Lesson learned on da Smith!

Started by outdoorguy3, August 27, 2006, 10:59:29 AM

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outdoorguy3

Important lesson learned on the Smith!

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I took Mr. Dean/Muddler, a new resident of NC and Apex, up to the Smith yesterday for his first trip.

We arrived at the Citgo for my regular stop just before 7. After our pit stop at the Citgo I drove up to the dam showing Dean some of the local fishing spots and showing him some of the landmarks so that he would understand when he herad folks speak of Rosemont, loser Spec. Regs., Da big hill, the dam, the dam stretch and the Mirror Factory. We drove up to the dam to see what the river looked liked under one generator generation.
Drove back down the hill to the boundry of the lower Spec. Regs and riggged up and hit the water at the big hill. Took the water about 2 1/2 hours to reach us and took another 30 minutes to realize what the river would be like under one generator generation in this section of the river.

Here the the lesson folks! Under one generator generation, there are sections of the river that can be fished....especially those sections that might be right on the bank....but, DON'T think you can fish the river under one generator standing anywhere else but right on the bank. The water comes up approx. 12 inches and the flow is fishable but not wadeable except right along the banks!

We got out and moved to the Rosemont parking area and walked the tracks to the old field. The water was receeding and we were able to fish the last 30 to 45 minutes of the water receeding before the low flow got back to it's normal low flow!

Water was 52 degrees every where I checked the temp. and the whole time we were there. Dean started at the pool at the end of the trail out of the old field and I moved up stream about 300 yards. Fished from around 11 until 1 and manged 4 or 5 fish and had that many come unbuttoned. Had twice that many strikes but I assume the missed strikes were all small fish because all the fish caught and LDR'ed were in the 5 to 6 inch class with the excepiton of one 10 inch fish. Dean had several strikes as well. Dean fished pt nyumhs and grhe nymphs. I was fishing sh's.....who'd a thunk!

I walked down stream to the culvert get out and ran into another gentle man form Greensboro that had caught two fish on beetles. All the fish I saw hit on the top today looked to be hitting something blowing out of the trees when the wind would blow.

Once the generation flow receeded the water conditions are as everyone has been saying......extreamely clear. I'm not sure the fish know exactly what to do with the new weekend one hour, one generator, generation.

Saw a few bugs come off with a mix of everything sighted...Saw light colored mayflys, a couple of caddis flys and one yellow sally.

Talked to a local that worked his way up the river with his howling beagle dog and he made the comment that he has only caught one decent fish, all year, outta the big eddy hole just up stream from the trail that runs along the factory fence at the parking area at Rosemont. I also found a worm container with 10 or 12 worms still in it on the bank at this hole. Those worms were fed to the fish by me. Looks like the reason there aren't any decent fish in that hole is because the local poachers are pullin' them outta there at first light, or even at night! Tracks on the bank and around the sticks used for rod props were fresh which means some time after 9 pm on Friday and 7 am Sat. morning with the generation schedlue the way it was Friday and Sat.

There are fish to be had on the river. One thing that the weekend generation may have done is to spread the fish out more than usual, in that the water temps are more to the liking of the fish and the fish don't have to pile up in comfort zones as much as they did in the past. Just a thought!

Great time was had on the river and Mr. Dean/Muddler makes a great fishing partner....looking forward to doing it again, and my next time up on the river......hopefully I'll be able to stay longer next time!

See ya'll on the river,

Ralph    0--0
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troutphisher

I run into the same situation every now and then on the green river, fishing generating water can be a challange...he he.

But it's worth the challenge!  0--0

Nice report Ralph!
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.