I took a new fly fisher over to Tickfaw State Park today. It’s an excellent location for novices: close to home, civilized amenities, and the fish are biting. The Tickfaw River is fairly easy to fish, too. The current is easy to paddle a canoe in, either upstream or down and there’s lotsa fishing structure to cast to. There are holes and shallows, treetops, logs, cutbanks, sandbars, grass edges, and overhanging trees (I decorate those with my flies sometimes).
It was a nice afternoon trip. We got off of work at 2 pm and got there with plenty of time for fishing. The weather cooperated, too. Deer flies buzzing around us were a bit of a nuisance; one must swat cautiously to avoid upsetting the canoe or embedding a hook. On our paddle back to the landing, there was a log blocking the bayou and we thought we were lost. With no bug spray and no flashlight, that could have turned into a miserable night in the swamp! Apparently, the log was floating around and the free end had swung across the channel. We squeezed around the end of the log and found familiar landmarks. On our paddle back to the landing, we saw a hen turkey and her half- grown chick perched on a log that leaned across Gum Bayou.
The fish were small, but lotsa of bites are good for a novice and the scenery is nice. It’s also worth noting that they have rental canoes… you don’t have to own a boat. I noticed that there is a pond on the park property, too. I must explore that in a year or two; I learned that the pond was built about a year ago and stocked two weeks ago. I have been wanting to set a line for catfish, too. And bass; I have only fished for brim, but I often catch a small bass or two, so I know they are in there. Maybe there are some big ones. The state record spotted bass came from somewhere in the Tickfaw River. Around the state park, there is certainly ample forage for big bass. There are lotsa small brim and we saw schools of mullet or shad popping along the surface. I’m ready to go back!
