By Marty Dixon/Staff correspondent
Welcome to the Christmas and New Years’ issue of Casting on the Coosa. To all my fishermen out there, I want to wish you a Merry Fishmas and a Happy New Gear. 2022 Resolution: fish more, work less!
I’ve not been on the river but two hours since last week due to weather and family obligations, so I’m working on reports from Super Dave and Jonathon Bowman, both of whom are pretty good and trustworthy guys. The river is a little dirty from the rain and the temperatures are in the low 50s.
The fish I’ve been hearing about have been caught a couple of different ways. Super Dave nailed a few after the rain shallow with chatterbait. I could not make the trip with him since I was obligated to hang out with Tim “The Bass Chaser” Heard this past weekend. I didn’t catch any fish, but I did enjoy knocking about all morning with Tim, as always.
J.B. provided a good report on some fish being caught around the mouths of creeks on a 5 and 6 D crankbait. J.B.’s buddy Clint busted them up pretty good on size and numbers. It appears the spots can be caught out near the river but some of the largemouth can still be caught shallow. The shallow fish are being caught covering a lot of water, while the spots and a few largemouth are being caught out on the river around the schools of bait fish.
For all those wondering what to get me as a Christmas gift, cards from The Loft, Tackle Box, Tackle Trap or Weiss Lake Tackle will do nicely. Feel free to send as many as want. Rest assured that I will put them to good use. If you are looking for something to get your fisherman, a good set of pliers, rod sleeves and tackle storage are always good. All of these products and gift cards works wonders for the fisherman in your life. Feel free to donate any and all of said items to my cause this year.
My New Years’ plan this year is to catch more and gripe less (fat chance), but it is a goal. I should have some information to pass on soon about the Major League Fishing Anglers Association, which is planning a banquet and festivities to raise money for restocking tournaments this coming year. I will relay more information as I get it and share it here and on my Facebook site at Neely Henry Bass Fishing.
Until next year, let’s all remember the reason for the season. It’s not all about gifts and what we receive. It’s about birth of Jesus, the Son of God, and spending time with our families. Those things are what it’s all about; the other stuff is just window dressing.
Tight lines to all and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May the New Year 2022 be a blessed one.
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 can be contacted at fishn4funin02@yahoo.com and the Neely Henry Bass Fishing page on Facebook.