TN’s Tailraces

[tbird4]

I made my way up to TN Friday got to where I was staying on the Watauga by 3:30 and with a trip to the grocery store for some beer and other necessities, for the wife we were settled in by 5:30.  I knew I had some daylight and talked her into letting me loose for an hour or so.  I made my way over to the Soho to wet a fly; I went to a pretty popular spot and was in the water fishing by 6:00.  I could see some sulphur's popping off and some fish rising to them.  I tied on an emerger dry, but was having trouble seeing it and keeping it afloat in the swift water where a big brown was rising. I moved down to the tail of the run and could follow the drift much better.   After a couple ldr's I managed to get a nice bow to the net.  This fish put a nice bend in the rod, it ran me up and back down before I got it in the net.  Nice fish really colored up, and a good fight to boot.  I managed a couple more before my short amount of fishing time was up.  I got back to the house and the girls had gotten into the tequila pretty hard while I was out and both had a nice buzz.  I decided I needed to play catch up and started shooting it and chasing with brews needless to say it was a long night of drunken stupor.  I woke Saturday at 6:30 anxious to get of the water.  They wouldn't be running water until 4:00 so; I had the stretch in front of the house and upstream for a mile to myself and my bro-in law.  We quickly found some small brown trouts eager to take soft hackle on the swing.  We moved our way upstream trying not to bust ass on the slippery ass bowling balls for rocks that river has.  I made it up to a great riffle run and had some success with nymphs and dry's.  We headed back down to the house around 12:30 to grab a bite and a brew, and he decided he was done for the day, this is his first fly fishing outing.  He was worn out already, but he caught fish that's all that matters.  I had gotten in touch with a buddy that lives close by and we decided to head down river to another spot.  We met there at 2:30 to try our hand for a couple hours.  We jumped in and immediately were on fish I had a double nymph rig stone on top and Wb's swap nymph on the bottom, that I knew would flat out catch, so I tied up six or so.  This rig was the ticket, takes on both probably 2 to 1 on the smaller nymph, but the takes on the stone were much more aggressive.   I got tired of the nymph rig after 25 or 30 and fished a dry the rest of the time and only picked up a couple hungry bow's.  By this time it was getting late and it was time for some din din and some brew.  We said our goodbye's and swapped a few flies and hit the road.  Man what a day it was awesome.  Sunday I got up got the rented house in order and was on the road headed back to the soho by 10:00, I got there strung up and had a window of 2 hours of fishing, before we needed to be on the road home.  I jumped in and immediately saw a large pod of fish I had on an emerger dry with a zebra dropped off of it, I had a couple ldr's here and decided to move up into some quicker water to give them less time to study the fly.  I cast a couple times before hooking up with a nice brown on the dry, then another on the midge.  Then, all of a sudden I hear this huge crash of water out in front of me I start looking around and this brown trout long as my leg and big around as a basketball comes completely out of the water, trying to eat a bird taking flies off the surface of the water.  Biggest damn trout I have ever seen, like those trout in the record books.  I had to just stand there dumbfounded for 10 in or so before I could start fishing again.  When I did the fish were turned on, I caught probably 5 in 20mins.  I was freaking stoked.  I looked down river and the wife was giving me the time to leave look so I eased down to her with a drift in the water the whole time.  I hated leaving the water with fish this happy to take what I was dishing.  I had an awesome trip.      [attachimg=1]

[tbird4]

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[Beetle]

Way to go Tbird.  Glad you got out!! 

Did you bring lazy bones with you?

[tbird4]

nah, no room with all the baby stuff we had to take to grandpa's.
hey, did you float sat I saw a boat like yours and I saw a lab retrieving a tennis ball and thought of you.

[Get Bent]

Nice work man.. Glad you made on the Tauga!

[Woolly Bugger]

brown beer and brown trouts too! 

[WRector]

Nicely done Bro!  Nicely done   

[Beetle]

nah, no room with all the baby stuff we had to take to grandpa's.
hey, did you float sat I saw a boat like yours and I saw a lab retrieving a tennis ball and thought of you.

Wasn't me.  I was with my crew all weekend while Mrs. Beetle attended Moms Gone Wild- Charleston 2010   

[diaz dassie]

Man, those are some beautiful feeshes. I really need to get out and start fishing the tail races instead of trying to make back problems on the bluelines...excellent report, and just remember,
YOU SUCK!!!

[benflyfishn]

Very nice! Way to stick dem!

[CR]

Nice report bro- way to get at them, good pics.

[troutphisher]

Thats it.......nice!

[blue ridge angler]

looks like a great trip..thanks..

[kylemc]

nice work

[Rhody]

nice report, gotta love this time of the year!

rhody