| It's vacation time again and I don't want to go! I | | | | to Guntersville Lake down here where I live in |
| look forward each year to relaxing on the beach | | | | North Alabama. Both of the lakes are huge, but |
| somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico. Our extended | | | | the temperature in the mountains has to be lower |
| families all get together for a week and rent a | | | | than our mid-ninety's here. |
| couple of houses, preferably close to the beach, | | | | In addition to fishing, there are over 40 hiking |
| where we can enjoy the sand and surf for a | | | | trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. |
| glorious sun filled week. | | | | Hiking is definitely not for me unless it's to get me |
| Not so this year. Someone in the family decided | | | | to some remote fishing hole. I've never been able |
| that they'd had enough of 95 degree days, sun | | | | to understand why so many folks return from a |
| burns and sand spurs. In the planning stages of | | | | hike, sweaty and exhausted from their trek, and |
| this year's reunion, a mutiny occurred and it was | | | | swear that the trip was the highlight of their |
| decided that we would go to the mountains this | | | | vacation. It doesn't make a lot of sense for me, |
| year. It's not all bad because we're going to be | | | | but when I first saw Elvis on Television for the |
| spending the week on Douglas Lake at the edge | | | | first time, I predicted that he would never make |
| of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. | | | | it as a singer. What do I know? |
| Douglas Lake is one of the top five crappie lakes | | | | Most of the hiking trails in the park were |
| in the United States. God must have been smiling | | | | converted from old roads or railroad beds. I'm |
| on me when the decision to move the clan to the | | | | sure I won't do any walking on these trails, but I |
| mountains was made. I guess He likes fishermen. | | | | do love their names; Boogerman Loop, Cucumber |
| My brother-in-law, who is obviously a more | | | | Gap, Andrews Bald, Shuckstack Tower, Alum |
| dedicated angler than I, is towing his boat from | | | | Cave, Hen Wallow Falls and Rainbow Falls. The |
| Orlando, Florida to Douglas Lake in the Smokies. | | | | names themselves make you wonder about their |
| That is a commitment to the sport of fishing that | | | | origin. |
| I wouldn't undertake for all the fish in the lake! | | | | All this talk about hiking trails has made me long |
| Snug in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, | | | | for a comfortable seat on a boat fishing Douglas |
| Douglas Lake has 30,400 acres of water surface. | | | | Lake. I especially want to try my luck up close to |
| There is over 550 miles of shoreline in this pristine | | | | the dam where the stripers roam. Some of these |
| lake. Many of those miles do not sport a house or | | | | fish can grow up to 25 pounds and are |
| a boat dock so I won't have to worry about over | | | | tremendous fighters. I know because I caught a |
| crowded beaches and dodging Frisbees. | | | | 20 pound stripe at Weiss Dam in northeast |
| In trying to figure out the location of Douglas | | | | Alabama. These fish are hybrids, using eggs from |
| Dam, I learned a fascinating bit of trivia. The dam | | | | a striped bass and sperm from a white bass. I |
| was built in 1942, a rush project, with construction | | | | say probably, because there are different types |
| completed in 12 months and 17 days. Let | | | | of hybrids now, than they were when this |
| someone try that today. It would take that long | | | | experiment was begun in the '60's. It doesn't |
| just to get the paperwork and red tape out of | | | | matter to me where they came from; I know I'll |
| the way before the workers could get started. | | | | enjoy catching them. |
| The lake itself is home to sauger, crappie, black | | | | I'm starting to get excited about the trip now |
| bass, white bass and bream as well as a few | | | | that it is only a day away. Maybe that excitement |
| other species that haven't yet earned top billing. | | | | will grow to the point that I want to make use of |
| Actually I'm looking forward to visiting this | | | | one of those hiking trails since there's no surf in |
| massive TVA reservoir to see how it compares | | | | the mountains. |