Moments on The Fly- Bartram's Bass

 Southern Appalachia holds a gritty charm different from the northern end of the range. These old hills have a lived-in feel; from the quiet but tough people eking out a subsistence living to the fish species unique to each drainage and the wildlife around the creeks themselves. A young five lined skink, tail bluer than should occur in nature, skittered away as I hopped barefoot down the rocks at a quiet shoal. I was in South Carolina, the other side of the river was Georgia. The fish I was after was a relic in its own right: Bartram's bass, one of the redeye bass complex, was the original native of these waters in terms of predatory fish. Oft given the description "trout bass" for their fluvial nature, vibrant coloration, and relatively diminutive size, redeye species persist throughout southern Appalachia despite being under constant threat from invasive species, hybridization, and even gold panning. Much in the way I bristled seeing the ugly huge homes and golf courses turning parts of this once less-than quaint land into an accessible, trendy, and genuinely less interesting version of its former self, I bristle at the idea of these unique bass being displaced. 

In the moment that was out of mind. The gentle water lapped at my feet as I tried not to step on snails to reach a mid-river exposure. Southern hogsucker, various darter species and warpaint shiners made way for me as I waded out. Upon climbing onto the bare rock I fired a cast into the deep slack area behind it. The fly, an Ausable Ugly, got just seconds of sink time before a bass took it in a flash. I set the hook and was promptly impressed by the fortitude of this little fish. It put even the notoriously powerful smallmouth to shame, digging hard and forcing me to pull it from multiple crevices. At hand, it's beautifully patterned green flanks seemed a fitting match for the surrounding landscape. 

This wasn't the first I'd caught this day, nor would it be the last, but it sure was the nicest. A true specimen of the species. I can't tell you how happy I was to encounter these rather than some hatchery raised trout, or even a wild nonnative trout or bass- land, river and fish as they were meant to be. 

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