Smith-Continued

[Dougfish]

55

Went down mid-week for the low flow.
Nobody in the lot.
Walked down until I found sun on the water and rising fish.

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The water is clearing.

Decided to go lower and check out those feesh.

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The fish were receptive.

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The new emerger pattern was killer.
I lost one in a sycamore on a greedy cast.
I lost another on a vigorous 7x hookset on a husky brown. 

I lost another when a better butter brown broke me off.

I was out of my experiment flies.
Fuk me.

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10' tall Joe Pye Weed checking out.

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Out of beer. Out of emergers.
I headed back to the upstream bench.
Found the Bugger.

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We solved zero problems of the world, he continued just below, I moved up.

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I caught a handful plus more and packed it in.
We walked out together. Both at 25ish feesh.
He went back in at Sally's, I hit the road.

 

   

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 99 warm for Nov., in the low 60s, mostly cloudy.

When I was loading up the Honda I noticed a note under the windshield. It must have been planted there two days ago up on the river. I've been driving the RAV4 around town and just using the CRV for fishing.

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Earlier I got a text from @Dougfish, and he was catching on the low clear water One hundred cfs is shockingly low in comparison to the new normal of 300, but still quite a bit better then the old low 65 cfs. Long leaders and 7x days have returned, at least until there is more rain.

Fish were rising everywhere I looked but I went on to the Trestle Pool with plans to fish my way back up the reiver. I rigged up the Super Fine Glass 2 wt., a toothpick of a rod and tied on a BWO parachute and waded out into the run directly out from the bench. It didn't take long to catch the eager fish.

Doug came up from below and shouted words of encouragement as I continued to t whack fish.

As Doug was eating his lunch I moved on down to the head of the pool where many fish were rising and I was having a blast picking targets and catching them. I was rewarding to make some difficult cast across currents and still manage to hood fish. This went on for quite a while and I think I had over 20 fish before I took a break and had a riverside beer with Doug who had been up at the next run catching fish after fish.

The browns were mostly 8 to 10 inches but put a nice bend in the 2wt

When we hiked out I stopped at sally's and got plenty of fish to rise to the fly but only caught a couple of them
I'll be back to enjoy more of this low flow dry fly action soon.


The beavers are back building a dam
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[JCB3]

Who's attending the river clean up tomorrow?

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 100 Gas $2.89 65 and windy.


Wind advisories had been issued.
ENHANCED FIRE DANGER TODAY...

Low humidities in the 20 to 30 percent range, combined with the drought conditions, will lead to an increase in fire danger today.

There were two black trucks, a Dodge and a Chevy, in the lot. I pulled out the 5 wt to deal with the wind and hiked across the field to Sally's where I found a fisherman getting ready to leave. Turns out he knows Doug from the TU chapter. We chatted for a spell talking about the water clarity and the wind. As I was rigging my rod, he said he hadn't seen any fish rise. Undeterred, I tied on a #20 bwo onto a sketchy leader with several nail knotted segments terminating in a short piece of 7x, and went to work. Third cast and I hooked up with a pune. There were fish looking up and if you watched closely, you could see the occasional dimple on the water. I caught a handful before lodging the fly in the rhodo and destroyed the leader as yanked it free. I retreated to the bench and selected another gently used leader from the collection in my vest.

I picked off a few more punes before heading on down the river. The left-hand pool didn't look promising as the Canada Geese were occupying that section. I stopped at the big pine hole (formerly known as Sourwood) and caught another handful from that area. The autumnal sun doesn't hit the water in the afternoon once you get past the little creek at the head of this reach and there was a chill in the air. It was a challenge to deliver the fly on target on 7x with the wind whipping down the river corridor.

Down at the trestle pool a few more fish were caught on the surface. The day was getting long and I headed back to the parking lot, the two black truck were gone, replaced by one white truck. As I was dewadering (i'm submitting this word to Websters) a young couple came bounding in with youthful strides. The women was dweaing teal-colored waders, and I hollered out "Where did you get those fancy wader?" the guy replied, "and she's got matching ..." "How did y'all do?", I enquired. "Oh, we only caught 2 in an hour," he replied at the made their way to their truck.

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After I got home the headlines blared, "Wildfire burning in Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County"

https://www.wxii12.com/article/north-carolina-fire-breaks-out-in-sauratown/45883265

[Dougfish]

56

Monday.
First in the lot.
Rain is a coming.
Now or never for this week.

Boogied down low.
Smoke from the assorted forest fires was prevalent the whole drive down.
On the river, too.

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Very few risers today versus the last two trips.
Managed feesh anyhow.

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Even the rare double.
Its been awhile...

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How much the 100 cfs versus the prior 300 cfs looks like.
12"ish inches.

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Most of the fish came from moving water.
Not slick pools.

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Caught up to WB upstream.
Drank a beer as he worked up some more fish.
We hiked out most of the way after that.
I left him to torment a few more.

Another 25ish fish day.

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I'll let Keith fill you in about dis.

Passed another NC guy walking in at 3:30.
Scattered rain drops started hitting the windshield as soon as I pulled out. 

[Onslow]

Damn nice haul.

[creakycane]

A bunch of anglers around Monday up and down.   Saw Wooly as he was headed in and we chatted briefly.  Pretty much same as Doug's report for me:  small fish on surface with olives and midges, not as active as Friday.   I figure After river comes down with todays rain, will start back with larger weighted nymphs and buggers.  Water was clear, very low to fish some pools. Rain will do everything some good.

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 101  Overcast and cooler


With rain on the way Monday looked like the day to go, and after clearing the deck of chores I headed out. As I stepped out I noticed a puck of flies on the driveway beside the Honda's door. I was over in Greensboro and had stopped in at GOPC looking for some #20 bwo flies, they had none, so I headed over to the Orvis store and picked a dozen out of the bin not realizing that the were $3.99 each, holy mackerel, fifty-one dollars, damn! When I went fishing on Saturday, I shoved them into my pocket and got on the road, when I arrived at the river, I couldn't find them. I searched and searched the car and at home, finally retracing my steps I even went to Trader Joe's where I had stopped on the way, there was a slim possibility that i had dropped them as I checked out. They weren't there. So, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I found them in my driveway where they fell out as I was getting in the Honda on Saturday.

Now armed with a fresh batch of flies, calm winds, and cloudy conditions I was anticipating an enjoyable day of dry fly action. I geared up parked next to Doug's truck and @creakycane pulled up and we chatted for a while before I hiked into the trestle pool. The trees were filled with grackles and when they took to flight in unison it sounded like distant thunder. As I walked along the trail, I heard their dropping spatter like rain.

I'll post a video later, so check back.
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Along the way I kept glancing over at the water looking for risers, they were there on Saturday, but I didn't see any now. I had rigged the 2wt with a cdc olive and waded out into the topp of the run. The grackles were in the trees across the way and every now and then they would all fly off for a bit ane the sound of their wings beating in unison resembled the low rumble of distant thunder.  I only saw an occasional riser and cast to them when practical. I only managed to entice a few to snatch my fly and it was a lot more difficult than two days prior when I could do no wrong. Perplexed and frustrated, I sat down on the bench, popped the top of a beer and tied on a new leader and a bwo sparkle dun.
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I finished up working the trestle pool with a couple of punes and then headed up to the Big Pine Hole where I stood and watched for quite some time before finally deciding it was worth the effort to wade out into and across the river. After failing to get the attention of the fish in the closest run, I went out into the middle of the river to cast to a riser that was a bit better than the small fish that had splashy rises. Upstream I saw two anglers working the left-hand pool and then I heard Doug coming up the trail.


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He stood on the bank and watched me cast to my targeted fish and Bam! Fish on. This little rainbow put the little fiberglass rod to work, and it was an enjoyable fight to the net.

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After that I tried for a couple of other fish that doug saw rising but I failed, so up on the bank I went a popped a beer as we walked up the trail stopping at the Left-hand bench to watch the pair of angles flail away. It looked like they didn't really know what they were doing. I saw a couple of fish rise up against the far bank, and headed out to catch them as doug began to hike out.

I got both of them to rise, one of them twice, but no hook up today. I left and went to Sally's for a spell, and found more frustration there, changing flies and finally hooking a couple on a wet. I go high holed by some young guy in spiffy waders, he climbed the bank and leapt way on downstream, and I stated a bit longer, because the left hand anglers with out of state plates had driven in to the field and I was wondering if they would get locked in when the plant closed. The were headed downstream when I last saw them.

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It was close to five and I had had enough. I turned on some music and ate a snack while dewadering. I was just about to leave when the pair of anglers came up and parked in the lot. We had a nice conversation about the river. Turns out the they are Philpotts, one by marriage, and were up to the area to attend the funeral of John Philpott Sr.

I asked them if they had seen the benches and they agreed they were a nice addition, although they don't get to fish up here as often as they used to when they lived in Virginia.

On the way home, I called Damselfly to talk about JT as I had just heard that he had gone into hospice that morning.

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 102  Overcast and much cooler, gas $3.06

Layered up for this one. On the hike I ran into a pair of young anglers, one was carrying a fly rod and the other spinning gear. They were headed out to switch out the fly rod for another spinning rod. They said that the game was on and the fish were actively feeding. Or at least that is what I deciphered from their heavy southern accents and when I asked where they had been fishing, I just nodded that I understood the location they described and marched on in to Big Pine where I found a number of fish hitting the surface.

I had taken in the 2wt and was already regretting that decision as the wind began to pick up and mess with my cast. I caught a few punes on the margins and missed a few more before I started catching some better fish.

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I had 6 to hand and lost a good fish as a quick hook set pulled the #20 hook free. Damn it!

I was working the far seam now as there were several fish rising regularly. Then I heard the splashing of the newly armed spin fisherman coming across the water in the run above me. Pretty close, I thought. But I was wrong, he came right on down into my back cast and then, standing 6 feet behind me tossed his lure at the fish I had been casting to! WTF? I reeled in and moved on, I know I should have said something to educate this clown, but I figured that the damage was done.

His partner had low holed me, so I sat on a bench, drank a beer, and plotted my next move. Another fly guy came up from down around the corner and then headed out after mentioning to the spinners that he had caught a few. I went down low and tried to entice some risers to eat but it wasn't happening. Then I heard the first spin guy complaining to his buddy that he hadn't had any luck and wanted to try another spot.

After they cleared out I when back to big pine and caught a handful of punes.

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Things were slowing down and the fish had pretty much stopped feeding on the surface. I hiked up the trail and stopped at the left-hand pool and after a spell and seeing just enough fish poke through the surface I went in after them. Most were small at first, but when I moved over to the head of the pool I started getting into better fish.

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I caught enough there, and it was getting late, so I headed out with plans to check out Sally's before calling it a day. I saw an angler in the pool below Sally's and when I turned to go in, I saw a wadered up womed by the bench. We spoke for a while and when I asked what they were fishing with she said, "Alex". "No, what fly are you using?" "oh, some dry fly I think". I turned and looked downstream, and her comment made sense as I saw Alex guiding her husband. I told her that I had never seen Alex working before. We chatted some more and then I split.

Back at then parking lot, I was busy dewadering, and storing gear, when the trio came hiking out. We chatted some more and showed off pictures of our catch before I headed out for home.

[Dougfish]

Weekend.
You deserved that.

[Woolly Bugger]

here is the grackle video I shot the other day,

at the end you'll hear a pileated woodpecker going to town!

[Woolly Bugger]

#23 - 103  Mostly sunny and warmer with a bit more wind.

Unsheathed the SP today, worked one spot, caught a lot of fish on #22 midge pattern. It was mild in comparison to yesterday, perhaps I was layered better. Fished from 2 to 3:30, then thought about going downstream, but drank a beer and watched the water. When the fish started to rise again, I went in and caught some more.

There were a lot of midges on the water and the fish were continually active. I saw one solitary sulfur, which remined me that I saw a large yellow drake yesterday and watched it float on down for a ways before getting nabbed by a watchful trout.

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I left by 4:30, someone else came in late, but I didn't see them and they must have fished until dark.

[Dougfish]

57

The Christmas work has picked up.
Other obligations picked up.
I ate too much.
It rained 2.3".
But I had to get out.

It was Mon. 47 degrees, 10-20 winds.
Or Tues. 37 degrees, 15 -20 winds.
Easy decision?

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The bundled up look for the next few months.

It was blowing right down the river.
Casting an 11' leader with #18's and #20's was a foolish endeavor.
Yet there I was.
And no feesh were rising.

Fished the money stretch with the dry/emerger combo. Nothing.
Switched to a stonefly under a fluffy dry. Managed this guy.

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But that was it.
Reeled up and headed up to the bench.

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Ate some lunch, noticed some risers.
Went back to the dry rig and picked off a handful of the residents.

A new crop of bugs looks promising.

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Went upstream, following the sun on the water. Found more risers, whacked another handful.
Reeled up and headed home early.
Warmed up.

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Back to making big and little wreaths on Wed.

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[JCB3]

What's up with all the fencing behind the river walk place?

[Woolly Bugger]

What's up with all the fencing behind the river walk place?

That is a very good question — it looks like that have done some improvements to the area but I don't understand the fence - don't know who to ask — you can still access the ramp at the end of the lot