The Bugger and the Spot

Some days on the water can prove to be rewarding and frustrating at times. That was the case today when my buddy and I made a daylight trip to one of the many creeks on beautiful Smith Lake. The conditions today were nice, with just a hint of early fall in the air. The scenery what can I say it is Smith Lake, crystal clear waters high rock formation, large boulders under water, and of course the many species of fish in the lake. I decided for today’s trip to use two set-ups one with the 5 Wt. and the other was my new addition the 4 Wt. The 5 Wt. was the perfect fit with the Tungsten head brown Wooly Bugger, to imitate the many crawfish that find home in the rock crevasses.

# 6 Wooly Sink Rate 

The 4Wt. was set up with a number 6 concave face popper in cream white with some red sprinkled dots along the sides. During daylight hours or heavy overcast days it is always best to use light colors especially a white variation. The fish can see lighter colors better at that time of day instead of a darker color. The exact opposite holds true for sunny days. With the 4 Wt. and the cream 6 popper, the very first presentation produce a nice 12” spot located in a brush pile adjacent to a large boulder in 30 ft. of water. What a way to christen the new 4 Wt. I must say it didn’t disappoint on that fish. The frustration part of the trip came right before the sun clipped the tree line. I made a long shoot cast standing on the bow of the boat. The big popper just floated in place under an overhanging rock ledge. With a slight jerk the popper disappeared and I set the hook only to have the big spot to take the popper and wave it in the air in front of me. It was like this fish wanted to let me know who was boss, and I must admit today he was. To add insult to misery I had to see the 20” plus fish, as it flung its body in the air with my popper in its mouth. Along with the frustration and the sun came an end to the top water action.

Wonder if this popper is still in his mouth 

  It was time to put the 4Wt in the rack and start shooting line with the 5 Wt. After the first 10 minutes of placing the Tungsten head bugger, in and around the crevasses on the walls, started me thinking I had made the wrong fly selection. All doubt faded away when on one of the deep rock cliff points my fly line started a downward decent and I used the 5 Wt to drive the hook home, and landed my largest spot of the season. After a great fight I landed a 16” spot.

 The frustration earlier now had given way to the rewarding part of the trip. As the trip ended with blue bird skies and winds out of the southeast it was time to call it a morning. I must admit the frustration part of this trip will take a while to get over. Maybe what the doctor needs to prescribe is another daylight outing soon.