Smith-Continued

[Dee-Vo]

Good work, Boss.

Let's all give 'em hell in '22.

[Woolly Bugger]

#1

75 overcast to partly cloudy Gas $2.94


despite being hung-over and tired with only a couple of hours of sleep I went up to the river to get a jump on 2022.

As I began the trek to the lower runs I was moving slower than usual. At the first run I stopped and sat down on the bank and observed the water for a while, there were only a few sporadic risers, but I was rigged with a bwo emeger and so I went with that. I did manage to get a couple of fish to hit the fly but no hookups today. I decided to throw streamers instead, as it was something I could manage. The fish, however, weren't interested in that either today.



I moved on down and finally connected with a pune.



look at those red spots!

Fished on till past sunset with only a couple of bumps or grabs

[itieuglyflies]

The Bugger off and running for 2022.

[creakycane]

Water is up and a bit murky but plenty fishable.  300 in Bassett.  Streamers and nymphs will take fish up and down the whole system; streamers seemed better for me yest/today.  Nothing for me on small nymphs.
One thing I have noticed for the past month or so are the large numbers of size 14/16 black stoneflies in the air (and some on the water).  I didn't see any rise to them today, but at times they will.  Typically, we see the little stones closer to Feb, but maybe the warm weather/unusual flows have changed the timing?  Happy New Year to all.

[Dougfish]

1

"Just cause you feel it, doesn't mean it's there."
A nice, trippy music video of a great song to start 2022.

Got a leisurely start to the day. Then 20 minutes down the road, I realized I didn't grab my wading staff.
At 300ish cfs, I needed it. Back tracked. Extra leisurely start, now.
One car in the lot. Hiked in, and sure as shit he was in the good run I would have finished up in.
Went in below him. He was a young guy, euroing, fishing deliberately, and catching fish. Good for him.



I started out euroing through the slower deeper water. Got a couple of bumps, no hookups.
Waded back down and ate lunch while watching the water.
A few BWOs were coming off, more midges and waves of winter stones.
They skittered across the surface laying eggs.
Out off a hundred, maybe one would draw a feeding fish.
Adults taste like shit?
I thought about heading downstream to euro the good runs at this higher flow.
It had been very good in the past.



Fish started taking emergers.
About then Bobby, from Roanoke, walked down and we had a good conversation.
He had just started fishing the Smiff a lot.
He had not gone below where we were, so I gave him my 2 cents on how to traverse and fish it.
He headed down and I saw him bag another fish as I switched reels.
I waded out and stuck a couple on a puff daddy.





The fish went back to ignoring me.

The beavers are very busy, btw.



Put on a soft hackle and stuck enough fish to make my day.







I was out of beer, the sky had turned dark, and I needed to get up the road.
I wish you all a fishy year.

[Woolly Bugger]

#2, #3

Gas $2.99

I went the other day after the rain and went into the sally pool to throw streamers.  It was about 40 degrees colder than trip #1. The water was muddy, but I was there so I went to work. I hate wading the part of the river when the visibility is so poor. Nothing was happening and after about a half hour I started to move on up to another spot. It was about that time that I noticed the water was coming up and since I didn't know how much they had opened the damn dam, I split.




I wasn't sure where I was going to end up today, so I checked out some deep runs at the new flow. It was sunny and warm when I geared up so I didn't fleece or layer or go electric on the socks. I hit the run and was waist deep for about an hour or so without a hit, all I got was bottom diddymo and weeds. The sun was gone and there was a chill in the air, felt like snow was coming. I moved on. I was thinking about the upper river, but checked out another run instead.

As I was nymphing the larger side of the spit run I kept hearing a fish jump behind me. I couldn't see any bugs coming off, so I ignored it for the time being and went back to work the main feature. It looked fishy to me and I was getting it down but only caught one brown. The fish behind me hit the surface again, and I switched sides, thinking if there was one fish in the slow run there would be others. I was right. The weather had chilled me and I called it a day.


nice paddle

[Dougfish]

Lots of dying veg coming down the river. Not as as bad as I experienced out west one fall, but pretty ugly.

[Woolly Bugger]

Lots of dying veg coming down the river. Not as as bad as I experienced out west one fall, but pretty ugly.

too dang cold to fish today... 

[Woolly Bugger]

#4

I thought it was going to be warmer, but on the drive up the temperature didn't get above freezing! Well, at least it won't be crowded, wait, there's a car in the lot. 



I hoped that he wasn't down river, I took the chance. Half of the beaver dam is blow out.



I caught a couple on a streamer, small but lively, and it was too cold to get a good shot of the fish.



I saw a few fish rise and some larger unidentified bugs on the water. After covering the run with the streamer, I nymphed up a couple. The sun was well below the ridge, and I felt a chill in the air.

Oysters past prime.


I began the hike out, stopping at the left-handed pool where I saw just enough activity to get me to rig up a dry fly. It was frigid and the line was icing along with the guides. I managed to catch a few.



Mangled the fly, fubared the tippet, blood knotted 6x to 6x, one last pink parachute fly



The odds were diminishing as the light faded and I was done.







I was just getting used to the new low normal flow, I'm now readjusting to the higher normal, still fishable, but puckery in places....

[Phil]

  I'm trying to remember the last time I fished with ice in my guides, on the line, waders, and mustache. Long ago.
Your dedication is admirable -- or you're just plain crazy. 

[Woolly Bugger]

#5



Cleaner World, a local Dry Cleaner, has teamed up with the Salvation Army in a winter "Give A Kid a Coat" campaign. I rounded up 8 or 9 of Dad's jackets and dropped them off this morning. As I drove off, I teared up a bit.

On to the river. It was ten degrees warmer than the last trip, it should be good with plenty of sunshine, but when I opened the door and felt the wind I almost left. One look at the flag blowing straight out by the whipping wind should have given me a clue. But there I was, in a nearly empty lot, so I wadered and layered up and began the trek downstream.

Well the other guy was working his way up to one of my runs, I stopped and watched him for a while and wondered how he planned to traverse the deep tailout of the pool he was fishing. He whipped out a folding wading staff and began to come across, but he retreated when the water got up to mid chest level. Discretion is the better part of valor.



I moved on down and nymphed up a couple of fish despite the strong wind making casting and drifting the fly nearly impossible.



There were a good number of bwo on the water, some were fairly large, about size 18 and others were as small as #24. I did see a few fish rising when the wind died down for a brief moment. I switched rods and went after them. I managed to catch a few targeted.


Note: the camera was set for focus stacking, and the bug was moving so it appears to have too many legs and two abdomens

The wind blew harder, it was the type of wind that topples widow makers and I was apprehensive on the walk out. I stopped at the left hand pool and tried nymphing for a while but the wind was picking up the line and it was impossible.

[Dougfish]

2
A wee bit chilly start to the day, but I got loaded up and headed down.
I had tied up a bunch of euro flies, and a bunch of new soft hackles.
I had the 6wt, 4wt and euro rod in the truck.
I sorta, kinda knew what I wanted to do today, but I was prepared for whatever I found.
What I did not have was my camera.
Fumbled with the cell phone today.

Started on the dirty part of the river.



Decided to fish dirty. 6wt, indicator, big girdlebug.
Caught a little one with big ambitions on the way down to the starting point.
Got to where Leroy should give it up.
On about the fifth drift...







Stepped back into the same spot, about 5 more drifts...





Measured against the rod, 17". Heavy fish.

I mean, I'm gonna kill today, right?
I bushwhacked around a fallen tree and hit the next, beautiful run.
Nothing.
A hundred yards later, nothing.
Another hundred yards, nothing.
Reeled up, waded in and moved on to meet Woolly up higher.

DSFK.



The legend. Not a fossil. 
 


I had decided to fish dries if there was action, soft hackles if not.
Soft hackles, fer sure. 









New soft hackles were effective.
Went waist deep for a good while and found some new leaks in the waders.
Finished at 10 fish and Keith and I hiked out as the sun headed down.

[Yallerhammer]

Love the coloration on that biggest brown, very unique.

[Dougfish]

3

"Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's bible
Gideon checked out, and he left it no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival"

Poor guy probably got popped by a car and made it 100 ft before his dirt nap.

Started out sunny and slow. Picky bastards day.



350+ cfs. And cold. The boyz doth protest.



As happens most days, we got buzzed by our armed forces.
I watched the first one, pulled the camera out for the second.



Keith got there a little later and we hop scotched downstream.
We finally found a pod of rising and receptive fish.
I fooled a few before I had to had to hike out early.
Finished cloudy and slow.





 

[Dee-Vo]

Impressive work all around.