I promised another TR after this past weekend's trip, and here it is. I'm still on my quest of researching, exploring, and finding native brookies in my local SC streams and neighboring SC counties. I've seen at least two sources stating this stream is native habitat, so off I went. I got a bit of a late start since I forgot my wallet at home and had to turn around to get it. b';
When I finally made it to my parking spot, I was relieved to see nobody had beat me there. This is a fairly popular hiking/backpacking area, so I was afraid I wouldn't be the only one social distancing that morning.
(https://i.imgur.com/2MCFk93.jpg?1)
The hike in starts above the headwaters of a feeder creek of my targeted water, so I has glad the hike in was going to be all downhill. Sadly that meant I wasn't looking forward to the hike out. It's also an old logging road, so it was nice and wide without any obstacles.
(https://i.imgur.com/juJt9iZ.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/AzkRV4g.jpg?1)
There were MANY creek crossings on this trail, this being the previously mentioned feeder creek.
(https://i.imgur.com/Zij59et.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/jsYPRxh.jpg?1)
Ah yes, the first crossing of my targeted stream. I decided to continue down the trail for a few miles and fish back up.
(https://i.imgur.com/hDG5PkA.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/wxlcMh0.jpg?1)
I saw lots of critters and signs of critters.
(https://i.imgur.com/DFj5Qip.jpg?1)
At every creek crossing, I would try the best looking hole before continuing down the trail. I was getting pretty disheartened when all I could manage were some chubs. I was starting to wonder if my intel was off. I finally had a nice hit under one of the foot bridges at a crossing when I pulled this guy out.
(https://i.imgur.com/Is9hJkq.jpg?1)
Not what I was hoping for. Let's go back upstream and work up from there to some skinnier water. Maybe my quarry will be there. I went back up the trail a mile or so and hopped in the stream at a nice hole and worked up from there. I immediately started catching puny bows, and continued to hook one in every single hole I came across. These guys were voracious!
(https://i.imgur.com/ZASXKIh.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/8ka3gN9.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/zaMTnNO.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/9glN5WK.jpg?1)
After crossing the log in the above picture, something bright reddish pink on a rock caught my eye. I turned to see what it was and saw the biggest creek lobster I've ever seen in the wild. That thing was massive.
(https://i.imgur.com/huD9BPM.jpg?1)
More bows that I could shake a stick at. If my info was correct about the brookies, I still had a ways to go. I needed to find a barrier of some kind. I knew this creek had been rehabbed for brookies at some point.
(https://i.imgur.com/FSbP7T9.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/a3N9XBI.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/YwgLJPy.jpg?1)
That crawdad better be glad he was a good ways downstream from here.
(https://i.imgur.com/dIFP0zX.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/P5Ue0qN.jpg?1)
I was about to lean against a log leaning out over the water to cast to a hole upstream when I happened to look down at the log as I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
(https://i.imgur.com/fahVe47.jpg?1)
NOPE. I can deal with a lot of things, but spiders aren't one of them. If this guy had ended up on me, the thrashing would have spooked everything in a mile radius from me.
(https://i.imgur.com/s5sVb0p.jpg?1)
Eventually I realized I needed to find the trail and head back. The wife would be expecting me home soon. I decided to make the hike up and out.
Talk about resiliency.
(https://i.imgur.com/DtkbsC4.jpg?1)
On the way out, I went up the forest road just a ways to check a road that I knew led to another brookie stream, but I didn't know if it was a road or a trail, and I didn't know if it was gated or not. Sadly it was gated, which meant a 7-8 mile hike to get to said stream. However, I came across this overlook on the way there, which made the short detour worth it.
(https://i.imgur.com/8y6kpal.jpg?1)
After getting home and speaking with someone and checking my maps again I realized there's a fairly popular waterfall not far upstream of where I had to stop that is likely the barrier I was hunting all day. I had passed the side trail to it on the way in. b';
Oh well. Sometimes you don't know until you go.
Bravo, sir. Cockroaches today, brookies tomorrow. -+;
I would still call that a good day.
Damn good day ,Sir .. Good flicks and thx for sharing. If it would just stop raining here the creeks would get back in their banks and maybe I can get a bite
JT
Not a thing wrong with wild bows. Nice trip!
Beautiful healthy looking fish. 👍🏻
Again, nice day to get out.
Good for you for chasing down SC streams!
Raymond