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.