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Meatless

Started by Onslow, April 21, 2023, 19:56:29 PM

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Onslow


A group of homies including myself had planned on camping in a very remote and inaccessible part of VA with plans to both explore and indulge.  Said trip was cancelled due to the potentially violent weather rolling in on the main fishing day.

I kinda was still in a brookie mood, and promised myself I would spend a full day on this creek.  I did fairly well at the upper reaches last Spring in terms of size of fish caught.  With it being later in the year, I thought my chances were high do do well on this trip.

Sometimes we get our sign early on.  Today's sign.  Well, I tested a very old but large bear spray canister for pressure.  As I sat down to put on my boots, a gentle breeze moved the fog over me :laugh: .  Should have packed in and left right then.

The plan today was to focus on browns for the first half of the trip, and then brookies on the second half.

It was a buggy morning. Had I known things were going to be the way they were, and probably would have rolled the dice doing dries with the glass rod. The new 3 wt I was using feels like a streamer rod.  No likey.

Fishing started slow, and the first was a brookie, WTH. I labored, and fished and labored, and the only thing I could catch all day were brookies between 5 and 7 inches.  After I started nymphing with a smaller rig for the brookies near the brookie wall, and nice brown smashed it, and broke the leader.

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OK wildlife gurus, this track is 4 inches wide.  What the hell is this?  looks like a cat track, but that would be a whopper of a kitty. I've heard of 45 pound bobcats in Allegheny county, but damn.

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This is the falls above Devils pool.  This sucked so bad around 1:30, I didn't even catch a fish there.

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At the top of the gorge, a large trib comes in on the left.  The confluence is junky, but after a bit, the woods open up.  The trib however is very steep up a bit.

Junk pic ...working my way up the trib.
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There were a couple pools that looked really good.  I had 15 minutes to mend the leader, tie on the fly, and catch a fish before needing to head back.  Fish caught, caught, mission accomplished

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End of the line at the trib.

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Gates of hell were just ahead.  My geriatric ass was beat.

The main stem is still fishable above the confluence.  This is about 150 yds up.

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Stuck my fingers in the indention to confirm it was a bear track.  Pointed the opposite direction of my food.

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Probably won't be back anytime soon.  Not much traffic if any above mile two.  The creek is getting hammered down low.



Was a long day. Fished for 3 miles, and probably clocked in over 8 miles today. It truly wasn't worth it although it is always a delight to see some cool animal tracks and showy orchids.  This creek also has orange fringed orchids nearby that bloom in mid August. 


Trout Maharishi

#1
Definitely black panther tracks :laugh: Is that a timber rattler in the water?
"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

Onslow

Quote from: Trout Maharishi on April 21, 2023, 20:14:20 PMDefinitely black panther tracks :laugh: Is that a timber rattler in the water?

A water moccasin my pet black panther was playing with.

Woolly Bugger

how was the scramble up around the falls through all that rodo hell?
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

 :Dance
Waders?
Had we pulled it off, it was to be a wet wading w/e.
"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

greg

Damn that snake picture made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I hate snakes.

Onslow

Quote from: Dougfish on April 22, 2023, 05:25:29 AM:Dance
Waders?
Had we pulled it off, it was to be a wet wading w/e.

Heck no. I didn't even put on a base layer today. I never wear waders while fishing small creeks.

Onslow

#7
Quote from: Woolly Bugger on April 21, 2023, 21:57:10 PMhow was the scramble up around the falls through all that rodo hell?

I climbed up the face of the 15' waterfall. I did have to get out for the upper rock snarl, but the rhodo was as more of an asset for entry as there is no need to be hasty on re entry.   Nearly broke my leg last year roadside after slipping on wet grass, then hitting a rock with my foot at high speed.

Sulphurs were hatching as well as a pumpkin colored fly.  Various stones including the yellow sally, and some caddis were popping as well.
It has been so long since normal Spring flows have been experienced, I completely forgot about the dry fly option.  This creek in these conditions is well suited for drys. I stuck my largest brown here on a dry, and Grayson caught a 14" brown here years ago on a dry.

Woolly Bugger

Quote from: Onslow on April 22, 2023, 06:53:28 AMI climbed up the face of the 15' waterfall.

damn you crazy  :o
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!

Onslow

Quote from: Woolly Bugger on April 22, 2023, 08:27:05 AM
Quote from: Onslow on April 22, 2023, 06:53:28 AMI climbed up the face of the 15' waterfall.

damn you crazy  :o


Nah, you could easily do it. Plenty of toe and finger ledges.  Just make sure your toes not end up in wet moss. Start left, and east up to the bench indention just to the right of the ledge lip. Heck I did it with a pole in hand.

Trout Maharishi

Quote from: Onslow on April 22, 2023, 06:53:28 AM
Quote from: Woolly Bugger on April 21, 2023, 21:57:10 PMhow was the scramble up around the falls through all that rodo hell?
Sulphurs were hatching as well as a pumpkin colored fly.  Various stones including the yellow sally, and some caddis were popping as well.

The pumpkin colored flies may have been male Hendricksons. It's the right time of year for them.
Troutnut Photo
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"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

Trout Maharishi

Quote from: greg on April 22, 2023, 06:27:59 AMDamn that snake picture made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I hate snakes.

I have a friend who can't hardly look at one. He says there's only 2 types of snakes. Live ones and dead ones.  :laugh:
"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

Native Fisher

Northern water snake.  They will scare the crap out of you at first sight as they can be aggressive and look very similar to a copper head.

Mudwall Gatewood 3.0

Quote from: Native Fisher on April 24, 2023, 08:46:39 AMNorthern water snake.  They will scare the crap out of you at first sight as they can be aggressive and look very similar to a copper head.

Yes, the low shoulder varmint responsible for the only snake bite I ever received.  When I was young, while hand fishing for redeye during the summer with a bunch of other kids, I brought out an NWS from under a rock ledge, attached to my pointer finger.  The snake let go and I immediately got queasy; the mountain urchins laughed.   

Nice photo. 
"Enjoy every sandwich."  Warren Zevon

Onslow

Quote from: Native Fisher on April 24, 2023, 08:46:39 AMNorthern water snake.  They will scare the crap out of you at first sight as they can be aggressive and look very similar to a copper head.

I rarely see any snakes in the mountainous portions of the Yadkin watershed. I still have yet to encounter a rattler. 

Northern water snakes are most fun if you're float tubing in a pond down east. They will swim towards you head on, then dive right near one's crotch.