Unreel Fly Fishing

On Saturday we spent the whole day up in Brook trout water and had a blast.   I was with a great guy and excellent tenkara angler who shared my passion for taking long walks for small fish.  It was in the high eighties in town but mid seventies on the stream.  The water was cool and the Brookies were as spooky and beautiful as ever.  We caught fish, lost fish, missed fish and generally had a wonderful day of drifting dry flies through anywhere that looked promising.  I describe these trips as 60% fishing, 30% hiking and 10% just enjoying nature.   The proportions are flexible based on individual preference!

Memorial Day has come and gone. This means I’m changing gears into “summer fishing” mode.  Starting the first of June I’ll be leaving the lower, hatchery-supported water behind and commencing hike-in wild trout fishing.  These trips are typically a full day and involve 3-4 miles of hiking along with some moderately athletic fishing up our local mountain streams.  The target is wild trout, especially native Appalachian Brook Trout.  They are small in size but big in challenge, requiring effort, stealth and accuracy to catch.  If a vigorous day along a beautiful, wild, Appalachian stream sounds appealing, drop me a line or give me a call.  I’m ready!

…not like the other ones!    The River Red Horse (bottom picture) is a wonderful fish that loves clean, clear streams just like trout.  Unlike the beautiful Rainbow Trout pictured, the Redhorse is actually native to our WNC streams.   Given its size and strength, it can be quite a challenge when hooked on a tenkara rod.  This fine specimen took us for a bit of a ride before we could net and release it.    It’s always fun to be surprised by a fish you didn’t expect.   Always try to appreciate them, learn about them and of course, release them!

I wouldn’t have thought it possible but we  managed to get in a morning of fishing in between yesterday’s thunderstorms and today’s.  Rivers come up quickly here in WNC but luckily, they tend to recede the same way.    When it looked like we’d have a chance to save 1/2 a day, we jumped on it.  As you can see, it was well worth the effort.  These two good friends (and good tenkara anglers) made the most of the opportunity.  Check out those smiles!

This morning the sun was shining on us and so was good fortune.  I had a great morning out with this delightful father and daughter team of trout slayers.  We caught quantity, quality and variety.  Most importantly we had a beautiful, pleasant and fun morning on the stream.   Family fishing is my favorite fishing and it doesn’t get any better than this.