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Smith-Continued

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

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Woolly Bugger

Quote from: Trout Maharishi on June 27, 2022, 03:34:09 AMwhat kind of cork that is?

In that photo the cork is still wrapped in plastic!

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

#2506

#77

74 degrees, I'll take it. Clearing rain to cloudy.

I drove thought an hour of rain, but the radar indicated it would pass by the time I reached the river. I drove up to the MP to check the field, there were two anglers packing it in for the day, I asked them about the field, it still is standing tall, and I drove on. I geared up in a slow steady rain and rigged up the brand new 1 wt with a 2 wt line on the CFO I, there was a 9' leader with some 7x tippet, so I went with that and a #16 parachute sulfur. 

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Thunder boomed as the rain stopped as I made my way to the water. Think fog blanketed the river and the thick clouds stood still with no detectable motion.

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It was just past three and the bugs should be coming off but none were to be seen. Sporadically, a fish would rise, but it was difficult to locate the ring of the rise in the fog. When a fish rose in front of me, I worked out the line and, on the third cast a pune rainbow initiated the new rod.

I was fishing from memory now in spots where I had found fish in the past. Sometimes they were there, sometimes not. The bigger fish weren't looking up and I caught mostly pune browns for the next couple of hours.

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I bug would pop off now and then, sometimes they were grabbed by a trout, but most floated by unmolested. I needed to move and find some rising fish.

Down at a lower run there were bugs floating and flying about and fish were rising steadily. They were feeding with abandon and took the comparadun over and over until it was destroyed. They were mostly rainbows, but occasionally I found a brown. After thirty minutes of action, the fish became more selective, and things slowed down and finally stopped around 6:00.

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I had caught enough for the day anyway, and waded out. On the way home I stopped to check out another run where there has been an evening hatch, but it was quite and I didn't see the usual activity of birds and rising trout. I drank a beer and listened to the birds.

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All this aluminum going to the landfill  n!n

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Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so I probably stay home.






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


33

Went up high and found the river full of 4 guys and no bugs happening.
Went back down a couple of miles.

No mow. Again.
A guy from Richmond pulled in and started suiting up as I started in.
Had not been here for 5 years.
Hearing more and more of these stories.  :Dance
I clued him in to the field, the path, etc and bugged out.

Nothing much was happening as I peeked at the water going downstream.
Got to the destination, cracked a beer and tied out a prospector.

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I caught a handful. Saw my Richmond guy working upstream.
Decided to work downstream.
Softhackling.

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Worked back up. Nothing on the big sunken bugs.

Headed upstream to re-investigate upper river spot.
Ran into Troutrus up at the Sally Hole.

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And they started mowing the field.

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Passed WB upstream and heckled him before arriving at the upper target.
And finding no active bugs/fish.
Waded out and up and managed a handful more.

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Waded in and handed it off to WB.

Striped off my very leaky waders and headed home.
Need to rectify this.

 :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

Onslow

#2508
Damn, that  drive from Richmond.....

Glad to see y'all enjoying a year of stable flows.

Woolly Bugger

#2509

#78

77 and sunny with gas $4.40



The river was calling, and I headed up before noon, got to the river at 1 and checked the MP, there ws Trouts-r-us gearing up in the lot and Doug's truck and another vehicle were there too. Chatted with Bob for a bit and then headed up the road. Text from Doug indicated a crowd at the top damn dam runs, so I stopped short to further explore an area that I've only fished once before under foggy conditions.

As I was gearing up, a truck passed and then backed up. The driver had been up at the damn and didn't have too much success, he quizzed me about the river, and I gave some advice. He commented about how cold the water was and was headed further downstream to try another spot. I told him that if he couldn't catch fish there, he needed to go home!

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Despite being right along the road I had a good stretch of river to myself. There were fish rising and a number of sulfurs were popping off. I caught three right just after stepping into the water at the end of the fisherman's trail. They were small but pretty and were fun on the new one weight "Upper Smith Special", to be called "USS One" from this day forward.

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I crossed over and worked the riffle and found many fish in likely spots. I just thought how special this verdant landscape was and it's peaceful beauty sooths the soul. I had found yet another "favorite" spot to fish.

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There was a lot of good looking water, but I didn't find any fish in the stretch of faster water at the head of the run. I continued to venture upstream where Doug spied me, pulled over, and watched me catch nothing.

I headed back to explore the run below where I put in and found some fish there too and I could see that this would be a great spot during a better hatch.

I got out and found Doug swinging soft hackles below the damn dam. I was putting on my electric socks when he came up to take off his leaky waders. He headed home and I went in. There were some risers, and I got some to hit the fly, but missed more than I caught and after an hour or so I gave up, thinking that the USS One, wouldn't be enough for me to fish the two uppermost runs.

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At the lower spot I ate a snack and watched the birds working the water. Waded in, with the 5wt, and got a number of fish to rise but no connection, 5, 6,7, 8, damn I suk at fly fishing. My casting was way off with the heavier rod. Finally managed to bring a couple of browns and a mangled stockbow, to the net before calling it a day.

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I may or may not make it to the river Wednesday or Thursday, but Friday is looking good if the weather holds.






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!

trout-r-us

Good seeing youse guys.
My log indicates my first trip there since 8/4/21. 😳
Short trip; spent as much time sitting and watching as fishin'.
The Puff Daddy was well received. 😀



"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
― Heraclitus

creakycane

#2511
Spun by the MP lot and saw a gray Tacoma with trout stickers as well as a 4-runner with nice looking rooftop rod case.  Drove upstream and Fished upstream toward the dam late AM until 2PM, and there was a steady hatch of the 16 sulphur type.  Caught a number of small browns on drag-free drifts with the dry, and rainbows and a few browns really hit the PT nymph when lifted.
A bit slower than early June for me, and I have come across fewer good browns and more small guys.  Not sure why.
Fished through town down to below Bassett on my way out, and saw little activity.  Maybe evening is hot? 
My experience with the Smith is the late evening shift can be great, but as often as not, never materializes for me.  Never could figure a pattern on that one. 
In my old age I'm happy to fish during the day and be off the road before dark sets in, anyway.
I'll wet-wade when they drop the flow to half of what it is now.

Dougfish


34



It's the green plastic watering can season at home.
So I watered the plants and ran back down to the river.

I was mown away.

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Richmond guy was back at it,
I moved below him and stopped at a spot I only occasionally fish.
Fish were rising just below this.
I waded out and a few casts later I hooked into a real fighter of a bow.
Partridge and orange. #16.

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I tagged a handful of browns before the action quieted.
I continued downstream. Nothing else was happening at the next few pauses.
Cracked a beer at the destination and waded in to cool off.
The waders still leak. Bad.

Fish started taking emergers. Grabbed the rod and started whacking them on the soft hackle again.
Lots of 6-8" feesh. A few photo worthy.

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Bugs came and went. I ranged upstream a bit to revist the 2 spots I had peeked at earlier.
Caught a few and started back down.
Fishbug texted  that he was looking for me.
Went back down to wait on him.

Sourwoods are in their glory right now.
Good honey being made now.

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We sorta kinda fished together a bit longer.
He flogging up above my downstream efforts.
Took a handful on the soft hackle as I worked down to a vigorously feeding pod at the tailout.
Switched to a dry and managed a few more, but got a lot, a lot, of refusals.
Packed it in and left the bug in the river as the shadows started to lengthen.
25ish feesh.

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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

Big J

Quote from: creakycane on June 29, 2022, 16:38:39 PMsaw a gray Tacoma with trout stickers

You are safe to fish behind that guy, he doesn't catch trout.

Dougfish

"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

#2515

#79

88 scattered clouds, Gas $4.23


With the field finally mowed, I have no excuse to hit the trail and fish the middle section of the river. It was just after noon and the lot was empty when I arrived. There was a bit of a wind, and for a minute I thought about leaving the USS One behind in favor of the SP, but went with the lightweight rod. Geared up, packed the cooler and headed in, they were about half done baling the hay. It was hot and I couldn't wait to cross into the shade of the forest and the path along the river where it was much cooler.

I stopped in at the first run to cool off and catch a few fish. There were a few sulfurs about and the fish were looking up.

I waded chest deep into the middle run to cool off and to see if I could cast the OSS One across to the lower far side of the river. Not quite, but I did catch a couple on the skittering Puff Daddy.

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After cooling off, I headed on down to the main run and ate my lunch and had a beer. There were fish rising and I saw a smattering of sulfurs.


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I caught a few but it shut down when the hatch changed over to tiny bwos

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I changed flies to a #24 bwo emeger, got a few strikes and missed a few on the tiny hook but did manage to collect a handful of punes. I saw a good fish rise in an eddy and tried to get it to take my fly, but it was a difficult cast and the fish never rose again.

A young man came up wet wading from below. We chatted for a bit, and he asked quite a number of questions about  the river. This is probably the same guy from Richmond that Doug reported. Turns out he's working in Greensboro, so not making the much longer drive from the Capitol. He drove up after work, hiked in to just above the island and was covering a lot of water with a bobber rig. He asked if I was fishing upstream or down and I replied that I was just waiting for the pool to light up with the evening hatch.

He moved on up and I sat down and drank a beer.

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Picked off a couple of deer ticks crawling on my hand and saw this Dobson fly.

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The sulfurs started off slowly, but the fish were keying in on them and the puff daddy appealed to them. The peak was about 6:30 and was pretty much over by 7:30

It was a pretty good evening, and I'll be back.

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The brown in the last pic gave the 1 wt rod a work out and worried me when I brought the fish in to net it scooted between my legs and I had to step over the line at the same time I was trying to net it and then it took off downstream for a bit before I got it back under control.


When I hiked out and got to the lot at 8:30 the youngster was already gone.







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

Not the Richmond guy. 60ish, black 4runner w/rod vault. Waders.

Nice feesh, boss.
"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

driver

I tried to make it Friday... But this damn phone won't stop ringing. b'; Maybe next week. Unlikely will a short work week though.

Keith, thoughts on the USS after a few trips? Is the 2wt line too much?

Dougfish

Monday morning, eta.
"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

Quote from: driver on July 02, 2022, 18:03:28 PMKeith, thoughts on the USS after a few trips? Is the 2wt line too much?

I'm liking the 2 wt line, not sure what brand it is, I can't find the box, bought it for the flea bamboo a few years back, wasn't heavy enough for it.
 
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!