As the year winds down and the temperatures keep dipping lower, I’m sad to say my fishing season has officially come to an end. Some of my buddies are still squeezing in a few more cold-weather trips, but honestly? I’d rather stay warm and dry than risk capsizing and taking another unexpected swim in that icy water. Once was enough for me.
Looking back, though, I can honestly say this has been my best fishing year ever. Part of me wishes I’d kept track of the exact number of fish I caught, but even without a count, I know this season was something special. I’ve caught more bass this year alone than in all the previous years combined. Every trip held its own little thrill, its own memory, its own reason to smile.
Now it’s time to clean the gear, let the rods rest, and start looking forward to those early spring mornings when the water warms, the fish wake up, and the season starts all over again. Until then, I’m holding onto the stories, the quiet moments on the water, and the pride of a truly unforgettable fishing season.
Fishing season for me is quickly coming to an end. What makes it even shorter this year is that my truck is heading into the shop for repairs on the first Monday of November — and it’ll be gone for two or three weeks. That means I’ll have no way of hauling my kayak to the river.
The temperature isn’t doing me any favors either. I have chronic anemia and stay cold all the time. When the temperature drops below seventy degrees, I freeze. So between my truck and the chilly weather, my fishing days are numbered.
Every Saturday morning, I try to attend a one-hour Bible study at a local Methodist church. I hadn’t been for the last three weeks because of craft fairs I participated in, so I was looking forward to seeing some of the friends I’ve made over the years. But I also try to kayak-fish at least once a week — and I was desperate to squeeze in one last trip before the truck goes into the shop.
Yesterday, while waiting at the doctor’s office to have some cancer removed from my left arm, I decided to check the weather forecast and compare it with my schedule. Sunday was out — church and a meeting that afternoon. Here’s how the rest of the week looked:
Monday: Rain in the morning, winds 5–10 mph, temps 60/51
Tuesday: Cloudy, winds 5–10 mph, temps 63/51
Wednesday: Rain 90%, winds 10–15 mph, temps 57/45
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, winds 10–15 mph, temps 57/43
Friday: Mostly sunny, winds 10–15 mph, temps 61/39
Saturday: Partly cloudy, winds 5–10 mph, temps 66/44
If you kayak fish, you know wind speed is everything — your worst enemy on the water. Between the wind and the cold, every day looked rough. Tuesday seemed the best bet, but I had a meeting with my financial advisor that afternoon, and I didn’t want to rush the trip.
So, I made the decision: skip Bible study and hit the creek. The forecast called for a high of 79 by 2 p.m., with a low that morning of 57. Still a little cool for me, but with sunshine, I figured it would warm up nicely.
I met my good friend Rick at 6 a.m. My truck’s temperature gauge read 57 degrees as we pulled out. The creek’s about thirty minutes from my house, and as we got closer, I watched the temperature drop — 54, 50, 47… By the time we reached the boat launch, it was 43 degrees.
Now, I’m wearing shorts, a long-sleeve dry-fit shirt, and a lightweight waterproof jacket. The second I opened the door and stepped outside, I knew I’d made a mistake. But wait — it gets worse.
I unloaded all my gear, parked the truck so Rick could back in, and helped him launch his kayak. Then it was my turn. I positioned mine with the back floating and the front still on land. I straddled the kayak, sat down, and pushed myself into the creek.
My left leg went in fine. On the right side, though, I’ve got a depth finder mounted — something I’ve maneuvered around dozens of times before. But this time, as I tried to swing my right leg in, I felt the kayak start to list heavily to the left.
And over I went.
Cold water, 43 degrees, right at daybreak. I’m sure the fish got a good laugh out of it — I know Rick did.
Rick figured I’d want to pack everything up and go home, but this was my only shot at fishing before the truck went to the shop. Besides, I wasn’t that cold yet. I managed to gather up all my floating gear, climbed back into the kayak (a little more carefully this time), and finally got launched without any more drama.
I fished for about thirty minutes before the shivering started. That’s when I noticed something else — my phone was missing. I knew exactly where it was: sitting at the bottom of the creek in about four feet of water.
As the shivering got worse, Rick talked me into heading back to the launch. I conceded and paddled back to land. Once there, I spotted my phone — right where I thought it was, under four feet of creek water. It had been down there for over thirty minutes.
At first, I figured, “Why bother? It’s not going to work anyway.” But I decided to try. I waded out into the cold water, reached down for the phone… and promptly lost my balance. Down I went — again! The splash muddied up the water so badly I couldn’t even see the phone anymore.
Thankfully, Rick came to the rescue with his paddle and managed to fish it out. I picked it up, dripping wet, and hit the power button. To my surprise, the screen lit right up. The phone still worked!
Kudos to the maker of the phone case — it kept my phone completely dry
So, no fish, two dunks, one lost (and found) phone — and a story I won’t forget anytime soon.
Sometimes, the best days on the water aren’t about the catch. They’re about the laughs, the lessons, and the memories that come when things don’t go exactly as planned.
I’m a bit late posting this but I’ve just now got around to it. This trail head in the Jasper/Double Springs area of the Bankhead National Forest. If you’re ever in this area I would highly recomend this place.
The trail starts off down hill for about twenty yards or so. Which is fine but you’ve got to come back up. The trail itself is rather nice. It’s farly wide for the most part but does narrow down to a single person for a bit before reaching the falls.
My wife and I followed this trail for about a mile and a half when we saw a young lady sitting on a log off to the side of the trail. Surrounding her was another female and a male friend. The lady on the log looked like she was having some heat related issues. I offered one of my bottles but they refused any help from us. Evedently, the hill going down to the falls was steeper than I had read.
Going down this hill was tough on my legs but not near as tough as going up it. Once to the falls you had to climb down to the creek to get any pictures of the falls. There were several young people swiming and I feel sure the water was cold. My wife didn’t venture down to the falls because she was afraid she’d fall. The same thought had entered my mind as well but I just walked a little over a mile to get here and I wan’t going to let a little climb turn me around.
As we guessed, the climb out of there was slow for me. It took me a while for me to reach the flatter area because I had to stop and catch my breath several times. Once we made it to the top of the hill it wasn’t so bad getting back to out truck. With the exception of the last twenty yards.
For anyone with breathing issues or congestive or heart issues, I would not recommend this trail. All others, have at it. Simeple two mile in/out trail.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens is Alabama’s largest living museum with more than 12,000 different plants in its living collections. The Gardens’ 67.5 acres contains 25+ unique gardens, 30+ works of original outdoor sculpture and miles of serene paths.
The Gardens features the largest public horticulture library in the U.S., conservatories, a wildflower garden, two rose gardens, the Southern Living garden, and Japanese Gardens with a traditionally crafted tea house. Education programs run year round and over 10,000 school children enjoy free science-curriculum based field trips annually.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the most visited free attraction in Alabama, is open daily, offering free admission to more than 350,000 yearly visitors. (Copied from the Birmingham Botanical Garden’s website).
I’ve been going to this place for years and over the years I can tell that this place has lost a little of it’s luster. I imagine that the economy has made a huge impact on the finances this place gets. Don’t get me wrong, this place is still beautiful and full of life. But to be honest, there’s a lot of maintenance that needs to be done. The maintenance staff was working hard while I was there this past week and I guess it takes time to bring everything up to date. Then again, they may just be trying to get everything ready for winter.
If you’re ever in the Birmingham area I would highly recommend spending a couple of hours in this place. You can sit on one of the many benches and listen to the sound of chipmunks playing around in the leaves. Of course, right now with the constructions going on across the street you can also hear the sound of jackhammers off in the distance. You can also hear the sound of the train whistle located nearby at the Birmingham Zoo.
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