Back to the beach!

In August my family and I took a trip to Carolina Beach for some fun, sand, and surf.  My wife introduced me to the beach several years ago, after we got married, and we have been taking family vacations there since Jack was old enough to travel.  It has been a lot of fun with trips to the boardwalk, Brett's Doughnuts, and days on the beach with nights on the Carolina Beach Pier.  This year was going to be a little different.  My wife suggested that I check into an in-shore charter to satisfy my fishing fun.

After checking the internet for some charter services local to Carolina Beach, I found Rod-Man Charters out of Wrightsville Beach.  Capt. Rick Bennett has a nice website and runs a yearly surf fishing school in Wilmington, NC.  I decided to give him a try since his prices seemed to be reasonable and his location close to our vacation spot.  I booked for a 3/4 day trip and hoped that I would catch some drum.

The weather for my trip was picture perfect, sunny skies and hot temperatures.  We left the marina early and headed out into the Inner Coastal Waterway from Wrightsville Beach.   I am not much on boat fishing, mainly because I don't own a boat.  It was a lot of fun even though it was not a very productive day.  Light spinning tackle live baiting Menhaden is a lot of fun when you get a big fish on.  The guide caught a 4 lb flounder early in the trip and I struck out during the early morning portion.  In the afternoon we switched to drum and I managed to hook a nice 6 lb slot drum.  A drum of that size on a 4000 size reel and seven foot rod was a battle, especially out from under a dock pilling.  I didn't have much luck after that but I had meat in the cooler!

Now if I can connect in the fall it will be a good year of saltwater fishing for me.  :)

What's new? Or new to me!

  It has really been slow around here lately and, once again, I have not really been into updating the blog.  The weather across the South has been blisteringly hot!  This translates into no hopes for fishing unless you are willing to travel deep into the mountains to find cool water.  I am not unwilling to try and find some wild trout but the heat has been so extreme that even those sources are running low water levels and higher than normal temperatures.  It had turned into a Summer of sweat, work, and sit around the house.

Old and busted......

   My Summer got even better when the air conditioning on my old 98' Jeep Grand Cherokee crapped out on me.  Summer temps + no a/c = MISERABLE!  A couple of weeks with no air just about killed me.  So the wife finally relented and we decided to get a replacement for the Jeep.  I looked around and did some research on what I needed.  We finally settled on getting a used 2007 Chevy Tahoe from Flow Motors in Winston-Salem.  I have always wanted one but now was not really a good time to be adding a car payment to our bills.  Luckily my wife did some juggling and we were able to get some breathing room in the bills to afford a payment.  It seemed to be a good deal and I am very happy with the vehicle so far.

New hotness.....

   As I cleaned out the Jeep I thought about all the fun and milestones we went through with it.  When I first got the Jeep it nearly ended my relationship with my wife.  She could not understand my need for 4WD and being able to get to work no matter what the weather was.  We survived.  The Jeep was a great fishing vehicle and took me to the Outer Banks many times and through a hurricane on the Point in Hatteras.  It cruised all over Western North Carolina fishing for trout.  We took Jack home from the hospital in the Jeep.  I hate to admit it but I got a little choked up when I handed over the keys.  The new Tahoe has a lot to live up to.  I can't wait to get it rigged up for the beach.  Hatteras in November!

Not a lot to say lately......

I haven't had a lot to say recently which is a little out of the norm for me.  I haven't been fishing much because I got a nasty case of bronchitis and that made some asthma flare up.  It isn't much fun to be outside coughing your guts up or gasping for your last breath.  It's even worse to be doing it deep off the beaten path in the middle of nowhere.  I would kick my ass if I had to come drag me out of the woods.

Work has not been kind to me lately and now I struggle to afford my hobbies.  It is a terrible downer to go from being able to travel and fish at my leisure to being worried that I can't pay my bills and feed my family.  I guess I won't go too much further into this topic because expressing one's opinion in a public forum can get you in hot water.

I did manage to get my son out on a local lake for some brimbusting.  I took my small 3wt and rigged it with a white Hendrickson fly to skitter across the surface while we chummed the water with some bread.   Jack hooked a small bluegill on his first try holding the rod (with Daddy assisting).  We had a good time and it was good to see a 3 year old take a interest in my favorite hobby.  Well, that was as long as we were catching fish.  So much like his Daddy.

Trout Safari 2010 Wilson Creek

After leaving Dillsboro we decided that we would drive to Morganton so that we could get an early crack at Wilson Creek.  We had a good night's sleep and after getting some supplies from the grocery store we headed out to see if Wilson Creek would produce like past trips.  We decided to fish some popular deep pools since we managed to beat the crowds for once.  After we geared out we headed for the water.  I thought that it was going to be a cool morning but was quickly proved wrong.  My fleece jacket was burning me up so I paused for a moment and take it off then rig my rod with a new fly/dropper combination.  This brief break was all someone needed to walk up behind me and say, "I'm coming up behind you and I am going to fish that pool" (gesturing to the pool I wanted to fish).  I replied that I was headed for that same spot but he continued, unabashedly, to the exact spot that I was going to stand to fish the pool.  Needless to say, I was PISSED!  I tried to fish the pool from around a fallen tree but could not get a good cast.  I trudged off and entertained thoughts of tossing a big ass rock into the pool to spoil his fishing.  You can't count of courtesy anymore.  Unfortunately Wilson Creek is getting very popular and we picked Spring Break to go fishing.  To my detriment, I let this put me off on the wrong foot for the day.  We decided to abandon the popular spot and head for a less fished area.

The rest of the morning was one failure after the next for me.  It was turning into one of those occasions where I became my own worst enemy, fishing angry is no way to fish.  I could not do anything right it seemed, casting knots, loosing my pliers and hemostats, snagged lines, and a fall in the chilly water really put a damper on my morning.  I was ready to pack it in and head for home.  I caught up with my buddy Eric and composed myself long enough to straighten my gear out and tie on another rig.  We were walking out to the road when we decided to give a shady stretch under a tree a try.  I was eventually rewarded with a nice little Brown and a couple of Brookies.  I was back to center and ready to fish the rest of the day.  It's amazing what a couple of fish can do.

After eating lunch and taking off my wet fleece pants I decided that I would don my boots and wet wade the rest of the afternoon.  It had been hot all week and today was no exception with temperatures edging 80+ degrees.  Eric headed off upstream for some new waters and I decided to fish near were we ate lunch.  It is a popular spot but the crowds seemed to have slacked off after lunch.  When I got to the water's edge I was surprised to see trout rising and crashing the surface as they fed.  I tied on a Quill Gordon and immediately was rewarded with some hits and eventually snagged a Brook Trout.  After a while I tied on a Slumpbuster and watched a hungry Brookie attack it with gusto!  After catching a few more Brookies I ventured up stream to find Eric.  I found him fishing around the bend from me and as I walked up to the bank he snagged a big Rainbow Trout.  I tried to take some video of the fight but soon realized that I needed to put down the camera and help him land the fish.  Unfortunately I decided to leave my net behind so that I would wet wade without that bothering me.  Now I needed it.  I gently cradled the ugly looking stocked Rainbow - he had a terrible looking lower jaw that looked like it had been rubbed on the cement holding pond it lived in at the hatchery - as Eric tried to get the hook out of his upper mouth.  We struggled but managed to get the fly out and after a few minutes of resuscitation the fish swam off to be snagged again.  We caught a few more fish after that and the day ended on a high note.  It was time to go pitch a tent, make a fire, and toss back a few Maker's Marks.

 The next morning we awoke to some sun that quickly changed to overcast when we hit the water.  Prime fishing weather!  Again we were into the fish and spent the rest of the morning catching Brook Trout after Brook Trout on Stimulators and  Parachute Adams flies.  I even managed to hook the biggest fish I have ever hooked, ME!  My fly got snagged in a tree behind me and as I tugged it out of the branches the fly shot back and landed with a "thunk" on my right forearm lodging the hook point in my skin.  Surprisingly it did not hurt but I feared the fish nasty on it would cause my arm to fall off.  As you may imagine, getting a fly out of your arm with your weak hand is not easy.  In fact, it is quite hard.  I survived and it's just another scar to tell a tale about.   The afternoon ended with us getting soaked by a torrential downpour. 

Trout Safari was over.  We headed back to Greensboro to get back to our families and work, not so much the latter.  It was a fun week and I appreciated the fish I caught and cursed the ones that got away.  I can't wait to go again!

A couple of signs that don't make you feel very comfortable when seen together.  Evidently, Wilson Creek is a bear sanctuary.

Trout Safari 2010 Tuckasegee River 4/6/2010 "The Suckasegee"

After we left the Davidson River we decided to head over the mountain and make a go at the Tuckasegee.  We took a back route to Dillsboro which was a twisty turny trek across the Eastern Continental Divide, three times.  It felt like it took forever and the steep mountain roads were almost more than my old Jeep could take.  Eventually we found the Tuck's head waters and twisted into Dillsboro.

Unfortunately, as we got closer to Dillsboro we noticed that the Tuckasegee was running very swift and very high.  CRAP!  Lack of planning had reared it's ugly head and now we were paying a price.  I neglected to check the generation schedule and flow for the river and it appeared to be at full tilt.  Sure enough, they were generating from 9a-10p.... CRAP!  So it looked like the Tuck would be a wash.  We did try to make a go of it and waded into the spot were we caught fish last year.  The wading was DANGEROUS and I felt like my legs would be taken out from under me at any moment.  It was the "Suckasegee" so we decided to pack up and make tracks.

After a little debate we decided to abandon our chintzy $40 hotel.  It was OK, it smelled like Indian food and had decor from the 1970's.  Onward to Wilson Creek and tons of Delayed Harvest trout!

Trout Safari 2010, Davidson River 4/5-6/10 "Missed opprotunities"

This year I decided that I would take a week off from work and hit some of the best trout fishing areas in Western North Carolina.  We started out on the Catch and Release section of the Davidson River in Brevard, NC.  The section of river runs through the Pisgah National Forest and is quite scenic as it runs below John Rock and past the fish hatchery and Wildlife Education Center.

We visited Davidson River Outfitters for some information and to stock up on some flies.  I was very impressed  by the shop.  A great selection of supplies and flies and the staff was very informative and enthusiastic.  If you go to fish the Davidson River be sure to stop by DRO!  Stocked up on flies and gear, we were ready to do some battle with the brutes that lurked in the waters of the Davidson River.

On our first day we decided to pick a pull off that looked suitable.  Unfortunately, we didn't get on the fish right away and decided to brave the crowds near the hatchery.  The best way I could describe this section of the river is "elbows and assholes".  There were anglers every 100 feet down the river into the woods.  Despite this pressure we managed to find a spot where the fish were rising and crashing the surface.  A tremendous number of bugs were swarming the river in a hatch but I never managed to nab one for closer inspection.  The day was hot and the water was cool, good conditions for a hatch.

The fishing was slow as I went through fly combinations trying to find one that they preferred.  Eventually I settled on an orange colored Stimulator pattern that got several strikes but no takers.  After a while I began to think that I was going to get a big fat skunk when a tremendous crash hit my Stimulator.  My rod immediately bent over with a weight I had not felt before, it was a big fish.  Immediately the inner novice in me took over and I played the fish like it was a race to see how fast I could drag it in.  I horsed the line and drug the trout closer to me as I fumbled with my net.  I couldn't seem to get my net close enough to the fish to get it in and figured that I would just grab the leader and drag the fish a little closer.  I looked down in the water and saw the biggest fish I had caught to this point.  Visions of my triumph were interrupted by a "PLICK" as my tippet departed the leader and my pig darted off into the distance.  If I wasn't standing near an elderly couple when this occurred I would have let forth a stream of obscenities that would make a Shanghai Sailor blush.  The sight of that fish haunted me for the rest of my trip.  It was an all time high for me and my stupidity cost me big.

I continued to fish and fume about my loss when, once again, a trout crashed my fly.  My rod bent over and I once again connected with a big fish.  I had learned from my previous experience and gingerly played the trout until I was able to control it..... or not.  I once again became panicked and played the fish like a dysfunctional idiot.  I horsed the fish within an arms reach when the Stimulator shot out of the fish's mouth and snagged itself in the branches of the tree above me.  I could have cried.  Not one, but two career high fish gone within my grasp.  Why can't I learn from my mistakes?!  The rest of the evening was a let down and we eventually left the river to find a hotel and a bite to eat.  I drifted off to sleep that night with nightmares of lost fish tormenting my soul.

We decided that we would get up at the crack of dawn and return to our hot spot for a second, or third, crack at those fish.  It was a slow morning that lacked the active fish of the previous day.  I fished my Stimulator again and did manage to connect with a nice brown trout that was colorful.  I had heard that the catch and release section of the Davidson held some big fish but I wasn't sure if it was true.  That is until I saw a HUGE brown trout lurking in the water only 20 feet in front of me.  This river holds BIG fish!  We gave up on the crowded section and headed up stream to see if we could find more fish.  After a short hike we failed to find any fish and the crowds only seemed to get bigger as the afternoon stretched on.  It was time to leave the Davidson and head for other fish on other waters.  On to the Tuckasegee...........

Going "Trout Bum" Update

The excitement is building as the last days tick down until "D-Day", or in this case "T-Day".  Work has been excruciating this last week and every second seems to drag on in anticipation of vacation.  It has really been hard to focus and maintain a positive attitude.  Even sleeping at night has been hard. When I wake up in the middle of the night my mind begins to race thinking about all the things I need to do and what the week will hold.  It's pathetic to think that I am a grown man acting like a kid at Christmas Eve.  Oh, well.

T minus three days and counting!

Going "Trout Bum"

I am excitedly counting the days until my week of starts on April 5th.  Taking a week off from work is nice.  What makes it even better is going fishing for the whole week!

Last year we went to Cherokee for a long weekend to fish but got stiffed on the reservation waters.  We immediately planned on going back this year for a longer time and during a different part of the week.  However, as time went by plans changed a lot and morphed into something completely different.  We are now going on a "trout safari" or as my wife would say "Being a bum for a week".  Taking time off work and traveling around Western North Carolina prospecting for fish.  What could be better?

So far the plan is to do a semi-loop of Western NC starting in Brevard on the Davidson River.  Then go to Dillsboro, fish the Tuckasegee River and possible some other waters in Jackson County.  A quick jog back to Wilson Creek for some more of that fun and a night at Mortimer Campground.  Ended with some time on Helton Creek in Ashe County.

I am collecting my gear and have some new items to try out this go around.  Can't wait!

Digital photography and fish.

I received a new digital camera for Christmas this year.  My old Sony point and shoot had seen one too many beach trips and fishing adventures.  It's lens housing and cover shutter were sticking and it's less than rugged constriction was having a hard time coping with my hobbies.  I decided that my next digital point and shoot would be rugged and water resistant.  After doing a little research I decided on the Canon Sureshot D10.  It is a little more bulky than your average point and shoot but it's ruggedness was what I needed for my fishing trips.  It's shock resistant, water resistant to 33 meters, and dust resistant.  It takes fairly good pictures and also does the movie thing.  My trip to Wilson Creek was the first chance I would have to put it through it's paces.

Here are some fun action shots I took with it:

VIDEO:Brook Trout in the Stream

The catch and the release............

VIDEO:Rainbow Release

I can't wait to try some more action shots in April!

Getting my feet (and ass) wet again... Wilson Creek report 3/9/10.

I was finally able to get away from home this week and hit the water in search of some fish.  With the weeks of soggy weather it has been hard to find a dry moment.  All of my previous attempts to go fishing were thwarted by snow so the promise of a day with near 70 degree temperatures was more than I could resist.  It was time to pack up and head out!

I decided to hit the Delayed Harvest section of Wilson Creek near Morganton, NC.  I had fished this area once last year and it was very productive, even for a dumb ass like myself.  We arrived in the area around 8am and were quickly decked out and on the water in no time.  There was a chill in the air and the water was frigid but I was determined to make a go of it even if it killed me trying.  I did not take any measurements while I was out there but I estimated the water temp at "cold enough to make your legs numb in 30 seconds".  All we had to do was tough it out and it would get warmer later on.  Makes me really wish that I had invested in some better pants for layering.

Luckily the NCWRC did it's part and stocked the hell out of the river the week before we arrived.  In no time we were on the fish catching a lot of smaller sized brook and rainbow trout.  Initially I was fishing a "Fly Formerly Known as Prince" on a standard nymph set up.  As the morning progressed I switched to using a Stimulator as an indicator and changing various nymphs off the dropper.  Olive colored nymphs seemed to work the best.  I probably caught ten to fifteen fish before noon which was VERY good for me. 

We were having a ball but decided to get out and eat some lunch.  I guess I had a momentary lapse of concentration or just plain ol' "weren't paying attention to where my big ass feet were going".   I quickly managed to get my foot stuck between two rocks.  I learned in Physics that Newton's First Law of Motion states that "An object that is in motion will not change its velocity until an unbalanced force acts upon it."  How this applies to the real world, and yours truly, is when you get my big ass falling off balance it ain't stopping for crap!  I took a nice backwards plunge into the frigid water and ended up on my back flailing in the water trying to right myself like a wounded tortoise. 

For those not familiar with mammalian physiology, there is a reflex where you uncontrollably gasp when exposed to cold water. This usually facilitates drowning by allowing copious amounts of water to be inhaled.  It was a surreal experience to uncontrollably gasp like that knowing that if I had fallen face down I would be sucking my last breath.   I was wearing a fleecy jacket that day under my waders and it managed to soak up enough water that I had difficulty getting my arms above the surface.  Luckily I had the drawstring on my wader top drawn tight with the wader belt in place so I only got a small stream of ice cold water down the my butt crack.  Needless to say, I have a healthy respect for cold water and realize that you can drown in a foot or less of it if you do it right.  Next time I am packing two shirts! 

Later I started to think about what might have happened if I stepped into a blind pool and sunk over the top of my waders.  Inevitably, the waders would fill up and drag me down like a fat rock.  No hope of getting them off with laced boots keeping the waders on.  I am always taking a wading staff from now on!

After my customary Beanie  Weenie lunch I dried out and changed into my spare clothes.  We headed up to the end of the Delayed Harvest section where the last bridge crosses the river.  We stood on the span and looked at the deep pool below that was full of fish with some real brutes in there.  We figured there was  no chance of catching any since this area seemed to be high pressure so we walked back down stream and fished a less populated spot.  I decided to swing a new Slumpbuster that I tied in a deep pool and was rewarded with a nice brook trout!  It was cool to know that I tied the fly that caught the fish.  We fished until the light began to fade then decided that we had done enough damage and packed up for the trip home.  Total I think I caught 30 fish in all.  Not a shabby day!  I was tired as Hell and my feet were sore from walking on the rocks but it was all worth it.  I got my due the next day as I lay on the bathroom floor puking my guts up.  Evidently Beanie Weenies and McDonald's are suspect in the Morganton area.  Still was a great day fishing!

More tying...... Girdle Bug.

A few guys on Tar Heel Fly Fishng Forum have started an online fly tying contest.  Well, not a contest so much as a fly is picked and everyone sees what they can produce.  Everyone then comments on the flies and gives attaboys and dobetters.  This week was Girdle Bugs, BWO nymph, or attractor nymphs.  I picked Girdle Bug because it looked like something I could tie easily.

I screwed up initially by misunderstanding the posting deadline.  I thought I had all week and I only had a day.  So naturally I slept all day and failed to get the supplies I needed to tie this bug the right way.  I had no other alternative but to do the "guy thing" and half-ass slap something together.  I rummaged through my tying bag and stole a bungee cord then set to work creating a fly that looked like it came straight off the short bus.   This monster would probably scare more fish than it would ever hope to catch.  In fact I would probably have to hope that it would hit a fish squarely on the head rendering it unconscious and then magically foul hooking it.  That is no way to fish!

So I decided to make up for my lack of planning and went off in search of proper tying materials.  A few dollars later I was ready to take a second crack at the Girdle Bug.  I think the second try was much better and a whole lot more fish-able.  I am still in need of a lot of practice so that my flies look a lot neater.  I also need to purchase some more supplies so that I can branch out a little and tie more difficult flies.  I think I am going to try out some nymph patterns and try to fill out my fly box. 

Practice makes perfect.

If at first you don't succeed........

I think I shamed myself into doing some of the fly fishing off season tasks that I said I would do.  I had an easy day at medic duty last night which afforded me the downtime I needed to read my hatches book and try out my vise.  It is a nice job sometimes..... sometimes.

Over the years I have accumulated an assortment of feathers, hooks, and threads that basically amount to a big bag of crap.  I rummaged through my big bag of crap and pulled out Grizzly Hackle, Peacock Herl, and a couple of hooks.  I figured I would tackle the Griffith's Gnat as an easy start.   It looked simple and easy.... so I thought.  I think my peacock was a little old because I broke several strands of herl off trying to wrap them.  So much for tying with old crap. 

After a few minutes of cursing and replaying the tutorial on my tiny Blackberry screen I did manage to tie the materials onto the hook shank and get the herl rope twisted into place.  I was very satisfied with my choice of the Renzetti Traveler 2000 vise as it's rotary action made winding the herl a snap.  I continued onto the hackle and produced a bug that looked good but had hackles that were way too long, extending far beyond the hook gap.  I stripped that fly down and tied it over selecting what I thought was a smaller hackle.  I finally produced a reasonable facsimile of a Gnat.  Wow!  That Matarelli whip finisher nearly kicked my ass!

I had produced a decent looking fly and was even able to duplicate it a second time quicker than the first one.  All in all I tied two usable flies in..... THREE HOURS!  I saved four dollars in the process and wasted materials to tie four flies.  I hope this gets easier as I practice more.  Now onto bigger and more complex flies.   After a lot of practice.

I marveled at my accomplishment and compared it to the commercial ones in my fly box.  "Hey, I'd eat that!"

Discipline, or a lack there of.

Fishing is a... discipline in the equality of men - for all men are equal before fish. ~Herbert Hoover

With all this winter weather you begin to think that you will never see a dry day.  Every planned outing for some needed fishing has been thwarted by snow, ice, and high water.  I steady myself with the thoughts that patience now will yield dividends later in the Spring and Summer months.  Dividends of adequate water levels and abundant hatches of insects for our trout friends to snack on.

So what does this all have to do with discipline?  Louis Pasteur said that "Fortune favors the prepared mind."  In my winter downtime I had planned on hours of reading and fly tying practice to prepare for the coming battles of the Spring.  I have been reading, or trying to read, a book by Dave Hughes called "A Handbook of Hatches" which educates on what trout eat and the flies that imitate them.  It seems like a great book, if I could just make myself sit down and read it.  I thought my downtime at work would be a good time to do it but the idiot box has a strong draw.  Either that or I have adult onset ADD, my money is on ADD.  I have wanted to start tying some flies but I can't seem to make myself sit down and start the process.  The jobs associated with tying, cleaning out my guest bedroom and organizing a spot to tie in, have put me off to the whole process.  LAZY!  The possible cost to me in supplies and the inevitable sparring match with the wife for funds also weigh heavily on my mind.  She is very good to me but I feel like I ask for too much when times are too thin.

Eventually, I will make time to do what I need to do.  The guest room will get organized.  The book will get read.  And I will go fishing again.  It all takes discipline to make yourself do it all!  I need to get me some of that discipline stuff, do they sell it online?

"My name is Les and i'm a tackle ho."

Every time I receive a fly fishing catalog in the mail I feel dirty and scurry off to the bathroom to hide it from my wife who will surely try to throw it in the trash.  I received the latest Orvis catalog and as I sit on the jon I look at the pictures and descriptions while I quietly contemplate things I "need".

My latest needs seem to be looking for yet another vest, pack, or lanyard to stuff all my crap in.  I started out with an Orvis Battenkill Vest that soon became an Orvis Safe Passage pack.  I changed my thinking and bought a William Joseph MAG series Amp pack that I use as a shoulder bag.  All was right with the world and I felt like I could carry enough stuff for a day.  Now I am planning my March trip to Cherokee and I am feeling a little inadequate.  I want something bigger but like the shoulder bag configuration.  *sigh*  What am I to do?  I thought about a fanny pack but I am concerned that I might get it in the water when I wade a little deep as I like to do sometimes.  Well, that and I have too much fanny anyways.

I am looking to try the larger William Joseph Mag series Current pack because I want to carry a different fly box configuration and more flies.  Like I need more flies rolling around in my pack.  I really need to organize my fly boxes and set them up better for certain fishing situations.  But that's another post entirely.

My other need is a net seine so I can see what's floating around in the water.  I am trying to learn more about entomology and  want to see some of the bugs that I have been reading about in their natural environment.  I would also like to collect some examples for fly tying and the like.  What an nerd I am.

 I think I will retreat to my office and search the pages for more things that need buying.

2009 A year of fishing recap.

It has been a couple of years now since I dusted off the gear and hit the waters in search of trout.  2009 really marked a turning point for me in my fishing where the fundamentals all clicked and I finally began to catch some fish.  I'm not talking huge numbers of hog sized trout but catching some fish and making me think "Hey, I'm not wasting my time out here.".

I spent a lot of time fishing the Mitchell River in Dobson, NC.  It's a good place to go to if you want to escape and fish a little.  However, it's a little over fished and can be crowded.  As cheesy as it sounds I fished behind the hatchery truck there one day and had my first real productive day fly fishing.  It was no accomplishment, snagging shell shocked stocked trout, but it felt good to catch a few trout.  I had my first good dry fly take on a slow moving section and I was now hooked on dry fly fishing.

2009 was full of diversity for me.  I spent lots of time on the water in North Carolina and managed to return to Virginia to fish water that I had fished earlier.  I spent almost as much time on the Smith River in Bassett, VA as I did on the Mitchell River.  The Smith River was a source of much frustration with it's skittish brown trout and high pressure fishing environment.  I really enjoyed fishing the Special Regulations section and was frequently frustrated by my lack of success.   It all paid off late one afternoon when I finally landed an elusive brownie!  I felt vindicated and thought that I really had accomplished something.

 

In the spring I made a trip to the Cherokee area for a long weekend of fishing with my co-workers.  I have always wanted to fish this area and have been told tales about how the reservation waters are stocked to the brim and you can just walk out there and scoop them up in your net.  My Dad always told me "If it's too good to be true then it isn't."  My Dad was right!  We fished the Tuckasseege Delayed Harvest section on the first day where I caught a bunch of brook trout.  That was an awesome day because I had not caught a bunch of fish in one day and the Tuck paid off in spades! We fished on the reservation for the rest of the trip.  Unfortunately, the reputation did not live up!  We fished Soco Creek with a guide and only caught a couple of small rainbow trout.  Definitely not worth the $60 we paid.  I can "not catch fish" all by myself.  We also fished the Oconoluftee with a big fat skunk!  Overall, we had a great time in Cherokee.  This despite the fact that the reservation is dry and the drive to Bryson City is long for a beer.  Can't wait to go back in 2010 and wipe the skunk off!

Finally, we fished the new Delayed Harvest section of Wilson Creek.  I had a wonderful and productive time fishing this newly acquired stretch of public water.  I caught a lot of rainbow and brook trout on this trip and really felt like my fishing skills were coming together.  We camped overnight in the Mortimer Campground which was the first time I had been camping since I was a kid.  I think it will be a super fishing spot and I hope to fish it a lot more in 2010.

 

I am hoping that 2010 is going to be a great year for trout!  Hopefully the rains of the winter will yield good water levels and insect hatches for the Summer.  I am just getting a little antsy waiting for a suitable day to get back on the water and do some cold weather trout fishing.  

Waters I hope to fish in 2010:

• Wautauga River, NC
• S Holston River, TN
• White Top Laurel, VA
• Jackson River, VA

Here's to 2009, it was a great year!

New Year's Resolutions 2010

Another year is on the books and I, like many others, reflect on my life and decide what I can do to make it better.  This is a list of my 2010 New Year's Resolutions.

1. Go fishing more!  You can't catch the fish sitting at home on the couch.
2. Work less.  Well, not sure what I can do about that one.
3. Loose some weight.  A yearly resolution that usually gets tossed five minutes after the ball drops.
4. Drink less.  See three.
5. Learn more about riparian entomology.  Maybe I will catch more trout if I learn about what they eat?
6. Learn fly tying.  It's a natural progression of the trout fishing sport and besides, imagine the fun of catching a fish on a fly you tied yourself.
7. Go Smallmouth fishing.  I really want to catch one of those buggers on a fly rod.  Like dynamite in a small package.
8. Stop cursing.  It isn't good when your two year old swears at the table.  It's even worse when he sounds like you.
9. Work on my casting.  My roll cast sucks! 
10. Catch more trout! Isn't that what it's all about?

Here's hoping that 2010 is a good year!

"A life well wasted......"

I have been playing a lot on-line, as most trout anglers do in the winter, and it seems like everyone has something to say and wants everyone to hear it. Why should I be any different? My wife would say that a Blog is the ultimate in narcissistic behavior and shameless self promotion. Once I would have agreed with her but after Facebooking for a while I found out that some folks do care what I have to say. (Well, maybe one or two.) I began writing notes about my fishing trips and found that I enjoyed it and it made me feel like I was writing for "Field and Stream", not that anyone really would pay for the ramblings of a pudgy kid scouring the waters for trout. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time, so I am trying it out.

Every story has a beginning. I went to the movies one day and saw "A River Runs Through It". I have never been a big reader so I had no idea who Norman Maclean was.   I just thought it looked like a good show and as I watched I became hooked on the fly fishing.  So I decided that I would buy myself a fly rod and teach myself the intricacies of this sport. A few hundred dollars later and a couple of trips to the Orvis store in Roanoke, VA and I was casting like a fool, literally.

It would take much trial and error but eventually I was able to get on the water and fish for trout. I fished mostly in Southwest Virginia around where I had grown up.  I managed to get my father and brother into it also and we had some fun learning as we did it.  We even managed to catch a fish or two. My brother's greatest catch was me, hooking my ear on a cold afternoon with an errant cast. Eventually, my brother moved away and my father got to where he could not wade in the rivers and creeks of the back country. So I put my rods in their tubes and packed my gear away until I lost interest. At the time it was probably more about hanging out with my family than it was catching fish.

Many years passed and I started to get the bug again. Surf fishing at the beach had wet my appetite for "pullage".  Unfortunately it got to be very costly to fish at the beach on a frequent basis.   Fishing had now become a passion and my passion knew no boundaries.  So I drug my rod tubes out and dusted them off of dirt and mold. I figured I could get back into trout fishing and save a little money, so to speak.  It felt good practicing a cast in the backyard. Kind of like the whiff of smoke you get when you are trying to quit smoking.  I knew that I had to get back into fly fishing and I now was older and a little wiser. The impatient young man I was now had a wife and child. So I immediately went out and upgraded or replaced my old gear. Older, but not wiser. 

I am fishing a lot of North Carolina and some of Virginia. I have really begun to slow down and try to enjoy fishing for the experience that it is. A chance to stand in the water and allow it to wash the stress and confusion of daily life away. I get better at it every day and I now have to use more than one hand to count the fish I have caught.

I once heard of fly fishing referred to as "A life well wasted..." I could not agree more.