Fishing The Cycle

It was last summer, in the month of July, that I caught a total of 10 different species of freshwater fish in one day.  It was not my intention to do this.  When the day was over and lay in my tent that night reflecting, I realized that I had.  I I compare it to hitting the cycle in baseball, to use a sports analogy.  Difficult to achieve and probably rarely done.  This is the story of that day.

The state of Tennessee was enduring a harsh drought.  It was the middle of July and it had not rained in  two months.  I owned a landscaping business at the time, and like many others in that business, work was becoming scarce.  This particular week, I had no work slated.  With a couple of days of no work ahead, I felt the urge just to get away.  Money was tight and there wasn't much more about to come in, but that only fueled my desire to get away.  

I began researching a book entitled "Middle Tennessee Fishing Map Guide".  It gives details of creeks, rivers, lakes, bait choices, public fishing areas, boat ramps, and even more useful information.  My plan was to head East on I-40, use the book and a map, and enjoy a whole day of fishing. So I left early that morning and headed out of Nashville. 

My first destination is a familar one.  I stop at the rest area on exit 266.  It's two miles before the Center Hill Dam exit. I walk through the woods and soon approach the Caney Fork River. A crane flees in disapproval.  A thick fog hangs only a few feet above the water.  With single salmon egg on hook and a single sinker, I cast on top of a gravely dropoff, and catch a small rainbow trout on the first cast.  After a few more casts, I pull in a second about the same size.   A cool breeze blows in from the south as the frigid waters rush around my waders. Feeling a chill, I get out of the water and walk the bank.   I next come to an area under the interstate bridge that looks like the kind of place an elusive brown trout might call home.  I switch bait to an artificial crawfish and right before giving up, catch a brown trout.  He is small though, only about 10 inches.  I release him, cast a few more times with no luck, and decide to move on to my next destination.

2 rainbow trout

1 brown trout

The book leads me to a creek called Peyton Creek in Smith County.  It reportedly holds nice size smallmouth and good fishing.  I drive a two lane road that winds through farm country.  Before long I come to a small town, I can't recall its name, with only a few homes, a church, and a post office.  Private land surrounds the area and I begin to wonder if I will be able to even access the creek.  Fortunately I find a pull-off area right on the edge of Peyton Creek and begin fishing.  The water is only a foot deep and the creek is about 20 feet wide.  A fenced field with cattle graze across shore. It's now midday and it has warmed up considerably.  I walk up the creek, casting out my tiny artificial crawfish anywhere there was a shaded spot. It's not long before I catch a chub.  It is small and produces a squeal when I remove the hook.  I soon thereafter catch  another chub. Next I move upstream and cast my lure around a root structure.  It there   I catch my first Peyton Creek smallmouth bass.  Its about six inches in size.  I catch a few more tiny smallmouth and continue upstream.

I eventually come upon what looks like a good hole.  The waters deeper, about three feet, and theres a large boulder with good cover around it.  I cast in front of the boulder and reel the Rapala crawfish right by it.  My lure is immediately hit and I hook into a fat red-eye bass.  He weighs approximately 1 pound.  The biggest I have ever caught in Tennessee.  Impressed, I release him and cast out again in the same area.  This time I hook into a nice smallmouth.  He is about 13 inches and weighes about a pound and a half.  I end up hooking into one more nice smallmouth before the hole is fished out. I wish to continue on but to do so I will have to tresspass on private land.  So instead I wade back downstream and get back into my truck.

2 chub

1 red-eye bass

3 smallmouth bass

2 rainbow trout

1 brown trout

It is now later in the afternoon.  I decide to find a state park where I can set up camp, and do some more fishing.  I notice an interstate sign for Rock Island State Park.  The interstate sign says the park offers both and make that my destination.  I eventually find the park and check in at the ranger station.  I ask them about the fishing and they say the waters low but people are still catching fish.  I thank them and go to check it out myself.  

The area I chose to fish was a very popular one.  There are a few waterfalls, probably 20 feet and higher in height.  There is also an underground stream that burst out the side of a mountain and runs down into the Caney Fork River (the first picture in this blog).  It is certainly an incredible site and is the parks main attraction.  Fortunately for me, its the middle of the week and the only people around are some college kids that are about to leave.  I soon have the entire area to myself.  

I cast out below one of the falls and before long hook into a small crappie.  I end up catching about 3 more and a couple of sunfish as well.  No big fish seem to be around so I move up stream to a deep hole below another group of falls.  I am sticking to my crawfish seeing as how it has been quite successful, and before long catch a decent largemouth, about 12 inches. I keep him for dinner and continue fishing, catching two more red-eye bass.  Then, the bite stops. For about an hour I have no luck.  I switch up lures a couple of times but its not helping.  The sun is setting and the shadows are getting longer.  Before long it will be dark.  

I decided to switch to a white, 1/8 oz  spinner.  Nothing else is working, why not.  I let it sink pretty deep before reeling it in, and soon after, feel a tug on the end of my line.  I set the hook and can feel something pretty heavy on the end of my line.  When i first see the fish, I think its a smallmouth bass, but when I get him all the way in, I realize its not.  Its jagged teeth and large back fins baffle me at first.  Then I realize what it is.  A walleye.  I know this because of a picture in the rangers office of some kids with a stringer of fish that I didn't recognize.  I asked the ranger about it and he told me they were walleye.  My fish was about 15 inches and pushing two pounds.  I was ecstatic since I had never caught this species before.  I released him and cast out again in the same area.  Before complete darkness, I was able to catch three more walleye.

4 walleye

4 crappie

2 sunfish

1 largemouth bass

3 smallmouth bass

2 red-eye bass

2 chubs

1 brown trout

2 rainbow trout

I return to camp where I cook up the largemouth and enjoy my feast.  It is now night.   I read in my book about Rock Island and an area called Blue Hole. The informative book said it was a good place for catfish and big walleye.  So I get my gear together one more time,  follow the signs for Blue Hole, and find the parking area.  Its a massive, deep hole.  On the oppisite side is hundred foot bluffs. I put on a nightcrawler, cast out, sip on a beer, look up at the stars and wait.  Its been a long day and I am feeling worn out.  I'm nearly asleep when my pole starts dancing.  I jump up, grabb the pole, wait to feel another tug, and then set the hook, hard.  I enjoy a good fight and reel in a nice 2 and a half pound catfish.  I'm delighted and awake again.  I set him free and recast.  Its only about 5 minutes before I have another catfish ashore, this one about 2 pounds.  I release him too and decide it was time to call it a day.

I got back to camp and began to reflect on the day.  I had had an incredible day of fishing.  I knew I caught a lot of fish.  Than I began to really think about it.  2 catfish, 4 walleye, 4 crappie, 2 sunfish, 1 largemouth bass, 3 smallmouth bass, 2 red-eye bass, 2 chub, 1 brown trout, and 2 rainbow trout.  23 Total fish and 10 different species of freshwater fish.  

I realize that there is probably not a whole lot of places in this country where one can catch so many different species of fish in one general area.  I was able to catch 10 different species by randomly choosing 4 different locations.  There are also large species like musky and striped bass that, with proper planning, could be added to the cycle. I don't know if many other people have done it. I don't know if anyone else has even attempted to do fish a cycle of freshwater fish.  I do know, though, that I needed it, and enjoyed a lot of moments while doing it.