A few friends showed up Friday night about dinner time....we had steak,potatoes and a salad, caught up quickly and as usual....settled in and raided my fly boxes.....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4031.jpg)
I managed to save a few for myself and put together a "Saluda river streamer" box....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4037.jpg)
Our plan was to Float the bottom half of the lower Saluda for trout and possibly a few early stripers,but with the escalation of the ongoing crackhead problems in downtown Columbia we were unable to obtain permission to park anywhere near the zoo for a take-out....so we floated the top half both Sat. and Sun. Sat. we lost some time trying to secure parking....and decided before it was too late to fish....we'd put in at the park and float down to the radio towers.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4036.jpg)
I started out with a white zonker and had a couple of hits early on....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4038.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4045.jpg)
One of which obviously had a run in with a treble hook....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4046.jpg)
My action slowed about a 1/3rd of the way through the float and never picked back up....but it was a hell of a nice day to be on the water
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4040.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4047.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/SludaRiverTrip073.jpg)
We passed by WRector fishing the rapids at corleys island....might have even low holed him .....after some dumbass in a jon-boat with a lawnmower engine came barreling thru his run while he was battling a nice 20" rainbow :embarassed:
We returned to the ranch where we had some kick ass deer burgers and brats and went over the plan for the next day....we figured we would hit the same stretch...but nix the streamers and drift nymphs below big plastic bobber mcthingies.
this proved to be the better strategy with the exception of my mistake in thinking you can cast those stupid plastic bobber things with a 4wt and get any distance....I should have either taken a 6wt or gotten a much smaller size ....I'd never really used them before....probably won't much in the future either.....I like the old fashioned method of floating a nymph under a fat stimi or something.
Anyway.....we managed more fish this day....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/SludaRiverTrip086.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4048.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/SludaRiverTrip099.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/87c407ef.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/SludaRiverTrip079.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/e1f32ca8.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/SludaRiverTrip098.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/bb8e21e1.jpg)
And like all good things it came to an end too quickly
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/IMGP4043.jpg)
I'll definately be tying up some high floating stimis and some buggy rubber legged nymphs and get after em' again.....there seems to be a reasonable amount of 20"+ holdovers which ain't bad for the south where the freakin temp is in the high 80's in the end of Jan.
speakin of which.....seems the brim have already been busy this year....
I went out monday morning for about 30 minutes with one chartruese popper just to see what was happening.....saw lots of these....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/001-1.jpg)
caught a half dozen of these....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/003-1.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/004-1.jpg)
and a couple of these....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/overbrook99/fish%20pics/005-1.jpg)
then it was back to work.... work sucks!
Work sucks indeed, but damn what a weekend!
nice, I don't care for the Shocktop, but the rest was well done.
Sucks about the parking too...
Looks like a hell of a time. Nice South Cackalacky trouts too. 'c;
Damn fine weekend OB 'c; Good to see the gills makin some beds
Looks like you guys had a hell of a weekend. Nice to somewhat run into you all on the river.
The scenario with the johnboat was definitely a little hairy for a moment especially being tied in with this guy:
[attach=1]
From the scars on its tail, i'd say this bow is lucky to still be in the river.
Look forward to running into you again OB!
Nice report there OB. Did not know they grew that big down there.
Nice bow Wrector.
Quote from: benflyfishn on March 23, 2012, 16:27:52 PM
Nice report there OB. Did not know they grew that big down there.
Nice bow Wrector.
Got it from a reliable source that about a week or two ago there was an 8 1/2 lber caught :o
Nice OBA, those pontoons look like like they'd be fun.