Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Season Finale

This past week has been a blast. Not only was I able to get over into North Carolina in search of some lake run rainbows, but I also found myself in the woods a couple of days. I don't hunt much, maybe one day a year, but this year I wanted some meat for the freezer. I found myself missing a doe by 7:30 the first morning, and then with a buck on the ground by 8:30 the second morning. So, that was quite an active time in the woods.

Now to what most people who read this blog are anxious to hear about, the lake run rainbows I found on Tuesday. I use found very loosely because a good fishing buddy David Knapp over at The Trout Zone called me up and turned me onto this particular tributary. I originally had planned on going to a larger stream in NC, but a late call from David had me plotting a new course to another unfamiliar stream with visions of large bows in my dreams. We arrived to a crowded parking lot, but thankfully everybody was there for hiking purposes. It was a beautifully clear but cold 40 degrees when we arrived. Before gearing up we walked about 100 yards searching the water for signs of active fish. Shortly upstream we found what we were looking for. There were 4 or 5 large bows stacked up in one pool, and that was all the motivation we needed. The fishing was by no means easy, in fact it was quite tough. However, sight fishing to these large bows was all that was needed for us to stay positive. We threw everything we had at them, but they were not having any of it. We ended up landing two fish and had two come off. The last fish I landed was hooked outside the lower jaw, but I actually watched it swim over and take my streamer. After quickly and carefully landing the hen, we slid her back into the water to finish what she came to do.
Which Fly, Which Fly?

Tie Those Knots Securely

The Presentation

Lake Run Hen photo by Jacob Hoekstra

Lake Run Buck photo by Jacob Hoekstra

I look forward to doing this again, as it allowed for some exciting fishing. The water temp was a cold 41 degrees, and the water was running swiftly.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Hopefully next week.....

I will be able to get on the water. This rainy season has dramatically reduced the number of trips to the river I have made this year. I typically fish on Friday afternoons, but this year it seems as if all the major rains come thru on Thursdays and blow the streams out for Friday and Saturday.

If everything works out, I will try to make the trip over to NC next Monday or Tuesday and try for some lake run trout and steelhead. Hopefully it will not be too crowded. This will be a first for me, but I have been wanting to try it for a long time. Not a chance at getting on the tailwaters in the area, as most of them are running all generators and some are even sluicing. I think I heard that Appalachia is actually spilling, I can't imagine that is doing much good for the fish population downstream. That was once a great tailwater, just as recently as 4 years ago. But something happened once we entered into our drought, and that river just hasn't been the same since.

I hope everyone out there has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Until next time, Tight Lines & God Bless.

19" Clinch River Brown