The Nonspecific Angler

(or How I Learned to Love a Mixed Bag )

by Vernon Summerlin

Finally, a guide who admits that he would rather catch what’s biting than turn a trip into an endurance contest looking for a specific species. This usually makes for a nice combination of fun and fillets.

When my companion’s rod tip dipped and he responded by setting the hook I asked some sort of dumb question like, “What have you got there, ol’ buddy?”

“We’ll both know when we see him,” was his response.

Actually he could tell, as I could, that it was probably a medium-sized white bass that had chomped on his jig and grub that had been falling ever so slowly in the Tennessee River current.

The downward-pulling, zigzagging series of moves indicated as much, but he was correct in stating that it was hard to be sure. Up to that point we had taken white bass, yellow bass, a couple of crappie, one sauger big enough to keep and three spotted bass shaped like footballs. All of this and the trip was not an hour old.

Having fished Pickwick Lake and the tailrace below the dam for over forty years, this was old stuff for Stan Warren, the head of Rivermasters Guide Service (901-934-9659). The folks that got him started fishing targeted whatever fish might be biting so it just comes naturally.

“I did the serious bass stuff,” he admitted. “Started the first local club ‘way back in the 70s, fished a competitive circuit, and spent uncounted days trying to get one more bass that was bigger than anything that came before it. Any day away from work was a day on the water and to heck with the weather. I had a buddy who was just as dumb as I was and that made things even worse.”

He came away from his “bass fanatic” days with some pretty fair credentials, having taken smallmouth in excess of eight pounds and largemouth over ten from local waters. The last trophy fish that he kept for mounting was two decades ago, just for the record.

“I still enjoy bass fishing, especially when I can put clients on topwater action, but the mainstay of my business now is the mixed bag approach. A lot of people have limited time to dedicate to a fishing trip. Most of them want action whether they admit it or not up front. There was one client last spring that absolutely had to have a trophy smallmouth and he actually stuck and lost three good fish. His skill level just wasn’t up to handling big brown fish on fairly light tackle.

“Seeing that he was pretty well beaten down, I moved to a spot where the white bass had been predictable. Sure enough they jumped on the jig that he was using, and after he had boated about a dozen I asked if he wanted to move and try to find more smallies. You couldn’t have pried him away from there with a crowbar. He went home happy, and the fish that he had lost became just part of stories concerning big ones that got away.”

Although Stan works above and below Pickwick Dam, he admits to having a particular fondness for the moving water. Drift fishing delivers a constantly changing scene while current breaks are obvious spots for predatory fish to hang out while waiting for a meal.

“With practice, anyone can learn to read a lot in the way that the water moves. Swirls and eddies are indications of places where fish are apt to be holding. If you know the movement patterns through the seasons it is actually possible to point at a particular spot and state that there should be a potential candidate in residence. When the client follows your suggestion and gets a hit, that does wonders for a guide’s credibility.”

That brought to mind a previous trip on a scalding midsummer afternoon. I had not expected much with the temperature hovering around the 100-degree mark but my host had other ideas. He prophesied that we would find a variety of game fish smacking shad on or near the surface, something that really seemed out of place at the time. In half an hour we had boated white bass, spotted bass, smallmouth, largemouth, bluegill, and Cherokee bass (hybrids). He also mentioned that the crappie were doing pretty well a little farther down the lake if I was interested. At the time, my only interest was the air conditioner in the truck.

As well as the mixed bag approach with conventional casting and spinning tackle, Stan is one of the few area guides that caters to those who like fly rods. Black bass, white bass, even bluegill are standard fare. In the summer months take a quantum leap when stripers move up the river in numbers and come within legitimate reach of the long rods.

“My love affair with the fly rod goes back a long way,” he admitted. “First farm ponds, then on stripe jumps on the river, then finally into the big linesides. Hook a decent striper on a fly and you get a charge akin to kissing a spark plug while the motor’s running. Sometimes all you can do is hold on and hope the fish runs out of steam before you run out of backing.”

I’ll admit that – in spite of the searing summer heat – I experienced the “spark plug” thrill, but I felt that a striper on a fly rod was more like cuddling up to lightning with your feet in water.

Where to Stay

The best accommodations around are at Pickwick Landing State Park. The restaurant serves tummy-busting buffet every night (their catfish is prized!) Although a new inn is presently under construction, visitors will find 10 newly renovated cabins and 75 rooms in the existing inn, including doubles, singles, and suites. All rooms in the new inn will have views and the suites have lovely glass-enclosed community areas with lovely views of the lake.

Campers are welcomed to 48 developed campsites with hook-ups and bathhouse on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s also primitive camping.

A marina for boats of all sizes includes sailboat slips and offers rental boats and marine supplies. An 18-hole par 72 golf course provides equipment rental including clubs and carts if you are traveling light. For summertime enjoyment, swimming beaches and a pool provide relief from the heat.