Smith-Continued

[trout-r-us]

Visited the smith greenway in Eden this morning. Big ol' tree laying completely across just down from the canoe access.
That's an island out there, so it's really only half the river width.
Ya just never know when one will let go.

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[Dougfish]

Lots of trees ready to sacrifice every mile or so on the whole river.
Bugs and fish say Wood is good.

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 72,  cloudy and cooler but the humidity was high


I drove the new  ride up toe river the other day and when I got up to gear up I decided it was just too damn hot and didn't want to soil the RAV4 with muddy boots, besides I was engrossed in listening to American Prometheus - The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer which runs 27 hours. So after a short walk-a-bout I drove on home.

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A day or two passed and I decided that the CRV was my fishing vehicle and I'll continue to use it. I transferred my gear back into the Honda and hopped it, I felt more "at home" in the car that I've driven to the river around 500 times. It just felt right.

I pulled into an empty lot on Sunday afternoon and began to gear up. A blue coupe pulled in and two youngsters hopped out and began getting their gear out of the trunk. Waders,  a Simms boot box and rods. Then the driver started talking and talking and talking abour euros rods being gay and needing new boots, felt verses rubber and sandy stream bottoms and on and on. Then he told his companion, "I don't carry my gun inside my waders, its in my pack on my back, in case you need it. You never know when you'll need it."  And then he continued talking about fishing and bobbers and dry flies and on and on.

I was stashing some beer and my dinner when I realized that I left my vest in the Toyota. Crap, I scrounged though the car and found a puck of flies that would make do. Then the driver hollers, "Don't worry we'll be fishing way down below you." And I asked, "How far down are you going?" To which he asked, "Where are you fishing?" "I'm going down to the trestle pool." He obviously didn't know where that was because he asked, "How far is that?" "It's about a mile down" to which he stated, "We're going to the end of the field" "OK," I replied and headed on out of the lot as he continued to chatter with his friend.

The grass is going to seed and about six feet tall, but the tractor tracks cleared a path to the edge where the grass doesn't grow so tall. I was sweating when I got to the left-hand pool and sat down to watch the water and cool off with an ice-cold barley pop.

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Nothing was happening on the surface there, so I went on down to the dead tree pool and swung a soft hackle and picked off the punes that were rising to midges or tiny bwos.

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Moving on down I sung up another handful of trout as I watched and listened to a pair of kingfisher chase after each other in what I would call a "dogfight". They headed off in circles downstream only to return in fast flight upstream passing me at eye level.

I wish the fish were eating something bigger like these.

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DSFK

If I needed to catch more or bigger fish I would have nymphed, but as it was, I enjoyed the day. I switched to a midge pattern and took several on the surface. It's a game I'm not fond of, I hate midges...

Later another angler came down to the end of the trail and waved, then continued on to the bottom of the pool where he stood for a long time trying to figure out where to cross.

I headed home, the duo in the bule car from Lynchburg were gone and I continued to listen to the Oppenheimer story.

I stopped in for a libation and reflection on the day. 

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[Rhody]

How's that book?

[creakycane]

Good to see you reading some of Prof Wickstrom's best.   His other book, Notes from an Old Fly Book, is another great read.  I miss his newsletter, the Boulder Creek Angler, that he produced for quite a few years.  Interesting fellow to say the least.....

[Woolly Bugger]

How's that book?

Filled with essays, little nuggets of fly fishing, philosophy, and life.

[creakycane]

Some little caddis on this AM, as well as a couple of small dun mayflies.  One nice brown early on, followed by a few smaller ones all on dries.  Then a couple of rainbows on beadheads.  Water now at typical 300 level, though a bit turbid.   Just after dawn felt chilly.  Lots of kayaks and canoes on trucks/ cars headed upstream, but did not see even one coming down by the time I left at 1130. Gonna get hot again, the cool morning just a temporary taste of fall.........

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 73  -- 85 sunny, Gas $3.31


I thought it might be crowded being Labor Day weekend, but I drove on up anyway. Didn't have a specific spot in mind, but I wated to check to see if the field had been cut. As I came up over the hill, I saw that they were working on those upper fields bailing the hay. On down, at the bottom all the fields had been cut and baled. There was hope! But s I rounded the corner and approached the lot, I could see that the grass had not been cut. That was the bad news, the good news was that the lot was empty! 


It was blazing hot in the afternoon sun as I donned my waders and trekked through the grass that now towered above my head it spots. Fortunately, there is still a manageable path beaten down by the tractor from when they loaded up the bales from the first cutting several weeks ago.

I headed to the bench at Sally's where I jumped a vulture. I could smell some carrion but didn't go looking for it. I waded out into the river to cool off. There was only the occasional solitary yellow drake floating on the surface and they got snagged by hungry trout. I tried swinging flies but came up empty handed. I switched to a beetle and caught a few under the Rhodos. The Rhodo also caught several flies. Only one pair of kayakers paddled through, I thought there would have been a major plastic hatch day.

I moved on down the trail, and I was certain by the number of spider webs I ran into that I was the first person to venture down the path that day.

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A hatch started about 6 o'clock and I managed a few on the surface but missed a couple of the better fish. I cursed them as they rejected the fly.


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[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 74  -- 95 sunny


Wednesday, the field remains uncut. Back in 2021 the second cutting had already been bailed. As I approached the tall grass I could feel the humidity rise, the grass held the heat in and it was a brutal walk into the river. I made it to Sally's and jumped in wading out into the deep slots and began casting soft hackles. The sun was intense, buff wearing intense, and the fishing was slow, but I managed to bring a handful to hand with a 5 to 1 ratio of bumps to hookups.

Took a break on the bench and then moved on down to the Left-hand pool.

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Doug came along after I had just released this fish and he watched me fish the far side of the pool, I caught nothing else. I came out and we talked, drand a beer, and solved none of the world's problems. It was a year ago the I started exploring the idea of putting benches on the river, and Doug and I discussed the location for the third bench which we'll put in after they mow and the weather cools off a bit. We parted ways, he was headed back up and I went to the lower parts of river.

It was fairly slow, but I swung up another handful of fish while waiting to see if a hatch would come off in the evening.

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There was an inch worm, or in this case a centimeter worm, hatch.

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Some fish started to rise around sixish and I took a few on the surface with diaphanous 7x tippet and a #18 looping bwo before switching over to a streamer. The mist was forming on the river and offered cool relief from the day's heat. I had a couple of fish blow up on that fly.
.
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Headed out at 7:30 and was surprised to see a truck from Alabama in the lot. As I was putting my gear away a couple came out from across the field and we talked, they had moved to Greensboro for work. I was too tired to carry on much of a conversation and I hit the road.

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 75  -- 85 slight overcast partly cloudy

I arrive at an empty lot around noon and was glad to see that they have started to mow the field. It looked like it was cut yesterday, and they stopped after mowing only a small portion and the perimeter along the river. Maybe they checked the weather and realized rain was on the way. It made the hike easier as there was only a small amount of tall grass to cross.

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When I got to Sally's I waded out into a deep slot to cool off as I worked up a good sweat. I didn't even change my rig and just cast the streamer that was on the rod from the other evening. I worked the water up and down from there and had four or five fish blow up on the fly. Rejected I sat on the bench and enjoyed a beer while watching the water and listening to a Carolina Wren chip.

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I hiked down the field, goldfinches darted off, I assumed they were eating the goldenrod seed. Once in the woods I noticed that the pawpaws were starting to drop and I picked up a nice large one. On down the trail I ran into a blow down or the next trail project.

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I hit the head of a pool with the streamer and caught nothing. Thunder started booming and I pulled up the radar on the phone and was concerned enough to head back up closer to the car. Back at Sally's there was a small hatch of sulfurs and I rigged up with a rabbit foot emerger and got several punes to rise to the fly narrowly avoiding a skunk.

I snapped a pic before bolting out as the wind started to blow down the stream and the sky darkened.

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I made it back to the CRV before the heavy rain started, the drive home was taxing in spots as torrents of rain reduced visibility and wipers were on high.

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 76  -- 78 slight overcast partly cloudy

The rain from last night had bumped the gauge but it was only running 10cfs above normal, I was hoping that the river wouldn't be too muddy, and if it was I would just clear the trail and move on up to the damn dam. It was a bit cooler and less humid but the sun was intense, I hiked straight into the deadfall about a mile down the trail. As I entered the woods I could smell the tropical fruit fragrance of the ripening pawpaws.

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My Corona Tools 10-Inch RazorTOOTH Folding Saw made quick work of the downed branches.

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I was sweating pretty good by the time I finished, so I rewarded myself with an ice-cold beverage.

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I watched a dragonfly snatching invisible bugs out of the air above the flowing riffles of the river. The birds were nowhere to be seen, I guess they couldn't be bothered with the miniscule midges that attracted the dragonfly.

With no visible surface activity and not wanting to nymph, I rigged up with a black sex dungeon and worked the head of the pool. About halfway down I hooked into a nice brown which fought with vigor and flopped out of my hand for a photo flub. I moved around a bit but didn't get another fish to hit the streamer. I was relaxing on the left-hand bench when I saw Alex coming down with a couple of gals, turns out they are shuttle drivers for SRO.

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I hollered out as they passed and Alex offered up a beer, but as I had one in hand I declined. They continued down and I moved up where I saw a small hatch going on a i was able to target some fish with a dry fly. It was rewarding to catch this sipper that was just off the bank under the Rhodos and almost as rewarding as the big brown that I caught on the streamer.

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[trout-r-us]

I took advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday by running up to the Smith. Spent more time on Woolly's bench than anything else. 😁. I did fish for awhile and was lucky enough to hook some. Got to the lot about 10:30 and left around 3. No cars and no peoples. Life is good sometimes.

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[Woolly Bugger]

Glad to hear that the bench is getting some use!   

#23 - 77  --much cooler at 73 and down in the 60s when I left, slight overcast partly cloudy, gas $3.39

There was an older model F250 with vanity plates in the lot when I pulled in at two in the afternoon. Gearing up it looks like I'm going to have some Aquaseal repair work on the LL Bean Pro Waders' "waterproof" pocket

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Found this White-marked Tussock Moth caterpillar (Orgyia leucostigma) on the bench, colorfull critter don't you think. Its one of those look but don't touch deals, you know they can cause allergic reactions! 

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I only stopped at Sally's briefly to scope out the water, look for the other fisherman, and drink a beer before heading on down the trail. There are a few Aphrodite fritillary butterflies fluttering about.

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and the bottle gentian (Gentiana clausa) are blooming

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Since the water was still sained, I was planning to nymph today, but when I got down to the left hander's pool, I decided to rive the dry fly that was already tied on the rod. I waded out to the edge of the drop off mid rib deep and cast 40 feet to the run of the far bank. The fish were looking up and I caught a number of browns in a short time. A few of them were decent sized too! Standing in water that deep I can't easily take photos.

I moved on down and caught a few more at the trestle pool and there was even a hatch that lasted for a few short minutes. By the time the evening rolled around I had switched to a #20 bwo and caught a few more but still got a number of refusals. Realizing that I hadn't taken any fish photos and I was running out of time I snapped this pune.

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Hiking back out to Sally's I caught a few more before leaving the water at seven. I never saw the other angler and the truck was gone when I got back.

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 78  mid 70s but I packed a jacket as I planned to stay late

It was around 2 when I pulled in to find a couple of vehicles parked in the lot. I hiked in, stopped at Sally's

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There was an angler in the run casting away in his spiffy showroom clean waders. I moved on.


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Down at the left handers pool I waded out to the submerged pinnacles in the middle where I hate to stand especially when the water is dingy, and I can't see the bottom. It's a precarious perch and I fully expect to slip and float my hat one  day. I saw a trout rise about 50 feet out, cast and skated the fly across the seam, the trout in an aerobatic leap snagged the fly.

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A nice cast, an awesome eat, I couldn't have ended the day right there. I continued to wobble on the rocks and continued to fish catching a handful before retreating to the bank.

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I finally switched over to nymphing and dredged up some trouts, including this rainbow. I've not been catching many of them lately.

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And then a snack of Smoked Pacific Salmon, the brand is Bar Harbor, but upon close inspection the fine print says "Product of Latvia", damn!

Towards the end of the day there was a chill in the air above the river and I donned my jacket as I began to trek out.

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I passed on Turtle Creek run despite seeing a rise or two and continued up to Sally's where there were some bugs and willing fish.

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As I glanced downstream I saw that an angler had jumped in to the run below and was still fishing as darkness descended upon the water and I left the river to him.

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 78 a cool 62 degrees when I drove across the field at 10 o'clock to drop the third and perhaps final bench and pavers at the trailhead. Doug "The Mule" fish was down the trail clearing a spot and I drove out to park in the lot. When I returned, I slogged down the trail with the pavers until I got to Tuttle creek and then realized that I would be better off dropping my rod, cooler, and grass whip off on the other side. As I was walking to stash the gear, I ran into doug on his return trip and "The Mule" picked up the pavers and carried them in as I finished clearing the site for the bench.

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We needed some hydration after the installation and sat on the bench while consuming a couple of beers, and discussed the world and personal life events, solving no problems. Finally, we decided that it was time to go fishing.

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I got some fish to rise to an emerger and caught a few up against the bank. A few sulfurs were floating down unmolested but they were rising to some small bwos or midges. I had to take a shore break and noticed this DSFK still life.


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Back out in the run I caught another pune and decided to take a photo of the fish with doug in the background, if you squint really hard you might be able to make him out.


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Trying out the bench, I noticed this colorful moth, I thought it resembled the invasive Lantern moth and almost smashed it, but let it go. Later I checked and discovered that it is a native species, a Virgin Tiger Moth.


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I looked up and saw doug catch a fish.


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I left shortly after that.


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As I was coming out of the woods at the corner of the field a pickup truck with a couple drove up and said,"Oh, look a fisherman!" I said hello and asked if they were in charge of mowing the field, they said, "We are relatives of the owner and have somebody that takes care of that. Did you catch anything?" Figuring that one of them was offspring of Old Man Phillpott I stated, "Just some little brown trout. Oh, I met your father and his dogs, I've been fishing down here for over 30 years.'

"Well, you must have if figured out by now," the driver stated. "Somedays, I do and other days not so much," to which they laughed, and asked if I needed a ride. I thanked them and said, "I'm planning to fish a little more on up a ways, have a good day.: And they drove off around the perimeter of the field.