Yes- A Stone Mountain Report............

Started by Beetle, October 24, 2009, 20:47:24 PM

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Beetle




Best day ever at Stone Mountain........ :)


No rod, reel or vest.  No hip-boots or waders.  Not even a tied fly if you don't count the old Fat Albert hanging from the sun visor in my truck.  After checking on "base camp", as Will calls it, we headed into Stone Mountain to wait on the rest of our pack.  We were early so we took off from the lower lot and headed up Stone Mountain Creek to look for brookies and anything else we could find on this beautiful autumn day. 

I scanned the water and soon found a magnificent male brookie perusing the rocks in his small but manageable kingdom.  Like a pit boss checking on his dealers, he aggressively monitored each spot in his realm and, once satisfied, swam with purpose to the next.  We watched him work for several minutes before heading up through the cover.  I put on the brakes before stepping onto this northern water snake taking a nice sun bath.

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It must have been snake day at the park- because not long after hooking up with the pack and starting our 4.5 mile loop trail we found a feisty little garter snake and let the kids have at him, musk and all......

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Saw a lot of fishermen on the way in and out.  I even checked the Bullhead registry to see if anyone I knew had tried it.  There were no players today and it seemed there had been very little activity at all on Bullhead over the last two weeks.  I don't know what happened up there- but it just isn't the same place anymore.  Gone are the spooky, pouty pellet pigs that refused anything and everything only to rise to a size 8 Stimulator during a nice rain.......... :P

Saw some small grey caddis and a ton of greenie weenies for anyone that might head up there....

The hike was longer than I remember but the kids did great and we only had one casualty. 

Thought I might share some of today's scenery.....

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Woolly Bugger

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!

croaker

-you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.  Robert A. Heinlein.

Trout Maharishi

I'm mad because I didn't get invited. I miss doing things with kids :(
"We're all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing."
― Charles Bukowski

5xTippett

Great job, Beetle.  Which on the cubs was yours?

flatlander


twinbridges

About twenty five years ago we did all the design work for the park.  The entry road, the campsites both developed and trails to primitive sites, and parking areas etc.  You may remember before then a sunday afternoon when there would be 200 cars parked AT the base of the mountain with erosion everywhere.  A lot of the work was finding the most delicate resource and protecting it from being overly loved.

Camped up there last year and remembered a site we had drawn overlooking a meadow at the edge of the woods and it was open.  Very nice spot and good to see it a number of years later.

It was hard work but we did it and got PAID!

Great piece of property much of which was given to the state by Phil Hanes from W-S.  What a nice gift to us all.

Beetle

5x- far left.....the gunslinger

Twin- I definitely remember Stone Mountain before the redesign- especially the old road and its ruts.  They "let" you camp almost anywhere in the park- including along the Roaring River.  I also remember hiking to the top when there were no steps, walks or cables.  You guys did a great job reworking things- particularly keeping most of the campers and picnic/daytrips further up towards the trailheads (and not down in the trout fishing areas).

What a piece of property.  We are really lucky to have this park.


troutphisher

Awsome photo's bug.......bravo!....... 0--0
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

Hate, Hate, Hate the Fence at the top of the falls....

always use to sit / lay on the rocks and look at the view, now it's obstructed by the fence and it hasn't prevented Darwin Awards from being handed out...

Steps, I'll accept because of the erosion, but not the fence. I wish it was gone.

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!

Stone-Man

Good stuff, Sir.

  I have fished  SMSP on many occasions. It is a totally different place now than when I 1st slung a bug in there,but it does have some great scenery and some really nice "hidden" spots off tha 'main'

  JT

twinbridges

Wooly
I don't remember drawing any fence thing so I guess that was the safty monster upgrade!

Woolly Bugger

#12
Quote from: twinbridges on October 26, 2009, 11:04:10 AM
Wooly
I don't remember drawing any fence thing so I guess that was the safty monster upgrade!

I'll post some pictures next time I'm there... It's at the top of the stairs and the "Jumping off" point for the Darwin Award Winners. Now they 1.) read the warning sign 2.) climb over fence 3.) step in stream and 4.) receive Award

Here is the latest winner: http://www.digtriad.com/news/local_state/article.aspx?storyid=100344

No award appear to have been handed out in 2009...

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!

Labrador

Nice Pics...Looks like a good time was had.  Besides the snakes of course.