Friday, April 29, 2011

Promised Land Part Duex

So, the private water on the Davidson River beat me like a rented mule a few weeks ago.  A little dinker rainbow and a slightly larger horny head where all I could muster on this semi-fabled section of stream.  My dreams of fishing "privately managed water" were squashed after that trip.  I had imagined a 70 fish day, with a few over 20 inches to boot.  While my friends caught a couple of trophy sized rainbows, none of us produced the numbers of fish I had hoped for.  This week, however, I had a second opportunity to wet a line in a different privately managed stream.  

I recently contacted my friend Carl.  He was my pastor in college, officiated my wedding,  and is truly one of the most genuinely Christ like men I have ever met.  I called him up to see if he wanted to go fishing.  He did, and he even offered to take me to the waters of a private fishing club of which he was donated membership.  It's a fishing club that's been around since the the 1920's, and you can't even buy your way into it. and I got to be his guest for a day    
Booyah!


 Here is a quick pic I snapped of Carl on the river with his typical smile and his typical stance;  the "fish in hand" stance.  He probably caught 15 fish in this run.   It felt like Carl caught atleast 4 fish for every one of mine.  He said he caught 44.  I think I caught about 15, but he said I caught atleast 25.  I want to believe him, but I think he was just being nice.  The fish pictured in Carl's hand is smaller than most in the stream.  (Side note. As I try to blog, I find taking solo pictures of fish I catch takes away time from actually fishing, and potentially having the healthiest catch and release possible; therefore it is a discipline to physically stop and take a picture. I find that I am much more interested in fishing the photography, so only two pictures today).



This was the typical size of the feesh'es we caught.  That's my mid-arbor 5 weight reel in the back ground to give you some perspective. The club recently stocked the river with primarily 14-16 inch rainbows. They where fat, fiesty, and eager to take a nymph dead drifted in their general direction.  My arm is sore from fighting these rockets.  I had to clip my leader down to a 4x taper so I could add 4x tippet instead of 5x and 6x.  I lost at least 10 flies to fish that broke me off on 5x and 6x tippet.  It was a great day of fishing.  The temperature in the high country was in the mid 60's and sunny.  We had an osprey flying over us surveying the scene much of the day, assumedly comparing our fishing efficiency to it's own   And I even saw some if these big bows shimmering in the film of the green waters, rising to the surface to take caddis flies and little yellow stones for a brief window this morning.  It kind of felt like I was in Colorado.  A crisp morning, 4x tippet with size #14 prince nymphs and copper johns easily producing fish 15 inch rainbows, and enough room to cast most of the time.  Pinch me.

Thank you Carl. You are a great man and an excellent fisherman. Non-private waters, I'll see you sooner than later.  You keep me honest anyway.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Wild Bows in April

Got out on a wild stream today and it was beautiful.  I had never fished this section, and it had no trail.  That meant:  A.) great fishing because there is very little pressure; or,  B.) crappy fishing, so no one bothers to fish it or make a trail on it's banks.  Fortunately, it turned out to be "A."  I managed 20 or so fish in the three hours I fished (12p -3p).

 I saw some yellow sallies, little midges, and a couple of big stone flies flying around.  I caught fish on a black and tan stone I tie, a boss hog (a light stone fly I can't tie), and a birds nest.  I nymphed all day because I never saw a single rise.


I caught 7 fish in the first hole, and this one of the takers.



I caught this fish about 2:30, and he was the brightest and biggest up to that point (10 inches or so).


Later.



 I caught another 10 incher, and then this guy (the biggest of the day) all by 3pm.  I had to leave to catch my ride, and didn't get to finish fishing the last hole that was producing these bigger fish.  But like the terminator said...


river trash.
 Found this walking back to the car.  Those dagum hipsters throw their vinyl out everywhere. I bet Jon Black threw this in the river.  

Look at Jon.  Walking to the river now probably to throw an old washin' machine in. Jerk.






Tuesday, April 19, 2011

From the Vise

First, props to my Dad for building a fly tying table for me.  My dad could totally beat your dad in a fly-tying-table-building contest.

Yesterday's concoctions

 WD-40 sz 18 midge pupa hook

 Starling soft hackle with white dubbing ball size14

 Two toned beaded, red wire rib San Juan Worm size 10 scud hook

 Green floss and abdomen bead soft hackle size 14 3x hook

 Pheasant Tail soft hackle size 14

 Red Fox squirrel nymph, bead head, rubber legs size 16

Miracal Midge size 22

Friday, April 15, 2011

Wild Bows

river wild

 
We went to a stream labeled hatchery supported...

  But we were looking for these little wild guys who have never seen the concrete troughs and trout chow of a NC hatchery. 
 Natives instead of trout transplants looking for a home in the mountains. I dig it.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Green River

I took my friend Charles to the DH section of the Green River today.   He had never been fly fishing before, but he picked up casting very quickly.  In fact, he landed his first fish (a rainbow) and lost two more.  That's saying a lot since they were generating from the tuxedo hydro station and the water was pumping strong.  I picked up a few fish too.  One nice brookie and the others were browns. I missed landing to nice browns that spit the fly after a fight. We were swinging big stone flies, streamers, and san juans.  We saw some big browns sporadically feeding on top water, but couldn't ever get a fish to rise to our dries. The temp was in the high 70's, breezy, and mostly sunny.  I only managed one pic on my on my cell, and I dropped Charles' first trout before we could snap a picture.  Party foul.  All and all, it was great to be out and I was stoked that Charles landed a trout his first day out and felt a nice and felt a good size fish put a bend in his rod.
Green River brown trout

Friday, April 8, 2011

Fly Tyer

I subscribe to Fly Tyer magazine, and actually have some cool old copies from the 70's.  Here is a quote from an article in the spring issue of Fly Tyer  along with some pics of some of the old Fly Tyers I have.

Isn’t it sad how we pity ourselves when it has been too long since we last fished? Why do I not also feel for the trout, never free from predation? They never get to sleep, and they risk everything anytime they eat. They never get a reprieve, and yet here I am, chubby-cheeked and quite content as I plan their demise. I tell you, things should be different. Asking so little, trout deserve to have it easy; expecting so much, we should have it so hard. But there you go: Life isn’t fair and we don’t want it to be. Not when we have wicked plans.  -Bill Logan

 Just a few of the retro Fly Tyers


 $2 for this '79 Spring issure. I might tie up that soft hackle


 The greatest fisherman of all time resides over my tying desk