Tree Farmer - July/August 2008 - (Page 22)

Text and Photos By Jackson i suffer from persistent memories of big fish that got away. They pop up at dull meetings. They appear when i’m trying to write at night. They block out new thoughts — like reruns on Tv when you’d rather watch something new. These usually aren’t recent memories — it’s the old ones that persist. I really like the memories because they recall some of the best times I ever had. I feel sorry for people who grow up without such recollections. You can create such memories in your children by taking them to a place where they can fish. My most persistent memory is this one. I’m standing knee deep in swirling waters at the tail of the pool below the Kent Lake Dam. At least 20 people are watching me. Out there in the pool is a struggling heavyweight fish jerking on the end of the line. Round and round the pool he goes. No one has seen it yet. My $8 split bamboo fly rod is bent into a gentle arc — not too much pressure on it. Older, respectful fishermen have Simple equipment such as small cane poles are best for small children (such as the author’s, right, shown here more than a decade ago). His son, Wes, is still playing fish, left. JeFF Fishing for memories their lines pulled in and are watching me, about age 12, as I play the fish. Other anglers continue to fish beyond the range of the hooked fish. The man I just met is standing nearby. He had two nice bass on his string. I’d asked him how he caught those bass. “Use a crayfish,” he said, “on a size 2 hook. Hook it through the tail, like this, so it can crawl and swim. Don’t use any weight. Cast upstream and let it drift naturally with the current. When one takes it, let him hold the crayfish for a while on a slack line before you set the hook. “You won’t get as many as with worms,” he added, “but they’re likely to be big ones.” I listened intently and followed the advice and after about an hour of trying, I had hooked the big one. After several minutes of playing the fish (which seemed like an eternity), I was becoming impatient. I’d never hooked a really big fish before. I was in the habit of simply hauling fish in and jerking them out onto the bank. It seemed that the fish would never tire so I increased the pressure to try to bring the fish in. I had a tapered leader and the end was only about four-pound test. Jeff Jackson is a wildlife management consultant, based at his Tree Farm in Arnoldsville, Georgia. He is a retired professor of wildlife management and former Extension wildlife specialist at the University of Georgia. Reach him at (706) 543-2656. wildlife matters 22 Tree Farmer JU LY/AU G U ST 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - July/August 2008

Tree Farmer - July/August 2008
Contents
Top 10 Legal Concerns
Cover Story
Bowled Over
Wildlife Matters
From Your Committees
Ties to the Land
Tools & Techniques
Tribute

Tree Farmer - July/August 2008