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Smith-Continued

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

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Phil

#2490
Bastid    b';       :bow

(you know I'm kidding, right? Good fishin' there, bossman.)

Woolly Bugger

#2491

#72 Thunderstorms 93 when I left home 68 when I left the river Gas $4.50


It was hot as hell with the humidity factored in. As I drove up listening to the Jan 6 hearings, they were interrupted with severe thunderstorm warnings with reports of 60 mph winds and quarter size hail. A quick check of the radar indicated that I was headed into the center of a cluster, but with luck I would miss the worst of it. I ran into some heavy rain for about 10 miles, and it looked like it was clearing as I reached the river. Oddly enough there were a number of fishermen on the river today.  As I went to check on a run, I ran into Mark and his friend from Reidsville who were rerigging their flies while waiting for the storm to pass. As I suspected the run below was occupied too, so I moved on down the river and stopped at spot that I had not fished before.

The clouds looked menacing, and thunder boomed in the distance. 

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I geared up and walked into the river, where the fog so thick that it obscured the surface thirty feet away.

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As I was deciding where to go, a trout rose in front of me. I spent the next hour fishing from the spot where I entered the river at the end of the path. I wanted to head downstream but with the fog so thick it was impossible to determine the best route. I'll come back on a sunny day and explore more.

I caught a half dozen brown trout and never figured out exactly what they were eating. I used a sulfur comparadun but stitched up to a loop wing bwo emerger which they liked.

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The fishermen at the top had left and I headed up top to catch the last of the sulfur hatch.

I swung a soft hackle and caught another half dozen; rainbows and browns 50/50.

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I'll just add that tying and swinging soft hackles is becoming a favorite for me.








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

#2492

#73

84 sunny and very windy

@Dougfish sent a text(field not mowed) and a photo (beer)

It was Saturday and I thought the dam area would be crowded so I decided to brave the field of ticks. As I arrived a father and son were just moving out and reported the windy conditions and lack of catching. He said they were hitting the surface but didn't like his flies. He was fishing a #14 sulfur, and I said it was too big. He asked it there was a fly shoe in the area.  <-;:  Since there isn't one within 30 miles, I gave him a #16 comparadun. He also asked if there was a good place to eat in town and I recommended Papa's Pizza and also mentioned the Railway Cafe. I've not eaten there yet but will try it soon. Have any of y'all eaten there?  I finished gearing up and walked through the tick field to Sally's pool. Found two of the nasty critters crawling on my waders.

I was swinging a soft hackle and hooked a couple of small browns, before things stopped happening, I took a look at the fly and realized that I was, as Croker would say, "fishing on credit" all the hackle was gone! Then I realized that I had left the puck of freshly tied partridge and orange in the car, I blame the distractions in the parking area for this.

A rando yellow sally amongst the sulfurs.
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I had to go dry and battle the wind which was strong enough to put bend in the rod. I managed to get a few punes to hand, then I saw @Dougfish down below and I waded down to him and had a beer, the first one in 13 days. It tasted great!

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There were fish rising and I sent @Dougfish out to get'em.

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I went out above him and enticed 4 or 5 good fish to rise to my fly, but they either missed or refused it at the last moment. The wind wasn't helping any. Doug left and I stayed a bit longer and stuck a couple more before the hatch ended.

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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

#2493
31,32


Saturday was brutal. Wind and more wind. Managed 4 whole fish and cut the day short.
I might as well have been courting a balcony. Howaboutit?

Back for a bit of redemption today. Cool, breathless.
Tried WB's spot up high and got a few, but bugs weren't happening. Moved back down.
No mow. Maybe soon?

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Had the place to myself.
Got into fish straight away.

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The only day lily the deer won't get to.

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Comparaklinks and P&O got it done, #18's.

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Needs more rhodo.

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20ish. Hiked out early.
Caught one at Sally's Hole to even the score with those punes and boogied home for some obligations.

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: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

trout-r-us

Too bad about the mowing situation at the field. 
I heard that Joe Philpott died back in 2020. Joe was a good Steward of the land and was very kind and accommodating regarding fishermen access when he was still able to get around. Even in periods when the field was not being utilized for crops, he would keep a path bush-hogged offering easy access to the river. Not unusual for him to approach anglers in the parking area just to chat, and offer a ride down to the river.
Not sure if the Philpott family still oversees the land.
Sounds like a good project for the TU group to pursue.  n!n
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
― Heraclitus

Woolly Bugger

#2495

#74

73 scattered clouds, Gas $4.45

I took a look at the MP field and saw Doug's truck and a black CR-V, I thought about hiking in, but moved on instead. There were aa cople of fisherman up and down from the run I wanted to fish. I was able to get into the primo spot, it was round 2 and there was very little activity, I swung a soft hackle and only managed to catch pune brown trout.

A father and grown son were fishing the flats at the canoe launch, the younger man was wet wading! I'd been fishing for about an hour and my feet were starting to complain. I couldn't imagine how cold it would be wet wading. The bugs started popping and I switched up to a puff daddy and caught few better fish. As the hatch progressed I switched to a comparradun and caught a lot of stockerbows and even though I was trying to target the browns.

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The father and son moved on down and began catching fish in the lower run as the hatch progressed.

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After catching several dozen trouts, I had to get out and warm my feet up. I walked up to the very first run where a fly fisherman was casting but not catching. I saw fish rising and since he was on the far side I briefly entertained the idea of casting to the rising fish below him.

When I got back to the car the young man who had been wet wading was back at his truck donning a pair of waders. I said that i didn't know how he could stand wet wading, and he said that his toes had become numb. I said the waders should help and he said he hoped so.

He went on down to the river and I put on another pair of socks before returning to my spot on the river.

More trouts were caught on the surface, but it started slowing down around 5:30 and stopped by 6:00.

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Rhodos are blooming, Doug says about 3 weeks early.

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I moved to the lower boat ramp to see what was up. I drank a beer while deciding to go in. I finally made up my mind to fish the run, but a raft appered and anchored up at the top of the run and I went home.

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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

#2496
Quote from: trout-r-us on June 21, 2022, 08:00:36 AMToo bad about the mowing situation at the field. 
I heard that Joe Philpott died back in 2020. Joe was a good Steward of the land and was very kind and accommodating regarding fishermen access when he was still able to get around. Even in periods when the field was not being utilized for crops, he would keep a path bush-hogged offering easy access to the river. Not unusual for him to approach anglers in the parking area just to chat, and offer a ride down to the river.
Not sure if the Philpott family still oversees the land.
Sounds like a good project for the TU group to pursue.  n!n

I was wondering about him, he offered me a ride a couple of times.




Joe Curtis Philpott
JULY 16, 1931 – AUGUST 8, 2020


Joe Curtis Philpott passed away at home surrounded by his family on August 8, 2020. Joe was born on July, 16, 1931 and is the son of the late Edward Jefferson Philpott and Edna Bryant Philpott. Joe was predeceased by his beloved wife of 57 years, Joy Wingfield Philpott, his siblings, Alza Marie Philpott, Georgie Philpott Ingram, Nellie Philpott Newman, Edward Jefferson Philpott Jr, Walter Albert Philpott, and his nieces Sarah Sue Ingram and Ann Marie Ingram.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/bassett-va/joe-philpott-9302493
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!

Dee-Vo

The tougher the access, the less people that will be in your fishing spot.  d:b

Sidenote -- I have picked up chiggers in fields like that more than once. Not fun.  p;-

Woolly Bugger

#2498

#75

85 - sunny

Doug sent a heads up that there is progress showing at the MP field, so I swung by to see. it still hasn't been mowed... damn.

I drove on up to usual run up top. There was a family blowing up innertube style floats, it was already 3 O'clock. "That's going to be a long, cold float," I thought to myself. A chubby boy with a face smeared full of some brownish orange food about 10 or 12 years old came around and started asking all sorts of questions about what I was going to do. Since he continued to pester me, I left and drove on up to the upper run where I geared up. Walking down to the river I saw no bugs and decided to return to the first spot. The tubers were floating down the river, I couldn't imagine sitting in that cold water for hours to get to the takeout in Bassett. For some reason, I thought that the flow was lowered, maybe it was just the contrast of the weather from the other day, and the absence of fog.

A smattering of sulfurs were hatching and several fish were rising but it wasn't full on, light out fishing and I was only catching rainbows and pune browns.

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I wasn't in a groove, so I moved on to the next run, where the current splits in the middle and goes up against the far bank under overhanging trees. As I was studying the water, I saw some fish rise and go into hero cast mode. I did pick off a nice fish that I hoped was a brown, but it was just another rainbow.

I hiked out and then down to a lower run ...

Well, hello, little frog!

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Picked off more rainbows as the hatch petered out and I moved again, downstream.
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I drank a beer and watched birds swooping in to pick off hatching sulfurs. I saw a fish rise straight out from me and I had to go get it. I put down my beer, grabbed my rod, and waded out into position. Three cast later the fish rose and was hooked, yet another stockbow. Casting up close to the bank I found a nice little brownie. And later, down in the main run another one took the fly. It was a spectacular take and made my day.

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I kept hearing voices from upriver, but didn't see anybody for a while, I then realized it was the tubers. They had finally gotten to the end of their float. It was almost eight o'clock! I was finished fishing, and walked to the parking lot where the tubers were gathering. One was as red as a cooked lobster. some were chilled blue. They were trying to figure out where they were as they had planned to float to the next takeout but realized that it would be too far to go. Five hours of floating with their butts in 50-degree water was enough for them. I figured they called to get some help to get to their car.

 <-;:


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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


I forgot to mention that other day that those recent storms blew down a tree on riverroad.

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Crews have been clearing it up over the last several days.

Glad I wasn't up river when this happened!
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

Saw that the other day.
I have to bring the handsaw and other cutting tools for the trail next week.  p;-
"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

Woolly Bugger

#2501

#76

85 sunny, gas $4.59

With morning chores done I headed up to the river a bit earlier than the last several times. I did a drive by at the hay field, still not mowed. I was prepared to make the hike in but will wait for the tall grass to be cut. I went on up to the damn dam. There was nothing coming off the water and refusing to nymph I caught nothing for the first hour or so, finally around 2:30 the sulfurs started to pop off and a few fish started to look up. The hatch was pitiful and never got the fish going with abandon. I moved on up and explored the upper pools and runs.

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My knees were locking up from the cold water and I climbed out around 5, I was headed back to the car when I ran into The Driver. He had managed to get away late and was tracking me down -- Not seeing me right away he went to gear up and realized that he had forgotten a reel, leader, and socks! Fortunately, I had a spare reel with a 6WF line and provided a fresh leader. Then the Driver surprised me with an "Upper Smith Special" custom 8' 1wt rod! I guess he thinks that I'm over gunned with a 5 wt. I've got a CFO 1 with a 2wt line, that I'll try out the next time I go, Sunday or Monday,




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The hatch was petering out and we tried the lower run before moving downstream hoping to find an evening hatch. Birds were working the water and I quickly caught some rising fish.

I worked the main run, while Driver went down around the corner and found another run of risers.

We fished till 8:30


Update



Perfect match, CFO I

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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!

itieuglyflies

I would not be offended if Driver made me a rod.

Dougfish

The forgetfulness is contagious.  :P
"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

Trout Maharishi

Cool looking reel seat,and wraps.  I like up locking reel seats. That cork also looks better than most I've been seeing and half well is my favorite. Please ask Jason what kind of cork that is?
"We're all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing."
― Charles Bukowski