Switching gears...

[AL trout bum]

The guns are all cleaned and put up. Hunting season is over for now. For months I've thought of only deer, duck and turkey. Now it's time for fishing. Time to get back in the groove. I had a chance to head to the mountains the past weekend with a friend that grew up in Asheville. We both love to fly fish, but I quickly learned that we each love a different type of fly fishing. I like small water and wild fish, while he was happy on the larger, pellet head waters. It was his trip, so I bit my tongue and obliged by lowering myself to fishing stocked waters. We arrived early Saturday morning to fish the Davidson river, right below the hatchery. Oh great, one of the most pounded areas!    Heading to the river....



A good friend of mine that has never fly fished also came along. I took some time showing him how to cast, mend and get a good drift. He was a work in progress, but he was improving. I threw a cast every now and then, but it was slow fishing. I could see fish everywhere, and some were very large, but after tying on everything in my fly box and drifting it past them, I conceded. My problems were compounded by my refusal to throw eggs or san juan worms, because that's "what they were hitting." However, I did pick up a few....




The scenery was nice. Lots of these around..



And these were in bloom, framing the river nicely...



We broke for lunch and moved further down the river. I spotted two very nice brown trout holding in the middle of the river, and I threw the kitchen sink at them. All kinds of nymphs, soft hackles, dries, streamers, etc. They weren't having it. While climbing over a beaver dam, I saw Mr. No Shoulders. It was getting late in the day, and even though it was only a water snake, I took it as a sign and decided to call it quits.



We quickly set up camp at Lake Powhatan, and headed off for dinner.



Great mexican food...



The next morning we head to some different water. Upon parking near the stream, a man that lives nearby came up to talk to us. We exchanged names, his was "Turtle." He proceeded to tell us a bunch of hippy nonsense and went off on his way...



While fishing, I noticed a small school of reddish orange fish. I'm not sure what they were, but they were colorful...





Most of the fish were too small to even eat my fly, which was a sz14, so we moved further down the mountain. I caught this guy after multiple casts and drifts until I found something he wanted to eat. I wasted 20 minutes or more on this damn fish, but it's always nice to spot a fish, make him eat, and finally land him...



My buddy hooked a nice fish that put quite a bend in his superfine rod. When he finally got it in, it wasn't a trout...



If I knew smallmouth were in that stream I would have said screw the stockers and tied on a popper. Oh well.

Circle of life...



It was a fun weekend, but I'm itching to get back and do my kind of fishing....




And I was able to stock up on my new favorite summer brew...

[RiverbumCO]

 

[Michael Toris]

Damn hippies

[Aka]

Upon parking near the stream, a man that lives nearby came up to talk to us. We exchanged names, his was "Turtle." He proceeded to tell us a bunch of hippy nonsense and went off on his way...

Yeah, really good to meet you too? I knew you were the Al trout bum from your posts on the forum. I thought you might recognize me too but oh well. BTW thanks for posting the photo of me, it's a great picture.

[AL trout bum]

I don't think you have reached near the hippy status that Turtle has. Surprisingly, he grew up in Alabama. Speaking of hippies, the Westgate Earth Fare, dear God. There are no words....

[bullship]

That's mainstream compared to green life. I almost went postal trying to buy a fucking sandwich there once. And I like hippies....

[The Dude]

- I love Papas and Beer
- Nice bonus on the smallmouth
- No idea what those orange fish were

[benben reincarnated]

How'd that snake taste?

Speaking of hippies, the Westgate Earth Fare, dear God. There are no words....

That ain't hippy.  That's got a job, making money, mom with kids, hippy.  That ain't true hippy.

[benben reincarnated]

Oh and for future reference you could have fished where you camped.  They stock the shit out of that lake and all the streams that feed into it. 

[Rod Champion]

Awfully nice vehicles to be a Hippie

[Big J]

Awfully nice vehicles to be a Hippie

Must be one of those trustafarians.

[Transylwader]

Surprised you didn't try pry info from me on Saturday. I was shitfaced at a Durham Bulls game. Oh well, Transylwader Country ain't the same anymore. Too many dicks trying to pound her. I have relocated efforts a stones throw from the Meth Compound in the far reaches of the Tri-State region. If you come to Bears shindig, I'll take you to a wild brown stronghold that runs alongside a highway. Lipstick Dipstick stuck a 18" WILD brown before he bolted for CO. I know where this fish resides and I bet you a six pack of PBR, if you fuck up that cast, I WILL highhole you and bag his ass y;

[benben reincarnated]

Oh well, Transylwader Country ain't the same anymore. Too many dicks trying to pound her.

I trust you have no role in this.   

[AL trout bum]

That ain't hippy.  That's got a job, making money, mom with kids, hippy.  That ain't true hippy.

It smelled true hippy. Like patchouli had a love child with BO.

Oh and for future reference you could have fished where you camped.  They stock the shit out of that lake and all the streams that feed into it.

I didn't try to encourage fishing any stocked waters. I kept hoping a wild stream was the next one on the agenda, but it never was.

[AL trout bum]

Surprised you didn't try pry info from me on Saturday. If you come to Bears shindig, I'll take you to a wild brown stronghold that runs alongside a highway. Lipstick Dipstick stuck a 18" WILD brown before he bolted for CO. I know where this fish resides and I bet you a six pack of PBR, if you fuck up that cast, I WILL highhole you and bag his ass y;

It wouldn't have done any good to have info, I wasn't captain of the ship. I'll be at Bear's shindig fo sho. As for fucking up the "one cast," I usually fall to Murphy's Law. If I can fuck it up, I will. And you'll high hole me no matter what, don't lie!