I love early morning fishing. I wish I could do it. This entry isn’t so much about catching fish as taking a trip to a lake, throwing stuff in tho the water (and getting most of it back), and my reflections on the thing in general. Oh, and a little bit of good news is at the end.
So, I woke up before the rooster. Y’know, the one that tells the moon to go to bed and the sun to wake up? I woke him up. My alarm started going off at 4:00am, and I finally crawled out of bed at 4:10 or so. Made and ate breakfast, drank coffee, and played around on the computer while I let the coffee take effect. For those that don’t know me, I’m a rather large fellow, and it takes coffee a little while to kick in. When it finally does, I realize time’s getting away from me and the sun will be up by the time I get to the lake.
On the way, I decide I’ll stop at WalMart and get some corn, and I think to look at the gas gauge. Crap. I gotta get gas, or I might not make it to WalMart, much less the lake. So I go through town, get gas, stop at WalMart, get a can of corn (Green Giant Niblets are cheaper than the store brand right now, by the way), some batteries for my new digital scale, and some gum. By the time I got out of the store, it’s official sunrise. Well, rats. I guess I’m not getting to the lake before sunrise.
That’s okay, though, because the light gives me time to reflect on my surroundings, and, even with the radio on, wax poetic in my head on my surroundings. Of course, I’m diving and I’ve neglected any paper, so I can’t write anything down. The thought is not only to write this journal entry, though, but to describe the journey through Maryville, TN, to Chilhowee Lake and the public fishing docks. So, here goes.
No matter where you come from, the place to go is up US-129 by Chilhowee Lake, from Maryville to the Calderwood Dam. A lot of people would rather ride their motorcycles on the Dragon (US-129 from Chilhowee Lake to Robbinsville, NC. (Note: There are GAZILLIONS of motorcycles on US-129 between Maryville, TN, and Robbinsville, NC, EVERY Saturday in the summer, and there’s a bike rally June 5 & 6 this year.) I really don’t blame the bikers for wanting to ride that strip. It’s challenging even in a beat up Ford pick-up truck, and the scenery is gorgeous. But, I digress.
If you’re coming from Knoxville, Townsend, or other points North of US-411 and US-129, the drive will take you through South Maryville. Not a separate city, but a district with a bit of its own culture. It’s only been in recent years that anyone’s paid a ton of attention to this part of the city and development has increased. First, there’s the “new” WalMart Supercenter, but nearby is the old Princess Motel, which looks shady, but can’t be too bad or they wouldn’t still be in business. Passing William Blount Drive (an homage to the 18th century governor and the high school to which the road leads) leads past “The Big ‘O’” shopping plaza with its biker shop, the well worn 411 Restaurant still in business, the Out of Eden Garden Center out of place on its hillside, and, finally, the last traffic light in the county. There’s a gas station on the left just before the light if you need anything.
Turning left at the light with US-129 begins a nice, curving drive through old farmland that has been slightly developed over the past sixty years and more. You pass houses old and new, and places like the Lazy M Farm. Be sure to note T.C. Grill on the left along the way for a local cheeseburger on your way back to town, unless you stop in Punkin Center, but more on that soon. The road takes you along bouncing hills and large fields. Soon, around a curve, you find a new housing development, but you don’t drive through it long. Around the corner again, and Chilhowee Mountain lies ahead.
Dipping down into a little hollow (that’s pronounced “holler”), you come across the Punkin Center Store, with a big orange pumpkin sign. It’s on the left, selling live bait, cold drinks, and probably some food, but I’ve never bothered to find out (maybe next time). By now you should have started hearing banjos, because around the next bend is the sign for Monroe County. Do not be alarmed, because you’ll only hear them in Monroe County for a little while. They will soon be forgotten when passing TN-72 and the motorcycle shop, general store, barbecue joint, and soon-to-be hotel at Punkin Center. Note Punkin Center Pit’s B-B-Q as a possible place to stop, if T.C. Grill seems too far away. The barbecue there is nice, sauce on the side, and they do it up right.
Upon turning the bend out of Punkin Center you find yourself back in Blount County, and in the presence of louder banjos. (Don’t worry too much about the banjos. You hear them in most counties in East Tennessee.) Then it’s up over a rise, and there, below you on the right, is the Little Tennessee River and Tellico Lake. It’s a beautiful sight, very wide with a few islands as you continue along upstream toward the dam. Passing Tallasee on the left, and the second boat ramp on the right (the one with the helicopter landing pad), you should soon be able to see the Chilhowee Dam, which is a very interesting thing to see when the spillways are open and the generators are running.
Just past that is Chilhowee Lake, almost serene looking. A short drive by and the Foothills Parkway and Happy Valley Rd. are on the left. The public fishing docks are just a head on the right, past the second creek mouth. The view here is absolutely beautiful.
That’s all the flowery stuff I have to say. Beyond that, since the sun was up and it was time to wet a line, I took my cane pole, my spinning rod & reel, the corn, and the tackle box and walked out to the dock. I caught the bottom, leaves, moss, and algae; not one fish. Although, I did see a big ol’ black carp, probably 20-26” long, and a couple of small turtles and a few (or probably the same 2 or 3) bluegills. I heard some plops and saw some ripples, but I couldn’t get anything. I think I need to learn to fly fish.
On that note, I’ve decided to start learning about medieval fishing techniques. Come to find out, fishing with hook and line is ancient. I’ll go more into that later, though.
For now, I’m done. It’s time to go get started on my new job: barristo* at the library.
Cheers,
Red Wolf
* barristo: being mock Italian, I chose to further Italianise and use the masculine form for the title.
