Guess who's back. Back again.

[hcrum87hc]

Either nobody here fishes anymore, or you slackers just aren't reporting it.  Let's try to liven it up a bit. 

I've been wanting to hit this section of river for a while now, as it treated me well a few years ago.  Brookie heaven.  I can't imagine a more beautiful stream than this one, and I was glad to be back. 

I left about 45 minutes later than planned, but wasn't too bummed. At least I got to say bye to my girls before hitting the road.  After stopping for gas and drive through breakfast I was on my way.

Before I continue, it needs to be said: I-26 between Hendersonville and I-40 is a nightmare.  I swear they just shift the same two lanes over every few months to make it look like they're making progress.  I should have known better and gone around.  You can bet I did on the way back.

About to make the last turn.  If you know, you know.
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Fall is coming boys and girls.  I couldn't have asked for better weather.  This is by far my favorite time of year.
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I was afraid I was going to be beaten to the trailhead, but there wasn't a soul in sight.  I love this trail, as there's multiple creek crossings, including this small falls directly on the trail.
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Short story time before the good stuff.  Last time I was here, I had planned to follow the trail to its intersection with the river.  Before it intersects, the river is well below the trail down a steep gorge.  This will be important later.  Anyhoo, the last time I found an unmarked trail that goes down to the river.  It comes out at the river just above a 40' ish tall falls.  Again, this will be important later. 

I was looking for this trail when I came across another one.  I wasn't sure if it was the same one, as it's been a few years.  I went down it a ways before concluding it was not the right trail.  I slogged back up the hillside to the main trail and continued walking a ways before coming to another trail going down the side of the mountain.  This looked more like what I remembered, so down I went.  It was steeper and longer than I remembered, but again, it's been years.  I get to the bottom, and it looked right.  The water was lower, and again, it's been years (I'm just trying to make myself feel better at this point)! In hindsight, I should have verified, but was anxious to begin fishing. 

Immediately upstream was a large boulder that would block me from view of the pool upstream of it.  Perfect!  First three casts brought three little beauties!
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My job here is done, so let's head upstream.

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Like I said, I got a late start.
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I'm not sure how well it's seen in this photo, but the rock formations of this hole were incredible.  There was a ledge just under the water along both sides and a deep chute through the middle. I almost fooled one in the middle, but was denied at the last second.
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The chute at the head of the pool.
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That previous pool is way down there at the bottom. 
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Continuing upstream, I come across this falls, which I definitely did NOT remember from my last time here.  That's no bueno.  It was well over my head with no easy path up.  I found a tiny ledge in the face of the rock on the left side and shimmied along it until I could stretch my leg out to the top of the falls.
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From the left side looking across.
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I knew in my gut what lay around the next bend, and sure enough, there it was; the large falls I had hoped to be upstream of.  As you can see, there are rock walls on both sides, and no easy way to climb up. 
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I knew I couldn't be the first person to do this, so I started searching each side of the gorge for some sort of path around.  I eventually found a VERY dicey, but trodden "path" going downstream but up the hill.  My momma would have scolded me if she saw what I had to do to get up it. After much crawling, climbing, and scrambling, I made it to the top out of breath and drenched in sweat.  I went down the main trail about 30-40 yards and found the obvious trail I had been looking for initially.

I don't hate that I went down sooner than intended, because it was a beautiful section of river.  Here's the view from the top of the falls.
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From here up the fish really turned on.  This was the section I'd fished last time, and while the water was a bit lower, it was easily recognizable and still held an abundance of little natives. 
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It's also just as beautiful as the section downstream.
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Last time I was here, I stopped to have lunch at this hole.  This time I wasn't the only one grabbing a bite.
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Last time through, I caught a wide range of natives, but this time around, nothing of any size.  They were quick to eat though.
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Look at the gut on this pig.
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I eventually made it up to where the main trail intersects the river and timed it perfectly.  It was time to head back if I were going to make it home for dinner.

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Fall in the mountains just hits differently.
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I had to laugh at my gps track.  You can see the first trail I took and came back up, then the first trail to the river, climbing up at the base of the falls, and climbing down to the top.  I felt every bit of it the next day.
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Until next time.

[greg]

Looks like a heck of a day. Beautiful fish.

[greg]

And from Hendersonville to 40 is a complete bitch. My wife and I rode up to waynesville for the day yesterday and didn't think we would ever get home.

[Woolly Bugger]

Beautiful brookie bonanza 

[itieuglyflies]

Thanks for a fishing report...sounds like a fine day was had.

[Phil]

Most excellent! 

[troutboy_II]

Great looking stream and fish!  I guess I need to bite the bullet and get the knee replaced  if I ever want to get back into places like that again. Only have a few off the beaten path spots we can get close to by car and I miss the adventure of finding new spots.

Thanks for getting me stirred up and the blood flowing again. 'Course, the cooler weather sure helps too. Thanks for the excellent post!

TB

[benben reincarnated]

There's an easier path around those falls.  Keep looking and you'll find it eventually. 

[hcrum87hc]

There's an easier path around those falls.  Keep looking and you'll find it eventually. 

Yeah, I got to doing some reading when I got home regarding the falls and believe I know what to look for now based on the descriptions I read.