something fishy

 
Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it. 
--Lao Tzu (600 BC-531 BC) Chinese Taoist Philosopher.

These friendly fellows were found in the Watershed Room display at Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, TN. Taken from behind glass at a high ISO (5000!), they're a bit grainy. Visit the park website to learn more about all that Bays Mountain has to offer.

joy

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. 
--Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) Roman Catholic Missionary.

This is my friend Michael Kaal fishing in the Watauga River back in 2010. Since then, Michael, through his hard work, dedication to clients and his eye for beauty, has quickly established himself as one of the very best wedding photographers in our region. Check out his website and his Facebook page to see his work.

priorities

Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn. 
--Chuck Clark  

Above: Christian, my friend's son, fishing at Warriors' Path State Park in Kingsport, TN.

south holston fishing

Good things come to those who bait. 
--Author Unknown 

Above: Early-morning Fishermen on the South Holston River, near Bristol, TN


The South Holston and Watauga Rivers of northeast Tennessee are said to offer some of the best trout fishing east of the Mississippi.  For maps of access sites on the South Holston River, click here; and for the Watauga River, click here.

fear factor

The worst of all fears is the fear of living.
--Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th US President

on self-reliance

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
~Author Unknown  

Fishing in the shadow of South Holston Dam outside of Bristol, TN

fine simplicity

Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers.
--Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) 31st US President

Michael Kaal fly fishing on the Watauga River near Elizabethton, TN.

gone fishin'

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
--Doug Larson (b. 1926) Newspaper columnist

Of course, there'd be a shortage of hiking sticks as well.

Sullivan County, TN has been blessed with some amazing parks. Check 'em out!
Steele Creek Park, Bristol
Osceola Island & Weir Dam, Bristol
Bays Mountain Park, Kingsport
Warrior's Path State Park, Kingsport

serenity now

There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind.
--Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author

Above: A lone fisherman on Watauga Lake.

Fly Fishing 101

Today I'm showing students in my Digital Photography class at Milligan how to make poster frames in Photoshop. It's a great way to display your work, add a quote or a title - and plus, they make very nice Christmas gifts! This is a photo of Milligan student Ben Taylor that I took this summer on the South Holston River. Ben and Frank are teaching a house course this spring at Milligan on Fly Fishing. In case you're not familiar with house courses...A house course gives students the opportunity to teach a one-credit hour course under the supervision of a professor -- the students taking the course do so on a pass/fail basis (no grades). However, the student teaching the course gets 2 credit hours and an actual grade. It's a wonderful concept -- the students who teach gain experience and a deeper knowledge of their subject -- and their students in turn get the opportunity to explore unique subjects. Besides Fly Fishing, this semester's list of house courses includes: Practical Photography, Serving in Brokenness, Art History: Step by Step, From Milligan to the Medical Field, and Basic Automotive Mechanics.

Click here for a step-by-step tutorial on making presentation frames. Another tutorial here.

Click here, here and here for beginner guides to fly fishing!

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
--William Arthur Ward (American scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)

A River Runs Through It

In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.
--Norman Maclean (1902-1990) author of A River Runs Through It

The tailwaters of the South Holston are a nationally recognized trout fishery and, from what I saw, a very popular place to be early on Saturday mornings. Pictured above is Frank Newcomb, a senior education major at Milligan College. The river is located directly below South Holston Dam which discharges water from the bottom of the lake to generate electricity, resulting in a constant cold temperature all year -- perfect for trout.

fishermen turned philosophers

Scholars have long known that fishing eventually turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a philosopher's salary.
--Patrick F. McManus (b.1933) writer

Another fishing shot (this one is of the low church variety -- see the post two days ago to read why) from South Holston Lake. The two fisherman standing up in that little boat shows the mammoth scale of the water intake tower of South Holston Dam. And it's hard to not notice that even with all of our wonderful spring rains, the lake level is still way down. To be honest, I'm not sure if I like this shot or not -- it's definitely not balanced -- the subject matter is isolated to one corner of the frame with no strong diagonals or sense of drama or movement. I suppose I could say it demonstrates the "rule of thirds" and what advertisers say about the creative use of "white space." But admittedly, it's a pretty boring shot. And maybe that's the point of it. It's a quiet, still scene. I think it captures the misty and cloudy feel of the day last Saturday. I suppose the fishermen-philosophers among us might find more to say about it, but that's all I have tonight!

High Church Fishing

If fishing is a religion, fly fishing is high church.
--Tom Brokaw (b.1940) Journalist and Author

Above: Fly fishing at the Weir Dam on the Holston River near Bristol, TN. The Weir Dam is a great place to visit, even if you aren't into high church or low church fishing. There's a beautiful mile-long walking path around Osceloa Island. In the photo above there's little water moving through the dam. But when the TVA is generating electricity at the South Holston Dam a mile upstream, the weir dam really puts on a spectacular show. Click here to see a video and read more about this area. Before you go, I definitely recommend checking out the TVA website, which lists the schedule for releases from the South Holston Dam each day.

Directions: From the intersection of routes 394 and 421 south of Bristol, continue 2.9 miles south on 421 (toward Shady Valley). Turn right at Shelley's Chicken House onto Emmett Road/Holston View Dam Road. Continue for 1.6 miles to the recreation area on your left. (Continue on from this point 2 miles to the top of the South Holston Dam).

[Sorry for the sporadic posts this week -- my internet connection has been giving me fits. I hope things will get cleared up next week!]

Gone fishin'

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) author, naturalist and philosopher

Another scene taken at Douglas Lake outside of Dandridge, TN. With the lake levels way down, some interesting rock outcroppings are visible. Still, I'd rather have the lake back.

Bass Lake

In 1901 textile magnate Moses H. Cone, also known as the Denim King, built a summer home outside of Blowing Rock, NC. Known as Flat Top Manor, today it houses the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, which sells and displays crafts from the region. The home can be accessed at mile #293 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Twenty-five miles of hiking and horse trails wind through the 3,500 acre estate of rolling hills, orchards, forests and two lakes (Bass Lake and Trout Lake). Click here to read more of the history of the park. To see my previous Bass Lake posts, click here.

Bass Lake (pictured above) is easily accessed on Route 221 south (a.k.a. Yonahlossee Road) just outside of Blowing Rock. Lined with rhododendron and mountain laurel, the lake offers a 0.7 mile loop, perfect for an evening stroll or jog -- or a great place to take the grandkid fishin'. Click here for a map of the area.

If you're heading that way, here are some places to consider visiting...
Grandfather Mountain
Linn Cove Viaduct
Rough Ridge Overlook
Beacon Heights Overlook
Price Lake
Moses Cone Estate
Bass Lake
(If you have other places in the area to recommend, please leave us a comment below!)