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Smith-Continued

Started by 5xTippett, June 17, 2012, 16:15:23 PM

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Woolly Bugger

#2565

#94

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Since I didn't win anything, I thought I'd try my luck on the river.

I glanced at the radar as I left town and cell service, it looked good. Since it was already late, I headed for easy access up the damn dam road. The skies were clear enough that I left the raincoat in the car and eased on down to the lower run. It was very foggy and difficult to determine if there was anybody else down there or if fish were rising. Fortunately, I had the spot to myself and shortly after I arrived the sulfurs appeared. A trout rose, I cast my fly, fish on! Damn, that was easy.

Then a light rain began to fall, I Thit off. I was certain that the sun would return, and I would dry out. The wind kicked up and the skies darkened, the rain began to fall harder. Still unconcerned I fished on, doing my best to keep a dry fly floating. Then it began to pour and I started thinking about a dry shirt and rain jacket in the car, but I fished on. Thunder crackled and boom, ok, I can take a hint. I made my way out and up to the car as the storm intensified and then just as suddenly as it appeared the clouds broke and sun began to stream in as I reached the car, well damn. I changed shirts and thought about going back out, but the storms persisted and I tried to wait it out sitting in the car. Time passed.

I headed downstream to catch the evening rise, but thunder was too close for comfort down there too. I waited in the car and was about readiy to get in the water as the skies cleared and the thunder was moving off, but then a visible ground strike coming from out of the blue changed my mind and I stopped for the day.

Started a new podcast series on the drive home; Mill House Podcast.

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ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#2566

#95



Friday's draw didn't make me a billionaire, so my plans to buy a ranch in Montana are on hold.

blazing hot and humid on an afternoon hike to the river. I had to stop half-way and cool off in a shaded pool. Dougfish came along with a beer in hand as I watched for a fish to rise. They were in the far run and I waded out as far as I could without topping my waderpants.  With long hero cast, I managed to catch a fish and a little later we doubled up on pune brown trout.

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Having cooled off enough, I said goodbye to Doug and headed downstream.

I didn't see any birds or fish working, so I drank a beer.

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Doug said the best chance for a thunderstorm was around 4:30 and he wasn't far off. Fortunately, it stayed south.

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I swung up a few and even managed a couple on top, but the hatch never got going like I remember last year.

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It was just a feckless day on the river, but oh so slow. I finally began to hike out, checking spots along the way. Nothing. Last stop, Sally's, nothing, oh, wait, a rise. hmmmm. I'll give it go. Well, it turned on for a bit and some good fish were caught, but as usual, the best one didn't make it to the net.

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It slowed down as the sun was setting.

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ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

troutboy_II

Great Sunset shot!  Bravo!

TB /'/
When fishing, a person ought to carry a flask of whisky in case of snakebite. Furthermore, he ought to also carry along a small snake.

Dougfish

#2568
44

Thunderstorms later?
Against my better fishing judgement, I went early.
At least the hike in wasn't ballz hot.

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As I surmised, not much was happening.
I decided to see how the new rod threw a medium-large streamer.

After all, how else am I going to catch those big meat eaters? :;!

I dredged a few deeper runs and got just one bump.
Drank a beer in the middle of the river.

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Turned around and drifted/swung a bugger back downstream.
A few more bumps, a solid hookup and a SDR.
After an hour, I was fishless. But I had seen a muskrat and a beaver.
As well as cedar waxwings and hummingbirds taking the few bugs in the sky over the river.

As activity picked up, I tried my new, top secret emergers.
Nothing.  :laugh:
Tied on a comparadun and started picking up some fish.

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I puttered up and down a few good runs with the same lukewarm results.
I finally decided to gather my shit and head upstream to see if the gods would smile on me up there.

I found this guy.  :laugh:

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(Beer for Fishbug.)

Keith hooked up and I quickly followed for a sort of double.

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I continued upstream and he went down.

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I ended up at Sally's Run and the hole below it.

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Managed a few more feesh before the rumble started to approach.

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It was close to my planned quitting hour, so I scooted across the field with my new lightning rod
and boogied for home. Bye July.

:cheers


"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

Fishbug

The Golden Lager looks delish  :cheers

Whats the new lighting stick?

Woolly Bugger

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download the pdf below for a clearer view....
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#2571

#96



Ran up late to catch a hatch

85 some clouds — gas $3.72

Went directly to Sally's - didn't look like there were bugs yet, so I cast where I've found them before... three cast laster - fish on!

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That first fish came easy, things got tougher for a while but the more bugs started to appear and the fish began to show themselves
.

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Got a number of fish to rise and miss or refuse the fly at the last moment. Most didn't take a second look.

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The sulfurs came in small short waves cycling on and off.

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There were fish rising under the rhodo, I caught a couple, then snagged the fly and waded out into that deep fast run, almost topping my waderpants while getting pushed downstream.  Next to my fly was a tangle of leader, large yarn indicator, pheasant tail nymph and shot on what felt to be 2x. I yanked it out and packed it out.

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Pretty time of the day, but it became too foggy to fish around 7:30

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I had caught enough to satisfy my tug addiction.

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ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#2572

#97

Hot - clear skies - Gas $3.68

Went in early, so the smithfly guide and his dudes at the lower lot.

I was on the water by 10:30.

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It looked like a desert, quiet and lifeless, but hidden beneath the surface pune trout were feeding and I swung up a few. It was so slow that I finally switched over to nymphing with split-backs. I got a couple of browns and a stockbro came to hand. In the big pool I hooked a good fish that gave me some trouble on the one wt., probably a big stockbro, but I won't know for sure 'cause the sumabitch wrapped up in a submerged limb and broke me off.
A pair of yakers came down, both hit the same rock in the middle of the river the women almost got pinned.

I moved on down to lefty and dredged up a few more, then headed on down to the lower pool.  When a saw a few fish rise I switched back to a dry, actually a sulfur emerger that can be fished wet or dry. It worked both ways.

There were bwo, midges and occasional sulfur, but it was slow, slow slow, I took a break and waited for the evening hatch to get going. The troutpros came by at 3:30, chucking bobber rigs. Lots of false casting and not much catching.

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I decided I better take some fish pics despite the diminutive size they still are colorful.

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Waited until 6:45 at the lower pool, still not happening, so I hiked on up to Sally's.

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Whole different ballgame up there, bugs, fish, fun, which lasted for about an hour.

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I fish 7x with the dries and popped off a good fish (rewarding cast if nothing else) with a little too much pepper on the hook set.

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They were working up in the field today. Progress.

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ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Dougfish

#2573
45,46,47

I've had a forgettable fishing week.
Poor judgement, bad luck, sketchy conditions, hardheadedness?
All of the above?

I passed on a muddy mid-lower river last week and went high.
Zero happening. Could not buy a fish.
Finally caught a pune to save the skunk.

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Limped out to the headwaters of a brookie stream the next day.
I had fished lower and done well.
But intel told me that as the gradient picked there were big pools with big fish.
After the rains!? Lets go see.

Got to the trailhead and noticed it was not as wet as I thought it should be.  ???
Hiked in a mile and dropped down to find pools.
And fish. And 63 degree water.
But the flows were low. I observed as I went uphill.
I never strung the rod up.
I didn't want to fish them.
The stream petered out 100 yards above the last good pool.
I broke the rod down, put it into the pack and turned the day into a nice, hot 3-4 mile circuit hike.
I'll be back in the fall.

Went back to the Smiff yesterday. Expected muddy water.
Planned on dealing with it.
Planned on a 25% chance of an afternoon Tstorm.
Three miles from the lot I hit rain.
Then pouring rain.
Backed in next to Bobby's car as  way too close lighting and thunder greeted me.
Sat there for 20 minutes and WB crept into the lot next to me.
He had been semi-patiently waiting here and there for an hour.
It slowed as another fisherman hiked out.
WB backed out.
Joe had retreated from the river to the back steps of the mirror plant to wait the worst out.
I suited up as he changed from his soaked clothes.
Headed down. Would WB return?
Uber foggy and well stained water.
Found Bobby down at the lower and he was wet.
He got trapped on the far side when the lightning started and hunkered down in some rhodo.
He was euroing and doing OK.
Did I mention I left my Euro rod in the truck?  b';

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Swung soft hackles below him and picked up a couple of fish.

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He moved up and I hit some of hit the water he left.
Caught a couple more.

I gathered my stuff and moved up as he disappeared into the mist.

I caught up to him as he was re-rigging and fish started rising behind him.
He started casting to them as the sky darkened and booming started up again.
Some risers stared on the far side and I waded out.
Soft rain started and I got connected with a comparadun.
The the sky opened up.
I got the fish to hand, a strike hit up on the ridge behind us and we scurried out.
And stayed 20+feet away from big trees.
By the time I got out I was soaked. Pulled out the raincoat and stove off any more rain filling my waders.
The rain started to let up and we moved up.
Bobby was super wet. No rain coat, fallen in face first trying to exit the river.
He boggyied across the field and I moved up to Sally's run.
Saw a few risers and cast to them.Finally got one on a blind cast as the booming started again.

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Decided I had pushed my luck enough and scooted at 6:30.
The orchard grass is already 5' tall again.  :o

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And there are a lot of bales still out there.

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Til next week....

 :cheers


"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

creakycane

Any day spent along the Smith or the blue lines is a winner, fish or no fish. Looks like you had a great time and covered new territory.  Good for you.

Friends all over — from the south of England to Catskills to Montana - have stayed away from rivers recently due to low flows, high temps or both.  We're pretty lucky in hard scrabble southern Appalachia Henry and Patrick Cnty that things are as good as they are in 90F august.

Have fished the early am shift a few days over past 2 weeks, and caddis abound and fishing has been so so.  Wet wading makes it more bearable, but still rather chilly anywhere above MP.  Cooler weather is coming this weekend, but rain might Dirty w-f flows.

Woolly Bugger

#2575

#98, 99

Hot, Thunderstorms, Gas $3.72

I didn't expect all the rain on Sunday. I waited out a storm along with Doug. While driving through town I noticed the river had muddied up, so when the rain stopped, I went upriver.

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I swung flies and caught nothing. Are the sulfurs done for the year? The hatches this year were not as prolific as years past. I moved again. After I waded down into the riffle, thunder boomed loudly, and I got out and sat in the car waiting for the storm to pass. I finally gave up and drove home.

Looking for revenge, I packed the euro rod. I was getting ready to gear up when a storm blew up and I sat in the car for a half hour. There was still some thunder in the distance, but I hiked in anyway.
Swung up a few before switching over to nymphing.

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After cleaning up at Sally's, I moved on down to see if I could get into some dry fly action. Unfortunately, the bugs never really got going and the fish were pretty darn picky, but I managed to pick of a couple of handfuls before heading back upstream.

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Back up at Sally's at 7:30, there was a bit of bug magic and finally I had some satisfying dry fly action before it shut down at 8:00.

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There was a flock of ducks in the flats above the run, but the fog was too thick to identify them.







ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#2576

#100

80 - sill humid as hell, gas $3.42

Stopped at the boat ramp, watched a wet wader flog his was across the river, getting hung up on a tree and wading after the fly. He caught nothing and came back to shore, I drove on.

A SC Rubicon in the lot. Yesterday, I thought I had lost a fly box, after getting a fly out I tucked it into the waist of my waders and then it was gone. I thought it must have fallen out, but that seemed odd, as I surely would have noticed. Today I was putting my waders on and my foot found the fly box in the bootie. I don't know how I didn't feel that fly box in the leg, but I was ecstatic having found that lost box. I finished gearing up, hiked in, found the fisherman at the head of Sally's. He saw me right off, and apologized, not knowing that I had just walked in. We chatted, he has  place north of Charlottesville and spends some time there as well as coming to fish the river a couple of times a year. I watched him fish through the pool, he caught nothing. I moved on down.

 

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I nymphed up a bunch of punes.

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The water was heavily stained. I waited for a hatch to start. I saw very few bugs, and left early.

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ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#2577


#101 78 degrees -- pleasant weather!

I headed up late in the afternoon, a few were out fishing along the road to the dam, but nobody was fishing up top. I looked for risers, didn't see any, euroed for a while, it was slow, besides all the algae and dittymo crapola fouling the flies and leader, it's a real mess. The water coming out of the dam is way off color. I think this happened before when lake levels got low. It appears to settle out downstream, but it's not very clear these days.

More bugs started popping off, but the flotilla was unmolested, and they were able to take flight.

I caught a fish and moved on.

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Moving on, I passed the @streamereater_101691 launching his hooligan off the 674 bridge. He should post a report now and then... jis say'in

I dropped on down and had a bite to eat at the boat ramp. There were two rafts waiting for a shuttle to pick them up. One truck with a winch and rails to load the smithfly up top and a trailer for the MSR raft. I watched them load up and the birds picking off the sulfurs. The troutbro came up to throw their trash away and he hollered out, "Are you going to fish, brother!" With beer in hand, I replied, "Maybe". He remarked that sulfurs and bows had been hatching in the flat above the bridge and that they had had a good, a very good day.

They pulled out and I continued to wait to see if the fish would rise. They didn't. I tied on a soft hackle and swung my way down the run. I caught some fish. I waded out further into the fast water, almost loosing my footing a few times, and swung up a few more fish to make the day.

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I received my Fjorden iphone camera grip, and am getting use to it, It sure makes holding the phone more secure and the dedicated shutter button works well, even with wet fingers, (the whole thing is waterproof) I think it will work out, I'm a bit surprised that I didn't take more photos yesterday, but I spent a lot of time making cloudscape time-lapse movies .






ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#2578

#102 78 scattered clouds

There were a couple of guys in the lot, I stopped to ask if they were just getting started. They had finished up and asked about an easy way to get into the river as they had battled briars bushwhacking in from the tracks. I warned them about trespassing on the rails and told them about crossing the field. Funny that locals who have fished down by Papa's didn't know about MP access. Anyway, I had the section to myself, well me and dozens of kayakers. 

The river has turned green, assuming the lake has begun to turnover, might be early this year. Few bugs and low visibility. I brought the euro rod in along with the USS One. I nymphed up a fish is short order and thought that was a good sign. It wasn't, I couldn't buy another bite. I blamed the dozen kayaks that bumped and grinded their way down the run, I blamed the off-color water. I really didn't mind and do what I often do when the fishing is slow, I took some photos.

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Not sure what fruiting tree this is, @Dougfish will know...

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What color is water?

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Being the first one down the trail I run into spider webs.

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I covered a lot of water and only caught a handful of fish. I was working the T pool when I looked up and saw Streamereter coming down in his Hooligan with a couple of anglers. I worked my way back up to Sally's where a little sulfur hatch started, and I tied on a soft hackle and swung up a few more fish. I broke off the fly, my last one, so I tied on a puff daddy and while it got some more fish to rise, they didn't commit to it.

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The action didn't last long, and I headed out by 7:30.

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Down at the boat ramp I ran into Alex, and he reported a very very slow day. I told him, "I'm going to have to find another river".



ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#2579

#103

Gas $3.42, temps in the 70s, overcast with a passing shower.

Ran up late in the afternoon with plans to swing soft hackles on the spray pole, it's been a while since I took it out. As I was rigging the rod.

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I spied a nice micro spey fly that spoke to me, and since I didn't see any rises yet, I went with the larger fly.

You cannot view this attachment.

I soon realized that my spey casting still sux, but I managed to get a number of grabs and had a decent fish on for a while. Moving on down to the main run, I had a number of grabs and finally hooked a stockerbro.

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Disappointed but not discouraged, I swung on and came up with a better fish.

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The GSO smithfly guide came into the ramp at 7 ish. Birds were very active now, and since my spey casting wasn't getting any better, I switched to the one wt to swing the soft hackle fly.

I spoke to the dude sitting of the raft waiting of the shuttle. A recent transplant form WNC, he said they had a good day on the river, fishing dries, nymphs and streamers. He reported a total of about 25 fish in the bote, with a few good fish up to 14"

I went down to the lower run and swung my way through it, and finally found the nerve to cross over the fast water. I had a couple of grabs and that was about it, then I headed back up top. They had loaded the raft and were pulling out, I grabbed a beer and watched bird swooping in picking off flies.

The fishing was on, they really liked the swung soft hackle and I caught a couple of handfuls and then some in shorty order. They were all on the small size and looked like this.

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At eight I was done, about 3 hours of driving, 4 hours of fishing. Going to have to take a few days off. Probably be back on Thursday.




ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!