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.