jaysouth
06-01-2014, 09:16 AM
Two years ago, I walked at least a mile through brush/woods to get to where Flat creek empties into the Harpeth in Bellvue. The fishing was OK but tough because of rocks and logs in the river. I went back with a plan and caught a bunch of Large and Smallmouths. One of the brownies was over 3 pounds. Not bad for a duffer like me in small water. After a couple of more trips, I found an easier part of the river to fish with better results.
Not being the bashful type, I told others of my success and exact directions for getting to the creek mouth. But I warned them, Yes, there are lots of fish that are easy to catch, but there are more cottonmouths that a ricefield in Arkansas. "Every time I go down there, I have to run off a bunch of them on the shore and in the water". "Last time I was down there, a cottonmouth took a 2 pound fish off my line and chased me back to Home Depot. As stories go, good stories that is, the fish got bigger and the snakes got more numerous and dangerous as the story was retold.
Last Week, I was in Dicks and got into a conversation with a teenager buying fishing tackle. Of course, he asked me where I liked to fish. When I told him, the Harpeth in Bellvue, he got excited and said "no way man, there are too many cottonmouths in that water for me".
Not only have I never seen a cottonmouth in the Harpeth, as an aside, a TWRA biologist told me he would pay a $100 to anyone who found a cottonmouth East of Dixon.
A good story is judged by it's entertainment value and not it's exact verisimilitude.
Not being the bashful type, I told others of my success and exact directions for getting to the creek mouth. But I warned them, Yes, there are lots of fish that are easy to catch, but there are more cottonmouths that a ricefield in Arkansas. "Every time I go down there, I have to run off a bunch of them on the shore and in the water". "Last time I was down there, a cottonmouth took a 2 pound fish off my line and chased me back to Home Depot. As stories go, good stories that is, the fish got bigger and the snakes got more numerous and dangerous as the story was retold.
Last Week, I was in Dicks and got into a conversation with a teenager buying fishing tackle. Of course, he asked me where I liked to fish. When I told him, the Harpeth in Bellvue, he got excited and said "no way man, there are too many cottonmouths in that water for me".
Not only have I never seen a cottonmouth in the Harpeth, as an aside, a TWRA biologist told me he would pay a $100 to anyone who found a cottonmouth East of Dixon.
A good story is judged by it's entertainment value and not it's exact verisimilitude.