Unreel Fly Fishing

What could be more fun than spending a day sharing new experiences and having new adventures with a loved one?  Answer: Nothing!    That’s why when I take pictures of wonderful people like these I never have to tell them to smile.  I had an awesome morning  with these tenkara first-timers yesterday in spite of a 34 degree starting temperature.  It’s amazing how the feeling of catching your first fish on tenkara can warm you up.   Next time you’re thinking of buying a guided trip as a gift, do yourself and your partner a favor,  make it for two!

Family fishing is my favorite fishing and today was as good as it gets.  I had the privilege of guiding this awesome grandfather, father and son/grandson trio for a busy day on the stream.  We caught variety, quantity and as you can see, some serious quality.  When you land a beautiful trout like the one above, everybody should get in the picture!   Thank you guys for letting me join in on the fun.

It’s been a while coming but it would appear that autumn is finally arriving here in the mountains.  Yesterday it was 39 degrees when we waded in with our tenkara rods. The fall colors were breaking out and the fish were biting.  Our hatchery supported streams have all received fish  and some of them are pretty good size!  The day did warm beautifully and we hiked up to brook trout water in the afternoon where we found good numbers of local natives ready to grab a dry fly.  Good company, lunch in the warm sun and a low overflight by a bald eagle rounded out what was pretty much a perfect fall day here in WNC.  I can’t wait to get out again.

If you follow my posts you’ll know I respect the effort it takes to find and catch our elusive native Brook Trout.  The angler pictured above and below  is a great friend of mine and definitely deserves special recognition.  He came all the way from Christchurch, New Zealand to get the beauty pictured  below.  Okay, maybe he didn’t come just just to catch a Brook Trout…but he did that, too!  If you’re wondering, no, I don’t typically guide barefoot.  It’s a long story I’ll tell you the next time we go fishing.

If you’re a reasonably sane person you might wonder why I seem to get so excited about fishing for native Brook Trout.  After all, they’re tiny when you compare them to some of the fish we catch fall through spring.   You don’t catch as many and it seems like a lot of effort by comparison.  For me the appeal comes from three things:

1.  You have put in the effort.  Unlike some of our Delayed Harvest streams, you can’t just drive to the river and throw your line in.  You’ve got to lace up your boots and keep walking until you’re in the wild.   That can be a long walk.
2. It’s said that trout live in beautiful places.  If that’s true, then native Brook Trout live in unbelievably beautiful places.  Simply being in those places is a joy.
3. In order to catch a wild Brookie you have to do everything right.  Be in the right place, have the right fly, make the right cast with the right presentation and be ready when the lighting fast take comes.  One mistake and you’ve missed them.  Zero margin for error.

I was always taught that things that easily are often undervalued, unappreciated or taken for granted.  The things you prize are the things you have to earn.  That is the ultimate appeal of angling for Brook Trout…every one is earned.