Pretentious Snobby Bastard Fly Fishing!

http://youtu.be/p7jrwd6eNbU (http://youtu.be/p7jrwd6eNbU)

You know the routine, get up early, drive up over the Eastern Continental Divide and fish all day.

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As I went up he Blue Ridge escarpment  I was thinking BWOs

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But once I reached the top things changed dramatically.

There was a tremendous Easter angler hatch and all of my favorite runs and pools were packed. I pulled over and fished some water that I have rarely fished before. You can see what a hike it was from the car to this premo spot.

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There were midges everywhere and quite a few of the smaller punks were taking them off the surface. I was not fooled and rigged up with a #22 bwo nymph and a #22 mercury midge.

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The rainbows were hitting the bwo and the brows took the midge most of the time. That reminds me of the old baseball story, where the announcer states that he's finally figured out what the couple is doing in the stands, "He's kissing her on the strikes, and she's kissing him on the balls."

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I got low and high holed, not that I couldn't have fished this one run all day, but it was time to move on. I hated to give up the territory not knowing if I would be able to find an equally productive unoccupied spot. I decided to hit Webb's store for some refreshment (no beer sold here btw)

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But on the way there I saw an old favorite spot empty. I had to jump in.

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Watched the drift boat give lessons and the young man catch a nice trout on spinning gear. 
An osprey circled overhead clutching a nice trout meal.


After several hours I finally got around to getting to Webb's for a hot dog and PowerAid  before heading back to the river.  While at the store I witnessed the sheriffs arresting some wanna be gansta peeps (judging solely by their attire)

With only a few more hours left before the generation water hit I scoped out a section of the lower river. 

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I could have stopped at any time, calling it a day. The fish had been cooperative, but I fished on, knowing that there was more potential hidden beneath the currents. I caught a few fish, but the most memorable part was hooking several beast but they all unbuttoned. One was almost at the net, another was lost when a huge clump of didymo fouled the line and allowed the fish to get under and rock and break me off, the third, the third was the largest of them. It was a freight train, a diesel locomotive, a submarine. I thought I had him firmly hooked, played it for a while at the head of the run, then the train left the station, the powerful 40 foot run down the river sent the CFO into overdrive and at the end, it was just tragic. Lost, gone, but not forgotten.

Meanwhile upstream I spied a fly fisherman hitting my favorite holes, but what was most unusual was his stringer of fish. He was on the far side of the river and the water was coming up, I hollered at him. He said he thought it was just the pulse... I told him no, it was the generation, he fished on.   This is his car. He came out of the river just after I had put my gear up. "yup, the water was coming up."

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Driven off the water by seven I filled up in TN and drove back home.


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dayum, this place is beginning to look like Montana..

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