Nathaniel Samsel Outdoors

Shallow

2012-02-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

It looks like the fish in the pond are already moving up shallow! Even though Georgia is in the Deep South, the fish around this part of the state usually don't start moving shallow till around March. But it looks like they have started moving up early this year. I guess that is because of the unusually warm winter weather we have had around here.

When I went fishing last week, I decided to fish a little shallower than I had been because the last couple of times I had fished, the deep-water fishing had really slowed down. So I tied on shallow-water baits and caught fish around the edges of the pond. The fish are still not in really shallow water but they are moving up! I caught most of my fish on a XCalibur Xsc Square Lip crankbait.

Now I just need them to keep moving up, and for the weather to not get really cold!

-Nathaniel

Winter Fishing

2012-01-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

For the last few years I have had the opportunity to fish at the pond quite a bit (the pond that I blog about regularly). But over all of those years I could never find a good reliable technique for catching many fish during the winter. The span where it gets slow is usually about from November to March. I have tried a lot of techniques but have never found one that works consistently. But I think I may have finally figured it out!

Yesterday I got the chance to fish the pond for a little while. I fished the banks with soft-plastic lures for a while, and then I decided to try something a little different from what I have ever tried before. I went to a marker buoy that is in the middle of the pond figuring that maybe it marked something under the water, and if not it was as good a place as any to start. It is very deep spot, relative to the the rest of the pond, so I needed a bait that that would really get down to the fish. I picked a Lindy Rattl'n Flyer Spoon, a bait that is actually made for ice fishing. Right of the bat, I caught a little bass right next to the marker buoy. Then I caught another, a little bigger than the last, then my little brother caught one.Then it was time to go home.

After telling my dad all about it, he decided to take my brother and me fishing again today. I was really hoping that we would catch some, partly because I had bragged all about it to dad the day before, but mostly I wanted to know if catching three fish there in that spot was just by chance. So I paddled out right to my spot in the middle of the lake. We all let down our baits, and right away I caught a bass. Then Dad caught a bream and then my brother caught a bass. We only got to fish for about 45 minutes, but in that short time we caught ten fish. (Dad caught seven of them). Dad was fishing with a Lindy Toad (which is a tiny ice jig), with a live worm on the back of it. He caught a mix of bass and bream on it.

I am looking forward to exploring this technique of fishing on the pond in the future!

-Nathaniel

Black's Camp

2012-01-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Dad and I went to one of my favorite places for a couple of days this week, Black's Camp in Cross, SC. Black's Camp is near the mouth the Diversion Canal, between Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie. The first day we spent at Black's we didn't fish at all. We just rode around the lake to gather material for my dad. Riding around the lake all day was a little bit chilly, but we made it through the cold. But the next day was a lot more fun! Here is the recap to day 2.

One of the best parts about Black's Camp is the great food, especially breakfast. When you are about to go fishing for the day and are not going to eat lunch, you need a good breakfast, and that is just what you get at Black's Camp.

We started the day with a long run across Lake Moultrie to go and fish around the dam. After we got there, we stopped by a little tackle shop to pick up some shiners to fish with. Shortly after we started fishing, Dad caught a nice 20-pound catfish. Right after he caught his I caught about a 10-pounder, and then right after that, I caught about the 2o-pounder that is in this photo. All of these fish were caught in about 25 minutes. Then we didn't catch any more catfish in the next hour.
As you might guess from the picture, after not catching a bunch of catfish, we went crappie fishing. We fished for them on deep brushpiles with live minnows. The first pile we hit didn't produce any fish, but the second one had a bunch of crappie on it. We caught about 15 crappie to finish the day.

Can't wait tell next time!

-Nathaniel

2011

2012-01-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

2011 was a great year for my fishing. I got to fish in a lot of great places and catch a lot of great fish. Here are some of my favorite times of my fishing year.

Top 3 Fish of the Year:

1. Five pound bass I caught at the pond (read more here)

2. Five Pound Trout I Caught on my First Ice Fishing Trip (read more here)

3. Smallmouth From the Pigeon River (read more here)

Top 3 Outdoor Events of the Year:

1. Fishing on Dry Run Creek (read more here)

2. SEOPA Conference (read more here)

3. Fishing the West Fork of the Chattooga River (read more here)

Top 3 Baits That Worked for me on the Pond

1. Yum Dinger

2. Gene Larew Salt Head Shaky Worm

3. Boyah Buzzbait

Top 3 Blogs of the Year:

Trash Fish (read more here)

Guy in a Johnbot (read more here)

A Dog Named Melody (read more here)

I look forward to catching lots more fish and going many more places next year. And maybe I will start hunting a little bit! I also look forward to seeing a bunch of my outdoors friends and making some new ones in the new year!

-Nathaniel

Last Fishing Trip of 2011

2011-12-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

Today my dad, little brother, and I did our last fishing of 2011. My dad asked me this morning if I would like to go fishing one more time this year, which is like asking a dog if it want to eat a hot dog. So we headed to the pond at about 10:00 with my little brother Asher. I decided even though I had caught a lot on the middle pond the other day since we had plenty of time to fish we would go ahead and fish the upper pond for a little while before we headed to the next pond. Right off the bat dad caught a fish on one of the new Yum F2 Panfish Tad Fry shortly after that I caught the fish that is in the picture on a Gene Larew 5" Salt Head Shaky Worm rigged on a Jewel Squirel Head.

After that we didn't catch anything for a while, so we got out and dragged the canoe down to the lower pond. Right after we got there I caught one fish on a Bobby Garland Baby Shad; however, that turned out to be the only fish we caught there. So we dragged the canoe back up the hill, which, by the way, is much easier to do with Dad's help. We fished the upper pond for about an hour longer and caught two more fish. Even though it might not sound like an award-winning fishing trip, I thought fishing with my dad and brother was a perfect way to end my fishing year!

-Nathaniel

My Morning

2011-12-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

I still haven't figured out the fish on the pond where I normally fish. I fished for about an hour and a half on Christmas day with my dad, and we only caught three fish between us that probably weighed around one pound (together).

So when I got to fish for a little while today I decided to take the time to drag the canoe to another pond on the property. The problem with fishing the other pond is that it takes time when you could be fishing to drag the boat down there. But it turned out to still be a very good decision. I only ended getting to spend about a half hour fishing, but I still caught three fish: two bass that were each around 1 pound and one little bluegill. And I missed few other strikes. I caught all of the fish on a Bobby Garland Baby Shad.

I can't wait till I have more time to fish in that pond!

-Nathaniel

Outdoors Desperation

2011-12-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I haven't been able fish very much lately. So I had to figure out something outdoors related that I could do at home......Well I came up with shooting my air rifle out of my bedroom window!!! I realized that about 50 feet from my window was the six-foot high wall I had built earlier this year. So I went out and hung cans with fishing line from pieces of wood about a foot long that I attached to the top of the fence.

It is great, and my brothers like to watch....But I still really need to go fishing!

-Nathaniel

Overwater Cover

2011-11-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

The pond has been way down lately, which has made it very hard to fish for me. Because normally I have certain places where I know there is cover that the fish tend to relate to, but now almost all of those spots of cover either have no water at all on them or they are very shallow. So it has been hard for me to target those fish. I am guessing that there might be some stumps or brush or a creek channel in the middle of the pond that I have no idea about.

But I will figure these fish out!!!!

-Nathaniel

Fishing Rundown

2011-10-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

If you happen to read my dulcimer blog, this subject matter will sound familiar because I just did a blog that was called the Dulcimer Rundown. But anyway, this is a blog that I need to write because I have not been a very up-to-date blogger. I'll try to cover it all in one blog.

1. Right after the SEOPA conference my dad and I went to a writers' event put on by Strike King. At the event they have many of their Pro-Staffers there, so all of the writers and editors can go out with the pros and get story material and photos. So that event was a lot of fun, and dad got an enormous amount of material. I got to spend time in a bunch of top pros' boats, and I even managed to catch a few fish between photo shoots.

2. On Tuesday I went out to the pond and fished by myself. Before I got in the canoe I decided to walk around the bank and fish a little bit because it was very windy, which makes it hard to control the canoe and fish. With the pond being low you can fish around most of it from the shore. There is this tree that fell in the pond a while back that just lays in the water. and when the water is up, almost all of it is underwater. With the pond so low now, about 15 feet of it hangs over the water. So while I was fishing around the pond I decided to sit on it like a horse and fish a while. So I jumped up and got on the part of it that is over land, and cast out to the end of the tree.............I got a bite and hooked the fish. I started reeling, trying to keep him out of the branches of the tree. Well, I got him out of the branches successfully, but then he decided to go under the tree, and my line got caught under the bark and would not come out. The fish was still hooked. There was only one thing to do. I started gradually making my way down the tree over the water, and after doing that for about 10 feet, I finally got to the spot were my line was caught in the bark then I chipped it off with my fingers and landed the fish!

3. On Tuesday my dad, my friend Calvin and I went fishing at the Nantahala River and caught a few fish and had a great time stomping around in the creek!

I guess that's about it for now!

-Nathaniel

SEOPA Conference

2011-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Dad and I are on a 10-day trip right now. Seven days down; three to go. The biggest objective of this trip is the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association's Fall Conference, where we are now.

My dad has been a member of SEOPA for 20 years and has attended many of the conferences, so I have gotten to hear a lot of stuff about the conference and the organization for a long time. This was the first year I have been able to attend the conference, and it has met all of my expectations. I have had a great time getting to see a bunch of friends and getting to meet new friends in the industry. I have also learned an enormous amount from all of the workshops I have taken and from conversations I have had with people.

One of the things I have been looking forward to doing the most is still ahead, and that is Pickin' and Grinnin'. That is the time when some very good musicians from the organization get together and jam, which is right up my alley: jamming with fisherman and hunters! We did a "mini pickin' and grinnin' a couple of nights ago, but the big one begins tonight after the final banquet.

More to come later.

-Nathaniel

Dry Run Creek

2011-09-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

I have been fishing in a lot of really good places where I really enjoy fishing. And then there are those certain places where I have been that I just absolutely love, whether because of the extraordinary fishing or scenery or both.

And then there is Arkansas' Dry Run Creek.

This is a stream that I have only been to a couple of times, and both times I have been amazed by the amount of fish in it and the unbelievable size and beauty of many of the the fish. Dry Run Creek is a very small stream in Arkansas that flows into the Norfork River. A couple of the things that make it so good are that along with the natural flow of the stream it is fed by the outflow of The Norfork National Fish Hatchery, and the water that comes from the hatchery is very fertile. It also stays cold because it comes from the depths of Norfork Lake. It is also a special-regulations stream. It is all catch-and-release, with barbless, single-hooked artificial baits and it is only for people under 16 or disabled anglers.
The result of such good management is that you can look into the stream in many places and just see hundreds of trout, including huge brown trout, rainbow trout, and cutthroat trout. In each of times I have been to Dry Run Creek, I have caught two or three trout that have weighed around 4 pounds, and the first time I went there I caught about an 8-pound rainbow trout (which you can see in my profile picture).

Now I will tell you that all of that about Dry Run Creek was just a long intro to tell you that I fished there on Wednesday, and it was amazing. As I said before, you could look in certain holes and see hundreds of fish. I caught 31 fish, including two that were about 4 pounds, most on either a Rebel Teeny Wee Crawfish or a Rebel Tracdown Minnow (modified for a single barbless hook).

One very interesting thing that I experienced was having a very big brown trout jump off. I don't know just how big it was, but dad and I both think it was over 6 pounds and maybe 10 pounds. Of course, that almost seemed like a vanilla experience compared to earlier in day when, while I was reeling in about a 10-inch trout, I realized it was swimming more frantically than others that I had caught, and then suddenly I saw a HUGE brown trout tailing it trying to eat it!!!!

I don't know if Dry Run Creek is my favorite place to fish but it is by far the most amazing just pure fishing I have ever experienced.

-Nathaniel

Prediction Half True

2011-09-01T09:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday one of my friends and I went fishing. Instead of fishing in the pond where I usually fish, we decided to go and fish the beaver pond, which is on the same property. As I have mentioned in other blogs, the beaver pond is a much wilder, shallower pond, and it was, as the name suggests, created by beavers.

Before we went fishing, I knew we would probably catch more fish on the other pond; however, I decided on going to the beaver pond because it would be a little bit more of an adventure, even if we didn't catch a lot of fish. That proved to be true. Well, sort of.

It was true that we had an adventure. We saw a snapping turtle, got stuck on a few stumps, saw a big beaver and finally figured out where the creek runs in and where the dam is after a lot of searching. However the part about not catching fish was not true. I thought since the deepest part of the pond is only about 5 feet deep that the fish might lay really low and not bite at all on a hot summer day, but we found an underwater stump field that was about 3 feet deep that we pulled five fish out of with Texas-rigged YUM Dingers. And we lost about seven fish in the stumps.

So putting together the adventure and decent amount of fish, and considering the conditions and what I expected, I'd say we did really well.

-Nathaniel

West Fork Adventure

2011-08-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

The West Fork of the Chattooga River was not disappointing in any way. It was just as rough and fun as I expected. We didn't catch a lot of of fish, but on a river like that, catching fish is just a bonus because of the beautiful river and the adventure of it. The West Fork is all about tough hiking, lots of rock-hopping, wading, figuring out how to get from spot to spot and the scenery.

Along with the normal adventure of the West Fork I got a little bit of a bonus experience during my first trip. We got lost in the woods trying to find the path to the river! After following a little path up the mountain we lost the path around the top of the mountain. After looking around a little bit we finally found a little bit of a pig path to the river, but there must have been a storm since anyone had last used it because there was all sorts of stuff that was hanging across it. Still, it was the best we could find so we followed what remained of the path and made our own little fishermans trail down the mountain to the river, climbing through enormous and thick plants (including briers), and sliding down rocks. Eventually we found ourselves at a tributary stream to the river, and we waded down that and then finally arrived at our destination! Through all the pain of climbing up and down the mountain I still really enjoyed it all because I know that it is just part of the West Fork, and I am looking forward to the next time I get to go.

-Nathaniel

Anticipation

2011-08-10T12:30:00.001-07:00

Today, for me, is an anticipation day, because on Friday Dad, one of his friends and I are going to go fishing on the West Fork of the Chattooga River, which is one of Dad's favorite places to fish. It is fairly close to where we we live, and I have heard an enormous amount about it, but because it is a very tough hike to get down to the river and involves rugged wading, I have never been able to tag along. But now I finally get to go there. Dad loves it there because it is very remote and beautiful place to fish for trout, which is a pretty ideal combination for Dad. So I am looking forward to going and fishing somewhere that I have heard so much about and had to wait to fish for a long time.

I will post another blog sometime to report how we do Friday.......

-Nathaniel

The Pigeon River

2011-07-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

It seems like every time we drive through the Smokies, Dad says how much he would like to go down and fish a little bit at the Pigeon River. It is a place where Dad has caught a lot of fish at times, and it is the kind of fishing that we both really like -- fishing in a stream for smallmouth bass.

Yesterday, while going through the Smokies, we decided to make a quick trip to the stream. So we went down there and fished in some pretty fast water for a while and got one or two hits. But then we hit a little bit slacker water and immediately started getting topwater hits, and they were slamming it! And after a few hits, I caught about a 1 1/2-pound smallmouth on a Rebel Bighopper. It made for very pretty pictures and made the two-hour outing very worthwhile.

And that little taste of it makes me really makes me hope that dad and I will get the chance to spend some more time on the Pigeon River some time!

-Nathaniel

A Great Start to Saturday

2011-07-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I went out to the pond and fished for a couple of hours. It was really nice weather; just a little bit of wind, and cloudy. I caught a fish right off the bat on a buzzbait. That was a nice start to a Saturday on the lake.

Then I did a lap around the pond and didn't catch anything. So I went back to the dam. And on the first cast up against the dam using a three inch Texas rigged Yum Dinger I got a very nice hit. I thought it was probably a 2-pound sort of fish at first, but then about 20 yards from the boat, when it jumped, I realized it was a little bit bigger. So as I fought it and it jumped the second time, a little bit closer this time. I started getting a little bit nervous about my 10-pound test and my two 2/O hook. And after the fish dragging the boat for a while, I finally, with shaking hands, I was able to lip him and get him in!

I was all alone, and I needed a picture, so I let him breath for a while then I paddled across the lake as fast as I could, ran up to a friend's house and had her take a picture. I got my picture and the fish swam back just fine. It is probably the biggest fish I have seen come out of that little pond. A great start to a Saturday!

-Nathaniel

Growing 4th of July Tradition

2011-07-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

On the 4th, Dad and I went out to the pond for about 30 minutes. We caught a few fish before getting rained out. But it was fairly hot, so we didn't expect much and were very happy for three fish in a short amount of time. And something interesting is that a couple of years ago we went to a different pond with a friend on the 4th of July and it was in the 90's and really sunny. We only had about an hour and a half to fish, and we each caught about five fish.

So I am definitely going to go fishing on the 4th of July next year!

-Nathaniel

Trash Fish

2011-06-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

After catching the first of my two 6-pound-range drum while smallouth bass fishing on lake St. Clair last Tuesday with my dad and Doug Cummings we started talking about why certain fish like drum are thought of as trash fish. Even though we were smallmouth fishing -- and even though smallmouths are my favorite fish -- the fight with the drum was just as fun as fighting a smallmouth.

For whatever reason, most people hate catching drum when they are fishing for other fish. But it is not just drum or carp or other fish that are commonly thought of as trash fish. Sometimes the same thing happens to game fish. For example, many walleye fisherman hate catching smallmouth bass when they are walleye fishing, even though smallmouth fight harder.

So I guess it is just a matter of what you like to catch the most, and you just decide that everything else is trash. But I don't care what they are. I enjoy the fight with any fish.

And as a side note, I caught about seven fish that day, including a 3-plus-pound smallmouth.

-Nathaniel

Birthday Bash

2011-05-30T10:12:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we did the same great thing we did last year on my birthday, fishing and camping at the ponds.

First dad and I fished for a couple hours with my little brother Asher on the first pond of the three on the property. We caught quite a few fish. Asher caught bream on bread and a jig. I caught bass mostly on a Booyah Buzz, which was very exiting. Dad caught both bream and bass, catching most of the bream on a Road Runner Curly-Tail and the bass on a YUM Dinger.

After we fished the upper pond, Mom came and picked up Asher, and Dad and I went to fish at the beaver pond, which the name describes well. It is made by beavers, is very shallow and has lots of stumps, fence posts, brush and trees in and around it. And it fishes a lot bigger than it is because it has lots of little pockets around it. It is a very cool pond.

Dad and I fished that pond for a couple of hours that evening and caught a few fish, including one fish that almost made me jump out of the boat. I was fishing the buzzbait through some stumps, and when my bait was about five feet from the boat a bass smashed it off the top. But I didn't jump out of the boat, and I did get the fish in. And after we finished fishing we camped by the pond.

The next day we fished for about and hour on the beaver pond and then fished another hour on the upper pond and caught a lot of fish. Over both days we caught 43 fish. (Dad caught 30 of them.

-Nathaniel

Trout Fishing

2011-05-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

One of I favorite kinds of fishing I get to do is to wade in a mountain stream and catch trout, and one of my favorite places to do that is the Nantahala River in North Carolina. The Nantahala is a very rural and wild looking stream, but it still has very good access. The fishing action is usually good there, but even if it wasn't I enjoy wading up a mountain stream almost as much as catching the fish.

Last week, Dad and I got to fish at the Nantahala with our friends from Road Runner Lures, TJ Stallings and Ron Stallings. We spent one full day and two partial days at the river, and we caught a lot fish on Road Runner Natural Science Trout & Panfish Series lures. We caught mostly rainbow trout, but also caught some brook trout and dad managed one little brown trout.

-Nathaniel

Best Day This Spring

2011-04-29T13:34:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I had my best day on the pond so far this spring. The bass were very aggressive. I was only out there for about 30 minutes of fishing, but I still caught five bass and missed a few others. And the wind was blowing pretty hard, which made it tough to control the canoe.

I caught all my fish on a bait I had never fished with before: a YUM Sooie, rigged weightless and weedless on a 3/O X-Point Offset Wide Gap Hook. And when they hit it, they slammed it! I returned a day or two later with my dad and had similar success on the same rig, this time with us just doing quick lap and casting from the bank.

Just wait until I have more time.

-Nathaniel

P.S. If you saw my last blog called "Teamwork" the same thing happened again, with Asher spotting a fish for me.

Teamwork

2011-04-10T15:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday dad and I went out to the pond to fish for a little while, and my mom took my little siblings swimming.

Around the end of the day we where fishing by the dam when my 6-year-old brother Asher came walking across the dam and said, "I see a fish!"

So I cast a my bait by where he pointed to make him feel good. The next thing Asher said was, "He is coming toward your bait!" and then I saw the line go tight, and I set the hook and caught a decent little bass.

So I told Asher that he caught half of the fish. He liked that.

Dad and I caught seven fish in limited time, too. So that was just a bonus.

-Nathaniel

Little Things

2011-03-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of little things in fishing that can make the big difference in catching fish or not. Here is an example.

Yesterday, dad and I were fishing on a private pond in Tennessee with our friend Doug Markham. It was cloudy, and we hadn't been catching anything, so we started trying to fish a stump field with faster-moving baits than we had been fishing. So dad started fishing with an XCalibur Square Lip crankbait through the stumps and started catching some fish. I tried it too, but I wasn't catching any fish or feeling any stumps or cover like dad was. We were fishing same crankbait in the same places at the same time. And we finally figured out that his line was 10-pound-test and my line was 17-pound-test. And with his line being a lot lighter than mine, his crankbait was swimming deeper than mine, which put it more into the stumps and it bounced of more cover, which was attracting more fish.

Spring Fishing

2011-03-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have been doing pretty well at the pond. I am catching almost all of my fish on a 3-inch Yum Dinger, Texas rigged (weightless). Most days I have catch about three fish, but that will get better as it gets more into spring.

I can't wait till I can start catching them on topwater.

-Nathaniel

A Dog Named Melody

2011-03-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

Melody On The Top Bunk

Melody is a very hard thing to explain. She is very energetic and sometimes a punk and usually not obedient but still sweet and lovable.

One Of Melody's Hobbies

Some of Melody's Hobbies are running, swimming, playing, eating, chewing (stuffed animals, socks, furniture, etc,).

Sleepy Melody

Melody is probably the least -liked dogs of the three dogs in the house for obvious reasons but she is still my favorite of the dogs. Melody is also the ring leader of the three dogs.

Ice Fishing

2011-02-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

Before going to Colorado the most ice I had seen on a lake or anywhere else was a very thin layer of ice not quite covering the small pond I fish near home. So walking out onto the lake with a thick layer of ice was very very weird. I got used to it, but the first time I saw the ice on the lake with no snow covering the top of it, I got a little bit creeped out.

We had a great time fishing with Dave Bryant and Bill Miller from Lake Ice USA. It was a really neat experience pulling fish through a 10-inch hole in the ice. I have caught a 60-pound catfish and it was nothing like pulling that 5-pound fish through the ice. I think it might have taken more paying attention to get it through the hole than any other fish I have landed! Keeping the line in the center of the hole when a fish is pulling is harder than it sounds.

It was very interesting to say the least!

Blacks Camp

2011-01-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

Like I said in an earlier blog, Blacks Camp is one of my favorite places to go. I had said in that blog a few of the reasons I like it so much are because of its good food, big fish, and great people - and and last week I got to enjoy all of those qualities: 1) We were fishing with our good friend, Kevin Davis, the co-owner of Blacks Camp; 2) We caught five big catfish, including two 25-pounders; 3) I ate a great steak and baked potato the last night!

That is why Blacks Camp is one of my favorite places.

-Nathaniel

The Guy in a Johnboat

2011-01-22T10:34:00.000-08:00

On the way to Santee Copper, Dad and I decided to stop by the Saluda River. We went down there and fished a little bit. Neither of us was very confident. It just didn't look like trout. No shoals! But we put on the waders and fished for while, and we were still fishing when someone putting in a boat from across the river asked us if we had caught much. We said no, and we told him that it was our first time there. And he said said go downstream from where we were and we would find some shoals. So we took the local guy's advice and went down a nature trail and found a little path down to the river, and there was a really nice shoal, and we were the only people there. So I threw a little Rebel Tracdown Minnow downstream and caught a little trout. Then, the next cast I caught one a little bit bigger. And that's how the next hour went till it was getting dark and we left. Catching about 12-inch trout every few casts.

So at the end of the day were were very thankful for a guy putting in a johnboat!

-Nathaniel

Icy Pond Comfort

2011-01-18T05:57:00.000-08:00

Lately the conditions still haven't been good enough for the fishing at the pond. It has had quite a bit of ice around it, and we even have had icy roads. But my comfort is that later this week my dad and I will be at one of my favorite places - Blacks Camp. It is one of the simplest places dad and I go, and that is why it is one of my favorites. It is a true fish camp at Santee Cooper with nice people, big fish and great meals.

And then, in a couple of weeks, we will be ice fishing in Colorado, which will be a totally new kind of fishing to me!

So I guess I can handle an icy pond for a while.

-Nathaniel

My Favorite Fish

2010-12-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

Quite a few people have asked me what my favorite kind of fish is, and a lot of times I might not have known what it was. But overall, of all the different kinds of fish I have caught, I would have to say my favorite is................smallmouth bass. Because of they're hard fighting and cause of the beautiful places where you can catch them. And my second favorite would have to be brown trout (which might be my dad's favorite).

Sorry to all the other fish.

-Nathaniel

Surprisingly

2010-12-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, surprisingly, Dad and I went fishing at the pond. And even more surprisingly, we caught fish. He caught three fish, and I had one fish get off. All on soft plastic baits.

It wasn't quite ice fishing but it was pretty cold. But it was still lots of fun

-Nathaniel

Ice Fishing?

2010-12-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

It doesn't look like I will be back to the pond anytime soon for a couple reasons.

First, my parents don't want to take me out to the pond in 20-degree weather.

And second I haven't done any ice-fishing so I probably wouldn't catch anything.

How many days till spring?

-Nathaniel

Pond Fishing Again!

2010-11-06T16:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I got to fish at the pond again!

I had a great time. I caught five fish, all on a Yum Dinger. It was too bad dad was not with me because with fall leaves and fat fish, he could have got some great pictures! Looking forward to next time.

-Nathaniel

My First Big Fish

2010-10-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Because of the loss of my private pond access, I have not been fishing much lately. So I figured I should probably talk about a favorite bait or a special fish I caught, so I think I will talk about my first sort of big fish.

It was on a day that Dad and I were fishing on the Niagara River with guide Frank Campbell. We fished for steelhead, lake trout and possibly other stuff. We were drifting with three-way rigs and Quikfish. All of a sudden one of the rods bent pretty hard, so I picked it up and started my first fight with a fish over 5 pounds. There is a big difference between a 5-pound redfish and a 14-pound lake trout! I didn't know how to fight it, but I got plenty of instructions. Later that day I caught one almost the same size as the first one, so I don't know which one is in the picture!

Looking forward to fishing again!

-Nathaniel

Jennifer Aniston Stole My Pond!

2010-09-28T08:57:00.001-07:00

The private pond where I like to fish is being used for the filming of a major motion picture, which means no fishing for now. Why they had to film during a great fishing season I have no clue!

And I can't even see the movie when it comes out because it is going to be rated R.

I can't wait till next spring when I can have my pond fishing back.

-Nathaniel

Smallmouth and BIG mouth

2010-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got to learn all about targeting big catfish on the electronics. It was amazing what a vivid picture of the bottom you could see with the electronics. The picture above is the result of a big tree that Jeff Williams of Team Catfish found with his electronics. I sure had a hard time reeling in that 60-pound blue catfish! I also caught two other fish that were in the 20-pound range. Not a bad day on the water!

And this morning we went below Wheeler Dam for a couple hours to catch some channel catfish. Which we did. But the highlight for me was when Dad had me holding a little white Road Runner Premium Marabou for pictures then said, "How about you cast a couple with that?" So I cast out, and while dad was not looking my rod made a big bend. And as I was fighting it, we thought it was probably a striper or something like that. Then when it was right by the boat our Mr. Williams saw that it was a......smallmouth bass... which made us panic, wanting to get it in the net. We succeeded and it was a beautiful 3 1/2-pound range smallmouth!

What will it be tomorrow?

-Nathaniel

Fishing all the Way to Kansas

2010-09-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm all packed up for an 11-day trip that will take Dad and I all the way to Winfield, Kansas.

Along the way, we'll be spending time at a catfishing tournament in Alabama, floating down the Buffalo River in Arkansas and attending a media event in Missouri. That all leads up to the Mountain Dulcimer National Championship, where I will be competing.

Can't wait!

-Nathaniel

Why! Why! Why!

2010-08-23T07:23:00.001-07:00

I was at the pond, and it looked like a wonderland at about 6:00 yesterday evening. Bugs and bream all over the top, with the fish popping the surface. How Dad and I only maneged one little tiny bass, I have no idea! I tried a lot of my favorite baits, but caught nothing.If only I'd had a little tiny floating fly.

O well. Maybe next time.

I suppose that is why it is called fishing.

-Nathaniel

Behind The Scenes

2010-08-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at the FLW Forrest Wood Cup. The final-day weigh-in was great. And one of the best parts about it was that I got to sit in the media area right below the stage and was able to see what it looks like behind the scenes.

-Nathaniel

Fish On My Instrument!

2010-07-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

My two main interests in life are fishing and playing dulcimer music, which shows on my latest instrument. The fish on the instrument came about when I was ordering it and the builder asked if there was anything in particular I would like him to wood-burn on it....... It didn't not take me long to answer! I picked it up last weekend when I was up at his shop.

The instrument is called a Ban-Jammer, and it is a cross between a banjo and a dulcimer. Ban-Jammers are made by Mike Clemmer of Townsend, Tennessee.

I'm having lots of fun fishing and looking at the fish on my Ban-Jammer....Oh yeah - playing it is fun too.

-Nathaniel

Nice Light

2010-06-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Dad and I had been fishing just a little while the morning of my birthday when dad saw some nice sunlight on the water. So he told his model (me) to throw my buzzbait out there so he could get a picture of it in the pretty light. So I threw it out there and started cranking it back...and a fish hit it. So dad got some great pictures, and I thanked him for suggesting the spot!

So next time you go fishing find some nice light!

-Nathaniel

Big-Eating Fish!

2010-05-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

My Dad. Asher and I went to the pond for a couple hours. It was about 5:00. I was paddling, and Dad was helping 5-year-old Asher fish. We got off to a slow start, but then Dad and I started getting them on the plastic worms. Then Asher got into the game, getting a bream.

After we had made a lap around the pond we decided to try another pond on the property. When we got there I caught a nice bass sight-fishing, and soon after I let it go, I heard dad getting tense on the other side of the pond and saw Asher reeling in a nice bass.

The most exciting part was yet to come. Dad was about to get the hook out of the fish when he saw curled up inside the bass a dead snake about as long as the bass. That was one hungry bass eating a snake and trying for a Yum Dinger.

Then we had hot dogs on the bank. That was fun.

-Nathaniel

A Good Day of Fishing!

2010-05-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got to fish from the morning till the afternoon. I caught 12 fish over the three ponds I spent on the property. There are three ponds, and I caught two on the lower pond, three on the middle pond and the rest on the pond I fish the most. I caught a few on a Booyah buzbait and a few on a Yum Dinger and on a Yum Craw Papi.

Cant wait tell next time!

Nathaniel-

Three States

2010-05-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Dad, my 5-year-old brother Asher and I were at Cumberland Gap for a dulcimer festival. Since we were so close, we decided we should go put our feet in three states. The first time we tried, we took a wrong turn and did a long circle back to the parking lot. But we went back and did it the right way later - and put our feet in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. We also got a really cool view of the town below.

Your foot doesn't have to be too big to do stand in all three states, by the way, since a 5-year-old can!

-Nathaniel

The Weekend

2010-05-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had another great weekend on the pond. On Saturday I caught five fish. One of the fish was about 4 pounds, which is the biggest fish I have seen in the pond. It was on a Booyah spinnerbait, as was one other fish. Then I lost that bait. Two more fish were on a Yum Wooly Hawgtail on a Road Runner Head. The fifth was also on a Wooly Hawtail, but it was Texas rigged.

Sunday I went out there at about in the morning around 9:00. It was very cloudy. I started out with a spinerbait and caught one fish on one lap around the pond, so I went back to the dock and put on a Booyah jig with a Craw Papi as a trailer. I got lots of bites on that but could not get a hook in them, so I put on another Booyah jig with a Wooly Hawgtail as a trailer. I caught two fish on that dragging it slow -- very slow. When the sun came out, it started to get better, I caught one on topwater, then I caught some on Yum Dingers, Wooly Hawgtails, and Big Show Paddle Worms, which are all Yum Baits. I caught 13 fish over the course of the day!

Can't wait tell next time!

-Nathaniel

Dad's Trophy Shots

2010-04-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Dad's big bass!

Dad got one that didnt' move much...a rock.

Boat Ramp Bass

2010-04-23T08:36:00.001-07:00

We had just gotten a boat in the water and were waiting for Tommy Biffle to pick up Dad to fish in his boat while I fished with Gary Dollahon in his boat. While we were were waiting in Mr. Dollahon's boat, I looked around and thought it looked like a nice hole for a bream, so I picked up a little bait and tried for a bream. Dad had bigger plans, he picked up a crankbait, threw it out and caught a bass. So, of course I had to try. I got my crankbait, a Sebile Crankster, and first cast nothing. Second cast had about a 5-pound bass break the line right by the boat. I tried again and caught a smaller bass. Then Mr. Biffle got there picked up dad. They caught a lot more fish then Mr Dollahon and I, but Mr Dollahon got the best photo fish. We got lots of good pictures of the fish. Then it was back to the boat ramp. I picked up a Gene Larew Salt Head Shaky Worm rigged on Jewel Squirrel Head Jig and caught two more fish!

-Nathaniel

Fishing For Trout Again

2010-04-15T06:08:00.001-07:00

I love to fish in little trout streams around here, and I got to do just that this week at the Nantahala River in North Carolina. I caught six fish over two days -- five brook trout and one rainbow trout. Five of my fish were on Road Runner Marobous and one on a Rebel Tracdown Minnow. Dad caught 16 fish, all on Road Runners.

The stream is single-hook atificaial baits, catch and release only.

-Nathaniel

Up Shallow

2010-04-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

I’ve been to the pond!!!!!!!!! The fish are up shallow and I have even had a few topwater hits. Dad fished with me last Friday, and we caught lots of bream and one bass -- all on Road Runner Heads and YUM Wooly Curltails. I got to drive the boat and be the guide and get dad into the good spots. It was fun to trade places for a day, although I would not want to do it all the time! I also went fishing yesterday and got some fish with my Papa -- and got those topwater hits.

Pond Fishing

2010-03-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been fishing on the pond I wrote about in a past blog. The number one bait for me has been a YUM Craw Papi on a Road Runner head. Most days it has been around 70 degrees and sunny. The bigest fish I caught was about a 3 pounds, which is really big for that pond. My average number of fish is about three -- all of them bass -- except one day I caught a bream. The only other bait I have caught fish on is just a slight change: putting a YUM Wooly Beavertail on the Road Runner head, instead of the Craw Papi.

Now I am just waiting for topwater!

-Nathaniel

Nice Creek

2010-03-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, right after the Gaston's event, my dad and I went to a "children 16 and under" trout stream called Dry Run Creek, which has huge trout in it. We walked down to the creek -- Dad with his camera and me with my pole, trout net and box of baits. First, I found this little hole full of trout. I could see lots of trout (BIG TROUT), but they could see me to, so of course I didn't catch anything, and I had to pull myself away from big fish that I could see. Not an easy thing to do.

Then I fished in one hole where I saw some fish and had some hits, but no fish yet. Then I moved to the next spot using a Rebel Teeny Deep Wee Crawfish and caught loads of fish, a few of them being really nice trout. I had one rainbow that weighed about 6 pounds get off because my net was too small, which really disappointed me, seeing how big it was. After that I caught a few trout. Then I got a fish that felt like it could be a nice one, but not 6 pounds..................... I was wrong!!! I just caught a glimpse of that big mouth and that big hooked jaw, and got really worried that I would not get it, I got it in reach of the net and tried to get it but it just didn't fit, it broke the line and was just siting there in front of me in the water. I thought it was dead, so I yelled to dad, "It's dead!" But then I got out of shock and tried to net it one more time and it worked!!! After a few photos, the fish swam off looking healthy. That was the biggest rainbow trout I have ever seen.

The creek is open to fishing with barbless, single-hook artificial baits only.

Nice creek!

Gaston's Shore Lunch

2010-03-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

Gaston's Shore Lunch

Dad after the Gaston's Shore Lunch

Fun Day on the White River

2010-03-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Today we had a really good day of fishing on the White River with long time White River guide Paul Jones. The first half of the day we were drifting with bait, and I caught two fish doing that: one rainbow trout and one brown trout; the brown trout being a 19-incher and about 4 pounds. Then we ate one of Gaston's amazing shore lunches. Then, after that, we got on the jerkbait bite and caught lots of rainbows. I caught my eight fish on a black back/gold body/organge belly XCalibur Xt3. I had heard at lunch that some people had been catching fish on gold jerkbaits, so I decided to use that one. It was a really fun day in one of my favorite places.

-Nathaniel

Spring is Coming!!!

2010-03-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

It really felt like spring yesterday and I got to go to a little bass and bream pond!!! As soon as we got there I was ready to fish I had everything rigged and ready. I was using a Texas rigged three-inch Yum Dinger. I ran out to one of my favorite spots, made one cast and caught nothing. I made another cast slowed it down a little and caught a little bass (the one in the picture). I made a few more casts then moved on to the next good spot. I didn't catch any there. I moved on to the last spot that has been working for me on about 50-degree days. I got one hit there that I think was a bream from the way it hit. I moved over just a little bit and caught another little bass. Then I moved on to the spot that I had caught one before. Once I got there I had one fish slapping at it a lot on one retrieve. I cast out again and caught one that I bet was the same hungry little fish. I was using very light tackle ,which made them fun to fight even though they we little. Texas rigged Yum Dingers are one of the best baits for lots of things, and catching bass and bream on a pond is definitely one of them.

Spring is coming! (even though it is snowing out right now)

-Nathaniel

New Blog

2010-03-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

This is my blog for fishing and the other stuff I do outdoors! I didn't want to do that stuff as much on my dulcimer blog so I started this one. Next stop the White River!!!

-Nathaniel