Stupid bows, chubs, and brookies

Started by hcrum87hc, July 09, 2020, 14:12:04 PM

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hcrum87hc

So, I've put this TR off for a few weeks due to our work blocking Imgur, which is where I usually host my photos.  I'm having to route the links from my phone to my work email and copy paste them in here, so I apologize if they're out of order or too big/small.

Anyways, my birthday is at the end of June, and I try to make it a point to take a bday trip each year.  This year I had to go a week or so early due to scheduling, but that's ok.  The weather was supposed to be cloudy, rainy, and cool for this time of year, so I wanted to hit some browns.  I'm also on a kick of exploring more local waters to me in SC, so I decided to hit the upper section of the most well known stream here in SC for some browns on my way to fish an unfamiliar trip of said river two miles upstream from the parking area.

There was another nearby stream that I had heard held brookies, and since it was a cooler day (for mid June), I decided I'd check it out on my way out.  Since I wanted plenty of time to explore it, I decided not to spend too much time on the main stream on my way to the first trib.  In the first hole I hit, I hooked one almost immediately.  This section of the river is supposed to be mainly wild browns, but to my dismay, a stocker bow had made its way upstream.
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This was a fairly large hole, so after releasing it, I threw a few more times.  On my third cast after the bow, I hooked another.  It wasn't putting up any fight whatsoever, and just kind of let me pull it in without a care in the world.  When I got it in, it was the same freaking bow.  That's a first for me. 

I decided to walk a bit farther and tried a couple more holes, but didn't manage anything other than this hoss of a chub.
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Time was ticking, so I decided to just hoof it up to the trib I wanted to check out so I'd have time to hit the brookie stream. 
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About this time it started raining on me pretty good, but I was almost to the trib, so I just put my head down and kept on walking.  I'd already wasted too much time.

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When I reached the trib, it wasn't even a piss trickle.  It was a couple inches deep and maybe 3-4 feet wide.  I took a lunch break and started walking back to the truck.  Time for the brookie stream.

There's no trail to this stream, but I knew roughly where it was and parked along the gravel road and bushwhacked down the mountain.  I knew there was a large falls that divided brookie water from brown/bows water, and I wanted to come down as close to the top of the falls as possible to give me the most water to fish going upstream.  I could hear the falls as I got closer, which was good, but about that time my felt soles betrayed me, and I slipped, pinning my non slipping foot behind and under me.  I was sure I'd torn something in my knee, but thankfully all was well.  When I decided to move on, I reached the water, but it was so overgrown, I couldn't hardly get to it.  The banks were so overgrown, I knew I'd have to get in it to move upstream.  Thankfully I was able to get in right above the falls as planned.

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Looking upstream, all I could see was a wall of rhodo and fallen trees.  I almost just hiked back up to the truck, but since I was there, I pushed/ducked through and came out to this:

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That'll do.  I pulled this little guy out of the run above that second hanging limb:
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Yup, there's brookies in here.

I continued my way upstream, forcing my way through the rhodo where I could and ducking/crawling where I had to.

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I came to a hole that looked great. It was deep for this stream, and the best part is nothing was overhanging it like a lot of the good looking holes here.  As I watched, I noticed a decent brookie in the middle of the run eating.  Jackpot.  I tossed my dry, but it got caught in a spider web across the stream.  It took all I had to use my line to pull the web down without spooking the brookie.  After the web was out of the way, I made a second "cast."  The fly actually landed a foot or two behind the little guy.  It didn't matter.  He sensed it landing, and immediately pulled a 180 and slammed the fly.  It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.  He came completely out of the water.  I'm pretty sure I let out a nice whoop.

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This little guy made my day.  I was content.  All of the crawling and ducking was worth it at that point.  I continued fishing, hooking a few more before I decided I needed to bushwhack out.

I wonder how long this has been here.

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I knew this stream would cross under the road I came in on, but I wasn't sure how far that was.  I found the least overgrown section I could and trod back up to the road and walked back to the truck, thinking I had gone a long distance.  Truth be told, I was only a few hundred yards from the truck when I came to the road.  All that ducking, climbing, and crawling sure made it seem like I'd gone farther.  Was it worth the effort?  Hell yes.  SC natives do not come easy.
Jeremiah 17:7

greg

Well done. I've yet to catch a sc Brook.  Need to start fishing a little closer to home I guess.

RiverbumCO

My real name is Chad Farthouse.

driver


itieuglyflies

A good day was had, thanks for sharing. Just shows how little I know about SC.

Dougfish

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

Woolly Bugger

Seeing the fish take the fly is what it's all about — and why I'm not as interested in nymphing as I once was.  d:b
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

troutboy_II

Thanks. I learned something - we do have specks here!  Yet another hole in my minimal trouts knowledge filled. Again, thanks.

TB
When fishing, a person ought to carry a flask of whisky in case of snakebite. Furthermore, he ought to also carry along a small snake.

NCsporksman

Quote from: Woolly Bugger on July 10, 2020, 20:41:12 PMSeeing the fish take the fly is what it's all about — and why I'm not as interested in nymphing as I once was.  d:b

elitist....good effort man