hump day

[Woolly Bugger]

#25 -- ??

Gas $2.89 / mid to upper 70s, partly cloudy and scattered showers, with a late thunderstorm.

back up the road I go, 2.5 hours to get there. This time I stopped in at the nine dollar beer joint and picked up a snadwhich and a new leader, oh I'll take one of those beers too. Such a different attitude, and much nicer facilities. I can't remember the name of the shop rat who served me, but he reported that business is good and picking up, and they had 6 boats out on the Watauga. Plan was to fish until the pulse came and then sit on the bank and eat lunch and drink a beer while waiting for it to pass. I guess I could nymph during the high flow, but I wasn't keen of bobber watching, maybe I'll take the euro next time and see how that does.

I went back to the same ole spot and hoped for some repeat action.

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login



There weren't as many sippers but I got a lot of hits swinging the soft hackle. You know the drill, you feel the thump and ask yourself, "is it there? Is it there? Is it really there? before setting the hook. And that still doesn't guarantee a hook up. I "missed" a lot of fish early on and saw a couple of large head tip up for the fly. On average the fish were a bit smaller today, but I didn't mind as they still bent the rod, I took the SP 4 wt., downsizing from the Recon 5 wt. The SP is quite a bit slower, and I had some difficulty adjusting to that action.

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


I was into double digits when the pulse came, there was a brief flourish of activity as the cold water hit, but it quickly died as the full flow hit. I waded over to the bank and ate my lunch and watched the red-winged blackbirds foraging along the river and calling out "conk-la-ree" guarding their territory and chasing away rivals. I was wishing I had my DSLR with telephoto lens, to snap a few photos of them as they perched on nearby branches.


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login



Things picked up as the flow subsided, the fish began feeding in the film on unseen bugs. I saw a few sulfurs floating by and I almost chased after one to try and snap a photo, but I was certain that another one would pass by closer and I would be ready, but that didn't happen, and I got up off my duff and began casting in the afternoon session.


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


It was about 8 to 1 browns over rainbows. Several of the browns made come leaps out of the water, but non of the rainbows did.

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


A guide in an Adipose waded his clients down through the shallow water and managed to sneak behind me so as not to disturb my run. I asked how floating on low water was, and he replied, "It sucks!" But it was a grand day to be out on the water.

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Things slowed down and by five o'clock I had enought, so I waded back down to the car and drove home. Shortly after a NWS alert sounded for "Severe Thunderstorm with damaging wind and hail" was reported to be moving towards Elizabethton! My drive was uneventful, but another alers warned of strong storms near Pilot Mt. until 7 PM. I missed that but was hit by a torential downpour and streaks of lightning across the sky just 5 minutes from home. I pulled in at 8:05
 
5 hours in the car, 6 on the water. 

[driver]

it only takes you 2.5 to get to Elizabethan?

[Woolly Bugger]

Elizabethan

South Holston, not Watauga... 
 

[Fishbug]

Worth the drive!