The Avid Angler: Panfish

This weekend I was forced to stay in Atlanta because of a Thermo-Dynamics test I have coming up Thursday. Saturday, after 3 or 4 futile hours in the library I decided that I would do just as well on the test if I went fishing. It was about 2 p.m when I made the decision to go fishing and naturally I was ready to be in the water immediately. I really have never understood why but when I actually start the process of going fishing, I get in a bigger hurry than for anything else I do.

Living in Atlanta really sucks when you want to go fishing. Within ten square miles of my residence you can find almost any thing on earth, except a Wal-Mart. I knew I would need some rooster tails and small hooks to have any chance at a trout. I was forced to negotiate Peachtree Street at Phipps Plaza and Lenox Road to get to Dicks Sporting Goods. This is not fun when you are in a hurry to go fishing.

Finally, seemingly hours later, I reached the Chattahoochee National Recreation area, which is located about a mile from I-75 on Northside Drive.


I was glad to see there were quite a few fishermen wading the river, as I hoped this would mean there were fish there. My trout fishing experience is limited; I went twice the first time I was in college, neither trip being very successful. Having this in mind I really was not expecting much but none the less was looking forward to a relaxing day wading the cool waters of the ‘Hooch.
Once I finally got into the water I noticed that I was not in the company of your average fisherman. These were the fly-fisherman I have always heard of. They were all wearing chest waders which I thought was odd because it was so hot that walking from my truck to the river left me drenched in sweat. They had their vests with all manner of flys and warbling gerblers attached and were whipping there lines all over the place. I watched them(and they disapprovingly watched me) while fishing my rooster tail unsuccessfully.

After an hour of looking but not catching, I decided to switch to live bait. I had already gotten some dirty looks from the fly fisherman for using a spinning reel, but when I pulled out the corks and crickets, they all immediately moved to the other side of the river. I did not care, especially since I caught a little rainbow on the first cast. I caught about 15 or 20 rainbow and brown trout by the end of the day. They were mostly small. I think one of them may have been 10 inches long, but they pulled hard and that’s all I can ever ask of any fish.


As you can probably tell I really have a problem with snooty fisherman. While I enjoy a challenge, I enjoy filling up a cooler more and am proud to be a gut-chunking meat hound. I do not believe there is any disrespectable way to catch a fish. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces next week when I bring my cast net.

Editor's Note: Ron Rogers, former star football player for Georgia Tech, is back in Atlanta to finish out his Tech engineering degree. An all-around angler, he's most succesful when fishing alone without a camera, but we enjoy his stories and look forward to his continuing to post us on his fishing exploits.