Tennessee Smallmouth

Our vacation this year was a trip to North Carolina, in part to visit our older son and his wife (who live in Raleigh) and to meet her parents who had flown in from El Salvador.  The other part was to take in the scenery of the Applachian mountains, as well as do some hiking and fly fishing.

During our return, we planned a one-day fly fishing trip with Josh Pfeiffer. Josh and his wife Ashley run Frontier Anglers, a fly fishing guide and outfitter service out of Maryville, TN. Josh grew up in the Smoky Mountains, fishing and hunting. These days he guides for trout and smallmouth bass on the Holston River, smallmouth on the French Broad River, and during the winter months, for trout in the park.

Lisa and I had smallmouth on the brain. Based on generation schedules, the Holston looked like the best bet. Josh took us to his launch spot with his compadre, Ronnie, who runs shuttles. Ronnie is quite the character, a true river man. Fly fishing from a raft was a new experience for me, but as the day progressed, I came to enjoy it.

 It was a slow start as the smallies repeatedly struck at, but short of ate, Lisa's swimming minnow. However, every now and then one found the hook and made Lisa a happy, happy woman!

Meanwhile, my popper went largely ignored. I told Josh that maybe a Fluff Butt would work, and he laughed, then inquired, "What's that?". Didn't take long for the Butt to do it's job.  On the first cast, I felt the fly line go tight, and set the hook hard. Some denizen below gave a hard-charging performance and a serious bend to my 6-weight Redington Predator rod.  A couple feet below the surface I recognized it as a 'killer gobbule'.

After landing it, I had to explain to Josh what a gobbule was (bream) and then what a killer gobbule was (river bream).

For the next 20 minutes, most of what came to the boat via the Fluff Butt were killer gobbules. Josh suggested trying a cicada pattern to avoid the sunfish.  He was wrong... there's no avoiding those gobbules!  These sunfish definitely fit their byname... they were big and thick and the fight was as hard as any sunfish I've ever caught.

Mixed in those gobbules was a smallie here and there. Nothing larger than 12 inches. At least Lisa was still catching a few.

By late morning, Josh was starting to lament that the bite was slow, and there was no doubt in our minds he was right. We could see these fish examining our flies, even taking nips, and then swimming away.  In some cases, we'd sightcast to a smallie only to have our offering completely ignored.

But that all changed when he tied on a Stealth Goober to my leader.

From that time, to when we took out just before sunset, the SG didn't get 5 minutes of rest!  Most were 12 inches or under but occasionally a bigger one would eat. And when it did, you knew it.  As my friend Jeff Guerin likes to say of bigger smallies, "it's like fighting a wet cat"!  I even established a personal best, with a 17-incher. 

Lisa and I truly enjoyed our float trip, and our guide. A good guide isn't just someone who puts you on fish, or helps you catch them. They are well prepared, well mannered, good conservationlists, know a lot about the area, and in Les Miles terminology, have a want for you to catch fish. If you're looking to fish smallmouth (or trout) in east Tennessee, check out Frontier Anglers, website www.frontieranglerstn.com.

Wildwood: home-grown wood-fired pizza!

Being a fast-food junkie doesn't mean I accept mediocrity.  A list of my favorite FF joints includes  good stuff like Paneras and Schlotzkys (soups and sandwiches), Five Guys (burgers), Canes and Chick-Fil-A (chicken), and Eddies barbecue.

Of course, can't forget the pizza! Here in the Alexandria area, BJ's off Jackson Extension and Johnny's in Pineville offer pretty good pizza compared to the national brands.

But my new favorite spot - Wildwood Pizza - offers something totally unique. It's located in the center at the corner of Texas Street and Jackson, in the old location of Spirits (which moved to a larger building on Texas Street). Wildwood Pizza is a locally owned establishment that uses home-grown ingredients from area farmers and producers. The pizza comes in one size, 12 inches, for $8.50.  You choose the sauce, meat and veggies to add from a plethora of choices (up to 4 meats/veggies at no extra cost).  Our you can choose from the house specialities.  The pizza is then baked in a brick oven, and delivered to your table.

The pizza was delicious, albeit just a tad overdone. Fresh, organic ingredients do make a difference!

Check out their website at www.wildwood-pizza.com.  Based on the growing crowds at lunch, the word is out.