On Sunday, 5-8-10, I headed to my "get away" cabin which sits about a mile from the Smith River just outside of Fieldale VA. The last time I was there the grass was on the verge of needing mowing but you would have had to squint real close to see where you had just mowed so I put it off. Two weeks later and there was no doubt about where you had been with the mower. I even thought about calling a farmer to see if I could borrow his hay rake and bailer ;).
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We call it a "cabin" but it is really an circa 1900 house which started out as a log home built from the logs cut to clear the home site. I have deeds that go back to 1910. It has been added on to and modernized over the years. It sits on a pretty site well back from the road and is still pretty rustic. My wife says she will move up there permanently if we bulldoze it down and use the land as a new building site :(.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/Allieworm/IMGP3254.jpg)
After mowing my hayfield I met a fellow SRTU member to try some fishing. We did not have high expectations because the weather had gone from summer to a frigid and windy spring day when a cold front blew through the area. Both of us are too old to be involved in the "mothers day" thing so decided to celebrate in our own way.
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First fish of the day did not look anything like what we were after. On the other hand, this little chub or dace indicated there was food in the water which just might help grown a nice size trout.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/Allieworm/IMGP3263.jpg)
Things started looking up when this nice brown trout sipped the non-descript stimulator which I was using for a strike indicator. I have gone full circle from first using a buoyant dry fly as a strike indicator to using a small section of egg glow yarn and now back to the buoyant fly. I recently read of a new way (new to me anyway), to attach your indicator fly so that it does not get all tangled up - You thread the fly on your leader before tying on the last section of tippet. Do not tie the fly in with a regular knot - instead tie your last section of tippet on with a double surgeons knot. The indicator fly slides down and remain against the double surgeons knot. Now tie on your dropper fly. Works like a charm.
You can even get adventurous by adding another dropper to the excess material left over from tying on the first dropper - all of this gives you three flies in the water which offers the fish a variety to choose from. It also makes for a big mess if you are not careful with your casting o-o.
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Between the two of us we caught a dozen that looked about like this. We also LDR'rd several just plain miss quite a few. I even got broke off on what seemed like a good fish. Had him for about a minute but he never came to the top. The rod went straight and he went the other way with my favorite fly in his mouth.
So ends a good day on my favorite trout steam. Good company and despite the drastic change in the weather the fishing was pretty good.
not half bad!
That's a nice place you got there Al. Nice feesh too.
Don't tear it down!
Glad you caught some, Al! Did you see any bugs?
Happy to see you back on your "home waters".
Wish I knew how to find the creek where I caught my forst trout.
C'mon Al, you listen to the wife, it's all gonna get outta control...
Thats a durn nice posse you got there man. Keep it, I'd like to see this haunt!
BTW, Nice browns!