Urban Fishing

The picture above is the pond at the apartment where I live in Augusta, Ga.. I have moved from Nashville to Columbia, SC. and now I am in Georgia. ( The things we do to stay employed )

Last night I got my Hexigraph out of the tube for the first time in a year to try my luck at the apartment pond. ( The things we do to fish ) The woman that leased me the apartment said there were fish in the pond but had never caught one. My wife is still in Columbia and I was looking for a distraction, so I swallowed my pride and fished the pond. To my surprise, I could still tie on a fly and started trying to remember how to cast. To say I am a bit rusty is an understatement. On my fourth cast I caught a nice bluegill or bream as they say in the South. I fished for about 20 minutes and landed two large mouth bass. It was not exactly like fishing for trout in the Caney Fork, but it's a short walk to the pond. Now that you know what my fishing life has become, you probably understand why I haven't posted anything for some time. My friend Phil will keep you posted on the Caney and I will keep you posted on the pond. ( good grief)

Obitufishuaries

Obitufishuaries

I regret to inform the loyal readers of Jay Moore, the now dearly departed and former Tennessee Editor of Flyfishmagazine.com, of his passing from the Caney Fork watershed. You may have noticed that his regular posting has been absent for some time and you may have attributed the absence to the erratic generation schedule at the Center Hill Reservoir Dam. That schedule has been affected by the repair of the dam and acerbated by the torrential rains occurring in the watershed over the last several weeks. It would take more than that to keep Jay out of his waders under normal circumstances.

I am sad to report that Jay left us at 8:00 AM sharp on Sunday, September 6. Jay was always very punctual, leaving behind Tammy his loving wife, two sets of waders and shoes, several fly rods and reels, and too numerous and lovingly tied flies to list here. The service commemorating his sad absence was private. The trout of the Caney Fork though invited were absent from the ceremony but in favor of his demise.

Even though we all knew the end was near, Jay had the courage to enter the river a week earlier on what we all knew would be his last trip. I had the privilege to accompany Jay on that bittersweet occasion. We fished the river near the settlement of Lancaster about a mile downstream from the dam. We reminisced over our many trips on our way to the river and chose a spot that would be easy to approach to make it more comfortable for Jay.

When we arrived about 4:00 PM on Wednesday, September 6 there were two fisherman in the water who were preparing to leave and shared that they had been there for at least a couple of hours and the fish had been uncooperative. That news did not bother me as I was with Jay and Jay caught fish especially when no one else was catching fish. Even the power bait boys typically marveled at his ability.

At 6: OO PM we had not only failed to net a fish but had not even had a strike. Now Jay knows how to fish. He doesn’t go fishing as much as he goes catching. I’ve been with him when he loses count of his captures when the total is in the forties and we have been there only two hours. This afternoon was different. Jay kept changing flies; Wooly buggers, emergers, and nymphs. He would use each for a few minutes then change. He would try all of one color then repeat the order changing color. As always Jay was focused on the moment and not distracted by anything else, but after two hours the mink I saw working the shore threatened to turn into a skunk. I had never fished with Jay when he didn’t catch fish. I have, however, fished with Jay when I didn’t catch fish.

Then it happened, fish on. Jay’s rotation had just included a #18 gold Zebra midge. And a 10” brown was in his net. Jay said it was a 12” brown, but under the circumstances I agreed with him and tried not to sound patronizing. Nine more were to follow in close succession. Jay continued the rotation and landed rainbows, browns and brooks with the largest being a 15” rainbow. I personally think it was closer to 13”, but I withheld comment for the reason already stated. I on the other hand retrieved only five and finished with what Jay determined was a 19” brown which he actually had to net for me. I let him assist so that he could share the thrill of a large catch that I actually believe was at least 22”, but I accepted his measurement for the reason already stated.

So we bid Jay a fond farewell. He has been as excellent a friend as he has been a fisherman. I have been the recipient of not only several JayMoore flies (patent pending), but of many hours of enjoyment that could not have been duplicated in anyone else’s company. I shall miss him.
Jay, however, has gone to a better place, Columbia, South Carolina. At least that is what his boss told him. He accepted a transfer to the ProBuild facility in Columbia as operations manager. They needed someone with special talents and Jay has them in spades. I regret he is gone, but Tammy is looking forward to being there and Jay will do great in his new position. I particularly feel for the catfish, carp, and gar, how fun, who will soon feel the sting of a JayMoore fly (patent pending).

In his absence, I will try to keep you updated on the Caney as well as an occasion article on the Harpeth River. I will also try to get to the Buffalo River before winter.

Phil Duke, cub reporter

Franklin, Tn.

Editor's note: Jay Moore is not (as far as we know) Dead. He simply moved to S.C. If moving to S.C. evokes an Obiufisuary then we can't help but wonder what our recent move to the Garden State should evoke. Great work Phil - We look forward to hearing more from you about our favorite TN trout waters.

Fly Fishing Quote Of The Week

FlyfishMagazine.com Volunteer State Editor - Jay Moore pictured knee deep in what I like to call therapy.

This week's fishy quotage comes from Andrew Roth in an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Pop the Top."

"There are few thing that I enjoy more when it comes to fly fishing than the ability to hunt and stalk from my hind legs. Wade fishing is total immersion and focus becomes hypersensitive."

Mr. Roth, Sir we understand you completely!

Get the Potato Pancakes Ready

Photo Courtesy TNSturgeon.org

We just found a whole new "brownline" opportunity for our Tennessee Editor, Jay Moore, Cumberland River Lake Sturgeon.

Watchable Wildlife
Tuesday April 14, 2009

Lake sturgeon scheduled for release into cumberland river near downtown Nashville
NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will have its second release of lake sturgeon in the Cumberland River which will be held Friday, April 17 at Shelby Park near downtown Nashville. The event is open to the public and is set to begin at 11 a.m. at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center with a welcome, introductions, a brief history of lake sturgeon and comments from members of the organizations that are helping with the project. At 11:30, those in attendance will move to the Shelby Park Boat Ramp and the release will begin at 11:35 and is expected to take about 25 minutes to complete. The second major release follows the inaugural release of almost 1,100 lake sturgeon that were reintroduced to the Cumberland River in 2006 as part of a plan to duplicate the successful reintroduction of lake sturgeon into the upper Tennessee River near Knoxville.

Just be careful if you hook one. They are considered endangered and have some special guidelines:

Lake sturgeon are endangered in Tennessee and must be released. If you catch a lake sturgeon:
- Be as careful as possible not to harm the fish.
- Avoid holding lake sturgeon by their tails
- Remember that fish cannot breathe while they are out of the water.
- After release, please contact TWRA (your regional office or the Fish Management Division at 615-781-6575) to report your catch.

You will be asked to provide your name, address, and phone number and the following information about your catch:
-When and where you caught the lake sturgeon.
- The approximate length of the fish.
- What you were using for bait.

If you can take a picture without harming the fish, these are helpful also. In appreciation of your report, TWRA will issue a numbered Lake Sturgeon Certificate that features a color reproduction of a lake sturgeon drawn by renowned wildlife artist Joseph R. Tomelleri.
---TWRA---