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Soho detour

Started by troutphisher, April 06, 2008, 21:47:58 PM

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troutphisher

Glassfisher, Woolly and I had planed to meet up with Kylemc and TxFly to fish the soho today, but when Glass and I arrived at the lower section of the river is was a blow out. The recent rains turned the water cloudy and stained. The water was up about a 1ft, and there was no generation.

Glass and decided to start fishing while we waited for Kyle, TxFly and Woolly to show.
Kyle stopped by in his truck and said he was going up stream, and TxFly was fishing from his canoe in the slick water. Glass and I hung around for another 30 minutes and fished. Glass managed two fish both on streamers, with a sink tip line. I had none.

We decided to go up stream and find Kyle, and Tx, when woolly called, and said he was not interested in fishing the soho in this condition, and suggested the Watauga. Glass and I didn't find Kyle and Tx up stream, so we decided to follow Woolly's plan and head for the Watauga.

We got to the Watauga about 11:30am and the weather was just off color, much better conditions the soho.

We hiked down stream from were we parked to one of woolly favorite runs and started fishing. We could see fishing rising to midges but decided to nymph fish for a while. Woolly was soon into a nice rainbow trout, in full colors. I have never fished this section of the river, and didn't know what to expect, but the fishing looked good and the fish were awesome.

I tied on a harrops accenting caddis and dropped a midge pattern that was a gift from the holy one Trout Maharishi. I was soon into some nice hard fighting rainbows. I tried several on the Maharishi midge patterns and they all worked. Thanks again TM!

Around 1:00 pm the fish started to boil on the midges, the hatch was incredible.
they were so thick, I cupped my hand in the water and caught one. It was a Grey midge with a fat blunt body about a size 20.

So I switched fly's and put on a size 20 Griffiths knat. That was the ticket and I was soon into fish. They would chase the fly down in some cases and hit it hard.

Woolly fished just up stream from me and put the same pattern on. We had a blast catching rainbows, browns and a few brook trout. The hatch lasted all afternoon and we caught lots of fish. Several time we had doubles. Woolly tricked a nicely colored brown with the midge and called to me get a picture, he didn't see I also has a fish on. So I managed to hold my fish on the line while a snapped of picture of Woolly brown, then return to bring the rainbow I had on to hand.

The action was so fast, I had to break several times. I stayed with the Griffiths knat and woolly changed back to nymphing and moved a little down stream.
Glass was fishing a section down stream with a deep pool, casting his streamer had catching some nice fish.

Glass came back up stream, and I moved down stream. Glass fished the run woolly and I had a blast dry fly fishing, Glass rigged a dropper pattern and was soon into some nice rainbows and browns.

Woolly came down to fish the other side of the run I was on, I was still casting drys and Woolly was nymphing.

I noticed an otter on the opposite bank, sneaking around the boulders before entering the water. Woolly and I watched it for a while. It was pretty cool to see the otter swimming along the cliff rock bank and maneuvering in and out of the shelfs and over hangs.

About 30 minutes later, we saw the otter coming back up stream where we were, and the otter had some success fishing too. It had a nice 8" brook trout in it's mouth and was headed to dinner. It was cool to natures most perfect fishing machine.

We finally called it a day around 7:30 and head back to the cars and have a few swigs of scotch. It was a great day fishing. One of those days you pick a dry fly pattern and the fish key in on it. It was the best dry fly fishing of the year so far. We all caught good numbers of fish.

Here's some pic's of the day.
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.

Woolly Bugger

Here's some cell phone pics to go along with Karl's report...
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!

Woolly Bugger

I say something about the trip.. but Karl said it all...
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!

kylemc

I t was nice waving at you Karl.I talked to Wool for all of about 1 minute...maybe next time 8)

Woolly Bugger

Quote from: kylemc on April 06, 2008, 23:10:02 PM
I t was nice waving at you Karl.I talked to Wool for all of about 1 minute...maybe next time 8)

waddaya gonnado talk or fish???  0--0 ;D ;hb
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!

brownhunter

Very nice report and pics. Thanks for sharing and also glad you were able to find some fishable water.  ;hb
"Why, he wondered, did rich people call it sushi while poor people called it bait?"   -- Same Kind of Different as Me

walt

sounds like ya'll had a great day over in tn, sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeett.  0--0

walt
"All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain."
— Cormac McCarthy

Gofisher

Sounds like a blast! Nice net... ;)
Yankee by birth, Rebel by choice.

Woolly Bugger

My take:

6:00 am alarm... lost cell phone leads to late start
GPS said arrival @ 9:00 not too bad considering
Watched the UNC fiasco and forgot to buy my TN license on-line
Wal-mart detour -- long line for licenses
Called TP -- no answer
Ran into Kyle and Maniac on Big Spring Rd.
Txfly stopped by and drove off (not sure what kind of miscommunication occurred there?)
Kyle and Maniac ran off and I hit the water, Txfly followed them.
Fishing the muddy SoHo with didymo floating down the river. Nasty conditions.
Karl called and asked what I was doing, when I replied fishing, he said "What for?"
I dove to meet Mike and Karl and they asked if I knew any clear water, Watauga I replied.
We drove over an hiked in.
Clear cold water.
Copper johns, brassies and wd40's brought fish to hand.
Midge magic and frustration.
Fishing otter
Single malt scotch
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!

Woolly Bugger

#9
Quote from: Gofisher on April 07, 2008, 07:52:22 AM
Sounds like a blast! Nice net... ;)

Yeah the "Ghost Net" is the ticket for catch and release! I really is easy on the fish and your dropper flies aren't going to get caught in the netting! Highly recommend them, however the smallest size is a bit big for your smaller trout. The big bow in Karl's shot was pushing 15"  :-X

It's the Gallatin Model  :o

http://ezflyfish.stores.yahoo.net/brgarunet.html
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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!

Txfly

I'm glad you guys made the best of it. We drove to every access point looking for you and were hoping you didn't turn around and go home.

From my end:

I was on the water before first light, brought the canoe to fish a long slow glide that has some big fish in it. As I was poling it upstream over a six inch flat, fish scattered everywhere...looked like a shotgun start at a bassmasters tourney...anyway, I had about 8 or 10 eats on monster streamers but only brought one fish to hand, the fifteen inch brown below (that streamer is over six inches). Had one eat that sounded like a toilet flushing...really nice fish.

I hung around and waited for signs of life (Kyle and Maniac)...about 9:15 they roll up and say they're heading ustream. I load up the canoe and start rollin'. See them talkin' to Wolly and we head on up. We ended up at the step weir and waded downstream.
Caught several fish before they sarted to run the water, when it came on, they shut down...had a good hatch of BWO's coming off.
By the time we hiked back up the water started coming back down, sp we decided to hit the step weir.
Fish were everywhere...more than usual (we believe a fresh stocking of bows).
We caught good numbers of 12-15 inch browns and the occasional stocker bow.

Kyle and Maniac decide to go eat and try to find wooly. I stay behind to guard the fort.
As I proceed to bang these little trout I see a torpeedo coming straight at me from under the bridge. STRIPER!!!
I go back to the truck and grab a streamer rod.
I come back to the same spot and start looking for this pig...
I see it, it comes up by the weir under a stocker rainbow, opens it's mouth, and turns. It's a FUCKING BROWN!!!!!
This fish was a monster, it continued doing laps and coming under the stockers. this fish was NOT midging.

Maniac and Kyle return, Maniac is on the weir w/ me and I find the fish and show it to him ....
I continue to explain the little circuit it was running and how I had had 6 or 8 follows but no commitments.
I cast ahead of this beast and get hung on a rock, start shaking the fly line violently to get it un-hung, the fish is very curious and darts over to inspect...I thought he was gonna grab it. Nope.
He continues crusing under the stockers waiting for a meal....I cast ahead of him again, he lunges for the fly and I SET the hook....I got him!!!
As he turns, I see that I have foul hooked him in the top of the head. Oh Shit!
Kyle decides to get up from his comfy pearch on the grass when he sees my eight weight doubled over.

I subdue the fish in very short order (I don't fuck around). Maniac is on the net, my "vest net" is oversized, bigger than most boat nets.
After a few swipes at the fish he nets it!

I pull the hook out and am digging in my bag for the tape measure when the fish comes back to life and jumps out of the net!!!
Mind you, a foot and a half of fish was already sticking out of the net!!
At least it swam off ok.
We estimated the fish to be 32-34 inches long and any where from 15-20 pounds, I'm thinkin' closer to 15.
The only thing we have to show for it is the bite it took out of Maniacs thumb when he stuck his hand in it's mouth!

So, all in all for a "shitty condition" day, it panned out ok for me as well. 0--0

brownhunter

Mmmm!! I like me some Hooters!!!
Oh yeah, TXFly, nice report and pictures.
"Why, he wondered, did rich people call it sushi while poor people called it bait?"   -- Same Kind of Different as Me

Txfly

Quote from: Woolly Bugger on April 07, 2008, 05:46:44 AM
Quote from: kylemc on April 06, 2008, 23:10:02 PM
I t was nice waving at you Karl.I talked to Wool for all of about 1 minute...maybe next time 8)

waddaya gonnado talk or fish???  0--0 ;D ;hb

Yeah, sorry about the drive off.
Figured you were followin' Kyle as well and we'd meet up upstream.

Woolly Bugger

Quote from: brownhunter on April 07, 2008, 09:10:21 AM
Mmmm!! I like me some Hooters!!!
Oh yeah, TXFly, nice report and pictures.
??? coulda shoulda got some hooters in the picture besides the glass   :j
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!

troutphisher

Damn! we got dumped and ditched for beer and hooters?  :'(
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.