Even a tiny catch can net a big experience!

As I get older, fishing becomes more about the experience than the catch. Last week, we decided to rent a house on Lake Keowee and take in a Clemson football game. Of course, Elliott and I brought our flyrods. Just in case. Kick-off was at noon, so we were not able to fish before the game (because tailgating is what makes college football fun). The game was a nail-biter, but Clemson won on a last-minute touchdown.

Upon arriving back at the lake house, Elliott and I noticed some small bream hanging around the dock. Elliott challenged me to a 30-minute tournament to see who could catch the smallest fish. One of the tournament rules was that you could only use a single fly. Elliott tied on a small popper. I selected a wooly-booger. It was larger than I wanted but it was the smallest fly that I had. We set a countdown timer on my phone and started fishing.

Elliott struck first with a bream a bit larger than his hand. There were a lot of bream around the dock but they all ignored my fly. All the while, Elliott was catching progressively smaller fish. The timer was ticking. The pressure was building. Elliott was giving me a hard time. We both enjoyed a good laugh. About then, I cast my fly then looked up and took note of our beautiful surroundings. I was still admiring the view when a slight tug on my line brought my attention back to the tournament. As I raised my rod, the smallest bream of the day came to the surface. Shortly after landing the fish, the tournament timer went off. Victory!

If anyone was observing us on the dock. I feel sure they would think it was a most peculiar scene. Two guys laughing heartily with the older guy parading around the dock holding a tiny fish in the air. The catch was tiny. The experience was immense.

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.