Hatch recon on the Smith

Started by Woolly Bugger, June 11, 2011, 08:46:10 AM

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Woolly Bugger

The sulphurs are hatching on the Smith and this is perhaps the best dry fly action on the river all year long. The corps don't give a shit and usually power over the hatch during the week, but for some reason they are cutting off the generation at six this week and I thought that might provide for some fishing opportunities on the falling water and if the bugs came off on schedule the fishing my in fact be awesome. 

I drove on up and managed to stop in at the little roadside bar that offered up a promise of "Live Bait" and "Wild Girls".  The beer was cold, I didn't check on the bait, and while Debbie, the bartender may be wild, she's long past her prime.  The beer went down in no time and I was back on the road with the promise to stop back in on the way home.

The beer lasted just long enough for the water to drop another six inches and I waded out to fish the run. There were a few sporadic risers and I tried to entice them with a cdc comparadun sulphur. I wasn't sure what they were sipping so after a while I added a trailing midge. Still no takers!  Okay, I'll have to try the dark side and I rigged up a soft hackle and a mercury midge dropper. I had three takes, but they never got to hand. Then I saw a few bugs pop off and a few more risers, so I switched back to dries. 

Cloudy skies were bringing an early end of the daylight and as I cast to the dark bank it became more and more difficult to spy the fly through the mist and fog of the cold water. I missed a couple of strikes and became a little frantic as time was running out. Damn it, I'm not going to get skunked! Then with perhaps 10 minutes of light left the fish really turned on. Sip, sip, sip they were steadily feeding in the lanes. Only problem was that I really was having difficulty seeing my fly and had to strike on any rise that appeared in what I perceived to be the path of my fly's drift. I set the hook many times in error before it all came together and I watch a fish take my fly, set the hook and finally brought a nine inch Smith River brown to hand. 

I thought about going after another, but there was no light left and I waded back to the bank to retrieve the beer and pack for the hike out.

Camera and photos are taking a flatcar ride back home, but that's another story.
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!

mecnc

Woolly
The wild girls, cold beer and rising trout make for a fine TR but I think the real interesting part was left out. Tell us what happened to the camera.  :laugh:

Woolly Bugger

Quote from: mecnc on June 11, 2011, 10:56:57 AM
Woolly
The wild girls, cold beer and rising trout make for a fine TR but I think the real interesting part was left out. Tell us what happened to the camera.  :laugh:
PPV
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!

Rhody

My picture weighs more than your picture.
J.M.

dossphoto

Directions to the bar?????????

Also, Bugman said that chick in the bar was his aunt. 

Al

  pn?   

Photos of the wild girls not the fish! :P

Woolly Bugger



Just picked up the camera at the depot. Just some crappy pics anyway.
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Al, if you want to see the wild girls it's not too far off your route, just pm me and I'll send your the 411
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!