator and they become the prey. Your plans now have given you clear thinking. We all know that feeling of combustion when all cylinders are firing right. Tracking should be a breeze after the first bite. With a plan, you know where the ambush will happen. Water temperatures will tell you the mood they are in and then small adjustments need to be made to form your pattern. When that day happens, you know you’re at your very best. Execution from plan A to Z will be like changing gears.

Now be sure to enjoy this time when a plan comes together and you are not fighting with your gear to work properly. Try new techniques and amass those. At this time, you may stumble across something that forces you off of your plateau. Broadening your perspective may unlock new features for you in hard times. Soak it in and learn what you can.

Scott Norton is a Western North Carolina native. Born in Asheville, N.C., he is a long-time hunter, angler and weekend warrior. He is a member of Southern Raft Supply’s prostaff, representing them in his Jackson Kayak Coosa FD.

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River Reflections: The Return

By Matt Mittan

t was our road that no one else could travel. That half submerged stone wall that stuck up like a dorsal fin through the swampy overflow of the river that ran through our old neighborhood. We knew where every loose boulder was, every root cluster that looked like tangled petrified snakes. They were our off-ramps to dry ground. To one side of this meandering relic of a former cart path wall, was a lazy country waterway that whispered barely above the hint of a stream, but could swell to an angry torrent of racing waves after some heavy rain or a fast snow melt. To the other side was about 2-3 acres of flat, low lying flood plain, bumped up against a steep rise to the forest above. It had long been overtaken by time to become a smelly swamp of mud, moss and mosquito’s. But it was just big enough that it seemed like our own epic gateway to a world that was beyond the reach of our parents. Only my friends and I dared try to cross the labyrinth. And we did it so many times through the years that we really could glide across like squirrels on fallen logs. Beyond the swamp was where we enjoyed our reward, our sanctuary. Hidden there was the remnant of an old settlement that had faded into nature many years before our grandparents were probably born. The perfect place to feel as liberated as kids can be.

It was a long hike through dense woods and undergrowth before you could find any signs of human fingerprints to our rear. And in front of us, the swamp was our mote. The rock wall, our dragon – ready to ward off unwelcome adventurers. A few years ago, I decided to find my way back to that place. Maybe I was longing for the innocent days of youthful exploration. Maybe I wanted to somehow reconnect with my friends through sights, sounds and smells of our lair. Perhaps it was just curiosity. I’m not sure. It had been some 30 years. The rock wall was all but invisible, swallowed by the swamp and covered by the forest. To make my way to the old abandoned homestead I had to walk around the swamp, gaining thorny reminders of why the wall was such a valued passageway. When I arrived, the area was so completely grown over that I questioned if I had mistakenly gone astray to a different place. If not for the small island created by a side branch of the river I might have moved on. That’s when it occurred to me that it wasn’t me that was returning to a place, it was nature that was returning. It was returning to its original state. I felt a certain level of comfort in that. I managed to find one of the old boulders we had rolled into place as a seat next to where we would build small campfires. It was the only

thing that remained of the countless hours my friends and I had mused about in this place. And you would have thought, by the moss and small plants all about, that it had sat there for hundreds of years. And maybe it will now. We are but beautiful moments floating across this gift called life.

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Find a rock to sit on next time you’re out and think for a moment what stories might have been told in that space before you and what stories may be told in years to come. Celebrate that your path is one that no one can travel but you, but that you are not alone.

Matt Mittan is the daily afternoon talk host on Biz Radio Asheville and is Co-Host of “Matt & Michele Outdoors”, a multi-media program devoted to enjoying nature in the Southern Appalachians. You can find out more information by visiting www.MattMittan.com)

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS & THE UPSTATE

Fishing and Conservation – A Missed Opportunity

he fishing community is a strange one in that it is about as agreeable, and yet as argumentative, as a group of people can possibly be. Every angler on Instagram or YouTube anymore is an expert on EVERYTHING, or completely clueless, or even sometimes both. It’s as easy to become an internet fishing celebrity these days simply by having a Go-Pro, access to a private pond, and the knack for coming up with click-bait titles to lure teenagers into watching your videos. My point being, that anyone has the ability to share information on fishing, to an audience of potentially millions of people, regardless of whether you’re an expert or a novice on one of the many arts of fishing. I say this not to criticize; I’ve ranted enough on the negative affects that social media has had

By Ethan Hollifield

on our sport. There’s a ton of fantastic information that is being shared by some incredibly talented anglers and guides, some of which has proven invaluable to me in my own learning. I can’t help but ponder, however, on the missed opportunities that I think the angling community has failed to capitalize on when it comes to using all of this exposure to promote good conservation ethics. Think about it, when’s the last time you watched a video on YouTube or Instagram from a famous angler about how to hold a trout correctly without killing it? Or one on live-staking to prevent erosion in a river? How many times have you seen someone live-stream themselves picking up trash rather than just fishing? I think that this sets off a somewhat dangerous precedent, especially to the next generation of anglers. Conservation prac-

tices have turned from, at least in my experience, more of an afterthought than an important part of fishing education. I fervently believe that a basic understanding of the necessity of clean water, or good catch-and-release measures, are just as much a fundamental skill as knot tying or fly casting. I’m worried that the younger generations of anglers are going to be more concerned about how many big fish they can throw up on their YouTube or Instagram channels to gain followers, rather than promoting the sport as a pathway to others to learn about proper conservation techniques. I also believe that guides and people with large-scale social media followings currently have the best opportunity in recent history to make an outstanding impact on

wildlife and fisheries conservation for the future. You can never assume that people already know how to handle a fish without killing it. I’ve found from guiding that the majority of people are completely ignorant to those practices especially. This is why those of us with the ability, and the platform, should make every effort to ensure the future of our waterways by taking the opportunity to educate others on not just how to fish, but also how to protect our fragile aquatic ecosystems for decades to come. Fishing is more than just something to do for fun; it’s an extension of the greater necessity of conservation as a lifestyle that we all need to live out if we want our waterways to be productive and healthy for generations.

Ethan Hollifield is a member of a conservation organization called 2% For Conservation and a guide for Southern Appalachian Anglers

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Growing Up on the French Broad River

By Matthew B. Mayes

grew up in Brevard, NC, on a place called Deerwoode, which was a summer camp, built in 1923. My dad, Bill Mayes, is the fourth owner and bought the property in 1966. He ran the boys camp ‘til 1991, when he closed it. It is a magical and spiritual place with over a mile of French Broad River frontage, and incredible long-range, southwesterly views. The property’s highest point backs up to the 2800 ft summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, which sits like a giant candy kiss in the middle of the French Broad River Valley. This 175 acre property, with its unique mix of mountainside terrain and bottom flood plain land, is a wildlife wonderland, and an outdoorsman’s paradise. There’s just enough acreage and natural habitat for a wide array of wildlife. Black Bears, Red and Gray Fox, Bobcats, and just about every other kind of

critter down the chain. There are all kinds of birds, even spectacular birds of prey that hunt and flourish in the lower portions of the flood plain. And, because the river runs right through it, and floods frequently, it fills all the properties lower lakes, ponds and canal ditches with fish after every

flood. When the floodwaters subside, the fishing can be fantastic. Deerwoode was an incredible place to grow up, especially for a kid who loved nature, bird hunting and fishing, or anything to do with the outdoors. My family

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is all from Texas and Oklahoma, and we have Comanche, Cherokee, and Choctaw ancestry. My dad moved us from Texas to Brevard, NC when I was 3 years old. I’m convinced he took that 3000% pay cut and left General Motors in Dallas Texas to move the family to WNC because he is maverick at heart, a conservationist, an environmentalist, and an industrial art wizard. My father saw a better life in this run down summer camp called Deerwoode, and as he told my mother back in Texas before we came up; “It needs some work but the boys are going to love it.” He was dead right about that. My Native American heritage, I feel, is partially responsible for my deep connection to nature. There is something in nature that brings peace, calm, and aware-

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UPSTATE SOUTH CAR0LINA FRENCH BROAD RIVER

continued from page 19

ness. Even Einstein said, “If you want to understand the order of things look deep into nature. “ My father has been a fantastic steward of his land. He was building methane digesters and solar panels in 1970, preventing erosion, building holding ponds and preventing the TVA from damming the French Broad River. He talks the talk and walks the walk. The entire Deerwoode property is now in the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy. I said Deerwoode is a spiritual place. When I was a young boy I would often venture off by myself into the woods. My favorite place was a section of old growth forest that had hundreds of 200 plus year old majestic white pines. It was like a cathedral in there. I used to love to just go there, sit quietly, be still, and listen. I suppose it was some sort of mediation I would

engage in and the place I think of when I seek calm. My grandfather, on my mother’s side, was an avid fisherman. He was from Commerce, Texas and loved to bass fish, mainly. Actually, he loved everything about fishing; the planning, the travel, the prep, the location, the spots, the tackle and all the gear. I loved fishing with him and it did not matter if we did not catch a thing. It truly was a process, and I learned everything about fishing from him. My dad had also built several brook type ponds on the property and we stocked them with Rainbow Trout for the summer camp kids to catch. It was kind of my job to tend to fish. Some of those fish we had for years and I had many around 5-6 lbs. One of these ponds was near the front gate entrance of our property. I had about 40-50 good size Rainbow Trout in

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that brook. It was spring fed, cold water, and it provided just enough oxygen for me to have a good number of trout in there. I would feed them every evening. I started to notice that more and more of them seem to be missing. One morning I came down and saw a Panther Martin spinner hanging from one of the big one’s mouth. I knew then the local boys from town had found my honey hole and they were sneaking in at night and catching them. They pretty much cleaned me out. By the time I had about a dozen left, I tried to move them to the other pond further in the property, where no one could get too easily. A handful of those fish died when I moved them. I assume the fluctuation in the water temperature was too much of a shock to their system. I netted all the floaters and cleaned them and put them

in the camp freezer. We had a lot of Trout to eat for a while. So, back to the French Broad River. When I was a kid growing up in Brevard in the early 70s, there was still an awful lot of industry dumping waste into the River. Some of the plants up in Rosman, closer to the headwaters, were dumping all kinds of dangerous chemicals and waste into the river. By canoe, our property was, and still is, about 16 miles from the headwaters. Sometimes at about 2 or 3 in the morning, if I happened to wake up, I would notice the awful chemical smell outside. Our house sat about 75 yards from the river and whatever it was they were dumping in the river upstream, well, you could smell it at night. I used to fish in the French Broad River all the time when I was a kid. In the early days, I mostly caught

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Nymphs and Flies, “Oh My!”

By Karl Ekberg

ish are jumping, bugs are flying, and the rivers are fishing great around us here at Chattooga River Fly Shop. The clocks have been sprung forward to give us that extra hour of light at the end of the day, and evening hatches are plentiful. Daytime fishing is a delight with the warmer spring temperatures embracing us here on our rivers in the South. The winter rains have been more than generous to us this year, as the rivers are at great levels as we enter spring. Let’s hope we continue to receive ample rains to keep river levels at comfortable heights, flows, and temperatures heading toward summer. Nymphs, emergers, dry flies, Oh my! Where do I begin? Let’s break this down as easily as we can. Starting out the day, a tandem rig with a nymph and emerger trailer, will be a good set up, as the bugs have yet to hatch, early in the day. Starting at the tops of the riffles, and a slight upstream cast with a mend or two of the line, swinging this tandem rig will

work well. Slowly working the entire riffle area, a step at a time, with numerous casts along the same area to make sure you cover behind every rock or boulder in the riffle, will reward you with trout in hiding, awaiting a drifting morsel. Once the riffle is covered, swinging this tandem rig into the heads of the pools, and a pinch of weight may be necessary to get the flies down to the fish. Also, swinging these flies along the seams will be just as productive. As the day progresses, the sun starts to warm the waters, and the temperature rises, the bugs emerge from the nymph shucks and break to the top of the water to fly away. This is when our day gets exciting! A glimpse of the first rising fish, then a few more to follow in the slower moving waters below, and now it’s time to tie on our dry fly. A little more precision in our cast and mending techniques will be tested, as you will want to cast well above these rising fish. After the cast, a mend or two of the line, and releasing some line so the fly

will have a “drag-free” drift into the fish starting to open its jaws to the location of the rising fish, will inhale our fly. Once, the hatch has be key. One word of caution, don’t subsided, fish have stopped rising, set the hook to early, as it is very and now it’s time to switch back to easy to do, as you see the fish ris- the tandem rig and swinging. ing to the fly you have perfectly As the hatches change, so have presented. Hook set too early, fish we a bit, stop by for all the necesis gone, and we’re back to square sary bugs you need, Tuesdays-Satone, and casting to another rising urdays 7:30am-4:00pm & Sundays fish. If you are new at this, don’t 7:30am-2pm. We look forward to worry, persistence pays off, we seeing everyone out on the wonBy Wendell Wilson have all been too anxious to set the derful rivers here in South Carolihe most difficult thing the wind. My favorite way to tarhook seeing the fish rising at our na, and let’s remember, “Leave No about fishing this month get these fish is to use a 12-foot beautiful dry fly drifting toward Trace” out there! is deciding what to fish fiberglass jig pole with a float, for! Here on Lake Russell, we split shot, and hook. Put the hook Karl and Karen Ekberg are co-owners of Chattooga River Fly will have many options. The bass through the lips of a small shiner Shop, located at 6832-A Highlands Hwy, Mountain Rest, SC fishing will be fantastic for both minnow and drop it around the 29664. Give them a call at (864) 638-2806 and see their website at www.chattoogariverflyshop.com. spotted bass and largemouth. The shallow cover. To watch that float banks will be flooded with bass go under is still one of the greatest eager to chase down a fast-mov- thrills in fishing. ing bait. Crankbaits, jerkbaits, The stripers will be moving spinnerbaits, even topwaters will into shallow water also. They will all work; however, my favorite is a be following the herring that are in simple plastic paddletail jig on an the shallows spawning or preparunpainted eighth-ounce jig head. ing to spawn. Stripers will show It is much easier and less stressful up on random shallow points and for the fish if you are going to re- can be caught on the same lures as lease it with a single hook as op- the bass. Just be sure to have your posed to three sets of treble hooks. drag loose enough to survive that The crappie will be spawning hard first run or you can kiss your in the shallow coves. They will lure goodbye. Live herring on free be holding around treetops and lines can also be used to target rocks in quiet little places out of stripers.

Lake Russell

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FRENCH BROAD RIVER Carp, suckers we called them, and Horny Heads. Every now and then we might get a mud puppy. The only time I caught any trout is when we were lucky enough to be fishing on the same day The Forest Service was stocking the river right at the entrance of our property. They would put thousands of 8-10 inch Rainbows in the river at that location at the end of Deerwoode Lane. Of course, me and a few of my school buddies were always on the look out for that truck and we would stake out our best bank fishing hideouts on our property just down the old dirt river road from where they were putting them in the river. Man we would catch them as fast as you could put sweet corn on a trout hook. The frenzy would last a few days and then it was over. Back to suckers, horny heads and Hellbenders. Just want to add here that we did not do much fly fishing on the river, as it was too deep to wade and the banks were so overgrown in privet and trees that there was really no way to work a

continued from page 20 fly rod, So spinner and gig fishing it was. We would use anything we could find or that would work. We just wanted to catch fish. Somewhere in the late 70s the EPA started cracking down on the area industries polluting the French Broad. The EPA regulation, combined with the fall of the textile industry and the outsourcing of much of that sector, really helped clean up the French Broad. There were still plenty of farming, pesticide, erosion, and household trash issues to deal with but it was a drastic improvement. So much industry in the area vanished. American Thread, DuPont, The Dye Plant, and Olin Corporation. They were all gone in a matter of years. It crippled the town financially at the time and lots of folks had to move elsewhere for employment. The environmental impact some of those plants had was devastating to the rivers. Olin Corp used to dump all the sludge byproduct from the making of cellophane and cigarette paper directly into the Da-

April 2020 Lake Hartwell Fishing Forecast

By Preston Harden

s of 3-12-2020 water level-1 ft. Above full pool & water temp.-low 60s April means fishing shallow. April also means spawning fish. Fishing becomes simple in April as all game fish move up on the banks. March has been on fire with warming water temps and less rain. As the water warms in the afternoons, fish move up on wind blown banks and eat small jigs and flukes, worked slowly. By April, the morning bite will become as good as afternoons. Hybrids and stripers will

start to eat free lined herring as well as artificial, in shallow water. Many fish will run up the Keowee and Tugaloo rivers to spawn. Lots of fish will try to spawn down lake on shallow banks. Bass and crappie also spawn in April. Bass can be sight fished as they make beds in shallow water. Crappie will drop eggs on wood and rock structure in shallow water. After a long winter, April is a perfect month to get out on the water.

Preston Harden / Bucktail Guide Service/ 706-255-5622 / bucktailguideservice.net 22

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vidson River, which then flowed into the French Broad. They did not even try to hide it. They just dumped it in the river. Thank goodness our property was miles above where they were doing that but it was still an environmental nightmare. But the French Broad has survived, and even flourished in recent years. I have to add that without the boom and draw of the retirement community starting in the 80’s, I’m not sure Brevard would have survived economically. In Transylvania County, about 66% of the land is in state and national forest and about 22% in the French Broad River flood plain, which you cannot build in commercially or residentially. If it wasn’t for the retirees, the seasonal summer camps, and the lure of Pisgah National Forest to tourists, that little mill town might have had a hard time surviving. Over the years, the water quality has drastically improved in the French Broad. Without quoting statistics and numbers, I can simply attest to the wildlife I see there now, as well as the fishing. I started to notice River Otters, which are extremely sensitive to toxicity in water, Bald Eagles, and many different species of ducks returning to the river valley. The fishing is better too; it’s not uncommon to catch a good size Brown Trout, Small Mouth Bass, and even Muskie, along with Rainbows, Black Bass, Crappie, Blue Gill and Perch. There is also quite a good amount of Chain Pickerel in the river too, which occasionally will confuse folks as they think they caught a Muskie. There are some areas on the river where there is ample open bank space and you can catch those Brown Trout and other fish on a fly rod. Down on the stretch of river where I grew up, much of the water is deeper, with slow swirling, back currents in the deeper turns. Those holes are great fishing spots. The water is cold and clears fairly quickly af-

ter rains, depending on how much we get. Just a footnote on the Otters here, yes they are tough on fish populations, especially in our ponds and lakes along the river. But, they are part of the natural balance of the ecosystem. That said, I believe the forest service now only stocks trout fingerlings in the FBR as they have a much better chance of learning how to survive in the wild without just being a free, easy meal for the predators. There is some decent fishing on the French Broad, most folks don’t know about it, and most fly anglers stick to the stocked private property stretches on the East and West Forks. Most of the property bordering the French Broad from Rosman to Asheville is private. But, there are plenty of landings and places to put in and get out on a good days fishing. The first mile of the river, starting at Headwaters Outfitters, is pretty shallow and very rocky. It can be slow going in a canoe depending on the rain but the best Rainbow fishing is in that first mile or two stretch. Past that, the river gets a little deeper and it moves at about a 5-6 mph current. It has plenty of deep corner pockets as the river slowly meanders its way through the upper valley. The French Broad is one of the oldest rivers in the world, and the only one in the US that flows north for a bit before turning west and flowing into the Tennessee River. I love the mountains and the waters of WNC. I have traveled all over this country with my rock band Jupiter Coyote, playing shows, and seeing the country. WNC is still one of my favorite places. Those blue sleepy mountains and the waters that flow from them bring peace and balance to my life, and restore a renewed commitment to seek joy in the present moment; for it is all we truly have.

Matthew B. Mayes is the founder, principal songwriter, lead singer and guitar and guijo player for Jupiter Coyote. He’s played thousands of shows, toured everywhere and sold a truckload of albums. He grew up fishing and exploring on the French Broad River in Brevard, NC. He is currently touring with Jupiter Coyote and performing solo listening room and house shows all over the U.S.

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The Best Of Both Worlds

By Steven Tomasovich

guess I could describe myself priceless. as a “tweener”, not old school E u but not new school either. I ro-nymphing is see too many anglers being in one not the solution camp or the other. There is a lot to to every water be learned from the older gener- type and is not ation, and a lot of new ideas that the best techcan up your game. nique to learn If you are newer to the sport, first. Learn how here are a couple of observations: to cast a weight Nothing can replace time on the forward set up, water. Nothing, not even fiber mend, fish a sininternet. There is a ton of infor- gle dry fly, swing mation out there, videos (heck a wet fly and toss a streamer. Then I make them), blogs, books, etc. you should get the Euro-rig out. but spending time on the water is Join a local Trout Unlimited the best teacher. chapter and meet some folks to Stream research is best done learn from. by having an old timer take you On the flip side for the old fishing there than by any other schoolers: The internet is a great means. You will find out more resource. Use it to find new than any topo map or website will techniques, fly patterns, and for reveal. You will probably come stream research. Especially if you away with some awesome life are travelling to foreign water and lessons as well, which could be do not have someone you know

to rely on for information. Some of the new products are great. Lighter weight rods that can handle big fish are great. Fluorocarbon tippet is a better option than mono in most circumstances. Tungsten beaded flies are effective and a lot easier to deal with than spit shot. You can learn from the new schoolers. I bet you ask your grandson for help with your cell phone and computer. The same

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can apply to fishing – they may know more about the latest and greatest. Euro-nymphing is a fantastic technique to know. While it is not for every application, it flat catches fish in the right scenarios. It can be as simple or highly technical as you want to make it, and it will offer a change of pace to your fishing experience. If you are like me, there is nothing better than learning new ways to catch fish. Actively recruit younger folks into your local TU chapter if you are a part of one you will both benefit. Fish On! Big T

Stephen “Big T” Tomasovich is the owner of Big T Fly Fishing, Outfitter and Ecommerce Fly Shop. Visit them at 106 Grand Ave, Suwanee, Georgia, or look them up online at bigtflyfishing.com

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CHERRY DOMINATES THE CLASSIC

here was no denying Elite Series veteran Hank Cherry. Riding a first-day sack of nearly 30 pounds, he led wireto-wire during the 50th anniversary Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville to capture the most coveted title in tournament bass fishing. The 46-year-old B.A.S.S. photo by Gary Tramontina from Lincolnton, N.C. hoisted the trophy on championship Sunday March 8 and accepted his winnings of $307,500 as the Classic champion. It was sweet redemption for a man who’s fished the Classic five times and came heartbreakingly close to winning the whole enchilada back in 2013. During the 2013 Classic at Grand Lake, Oklahoma, a lost jerkbait fish dropped Cherry into third place. It’s safe to say his luck held on Guntersville, where limits of 29-3, 16-10 and 19-8 gave him a three-day total of 65 pounds, 5 ounces. He did most of his damage during Friday’s first round with a Z-Man Jack Hammer. The pattern led to a tournamentbest bag that featured a pair of 7-2 largemouths. On Days 2 and 3, he relied on his own Hank Cherry Signature Series Jig from Picasso in green pumpkin with a matching Berkley MaxScent Chunk trailer and a jerkbait—a Megabass 110+1 in the French pearl OB color. He spent practically the whole event fishing one causeway and one grass flat after a Day 1 arm injury limited his travel in windy conditions. “I never put gas in the boat all week,” Cherry said. “Y’all know me. If it’s windy, I’m not going to be making a lot of long runs—and anyway, I just didn’t need to.” South Carolina pro Todd Auten finished second with 58-10. Arkansas angler Stetson Blaylock took third with 58-1. The Berkley Big Bass award went to Auten for a 7-9 he caught on Day 1.

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nglers looking for a two-man raft as versatile as it is portable and functional will have a hard time finding anything that tops Dave Scadden’s Dragonfly XT2. At 10 feet long, 54 inches wide and weighing just 100 pounds, the Dragonfly XT2 can be thrown in the back of a pickup truck, yet it fishes and handles as well as a much bigger boat. It can be set up one person frameless, two-person frameless or decked out to the moon with Dave’s Dragonfly travel frame. It is super lightweight and portable yet offers performance levels never before achieved in the inflatable world. The Dragonfly XT2 is so outrageously tricked out that there are just too many cool gadgets to list. Go to www. davescaddenpaddlesports.com and watch the videos. You’ll see why professional guides around the country are choosing this boat for their river trips. All Dragonfly models are bladderless, miterless and fully rockered with rigid dropstitch technology and removable self-bailing floor systems. They are rated for Class V whitewater, have a 1,500-pound weight capacity and are backed by an exclusive unconditional lifetime warranty.

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ound is critical to a fish’s survival beneath the surface of the water. They rely on sound to signal the presence of prey or warn them of impending danger. Since sound travels five times faster in water than it does in air, it becomes a critical factor in a fish’s daily life. If you have watched fish for any period of time, you know they instinctively become alert to unfamiliar sounds or noise and tend to move away from the source. I watched a scientific experiment with trout in a clear water stream from a concealed tower. As an associate approached the edge of the stream from wooded concealment on the opposite bank, the trout became instantly alert. A few slipped back into protective cover, while the rest became motionless and waited to see what would happen. Every fish within view stopped feeding. Large predators sometimes invade a chum slick simply because they respond to the sound of smaller fish feeding. They can actually hear potential prey as the little guys devour the chum. The sound of other fish feeding will often trigger additional fish to begin feeding. Game fish are intensely aware of the distress vibrations given off by injured or impaired fish and usually are attracted to move in closer. These distress vibrations telegraph the

presence of an easy meal. That’s why a larger predator often attacks a hooked fish as you struggle to land it. Unique in the animal kingdom, the lateral line on either side of a fish is an extremely precise sound-detecting organ. It responds to low frequency sound within relatively short range in a system known as near-field displacement. Anything moving through the water disturbs the molecules and this is detected by neuromasts in the fish’s body. The accuracy of the system is nothing less than amazing. A fish can strike prey it cannot see with incredible accuracy. Negative sounds or noises are equally important. Too many anglers ignore the damage that noises can cause. Once a fish is alerted that something is not right, it seldom will risk striking a bait or lure. A plug landing too close to an oversized shark or a 100-pound tarpon can send that critter scurrying for safety. The noise of an outboard can eliminate fish in a given spot. Racing to reach a spot or to get to breaking Photo by Nick Carter fish as quickly as possible can shut down the activity. And making noise aboard a boat, particularly when it is easily transmitted through the hull has negative effects. The shallower the water, the more damaging noise can be. All it takes is dropping a pair of pliers, sliding a tackle box so it scrapes or making heavy sounds of any type. It pays to live by the rule that silence is golden. If you do, you’ll catch more fish.

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NOAA CLAMPS DOWN

ON ATLANTIC SNAPPER

n early March, NOAA Fisheries announced that red snapper season in the South Atlantic, from the Carolinas to Florida, will be a scant three days long with a one-fish per person daily limit… if there is to be a snapper season at all. It’s frustrating news for anglers, who are experiencing a similar situation to what occurred in the Gulf of Mexico prior to states taking control of red snapper management. While anglers and charter captains report plentiful and increasing red snapper catches, federal managers continue clamping down on regulations. And even the three-day season is contingent on a change to regulatory framework, which currently does not allow a season at all if NOAA determines it will be three days or less. According to a release from the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC), the change that would allow a three-day season is expected to be in place before the 2020 season. Since 2010, recreational anglers have been allowed just 37 days total to harvest red snapper in the South Atlantic. NOAA’s decision on the 2020 season is based on landing estimates from 2019, when a five-day recreational season produced an estimated 49,674 fish and exceeded the annual catch limit. The current annual catch limit is set at 29,656 fish.

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APRIL 2020

E-Z ANCHOR PULLER PATRIOT SERIES

-Z Anchor Puller Mfg. Co. provides a solid, reliable, easy-to-use solution for anchoring. As a leading drum anchor winch manufacturer, our products are a safe, consistent launch and retrieval system for vessels in calm or rough seas. No more trips toward the front of your boat to untangle line and chain: we have a drum anchor winch that provides years of dependability and safety for you and your anchor, from 18-foot all the way up to 55-foot vessels! The Patriot series is especially developed for fiberglass fishing boats in shallow coastal waters. Before purchasing his E-Z Anchor Puller unit, Jarrett Sanchez pulled up a 22-pound anchor and 230 feet of rope and chain onto his 1977, 25’ Mako Center Console all by himself, by hand. Now, he can simply press a button to drop his anchor to the bottom, then simply push “up” for three seconds to ensure his line is nice and tight. Manufactured completely from 316 stainless steel and rated IP68 waterproof submersible, the Patriot series is immune to saltwater environments, whether it’s exposed on the deck or hidden away in the rope locker while you’re out on the water. With three sizes (EZ-1, EZ-2 and EZ-3) in the series, the Patriot is the winch of choice for Florida boaters who own vessels 18 to 35 feet, and can hold between 175 and 325 feet of ⅜-inch line, or 150 to 200 feet of ½-ich line depending on preference and need. The power-up, power-down direct drive button gives boaters more control over deployment and retrieval with an average of 100 feet per minute for deployment and retrieval. Sanchez’s particular unit, the Patriot EZ-2, holds 150 feet of ½-inch line where he boats off of the coast of Treasure Island, Fla. Even though his decision to buy our unit was, “99.9 percent his wife and family,” we think Sanchez is one happy customer, too! No drifting, no tangled lines and one less thing to worry about on the open water. To check out the Patriot series in its entirety, visit our website at ezanchorpuller.com/collections/anchor-winch

Ezanchorpuller.com/collections/anchor-winch

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM â&#x20AC;¢ THEANGLERMAG.COM

APRIL 2020

NATIONAL

FOULFREE TRANSDUCER COATING

Enter To Win A VOODOO KAKUKAYAK! The Kaku Voodoo is the ultimate sight casting paddle craft. This Authentic Fishing Paddle Craft has a unique look and performance. Part Kayak, part paddle board, with some micro skiff qualities. “ The Kaku Voodoo is like a Cadillac on the water, comfort and stability combined with all the accessories an angler could want.”

Visit

Length 13’ Width 35” Hull Weight 77lbs Capacity 450+

CoastalAnglerMag.com/contest 18

NATIONAL

APRIL 2020

arine growth on the transducer inhibits the performance your sonar. A fouled transducer reduces sensitivity, bottom-echo returns and positive fish targets. In other words, when the transducer is dirty, you’re not seeing what’s down there. Also, transducers perform best when there’s minimal turbulence over their surface during operation. Consider this next time you’re idling over structure looking for bait and fish. With streamlined water flow over your equipment, you’ll get a better image of what’s below. To solve these performance issues, Propspeed, a leading innovator of underwater coatings, developed a revolutionary foul-release coating designed specifically for transducers. Foulfree is a biocide-free coating that when cured creates a super-slippery surface over the transducer. It prevents marine growth without poisons to keep your transducer clean, streamlined and performing at its peak. One application lasts through an entire year of service and even longer in cooler climates. “Foulfree is an exciting new coating specifically made to enhance the performance of transducers,” said Chris Baird, CEO of Propspeed. “Bringing together our revolutionary product design and working with the experts in transducer functionality from Airmar, we are able to offer boaters around the world a new solution to an age-old problem and improve sonar performance for anglers and cruisers alike.” Foulfree joins Propspeed’s award-winning product line which includes Propspeed an industry-leading foul-release system for propellers and running gear and the groundbreaking transparent foulrelease coating specifically formulated www.oceanmax.com for underwater lights, Lightspeed.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

he dawning of the new year has been good to West Virginia anglers who are setting new state records. A monster blue catfish and a big grass carp were certified as state length records by the West Virginia Division of Naturaral Resources, and then the grass carp record was broken again. On Jan. 3, Zachary Adkins, of Cabins, W.Va., caught a 53.1-inch, 59-pound grass carp from Warden Lake, a 44-acre state-managed reservoir in the northeastern corner of the state. Adkins used a large swimbait to catch the fish, which broke the previous length record of 50.75 inches. Then, on Feb. 18, John Miller, of Lost City, W.Va., bested Adkins’ mark with a 54.75-inch, 67.4-pound grass carp, also from Warden Lake. Warden Lake is apparently a hotbed for big carp. The state weight record of 71.69 pounds also came from Warden. It was caught by William Tucker in 2005. On Jan. 11, Justin Conner, of Culloden, W.Va., caught his 49.84-inch, 58.38-pound blue catfish on the Ohio River over on the Ohio border. Conner’s big blue ate a chunk of cut shad. It broke the previous length record of 47.75 inches. Mark Blauvelt still holds the weight record with a 59.74-pound blue catfish caught on the Ohio River in 2016. The IGFA alltackle world record blue catfish weighed 143 pounds. It was caught out of Kerr Lake, Va. in 2011. COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

APRIL 2020

NATIONAL

Airline_CoastalAnglerAd_3-2016_Layout 1 3/18/16 1:07 PM Page 1

RIDE THE BULL In Grand Isle Louisiana

he maze of bayous around the mouth of the Mississippi River south of New Orleans holds the best redfish fishing in the world. This unique system of waterways on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast also lays out perfectly for anglers fishing from kayaks. It’s fitting that the world’s largest kayak fishing tournament should be held out of Grand Isle, Louisiana. On Aug. 28-29, Ride the Bull will flood Caminada Pass with hundreds of kayak anglers chasing the event’s heaviest single redfish. It will be the 11th edition of this catch-and-release bull redfish tournament hosted by CCA Louisiana. And whether you’re a competitor or one of the hundreds of spectators, it’s an event you need to see. Because of the tournament’s boundaries within Caminada pass, it is suitable for anglers of all ages and experience levels. The fishing, however, can be pretty serious, with a leaderboard filled by redfish approaching 30 pounds. In addition to the fishing on Saturday, Aug. 29, vendors will be there displaying their wares, and usually there’s live music on Friday night after the captains meeting. Registration opens June 1 and hotel rooms on Grand Isle fill up quickly, so make reservations early. For more information, go to ccalouisiana.com.

The Return of a Custom Built Quality Outdoor BBQ Products Since 1989

Pig Cookers, Patio Grills, Smokers, Customized BBQ Trailers

For More Info 1-252-236-4464 www.BQGRILLS.com 6043 Hwy 301N, Elm City, NC 20

NATIONAL

APRIL 2020

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

WHEN SEEING RED IS A GOOD THING

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JOIN TODAY! BoatUS.com/Towing | 800-395-2628 *One year Freshwater/Saltwater Membership pricing. Details of services provided can be found online at BoatUS.com/Agree. TowBoatU.S. is not a rescue service. In an emergency situation, you must contact the Coast Guard or a government agency immediately.

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When it comes to cigars, no one even comes close to Cigars International and we’re ready to prove it to ‘ya with an outrageous intro offer: 8 premium handmade cigars for just $ 10.* Go ahead, price shop this one and prepare to be stunned. When you’re ready, we’re here waiting with the world’s largest selection of premium handmade cigars at the planet’s lowest prices, delivered fast and fresh. That’s our guarantee. Includes 1 each of: Hoyo de Monterrey • Macanudo • Villazon CAO • Arganese • HC Series • Bahia • Sancho Panza

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*Plus 2 s/h. Purchase may be subject to state, local or excise taxes where applicable. First-time purchasers only. One per customer. No sales to anyone under the age of 21. We do not ship to Utah or South Dakota. For shipping information & restrictions please visit www.CigarsIntl.com/SHIP. Offer expires 5/31/20. $ 99

ADD A TRAVEL HUMIDOR CRUSHPROOF

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

WATERPROOF

APRIL 2020

30 VALUE

NATIONAL

WE RIF

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MODE

7 FT WEA

Custo

COMP

WEA $ 9

MODEL

20v 1/2" IMP 1/2"

ITEM 63852

2" EX ITEM

COMP

SNAP $

MODEL CTB81

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ITEM

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NATIONAL

APRIL 2020

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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hft_coa

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hft_coastalangler_0420_M-REG171024.indd 1

APRIL 2020

NATIONAL

At Harbor Freight Tools, the “Compare to” price means that the specified comparison, which is an item with the same or similar function, was advertised for sale at or above the “Compare to” price by another national retailer in the U.S. within the past 90 days. Prices advertised by others may vary by location. No other meaning of “Compare to” should be implied. For more information, go to HarborFreight.com or see store associate.

3/6/20 4:13 PM

Time to get to your local Suzuki Marine Dealer for the Ultimate Outboard Motors. Buy during our Spring Sales Event and get Suzuki’s 3-Year Limited Warranty plus 3 years of Time to get to your local for the Ultimate Outboard Motors. Extended Protection at noSuzuki extra Marine charge.Dealer There are Instant Savings on select models,Buy and during ourFinancing Spring Sales Event and get Suzuki’s 3-Year Limited Warranty plus 3 years of Low-Rate is also available. Extended Protection atSuzuki no extra charge. There are Instant Savings on select models, and See your participating Marine Low-Rate is also available. dealer for Financing all the details. See your participating Suzuki Marine dealer for all the details.

INSTANT SAVINGS INSTANT SAVE RIGHT NOW ON

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on new Suzuki outboards on Rates credit.* as low as approved [605.99% Months] on new Suzuki outboards on approved credit.* [60 Months]

™ ™

Gimme Six Extended Protection promotion applies to new Suzuki Outboard Motors from 25 to 350 HP in inventory which are sold and delivered to buyer between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20 in accordance with the promotion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. The Gimme Six Promotion is available for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings applies to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20. For list of designated models, Gimme Six Extended Protection promotion applies to new Suzuki Outboard Motors from 25 to 350 HP in inventory which are sold and delivered to buyer between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20 in accordance with see participating Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be applied against the agreed-upon selling price of the outboard motor and reflected in the bill of sale. There are no model the promotion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. The Gimme Six Promotion is available substitutions, benefit substitutions, rain checks, or extensions. Suzuki reserves the right to change or cancel these promotions at any time without notice or obligation. * Financing offers available through for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings applies to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20. For list of designated models, Synchrony Retail Finance. As low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months on new and unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors. Subject to credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify. Approval, and any rates and see participating Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be applied against the agreed-upon selling price of the outboard motor and reflected in the bill of sale. There are no model terms provided, are based on creditworthiness. $19.99/month per $1,000 financed for 60 months is based on 5.99% APR. Hypothetical figures used in calculation; your actual monthly payment may differ substitutions, benefit substitutions, rain checks, or extensions. Suzuki reserves the right to change or cancel these promotions at any time without notice or obligation. * Financing offers available through based on financing terms, credit tier qualification, accessories or other factors such as down payment and fees. Offer effective on new, unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors purchased from a participating Synchrony Retail Finance. As low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months on new and unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors. Subject to credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify. Approval, and any rates and authorized Suzuki dealer between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20. “Gimme Six”, the Suzuki “S” and model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and terms provided, are based on creditworthiness. $19.99/month per $1,000 financed for 60 months is based on 5.99% APR. Hypothetical figures used in calculation; your actual monthly payment may differ read your owner’s manual. © 2020 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. based on financing terms, credit tier qualification, accessories or other factors such as down payment and fees. Offer effective on new, unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors purchased from a participating authorized Suzuki dealer between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20. “Gimme Six”, the Suzuki “S” and model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2020 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. NATIONAL APRIL 2020 COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

SZ Q2 PROMO 1PG CSTL ANGLR 3-3-20.indd 1

3/3/2020 1:11:30 PM

SZ Q2 PROMO 1PG CSTL ANGLR 3-3-20.indd 1

3/3/2020 1:11:30 PM

d a e h

e v r u C e h t f o

Not shown actual size.

Limited Collector’s Edition

Damascus steel forged to throw them for a curve at only $79

or centuries, a Damascus steel blade was instantly recognizable and commanded immediate respect. Recognizable because the unique and mysterious smelting process left a one-of-a-kind, rippled texture on the steel, and respected because Damascus steel’s sharp edge and resistance to shattering were the stuff of legend. If you carried Damascus steel, you were ahead of the curve. Today, you can own the legend.

What customers are saying about Stauer knives...

êêêêê “Very hefty, well-built knife and sheath. Extremely goodlooking and utilitarian.” — R., Lacey, Washington Damascus Curva Knife, you’ll be ready to throw a curve of your own. Limited Reserves. Damascus steel blades are a lost art form that only a handful of artisan bladesmiths have mastered. These legendary blades take time to forge and only a few are crafted each month. Don’t let this beauty slip through your fingers. Call today!

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The Damascus Curva Knife celebrates those legendary blades. It uses modern Damascus steel, with the same rippled texture pattern on the blade, to create a curved folding knife that’s 7 ½" in total length. With a liner lock mechanism, which allows the knife to be opened and closed using just one hand, and a ergonomic handle made of buffalo horn and colored bone, this $79 knife is a trophy for any hunter or collector.

Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Feel the knife in your hands, wear it on your hip, inspect the impeccable craftsmanship of Damascus steel. If you don’t feel like we cut you a fair deal, send it back within 30 days for a complete refund of the item price. But we believe that once you hold the

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• Damascus steel blade & bolster • Buffalo horn & colored bone handle • Liner lock • Overall length, open : 7 ½" • Includes genuine leather sheath

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Rating of A+