Personal Reports - The following reports are colored by my personal preferences (I guess most are). Many are for Callaway Gardens as I guide fly fishing on the private lakes there. I also do guided trips on the Flint River and Brigadoon Lodge on the Soque River in north Georgia.

I fish West Point Lake a lot too, but exclusively with a fly rod. There are no reports that include far-flung locations on the lake (unlike some "bass-masters" on the lake I don't like to "set the water on fire" while racing from one spot to another). And there're a few "alternative species" report as I love to take those big carp (and cats) on a fly.

"Live like you'll die tomorrow (fish every day),
.....fish like you'll live forever (catch & release).

December 19 - Callaway Gardens - 7 am - Did a trip with Vance and Ivan from Dade City, Florida. Vance had some fly experience, tho both he an Ivan were accomplished phosphate pit worm-fisherman. After a casting lesson, we hit lake #4 but didn't find the bass. So we picked up and hit Wren, where the trout were definitely on.
 

December 14 - Callaway Gardens - 9 am - Fished with a Bill T from Atlanta, a regular visitor to Callaway and a very skilled pond angler. It's always a treat to fish with Bill, and today was no exception.
 

December 5 - Callaway Gardens - 9 am - Fished Wren with Bart W. from Birmingham. Took many trout, all rainbows, plus bass, bream, and a 7 lb catfish. After noon, Paul H. & I fished Hummingbird. Trout a bit harder to find and to hook, but we managed quite a few.
 

November 28- Callaway Gardens - 9 am - Fished Wren with Pat T. from LaGrange. Pat's first trout, and then a good many more. Our biggest landed about 18". Most of our fish were on wooly-buggers, clousers, and rubber-legged dragons.
 

November 9 - Callaway Gardens - 9 am - Been off the water a long time - way too busy at the office (gotta get my priorites straight!). Slipped off this morn with my banker, John H. (so this was really work, too, as I'll soon hit him up for a large advance for holiday merchandise). A beautiful "shirt-sleeve" fall day - sunny, crisp and calm. We fished Wren. First fish were bass and bluegill, but then we found the trout. And did we ever - wheweee! John's first trout on the fly (only his second time with a fly rod). Most were 17-18" rainbows who took bead-rattle wooly buggers. And did they bash it, often coming out of the water on the first run. I had as much fun watching John's face as I did catching fish. Should be easy to borrow the money this year!
 

October 24 - Callaway Gardens - 7 am - Fished with Mark from Atlanta, Bill from Oregon, and Pat from LaGrange. Very cold to start, but we found a few fish on #2. Then moved to Robin, where Mark pounded em til he had to leave for home at 1. By then Pat and Bill were into the fish, too!We fished til late in the afternoon as the temps warmed up & so did the fish.
 

October 19 - Private Pond, LaGrange - Fished with Bill T. from Atlanta (who's a Callaway regular but we were hunting new water). When we got on in the early afternoon, fish were chasing bait in the middle of the lake topwater. Weather was perfect, & we took bass on the bank and in the middle. Big bluegill & redbreast were on, too. Bill took his first warmouth - surprising, because I know he's caught dozens of all kinds of bream. Anyhow, another fun day on a nice little pond.
 

October 15 - North Mills River, N.C. - 7 am - Drove up the nite before with Joel D. and slept at the trailhead. Hiked in at first light. Water way low, but fish are there. This is a beautiful stream with big fish. First was a 13" brookie at 8:30, with browns and rainbows to follow. `Had the water to ourselves until after lunch. `Saw many big fish, had a couple on we didn't land, but still caught plenty. Left about 6 for the 5+ hour drive home.
 

October 13 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished with Paul H. on #2. A slow start, as the fish were scattered. We began to find smaller fish - Paul a pair of warmouth and me a bass laying shallow. Then, slowly, the bigger fish started to show. Tops were a pair of big, thick bluegill and Paul's 17" bass right at dark.
 

October 10 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished with Tyndall F. from LaGrange. With rain dimpling the smooth surface of #2, we found the bass again right on the bank and in backs of shallow coves. The water is up considerably with the rains and the bass apparently liked all that newly submerged territory. In one shallow pocket about 20' across we took 4 bass, all 16-17". Throwing a tarantula almost on the bank, several times we actually saw the fish's fin as he swirled and turned to take the fly.
 

October 7 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished with Russ I. from Opeleika. Tough day as we landed only 3 fish (with several that got off). Another trip out today (all day) had same luck (none, that is). Cooling weather, el nino, front???? Just when you think you've got em pegged, those pea-brained picuniaries will cut you down to size!
 

October 5 - Subdivision Lake, Lagrange - 6 pm - Fished with Myrtice C. Bass on the move here, bashing bait on the banks. `Took em on the tarantulas! Thanks, Myrtice.
 

October 4 - Flint River - 5:30 pm - Fished with Jonathan P. above Sprewell Bluff. We totaled eight shoalies, plus the big one that got off. Fish took foam-head zonker & beadc-rattle buggers. Mainly in tail end of runs.
 

October 3 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished # 3. Fish were definitely moving. Caught 3 16"+ bass (& several smalller) plus 2+lb shellcracker & many big bluegill. Fish were on sunny side of lake, apparrently attracted to midge emergence (?? - bluegill spitting many emergers & few adults as I landed him). Good day!
 

September 26 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished w/ Grace & Bill from Atlanta. Fished #2 as I'd seen bass shallow right at the dam earlier in the day. Bill hooked up within 10 minutes; and Grace, a fly rod novice, had one on before Bill got unhooked. We had a good day, with about 20 fish (bass & bream). Many were shallow and took topwater. Grace was a dedicated catch-and-releaser who preferred the fish to get off before she had to land it - thought it was easier on the fish. But she sure did like to hook `em, fished hard and yelled on every single strike. By the time we took out, it was dark. Great couple, great day!
 

September 23 - Callaway Gardens - 2 pm - Fished the Chapel lake with Bill T. from Atlanta. This was our third trip together, and, as before, it was a treat for me. Bill's a talented angler who absolutely loves small-pond, warmwater fishing (and most other kinds, too). He began picking up bass on a popper about 30 minutes after we launched - the fish were right on the bank. So the drill was to toss the fly within inches of the bank, let it sit a bit, then just give it a little twitch. The fish would explode on it! The bluegill were out off the bank a ways, and we took a few casting to swirls out in open water - guess the aggressive bass had run them out of the shallows. At a little scenic waterfall above the bridge, we did get stumped. We saw fish (looking like trout taking emergers in the film) working the foam line, but could only take a couple on assorted flies. There were hundreds of what appeared to be tiny(#14-16) damselfly husks(?) floating in the current, but even with little nymphs we didn't find the key. Next time, maybe. Moved to the shallow end of the lake at the chapel where Bill took several bream and a couple of good bass in almost no water at all. About 7 we moved to Robin Lake and took bass and bream on topwaters til after dark. Thanks, Bill, for another fine day on the water.
 

September 22 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished w/ Kip L. & Jimmy W. from Atlanta. Kip had a new 9 wt. RPLXi he was dying to throw. Though we didn't manage a big one, Kip did christen the rod on a couple of bass. Then, of course, after switching to a 5 wt, he nailed a 5 lb cat. Jimmy had the most fish, as he concentrated on fishing, not casting. Fall is definitely coming - by dark it was quite cool on the water.
 

September 21 - Callaway Gardens - 6 pm - A late, quick trip on Upper Falls with our new Director of Fishing Ops, Carl Warmouth (perfect name for a southern warmwater guide, huh). Carl's been guiding in Tennessee for several years on Clinch, Hiwassee and others. Enjoyed the trip in spite of gale winds, and after changing flies & tactics a couple of times we managed to get into some fish.
 

September 16 - Chattahoochee River - 7 am - Supposed to have been 7, which is when I called Jonathan & got him outa bed. Some of these young guys don't have their priorities quite right - I have overslept on work days, but never on a fishing days. I'll give him one more chance though, as he's a good fisherman, didn't whine & moan, and fished hard all morning. We'd hoped to find the hybrid, but no such luck. Took a couple of white bass & some shoalies.
 

September 15 - Callaway Gardens - 5 pm - Robin, Martin & Wren Lakes - Another's meeting with my banker - sometimes you can get a lot more done away from the office, huh?! Oh, yeah; in addition to all the business discussions, we did catch quite a few bass in the 20 mph winds.
 

September 14 - Callaway Gardens - 6 pm - Robin Lake - Fished with Paul & Alfred, wading the beach and catching bass galore, topwater in the wind.
 

September 12 - Callaway Gardens - 6:45 am - Robin Lake - My 7 am trip cancelled so there was nothing to do but go fishing. The guy really missed the boat (float tube?) as the fish were turned on this morning! First 3 casts with a topwater netted 3 good bass, and it stayed good til I left at 11. Sorry, guy.
 

September 7 - Small pond, LaGrange - 7 pm - Fished this little subdivision pond with Paul H. Bass were chasing bait on the bank when we launched the tubes. `They took deer-hair bugs and Carter's foam-head buggers. By dark we'd worked our way to dam and the bass hit til we quit. Kicking back to the dock, fish were swirling the surface around us, and Paul had a big one bump his leg. Happy we're north of gator country, he still yelled pretty loud.
 

September 6 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished with Dan D. from Atlanta. Started on the chapel lake, but found only a few small bream and one bass. Moved over to Robin as the sun went down and got into the fish. Dan took bass, warmouth, shellcracker and bluegill - all on a Chernobyl Ant. Slow start, fine finish. Dan left about 7, but I couldn't leave those fish still hungry with daylight still out. So after I dropped Dan, I headed back to Robin and fished the dam with one of Carter's foam-head wooly buggers. The bass just nailed it out about 20' from the bank - when I managed to get it past the bream right up on the bank.
 

September 5 - Callaway Gardens - 8 am - The tv station from Columbus wanted to film a news segment on fly-fishing, so I got my buddy, Alfred, and his wife Evelyn to come up and fish with me. `Had a good morning on Wren, with Alfred taking the first fish (a good bass), then more bass and bream for all, and Evelyn finishing up with the big fish, a 5 lb cat. And got our 5 minutes of fame, too!
 

September 4 - Callaway Gardens - Wren Lake - 7 am - Fished with Lloyd V. from Fairburn. Lloyd, an experienced angler, had never used a fly rod; but he picked it up quickly. We managed to catch bass, bream & catfish before the sun got high and hot.
 

September 2- Callaway Gardens - Upper Falls Lake - 6 pm - Some people never learn. Had wanted to see what the bass were doing on this lake, but the grass carp caught me again. They were swarming here too, and I couldn't resist. Pretty much the same story, close but no cigar. Even so, it's almost as exciting to see these huge submarines glide toward your fly and glop down a clump of grass right beside your fly. Almost, because I still remember the last one.
 

August 31 - Callaway Gardens - 6 pm - Came back to see if those grass carp were still swarming in Wren Lake. They were, and I spent most of the evening stalking them in my float tube. They were cruising tonite as the roughs of the golf course had been mowed and lots of grass was floating. These are, by far, the spookiest freshwater fish I've even seen. Zoologists claim they even have a chemical warning system - when one senses a threat, he releases a scent that warns the other fish. Anyway, I got some pretty good chances, made some pretty good casts, and had one fish that took my "tarantula" under as he "glopped". `Didn't hook up, tho - maybe it was just the swirl that pulled it under. Finally about 20 minutes before dark, I decided it was time to catch some fish so I left the carp. Maybe the "fish gods" were trying to teach me a lesson, as shortly I hooked a giant shellcracker that fought like a bull. Then 3 decent bass before it was too dark to see.
 

August 28 - Callaway Gardens - 4 pm - Fished Wren w/Richard N., a heart doc from Valdosta, his son, Tommy from Atlanta, and their friend, Mark G. Richard was supposed to be in Canada fishing, but the airline cancelled the flight and he missed the float plane. So he had the time off already planned - no remedy but to go fishing! Water still be pumped hard into Wren so we fished the current there. First to hook-up was Richard, a big cat right off the bank on a wooly bugger. Next was Tommy, a bass in the rip. Mark, who'd never flyfished before, persisted in shortly was into bass, bluegill, and shellcracker. Big grass carp were nosing the bank with the deepening water, taking the overhanging weeds. Tommy spent a while casting to them as their snouts rose like shovel blades fromn the water. The trick here is to gently land the fly just in front of their nose without spooking them - not an easy thing. Tommy got so close several times we were holding our breath. They can be a blast when they do take, but it was not to be, so we moved on and continued to take and enjoy the more traditional quarry.
 

August 27 - Callaway Gardens - 1 pm - Fished Wren Lake w/ Ron R. & Jon C. These guys were here for the corporate meeting of a waste-water treatment company. Jon's from Texas and his fly-rod "tank" (as they call a farm pond out thataway) was immediately obvious. Ron is now in Oklahoma, but worked several years in Idaho (with lunch breaks on the Snake's South Fork). We took a good mixed bag of bass, bluegill and big cats on rattle buggers and clousers. Many of the fish came from the current where water was being pumped in on an 8" water valve - the fish liked the current and aeration - we liked the cooling mist and the fish.
 

August 25 - Callaway Gardens - 6 pm - Hummingbird Lake, again. With front coming in, I thought the fish might be on move. And they were - within 10 minutes of launching my float tube I was into a 5 lb bass. `Took him way up shallow on a "rattle-bugger." Fished arond lake taking a few more smaller fish and switched to a foam-head dahlberg variation. As I got shallow again another big bass drilled it - he was 3-4 lbs. Caught a few more; and then when there was barely enough light to see, another fish just exploded on my fly - I felt him for a second and he was gone. Wouldn't come back on successive casts, so I called it a nite.
 

August 21 - Callaway Gardens - 6 pm - Fished Hummingbird, continuing vertical presentation experiment. Not as productive tonite, so I switched to "rattle-buggers" and caught some nice bream.
 

August 20 - Callaway Gardens - 6 pm - Fished Hummingbird, experimenting with vertical presentations via big "strike indicator". Took bass of about 3 lb, plus many smaller.
 

August 13 - Callaway Gardens - 6 pm - Fished Upper Falls. Bass & bream in shallow at dusk - took topwater.
 

August 10 - Callaway Gardens - 8 am - Fished with Robert, Dave, Colin & Brad. Brad, at 14, could definitely throw the fly rod (double-haul, too). All the other guys picked up pretty quick during the casting lesson, so we launched our tubes in Wren Lake. Weather was nice, mainly overcast and not nearly so hot.`Took bass and bream on rubber-legged dragons and sculpins - most on the bank but a couple chasing bait in open water. Then we moved down to the shallows at the edge of the dam, tied on woolies and began to catch the catfish. The drags were singing, with numerous multiple hook-ups. About noon we headed back end, arms and fingers sore.
 

August 7 - Callaway Gardens - 3 pm - Fished with Steve & Diane W. and George & Nancy S. From the Atlanta area, only Steve & George had a little fly rod experience. But the ladies picked up on the casting quick so we jumped into Hummingbird Lake. Diane nailed the first fish, and then the second. The guys were quietening down, but finally got in the act with a nice bluegill that George stalked and caught. Wound up the afternoon with about 7 - not too bad with temps over 95.
 

August 6 - Private Pond, Mountville - 6:30 pm - Norman, Chris & Michael & I fished a little pond on a hunt-club lease. Great looking lake, but.... Michael & Chris with conventional tackle managed nothing, while Norman took 3 bream on the fly and I got only 2 small bass.
 

August 3 - Callaway Gardens - 8 am - Fished Upper Falls with a corporate group. Rick, Marshall & George all caught on quick during the casting lesson, even with little fly-rod experience. George took the first fish, a bass, and then the second - a bigger bass. Then Rick began to find `em, too. Marshall was the bad-luck man, losing several. But it was a good day, even if a bit warm.
 

August 1 - Callaway Gardens - 7 am - Fished with Matthew P. again today. He liked the fly so well on Tuesday he had to bring his dad, Matt, back. Now I see where Matthew got his fishing genes. Matt had never thrown the fly either, excluding the previous day when Matthew let him throw his new rod a bit. You see, after Tuesday's trip Matthew decided he wanted a fly rod and talked his dad into a visit to the fly shop! Anyway, Matt quickly grasped the fundamentals of the cast and was, as Lefty says, "throwing loops so tight they'd go through a screen door." Matthew had the big fish of the day, a 2-3 lb largemouth off a big blowdown, but we took plenty more. Great guys & a great day!
 

July 27 - Callaway Gardens - 8 am - Fished with Lyle from Knoxville and young Matthew from New Orleans on a Callaway "Summer Adventure" program. These guys had never thrown the fly, but they did exceptionally well. Especially Matthew, who of his on accord was pulling some pretty delicate casts to get his fly up under the branches and nail those big bluegill on a rubber-legged dragon. The boy's got a future with a fly rod!
 

July 23 - Flint River - 4 pm - Fished with Jim R from Chicago, a serious salt-water fly fisherman. The heat was brutal and the water was warm, but Jim loved the Flint and took his first-ever shoal bass on a bead-rattle wooly bugger. We spent much of the afternoon sitting in the shady, shallow runs telling fish stories and having a great time.
 

July 23 - Callaway Gardens - Upper Falls - 8 am - With Bob from Atlanta, we fished in the "heat-stroke warning" weather. Found the bass near the drop-off from the dam and the bluegill in the willow shade.
 

July 22 - Callaway Gardens - Hummingbird Lake - 2 pm - Fished with Rusty and Walt form the Four-Tenn company. Took a good number of bream & a few bass in spite of the heat.
 

July 18 - West Point Lake - Whitewater Creek - 7 am - Fished with Paul H. & Norman P. We found the hybrid scattered all over the creek mouth, coming to the top sporadically. Big fish of the morn was a largemouth Paul hooked on a ratlle-rouser, mixed in with the hybrid.
 

July 15 - Flint River - 6 am - Fished with Dave B.,aka "Hooker" on the North Georgia Trout Online bulletin board. We ran several miles up a lower section of the Flint (just before it spreads into the coastal plain) in Daves jet-drive boat. The shoals (accessible on by water) were beautiful, though the water was high and stained and we managed only one shoalie on my bead-rattle wooley-bugger. Floating back down we took a few more, plus a largemouth or two (mainly on Dave's Rapala and some new topwater "killer" he's fishing). Not a great fishing day, but still a great day fishing. Plus we managed to rescue a great blue heron from a trot-line hook.
 

July 11 - Callaway Gardens - Upper Falls - 7am - Took many bass, plus bluegill & redbreast, on popper and bead-rattle wooly.
 

July 7 - West Point Lake - 6 pm - Fished w/Mike W. I'd taken Mike on a Callaway trip a while back. It was his first fly rod experience. `Got an email from him that he'd bought a fly rig and was fishing West Point regularly. So we decided to try for the evening hybrid bite. Another thunderstorm kinked the plans but not before Mike nailed a big catfish on a clouser.

One of the best parts of guiding is seeing someone new to the sport get really turned on about flyfishing. Mike definitely is (additionally he's a super-good guy) so I had a blast.
 

July 6 - LaGrange, GA - Private pond - 6 pm - Fished w/Joel D. on this little pond. Electrical storm ran us off but not before we got half-a-dozen of big, fat bluegill.
 

July 5 - Callaway Gardens - Wren Lake - 6 pm - After a holiday(?) of yard work, I had to fish. Cats were still active. After catching numerous ones 4-6 lb, I switched to a Nelson foam-head wooly bugger and let the bass bash it around in the fading light. I do love that hard unknown underwater strike (and the fish are usually bigger); but, yes, topwater is great fun!
 

July 3 - Callaway Gardens - Upper Falls - 5 pm - Fished with Judy on her first fly trip. She did good, taking a big bluegill and a huge cat (which I let get off while landing).
 

  Back to my current Fishing Log


 

 
 

My Five Star List of Fly Fishing Books -Ridiculous though it may be, life is not such that I may fish whenever I want, i.e. all the time. Luckily, both fly tying and the wealth of truly fine books related to fishing let me to satisfy the addiction. Fly tying I'll leave to someone else, as many of my personal creations imitate, as Tom McGuane says in An Outside Chance, "the effect of a riot gun on a love seat." I do have numerous personal recommendations for a "great read" on fly fishing, and, through a affiliate program with Amazon Books, offer them for sale online
 
 
 
 

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