Yaddy-Ho

[Onslow]

I was hoping to find some hybrids and whites swimming about above Kerr Scott.  I couldn't find one piece of intel on the web that suggests they're there this time of year.

The launch site was the upper canoe access near the lake mouth on the south side of the river.  It is easy to miss.  The Overmountain Victory trail runs along the river there.

I paddled and fished up the river and even  though the water is relatively low, it took effort to push against the current and made it up to the Stoney Fork confluence.  I'm guess the actual flow as between 320 cfs.

I'd been in this part of the world 15 years ago and on that trip, I saw some  browns taking to the top. I had no idea there were wild browns that low, called Kin Hodges, and informed me there were good numbers around Champion .

There as Army Corp paint on the trees so I took the 5 wt. Up to indulge. Didn't see a bass or trout.  The stream looked less silty now, but in 2010, many areas in the watershed had been clear cut.  I'm not sure if the trout are gone from the clear cutting, or warming nighttime temps or if they simply weren't biting.  There used to be smallmouth in the stream as well.  The four pics below are all of Stoney Fork.

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I did catch a few spots and lost a fair smallmouth on the Y.

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No Alabama bass were caught.

Probably won't be back.       

[Woolly Bugger]

looks like a pretty nice day to be on the water...