Smith- fish, snakes, and thunderstorms

[5xTippett]

I headed up to Ridgeway on Friday afternoon. I chedked into the motel and headed to the river.  I was planning on following the falling water until dark.  However, they lied about the generation schedule and had cut the water off early.  I fished a little downstream of where I was originally planning.  That worked out fine because there was fog on the water and the fish were ready to play.  I caught a bunch from around 6:30 until 8:30.  It was pretty strong except the fish were pretty much dinks, even by Smith standards.  I got back in the car and was heading downstream by the place I had entered the water, when I noticed a snake in the road.  It looked a little chunky for my taste, so I got out and went to look at him in the car lights.  It was a copperhead, so I hopped back in the car and squished him flat.  He happened to be in a spot I normally enter the water when I fish that pool and I don't want pucture holes in my waders.  I then rode back to Ridgeway and visited with Dean, who besides being one of the nicest guys I know, can also fish with the best of them.  I got up Saturday Morning, checked a spot downstream, saw nothing moving and headed back upstream to where I was originally going Friday.  I hopped in the water and caught a fish on my second cast.  I caught  fish steadily for the next couple of hours.  I did not have periods of fish on every other cast like Friday, but it was more fun, because they were some what bigger.  Around 12:30 or so I heard a rumble and realized  I was coming under attack by a pretty serious thunderstorm.  I sat in the car for an hour and a half.  When the storm had passed the river had turned into chocolet milk.  Time to go home.

[Woolly Bugger]

gotta love those bigger Smith River Browns!

[blue ridge angler]

some nice lookin' fush..

[troutphisher]

Thats the way to get'em........

[Al]

Better watch out Ben, them tree huggers are going to get you for squishing that poor snake -0- -0-

[5xTippett]

Albert,  He was in a spot I have been known to enter the river.   I do believe I've seen you wandering around in there from time to time, also. I did not think either one of us needed twin holes punched in our waders.