After-school Special

Went this evening after work. The river was pretty brown. Fished one of the side creeks with a small streamer. Not bad sized fish.

Strange day and a old lesson remembered.

Now it's been rainy all around the mountains here for a couple of days. Really hard down pours in spots. I wanted to fish somewhere some how. Checked the French Broad river and it was pretty muddy. After discussion and debate we decided to as Horace Greeley said 'Go west young man'. As we drove into Tn. the small streams were very clear so we decided to go on to the Nolichucky river. It was low and clear. I started fishing. Swinging a streamer with the 'switch rod'. Waded out maybe 25 yd. and set in. Noticed my leg was getting cold. It was ankle deep when I started. My little voice said ' you what that means else where'. So I immediately stopped fishing and started back to shore. Ankle deep had become knee deep.

By the time I stepped out it had risen about a foot and got fast.




The rock making that eddy was dry and a fine place to sit about 5 minutes before that pic.











Now the lesson is don't get so into fishing that you stop noticing your surroundings and the signs danger gives you. Water doesn't get noticeably colder and rivers without dams don't fluctuate in moments. It had come a pretty severe storm on the head waters and that was the moment it had reached that far down.

Rule 1: No fish is worth killing yourself for.

Rule 2: No fly is worth killing yourself for.

Those clear little streams passed over got a little attention on the way back :)

Sometimes it just goes your way.

I didn't have a lot of hope for fishing this past Sunday afternoon. Mostly was a plan to take my mom to buy apples. Now I know some streams near the orchard and sort planned a brief stop to cast on the way back. My prime spot was ruled out due to a picnic or such along the creek by a church group. I ask almost like a kid again if we go a little far down the road and fish a bigger river for a bit before we went home. Surprised I guess mom said 'your driving' so we went on.

There we a few folks out but still places to cast a fly for some smallies this river is known for. Few cast a few cases by spooky bass. Moved up to a pool that has a bass I could see. Cast in and spooked the bass. Noticed a trout off to the edge in the faster water. Couldn't see how big. I cast and noticed a turn and a rejection. Cast again and a turn and take. Knew this fish was big. Didn't know how big till it started pulling. Got it into sight and saw a monster. This was the second biggest trout I have ever caught.









Couldn't top it I knew so I showed off my pictures and thanked mom. We rolled home apples in the back and a awesome fish in my memory. Sometimes it does just go your way :)

Panfish on the Swung Fly

Based on the title of this post some are going 'Awe h--l he's been watching those guys fish for steelhead'. My response is yes I have but that's not where this came from or even where it's going. I swing streamers for trout around Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee a lot. It's a technique that works. Well, river panfish also appreciate the technique. A 'Bugger' and a nymph does the job so well. I have shared this with friends and feel like when I am done they are wanting to say ' really, want did you actually use' or 'If you weren't going to tell the truth why bother'. Go figure?

Now to add to the implied similarities to the folks on the west coast or the neighbors 'up north'. I use a 'switch rod' like setup. It a 11' crappie rod with a fly reel and 5wt line. I use to call it 'the hillbilly/ghetto spey rod' or two handed nymph rod. Either way it works to cast one or two handed. Great for swinging my rig.

Well today there was some time in the afternoon and the river had resumed a normal flow and color for the season. Here's some panfish caught on the swung fly.









Now several of the bluegill were just big for what they are. Good little fight on a very limp rod.






I caught a lot of fish today. Missed two big crappie. They were a little gun shy seemed like. They ran at the fly and struck short or just straight up rejected. Can't catch them all :)

Now I know some 'trout snobs' are going why would you do this and admit it by writing about it. Just remember your fly fishing skills only get better by practice. The're probably panfish close to where you live. Most importantly they are just a whole lot of fun to catch. Particularly the 'big ones'.

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

Project Time

One of my seniors has approached me about being his mentor on the time honored and ever feared 'Senior Exit Project'. He wants to do it on fishing. How can you say no to that :) I plan to add some updates on it to the blog as interesting things happen. Hopefully it will be fun.

SoHo, rain, BWO, and rain

I had today off from school. Don't get many of those this time of year. It was misting rain at daylight. I fished a dry and dropper and caught a couple. Noticed a riser. They didn't seem too much like black-fly eaters and there weren't many flying. I had a hunch that maybe just maybe with all the rain and clouds what was happening. These fish were rainbows so they were not as picky maybe or I was right. Either way a BWO emerger change brought on the business. I caught a lot of fish today  Funny I almost didn't tie any for today and last night late tied a few on a feeling.



Now I did mention it was raining.

I ran into a former student and his dad. His dad went down stream and he stayed up with me. Great kid. Only student I have ever taken fly fishing before he graduated and didn't feel like I was a guide. He catches a lot of fish and reads water like a pro.

Here's a rain picture comparison. Garret fishing out from me.



A few minutes later.



I will stay through a lot especially to catch fish on a dry. Had a crowd up on the steps even in the rain. Couple of times I started to move down but figured the side creeks were muddying the river. They were.

One guy with a fly-rod walked over and asked me what I was doing. (ego boost) I told him and I am pretty sure he didn't believe me. I don't lie about techniques or flies. I just will not tell if I don't want you to know. Simple as that. He stayed close enough to watch but didn't change his approach. Oh well.

It was really good to get out and even sort of un-planned to fish with a kid I consider a friend. It's still raining even over here in NC at this point. We need it but maybe in smaller doses 

French Broad 'Grand Slam'

Now if you're reading this your probably think "what the h__l". You all know every famous piece of water has it's great goal. Tarpon, Bonefish, and Permit if you're in the Keys. One day while fishing the river I started thinking what would be a "Slam" on the FB (French Broad River)? And then what would be a grand slam? So with 'tongue in cheek' I set down some rules for this honor for one to bestow on themselves.

Slam = Any three species
Grand Slam = Any five species
Super Grand Slam = A musky and anything or just a musky.

All done on the fly. Preferably the same fly.

Well today I caught a Grand Slam prior to the rain totally staining the river red. Caught White Crappie, Black Crappie, Yellow Breasted Sunfish, Redeyed Bass, and Bluegill. All on the same fly. Missed a nice Largemouth Bass.

One crappie 'if I still cared' to submit the application was a citation. Big fish getting near to 3 pounds.

The Black Crappie was my first on a fly. One more for my fly fishing 'bucket list'. That list has grown to around 41 or 42 at last update. I am NOT a species purist!

All this ego stroking fun was ended by the rains increase and the rivers color turning a vile shade. With all this score keeping 'tongue still in cheek' I had a really good time and caught a lot of fish. Which might be the thing forgotten first when that all to human attempt to compare success in something that is totally unique each time tried.

Teachrtec out :)

Fish Caught on a Fly September 4, 2011 Update

1 Rainbow Trout
2 Brown Trout
3 Eastern Brook Trout
4 Appilicahian Brook Trout
5 LargeMouth Bass
6 Smallmouth Bass
7 Red Eye Bass
8 Bluegill
9 Yellow Brest
10 Pumpkin Seed
11 Common Carp
12 Sea Trout
13 Summer Flounder
14 Bluefish
15 Spot
16 Croaker
17 Pinfish
18 Redfish
19 Blacktip Shark
20 Sharp Noise Shark
21 White Sucker
22 Hog Sucker
23 Horny Head Chub
24 Warpaint Minnow
25 Common Chub
26 Channel Catfish
27 White Crappie
28 Hound Fish (Saltwater Gar)
29 Almaco Jack (Bouy Jack)
30 Herring
31 Greater Amber Jack
32 Flathead Catfish (Mud Cat)
33 Blue Backed Herring
34 Grass Carp
35 Tilapia

36 Sauger

37 White Bass

38 Tennessee Shad

39 Southern Flounder

40 Lizard Fish

41. Black Crappie

two not sures
Rainbow colored trout with red slashes
Trout silver and black no other color