By Marty Dixon/Staff Correspondent
This week’s latest pathetic attempt at writing is off the cuff. I have had no ideas this week so I’m writing about anything that comes to mind. I enjoyed all the responses and ideas generated from last week’s column. I’m not sure where or how to attack that issue, but it was one that needed to be addressed.
The past seven days have brought a mixed bag of tricks when it came to fishing. The Coosa Team Trail fished last weekend, with the first day bringing in some big bags of fish with the hurricane passing by. The second day was a big drop off in weight due to weather change, but a few decent bags weighed in. I spoke with a couple of teams out on the water while I was fishing on Day 2, and most of them were catching small fish. A few good fish weighed in, but I did not get anything on how or what the fishermen were doing. I caught a few small fish on Sunday – and I do mean small, as the bait that I used was nearly as big as the fish. It was not a wasted day, however, as I enjoyed my time on the lake.
Monday was a wash for me since it was babysitting day. I had all three of the grandkids – Finley, Anna and Zailyn – until late in the afternoon. We managed to get out and walk the neighborhood, with a great deal of help from Zailyn pushing the stroller. Anna got to see new water and threw rocks in the lake with her big sister.
On Tuesday, I got out on the lake with Brother Butch. I would like to thank Lee Brown of Browns Outboard for the loan of the outboard boat, which we fished out of all afternoon (Aside to Lee: when loaning a boat to older guys, please put the pedestal seats in the front and the back; we are way too old to not have something to prop up on all day). Lee works on all our boats and is one of the good guys in the business. Butch and I managed to catch a few fish from the big boat, and Butch landed a good 3.5-pound spotted bass.
We caught fish throwing crankbaits, spinnerbaits and two flipping in the wood. All in all, it was good day of fishing around on the river. We didn’t see any jet skis and only a couple of other boats were out. The wind was the only thing we had to contend with. I now remember how nice it is to fish from a big glass boat – most enjoyable.
Wednesday was beautiful day to be outside. I mowed the yard and waited for Lowe’s to deliver some doors, a subject that continues to be a sore spot. Later in the afternoon I fished close to home and was back to normal in stinking it up. With some more current flow and mild conditions, the fishing is picking up. My fishing is not picking up, or at least the catching part of it isn’t.
I did see where our friend Honest Eric Hubbard put the hammer down on Wed-nesday with some nice spots, with one real nice largemouth. Hard cover and current breaks seemed to be the ticket for him. Eric was nice enough to share information with me via our Facebook site. With the fish moving into coves and creeks chasing the shad, I look for fishing to improve over the next few weeks.
Last thoughts and reminders: Don’t forget that we have a Bassmaster Open on October 22-24 out of Coosa Landing. We should have a big turnout and a busy lake all week long.
We need to have a good showing at the weigh-ins. Daily information can be obtained from the Coosa Landing or Bassmaster websites.
Let’s protect and promote our river resource. Until next time, get your kids or grandkids out on the lake, and tight lines to all.
Marty Dixon is a 1982 Sardis High School graduate and retired high school educator and coach. He was head coach of the Gadsden State women’s basketball team from 2015 to 2019. He and his wife Texann live in Gadsden. He may be contacted at fishn4funin02@yahoo.com and the Neely Henry Bass Fishing page on Facebook.