Pretentious Snobby Bastard Fly Fishing!

Fly Fishing Reports => Local Trip Reports => Topic started by: 5xTippett on May 13, 2012, 10:53:27 AM

Title: Smith
Post by: 5xTippett on May 13, 2012, 10:53:27 AM
I got my twins graduated from college last Saturday and had them home for a week!  They headed for Atlanta yesterday so it was time to go fishing.  My wife said have at it, so off I went.  I had a late start and arrived at Martinsville at around 2:30.  By the time I had filled up with gas I decided not to go way upstream because I was running late.  I started out at the end of the old special regs.  I saw a few sulfurs popping off and some midges but I was in a beetle mood.  I had 1 eat a beetle and that was it.  I loaded up and went further downstream to escape the midges and sulfurs and find some hungry fish.  I stopped at a place that doesn't have a lot of fish but they are a little bigger on average.   I caught a few there and rolled on downstream to where I normally finish up.  Took me a few minutes to get wired in but I finished up with a few more and headed home.  I didn't catch a ton of fish but I caught a few nice ones for the Smith.  I caught 5 or 6 little ones and the rest were in the slot.

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login

Title: Re: Smith
Post by: consumnfire1229 on May 13, 2012, 15:38:11 PM
Nice report.  I love those Smith River brownies, even though most are smaller in size.  Next to last pic is a beauty!    'c;
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: Al on May 14, 2012, 14:41:24 PM
You did good Ben 'c;  I was there yesterday. Did OK, but more rainbows then browns and the browns were definitely not as large as those you caught. Will write up report shortly.
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: Mudwall Gatewood 3.0 on May 14, 2012, 15:11:27 PM
Ben, Al, Doss, and all other Smith River regulars – are you keeping some of the smaller browns?  Do you know if others are creeling these runts?  Is the recommendation heeded by any?
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: Dougfish on May 14, 2012, 15:18:34 PM
Quote from: Mudwall Gatewood on May 14, 2012, 15:11:27 PM
Ben, Al, Doss, and all other Smith River regulars – are you keeping some of the smaller browns?  Do you know if others that are creeling these runts?  Is the recommendation heeded by any?

I have taken my four home only once. Most of the time I forget to bring a stringer. And BTW, that's a small meal for me and the missus.
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: Mudwall Gatewood 3.0 on May 14, 2012, 16:02:17 PM
A half dozen is the limit, I think.  And even 6 of those little guys will not feed 2.  I've been freezing them and will eventually have enough for a proper meal.

I have that gut feeling that very few are keeping any. 
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: 5xTippett on May 14, 2012, 17:55:03 PM
Stephen, half of mine were in the slot and half were about 5 inches! 
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: 5xTippett on June 03, 2012, 15:35:26 PM
I am too lazy to start another thread so I will continue this old one.  I headed back to the Smith yesterday morning.  Peewee called me on the way and said he was on his way, too.  He called me a little while later and said it was muddy downstream so that narrowed things down quite a bit.  I filled up at the Sheetz station for $3.09 and headed on up to the river.  I once again decided ahead of time to fish beetles and hopefully weed out the smaller boys.  I knew I wouldn't catch as many as if I fished sulfurs but hopefully they would be bigger. I fished a spot for a while and caught a decent rainbow that  had been in there for a spell, but the browns weren't playing at first.  I finally caught a few browns and a couple of more decent rainbows.  There were sulfurs popping off but I was sticking to my guns and ignored them.  About the time I would consider shifting gears I would hook a fish.  I hit the end of the stretch I was fishing and headed back to the car.  I went downstream, and was fishing back to the car when I caught a large brook trout.  That was the first one I have caught out of the Smith.  I realize I owe that pleasure to the hatchery truck, but that is ok.  I was standing there thinking that I had probably made the right decision by sticking to my guns by fishing beetles because I had caught 4 browns in the slot, 3 rainbows and 1 brook that had were of decent size and had been in the river a while and some dink browns.   About that time a truck pulled up and Peewee hopped out and informed me that he got in the sulfurs with a new fly he was experimenting with and caught over 25 with it.  OK, maybe I screwed up! b';  I caught 2 more dink browns after he left.

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Title: Re: Smith
Post by: Dougfish on June 04, 2012, 05:49:10 AM
Once they start keying on terrestrials it's tough to go back to dries. Good fish!  bd;0
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: Woolly Bugger on June 04, 2012, 09:02:34 AM
good work Ben, and have peewee send me a few of his sulfur pattern, 'cause mine doesn't work that well,

jis say'in
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: 22midge on June 04, 2012, 10:22:14 AM
Woolly I lost my good waterproof camera in a deep hole this week up on the Smith but as soon as I can get a battery charged at home I will try to send you a pic of the sulfur..its really the Holston pattern but they dont seem to mind the out of town bug.
Title: Re: Smith
Post by: Woolly Bugger on June 04, 2012, 10:52:24 AM
hate you dropped your camera, I got a mask and fins if you want to look around for it....

I use the same ole elk hair comaradun that works for me on the S.Holston... but last night, where we were, they were pretty darn picky...