Great Fishin' Weekend

[barleywater]

    Arrived in the SMNP @ 11:00 Friday with my BIL.  We hiked in and fished a beautiful stream that I had hiked on last year with my family.  The air temp was about 50-deg. or so.  The water was still up from recent rains but mostly clear.  I tied on a stone fly nymph because of the high water, but before I had made a cast in the first pool, I saw a trout rising and sipping in the surface film of a small eddy.  I could see some dark gray mayflies about size 18.  I tied on a 16 quill gordon and made a few casts away from his lane to get in the groove.  Then I cast to the trout.  I cast upstream and let my fly drift right in front of him.  Just like he was supposed to do, he rose right under the fly and sipped it in.  It was an 11" rainbow, I netted him and released him.  I thought at this point, that this is to good to be true.  Well that 'bow was to be the biggest fish of the day but not the last.  I don't know how many little wild fish came to hand but it was 15 or more.  Other than the first 'bow, the best fish was a 8" wild brown that was just where he was supposed to be in a small pocket in front of a boulder that split the stream.  He jumped and fought harder than his size.  It was a great day on a pretty stream, a good cigar, some good bourbon with my good fishing partner.
    It rained almost all that night, some showers were pretty heavy.  By Saturday AM the little stream by our cabin was up and muddy.  Over coffee and breakfast we decided to forego hiking a couple of miles into the backcountry.  We didn't want to walk all that way just to find muddy, hard to fish water.  We drove over to a DH river.  It was up and muddy also, but at least we didn't work very hard to get there.  My BIL was trying to get in the river where the water was really fast and muddy and he could not see the rocks below the surface.  I got into the river at an easier place and caught 3-brook trout before he even got into the water.  I was using a nymph that I tie that doesn't look like anything it is supposed to look like. Ain't DH great for your fishing ego?  I had an incredible day.  It stopped raining for a couple hours and there was a great hatch.  We caught a bunch of fish on dry flies and more on wets and nymphs.  I caught about 30 fish that day.  Once again, fishing with my good friend, makes a good day even better.
    Sunday morning we stopped at a tailwater on the way back home for a few hours of fishing.  They were generating, so wading was really difficult.  I caught one on a stone fly nymph before loosing my fly on a rock.  I missed a couple more strikes before bagging it.  My BIL caught 3, also on a SFN.
    We had a great time laughing and fishing in spite of the weather.  And in spite of the hole in my waders.  Then it was time to get back to the real world.
Barleywater.

[Roffwarg]

nice report. The way you described that first 11" fish was great. gotta love when those "picture perfect" fishing moments happen. I'm heading up to the park in 2 weeks and it's good to hear that they're biting.

[TROUTMASTER3000]

Nice report.  Was like reading a real fly-fishing book.  Actually reminded me of death, tax, and leaky waders.  Thanks...

[barleywater]

Roff, 2 weeks should be perfect.  There were small quills coming off but very few rising fish.  In a couple weeks they should really be looking up.  It is good to see some water in the streams.  Be sure and let us know how your trip goes.

Bend your barbs!

Barleywater