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Trout Fishing Returning To The Smoky Mountains
By Nancy J. Copeland

A total of 40 species of fish live in the Smokies.  They include snail darters,
dace suckers, bass, shiners and trout.  Salamanders, crayfish, aquatic insects
and algae are also found in the ecosystems of the mountains here and are part
of the important components of these mountain streams.

Brook trout are the only trout native to the Smokey Mountains.  During the early
1900's heavy logging many species of mountain fish were eliminated from half of
this mountain range.  Brown trout and rainbow trout,, were stocked back into the
eco- system in the mid 1900's.  Restoring the brook trout to it's native mountains
was the primary objective of the restocking program.  The primary goal of this
 brook trout restoration program was to foster a self-sustaining natural population
to support sport fly fishing anglers.  Streams populated only by the brook trout are
still closed to help this be a future reality in our National Park.

Fly fishing and angling for trout is a relaxing joy to behold with the beautiful
surroundings and breathe taking vistas to greet the eyes of the fisherman.
While hiking the Streams here it is always nice to have a break-down fly rig in
your backpackfor a little angling pleasures on the trails.  A really good tasty
filling treat is having one or two grilled on a stick !!!
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Previously Published Articles on this page
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January Crappie Fishing
       Try the Tennessee River Lakes
       of Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick
       by Nancy J. Copeland
It is a cold morning and I am just returning from a brisk walk after a dusting of
over-night snow flurries,  a friendly elderly neighbor Ben sees me in that yard,
swings into my driveway and pulls up along side of where I am walking.   I ask
him, "Where are you headed for with your boat, Ben?"   He answers:  "I've a
mighty hankerin' for some pan fried crappie to go along with my black-eyed
peas and turnips greens Missy, do you wanna tag along?"  

"How are you going to catch any crappie in that ice cold river, it just snowed
last night don't tell me you are going crappie fishing?  Why don't you come in
and have a cup of coffee with me?"

Ben being a veteran angler sat down at the table to enjoy his coffee and told me
how to get those crappie.  Crappie are known to be schooling fish and the winter
time is their school time.  "They get themselves all stacked together",  Ben goes
on, "I call it keepin' warm but them educated kids tell me they be schoolin'
themselves"   It is not unusual to find a spot where the fish are holding tight in
a cover or structure.   "Winter crappie catchin' is a lot easier now with these depth
finder screens." Ben knows these channels like the palm of his hand.

Your instruments go hand in hand with your  lake maps to enable you to search
the deep confines of the lakes where unusual topography lends itself to sloughs
and creek channels where two depth extremes come close together, commonly
called "drop off"  These areas harbor structures like stumps or brush and crappie
relate to the cover of these structures, especially during the winter season.  
Crappie occupy the deeper areas where the shad go since that is their main food
source.  When it is cold the threadfin shad in the Tennessee River lakes seek
deeper depths in the lakes.  The reason for this is that their tolerance to quick
 temperature changes, especially drastic cold fronts like we have here in the
 Tennessee River Valley are such that they'll go into shock.  That is why shad
seek the comfort of the deep areas and why crappie are hot on their trail even
on a cold winter's day because in their buffet line that threadfin shad is their
number one food choice.  

Crappie tolerate the cold water quite well.  Crappie tend to be where their food
is most concentrated.  Understanding the habits of crappie is what fishing for
them is all about according to Ben.  Crappie are his favorite pan fish so he knows
how to fish for supper.   He told me that he was finding them 18 to 25 feet on
submerged creek channels and in irregular humps out in the lake s main channel.
Even deeper in some spots.  Where the water is clearer the fish are deeper where
there is murky stained waters they are at a more shallow depth.  He asked me why
is that?  In the stained murkier water light is filtered and warms quicker.  

Once you sonar is interpreted and you master your map reading you can quickly
learn to pinpoint key spots where the two extremes of shallow and deep come
close together.  The next step would be learning to mark structure along the ledges
of the drop off and watch for baitfish activity in and around those structures.  I asked
 Ben if this worked every time for him.  He told me," Nope it is hit and miss but follow
 that drop off ledge and keep probing the cuts and you catch up with them!"  He says,
 " Nancy, do you ever watch them old cowboy movies where the bad guys hid behind
the rocks and ledges and wait to ambush the stage coach?"  "Well, crappie do that
too, they hid behind some sort of structure under water and ambush their prey as it
swims by them."

Ben said his grandson uses the artificial baits bottom bumping to slow trolled methods
with small jigs and different colors sometimes using a combination of jig and live bait
too.  Ben uses strictly live bait because he reasons that , "I don't have a hankerin' for
artificial food and I recon the fish don't either!"  Ben like to use two baits at the same
time and this goes way back to his days of fishing, "without all this new fangled high
tech hardware".  I asked him why two baits?  "Two depths at the same time,  one
for the hiding "ambusher crappie" one for his side kick scout "Tonto" and the sinker is
my eyes!"  He sticks a a live minnow on the bottom hook and a worm on the top hook
and literally puts this bait right in their face. He is using 14 to 20 pound monofilament
line as snagging on things is a necessary evil when fishing for crappie. With light wire
hooks and his choice is the Eagle Claw's bronze, 1/0 range. They bend and you can
straighten them back.   He likes that because he can get back to fishing quickly
without having to retie after every snag.

He keeps some floating markers in his boat so as to pinpoint his best spots.  That
way when his boat drifts off from his hot spot, that marker helps him stay where he
needs to be.  

Most game fish loose their appetite in winter and their metabolism slows way down.
This happens to bass and bluegill and most of the gamefish family.  Crappie for
some reason are different and they require constant feeding.  

A word of caution to winter time fishermen,  Be aware of your limitations as to the
weather and wind chill factors when out on open water.  Make sure you dress
accordingly, you can always take a layer of clothes off.  Keep gloves and rain gear
as a standard standby and always take proper preparation.  When you feel that
hankerin' for fresh fried crappie fillets with your winter greens and cornbread, don't
let the cold stop you from enjoying your favorite pan fish.
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