protect your honey hole

I made a huge mistake last year. A neighbor of mine, an old man, was always asking me where I fish on my break. Eventually, me thinking he was a fellow sportsman, I gave him the location of the lunchtime pond. This little pond, 1 1/2-2 acres in size has been a honey hole of mine for quite a while now. Well, it turns out my neighbor isn't the sportsman I thought he was.

 He had been bragging about how good the fishing is there, and said he and his buddy had been going often. This didn't send up any red flags at the time, I was happy for him. Until he told me earlier this week that his buddy kept 45 bluegill that morning. i knew they both would go, and that they kept fish, but 45? I tried to sit with him and explain that a pond that size cannot sustain him and his buddy fishing like that, and asked that they throw some back every now and then, to which he replied "I don't put nothing back"...

 I made a huge mistake in trying to be all neighborly and now the pond is being punished for it. I don't think its possible for them to fish it out completely, but it may not be worth a damn for very long at this rate. I have noticed a decline in my bluegill catch rate this past week, except for friday which was much better, but I had to work for it. Luckily they don't seem to want to walk very far from the truck.

Trashing the pond bothers me as much as the excess keeping. Part of me wants to say I'm not cleaning their mess, but I sure as hell don't want to walk by it either. I'll break down and clean it, hopefully not repeatedly. He's really coming across as an asshole.

fight for the right

once again here in tennessee we find ourselves up against the giant known as TVA to keep our trout hatcheries open. the same folks who brought us electric power, economic development, and altered river ecosystems now want to bail out of keeping up with the fisheries they have spent so much time and money creating. this fishery is reported to have an economic impact in tennessee of $73 created for every $1 spent. that is one hell of a return any way you look at it. i don't have a personal economic interest in keeping the hatcheries open but i do love to fish these tailwaters. i also currently work 50 hours a week so attending the meetings and breaking down the film aren't a valid option for me. i am not always the best informed but there are some people who are, have the ability to attend these meetings and stand up for the rest of us who can't. what they want us to do is make our voice heard in other ways by contacting tva and our local senator. the tva comment period is only open until tuesday june 10 so speak up!

more info
LRO forum
TVA info

contact
TVA public comments
Senator Lamar Alexander

an introduction

hola! welcome to my first foray into the blog o sphere. my name is shaun but you can call me punk for short. i'm a punk rocker who gave up the punk rock life when my daughter was born. i'm originally from southern california, and have called tennessee home since 1997. i grew up fishing as a kid, mostly for trout, and thats one thing that hasn't changed. i started fly fishing seriously about three years ago and fell in love. i am not your traditional fly fisherman, i prefer cut off shorts to waders(except in winter!) and a cadillac tramps t shirt to patagonia. i fish in the great smoky mountains often, as well as some of the surrounding streams such as the tellico watershed. i love to hit the tailwaters around here, the clinch below norris dam and holston below cherokee. i use a kayak to reach the best waters and least crowds. but the place i probably fish most often is a little pond close to work on my lunch break.

i am a member on a couple forums but i try not to be a post whore. i don't do forums for a pat on the back, i'm there to get help and help others when i can. i fish often and this can be a place for my reports, and some that don't make the forums. i'm open to comments, speak your mind. questions? go for it.

hope you enjoy