Mini Santee Cooper Fish in Wrap up

[Jim Hatch]

Hi Folks,

For a number of years I have corresponded
and swapped flies with James Smith, a FAOLer
from Atlanta. This week, Jim came up and
spent several days with me chasing red ears
on the Santee Cooper Lakes. The anticipated
red ear sunfish bonanaza never materialized
this year. Many folks who come from out of
state for this annual event were mystified
by the lack of fish. The water temps have
been up and down like a yo-yo and the fish
were not showing up in the sizes and numbers
we've seen in previous years. That said, we
had a ball with the bluegills and Thursday
I'm sure we caught over 100 each. Grey
hex's were coming off in large numbers and
at times the water looked as if it were
boiling with the fish activity. It was a
hoot for sure.

It was a treat for me to finally meet Jim
and we swapped stories from early each
morning until well after Jay Leno signed
off in the evening. He brought me the
neatest dubbing block I've ever seen that
he hand crafted as a gift. I love it. I
hope he'll consider doing a "how to" for
FAOL on it as it would make a great project
for a lot of tiers.

I'd just like to say, if you get a chance
to meet and fish with this fine gentleman,
don't miss the opportunity. And if you
see his name on a fly swap, you can count
on a fly a notch above the rest. Jim's on
the way back to Atlanta as I type this but
I'm already eagerly anticipating the next
time we can get together.*G* Warm regards,
Jim

[James Smith]

Jim,

You're way too generous with your complements. The trip was a blast, and fishing with you and seeing your absolutely beautiful fishery was wonderful. The fact that most of the big boy red ears didn't want to play is incidental. I'll always remember that tremendous the mayfly hatch and fat little bellies on those bluegills as they stuffed themselves and then took our flies. Watching the Ospreys and Eagles and that nice big 13 foot gator was an added treat to a terrific trip. You are a gentleman, a gracious host, and a great fishing buddy. Thaks for putting up with me and I really look forward to our next fishing trip together.

Jim (Smith)

[ohiotuber]

Jim Hatch,
I agree...Jim Smith is a heck of a guy! I also have been the recipient of one of his dubbing blocks. That thing is GREAT! I had received a couple other items from Jim, along with some of his flies...he's a good man & pretty creative!
I hope to head to SC to fish with some "other" guy named Jim next year...probably tagging along with that "Dot" guy, & maybe even Nighthawk & Jack Hise....that oughta double the local population!
Glad you guys had a good time, although that was a given.
Mike

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You can call me Mike & you can call me Mikey..Just remember that this site's about sharing!

[Jim Hatch]

Hey Mike,

If you guys are up to it, I'll put
together some ideas for a smallish fish
in. We have a military/dod civilian rec
facility on the lake that is quite
comfortable and affordable. The director
and his deputy are both chums of mine.*G*

As to our mini-fishin this week, my
son went gigging for catfish about 2 a.m.
this morning. All he could find were big
red ears in about two feet of water.*G*
Go figure! Warm regards, Jim