issue 27
oct/nov 2016
Southern Trout VOTE FOR HALL OF FAME
THE ART OF A.D. MADDOX www.southerntrout.com
ATL ANTA FEBRUARY 3 & 4, 2017
INFINITE ENERGY CENTER
Fly Fishing is NOT part of the show
IT IS THE SHOW!
flyfishingshow.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF BARRY AND CATHY BECK.
Publisher’s message
One Damned Fast Train One damned faster train she is… Six months from my reprieve from “death by soda pop,” we’re back on track with veins showing through the enamel of our teeth. Not much going on here worth noting, except for the following which will keep us busy, busy through spring. We’ve launched the Southern Trout “Legends of the Fly” Hall of Fame (ST HOF) that will culminate the first weekend in February in Atlanta at The Fly Fishing Show. If your interest is tweaked, read the article in this issue about the ST HOF, and by all means, vote! Better still, get behind a nominee and encourage others to vote for your favorites. This is gonna be a blast! The second week of October we’re off to Bryson City for the Smoky Mountain
Fly Fishing Festival. Our favorite trout town, it’s always a fun trip there where a chance to wet a line at Deep Creek is on the agenda. Mid October brings the release of the Southern Kayak Fishing Magazine 2017 Buyer’s Guide. This has been a bear of a project that has given us a new sense of respect for the folks assigned to put together catalogs for businesses such as Bass Pro Shop. Kayak or not, if you like fishing stuff, odds are the Buyer’s Guide has enough eye candy to glaze over your eyes. November the first is the drop date for the inaugural issue of Southern Trout “Ozark Edition” (STOE.) This project has been in the works for almost six months. A slightly abbreviate edition of Southern Trout “regular,” STOE as we call it focuses exclusively on trout—including brozenback trout (aka smallmouth bass)—fly fishing in the Ozarks of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. STOE will publish six times a year on the months that new issues of STM are not released. The first weekend in November we’ll be in Florida for the Florida Fly Fishing Expo. Along with hawking Southern Trout Magazine and Southern Kayak Fishing, this will be the site of the unveiling of our fourth title, Southern Saltwater Fly Fishing. Expert Saltwater fly fisherman, Jimmy Jacobs of Marietta, Georgia, will be at the helm of this project as its editor. Content coverage area will include
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 3
Southern Trout Publisher Assoc. Editor Managing Editor Special Projects Dir. Photographer/Writer Editorial Consultant
Don Kirk Ragan Whitlock Leah Kirk Loryn Lathem Adam Patterson Olive K. Nynne
Contributors Bill Bernhardt Bill Cooper Kevin Howell Harry Murray FIELD STAFF
Ron Gaddy Columnist Craig Haney Columnist Jimmy Jacobs, Georgia Editor Roger Lowe Columnist Bob Mallard Columnist Steve Moore Columnist Bob Borgwat Columnist
Southern Trout is a publication of Southern Unlimited, LLC. Copyright 2016 Southern Unlimited LLC. All rights reserved.
Publisher’s message
(cont.)
coastal waters from the Chesapeake to Galveston, plus the Caribbean to Central America. It will be a spectacularly colorful publication that I hope will be my free ticket to Cuba where I am told cigars grow on trees. We’re getting our second batch of interns in early January. I hope they are bright enough to see that there is no future in the magazine publishing business and switch their majors before their parents fork out any more money for their college education. As with last time, I expect that Olive will convince most them to depart early for enrollment in culinary school, or to become apprentice pipe fitters. I’d like to say that this is about it, which except for rumors we are launching a bear hunting magazine at the SHOT Show in January, that is pretty much correct. My goal as a beginning writer was to kill 100 bears. I abandoned that quest at 23 of them, and to be honest, I am no longer mad at bears. This project was left on the doorstep, and it’s pretty much a turnkey deal that revives my animosity for bruins and the prospect of renewing my quest.
ON THE COVER: See page 68.
4 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
It isn't an obsession if you make money.
It's a career.
DON'T MISS THE REMAINING 2016 FISHING TOURNAMENTS: The Qualla Country Trout Tournament SEPTEMBER 2 – 4
$11 entry fee and $20,000 in tagged fish
Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly-Fishing Tournament OCTOBER 28 –30
$225 entry fee and $10,000 in total prize money For registration details: VisitCherokeeNC.com | 828.359.6110
THIS ISSUE From the Editor
3
HALL OF FAME VOTE NOW
12
Gearhead Green with Envy
16
16
24
Sunburst Trout Sponsored 24 Craig’s Camp Cooking Grits and Hemp Trout
New Fly Guy 30 Hatch Charts 101 Great Smoky Mountain TU Ironman Fly Tying Contest 2017
38
28 30
Black Wing Olive Chronicles 44
38
Final Preparations
Fly of the Month Yallarhammar
46
Situational Fly Fising in 50 the GSMNP Fall Terrestrials
68
CLOSE LOOK - TENNESSEE
ELIZABETHTON 59 Tennessee’s Top Trout Town Featured Artist So Much More to Go A.D. Maddox
68
Featured Lodging
78
Overnighting on the Watauga
6 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
THIS ISSUE
140
86
Get Hooked Up Hiwassee Fall Fling!
86
Featured Fly Shop
100
Towsend’s Secret Little Streams
108
Fall Fishing on the Clinch River
114
Smoky Mountain Angler
108
138
192
196
Featured Fly Tyer
126 Colnel Roger L. Duckworth
Mayfly Coffee
172
Signal Mountain, TN
138
Rocky Fork State Park A Work in Progress
142
Celebrating On the Watauga River
148
Featured Rod Builder 158 Bamboo: One Man’s Labor
148
Featured Guide Les Novolch
166
FEATURES
Soft Hackle Trout Tactics
174
GAs Delayed Harvest
184
Book Review One Step Away
194
WNC Fly Fishing Expo
196
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 7
Is Swain County NC a Fisherman’s Paradis Hundreds of miles of native mountain trout streams flow
through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park above Bryson City and Cherokee — freestone creeks with native rainbow, brook and brown trout. Most streams offer all three species.
Trout are also common in our four rivers – the Oconaluftee,
C
Great Smoky Mo National Pa
Little Tennessee, the Eagle Chambers Nolan Twentymile Hazel Creek Forney Creek Creek Creek Creek Tuckasegee and the Creek Fontana Dam Fontana Nantahala, one of Fontana Cheoah Lake Lake Lake Lewellyn Trout Unlimited’s top Fontana B Branch Fontana 129 Lake Boat Village Alarka 100 rivers. And now, a 2.2 Cable Ramp Marina Boat Dock Cove 28N Boat mile section of the Tuck Ramp Almond Lemmons Boat Park Branch through Bryson City has Boat Ramp Stecoah 143 been designated delayed 19 Wesser 74 Needmore harvest waters, and Road For more information, Nantahala River promises to have one of contact the Bryson City / the highest trout counts Swain County Chamber of Wayah Road (NC 1310) of any stream in the Commerce 800-867-9246. Upper Nantahala southeast. River
P
Public Access
Public Access
tern g on at Wes in o g is g in “Three ay “Someth Lake that m rivers j a n ta n o F ’s ust ou na li ro a C p h o rt o tside A p N uth ular na o S e th in merica g in t h i s o fi t n u al park ’s most t r o to u a just send tro e t, suite are tee d id o o g a e b d t ming w for bot t migh angler ith h wad into orbit ...I n o s ry s B , in i a n nd sur g and stay to e c la p r a floatin ounde best sc book you g d by so enery leep in s to e v a h m i ’t n n o e S d u o o f the uthern City so yo Appala If you h mber.” e v o N in re chia. e aven’t fished your truck th produ t he qua ctive r int and ivers o Carolin f W e stern N a, you orth don’t k missin now w g.” hat yo u’re
Public Access
se?
Upper Raven Fork
ountains ark
Deep Creek
Indian Creek
Raven Fork Trophy Section
Lakeview Drive
Old 288 Boat Ramp
Tuckasegee River
k Alarka Creek Alarka Road
28S Little Tennessee River
Bryson City
Whittier Whittier Boat Ramp
EBCI Hatchery Big Cove Road
19
441 Tuckasegee River
Public Access
Conleys Creek
Heintooga Ridge Road
Blue Ridge Parkway Cherokee Indian Cherokee Reservation
19
Public Access
Raven Fork
Oconaluftee River
nd k
k
Straight Fork
441
Clingmans Dome
You be the Judge.
Straight Fork Road
Bradley Chasteen Kephart Fork Creek Prong
74 Conleys Creek Road
Dillsboro
441
Visit GreatSmokiesFishing.com for profiles of all 26 Swain County fishing locations on this map. All are just minutes from Bryson City, NC.
Two mountain lakes The 30 miles of trout offer trout fishing streams on the The 29-mile long, Cherokee Indian 11,700 acre Fontana Reservation are the Lake and its smaller downstream neighbor Cheoah Lake both have strong populations of trout, particularly near the mouths of streams flowing out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cheoah is regularly stocked by the State of North Carolina.
longest privately-owned and stocked fishing waters east of the Mississippi. The 2.2mile Raven Fork Trophy section is home to the biggest trout in the Smokies. This specially regulated section is fly fishing only and catch and release.
Cashiers, NC
“LEGENDS O
HALL O
The Southern Trout “Legends of the Fly” Hall of Fame is first to recognize and commemorate southern trout anglers’ historical contributions to fly fishing. On February 3rd at The Fly Fishing Show in Atlanta, Georgia a ceremony will be held to officially induct six grandfathered in anglers as well as announce GRANDFATHERED INDUCTEES
CHARLEY ELLIOTT Georgia native, Elliot was the longest serving editor at Outdoor Life Magazine and an avid fly fisherman. There is a small museum of this office at Georgia’s Charley Elliot Wildlife Center.
DAVE WHITLOCK Oklahoma native, Whitlock not only is the best known trout artist in the Ozarks, but he is also credited by many with putting Ozark trout fishing on the world stage.
DON PFITZER Tennessee native, Pfitzer was his state’s first cold water fisheries biologist and is credited with pioneering tailwater trout fishing in the TVA system.
OF THE FLY”
OF FAME
six additional inductees chosen by online balloting. Grandfathered inductees represent the tip of the iceberg of individuals whose passion for trout is reflected in their contributions to the sport. GRANDFATHERED INDUCTEES
HARRY MIDDLETON Alabama native, Middleton is regarded by many has the most widely read and revered author of fly fishing related books in the South.
JIM GASTON Arkansas native, Gaston founded and operated Gaston’s White River Resort. He was one of his state’s most influential members of trout fishing tourism.
ERNEST PECKINBAUGH Tennessee native, Peckinbaugh is well known as the creator of the cork popping bug from the early 1900s. He also had what is believed to be the first commercial trout fly tying business in the South.
FILL OUT THE BALLOT ON SOUTHERNTROUT.COM AND CAST YOUR VOTE! Southern Trout is humbled by the opportunity to be a part of bringing much deserved recognition to the rich heritage and tradition of fly fishing for trout in the South. This a people’s choice recognition program. Inductees are chosen by online balloting. Everyone is encouraged to vote for up to six anglers who names and biographic information is provided. Balloting runs from September through December. Future nominations are accepted May through August. INDUCTEE CANDIDATES
CHARLEY DICKEY CHUCK TRYON
HARRY MURRAY
HARRY SLONE
CURTIS FLEMING
J. WAYNE FEARS
HERBERT HOOVER
JIM CASADA
JIMMY JACOBS
MARK CATHY
ROGER LOWE
WALTER BABB
JOHN BERRY
REX WILSON
NAT WINSTON
JOE MANLEY
WILEY OAKLEY
KEVIN HOWELL
JIM GASQUE
SOC CLAY
EDDY GEORGE
BEN CRAIG
DAVY WOOTON
DON HOWELL
GARY MERRIMAN RAY BALL
FRED HALL
gearhead
Green wi
18 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
gearhead
ith Envy
Every once in a while a rod comes along that is truly special—a socalled “game-changer.”
I
own roughly 20 fly rods. They range from 2wt to 8wt, 6’ to 10’ and 2pc to 5pc. All are so-called “Premium” rods, retailing from $500 to over $900 and averaging more than $700. They are made of fiberglass, bamboo, carbon silica, graphite and graphite/boron blends. All are American made—a rarity these days, and something that makes the high-end fly rod market unique. I have owned, borrowed, cast or sold rods made by Browning, Cortland, Diamondback, Daiwa, Fenwick, Hardy, H.L. Leonard, JP Ross, Kodiak, Loop, Orvis, Powell, Redington, Sage, Scott, Shakespeare, Thomas, Thomas & Thomas, Winston and probably a few others I have forgot. My quiver has included such classics as Fenwick Eagle, Cortland Black Diamond; Sage LL, RPL, SPL-CA and XP; Loomis IMX and GLX, Scott G and Winston WT, LT and DL4. I have owned such highly sought after models as 282-3 Sage SPL-CA, 389-3 Sage LL, 885/3 Scott G; and Winston 480 TMF, 589-5 LT and 390-3 WT.
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 19
gearhead
I have some rods I will eventually replace, some I would only part with for the right offer, and some I am not sure you could ever pry out of my hands—like my Sage 282-3 SPL-CA, Scott 885/3 G, 370-3 and 390-3 Winston WT’s, and 379-5 and 589-5 Winston LT’s. These are probably going to my grave with me—or at least to the reading of my will. Every once in a while a rod comes along that is truly special—a so-called “game-changer.” Something that pushes the envelope. A rod that does something better than anything else before it. A rod that’s radically lighter or better balanced, or features some cutting edge components or materials…
I once viewed Winston as a dry fly rod company. I used to refer to them as “old guy” rods—that is before I became one… Then they introduced their BIIx line. This turned Winston into a legitimate “performance” rod company. I now see young 30-something hotshots fishing green sticks… Evolving from the BIIx, the BIIIx took things to the next level. While advertised as a “fast-action” rod, I would call it “medium-fast” -- at least when compared to other companies fast rods. You don’t have to over-line it to try to “tame” it. It casts well with a 5wt line, and why buy a 5wt and turn it into a 6wt by over-lining it?
Everyone makes at least one good 9’ 5wt 4pc rod—they have to. When one stands out among the crowd, it speaks volumes. When it comes to trout, no fly rod is more versatile than a 9’ 5wt 4pc--none. No rod will do more things well—and fewer things poorly. It will fish dries—from midges to salmonflies, nymphs—indicator or Euro, streamers—single to tandems, and even wet lines in stillwater. It is the best-selling trout rod—and by a wide margin. Everyone makes at least one good 9’ 5wt 4pc rod—they have to. When one stands out among the crowd, it speaks volumes. And that is exactly what Winston’s 590-4 BIIIx does—stand out in what is a large and highly competitive market. Only twice has a 9’ 5wt rod wowed me like this one does—the Sage XP and Loomis GLX. And neither is as good as the BIIIx in my not so humble opinion.
The 590-4 BIIIx will handle a hopper or a Hexagenia on 3x tippet as well as it will a BWO or trico on 6x. It fishes as well at 5’ as it does 50’. It can reach out as far as I can effectively fish. It can throw a #4 streamer or even a medium size tandem streamer. It also nymphs well. It is one of those all-too-rare rods that seem to be able to do anything I ask it to… The BIIIx is also aesthetically pleasing. From the rich dark green blank, to the high-quality cork, to what you could argue are the finest wrappings and epoxy in the industry, to the silver handlettering, if there is a more beautiful rod out there I have not seen it. It comes with an embroidered sock and green graphite tube with gold cap.
20 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
gearhead
BIIIx’s can be bought in two configurations. For the traditional fly fisher looking to compliment the beautiful blank and craftsmanship, consider the nickel silver/burled wood reel seat; which by the way is the nicest looking available in a production rod IMHO. For those who are looking for a low-maintenance, lightweight, modern looking rod; consider the anodized aluminum seat. The 590-4 BIIIx is the finest all-around trout rod I have ever fished. Many of my friends have traded their rods in for BIIIx’s after casting mine. Even some diehard “brand-x” users I know have broken ranks and gone over to the green side. And no one I know has gone from a BIIIx to something else… The bar has been set real high. And for now that bar is owned by Winston… BOB MALLARD has fly fished for over 35 years. He owned and operated Kennebec River Outfitters in Madison, Maine from 2001 to 2015. Bob is a blogger, writer and author. His writing has been featured in blogs, newspapers, ezines and magazines at the local, state, regional and national levels. He has appeared on radio and television. Look for his books 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast and 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout (Stonefly Press). Bob is also a fly designer for Catch Fly Fishing out of Billings, Montana; as well as the northeast sales rep for both Stonefly Press and Catch. In addition he is on the R. L. Winston Rod Co. Pro Staff. Bob can be reached at www.kennebecriveroutfitters.com, www.bobmallard.com, info@ bobmallard.com or 207-474-2500. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 21
Yep, it’s just that easy with Western North Carolina’s premier fly shop and guide service. Kevin Howell and his experienced staff have been fishing the surrounding 500 miles of prime trout waters so long, they know all the fish on first name basis. And they’ll be more than happy to make a few introductions.
PISGAH FOREST, NC
GUIDE SERVICES | ONLINE & RETAIL STORE | LESSONS
I
had gotten in early evening from a float trip and was in the mood for a good meal. However, I was tired and didn’t want to clean up and go into town. Also, I was hungry and didn’t want to take a lot of time to prepare dinner at home. Remembering a package of trout fillets in the refrigerator, I took them out along with some asparagus.
Grits and
24 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Sponsored by Sunburst Trout Farms
Craig Haney
The trout fillets came coated on the meat side with grits, hemp seeds and assorted spices. I put one-quarter inch of Pompeian Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil in the 10 inch cast iron skillet and turned up the heat to medium. I prepared another cast iron skillet for the asparagus by drizzling a little oil in the bottom and turning the heat to medium, also.
Hemp Trout
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 25
26 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Sponsored by Sunburst Trout Farms When the oil was heated, I put the trout fillets, meat side down, in the skillet to cook for three minutes. After putting the asparagus in the other heated skillet, I dusted it with Pilleteri’s Greek Seasoning. The trout was turned to the skin side after three minutes and cooked for an additional two minutes. The asparagus cooked for 6-7 minutes and moved around in the skillet to cook evenly. The trout coated with grits and hemp was delicious with a nice crunch and terrific flavor. Even though the trout was coated with spices, the delicate flavor of the trout came through. The asparagus was excellent also with just enough seasoning to add to the natural flavor. With less than 15 minutes of prep and cooking time, I had a delicious meal that would have been quite pricey at a nice restaurant. Craig’s Tips I like using Pompeian Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil for sautéing or pan frying. You get the healthy benefits of olive oil but with a lighter taste. Always conservatively add a seasoning you haven’t tried before so you don’t overdo and perhaps ruin your dish.
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 27
ÂŽ
Don’t go home empty handed! www.sunbursttrout.com
Sunburst Trout Farms Is located below the Shining Rock National Wilderness in the Pisgah National Forest. Since 1948 they have been growing rainbow trout, and the farm is now run by third generation brothers Wes and Ben Eason.
Sunburst has a long standing commitment to quality. Their fish are hormone and antibiotic free, and the feed is made especially for them containing no mammalian by-products. All trout are cut to order in small bathces, mostly by hand, thus ensuring all products are of the highest standard. In addition to Sunburst’s flagship fillets you can also find their award winning caviar, as well as trout jerky, hickory smoked trout, cold smoked trout, smoked trout dip, trout sausage, and even some non trout products, pimento goat cheese and smoked tomato jam. Be sure to stock up on their Original Jennings Jerky! It’s shelf stable and perfect for those long days fly fishing. To order go online to www.sunbursttrout.com
314 Industrial Park Drive Waynesville, NC 28786 828-648-3010 • 800-673-3051
new fly guy
Hatch C h
S
ome of us are old enough to remember the popular 1987 commercial for Miller Light featuring energized advocates screaming conflicting perspectives - “Tastes Great” versus “Less Filling!” I doubt much Miller Light would’ve been sold if it did not “taste great” and who enjoys beer bloat? Wander into any collection of opinionated fly anglers to hear the fly fishing
30 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
har t 101
Steve Moore
version – “Match Hatch!” versus “Perfect Presentation!” Just like the two key characteristics of good beer, both are equally important. Without the right fly to match the hatch, you may just end up spending a day in the woods practicing presentation and hoping the presentation crowd had the winning argument.
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 31
new fly guy
Typically, experts develop hatch charts through years of observation and different people may see different things based on when they are on the stream; resulting in small differences. Why? Nature always introduces uncertainty. Using the example, there is no guarantee the first black stonefly will emerge on February 1 or disappear from the environment on March 31. In addition, the sizes are approximate. A size 16 may be the exact wrong choice in February, but the perfect match in late March. However, it’s a pretty good bet that by the end of February or early in March, black stoneflies should be present on both the stream and in your fly box. Using the calendar as a start point, anglers need to factor in current conditions. For example, a colder than normal season will delay a hatch while warm weather will accelerate it; sliding the bar on the chart right or left. Altitude matters with hatches impacted by microclimates associated with higher altitudes and sheltered valleys. Given the variability of hatch start/finish, many charts communicate uncertainty by showing a gradient fill at the two ends of the active period. Now get specific for the day of your trip. When during the day does the hatch typically occur? Morning? Evening? Consider the weather. A storm might come up, a blistering heat wave may spike water temperature and even clouds changing the intensity of light or an unusually low or high pressure may have a say in what happens on a specific day.
32 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
All this suggests a few simple rules... • The best hatch charts are specific to a small area. The hatch chart built for the Savage River in Maryland is going to be more accurate than the Orvis chart covering the entire Eastern seaboard. As an example, the Orvis chart has the spring hatches starting in mid-March, but guidance from the Savage River Outfitter fly shop perched on the riverbank caveats – “Most all of the Eastern hatches are here. Generally, they occur a couple of weeks later on the Savage River tailwater than the hatches on the surrounding free stone streams.” • Check in with a fly shop (ideally in person). Fly shops with guide services have the best information since their staff is on the water every day and their hatch chart will be the most accurate since business depends on it (example: South Holston River Fly Shop - http://tinyurl.com/jyagtdr). In most cases, the shop can answer the daily timing question – AM or PM? Point of etiquette… while not required, it is polite to buy a few of the recommended flies from the shop (or something else) as fair trade for the information. Price competition from the internet is crushing – support fly shops! • If fishing a river or stream not covered by a fly shop, search social media (blogs or angler forums are always good) for current information. While you may not receive advice on where to fish, most anglers will share what is working on a particular stream and when during the day to use it. • Trout Unlimited chapters usually have pretty good hatch charts on their websites for their favorite streams (example: TU Gold Rush Chapter in Dahlonega, GA - http:// tinyurl.com/zkfvxdz)
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 33
new fly guy
• Don’t despair if, despite all your research, you reach the stream and … nothing… no surface action. Switch gears. All insects go through a lifecycle that includes the nymph and they will be around long before a hatch explodes on the surface. Besides, as much as we enjoy fishing dry flies, the reality is 80% of a trout’s diet is nymphs; implying fishing nymphs will usually result in more caught fish.
One quick trick… after concluding everything is spooked on the first pool you fish,
wade into the stream if it is safe to do so. Stand in the current and use a small net or DIY seine made out of a small piece of mosquito netting stapled to two pencils and capture whatever is floating on top as well as at different levels in the water column. Turn over some rocks and see what floats downstream. Check the netted critters and match color and size as best you can! Finally, midges work all season, always have a few stimulator patterns to fall back on and trout may still respond to a pattern for up to two weeks after the associated hatch ends. As a side note, the Orvis hatch charts contain links to pictures of each fly as a nymph, emerger, adult and spinner (http://tinyurl.com/zve63vc) and is very helpful to make sure the patterns you think you have are the patterns you need.
www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 35
RIVER THROUGH ATLANTA CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER GUIDE SERVICE
RiverThroughAtlanta.com
710 Riverside Rd., Roswell, GA 30075 770-650-8630
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN
2017 38 l October June 2016 2016 l Southern l Southern Trout Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com l www.SouthernTrout.com
John Reinhardt President Great Smoky Mountain
TU IRON MAN FLY CONTEST
I
t was a dark and stormy night‌.o.k. it was actually snowing the night before on January 21st,2016 as the inaugural Great Smoky Mountain Trout Unlimited Iron Man Fly contest debuted to a packed house at the Blackhorse Brewery in Knoxville TN. The snowstorm the previous evening did not deter the contestants or audience from a rollicking evening of laughter, competition, great food and ale. The competitors faced a smorgasbord of fly trying materials ranging from screws, rubber bands and everything in between during multiple rounds of fly tying. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 39
Yes, there were winners of each round but the ultimate goal was to raise funds for the Great Smoky Mountain Trout Unlimited chapter to send a kid to Trout Camp in the Smokies. Each summer the Tremont Institute in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park plays host to a group of young people with a program of fishing, conservation, and aquatic biology as they spend the week camping out in the park. This summer camp is a coordinated effort of the park service, Trout Unlimited, and volunteers from all walks of life to help introduce in a fun and challenging way, the outdoors to boys and girls from ages12 -15 years old. Each year the individual TU chapters raise money to sponsor a child to Trout camp and help offset the expense for many families. Even with careful planning and keeping expenses to a minimum, the cost of a summer camp week for a young family can be daunting. That is where the TU chapters step up along with select sponsors to raise money in unique and fun ways to make a week in the Great Smokies Mountains National Park possible. Take a room full of fly tiers, take them out of their comfort zone, place them in front of a crowd and the party begins. If watching a respected tier trying to attach a cut up rubber glove on a hook in his high dollar vise was not fun enough, seeing them tie a fly blindfolded will bring the house down. The best part is no matter what the skill level and experience of the fly tier, this event levels the playing field. The proof of that is the winner of the blindfold round was Weston Claytor, a 15 year old who had been tying for just six months and even more important he was the young man who the Great Smoky Mountain Trout Unlimited chapter eventually sponsored at Trout camp this summer! The support of our sponsors and donors enabled the winners of each round to take home some great prizes including fly rods, reels, nets, and unique fly tying equipment. Of course no event is complete without a celebrity, so when sponsor Southern Trout/Southern Kayak Magazine sent Don Kirk to represent them we had all the bases covered. Don attended with his wife so he actually was on good behavior that night. Thanks Mrs. Kirk! 40 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
YOUR TIME, OUR PLACE
Caldwell County Sculpted by Nature. Crafted by Man.
explorecaldwell.com The “Iron Man Fly Contest 2017” is already in the planning stages with last year’s sponsors waiting to sign up along with new ones. The planning committee has begun to plot how to confuse next year’s fly tiers whose registration fees make it all possible to send a child to camp. Yes, January may be the coldest part of the year but on that night it is because of warm hearts that young people from across our region get to experience the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. TUChapter #047
sculpture exhibits live music live theatre festivals car shows natural wonders Caldwell Chamber of Commerce Lenoir, North Carolina
black wing olive chronicles
Final Preparations
D
addyboy’s widely known OCD behavior often takes the oddest directions. As of late, the ole stinker has been obsessed with leaving a tidy estate when he goes room temperature. You’d think it involved divvying up his worthless, ill begotten hoard of fishing tackle. Perish the thought on that, because he is still scheming on finding a loop hole in death that allows him to proceed to the hereafter with a U-Haul packed with his coveted junk. As tight-fisted with money as he and the rest of the Scots are, his primary concern is, as he puts it, making sure some “puss gut undertaker is not profiting” unduly at the expense of his internment. He contacted a couple of medical schools about taking him as a cadaver, but when they looked him over as a prospective learning tool, Daddyboy was informed that there was not enough working parts to justify transportation and cold storage costs.
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s
Crematoriums are a lot more common than they used to be, but as ole stinker discovered, none of them will turn a customer into ashes without being paid up front. He also discovered the mandatory sells pitch on a jars known as “urns” for storing his ashes. It would be offense to the senses were I to quote him on what he thought about that. His plans are to store his ashes in a Walmart bag. In his extensive research on how to beat the crematoriums out of a dollar or two, Daddyboy discovered a family run operation in Metter, Georgia known as Colonel Cinders Creamation & Pit Cooked BBQ. It seems that the Colonel’s charge for cremation is determined exactly as he sells whole butts, i.e. by the pound. Fully cook BBQ butt (bone in of In a brief moment course) is $7.99 a pound. of inspiration, the ole Fully cremated corpse (bone stinker hit upon the cost effectiveness of cremation. in of course) is also $7.99 Available at considerable a pound. If he lived closer savings of a regular casket to Metter, which is close to nothing, he could take encrusted funeral which advantage of free delivery, would require a plot and which was very tempting to hiring pallbearers, he obsessed with how to end the ole stinker. From here Daddyboy’s his time on the planet as a limited cranial capacity was fist full of ashes.
olive K. nynne
off to the races. He figured that with sufficient planning he could cover the cost of converting his mortal coil into ashes for around $150. This made him so happy he fell back into the habit of puffing on cigars to help expedite the process. The fly in the ointment is that at his present weight, the Colonel Cinders’s disposal fee comes to $173.95 (sales tax and delivery costs not withstanding). Fetching out his slide rule, after several hours of calculating and re-calculating, Daddyboy surrendered to the fact, that no matter how he tried to juggle the numbers, he either had to pay $23.95 over his projected cremation budget, or lose thirty pounds. Every doctor who has had the misfortune to treat ole stinker for the forty years has tried to get him to shed his gut, which I might add was until now was a lost cause. Personally I believe it is Daddyboy’s “mission impossible,” but I have to confess that it is fun watching him use an eyedropper to put syrup on his pancakes.
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fly of the month
Roger Lowe
Yallarhammar The Yallarhammer, perhaps the most legendary of the fly patterns, is thought to have originated on Southern Appalachian streams. This oldie catches trout, but it falls short of being the sort of “magic wand� some writers have described it to be. Originally, the Yallarhammer was tied using the feathers of the northern flicker woodpecker, known locally as the Yellowhammer. Now, a federally protected songbird, plumage of these birds can no longer be used. Grouse, crow, starling and dove (bleach crow
and starling feathers before dying them) dyed yellow are a more than suitable substitute for tying up a few of these traditional patterns. Wing and tail feathers must be split, scraped clean, and soaked until pliable before palmer wrapping them around the peacock herl. Hook: 3399A Mustad Thread: Black Body: Peacock herl Hackle Wing or tail feather (split & scraped) of grouse, crow, starling or dove
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Roger Lowe's Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains (8.5x11 inches, 40 pages, soft cover/full color is a perfect companion to Lowe's other book "Smoky Mountain Fly Patterns". If you are wanting to have color pictures and recipes for traditional Smoky Mountain fly patterns this book is a must have. It contains photos and recipes for 101 flies. Included are such flies as the Yellow Hammer (Yellarhammer), Thunderhead, Teillico Nymph, Tennessee Wulff and many others. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 47
situational fly fishing
Fall
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Terrestrials Ron Gaddy
D
on’t put that terrestrial box up just yet! Trout feed on terrestrials right up until the first week or so of November and even later if the weather stays warm. Any food source that hits the water in abundance will send trout into the selective feeding mode. Ants, hoppers, beetles, inchworms, crickets, moths and tent caterpillars should have their own department in your terrestrial fly box. During the summer and fall months trout can get very selective on terrestrials. If you can figure out just what terrestrial that they are feeding on, then you’re going to have an exceptional day of fishing. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 51
situational fly fishing Tent Caterpillars
Tent Caterpillars may be the most overlooked terrestrial pattern, also called tent worms, bagworms, and fall webworms. There are approximately 636 species of these tent caterpillars and I’ll bet 90 percent of fly fishermen don’t have a single one in their fly box. Woolly buggers may do the job in some cases but a more realistic pattern will produce trout when tent worms are active. This year there is a so called “outbreak population” of fall webworms. There are so many of these worms shelters that a lot of trees are being totally defoliated by these hungry creatures. This is bad news for farmers, but a blessing for the fly fishermen. If you have overlooked this fall webworm phenomenon, then your fishing days may have been derailed by head scratching and blank stares into the fly box. Tent caterpillars all look about the same except for the colors, so a few different colors in the fly box from black, brown, olive, with a palmered dun, white, or brown hackle will do the job. Black or red bead heads a plus. Be aware that if handled some species of tent caterpillars are considered poisonous to the point that they may cause a rash or some dermatitis, but that don’t discourage trout from eating them.
Crickets
Living in Western North Carolina on a large trout stream wedged in the midst the Great Smoky Mountains allows me to observe what hatches are active and what is going on in and around the stream. It also allows me to conduct my ongoing research on what trout might be feeding on. A few years ago
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after some hard core weed eating and noticing thousands of black crickets on the stream bank, I decided to design a cricket pattern. After a little tweaking the cricket pattern turned out to be very productive in the afternoons just as other terrestrials get active. Crickets are large is size in the fall and will provide some serious calories for the feeding trout. A cricket pattern will also pass for a dark stonefly or even some species of grasshoppers. A black cricket pattern in the size 10 to 12 range is a must for your terrestrial fly box. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 53
situational fly fishing Beetles
There are over 350,000 species of beetles and about 3,000 species of mayflies. I would go out on a limb and say that no one has more beetle patterns in their fly box then mayfly patterns. I know some fly fishermen that fish beetle patterns exclusively in the summer and fall months and with great success. Japanese beetle patterns and beetle patterns black in color in a few different sizes will be of great value in your fly box. As with any terrestrial, don’t be afraid to bounce them off the bottom. Other than a grasshopper pattern, I fish most all terrestrials sub-surface. A little observation of tree stumps and stream bank vegetation could give you the clues you need to catch fish. Sometimes just matching the color and size of a terrestrial will be all you need to break the code, but keep in mind, that could change at any given time. Sometimes a little brisk wind will deliver a smorgasbord of terrestrials to the stream that will send trout into a feeding frenzy like kids after a Halloween run. It’s almost as good as a little rain, as trout come out to sift through the foliage it’s a good time to be in the creek.
Inchworms
Inchworms are by far my favorite summer and fall terrestrial pattern. A little chenille on a hook and it’s off to the races. Easy pattern to tie, trout can seem them a mile away, and will also get very selective on them. Streams in the Great Smoky Mountains that have a good canopy will provide an abundant supply of inchworms. From May through October you should carry at least a dozen inchworms. A few different sizes and some that would be a good dropper size. There are lots of worms and caterpillars that the inchworm pattern will imitate. Even some caddis species are chartreuse green in color. If you see the inchworms dropping, it’s time to tie one on!
Ants
Fisheries blessed with a good canopy will provide shade as well as a diverse multitude of terrestrials for trout to feed on. In the fall when there is not much aquatic insect activity in the streams trout will turn to the terrestrial feeding station. Almost every tree you inspect along the stream bank will be crawling with black ants. Just like all other terrestrials they end up in the stream and trout will eat them. Ant patterns are great as a smaller pattern dropped off a larger terrestrial, nymph, or hopper pattern.
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Grasshoppers
A top water fly pattern that will imitate a grasshopper is a must for your terrestrial fly box. I find a similar color of stimulator will do the job if your presentation is correct. A stimulator with rubber legs even better. If the dead drift doesn’t work then a little twitching action may be just what they are looking for. Foam hoppers are great when you want to fish a dropper. Foam is also easy and fun to work with and make great indicators. Fish Responsibly. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 55
other trout
Trout only live in beautiful places.
Fly Fish the Trout Capitol of Georgia. With over 550 miles of beautiful rivers and trout streams, Blue Ridge and Fannin County have the richest, most diverse all-season fishery in the state.
For a free Visitor’s Guide, call 800-899-mtns
BlueRidgeMountains.com
Drop what you are doing...
12th Annual Derby City Fly Fishers’
Kentuckiana Fly Fishing Show January 28, 2017 Shepherdsville, Kentucky
Elizabethton
close look - tennessee
Tennes Trout
T
he eastern border of Tennessee is spangled with once remote communities that grew up at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. Several have long-standing traditions of trout fishing such as Tellico Plains and Gatlinburg. Others, like our Top Trout Town, Elizabethton, with its over 200 year old history, are not on the radar of tourists. Bisected by the Appalachian Trail and fast flowing waterways that attract hikers and paddlers, this community is smack dab in the middle of the finest trout fishing in the East. This neat little town is the gateway to great trout streams such as the Doe and Watauga rivers, it’s affectionately known to East Tennesseans as Betsy. In its heyday, Betsy was home to over 12,000 people, many of whom worked at Bemberg plant where rayon was manufactured for the 1940s war effort. Today, Bemberg is no more, having been replaced in Betsy with a bustling green economy. In the 1960s, I recall making many predawn runs up to Dennis Cove in hopes of being the first fishermen to get casts into the many deep plunge pools of Laurel Fork. In those days, all of the roads in and out of the Cherokee National Forest were gravel “paved.” At some point on these runs, my old ’65 Dodge Dart would almost slide off a ledge or into a ravine. It was great fun, but then we didn’t knew that it would someday end and become a sweet memory.
ssee’s Top Town Don Kirk
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Laurel Fork is dearest to my heart for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it yielded up the first brown trout I ever caught. Perfect in size for great fishing and solitude, this creek was a playground for me back in the days when my wading shoes were my oldest pair of sneakers, and my fly line was a Cortland 444. Then, the term “catch-andrelease” was not a part of my lexicon. I even hooked my first hornet’s nest there. Then as now, Elizabethton was the gateway to this and a number of other great trout fishing waters. In 1985 when I was active in the Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association, Marc Sudheimer, Ducky Muse, and I talked the group’s board into holding their annual fall meeting in Elizabethton. I believe it was the first time the city’s central location of great trout fishing was every talked about in newspapers in Memphis and Nashville.
There’s so much world class fly fishing for trout around Elizabethton that it’s tough to know where to begin. Perhaps the best known location is the Watauga River, especially its tailwaters. The Watauga begins its 80 mile existence on the slopes of North Carolina’s Grandfather (5,945’) and Peak (4,921’) mountains. After entering Tennessee, it is impounded to create 6,430acre Watauga Lake. Unknown to many is the fact that just under 3 miles from this dam is Wilbur Dam. Built in 1912, it is one of the oldest dams in the Southeast. It is a very deep reservoir that looks more like a fiord in Scandinavia than a reservoir in Tennessee. Icy water released downstream creates a fantastic habitat for trout. Great fly fishing is common on the Watauga all the way downstream to Elizabethton where the river is joined by the frigid waters of the smaller Doe River. A favorite place to wade fish the Watauga is in Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Here, in 1780 Overmountain Men mustered and set out to defeat British Major Patrick Ferguson at King’s Mountain that turned the Revolutionary War. Sharp-shooting fly fishermen can still pick-off “Hessian” brown trout on the rumbling shoals in the shadow of reconstructed Fort Watauga.
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Brown trout over ten pounds are fairly common along the entire portion of the tailwaters. The Watauga has one of Tennessee’s two designated “Trophy Trout Streams” sections.Best part about this winding section of the Watauga River is the float fishing opportunities for rafters, kayakers, and a growing armada of western-style float boats. Wade fishing can be done when the “tide is down.” However, fishing is tougher and more technical. Also, many find that access to those sections of the riverbanks that are under private ownership can be problematic. There are public access points, but if you are wade fishing, be knowledgeable of who owns the property where you depart the river. Doe River is a pretty wellkept local secret. It begins on the northern slopes of Roan Mountain State Park and flows west along US 19E, picking up the Little Doe River before entering Elizabethton. Ultra-rugged is the Class III/IV section of the Doe River Gorge that drops between 100 and 160 feet per mile. It is best fished early in the morning before the tuber/ kayak hatch covers the riffles. If not fished early in the morning, the best tactic is to go to nearby Rocky Fork State Park to enjoy some of the best fly fishing for brook trout in the South.
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Betsy is the recommended base of operations for those unable to resist making a few casts on the South Holston River. As crow flies, the SoHo is about 10 miles away, although if you don’t have wings, it’s a about a 15 mile drive depending on how well you trust a GPS. The SoHo’s fly fishing and the sulphur hatches are as fantastic as reported.
Midweek is the time to plan a trip or float there, as at times the “daisy chaining float boats” are becoming increasing intrusive. Locals rate the overall experience of fly fishing the Watauga as superior to the highly pressured SoHo. Betsy is a big enough little town to explore without fear of becoming lost or finding yourself motoring along in the
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wrong direction in a poorly posted one-way thoroughfare. If you go, by all means go to the Sycamore Drive-In that’s located a block from the Doe River. It’s a 1950s relic ‘dog ‘n burger’ dive that serves the best baloney burger in Tennessee (perhaps anywhere.) The Coffee Company on Elk Avenue is a morning “must stop” if you want a memorable mug of java on your way to
fishing. Watauga River Lodge (www. wataugariverlodge.com) and Bee Cliff Cabins (www.beecliffcabins.com) are located on the Watauga River and cater to fly fishermen. Black Bear Resort in Hampton (near Doe River and Laurel Fork) is a great choice for family stays.
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The city of Waynesboro offers some of the finest trout fishing in Virginia. Trophy-sized rainbow and brown trout thrive in the South River Delayed Harvest Area, which flows right through downtown and has one of the two urban fisheries in the state. The South River Fly Shop on Main Street provies guided trips, classes and an extensive line of fly fishing products. Waynesboro is also home ot the South River Fly Fishing Expo in the spring. Attendees have the opportunity to enjoy fly tying, casting, and fishing presentations by regionally known professionals. Visit our website to learn more about Waynesboro, VA.
visitwaynesboro.net
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So Much
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featured artist
More to Go AD Maddox A
few blessed people know from an early age what is their life’s purpose. Those who do know their purpose, often pursue it with a passion and focus that is envied by those of us who continue to look. A.D. Maddox is one of those blessed people. Often, her art speaks for itself. Yet, getting to know the artist behind the media adds depth to an appreciation of her work. We at Southern Trout have admired her work from our very first issue, and we have presented her artwork for various projects. It seems timely to revisit a look at A.D. as one of the premier trout artists of our time.
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featured artist A country upbringing, outside of Nashville, provided an early influence on her work. She, like many kids in her neighborhood, was sent outside to make her own fun. Forced to roam and play, she learned to pursue creative endeavors early. A.D took to creating with various media when she was only four years old, and she began painting when only six. “My mom had me take art classes from the age of 6 on. I took pottery, drawing, painting... you name it; I was in it! My teachers loved my work, and the validation fueled the fire to continue and never quit.” As many true artists assert, her art is a lifelong pursuit; she is never “finished.” She believes her “talent for painting is still growing” as her body of work increases. “Many years of practice makes a pro, and I’ve much more I want to accomplish.”
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Oil paints are her preferred medium, because, as she says, “It doesn’t even compare to others.” Her
best received work is of trout moving through water. “Water is where I’m most challenged with color…
The most challenging thing about creating any piece of art in oil is balancing the colors and values. Each
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featured artist
piece must be worked to a level of greatness that I can be happy with. Color is king!�
A.D. Produces about 25 to 30 pieces a year. However, her goal is to increase this to 50-100
per year. Commissioned work is something she enthusiastically accepts, but competitions are not
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featured artist her “thing” since judgement of her art seems to evade the purpose of her art. Painting is something she does as a passion, not to be popular. To A.D., painting for people to appreciate it is an award by itself. When asked what else she would like to share about her artistry, A.D. had the following to say: “My art has so far to go at this stage in the game. I’ve many new pieces that have yet to be created, and I look forward to each and every one. It’s an amazing adventure of reaching my targets and putting new goals in place. I can’t wait to share them all with you. Many thanks to all my fans… this adventure would be a lonesome road without you.” To other artists, she has this advice, “Confidence and your ability to believe in yourself is all that is needed to succeed. Practice makes a pro…start moving toward your goals and never invalidate yourself.” To see more of her art and to learn more about her, click and visit
www.admaddox.com
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close look - tennessee
Overnighting on T
he Watauga River flows through Elizabethton and right by Johnson City, Tennessee, both of which have traditional lodging, but you’d be crazy to stay at a Holiday Inn Express if you’ve come to upper East Tennessee to chase trout. Consider the Watauga River Lodge and Outfitter as an alternative at a very different point on the lodging spectrum. You have to make your own coffee (there’s a coffeemaker in every room) instead of getting one in a motel lobby, but your front porch view is the Watauga River, not an asphalt parking lot.
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n the Watauga
Tom Adkinson
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The Watauga River Lodge is at the start of the Watauga River’s “Quality Trout Zone” (two fish at least 14 inches caught on artificials). It’s 2.6 miles of prime water on a river where lodge operators speak enticingly of “gargantuan browns, footballshaped bows and bug-chugging brookies.” Until the mid-2000s, this spot was a simply a campground, but Tom and Susan Prestwood from Charlotte, North Carolina, came on the scene and built the lodge. It opened in the spring of 2008. The lodge actually is multiple buildings set amid hardwood trees right along the river. Most fishermen stay in one of two new log structures. The first is a long building with three bedrooms and a front porch stretching the length of the building. You can tell who the primary patrons are because of a discrete, but powerful, sign on the porch railing: “Please remove wading boots before entering rooms.” Each room has two queen beds, a full bathroom, coffeemaker and a mini-fridge. There are back entrances, too, but the mountain craft-style hardwood rocking chairs on the front porch invite you to enter from the river side. Next to the three-room structure is Tom’s Cabin, a stand-alone one-bedroom jewel, also new. It has two queen beds, a full kitchen and a full-length front porch facing the river, plus a screened porch with a stone gas log fireplace. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 81
close look - tennessee More lodging is nearby in the Range Cabin, whose original portion dates to 1861. It was remodeled in the 1980s and offers two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a living room and a gourmet kitchen. It sleeps four. While fishermen are the primary patrons, there’s enough room at the Watauga River Lodge that family gatherings and even weddings have taken place here. Brownie Liles likely is whom you will meet when you arrive. He moved to the region in the 1990s to open a whitewater school, but he says he got seduced by flyfishing. He has been guiding since 1997. Liles says the lodge is busiest from midMarch to Thanksgiving, quickly adding that the Watauga is a year-round river and noting that there is good wintertime smallmouth fishing on the nearby South Holston River below a manufacturing plant’s warm-water discharge, too. Liles and a small corps of other guides are special assets of the Watauga River Lodge. Most of their clients come from the Southeast, and they like nothing better than introducing those guests to their neighbors – the Watauga’s “gargantuan browns, football-shaped bows and bug-chugging brookies.”weren’t. We were too busy celebrating the fact we were fishing on a Wednesday. 82 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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close look - tennessee
Get Hooked Up!
Hiwassee Fall Fling Bob Borgwat
T
here’s something to be said about a lusty affair. When your heart beats loud in your chest.… When your nerves twitch uncontrollably …. When your mind races with imagination…. When all of your instinctual energies and desires climb off the charts…. October’s seasonal and intimate swing into great trout fishing on the ‘Wass satisfies even the strongest angling anxieties connected to oftentimes defeating fishing that follows rising water temperature on what is arguably one of the finest trout fisheries in the Southeast. When the Tennessee summer finally breaks, the sweaty frustrations associated with trout fishing in September on the Hiwassee River evaporate. It’s kinda’ like taking a cold shower!
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GETTING BEYOND THE HOT FLASHES
Trout fishing on the Hiwassee year-around is directly affected by weather, precipitation, power generation at Appalachia Powerhouse, and spilling at Appalachia Dam (12 miles upstream from the powerhouse). Both water levels and water temperature can change on a daily basis. Measured in cubic feet per second, the river flow from Appalachia Powerhouse to the Reliance train trestle during periods of heavy rain can run very high and dangerous to all river activities. Combined with the discharge of two turbines at the powerhouse, the river flow can exceed 6,000 cubic feet per second. Other times, a minimum powerhouse outflow of just 60 cfs (at periods of no power generation) combines with low flows through the canyon upstream to measure just 100-200 cfs.
Like many of the region’s top trout waters, the Hiwassee trout fishery downstream from Appalachia Powerhouse at Reliance (Polk County) suffers in late summer from high water temperatures. It’s mystifying that a tailwater discharge can rise to more than 70 degrees and threaten trout survival in its first few miles after collecting hundreds (perhaps, thousands) of miles of cold-water tributaries along its 60-mile path through the southern Appalachian Mountains (from Unicoi Gap in the mountains of North Georgia to the confluence with the Tennessee River at Lake Chickamauga). There is much suspicion thrown at the Tennessee Valley Authority for creating the danger through poor hydrological planning associated with power generation at its upstream reservoirs. But when luck wins over the bureaucratic policies associated with hydroelectric power and flood control, the Hiwassee’s trout fishing in fall, and through winter into spring, rises above the abuse.
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new fly guy
STOCKING AND SPECIAL REGULATIONS The Hiwassee River’s trout water extends for nearly 20 miles. The best fall and winter fishing takes place in the upper 7 miles, where seasonal fishing restrictions support high numbers of trout throughout the cold months of the year. With the change of season, trout-fishing regulations impose “delayed harvest” restrictions from Appalachia Powerhouse to the railroad trestle in Reliance. From October 1 through the end of February, all trout fishing here is limited to artificial lures only, and all trout must be released immediately unharmed. Seasonal stocking programs also play a role in the local trout fishing. This fall, summer holdover trout that survived the high water temperatures of September combine with what state fisheries officials say is a plan to continue stocking large trout in the river. In addition to stocking 3,000 to 5,000 9-inch rainbows every two weeks, TWRA in late 2016 will place 500-700 brood fish – rainbows, 18 to 22 inches long – in the Hiwassee during the delayed-harvest season, Oct. 1 through February 28, 2017. About 3,000 brown trout, 12 to 14 inches long, also will be released this October, adding more quality fish where 5,000 browns, 7 to 8 inches long, were stocked in March 2016. (Note: Water temperature and volume issues at state and federal hatcheries in summertime caused temporary closures of some www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 91
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HIGH WATER FISHING TIPS During high-water periods, wade fishing is virtually cut off on the Hiwassee. The best (and safest) trout fishing takes place from drift boats. You can hire a guide, such as those on the fishing team at Reel Angling Adventures (go to ReelAnglingAdventures.com or call 706-838-5259). Drift boats provide access to the many runs, ledges, holes, chutes and riffles otherwise inaccessible to wading anglers; and the team of local guides carries a long history of local fishing knowledge to locate those hotspots and fish them effectively. Of course, you can try your luck from your own drift boat or personal floating craft such as small inflatable pontoon boats and float tubes. Water flows are highest in early fall, while TVA lowers upstream reservoirs to winterstorage levels, and commonly run upward of 3,000 cfs. Personal floatation devices (consider inflatable-styled PFDs) are required to be worn by anyone participating in any kind of recreational boating. Water release schedules are available online at TVA.gov or by phone at (800) 238-2264.
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LOW WATER FISHING TIPS Low-water periods on the Hiwassee in fall and winter are celebratory and typical after lake drawdown is completed, but high-water flows are common during periods of heavy rain. With flows of 100-200 cfs, vast expanses of wade-able water is exposed and features pools, chutes, riffles, plunges, steppes, lanes and grassbeds. Always use common sense and know your physical limitations when wadefishing on the Hiwassee River. Use industryestablished wading footgear. Waders and proper undergarments are recommended with water temperatures dropping into the 50s. Wading staffs can help you traverse the river’s relentlessly broken and slick bottom. Bring along an extra set of dry clothes.
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FISHING WITH HARD TACKLE
Lure fishermen commonly choose small crankbaits, inline spinners and spoons. Ultralight spinning tackle works best, armed with 4- to 6-pound lines. • Crankbaits … Among the top lures are the Rapala Original Floating minnow and the Rapala ScatterRap Countdown. Choose the 2-inch models in rainbow trout, brown trout, silver and gold patterns. • Spoons … The 1/6-ounce Acme Phoebe spoon is a local favorite in gold and copper patterns.
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new fly guy • Spinners … Roostertail, Panther-Martin and Mepps spinners all produce good catches too. Try these in black, brown, yellow and white patterns weighing from 1/8- to 1/4-ounce. • Jigs … Work small jigs – such as the Trout Magnet in pink, red, gold and white patterns – with a light split shot squeezed onto the line about 18 inches above the lure. Tandem jigs can improve cast-ability with less additional weight.
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new fly guy
FLY-FISHING Fly-fishing the Hiwassee during both periods of high- and low water centers on streamers and nymphs. Four- and 5-weight rods are the norm. Leaders vary from 4X to 7X, depending on the fly pattern and water clarity. • Streamers … Wooly Buggers and Sculpin patterns dominate the streamer selections, with weighted versions preferred for getting deeper into the water column. Pull the patterns along the granite ledges, through the long chutes between submerged broken boulders, in the deep troughs upstream of riffles, and across the shallow, pocked granite flats on cloudy days. Fast retrieves pulled across the heavier riffles can turn fish, too. • Nymphs … Use a bead-headed pattern when nymphing with these top takers: black Winter Stonefly, Early Brown Stonefly, Dark Lord, black/tan Hare’s Ear, uncased Caddis Pupae (Barr’s), squirrel-tail Soft Hackle, Bird’s Nest. • Midges … Midges will dominate the trout-feeding patterns on many late fall days (and more often in deep winter). Patterns include beaded Zebra Midge, CDC Emerging Midge, Copper Brassie, WD40, Laser Midge. • Dry Flies … As cool weather settles in, dryfly fishing will peak after the leaf fall in November but before cold winter days arrive. October patterns include a handful of terrestrials – such as the yellow/ orange Stimulator, Madame X, Black Flying Ant and various grasshopper patterns – and larger caddis patterns such as the tan X Caddis and Goddard Caddis. A single mayfly pattern – the Blue-Winged Olive – is common but unpredictable among fall and winter hatches. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 97
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GO GET YOUR KICKS Just six short weeks ago, the Hiwassee River at Reliance, TN, was a mess. Choked daily with late-summer fun seekers in tubes, rafts, kayaks and canoes that made a day’s float-fishing trip part nightmare and frustration, the river’s water temperature also played a role in anglers’ anxieties to hook-up. No more. Fall and winter trout fishing on the Hiwassee is a love affair that keeps you coming back for more! About the author … Bob Borgwat is an award-winning freelance writer/photographer. He is owner and lead guide for Reel Angling Adventures (ReelAnglingAdventures.com/ phone: 706-838-5259), sharing trout and bass waters with his guide team and clients across the southern reach of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Bob also serves as chairman of the board for the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association; and he provides event communications for the 2017 Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures event (go to BlueRidgeTroutFest.com). 98 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
new fly guy
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SMOKY MOUNTAIN A
O
pen since 1988, Smoky Mountain Angler is the oldest and only fly fishing shop in located in Gatlinburg. It is open year round, and provides guided fly fishing trips on the Tennessee and North
Carolina sides of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smoky Mountain Angler carries everything you need for a successful fishing trip on these streams, including lines from Orvis, Simms, Sage, Ross, Able, Redington
and more. Gatlinburg’s only fly fishing outfitter, for those visiting the Smokies’ Tennessee side it is a “must stop” before venturing out on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon, Little River, or the East Prong (Greenbrier Creek).
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featured fly shop We offer rental equipment for those visiting the national park and can’t resist trying their hand on these hypnotizing waters.” Although the Smoky Mountain Angler has been opened since 1988, it wasn't a very successful business until Harold Sharp acquired it 17 years ago. His solid vision for what the fly shop could be was aided by an explosion in the interest in trout fishing that has grown tenfold since the change in ownership. “The Gatlinburg market tops ten million visitors annually,” says Williams. “Significantly, trout fishing here is no longer just the sport of men. In recent seasons we have seen a big upswing of customers that include youths and women. Because of this high level of traffic among “We have the area’s people of all walks of best selection of locally tied life, fly fishing patronage traditional fly patterns as well accounts for a smaller as top quality commercially percentage of interest than tied flies,” says Chad does customers seeking Williams, manager of Smoky information and tackle Mountain Angler. “We are for conventional fishing, open year round, and we are although over the last few a fishing license agent. years there is definitely
ANGLER
a growing shift toward fly fishing.” Being a successful full-service fly shop is predicated on a number things such as location and a potential customer base to service. It also requires a lot of expertise and dedication on the part of management and staff. According to Williams, the latter is the strong suit at the Smoky Mountain Anglers. There, everyone is involved in the shop, from the owner to Chad to all of the guides. Their prevailing philosophy includes a belief that one weak link will impact everyone. “If we were not a full service fly shop, we shouldn't have a guide service; the two should go hand in hand. It would be like going to a store to get a steak but then have to go to another store for seasoning,” explains Williams. “Our guide team is exceptionally well qualified. We have nine in-house guides, five of which are full-time. I would say 70% of their clients are novice anglers, and 30% are veteran anglers. We have built our business on
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successfully addressing the skill level of our off-the-street traffic.” “There is a lot more euro and Czech nymphing in our waters than is done at other places,” says Williams. “We just have excellent water for these techniques. We have over 90 years of guiding experience under our roof and do over 600 trips a year. From beginners to experts, we have built our business on an ability to put clients on fish.” Says Chad Fouts, the shop’s head guide. “We all have been at the starting point of fly fishing these streams. The learning curve usually is frustrating. Once you get a client past the beginners hump, all of them note that learning fly fishing is the best decision they've ever made. We encourage them not to be afraid to ask questions. Those attempting to learn mountain fly fishing for trout on their own can really shortcut the process if they take a class or guided trip. Orvis does free fly-casting lessons most of the year. As far as advice, if you want to catch trout easily everywhere...learn to fish here in the Smokies.” Being a tourist-town based fly shop where most customers visiting the Smoky Mountain Angler are vacationing folks, gear and guiding significantly dominate the fly-tying portion of activity at the shop. The shop sells a lot of flies, many of which are locally proven, traditional Smoky Mountains patterns tied on site by the team of guides who are also experts at the vise. Many times people will call the shop in advance of their arrival ahead and find out what is hot, so they can tie up the flies they will need prior to their arrival.
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featured fly shop
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featured fly shop “We are trying to increase the popularity of in shop fly tying this winter by doing a weekly "Sit N Sip" for tying flies and drinking coffee,” says Williams. “Interest in fly tying has really increased over the last few years, particularly among the growing number of locals who have taken up fly fishing in the Smokies, and of course, for offthe-street tourist traffic. We will post on all of our social media sites when we kick off our weekly winter tying days for novice and advanced tiers alike.” Smoky Mountain Angler has an outside appearance that beacons the off-thestreet traffic that makes Gatlinburg the “Hillbilly Las Vegas of the East.” Once inside, the eyes of novice and veteran anglers cannot hardly be contained. Exploring this eye candy, you find complete people’s choice lines such as Orvis and Simms, but smaller more intimate brands that are carried to make the shop unique such as Kast Gear, W4F Industry Portage Packs and Crooked Creek Holler. “The only real way to keep attracting new customers and keeping old ones is to keep the shop well stocked so they can get what they need and want when they need and want it,” notes Williams. “It means we must have available all the new latest gear and clothing. Our main goal is to spread and encourage the sport of fly fishing. Smoky Mountain Angler is located at 469 Brookside Village Way, Gatlinburg, and its hours are 8am to 5pm. For more visit www.smokymountainangler.com
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Nantahala River Lodge, a unique riverfront, pet friendly cabin near Bryson City.
World Class trout fishing just a few steps from your front door!
www.NantahalaRiverLodge.net Contact: Annette@ NantahalaRiverLodge.net 912-596-4360 Mickey@ NantahalaRiverLodge.net 800-470-4718 or 912-596-5259
608 Emmett Rd. Bristol, Tennessee 37620
www.southholstonriverflyshop.com
&Unwind Relax
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uests breathe easier here, and it isn’t just the mountain air. It’s the entire Eseeola experience: award-winning cuisine, exceptional service, and of course, first-rate fly fishing on the Linville River. Call Today for Reservations
175 Linville Avenue Linville, NC 28646 (800)742-6717 www.Eseeola.com
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TOWNSEND’S
SECRET LITTLE
STREAMS
T
ownsend is the doorway to the “peaceful side” of Tennessee’s share of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To the north, while the Gatlinburg entrance has developed an Atlanta-like traffic jam, Townsend is largely unscathed by commercial exploitation
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TFly fishermen regard Townsend as the gateway to the Little River system and Abrams Creek, two of the best known trout streams. Virtually unknown though, is that sleepy little Townsend is also the hub of a collection of rarely fished, secret little trout streams. When flow conditions are good on these little creeks,
fly fishing for their stream bred rainbow trout can be rewarding. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has around 700 miles of fishable water. Ninety-nine percent of these waters exit in one of the park’s 13 biggest watersheds. For those seeking lower elevation, “blue lining” fun,
consider this: a number of small, lesser known streams flow out of the park before emptying into a big stream. They vary in size from hard-to-find Tabcat Creek, which flows from the extreme southern end of the park, to Parson Branch, a respectable-size creek with excellent auto access.
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close look - tennessee Hesse Creek
Hesse Creek is Townsend’s “best kept secret.” This little stream drains one of the most unique and least-visited regions of the Smokies that is known as the Hurricane. Hesse Creek Valley is referred to as the Hurricane because of severe blow-downs that have occurred there in the past. Noteworthy tributaries of Hesse Creek include Cane Creek and Bread Cane Creek. The Hurricane is best known for its caves and unusual flora. Logged in the early part of the nineteenth century by the Little River Logging Company, Hesse Valley has today regrown nicely. Something unique that fishermen will notice include the lush switch canebrakes growing along Hesse Creek. The cane, actually a species of bamboo (Arundinaria tecta) was especially favored by old-time fishermen as excellent material for making fishing poles. Some kids grew up thinking that cane was called “bean poles,” as this is what families used to stake up their rows of “pole beans.” There is no easy way to enter the Hurricane. All routes require a moderate amount of foot travel. Hesse Creek, upon leaving the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, flows through a lovely rural area known as Miller Cove. The Miller Cove Road (which has a junction with TN 73 near the intersection of the highway and the Foothills Parkway) dead-ends one mile from the park boundary. An old, 110 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
unmaintained path continues upstream alongside Hesse Creek. Cane Creek (which originates in the park) enters the main stream at .7 mile from the right (another unmaintained path begins at its mouth, and follows the upstream ascent of Cane Creek, later having a junction with the Cooper Road Trail). The path continues alongside Hesse Creek, entering the park at 1 mile, and at 1.3 miles arrives at the mouth of Bread Cane Creek. The Bread Cane Creek Trail follows alongside Bread Cane Creek to its headwaters, before terminating at 2.5 miles at the Cooper Road Trail. There are not trails upstream of Hesse Creek. Downstream from the park boundary, Hesse Creek is privately owned and managed for trophy fly fishing. Trespassing is forbidden. However, upstream from the boundary, big trout from the catchand-release privately owned area find their way in public fishing waters. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 111
close look - tennessee Parson Branch
Parson Branch holds a good population of wild, fairly small rainbow trout. Upon exiting the national park, Parson Branch flows into Calderwood Lake. Black Gum Branch, a tributary of Parson Branch, also offers fair fishing. It is bit larger than most riffs in the park that are considered to be branches. Normally, most of this creek is easily accessed via Parson Branch Road, a one-way gravel road originating off the Cades Cove Loop Road. It provides excellent roadside access to most of the main stream, following the stream from its headwaters to the park boundary. The bad news is that at this writing, repair work on Parson Branch Road will keep it closed through 2016. The good news is that road closure means anyone fishing here must either walk upstream along the road from where is exits the park, or walk downstream from Cades Cove. Fishing pressure, while never intense at Parson Branch, is quite good now.
Tabcat Creek
Tabcat Creek is one of the least-known of Townsend’s secret little trout streams which flows entirely within the national park. Early spring is the best time to venture up this seldom-trampled stream, as it is quite small, and during the dry periods common to the late summer, it often appears to nearly dry up. Tributaries that can be fished include Bunker Hill Branch and Maynard Creek. It’s tough going anywhere you try at this dash of water. Tabcat Creek flows into Calderwood Lake, 2.5 miles south of the mouth of Abrams Creek on TN 72. There is an old, unmaintained path that begins at the park boundary and follows Tabcat Creek to the confluence of Bunker Hill Branch, later reaching Bunker Hill.
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p: Tal Roberts Cody Townsend
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Fall Fish Cli
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hing on the inch River Michael Cox
T
he arrival of autumn in the south is one of the most special times of the year. “Goodbye” to 100 degree days and humidity levels so high you could float a driftboat through the air. “Hello” cooler weather and light jacket mornings with flip flop afternoons. Fall harvest celebrations will be taking place all over the south as football returns, and the autumn season paints our mountains in gold, red, orange and brown. Trout anglers rejoice as the fall season arrives. Small stream anglers find cooler water temperatures along with higher fish activity. Tailwater anglers find the trout beginning their push to fatten up for the winter. Tailwater conditions tend to be more stable than those of freestone streams, and the water temperatures are rarely an issue in most tailwaters.
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close look - tennessee I’ve often wondered if it’s the noticeably shorter days that tell the trout that summer has ended and winter is on its way. Maybe it’s the moon cycles and weather patterns, I don’t know. It’s probably all interconnected. The bottom line is that the fish know and their behavior tends to change with the season. The Clinch River is a fine tailwater fishery located just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. It was first stocked with trout in 1937 after the completion of Norris Dam. Over the years it’s quietly become a worldclass fishery. The tailwater releases are cold year round and the water is rich with biomass. Progressive fishing regulations promote a larger average fish size and trophy class rainbow, and brown trout turn up frequently. Fall is always a welcomed visitor after entertaining summer for three long months. Summer fishing usually involves the most technical fishing conditions you’ll find on the river all year. I’ve seen trout spooked from their own shadows. I don’t suppose I can blame them. Low, clear water that’s regularly patrolled by ospreys, eagles, herons, otters and eager anglers requires a high level of alertness to ensure self-preservation. Fall fishing is much different. The fish are focused on fattening up over the next few months, and their confidence after surviving the summer means they don’t spook nearly as easily. 116 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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As with all tailwaters, water releases can change frequently and must be monitored to ensure personal safety and to put you in the best conditions available. Norris Dam flows can be found online at www.tva.com/Environment/Lake-Levels/ Norris or via the TVA app that’s available for android and Apple. The river fishes well at several different water levels, but most folks prefer low to medium levels, especially for wading. Look for the best wading opportunities during zero generation. Float fishing can be extremely difficult during zero generation but becomes much easier under turbine releases. Always pay attention to your surroundings. The river rise on the Clinch isn’t always noticeable until it’s already up and moving. Have your plan and stick to it. Getting caught on the wrong side of the river is not a good ending to your day. The Clinch will have a good amount of bug activity during the fall, and the fish can eat all day long on one thing or another. Various midge and black fly (#18 - #24) emergences will be a staple for hungry fish. Small black caddis (#18 - #20) will also be on the meal ticket. Scuds and sow bugs are highly sought after items that sometimes get overlooked by fly fishermen on the Clinch River. In the end, I’m one of those guides who believe that presentation is much more important than pattern. Your pattern just needs to be close. Your presentation needs to be spot on. As a general rule, it’s hard to go wrong fishing nymphs and wet flies on the Clinch. For every fish you see rise, ten others are sitting on the bottom, eating what drifts into their face. Dry flies can make for an awesome spring and summer when the sulphurs are hatching, but fall fishing is best approached with a wet fly in mind. Even if you intend to target the risers, it’s best done with a wet fly fished just under the surface. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 119
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Setting up your leader can be the most important part of your outing. The fish may be a little bolder than they were in August, but you’re still going to want to fish long leaders and light tippet. I regularly fish leaders that are 12’ to 14’ tapered down to 6x. Some situations such as murky water may let you drop down to 5x, while it’s not out of the question that you might have to go to 7x every now and then, depending on the bite. Fluorocarbon tippet is essential in my opinion. I wouldn’t recommend buying fluorocarbon leaders, but don’t skimp on the tippet. Strike indicators should be small and in earth tones. 120 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
The best presentation on the Clinch River is a downstream approach. Let the fish see your bug first, before they see the leader, fly line, and especially you. Quarter your cast downstream and short, then work your mend and feed line into the downstream current to get long, drag-free presentations. Be prepared to use your reel so make sure your drag system is tuned in and ready. I’ve seen many fine tippets shattered along with big fish dreams, so use that drag system to protect your tippet. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 121
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The Clinch sees a fairly productive brown trout spawn and a limited rainbow trout spawn in the fall. Please be mindful of this and not wade through spawning fish. Active redds are easy to see and should be avoided. Fishing to spawning fish, well, let’s just say, it’s not very classy. Trust me, there are plenty of nice fish that didn’t get a date, and they are eating bugs. The best public access on the Clinch River is found in the first three miles of the tailwater, from Norris Dam downstream to the Miller Island access. Additional public access can be found at the Peach Orchard Boat Ramp and the Second Baptist Church in Clinton TN. 122 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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Natural State Fly Shop is located within walking distance of the fabled White River, just up the road from the Cotter boat launch and public access. A full-service retailer and outfitter, Natural State Fly Shop offer flies, tackle, rental driftboats, shuttles, guided float trips on the White and Norfork Rivers, and guided wade trips on Dry Run Creek. Featuring products by Winston, Ross, Galvan, TroutHunter, Catch Fly Fishing, and many more; Natural State Fly Shop offers everything that the visiting fly fisherman needs. Natural State Fly Shop Shop: 870-471-9111
3392 Cotter Road Mobile: 870-706-0820
Cotter, Arkansas
www.naturalstateflyshop.com flyfishcotter@gmail.com
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featured fly tyer
Colonel Roger L Duckworth US Army Retired It’s always interesting to hear stories about anglers who plan their retirement living amidst southern trout fishing. “In 2015 I retired to Ooltewah, Tennessee specifically for the year round trout fishing in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina,” says Duckworth. “I drew a 100 mile radius around the best streams and convinced my wife that we needed to live in one of those circles.” He was born in West Virginia and spent most of his early summers on the Elk River casting for smallmouth and trout where his grandfather introduced him to fly fishing when he was 8. Their evenings were spent in a homemade wooden boat along the Elk casting squirrel tail streamers. He loved watching his grandfather cast his old bamboo rod. When Duckworth was 10, his dad bought a glass True Temper fly rod, automatic fly reel, and HCH line for him and his brother.
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close look - tennessee “I literally ran to a nearby tackle shop to buy a selection of three flies, including an eye catching red and yellow Mickey Finn Streamer that never caught anything,” says Duckworth. “Years later I was introduced to fly tying by my high school buddy and college roommate, Chuck Brooks, who grew up near Spokane, Washington where he had done some fly tying. While freshmen at WVU, we ordered a Herter’s tying kit and went at it. The next year, I entered West Point. Thereafter, between deployments, military duties, and raising a family, my opportunities for fly fishing were too few, but when opportunities presented themselves, I took advantage of them.” Duckworth describes himself as mostly selftaught. While he is unquestionably a master tier, he has never entered a competition. He does not regard himself as a perfectionist or one who ties pretty flies, but rather prefers the moniker of a tier who is adaptive and inventive. He carries a stomach pump, a small insect net, and a glass vial in his fly vest to allow him to figure out what the trout are eating, tie some imitations that night, and try them the next day. “I tell many folks that I invented the “cripple” pattern because most of my flies end up looking like cripples—hey, they work!” says Duckworth. The closest that I have gotten to an award is having two articles published in Fly Tyer Magazine and one on the Global Fly Fisher website. I also have several YouTube videos with a surprising number of subscribers and views (probably because I am commercial free).”
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featured fly tyer
Duck’s Sipper
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Duck’s Twofer
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featured fly tyer “When I first started tying, I knew nothing about stream bred or stream side bugs (entomology), so my flies were flashy streamers and other things that I though a trout might eat, though few did. I used these flies because I did not know any better—like the guy throwing a wooly burger during a blanket BWO hatch and wondering why he cannot catch a single trout (been there and done that). In fact, that exact experience in 1994 at the Smoke Hole in West Virginia started my quest to learn more about bugs that trout eat.” In recent years Duckworth has focused on tying extended body flies that he says present a perfect profile and float well. He believes that size and profile is the most important thing for a dry fly as the fly is silhouetted against the sky where color is hard to discern. The extended body works for traditional dries, parachute style, Puff Daddy’s, and “in the surface film” style flies. He likes the extended body for duns, spinners, and what he calls the DOA (Dead on Arrival). During a medium to heavy hatch, trout key on cripples. The DOA looks like a mayfly that has been blown on its side with the wings trapped in the surface film. He almost always uses a variation of the Ducks Yellow Post Emerger as his lead fly because he can see it and trout love easy to catch emerges. The Puff Daddy has been a consistent producer for Duckworth in sizes 14-20 for Sulphers and 20 and 22 for BWO’s. When fishing southern trout waters, Duckworth notes that considerable differences in his choice of flies for tailwaters and flies for freestone. This summer he gave a “Tailwaters Entomology” program to his local TU chapter. His ideas is not to astound them with latin names but to simplify flies, by major tailwater and month, so that the attendees will know the two or three sizes and patterns they will need for each tailwater (Hiwassee, Taccoa, Clinch, SoHo, and Watauga) during each month. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 131
close look - tennessee “Simply, it boils down to a selection of PT nymphs size 14 to 22 to cover the BWO’s and Sulphers, a good BWO emerged pattern like my Yellow Post Emerger,” says Duckworth. “Puff Daddys for the Sulphers, and a few Caddis pupae and dry patterns. For the freestone streams that I fish, I like larger Yellow Sallies, Adams and Royal Coachmen dry flies and Golden Stone, Pheasant tail and Hares Ear nymphs.” “I think that the Adams is the most versatile dry fly invented. I have caught large rainbows on the Henry’s Fork using a size 14 during a Gray Drake hatch, a size 22 for picky browns on the Green River during an April BWO hatch, size 18 and 20 on the SoHo, and a size 16 for a good summer searching pattern. I like both the parachute and traditionally tie. For nymphs, It is a tie between the Pheasant Tail and Hare’s Ear. I carry both in sizes from 12 to 22.” “When teaching (especially my grandaughters), I love to combine the actual fly tying with a discussion on how to rig and present the flies for greatest success,” continues Duckworth. “The fly is almost worthless with a poor presentation and a good presentation is almost impossible with a poor cast. I think that casting is only about 15% of trout fishing but it is the first 15% and everything else good can only come from a good cast.” Duckworth’s YouTube videos can be found by searching “Roger Duckworth” and you can Google “Duck’s Yellow Post Emerger” and you can find one of his Fly Tyer Mag articles. Google “Sneaky Duck” to find another fly article.
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featured fly tyer
Lauren
Madeline www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 133
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Signal Mountain, Tennessee
I
f the mist rising off of a tailwater river excites you as much as enticing steam wisping from a great cup of coffee, then you are a prime candidate to love Mayfly Coffee. The Southern Trout family met these Chattanooga bean merchants last year spring in northern Georgia at the Blue Ridge Fly Fishing Festival. We like coffee, and love great coffee. Mayfly Coffee was too good for us not to share. Mayfly Coffee was founded by husband-and-wife team Atley and Katie Davidson with a passion to source amazing coffee while at the same time paying coffee bean farmers more than "fair trade" certified prices. What started as a hobby, roasting coffee for friends and family, soon became a part-time business by selling bags of coffee at Chattanooga’s farmers markets. “A local independent grocery store saw us at one of the farmers markets and asked us to be a vendor at their store,” says Atley Davidson, who is also avidly fly fishes for trout. “Three years later our product is in 6 different states and we grew from 0 to 5 employees.” www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 137
close look - tennessee The name “Mayfly Coffee” gets a fly fisherman’s attention— gotta be good, eh? According to Davidson, fly fishing did influence the creation of the company. He says tons of people tried to talk him out of naming the company after an insect and not put fish images on their bags. Fly fishing, hunting, and being outdoors played a significant role in Davidson’s life, so it seemed natural for him to reflect that lifestyle in the business that he and others worked so hard to develop. “All of us at Mayfly have a passion for the outdoors,” says Davidson. “We value a work/life balance and encourage each other to make time for the next big adventure. We also have brand ambassadors across several disciplines who share their love of quality coffee with everyone they come in contact with. In addition, last year we created a limited release coffee and donated 10% of the sales to TU Chapter 696. Orvis has been an amazing company to work with on special projects and allowed us to participate in their Guide Rendezvous in Asheville and Missoula, MT the last couple of years.”
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What about Mayfly Coffee is special and separates it from other coffee? Davidson notes their focus on every step of the coffee process, keeping in mind that the hard work is done before the green coffee even makes it to the roasting facility. Mayfly has partnered with coffee farmers to bring premium beans to coffee lovers while also paying over “fair trade”prices. “We have a very unique product that we have created specifically for coffee loving adventurers,” says Davidson. “Our Quick Brew is essentially a disposable miniature coffee maker that goes directly on top of your mug. All you need it hot water that you manually pour into the ground coffee and you will have an amazing cup of real coffee....not instant.” Mayfly Coffee offers almost a dozen, different highly unique blends. Davidson noted that their Paddle Blend is probably their best seller. It is a unique blend of different coffees from Central America and is a medium roast. It is their “breakfast blend.” “Several of our customers are surprised to learn that lighter roasted coffees actually have more caffeine,” says Davidson. We like to think Paddle Blend is best seller because it is a phenomenal tasting coffee, but I also think it reminds customers of the feeling of waking up before sunrise to get on the water for an epic day of fishing.” Mayfly Coffees are available online, or by the cup (or bag) at their Signal Mountain location (708 Mississippi Ave.). For more info visit www.mayflycoffee.com www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 139
5 States 38 River Systems $21.95
9 States 46 Tailwaters $19.95
Trout Fishing Guidebooks For The South By Jimmy Jacobs
80 Watersheds On Public Land $15.95
Autographed copies available.
close look - tennessee
Rocky Fork
A Work in Pro
R
ocky Fork State Park is a 2000 acre wedge of forest, trails and streams in Unicoi County, Tennessee. Originally, it was part of a 10,000 acre, privately owned in-holding in the North Cherokee National Forest. The park is one of Tennessee’s newest and is a work in progress with a headquarters, picnic area and campground still to come. But for anglers, no more progress is really needed. Rocky Fork Creek is a first class wilderness fishing experience with nearly 18 miles of trails, many of which are old logging roads that lead you to some beautiful trout water.
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State Park
George Grant
ogress
When the Rocky Fork Tract came on the market several years ago, a concerted effort by citizens and conservation groups arranged to purchase the land and transfer it to the
state and the Cherokee National Forest. The previous owners had carried out responsible harvesting of the timber on the property and allowed public access with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency operating it as the Rocky Fork Wildlife Management Area. Area hunters and anglers had a long history of familiarity with and affection for Rocky Fork’s abundant recreation opportunities and the transfer of the tract to the state and federal governments guaranteed they’d be able to hike, ride, hunt and fish into the future.
The creek that gives the park and the tract its name is a fourth order freestone stream that drains into South Indian Creek just beyond the park’s boundary. The upper portion of Rocky Fork and three of its tributaries, Blockstand, Fort Davie and Broad Branch have a mixed population of brook and rainbow trout. It was managed as a put and take fishery for many years and truckloads of hatchery fish were regularly dumped on top of a thriving wild fish population. That practice ended years ago and TWRA now manages Rocky Fork and its tributaries as a Wild Trout Stream with regulations limiting harvest and requiring the use of single hook artificial lures. Gearing up for the fishing on Rocky Fork is fairly simple. A rod around 7’ throwing a 4 or 5 weight line will manage the short
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close look - tennessee casts required. A short leader, 7 ½ feet or so, with a 4 or 5x tippet will give the best turnover for heavily hackled dry flies or weighted nymphs. It will also hold up better when you end up in a tug-of-war with streamside vegetation that’s dominated by a species of laurel known as Hookgrabicus magneticus. Fly selection for Rocky Fork and its tributaries is simplified by the nature of the stream. With the classic riffle-run-pool configuration and fairly fast current speed bushy dry flies like the Wulff’s, Stimulators and Elk Hair Caddis will give you good floatation and adequate visibility to track a drift through the shadows and sunlight on the water. Trout in these mountain streams can’t afford a selective attitude to possible prey. For them a ‘grab-it-‘n-growl’ approach to foraging is a necessity. For subsurface presentations a little bit of weight on a nymph or the leader will get you down fast in the small pockets and plunge pools that are
prime rainbow water. Because the park is surrounded by the balance of the original 10,000 acre tract the logging roads that form, the basis of its trail system will carry you to other streams in the watershed that offer excellent mountain stream angling. One of the nearby streams, Lower Higgins Creek, features an excellent population of ‘bows and specs. They also tie in to other trails in the nearby Cherokee and Pisgah National Forests. Daytrip parking has just been completed with a 30 space lot near the camp’s entrance. With the development of the park’s
campground still in the future you have two options for a prolonged stay, following one of the park’s trails and camping in the surrounding national forest or lodging in nearby Erwin or Unicoi, Tennessee. The park’s website http:// tnstateparks.com/parks/ about/rocky-fork has links to park maps, driving directions and contact information. For fishing regulations check out TWRA’s website, http:// tn.gov/twra/ . The park’s still a work in progress but the fishing experience on Rocky Fork and its tributaries is as good as it gets.
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Get your own signed, inscribed copy of Jim Casada’s Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An Insider’s Guide to a Pursuit of Passion. Books are available for just $24.95 for paperback, $37.50 for hardback, plus $5 postage. Visit www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com. Also, be sure to sign up for Jim’s FREE monthly enewsletter, full of great stories, recipes, and more! _______________ Jim Casada is a son of the Smokies. He grew up in Bryson City, N.C. and cut his sporting teeth hunting and fishing in and around this small mountain town. He says that “a corner of my heart” still belongs to the high country. Casada has authored more than 3,500 magazine and newspaper articles and columns on hunting, fishing, firearms, conservation and other outdoor-related topics.
Casada has also scribed dozens of books and, as editor, compiled numerous collections from the likes of Jack O’Connor, Archibald Rutledge, Robert Ruark and others. Casada has perhaps one of the largest sporting libraries in the South, and sells a large variety of new and hardto-find titles on his website. Jim Casada 1250 Yorkdale Dr., Rock Hill, SC 29730-7638 803-329-4354 E-mail: jc@jimcasadaoutdoors.com
www.JimCasadaOutdoors.com
Float Wade Trek
Experience Exposure Executon Engagement Georgia-North Carolina-Tennessee Guided fly-fishing and conventional fishing for bass, trout, stripers, panfish and more across the waters of the southern Appalachian Mountains
www.ReelAnglingAdventures.com Toll Free: 866-899-5259
close look - tennessee
Celebrating on th T
he Watauga River rises on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and gets interrupted by two Tennessee Valley Authority Dams in Tennessee. About 78 miles from its headwaters, it flows into the Boone Lake impoundment of the South Holston River, and a stretch of water below the second TVA dam at Elizabethton, Tennessee, attracts fishermen from around the world. My Watauga introduction was one of celebration – the combination of a friend’s birthday and retirement and my own retirement. We had joked about “fishing on Wednesday if we wanted,” and now we could.
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he Watauga River Tom Adkinson
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close look - tennessee TVA controls the flow and is conscious of river levels, both for fishermen and rafters. The Watauga is ideal for driftboats, and there are some stretches where wading is practical. Our trip was a driftboat day with Jason Reep of East Tennessee Fly Fishing. He’s easy to spot on the river. His Stealthcraft driftboat, which he calls the Cadillac of driftboats, has a brown trout paint job. Reep said he was one of the first three or four guides on the Watauga back in the early 1990s. “There are close to 15 full-timers now, and about a thousand on weekends,” he said with a wink. They all work the Watauga and the South Holston, which is only about 45 minutes away. Reep also offers wading trips on smaller streams in Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Our float with Reep was an easy trip of about five miles, starting at Hunter Bridge in Elizabethton and ending at Lovers Lane. Along the way, the Doe River flows into the Watauga, but it doesn’t appreciably change the stream’s size. Below our takeout is a 2.6-mile “Quality Trout Zone,” where the TWRA enforces a possession limit of two fish 14 inches or longer caught on artificial lures. Because the Watauga is a tailwaters river, it’s fishable all year, although Reep says volume drops after Thanksgiving, only to revive as warm spring days come along. Reep enjoys the river’s beauty and recalls one client from England, who was overwhelmed. “He couldn’t believe that just anybody could buy a license and go fish on a river,” Reep said. 152 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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close look - tennessee
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Scuds and midges predominate in the stretch between Wilbur Dam and the Doe River confluence, and the insect variety increases below the confluence, with more caddis, mayflies and even a few stoneflies, according to Reep. “Blue wing olives are around from spring almost through Thanksgiving, and there’s usually a big caddis hatch around Mother’s Day. You can barely open your mouth without eating a caddis fly then,” he said. Reep had rigged 10-foot, 3-weight Syndicate rods with #18 and #20 scuds for us. My norm is a showy #12 dry fly as an indicator and a #10 or #12 beadhead nymph for small streams in the Great Smoky Mountains, so Reep’s flies looked too tiny to be logical. They didn’t look that way to the numerous brown and rainbow trout we caught fairly consistently. We certainly would have caught even more had we been as attuned to strikes as Reep was. He patiently told us to react more quickly. “A two-inch fingerling or a 20-inch trophy can present the same strike,” he observed. As pretty and as healthy as the Watauga is now, it has a dark history. For decades, much of the Watauga was dead – really dead – because of industrial pollution, primarily from a rayon plant and a nylon plant in Elizabethton. David McKinney, now TWRA’s chief of environmental services, was with the Tennessee Department of Health and Environment’s Division of Water Pollution Control in the 1980s. He paints a grim picture of the Watauga below those two plants that dated to the 1920s and 1930s and were significant to the war effort of the 1940s, but were gross polluters. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 155
close look - tennessee
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“Long before (serious) pollution controls, the river was devoid of all life,” McKinney said. The cleanup effort proved to be a watershed moment (pun intended). Instead of the prevailing theory of simply reducing the volume of pollutants in a river, the idea of neutralizing the pollutants’ toxicity was suggested. “When the toxicity was removed, the river immediately began to recover. The benthic community took off. Once there were insects, the trout thrive,” he said. “I remember when the first fish were put out. A year later, we electroshocked with no expectation of success. Not only had the trout survived, they had thrived,” McKinney said, calling the effort one of Tennessee’s greatest environmental success stories. TWRA stocks about 40,000 rainbows a year from March through September. There are good numbers of holdovers among the rainbows, and the holdovers begin to take on characteristics of wild trout. Browns naturally reproduce in the Watauga. Reep, whose wife had shuttled his vehicle to the takeout point while we were enjoying the river and who does the same for other fishermen, said he was disappointed we didn’t catch a true bragging-size fish. We weren’t. We were too busy celebrating the fact we were fishing on a Wednesday. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 157
close look - tennessee
“Bamboo: One Man
Marc Payne
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featured rod builder
n’s Labor of Love”
“I
didn’t start fly fishing till later in life,” says Marc Payne, master bamboo rod builder of Knoxville, Tennessee. “My best friend had tried for ages to get me to go to the Clinch River with him, but it just seemed too complicated. Finally, I gave in and had an epiphany. Now I don’t own anything but fly gear now.” From a seemingly harmless introduction to fly fishing, Payne went “hook, line and sinker for the high church of angledom. As these tragic stories so often go, he fell in love with the magic of bamboo fly rods after having used one of his friend’s cane rods for a day. But to buy one of quality in those days was 100% out of his price range. Motivated by economic reality, he set out on his own by watching a ton of how-to videos and reading anything he could get my hands on. Shortly thereafter he “just dove in.”
Knoxville, TN
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close look - tennessee
“I don’t know that I had any “mentors”, but I certainly did have guys such as Harry Boyd and R.L. Nunley that I hounded the heck out of for advice,” says Payne. “They were fellow members of a bamboo rod building forum I frequented. Whenever I found myself in a bind, I would ask for advice. I discovered that the rod building cottage industry is a pretty small fraternity where help is freely available.”
While bamboo is the rod building material closest to Payne’s heart, he is flexible when it comes to creating custom rods for his customers. He will build whatever the customer wants. Graphite and glass rods are not a problem, but for sheer beauty and functionality, he prefers to build cane rods. “Cane is just amazing stuff and until you catch a fish with a cane rod, you will never
know just how organic the sport can be,” explains Payne. “It’s an odd thing, but there is an energy transference that occurs with cane that you cannot experience with any other material. Glass rods come close, but it isn’t quite the same.” When asked what makes a good “mountain” rod, Payne stated “Whatever feels good to you is a good mountain rod. I have had guys tell me that a certain rod is
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featured rod builder
perfect for fishing the mountains only to try it and it just be a train wreck. What type action best suits your casting style? What is your preference in line weight? Now, I would not recommend taking an 8wt spey rod to a blue line brookie stream, but hey, who am I to judge. If you catch more fish that way, then that is a good mountain rod for you.” Asked how do tailwater river fly rods differ, Payne stated “It doesn’t. As
I said, whatever helps you get the most out of your experience is what you need to use. Personally, I use an eight and a half or nine foot five weight on tailwaters just to help with distance. However, I have also used a six foot three weight as well. Now, granted, I could not exert my will on the fish quite as easily, but it was still fun, and if the mood hits me, I will do it again.” When asked how tough is it find quality
blanks and components, and what are the telltale signs of cheap cane,” Payne noted, “For me, the number one sign of cheap cane does not come from the cane, but the rod builder. All cane used to make bamboo fly rods, from an old Winston to some beat up wall hanger, came from the exact same place in China. Tonkin cane is the ticket. Now, sure, some will have nicks or blemishes, but they all come from one region.
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close look - tennessee
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featured rod builder The stuff won’t grow with any success anywhere else in the world. So if the material all comes from one place, it has to be the craftsmanship (or lack thereof). Glue marks, uneven binding. Anytime I see that, I know that the builder has not taken into consideration the respect of the buyer.” When asked what are the most popular actions requested by buyers of his rods,” Payne said “Okay, here is where I will no doubt sound like a prude. I will not under any circumstances build a fast action fly rod. I think we have a generation of anglers that think if you can’t double haul across two time zones you ain’t fishing. Guys who will bypass a fish lurking twenty feet in front of them just to make a hero cast. Medium to slow. Those are my actions.” “First let me say that if a person wants a bamboo rod, but is scared away by the price, then get in touch with me. Rod building for me is a hobby, and I do not price my work to get rich. To know that I have helped some working class angler get a work of fishable art in their hands is a big deal to me. Same with graphite and glass rods.”
“If you have something in mind and want to discuss it, there are two ways to reach me. My email address is marcpaynemsp@ gmail.com and my phone number is 865-742-0297. You get to pick the length, line weight, color of the wraps, personalized inscription, etc. It is going to be your rod after all. My job is to get you something you will be proud to use on a stream, and proud to show your friends,” says Payne. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 165
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VIRGINIA
KENTUCKY
Kingspo
TENNESSEE 75
81
Cherokee Lake
Norris Lake
Melton Hill Lake
Greeneville
40
Knoxville Fort Loudon Lake
40
Newport
Sevierville
Lenoir City
Townsend
J08-09
Great Smoky Mtns National Park
Sweetwater
Cosby
Mars Hill
Hardford
Pigeon Forge
Maryville
Loudon
Watts Bar Lake
26
Douglas Lake
Weaverville
Gatlinburg
J10-11
K10-11
Chilhowee
K12-13
L07-08
FontanaL09-10 Dam
L11-12
Bryson City
Sylva Robbinsville
M05-06
Etowah
M07-08
M09-10
M11-12
M13-14
Cullowhee
Cherokee National Forest
Murphy
NORTH CAROLINA
Ducktown
P01-02
Nantahala National Forest Dillard
McCaysville
GEORGIA
P12-13
26
M15-16
N15-16
Franklin
Reliance
TENNESSEE
Fletcher
Pisgah National Forest
L13-14
Tellico Plains
Ashevi
Waynesville
Cherokee
75 Athens
40 Canton
Maggie Valley
Rossman
Highlands
SOUTH CAROLINA
Clayton Blue Ridge
Not To Scale
Blairsville
Green
Chattahoochee National Forest
85
Index of Maps Featuring All or Partial Sections of Waters Listed J08-09 Blockhouse and Kinzel Springs USGS Quadrangles Little River downstream of Great Smoky Mountains Nationa Park, Hesse, Cane and Beard Cane Creek. J10-11 Wear Cove and Gatlinburg USGS Quadrangles Little River, West Prong Little Pigeon River and Gatlinburg special permit streams.
81
K10-11 Thunderhead Mountain and Silers Bald USGS Quadrangles Little River, Lynn Camp Prong, Fish Camp Prong, and Hazel, Forney Creek, Bone Valley Creek and Jonas Creeks.
Bristol
ort
K12-13 Clingmans Dome and Smokemont USGS Quadrangles Oconaluftee River, Raven Fork, Bradley Fork and Noland and Deep Creeks. L07-08 Whiteoak Flats and Tapoco USGS Quadrangles Cheoah River and Citico, Jake Best, Doublecamp and Slickrock Creeks.
Johnson City
NORTH CAROLINA
Cherokee National Forest
L09-10 Fontana Dam and Tuskeegee USGS Quadrangles Fontana Lake and Eagle, Hazel, Yellow, Sawyer and Stecoah Creeks. L11-12 Noland Creek and Bryson City USGS Quadrangles Fontana Lake, Tuckasegee River and Forney, Noland and Deep Creeks. L13-14 Whittier and Sylva North USGS Quadrangles Tuckasegee and Oconaluftee Rivers, and Soco, Dicks and Scott Creeks.
Pisgah National Forest
M05-06 Tellico Plains and Bald River Falls USGS Quadrangles Tellico, River and Bald Rivers and Wildcat Creek. M07-08 Big Junction and Santeetlah Creek USGS Quadrangles Tellico and North Rivers and Nabb, Santeetlah Creek, Little Santeetlah, West Buffalo, Little Buffalo Squally and Snowbird Creeks. M09-10 Robbinsville and Hewitt USGS Quadrangles Santeetlah Lake, Nantahala River and Tulula Creek, Long, Mountain Creek, Snowbird, Franks, Berts, Bear and Stecoah Creeks.
e
M11-12 Wesser and Alarka USGS Quadrangles Little Tennessee and Nantahala Rivers and Alarka, Rattlesnake, Tellico, Burningtown, Cowee, Rhinehart and Sugar Cove Creeks.
40
ille
M13-14 Greens Creek and Sylva South USGS Quadrangles Tuckasegee River, Caney Fork and Greens, Savannah, Wayehutta and Cullowhee Creeks.
r
6
M15-16 Tuckasegee and Sam Knob USGS Quadrangles Upper West Prong Pigeon River, Caney Fork and Moses, Mull, Wolfe and Tanasee Creeks.
Hendersonville
NORTH CAROLINA 85
Spartanburg
N15-16 Big Ridge and Lake Toxaway USGS Quadrangles Tuckasegee and West Fork French Broad Rivers and Tanasee, Robbinsville, Flat and Panthertown Creeks. P01-02 Tennga & Hemp Top USGS Quadrangles Conasauga River, Jacks River and West and South Forks of Jacks River and Mill Creek. P12-13 Rabun Bald and Satolah USGS Quadrangles Chattooga River and West Fork Chattooga River, Walnut Fork and Warwoman, Sarahs and Hoods Creeks.
A 85
nville
26
Š 2016 SAINT CLAIR MAPPING Updated 9/22/2016
close look - tennessee
Nes Levotch 168 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
featured guide
S
uccessful East Tennessee fly fishing guides wear more hats than old Captain Kangaroo and Mister Green Jeans. Dixie’s latest fly fishing hotspot, this region is an invariable smorgasbord buffet of different long rod angling opportunities. Nes Levotch, owner/operator of Tennessee Mountain Rivers Guide Service is truly a “guide for all seasons” in river/stream/ lake rich East Tennessee.
Based out of Jonesborough, Tennessee, Levotch’s mission for his guide service to help fishermen enjoy the experience while teaching them and hopefully increasing their sense of appreciation for fly fishing and its rewards. His class room is big, including trips to the Watauga River and South Holston River tailwaters for trout, and Holston, Nolichucky, and Little Pigeon rivers for smallmouth bass. For those wanting something special, Levotch offers to a privately managed section of Boone Fork Creek, in the Blueridge Mountains. Rising on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, before joining the Watauga River in Tennessee this catch-and-release fly fishing paradise is alive with brook trout up to three pounds and brown trout up to 30-inches long. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 169
“Tennessee Mountain Rivers Guide Service a full service guide service,” explains Levotch. “We will supply rods, waders, and rain gear. If needed, we also supply all flies, leaders, and tippet, and even polarized sun glasses if you forget yours. We offer full day trips that include a shore lunch; and half day trips that include drinks, fruit and snacks. Instruction is always offered when requested as part of any trip.” Levotch has over 40 years of fly fishing experience, having fished mountain waters from the West to the Austrian Alps, as well fly fishing in the flats of the Keys, Bahamas and Hawaii. However, his focus has become mastering the rivers of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. In 1966 he moved to the East Tennessee where the natural beauty and abundant fishing was love at first sight. Lovotch has been a professional guide over 20 years.. When it comes to knowing the “hot spots” of the region’s rivers there is no one better.
“It has seemed to be a natural thing for me to guide. Local fishermen and women kept asking me to take them fishing. All anglers want to have successful fishing on the river or stream, to catch fish, to have a learning experience, and to have a good time. ‘Word of mouth’ got around to others interested in a guided trip and it grew to where we are today,” says Levotch..
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featured guide
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Levotch says that his two most popular bookings are float trips on the Watauga River tailwaters, and wade trips at Boone Fork Creek’s Trophy Waters. He notes a noticeable upswing in bookings from people of all walks of who have an interest in fly fishing, and have a willingness to learn new techniques from an experienced guide familiar with the waters. More and more people are traveling to East Tennessee to experience the local fly fishing buffet. “I have fished northeast Tennessee for over 40 years and love this area and what it has to offer,” say Lovotch. “When needed or requested, I can give guidance on their fishing techniques and we can share information and I learn from them too. The future is very bright too. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency is proactive in improving and protecting the fishing in upper East Tennessee. The fisherman are more aware and respectful of the programs in place including the “catch and release” and water conservation.” 172 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
featured guide
Levotch’s talents do not end as a fishing guide. He is a master craftsman and is able to fish from the boats he builds, catch fish with the flies he ties, and land the fish with the nets he designed. He builds his custom wooden drift boats, wooden nets, and ties special flies for the targeted area and type fishing. All of these works of art are made in his own workshop located just behind his home in historic Jonesborough, in the custom workshop he built.
For more, contact Nes Levotch; Tennessee Mountain Rivers Guide Service; 306 South Cherokee Street, Jonesborough, TN 37659; phone: (423)7539190 and Cell: (423)5574296
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NEW FROM JIMMY JACOBS YOU KNOW HIM AS THE AUTHOR OF GUIDEBOOKS TO TROUT FISHING IN THE SOUTHEAST. NOW EXPERIENCE THE OTHER SIDE OF JIMMY JACOBS’ WRITING. THE CERDO GRANDE CONSPIRACY IS A NOVEL THAT TAKES YOU ON A WILD RIDE FROM ATLANTA TO KEY WEST, FLORIDA. The Cerdo Grande Conspiracy was born in a tale related to me by a reserve officer with the Monroe County Police Department that serves the Florida Keys. It revolved around an escaped pig on Stock Island that becomes amorous with a motorcycle in a convenience store parking lot. The owner of the bike and the pig's owner ended up in a fight as the biker attacked the pig. While it sounds surreal, locals have good reason to call the city at the south end of U.S. Highway 1 "Key Weird." Anything is plausible in this slice of paradise. And if it hasn't already happened, it likely will. Admittedly, some liberties have been taken with the original tale, but that's what fiction is all about. From that incident the story of the conspiracy to save the porker took root. Hopefully, you'll find that it grew into an entertaining romp along the southeast coast down to the American tropics. And, should you ever visit there, you just might recognize some of the locales in the tale. Jimmy Jacobs Kindle Edition $4.99 Paperback $9.99 AVAILABLE AT WWW.AMAZON.COM/AUTHOR/JIMMYJACOBS
Soft Hackle Trout Tactics Harry Murray
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Mr. Rapidan Brown Soft Hackle: The Mr. Rapidan Brown Soft Hackle will catch many large trout when they are feeding on the natural March brown nymphs in the spring.
oft hackle wet flies are very effective in a broad variety of situations because they can be tied and fished in ways to meet many conditions. If you place a few drops of water in the palm of your hand on the stream and then place a live nymph such as Epeorus pleuralis (Quill Gordon) or a Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Dark Blue Quill) mayflies in that water watch how the gill covers pulsate rapidly. This lively action can easily be mimicked with our soft hackle flies enabling us to catch many large trout. Some of my favorite hackling materials are Hungarian partridge and speckled Indian hen backs and I dub the bodies with natural fur blends or synthetics to match the color of the natural flies that are active at the specific time I am fishing.
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close look - virginias
Big Run Many anglers believe Big Run is the finest stream in the Park. There are two trails into Big Run from the Skyline Drive. The stream is quite small here so you will probably want to hike down this trail toward Rocky Mountain Run. The second access point is from Brown Mountain Overlook at Milepost 77. Take the Brown Mountain Trail down 0.7 miles to the Rocky Mountain Run Trail, and follow this 2.7 miles down to Big Run. Jeff with Brown: Many large brown trout can be caught on Beatis Soft Hackle flies by fishing them with a slight lifting action just as the duns are beginning to emerge as Jeff Murray shows here. 178 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
In order for you to take advantage of this great fishing let us begin early in the season and discuss the tactics which are effective in some of the most popular hatches. The Epeorus pleuralis (Quill Gordon) mayfly nymphs are some of the first insects to become active on many streams. These nymphs crawl freely along the stream bottom stones below the riffles where some of them are often swept downstream by the current. A very effective tactics at this time is to fish an Eperous pleuralis Soft Hackle fly upstream dead drift starting 20 to 30 feet downstream of the riffle and fishing all the way up to the riffle. I like to space two Scientific Anglers tube indicators along my compound knotted leader and watch these closely in order to detect the strikes. Once you see the duns hatching this your cue to use a slightly different technique because this emerging nymph swims strongly to the surface. Now I use a slight rod-lifting action on my soft hackle fly as it drifts down the pool to me. This effectively matches the emerging action of the real fly.
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Author Admires a Large Rainbow Trout: The author admires a large rainbow that took his Beatis Soft Hackle in the beginning of the beatis hatch when many of the trout were feeding actively upon the emerging naturals.
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The araleptophlebia adoptiva (Dark Blue Quill) mayfly overlaps the Quill Gordon and last longer into the season. I have often seen these fragile little nymphs locked into the surface film by the cold air in the spring. When this happens they are often shunted into the back eddies where the trout feed heavily on the struggling half-emerged naturals. A great tactic now is to cover these back eddies with your Paraleptophlebia adaptive Soft Hackle. If you spot rising trout dress your leader and go one on one with them. If you do not see rising trout just cover the back eddy. The Stenonemia vicarium (March Brown) hatches shortly after these first two and presents a perfect setup for this soft hackle. Many of these nymphs move across the stream bottom to the shallows along the sides of the streams in preparation of hatching into the duns. I like to wade up the stream and cast my soft hackles upstream ahead of me so they fall within two feet of the bank. As my fly drifts back downstream I impart a gentle line hand twitching action that usually brings a solid strike from the trout. The Ephemerella dorothea (Sulphur) mayfly hatch is a great mayfly coming a little later in the spring. At the very beginning of this hatch when I see very few duns coming off I fish my Ephemerella dorothea Soft Hackle with a method I call “swing a soft hackle�. My goal is to fish my soft hackle slowly right along the stream bottom in the deep parts of the pools. In order to do this I position myself on the side of the pool straight to the side of the deep water I suspect will hold the large trout. My first cast is made 20 feet long up and across stream at a 45 degree angle. After my fly sinks deeply I lift my fly rod to a 45 degree angle high out over the stream and swing it downstream at the same rate the fly is drifting. In this way I have a tight line on the fly and I can feel the strike the instant a trout takes it. Successive casts are made a foot longer, still at the same angle upstream, until all of the deep water is covered, than I wade downstream pausing every 10 feet to repeat this method.
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Once the sulphur hatch is in full swing the late John Snyder of Falling Spring had a technique of fishing soft hackles that fooled many of the large trout that refused other offerings. John would position himself on the side of the pools a little upstream of where he saw rising or swirling trout. He would cast up and across stream of the feeding trout and as the fly approached them he would lift his rod in a technique known as a Leisenring Lift causing the fly to swim to the surface right in front of the trout just like an emerging natural. The soft hackles are exceptionally productive when the beatis mayflies are preparing to hatch and even during the hatch. On large streams when these nymphs are active but before the duns are coming off I like to fish my Beatis Soft Hackle by casting across stream then by following the drift of the fly with my rod tip I let it swing in an arc across the pool below me. I wade very slowly downstream using this method to cover all of the water until I see some duns emerging and the trout swirling to take them. At that time I continue the same across stream presentation, but I impart a slow foot high pump and drop action to the fly with the fly rod as it swings across the pool below me. This effectively mimics the emerging action of the natural beatis and brings many solid strikes. Soft hackles can be very effective when the hatches are sparse or when you just want to cover a fair amount of water throughout the season. The last two methods which I use on the beatis hatch are excellent techniques for this. The natural breathing motion of the soft hackle fibers apparently have great fish appeal and this will give you many nice trout all across the country 182 l October 2016 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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Georgia’s Original Delayed-Harvest Stream by Jimmy Jacobs
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N
ot long after North Carolina first introduced delayed-harvest fishing to the our region on the Nantahala River in the early 1990s, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources made the leap onto the bandwagon. Near the end of that decade the decision was made to give the management scheme a try on Smith Creek in Unicoi State Park.
Smith Creek is a small stream throughout the delayed-harvest section.
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P
icking Virginia’s “Top Trout Town” was an easy choice. It has everything a trout hungry fly fisher can hope to find: uality, ambience and abundance. If you live in the Cavalier State and own a fly rod, odds are that this designation does not surprise you. If it’s The delayed-harvest “news” to you, then you water on Smith Creek need to stop what you begins at the foot of are doing, and head to Unicoi Lake Dam in the Waynesboro. state park.
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From that beginning, the state eventually put five stretches of water in the Peach State under the DH regulations. As the list grew, however, Smith Creek held onto more than just the title of Georgia’s first DH experiment. This stream in the Chattahoochee River drainage also is by far the smallest DH stream in the state and also the most tightly managed. Smith Creek begins just upstream of the park in the federal Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area. Curtis Creek crashes down 153-feet and York Creek plunges 50 feet as the two create a twin cascade to form Smith Creek. The stream then runs out of the recreation area and into Unicoi State Park. After passing through Unicoi Lake (that is the name usually ascribed to the 44acre impoundment, though its official title is Smith Lake), the stream continues for 1.5 miles down to the park boundary. Eventually it empties into the Chattahoochee River at the Alpine-themed resort town of Helen. The 1.5 miles of water below the lake down to the park border was chosen for Georgia’s first DH stream, originally opening to fishing under these regulations in the late ‘90s. One reason was that the water below the lake becomes quite warm during the summer months.
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Stocked rainbow trout make up most of the catch on Smith Creek
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As with all Georgia DH waters, the regulations apply from November 1 through May 14 annually. All angling is strictly catch and release and only single-hook, artificial lures may be used. An exception is made for fly anglers using dropper rigs, but each fly must have only one hook. After May 14, the streams then revert to general trout regulations, allowing all baits and the harvest of fish. One rule that is an exceptions on Smith Creek is the requirement that anglers stop by the office at Unicoi Lodge in the park to pick up a free daily fishing permit. Also, a daily parking fee is charged by the park. To accommodate the angling the stream is heavily stocked at the opening of the DH season and some fish are added through the end of the season as needed to make up for natural mortality. Fishing pressure can be heavy on Saturdays and Sundays, but falls off during the week and even on weekends in the winter. Brook, brown and rainbow trout make up the stocking on Smith Creek. Most of the fish are in the 9- to 12-inch range, but some bigger fish are added each year. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l November 2016 l 191
Access to the creek is good throughout the DH section. The gravel road to the park’s Intern Camp is along the upper portion of the stream. Angler are not permitted to drive on the road, but
can use it for foot access. Below the park’s water treatment facility the Unicoi-to-Helen Trail parallels the stream to the park boundary, offering more walking access. There are a
couple of foot bridges over the stream in this lower section as well. Angling conditions are tight on some portions of the creek, but most experienced smallstream anglers will find
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Brown trout also are stocked in the creek.
enough room even for fly casting. Dry and dropper rigs are popular on Smith Creek. Any bushy and buoyant attractor fly like a Royal Wulff or hopper pattern may draw fish to the top, while a Prince
Nymph or Pheasant Tail can be a good subsurface option. Spinning anglers usually opt for Rooster Tail or Panther Martin in-line spinners.
The bottom line is Smith Creek was Georgia’s first DH water and it continues to offer a great trout angling option through the cooler months of fall, winter and early spring.
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book review
O
ne Step Away: Memoirs of a Fly Fisherman by David Puckett (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015) is a well written and nicely illustrated, 212 page paperback that touches at the soul has only fly fishing literature can. If books on the meaningful side of southern fly fishing
Western North Carolina where he learned to dry fly fish from the natives, the gift was realized. On several occasions including career, pursuing his doctorate, and war in Vietnam, David was pulled away from the mountains he loves, but he would always return to cast his dry flies and to replenish his soul and to move him one step closer to God. Today, David lives in the mountains of East Tennessee where he teaches, writes, and frequently fly fishes the trout streams of Tennessee and North Carolina. Annual trips to Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming have offered David and friends’ new challenges are your preferred reading and adventures. The One Step Away: Memoirs author has found that dry of a Fly Fisherman is highly fly fishing is an art that recommended. helps you to find yourself From the time David and move one step closer Puckett was a young boy to God. David’s other following his Dad in the books are Per Usual small streams of Middle James Roy, Common Tennessee, learning the Sense Negotiation, art, he knew he was born and Fool’s Hill. He is a to be a fly fisherman. Later professor Roane State when his job moved his Community College in family to the mountains of Harriman, Tennessee.
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Carolina’s “Must Do” I
n what has become a North Carolina early winter tradition, December 2 and 3, 2016 are the dates of the 8th Annual WNC Fly Fishing Expo at the WNC Agricultural Center in Asheville. This big two-day fly-fishing extravaganza provides anglers a forum to sharpen their skills and learn about the latest innovations in their sport. It’s the Tar Heel State’s largest event for fly-fishers, drawing more than 1,000 casting enthusiasts over the course of the weekend. The WNC Fly Fishing Eexpo will feature large gathering of local fly shops, conservation organizations, professional fly-fishing instructors and guides. A 3,200 square-foot indoor casting pond is the centerpiece of the two-day event. The casting pond is for show goers to improve their fly casting skills with help provided by professional fly casting instructors. The WNC Fly Fishing Expo is the perfect venue for fly tiers. Show goers have an opportunity for hands on fly tying clinics that will be available throughout the event. This is sponsored by the experts of Hilltop Fly Tiers. The Hilltop Fly Tiers has been hosting the tying booth for all seven years of the mostly helping beginner tiers fly relatively easy flies that catch fish, like Woolly Buggers and Zulus.
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“It’s the biggest show in the event’s history”, notes Reba Brinkman, manager of the WNC Fly Fishing Expo who notes that this year the event has over 80 booths, growing from about 50 its inaugural year, in 2009. “The event has definitely grown in popularity as far as people talking about it and seeing that this show is the regional show to go to.” Besides instruction, fly tying and an opportunity to see the latest in fly fishing tackle and gear, the WNC Fly Fishing Expo will maintain its well-deserved reputation for providing cutting edge fly fishing seminars. This year features these daily presentations: Hank Patterson Josh Lafferty Patrick Folkrod Jeff Trigg Abbi Bagwell Mac Brown
Self-Proclaimed Fly Fishing Genius Fly Fishing for Southern Musky Fly Fishing Tennessee’s Tailwaters Fly Fishing Arkansas’ White River Appalachian Blue Line Trouting Technical fishing tactics and casting accuracy
Hours for the 8th Annual WNC Fly Fishing Expo will be Friday, Dec. 2 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for children 16 years of age and younger. Free Saturday admission with Friday ticket purchase. For more info visit www.wncflyfishingexpo.com.
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A Museum for the Southern Fly Fisherman
The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians — originally
located in Cherokee, NC — has a new home in neighboring Bryson City where it shares a building with the Bryson City / Swain County Chamber of Commerce. It’s centrally located on the town square across the street from the visitor center. The Museum is open Monday thru Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm and admission is free.
The scope of the museum covers an
area with more than 14,700 miles of accessible trout streams — the nine Southern Appalachian States of North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama; the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; as well as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Bryson City, NC
PHOTO BY JIM HEAFNER
Through exhibits and videos you’ll
learn about legendary “Stream Blazers,” the evolution of rods and reels, basic knots, fly-tying, types of gear, types of gamefish, regional fishing waters, and the history of fly fishing in the Southeast. Whether you are a long-time fly fisherman, or have only attempted or never tried fly fishing, you will find something to enjoy and to learn from in the museum.
FLY FISHING MUSEUM
OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS
Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians 210 Main Street Bryson City, NC 28713 800-867-9241
FlyFishingMuseum.org