issue 43
July 2019
Southern Trout
www.southerntrout.com
RIVER THROUGH ATLANTA CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER GUIDE SERVICE
RiverThroughAtlanta.com
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2 l Spring 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Publisher's message
A
s chores go, this is one of the truly fun jobs that befall the position of publisher. After seven years of production of the publication, one issue closing is merely the beginning of the next issue and so on and so on. I’m not complaining, some issues are more of a challenge or hurdle to overcome. I’m not complaining, as I really love to, but I’m trying to say that there is never a dull a day. Each issue has a theme. While seldom stated, it is nevertheless there. The summer issue dedicated to revisiting the past. Jimmy Jacob sent an article telling the story of how early trout stocking occurred in Georgia. It is an excellent view back almost a hundred years of the story of southern trout. I think you will find interesting. Jacobs is guru of
trout fishing in Georgia and has a deep appreciation of those who blazed the trail before us. Joe Manley, Jr’s article “Remembering a Fisherman” contains a wealth of information about the early 20th Century and fishing in and around the Smokies. A member of the gentleman’s angling society with his peers such Ernest Peckinbaugh and Ozark Ripley, in a show of respect for the trout and the pursuit of catching, his angling attire included a neck tie. Joe Manley, Sr. wrote the first book on fishing the waters of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) in the 1930s. The book is hard to find and most trout fishermen are barely aware of his considerable contributions. However, just has Bill Dance or Babe Wilkleman are celebrities today, Joe was the “go to” man 80 years ago. His son, Joe Manley Jr. does an incredible job of detailing his father’s career. While he was one of the best known anglers of his generation, he was also a quite well-rounded sportsman and a keen shot. I am confident that you will want to know more when you read Joe Jr’s. account about the life of his incredible father. I encourage to send me an email regarding him a don@southerntrout.com to tell me if you liked it.
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Southern Trout
Also in this issue is an article by Soc Clay on Kentucky reels that were created in his native Publisher Don Kirk Lake Resort. Like me, these days he is getting Managing Editor Leah Kirk a bit long of tooth. Suffice it to say we’ve shared Special Projects Dir. Loryn Lathem Photographer/Writer Adam Patterson a few adventures over the years and enbibed Editorial Consultant Olive K. Nynne a bit of Kentucky bourbon and moonshine. The one time Poet Laureate of the state of Kentucky, his piece on the legendary Kentucky reels is the Contributors best I have ever seen on these ground reels and Soc Clay the men who made them. I know you will like it. Matthew Lewis Many of you have asked if there is enough Keith Gann worth writing about on southern trout fishing Matt Reilly and how we come up with fresh content with Ragan Whitlock each issue. The truth of it is, content comes FIELD STAFF to me from some of the top trout writers in the Jimmy Jacobs, South. I learn much about the subject putting Georgia Editor the issue together. Southern Trout’s (ST) stable Rocky Cox of writers never say “No” to me. They see ST Columnist as an important effort to get a message in the Steve Moore Columnist publication, especially regarding the old timers Columnist like Charlie Elliott or H. Lea Lawerence. Polly Dean Jimmy Jacobs and I are largely of one mind Columnist when it comes preserving the fast disappearing Bob Mallard valuable southern trout fishing heritage. We are lucky to have vehicles like Southern Trout that allow us to preserve the word. The ST Hall of Southern Trout is a publication Fame and the Museum of Southern Appalachian of Southern Unlimited, LLC. Copyright 2019 Southern Unlimited Fly Fishing exists to remind us of the region’s past trout fisherman and their stories LLC. All rights reserved.
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Anderson Creek Retreat Anderson Creek Retreat is your basecamp for a healthy outdoor lifestyle on 1,200 acres next to the National Forest, less than ninety minutes from Atlanta near the historic mountain towns of Ellijay and Blue Ridge. We’re in outdoor recreation country known for trout fishing, hiking, whitewater rivers, horseback riding, mountain biking and cycling. Amicalola Falls State Park and the Appalachian Trail are just over the ridge. The 4,000-foot ridges of Rich Mountain Wilderness are across the Cartecay River Valley. Home sites average more than four acres and offer backdoor access to twelve miles of trails through a landscape of springs, trout streams, high mountain ridges, hardwood forests, pastures, meadows and the 19th century homestead ruins. Conservation easements with the Georgia Land Trust protect a mile of Anderson Creek and Anderson Lake for catch and release fly fishing for rainbow and brown trout. Check us out on the web at www.andersoncreekretreat.com. Call 706-635-5124 or email land@andersoncreekretreat.com.
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THIS ISSUE
Publisher's Message
3
Catching Large Trout on Small Flies
10
The Man Who Invented Georgia Trout
20
Dad Was a Fisherman
30
10
Fleming & McKay Rodsmiths 46
20
Small Streams, Big Rewards 52 Blackwing Olive Chronicles
62
Kentucky's Famous Reel Makers on the Fly
66
Book Review-Squaretail
72
76
54
Inaugural Reilly Rod Crafters 76 Hosted Smallmouth Camp a Success No More Vest. Bag It!
88
Asian Style Rainbow Trout
100
You Vote on Top Dixie Fly Patterns
104
122
Chambers Creek 110 Would You Go Back? Battle of Gatlinburg
122
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THIS ISSUE
30
66
88 110 116
170
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Catching
LARGE
Trout on Small Flies
Harry Murray
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any serious trout anglers believe the greatest challenges and thus the ultimate gratifications are derived by catching large trout that are selectively feeding on tiny natural insects. In order for you to take advantage of this exciting action let’s examine some of the insects which spark this type of feeding and the tactics and fly patterns which are effective. We’ll explore the successful methods of how to safely hook the large trout on light leaders, the tactics of fighting the trout, and how to safely land and return them to the stream. The trico is one of the most popular tiny mayflies which prompt heavy feeding by large trout. For example, one warm summer morning my best efforts to catch a steadily feeding brown trout failed. Vince Marinaro was sitting under an old apple tree watching my efforts so I eased back away from the stream and
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Standard Blue Wing Olive Dry – During the Beatis vagans hatch the Standard Blue Wing Olive Dry Fly will fool many trout.
sat down beside him where we debated why this big brown was so difficult to fool. My arm came to rest on my knee where my wristwatch happened to fall in line with the feeding brown. In one minute he took sixty-seven tricos. Vince speculated that I may have been getting drag which although it was imperceptible to us the brown could easily discern it and refuse my fly. He suggested I move back down to the stream and crawl into a different casting position which would enable me to handle the currents better. It worked and the big brown took my fly on the first drift. Here are a few tactics that can help you catch large trout during the trico hatch. From the emergence of the first duns until the final spinner fall usually takes two to three hours. (In the mid Atlantic area I fish, this starts at 7am in June and gets a little later daily as the season progresses). Try to be on the stream each day when the hatch begins and stay until the end of the spinner fall because the trout are often easier to catch when the flies are sparse. A 7X leader will permit your size 24 tricos to drift more naturally on the stream than a large leader. And I find that I often get my best results with 8X tippets. My favorite two trico flies are the Trico Dun and Trico Spinner both in size 24. The Beatis vagans is a wonderful little mayfly that excites both trout and anglers all across the county. This delicate little olive mayfly can frustrate the most serious angler. For example, one morning I parked at our regular spot on a stream that had normally given us good beatis fishing. My partner, Willie, said
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he’d walk downstream a mile and fish back up to the car while I could fish upstream. That evening when we met he simply glowed. “That was the best beatis hatch and most rising trout I’ve ever seen,” he exclaimed. I was very excited for him, but I was puzzled. I had seen very few flies and only three feeding trout. The astonishing aspect to both of us as we later walked the stream to explain this dilemma was the two sections of the stream were identical in cover, stream bottom, and aquatic weed growth…. We never did figure out why the stretches fished so differently. The most consistent natural feature that produces good beatis hatches is a low light level, cloudy days, misty days, even snows can produce very heavy beatis hatches and many feeding trout. Conversely, a bright sunny day can kill the hatch. There are some great streams in the Rocky Mountains that we simply skip on bluebird days because thirty years of fishing these streams has convinced us that we will do better on streams that are not dependent on beatis to bring the trout up. My main goal when fishing the beatis hatch is to get a drag free drift with my flies. This may mean I’ll need to cast upstream or downstream or across stream and mix in some slack line casts… I just want the trout to see my fly acting like the real thing. On heavily weeded spring creeks often large browns will locate below the edges of the weeds along under cut banks. If he’s on your bank you could cast upstream to him but this would cause your leader to drift over him ahead of the fly and you would spook him. A better ploy is to circle around him on the bank and on your hands and knees get thirty feet upstream of him then throw a slack line cast that will let your fly drift naturally to him. 12 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Mr. Rapidan Midge Dry – When the trout are sipping adult Chronomidae midges from the surface the Mr. Rapidan Midge is the author’s favorite fly because he can easily see it and the trout take it readily.
My favorite two flies on the beatis hatch are the Beatis Parachute and Standard Blue Wing Olive Dry both size 18. The pseudocloeon, which some anglers call the tiny olive because it is an honest size 24, is one of my favorite hatches. Somewhat like the beatis the heaviest hatches may come on overcast days but I’ve hit exceptionally thick hatches on sunny days on rivers such as The Lower Clark Fork, Bitterroot, and Missouri. The duns may hatch throughout a river, but the heaviest concentration of emergers and resting duns tend to be in slower sections of the streams and in the back eddies. The first time I saw this flotilla of duns in a back eddy it was the largest concentration of mayflies I have ever seen. To give myself a rough count of these flies I held my hand out over them and by counting in tens I estimated that under the span of my hand were two hundred pseudocloeon mayflies. Obviously hatches this heavy bring up many large trout. Your chances are best by fishing one on one to rising trout. This can be a little tricky because some of the large trout hold on the a specific feeding station and take the duns as they drift to them, while other trout cruise just below the surface taking the naturals as they come to them. You will find the largest trout feeding by the first method when the current is fast enough to bring him all of the flies he wants, whereas the cruiser will usually be in slow currents or back eddies.
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My favorite fly on this hatch is a CDC Blue Wing Olive size 24 which I usually fish on a 6X tippet. The true midges in the Chironomidae family are an important food source for trout. Even though many of the midges are only an honest size 24 I’ve seen pods of more than two dozen large trout feeding on them in back waters in western spring creeks. Where there is a moderate current these trout will hold on specific feeding stations to take the midges that drift to them but where there is a very slow current the trout cruise to take their midges. What further complicates this game is that some of the trout feed on the emerging pupa coming from the stream bottom while others go for pupa struggling in the surface film and others actually take the adults on the surface. When you are fishing for these trout you’ll catch most of the large fellows by fishing the style flies which mimic what they are actually feeding upon. For example, if you spot a delicate dimple on the surface of the stream that trout is probably sucking an adult from the surface. Show this trout a Mr. Rapidan Midge size 22 or a Griffith Gant size 22. If you spot the swirl of a trout on the surface this fellow is probably taking a midge pupa struggling to transform into an adult. Drift a Birchell’s Hatching Midge size 22 or a Mr. Rapidan Crippled Midge size 20 to this trout. The trout you see splashing are most likely feeding on the emerging pupa swimming in a whip-like motion as they head to the surface. A very effective technique to catch these trout was developed by Jim Leisenring over fifty years ago to use on caddis pupa and other insects. The “Leisenring lift” works well here by casting a Brassie size 20 several feet upstream of where you spot your feeding trout. As it approached him lift your fly rod slowly in inch-long spurts to mimic the undulating action of the natural pupa. Sometimes you will feel this strike, but sometime you’ll see the swirl. 14 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Brassie – The Brassie is an effective pattern fished in an undulating lifting motion when the midge pupa swim up to the surface of the stream.
Before we leave the small flies that fool large trout here is my ace in the hole.… The tiny black ant. There is just something about these that large trout can’t pass up. It could be that they have seen so many in their lifetime that they feel comfortable eating them or it could be as the late master angler Ed Hewitt speculated… “They just taste good to eat.” For whatever reason, small Black Ants have often saved the day for me. Once in the heavy water on the Madison River below the Raynolds Pass Bridge I had a large rainbow trout swing out from below a boulder to look at my Brooks Stonefly Nymph only to refuse it. I tried him with a Hare’s Ear Nymph, A Prince Nymph, and even an Adams and although he came out to look at all of them he would not take any of them. Finally, in desperation I drifted a size 20 Black Ant over him and he took it solidly. There are times when trout are accustomed to feeding on small ants so a matching pattern is a logical choice. One area I fish often I’ve named “the jungle”. This stretch is only about two hundred feet long and twenty feet wide but the low overhanging maze of oak limbs and scrub brush justifies the name “jungle”. The abundance of tree limbs function as a constant reservoir for natural ants and in over a hundred times of fishing this area I’ve never been there when the trout were not willing to take my small Black Ant.
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My favorite two small black ants are the Mr. Rapidan Ant and Black Fur Ant both in size 18 and 20. Setting the hook on a large trout with a size 18 to 24 dry fly on 6X, 7X, and 8X leaders can easily be achieved with a little practice. Basically I use 2 weight and 3 weight rods which help. However, to set the hook I use what I call a slip strike in which I hold the line lightly between my thumb and forefinger of my line hand. The instant I get a strike I lift the rod in the normal fashion but the moment I feel the resistance in my thumb and forefinger of my line I quickly release all of the pressure on the line. This assures a very high percentage of solidly hooked trout and very few broken tippets. Fighting and landing a large trout on a fine tippet requires more brains than brawn. There is one thing for sure‌ you can’t horse him. Assume you hook a very large brown trout on a Beatis Dry Fly on 7X in a spring creek loaded with aquatic grassbeds. Right away he takes off downstream so you must run very fast to get below him. Now he must fight both the pressure of your rod as well as the current. Right away he dives into a grass tunnel so to combat this you apply a very gentle rod pressure with your rod low to the side directly below where he entered the grass tunnel. Almost without the trout being aware of it this low steady pressure will subdue him and you can ease him back downstream where you can easily net him. In order to return large trout to the stream where you are sure they will survive all of your moves should be slow and gentle. Here is how I do it. In knee deep water with just a moderate current face the trout into the current. I place my left hand under his chin to keep him stable. I place my right hand around his body in front of his tail in order to keep him perpendicular and hold this grip until the trout has recovered enough to hold himself upright and steady. Then I remove my right hand and slide my left hand out from under his jaw. This trout will survive. If you enjoy challenging angling for large trout which offers exciting gratifications try matching your skill against them when they are feeding on tiny flies. 16 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Mr. Rapidan Ant – The Mr. Rapidan Ant is the author’s favorite ant pattern which he developed over twenty years ago to fool the tough trout. The trout love it and anglers can easily see it.
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Arthur Woody was the forest ranger for the Rock Creek Refuge from 1918 to 1945. Photo courtesy of Jean McNey & Duncan Dobie.
The Man Who Invented Georgia Trout By Jimmy Jacobs
I
f you start looking at the origins of trout in the Peach State, it deals with brook trout and requires going back to the last Ice Age. But in a more modern sense the tale is barely a century old. Due to poor timber, farming and erosion control practices, by the dawn of the 20th century, most of North Georgia’s streams held only minnows and horny heads. The recovery of our now varied and outstanding cold water fisheries in Georgia, however, has been rather clouded by the passing years. What prompted the effort and who really started it? With the publication of a new book by noted sportsman Duncan Dobie, that story is now beginning to unfold. The volume is titled Arthur Woody and the Legend of the Barefoot Ranger. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 21
Arthur Woody was the first forest ranger for the Blue Ridge District of what was then the Georgia National Forest and now is the Chattahoochee National Forest. During the first half of the 20th century, he was arguably the most famous individual to hold such a position. He virtually singlehandedly (and at his own expense) reintroduced whitetail deer to that region, famously refused to wear a uniform except on very special occasions and became famed for not wearing shoes. In his book, Dobie dispels that latter myth, but also explores a much less known tale of Woody’s accomplishments. Beginning in 1918, just after he became a forest ranger, the man locals referred to as the “Kingfish,” or simply the “Ranger,” began restocking the state’s depleted cold waters. Again, that effort was undertaken at his own expense, and only later was joined by official forest service policy. Despite his close connection with the re-introduction of deer, Woody also dearly loved to fish for the native “specks,” as the brook trout were known. Never a man to sit idly by when there was work to be done, he took it upon himself to bring back the trout resources of the mountains. The damage already done to the waters made re-establishing brookies a daunting, and at that point, probably a losing proposition. Instead, shortly after taking the job as forest ranger, Woody ordered some rainbow trout from a hatchery in Denver, Colorado. Those fingerlings were shipped in large barrels via railroad to Gainesville,
Ranger Woody dabbling for trout. Photo courtesy of Jean McNey & Duncan Dobie.
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The “Kingfish” holding a pair of trout. Photo courtesy of Jean McNey & Duncan Dobie.
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Georgia. There the ranger met the train with a truck to take the fish west to the Rock Creek Refuge that he administered. The heart of that tract now makes ups the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area. From the truck the trout were transferred to a two-horse wagon for the trek from the foot of Black Mountain up Grassy Gap Road and over the ridge to the town of Suches, where the ranger lived. The rainbows were released in Rock Creek in Fannin County, along with several other nearby streams. Woody recruited local men and their kids to spread the fish out, five or six to each pool on the creeks. Over the next 20 years, Ranger Woody continued to order rainbows from Colorado, but also got brown trout from a hatchery in Washington State. All the while he kept refining his techniques, adding rearing ponds on his property, bringing in brook trout eggs from the northeast and stocking more streams. Among those were Noontootla, Montgomery, Jones and Mill creeks, as well as Rock Creek Lake. Ranger Woody supervising a group of 4-H students doing some stream improvement work. Photo courtesy of Jean McNey & Duncan Dobie 24 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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In 1933 his efforts got a big boost from the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps. He now had a pool of able young men to provide muscle and stamina. The young men carried heavy loads of trout to remote locations, as well as installing in-stream improvements to give the fish more holding water. By this time it also is thought that the Forest Service also became involved in his efforts. Finally, in 1937 they built the Chattahoochee National Fish Hatchery on Rock Creek and assumed the major responsibility for the stocking efforts. By the time of the ranger’s passing in 1946, his efforts has produced fishable trout populations throughout his administrative district. For that all Georgia trout anglers of today owe him a debt of gratitude. Summing it up, Ranger Arthur Woody is well known for his restoration efforts for deer in North Georgia, but his contributions to trout and fishing for them have sailed under the radar. Now, however, the major research that has gone in Duncan Dobie’s book, including extensive interviews with family members and people who knew the Kingfish well, Arthur Woody’s unsung status as the modern “father” of Peach State trout fishing has come to light. Duncan Dobie’s book, Arthur Woody and the Legend of the Barefoot Ranger (Hard Bound, 512 Pages, Black and White Photos) is available from Duncan Dobie, 3371 Meadowind Court, Mareitta, GA 30062. The cost is $35.00, which includes taxes and shipping. A marker on the side of State Route 60 in Suches, Georgia. Photo by Jimmy Jacobs. 26 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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H
e was wading in the middle of Little River in the soon to be Great Smoky Mountains National Park with a fly rod in hand, dressed in a long sleeve shirt with tie, long pants, but no waders, wearing a battered fedora. Near to him is the Under Secretary of the Department of the Interior also with a fly rod in his hand and dressed in a similar fashion. This was an excellent way to spend a summer morning in 1936 and ties were a way to express respect for your quarry. You possibly have never heard of Joe F. Manley of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He passed on in 1995, but for many years, beginning in 1933, he was well-known in East Tennessee as an outstanding outdoorsman.
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FISHERMAN Joe Manley, Jr.
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He started life in Royston, Georgia as the last born of nine brothers and sisters. In 1904 life was not easy. Starting at about age seven he found that farm ponds contained bream, catfish and bass which were not only good to eat, but also fun to catch. This was the beginning of a lifelong pursuit. He began picking cotton at age eleven in order to make enough money to buy a single barrel 12-gauge shotgun. Nickels and dimes were hard to come by in 1915, but he was able to buy that shotgun three years later. His keen eyesight and hand speed supplied the family supper table with quail and rabbit thanks to that gun. As Joe grew, he developed a habit of trying to throw all the rocks he found out of the county and with accuracy. By the time he reached high school, he had developed a phenomenal pitching arm. He became Royston High School’s number one pitching ace and never lost a game. His batting average was unusual for a pitcher, an excellent .375 average. Royston’s home town hero, and Joe’s oldest brother’s best friend, was Ty Cobb, so baseball was important. Georgia newspapers began following his pitching exploits. When he graduated from high school one article stated that “he accomplished a feat that had never happened nor would it ever be matched by winning all games he pitched!” This attention enabled him to move on to Mercer University and ultimately to the University of Georgia on a full scholarship to pitch baseball. As many as eleven professional scouts attended his games and it appeared, he would move on to at least the minor leagues. His senior year he was left in a tough game too long and ended up damaging his arm. His fast ball disappeared as did his professional chances.
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At Georgia he majored in forestry and was the first person in his family to graduate with a college education. He was offered a job with the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho. However, they left it up to him to get there. In 1930 the depression was in full swing and no funds were available. So, Joe joined the crowd and “hopped a freight” to get to his work location. He did not discuss his “hobo” days, but apparently it was a tough way to get where you wanted to go. Joe found the forests of Idaho to be a great work location, but they were not without risk. Fighting a crown fire is dangerous business. At times, Joe found himself standing in duff, tree residue sometimes three feet thick, and broke through only to find himself standing in flames that had migrated from where he thought the fire was. At times Joe found himself on fire watch above the tree line, and when a storm appeared, lightning cracked all over the place. Finding a location to avoid being hit was of prime concern and occasionally those storms produced only lightning with no rain. Idaho was a fine beginning location for a budding trout fisherman. Many of the streams Joe worked near were loaded with cutthroat and/or rainbows that had never seen an artificial fly, and he supplied many a trout dinner to the work camps. He told of a trip to a local stream where he suddenly noticed fresh grizzly tracks in the trail that were headed in the same direction. He considered turning around, but a “dyed in the wool” trout fisherman wouldn’t allow a little thing like a 900-pound fur ball to deter a couple of hours of fishing. He continued on. The tracks disappeared to the left of the trail, and much to his relief, he did not see the bear. The crew again enjoyed a trout supper. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 35
He also supplied spruce grouse, nicknamed “fool hens,” for an occasional supper. He called upon his pitching skills and a ten cent can of pork and beans to knock them out of the trees. His crews teased him about his having to retrieve his ammunition after each throw, but the ammo never even got a dent. After the potential grizzly encounter, Joe located a .250/3000 Savage rifle and bought it just in case a need arose. During his work and wanderings through the forest, he found where a cougar had been crossing a deep ditch on a log and managed to ambush him. As he admired the animal, a thought came to mind, “Why did I need to kill that puma? It wasn’t bothering me, and we’ve no need for the meat.” He regretted killing the puma and sold the rifle the next week. Joe had a soft place in his heart for all wildlife. In 1932 he heard that a position as Forester was going to open with the proposed Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wanting to get back closer to his roots, he applied and was hired in 1933 as the first Chief Forester for the Park. When he arrived, lumber companies were still cutting trees and headed toward higher elevations. A lot of the area looked devastated. The streams were silted, the brook trout were in trouble with no trees over the water to provide shade. The bear and deer were scarce and in trouble also. Joe’s responsibilities involved walking all over the Park area to see what was left and what was gone and to locate fire roads and sites for fire towers. He located all the fire tower sites and supervised their construction and placement. During those years of walking, he only saw one deer and four bears. He gained a very thorough knowledge of all rivers and streams, and as a result, he became the 36 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
parks guide for dignitaries from Washington, D.C. and other locations. In June of 1936, the Under Secretary of the Department of Interior, E.K. Brulere, made an official visit to look over the progress being made to prepare the park for dedication. In his spare time, he wanted to trout fish and Joe was assigned as guide. Three weeks after he left, Joe received a signed, framed photograph, “To Joe Manley in memory of a pleasant morning” showing Mr. Brulere landing a Little River rainbow. Joe’s knowledge of the area prompted him to begin a book which he completed and self-published in 1938. The small, green book was entitled Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Adjacent Waters. It was well received in the East Tennessee area, but a limited number of the books were produced. Ivan B. Romig, editor of Sports Afield magazine, was so impressed with the book that he purchased Joe’s entire remaining supply and resold the book to fly fishermen via the magazine. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 37
Joe had a love for all of nature, particularly the flora and fauna of the Great Smoky Mountains. He worked closely with Willis King, a wildlife technician who came in 1934, and Arthur Stupka, the Park Naturalist. Mr. Stupka’s book, Notes on the Birds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park published in 1963 by University of Tennessee Press, mentions his contributions in Acknowledgements. In 1939, Willis King and Joe carried a can of cutthroat fry up Forge Creek in Cades Cove, and released them. As time went on, Joe anticipated hearing something about a strange looking trout being caught but gave up wishing many years later. In 1952, Joe’s son came home with a trout with unusual throat markings. Joe said, “I know where you caught that, Forge Creek.” Joe was satisfied that some genes made it through thirteen years. One summer day in 1940, Willis asked Joe to accompany him to the Little Tennessee river below Calderwood Dam where Willis wanted to collect some plankton. Joe took his bass gear to fish for smallmouth while Willis looked for little bitty stuff. Joe set the hook on something mighty strong that became airborne, and he saw a muskellunge.
He managed to land the fish. It was forty inches long and weighed sixteen pounds. 38 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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In 1940 RKO Pictures came to the Park to produce a film with Robert Ryan as the lead actor and Dudley Diggs as his co-star. The movie was to involve a lot of trout fishing and Joe was assigned as the contact and assisted in site locations. Since Ryan and Diggs had never handled a fly rod, Joe proceeded to teach them the art. As a result of austerity due to WWII, Joe’s job was abolished in 1942. TVA offered him a forestry position, and the family moved to Fountain City, Tennessee. When building at Oak Ridge began, Joe took a job with Ford, Bacon, and Davis, Inc. and ended up working on the Manhattan Project. His fishing slowed down a little bit, but he and friends pooled gas rations to get to Norris and Cherokee Lakes. Fish became a source of protein for the family; even an eleven-pound walleye tasted good. Joe always wanted to open a sporting goods store in Gatlinburg, so with money saved from overtime work, the family moved back and Joe opened his store. That same year, 1946, Paul Moore, a photographer with Tennessee tourism, called and set up an appointment to photograph him catching bass at Cherokee Lake. Joe was glad to promote fishing whenever he could. The result was that Moore filmed him with 16mm film catching a largemouth bass that weighed over nine pound from on a top water plug. He also shot still pictures so Joe could have evidence to show friends. 40 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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In the 1950s, Joe found that tourists were more interested in buying “stuff” than fly line, flies, rods, bass tackle, and shotgun shells. He found he had no passion for selling “stuff” and keeping that kind of store open was exhausting for him. He sold the store and went to work for the City of Gatlinburg which gave him more time for family and the outdoors. When he retired in 1975, he decided he needed to paint birds, fish, and wild flowers. He had never taken an art lesson in his life so he bought some “how to” books and started painting. He supplied local gift shops with wooden plates with painted trilliums, lady slippers, red eyed vireos, red birds, mallard drakes, etc., etc. and they could not keep them on the shelves. He painted from memory hunting scenes from the west such as greater prairie chickens on harvested corn and mallards flying into an Oklahoma farm pond. He also carved miniature wooden ducks and painted them. He had no mounted fish, so he carved and painted a six-pound brook trout. To this day people still mistake it for the real thing. A close friend was going west with her husband and he intended to float the Snake river and trout fish. He gave his wife a hand-me-down fly rod and told her she could use that while he caught the trout. She called “Uncle” Joe and asked if he could help her learn to use a fly rod. He responded, “I’ll be right over. Get the rod and I’ll meet you in the driveway.” For a couple of days, they practiced in the driveway, then he took her to the river and showed her where and how to present a fly. Recently, she told Joe’s son about her adventure floating the Snake. Seems she caught most of the trout, and her husband got so upset he bought a new fly rod and reel for himself. She said that rod didn’t help him a bit, but she had more fun on that trip than any other trip she’s taken thanks to Joe Manley. 42 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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The Fiberglass (R)evolution
Fleming & McKay Rodsmiths: Sharp Dressed Rod
H
aving recently written about high-end and affordable factory-wrapped rods, I thought I’d try something a bit different. While I’m not ready to go full-blown custom, I did want to cover something unique. Fleming and McKay Rodsmiths puts out a rod that is unique and as close to custom as you can get without asking, waiting, and paying for such. Southern Connection Fleming & McKay Rodsmiths are located in Vilas, North Carolina – a great location for Southern Trout readers. Vilas is roughly five miles west of Boone and less than ten miles east of the border with Tennessee. Named after explorer and statesman Daniel Boone, it is roughly twenty and twenty-five miles respectively from the fabled Watauga and South Holston tailwaters as well. Fleming & McKay makes both carbon, aka graphite, and fiberglass fly rods. While they offer a limited selection of single-handed and switch rods, they take custom orders as well. They also build beautiful custom wood rod cases. My focus for the sake of this company article however is on their single-handed glass rods, The currently advertises two and one model in particular. single-handed glass rods:
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Bob Mallard
7’6” 3-weight and 8’6” 6-weight. Both in convenient 4-piece configurations. As a small stream guy, I opted for the 7’6” 3-weight to field test. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 47
The Blank Fleming & McKay’s fiberglass rods are built on CrystalGlass blanks from CTS out of New Zealand. They are made from unidirectional S-glass. The blanks are strong, light, and crisp. Like most S-glass rods, they are a bit faster than traditional E-glass and dampen better as well. The rod I tested cast in close well yet can push out a bit of line when needed. And like most glass rods, it has that classic glass feel. Heirloom Quality I think it would be fair to say the rod I received from Fleming & McKay is a “heirloom” quality product. The attention to detail and workmanship are superb, as are the accoutrements, and unique ornamental grip and wrappings. The rod comes in a quality aluminum tube with cloth sock. It is something you will pass down to the next generation of fly fishers. The honey colored translucent blank is classic and handsome, and while subtle, the coffee colored agate stripping guide really trims it out well. The wrapping are black with a black and yellow woven trimming on the outer edge. There is a wrapping check and hook keeper, and a classic downlocking nickel and wood seat. On the subject of reel seats, while they have fallen somewhat out of favor, downlocking seats offer a secure fit that rarely loosens as often happens with modern uplocking seats. In fact, while taking a break from writing this article I had a reel fall off of a rod with an uplocking seat. They also move the weight of the reel to the bottom of the rod where it belongs IMHO. Fleming & McKay rods are wrapped in the United States and built from components made in the United States, New Zealand and Great Britain – there are no cheap offshore accoutrements. And all of the components are top-quality and work well together. The Grip What gets your attention most about a Fleming & McKay rod is the grip. Their signature, it is made from crushed and formed cork and wood. The standard configuration is a reverse half wells, or “western” grip, but full-wells and cigar grips can be ordered. They also advertise that the grip can be “tuned” for your hand. The woodwork is so perfect and intricate that you’d think it was a decal until you take a close look. The two wood accents are made with black walnut and cherry checkerboarding sandwiched between three opposing ebony and maple rings. It is sanded and finished to a smooth shiny surface as is the cork. 48 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Field Test I appropriately broke my new Fleming and McKay fly rod in on wild native brook trout in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest. I fished it on a large stream, by New Hampshire standards, where I had room to backcast. I also fished it on a small headwater stream where short shots were the rule. While fishing I cast in tight and I reached out. I used traditional casts, rollcast, flipped line Tenkara style, and even made a few bow-and-arrow casts. I fished small attractor dries with droppers, small streamers with trailing wet flies, and dual wet fly rigs. I even cast some match-the-hatch dries. I admittedly didn’t nymph as I didn’t have to. While the 7’6” 3-weight Fleming & McKay glass rod proved to be a great allpurpose stream and small river rod, it did quite well as a dry fly rod when delicate presentation and light tippets were the rule. It also handled small streamers and buggers quite well. There’s actually not much the rod won’t do and do well. As for fish-fighting ability, while I’ve been fishing for brook trout in large streams and small rivers where they rarely break 8 inches, I’d feel confident using the rod for much larger fish. I also think it can handle bigger water than what I have been fishing. In general, I was quite satisfied and plan to keep the rod as part of my quiver.
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General Information At $720, Fleming and McKay Rodsmiths fiberglass rods are not cheap, they are a premium product at a premium price. They are however competitive with similar quality products, including custom rods built on the same blank using like components. Fleming & McKay Rodsmiths offers a Lifetime Warranty. The warranty applies to the original owner, and only to rods purchased from Fleming & McKay or an authorized dealer. It does not cover damage done in transportation and shipping. Rods must be registered within 60 days of purchase to be eligible. If you inherit a rod, they will extend the warranty to you. Unregistered or rods that are purchased through 3rd parties are not covered. Fleming and McKay Rodsmiths is also a good corporate citizen, donating 5% of the profit associated with each rod to Project Healing Waters, an organization dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military personnel and veterans through fly fishing and other activities such as education and outings. You can learn more about, and even buy, Fleming and McKay Rodsmiths fly rods at www.flemingandmckayrodsmiths.com. BOB MALLARD has fly fished for forty years. He is a former fly shop owner and a Registered Maine Fishing Guide. Bob is a blogger, writer, author, fly designer, and native fish advocate. He is the publisher, Northeast regional editor and a regular contributor to Fly Fish America magazine and a columnist with Southern Trout online magazine. Bob is a staff fly designer at Catch Fly Fishing, an ambassador for Epic fly rods, and on the Scientific Anglers pro staff. He is a founding member and National vice chair for Native Fish Coalition. Bob’s writing, photographs, and flies have been featured in Outdoor Life, Fly Fisherman, Fly Fish America, American Angler, Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Fishing & Tying Journal, Fly Tyer, Angling Trade, MidCurrent, OrvisNews, The Fiberglass Manifesto, Eastern Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing New England, Southern Trout, The Maine Sportsman, Northwoods Sporting Journal, Tenkara Angler, On The Fly, the Epic and Planetary Design blogs, R.L. Winston catalog, and the books Guide Flies, Caddisflies, America’s Favorite Flies, 50 Best Tailwaters to Fly Fish, 25 Best National Parks to Fly Fish, The Hunt for Giant Trout, and Maine Sporting Camps. Look for his books 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast and 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout (Stonefly Press,) and his most recent, Squaretail: The Definitive Guide to Brook Trout and Where to Find Them (Stackpole Books.) Bob can be reached at www.BobMallard.com, mailto:info@ bobmallard.com or 207-399-6270. 50 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
What’s So Special About Bryson City? Hundreds of miles of native mountain trout streams Trout are also flow through the Great common in our Smoky Mountains four rivers – National Park above Bryson City and Cherokee — freestone creeks with native rainbow, brook and brown trout. Most streams offer all three species.
Cold Weather Means Bigger Fish .
What are you waiting on?
Bryson City is the home of the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians Learn all about it at FlyFishingMuseum.org
The Oconaluftee, Little Tennessee, the Tuckasegee and the Nantahala, one of Trout Unlimited’s top 100 rivers. And now, a 2.2 mile section of the Tuck through Bryson City is designated delayed harvest waters, with one of the highest trout counts of any stream in the US.
The 30 miles of trout streams on Two mountain lakes the Cherokee offer trout fishing Indian Reservation The 29-mile long, 11,700 acre Fontana 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.
are the longest privately owned and stocked fishing waters east of the Mississippi. The 2.2-mile 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.
Visit GreatSmokiesFishing.com for a map and profiles of 26 great fishing locations near Bryson City, North Carolina. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 51 Photo by Justin Anderson Fly Fishing & Guide
small streams,
BIG REWARDS! by John L. Torchick
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I
have been fortunate to fish many different places in this country. Piscatorial pursuits have presented opportunities from wetting a line in small farm ponds in central Kentucky to begging a bass to bite on Toledo Bend in Louisiana. However, some of the best times have been on what I would describe as small streams. I can step across some while others require a little wading to cross. Each one will have the characteristics of riffles, waterfalls and pools ranging in depth of a few inches to where the bottom isn’t visible. Finding a place to fish takes a little homework. While individuals are reluctant to share their “honey holes� with other anglers, tackle shops can suggest places to fish. A color topographical map is another resource with water indicated in blue, known as blue lines. Match the trout streams listed by your state fish and game department with their location on the map.
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Small streams in the mountains can be remarkable trout fisheries. Tennessee has brown and rainbow trout, with the higher elevations yielding the native Appalachian strain of brook trout. The locals refer to brook trout as speckled trout or “specs.” I had the pleasure of catching all three trout in one day in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. My first brook trout came from what I would call a tiny stream near the North Carolina state line. The stream was no more than two or three feet wide. I was waiting for my son to finish putting on his waders when, on a whim, I decided to cast an Elk Hair Caddis into a pool no bigger than a bathtub. I got a “smack” like a bluegill hitting a popper, immediately followed by a splash. My first brookie was no more than four inches long. The markings were brilliant! The back was dark with a marbled effect. Red dots with blue halos marked the flanks. The fins were colored dark red with white tips. The bellies of spawning trout, particularly the males, are red or orange. 54 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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Small streams offer the solitude not found in many places. Getting off the beaten path is a time to take a break from the hectic world that surrounds us. Finding time to relax escapes many people. Life causes us to forget what can be available just a short drive away. I can drive one hour east or two hours north and find the solitude I need. Okay, I must confess; I skipped church one Sunday to go trout fishing. I needed a break! After spending an hour on the road, I could watch the pristine world around me. I pondered what I saw. I fished. The next Sunday, I was asked if I caught any fish. I replied that I didn’t go to catch fish. I was met with a puzzled look. The saying is, “If I have to explain it, you still wouldn’t understand.” I use a six-foot, two weight fly rod built specifically for these places. I go places that Tarzan would avoid. The reel has a double taper line which casts easily and throws a tight, accurate loop. The rod is short enough to cast without worrying about getting hung up in the overhanging foliage, provided I don’t get in a hurry and forget to look behind me. Yes, I have caught a few tree fish in my time. I decorate trees, making the stream look like it’s ready for Christmas. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 57
A small tackle box that will fit in your pocket or hang on your belt can hold everything you would need. I like a lanyard that has everything I need for the day. A wading staff is a necessity. Climbing over rocks and fallen trees might reveal one of two things about you. You are really dedicated to fishing. You aren’t as young as you used to be. I’m batting a thousand in this game. Don’t forget the sunscreen and insect repellent. You will be in some areas where mosquitos, chiggers and ticks line up for a free meal. If you are allergic to bee stings as I am, carry an Epi-Pen. Be prepared for a change in weather with a rain suit, rain jacket or poncho. Rain forecasts should be considered even though they might not be in your specific area. When my son and I began fishing the Tellico River in east Tennessee, we were told that a thunderstorm several miles away could cause a flash flood where we would be fishing. Be prepared, get out, and, above all, have fun! 58 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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SweetWater Brewing Company • Georgia • SweetWaterBrew.com
Black Wing Olive Chronicles
A
s of late I have heard many of you bipods say to Daddyboy that yours truly was becoming long of tooth, a not so subtle way of referring to my advancing age. Thanks to the near starvation of food provided me, I still have my lithe appearance of a younger female. These days though, I don’t give a piper’s damn about catching Frisbee’s, and I don’t care about the degrading game of Daddyboy who loves to put a tasty treat on the tip of my snout waiting for him to let me have it. My desire to be around other dogs, and especially cute little puppies has become less tolerant than in years past. Long gone too is my willing submission to allow myself to tolerate one more round of the undercarriage sniffing game common among my species. My old habit of escaping the confines of the compound to make my usual rounds to see other people in the neighborhood is now of limited interest to me, as the last couple of jaunts left me so tired upon my return I slept like a dead man. All this sets the table for what is on my mind to talk about. For the dense reading this, I want to discuss the overall lack of canine retirement strategies. I’m facing a cauldron choices for the future and the best of these options is a bitter
choice. You see, unlike Daddyboy, thus far I have been unable to win a fortune at playing the Powerball lotto. A little luck at that game and all of my problems disappear. Alas though, who’s going to sell lottery tickets to a canine that is long of tooth? Allow me to say right now, it is tolerable living here a Condor Hurst Manor that is in reality a heavily armed compound. Daily rations are not too bad, although like Daddyboy, my diet could do with a bit more fiber. You see, physical fitness is a large (really gigantic) part of what keeps me going. For better or worse, until supper time ole Daddyboy’s bodily intake is comprised of Makers Mark bourbon and a six pack or two as a supplement. Daddyboy mixes up this Bluegrass State’s pride and joy by putting a whisker teaser for me in my special dish." Here is a typical day at the compound. Following an “all you can eat” first breakfast, it’s away to the front porch to snooze for couple of hours until brunch which is made up of beer and pretzels. As of late, I have been privy to all this as well as being allowed to sniff his cigars. The latter may sound not like much of a perk to you, but the old geezer is not one to spare the horses
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when acquiring his personal cigars or brown whiskey. Also, he is of the habit of puffing on a smoke stick until he has sucked the life out of the stogie. Trust me, he is quite tenuous about using his fat lips to provide suction. Once he burns his lips two or three times, he is quite generous in allowing me to eat his throwaways once they cool. Except for diddling with his magazines, I safely say Daddyboy is resigned to retirement these days. As for me, I am openly jealous that there is not some sort of retirement check coming in here like clockwork. But if the truth be known, at this stage in life, I am more than happy to follow Daddyboy’s sundering from sunup to sundown. It’s a typical dog’s life. I’ve heard enough about the bone yard on the back side the property to dare broach the subject.
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KENTUCKY'S FAM
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have been writing about fishing across the world for more than half a century. I live in Kentucky, which is acclaimed by some as being the place where “reel� sport fishing commenced in the South. It all started in the early 1800s when a watchmaker and silversmith by the name of George Snyder of Paris, Kentucky, created what would be called a double-multiplying bait casting reel. His invention is credited as being the first in America, but I suspect Western Europe might have gotten ahead of George with their own reel development. Afterall, nearly every person who fished in Europe during that period were elitist (so called) gentlemen. One had to be rich or famous and high in society to even engage in the angling sports. Additionally, they were required to be socially accepted by land barons to even find a decent place to pursue their sport. No doubt Snyder felt the same way his contemporizes did in his native country, but in America it seemed even the poorest soul could fish anywhere they chose! The truth is that most of the early Kentucky bait-casting reel makers were also fly fishermen. I wasn't there, of course, but since I've fished every decent stream or river in the state, I can see why George had to do something about his inability to fish streams such as Stoner Creek which runs through his home town in Paris, Kentucky. The little creek is typical of many streams in the upper South. Laden with smallmouth, spotted bass, and various pan fishes at the time, it was also rimmed by huge trees, willows, underbrush and the like.
ON THE FLY
by Soc Clay
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MED REELMAKERS
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The issue with fly fishing was, of course, that the angler spent much time snagged in trees or retying leaders that were snapped when an effort was made to tear their offering from the brush. Keep in mind, there were no boats to be found on the edge of the frontier during the early 19th century. And since rubber boots were yet to be discovered, wading in his fine leather knee-highs that was part of the gentleman’s dress at the time was out of the question. That's why Snyder decided to build his now-famous “bait casting” instrument. As far as can be determined, few if any of the famous watchmakers turned reel makers made a fly reel except one. G.l. Sage of Frankfort and Lexington, Kentucky, made at least one “clicker” fly reel during his rather short-lived career as a Kentucky reel maker. And he wasn't a watchmaker like the rest of his colleagues in the Kentucky Reel development history. In fact, he was trained to be a gun smith, but wound up in a profession that had nothing to do with watchmaking at all. Sage wound up working for most is his life in occupations that had nothing to do with fishing. All of this story is leading up to the fact that black bass has been the target of fly fishers in Kentucky and the South for a very long time, and if you have a clicker fly reel that has J.L. Sage's name stamped on it, you probably could have a hundred thousand bucks in your pocket! That is, if you wanted to sell it. Little is known about www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 69
this particular reel. Betty and Don Barr of Frankfort, Kentucky, two of the highest acclaimed collectors of Kentucky Reels in the world, never even saw a picture of the Sage click reel. James L. Sage (1822-1900), a gunsmith by trade, was an avid fly fisherman and early reel maker in Central Kentucky who was immortalized in Book of the Black Bass. According to James A. Hershall who authored Book of the Black Bass in 1883, Sage gave one of his click fly reels to him. According to Hershall, Sage, was one of the strongest advocates for bass fishing with a fly rod in the early history of the South. He obviously was looking for a game fish to replace trout that he most likely fished for when he lived in New England. He also said that he considered “fly fishing to be a gentlemanly mode of fishing (that) requires more skill, and a better knowledge of the habits of the fish� than any other method. Sage' click reel obviously wasn't in demand by his followers or any other of the Kentucky reel makers during the 1810-1900 era. There was a different breed of fishermen emerging. They wanted to cover more water, and they also decided fly fishing for bass was too slow and too limited in lure selections and depths they wanted to fish. But Sage's trued hobby of fishing with the fly continued in the South with a surge of bass buggers who discovered fly rods better matched the challenge they wanted from their angling experience. Florida became a hot bed for buggers and fly fishermen all over the southern United States, picked up the slim rods and possible duplicates of Sage's clicker reel, no matter what the species.
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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
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Book Review
SQUARETAIL
T
hose who have followed the Southern Trout Magazine adventure will have a grand time reading Squaretail, a new title from Stackpole Publishing written by Bob Mallard. His Gear Head and Fiberglass Rod Revival columns are featured regularly in this magazine. For the last four years, Bob and I have shared telephone conversations. You see, Bob is a Maine Yankee by birth and residence, but nonetheless possesses a true, healthy southern attitude. Bob and I get along like peas and carrots, and I do not hold his bad luck for having been born in Yankee Land against him, nor has he ever vocally described me as an ignorant hillbilly. Squaretail is a beautifully produced 230-page volume illustrated with plenty of eye candy pages of color photography. It carries a $41 cost. In it, Bob gives a thorough overview of the history of brook trout over the last two centuries. It is geographically heavy on the waters of New England and eastern Canada where squaretails are king, but thanks to his nomadic nature, there is also ample coverage of southern brookie habitats as far south as the Great Smoky Mountain Nation, Shenandoah National Park, and other southern state waters from New York southward to northern Georgia. I especially enjoyed his extensive coverage of old time “LL Bean� styled Maine sporting camps, many of which have remained open to brook trout fishermen for longer than two centuries. In the old days when my travel bags stayed packed in the event of a fast escape from modern life, I made a few trips to these tradition-rich Maine waters.
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Southerners know the squaretail by the moniker speckled trout or brookie, while in Canada it is known as the red trout or speck. In Maine it is most often reverently referred to as the squaretail for its tail fin. Many regard the squaretail as the most beautiful trout in the world. Each time I caught one of these fish, I marveled at its mosaic of colors. Rainbows and browns are true trout, while brookies are char. The squaretail’s closest relatives include the Artic char and lake trout, the former being quite the eyeful. A bright red Artic char caught on a Quebec caribou hunt hangs in my office, and it is the only mount I ever commissioned. If you are like me with a dedicate bookcase for fishing books, Squaretail is a must. Squaretail is a very good read if you want truth on the brook trout within and beyond the region’s national parks. Bob gets notoriously to the point and is more than dedicated to ensuring the future of native species within the tractional ranges. Squaretail is available from Amazon and Stackpole Publishing, but I recommend you go through Bob for an autographed copy. It’s worth the effort and expense to bypass those cutthroats who sell line. 74 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
Wade Trips Float Trips Trout
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Inaugural Reilly Rod Crafters Hosted Smallmouth Camp a Success T
MATT REILLY
he southeast is blessed with a rich diversity of angling opportunities, in both freshwater and salt, warm water and cold. This is particularly true of southwestern Virginia, where I live and guide year-round. And though we have some truly fantastic wild trout fishing in this corner of the state, view the state as a whole, and it is evident that wild trout fishing is not the Old Dominion’s most prolific wild game fish. When it comes to river fishing, the smallmouth bass holds that title firmly, which is why, with the goal of giving guests a genuine Virginia fly fishing experience, the Charlottesville-based rod company, Reilly Rod Crafters, chose the New River as it’s the venue for a group smallmouth camp hosted by the owners and friends of the company. In early May of 2019, eight anglers from around the country convened at the comfortable guest cabins at Fariss Farms and Iron Heart Winery in the heart of the New River Valley to fish and learn from some of smallmouth fly angling’s best, including legendary Charlottesville-based guide and fly designer, Chuck Kraft; Scottsville-based guide L.E. Rhodes of Hatchmatcher Guide Service; Susquehanna River guide, Brian Shumaker; William Heresniak of Eastern Trophies Fly Fishing; New River guide, Jim Richmond; and myself. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 77
Almost immediately, the guests were occupied in the yard at the Farm taking fly casting lessons from world-class fly casting instructor and signature series rod developer, Joe Mahler, of Fort Myers, Florida. The 48 hours that followed were characterized by long days on the water, fly tying and casting instruction, fellowship, home-made dinners, and a heaping, but not altogether unhealthy helping of bullshit. Topwater Amidst High Water Mention fly fishing for smallmouth to most people familiar with the sport, and they’re likely to envision long summer days; low, clear water; popping bugs; and explosive takes. Summer fishing. It’s a pursuit that is not unlike dry fly fishing for trout— particularly when the water gets low and clear in the late summer, and typically indiscriminate bronzebacks take on the discerning and wary
characteristics of a big brown trout. May—the height of spring—on the contrary, is typically subsurface time. Streamers and big,
heavy, bottom-bouncing flies rule. The weather, and the fishing, can be fickle, and blowouts are commonplace.
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We were lucky enough to have the tables turned on us. Kindof. Heavy rains during the day before the guests arrived at the Farm ruled
the New River absolutely out of the equation. Luckily, I had backup options. As we drifted slowly down a small warmwater
tributary stream, I did my best to dip my oar blades only when necessary, keeping noise and surface disturbance to a minimum while keeping my raft in
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position for the anglers in the stern and bow to make accurate casts to the bank. For May, and with the New River raging nearby, the water was relatively low and clear. The sun beat down on my back. My unprotected hands burned. Summer was in the air despite the calendar date. Only the fishing didn’t reflect summer. The fish seemed slow. We’d been on the water an hour and hadn’t yet caught our first fish. The temperature dropped substantially overnight, lowering the water temperature by a few degrees, and it was still early. When we took an early lunch, the fishing was still slow. It was my hope that the sun would rise higher in the sky to warm the water and get the fish moving around a little more later in the day. Refueled with ham sandwiches, fructose, and some less natural treats, we hopped back on it. In the bow, MJ, a Floridian angler with a fantastic cast and a reputation for single-handedly saving the pornography industry as a health care professional, was fishing a subsurface baitfish imitation. On a hunch, I gave Gary, who was fishing out of the back of the boat, a topwater fly similar to MJ’s offering. A few casts later, MJ made a picture-perfect cast to a shadowy pocket of slow-moving water tight to a stump along the bank. As soon as the fly landed, a smallmouth of about 14 inches slowly moved in to inspect.
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After a few short seconds, the fish turned its head and returned to its lie. Just then, Gary put a cast in the same spot. Just like before, the fish emerged from the shadows and locked onto the fly. But this time, it didn’t put on the brakes. Just like a brown trout sipping a dry fly, the bass opened its mouth, sucked in the bug, and dropped its head and turned without missing a beat. Gary set the hook, and the fish went airborne before being coaxed into the net. Excited at the opportunity to fish topwater so early in the year, and after suffering a morale blow when the New River jumped its banks, we all tied on topwater bugs and enjoyed some phenomenal fishing for the remainder of the day. The Living Was Good Back at the cabins, spirits were soaring and the living was good. Despite the brown and rolling New River, all of the guests had enjoyed great fishing during the day. In the living area, Chuck Kraft was telling lies with the rest of us and twisting up some of his worldrenowned fly patterns that are equally as deadly on trout as they are on smallmouth bass. In the corner, the guides enjoyed a fellowship made all too rare by busy guide schedules. Shortly, Reilly Rod Crafters owner, Chris Reilly, boomed out a 82 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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green light from the kitchen. The shrimp were done boiling, and they were quickly piled onto plates along with potatoes and corn on the cob, which was scarfed down with a unanimous thumbs-up. After dinner, conversation turned to the fishing plans for the following day and plans for the next hosted smallmouth camp on the New River. Thanks to the enthusiasm and enjoyment from everyone involved, that camp can’t happen soon enough. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 85
experience counts for everything Meet Brian Lynch, one of the most innovative anglers and best guides in the business. Professionals like Brian are our first call when we need boots on the ground (and in the water), and our go-to team when it comes to understanding what truly makes a great rod. Their knowledge, their expertise, their understanding is passed on to our craftsmen who strive for perfection and uncompromising performance in every rod we make. To us, Brian and his fellow professionals are our unsung heros. We salute you. Brian calls Western Massachusetts home and can be found working the Deerfield river virtually all year round.
introducing the new avantt and exocett series from t&t. remarkably light. extraordinarily strong.
est
19 6 9
T H E R O D YO U W I L L E V E N T UA L LY OW N
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No More V Bag It! 88 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
New Fly Guy:
I
Vest!
Steve Moore
f you fish back and forth along a road with only feet to walk from stream to truck, read no farther as your traditional fly fishing vest or shoulder sling pack wins the day. It will hold the required flies and streamside tools just fine. However, as soon as you explore away from the vehicle in pursuit of solitude and unpressured water, you discover a fishing vest cannot serve double duty as a daypack. Resigned to using both vest and daypack, your morale sinks a bit when the pack’s weight settles on your shoulders. You wish for a better solution as the straps cinch down on the upper pockets of the vest, forcing you to displace their contents. Ditto for the waist strap, if the pack has one, as it crushes the lower vest pockets uncomfortably against your body. Granted, there are some fly fishing vests without upper pockets, but they typically feature bulky lower pockets that protrude to the front, dangerously limiting vision when scrambling across rocks to reach a distant pool. There has to be a better way! There is. The fly fishing bag. But all bags are NOT created equal.
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The perfect bag must perform well as both a fishing vest and a daypack. To meet the requirements of the fishing vest, it needs to have enough scattered pockets, D-rings, a rod holder, fly patch – in short, the contents of the vest must have a compatible home in the bag. As a daypack, it must be large enough to store everything that would typically go in a daypack – water bottle or thermos, lunch, backup rod (mountain pack rod), and essential survival gear while being comfortable enough to wear all day. The typical inexpensive shoulder/sling bag cannot do both. While this type of bag can hold a fly box, tippet, indicator, and a few other accessories, it fails as a daypack. Also, by relying solely on the sling to support the weight, it creates a single pain point on the chosen shoulder. A waist/butt pack is another poor choice. Granted, it can hold more gear, the pack sags and bounces when loaded while access to the contents requires rotation.
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To avoid making the wrong choice, evaluate fishing bag candidates on size, material, color, zippers, fly patch, D-rings, pockets, and fly fishing specific features. In my opinion, the Fisk bag by TimesNine is the gold standard and optimizes across these criteria. It may not be perfect but does have a US Patent for some of its attributes! Can’t get better than that. Compare any bag you are looking at to the Fisk. Size: Will the bag hold all your stuff? Images on the Internet can be deceptive. Pay close attention to the actual dimensions of the bag if you are unable to check the size in person. Think about what you have in your daypack and determine if the bag will hold everything. Comfort: In addition to the standard shoulder strap, does the bag have a waist strap to help support the weight? Think backpack. A quality backpack has a waist strap to share the load with the shoulders. In fact, REI and Outdoor Gear Lab claim a hip belt can carry 80-90% of the backpack’s weight. A good fishing bag should do the same. Are both straps adjustable to fit your body type? Does the shoulder strap have a quick adjustment option to hoist the bag higher when wading in deeper water? If you still want to wear a vest with the bag, do the straps interfere with the vest? Another point in favor of a bag is that, unlike a vest, can easily be worn over wet or cold weather gear. Safety: Is the waist strap wide enough to double as a wading belt? Another point in favor of a bag versus a vest/daypack is you can wear a PFD when wading in fast water. 92 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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Color: Does the bag come in a subdued tone? Blend in with the background! No orange or bright red! Material: If the bag is not made of ballistic nylon or Cordura, set it aside. Canvas fabric will not last. Both ballistic nylon and Cordura feature better protection from tearing while Cordura adds superior abrasion resistance, a critical feature when scooting across rocks to sneak up on a quiet pool. Does the bag use Velcro? If so, Velcro will eventually fail as it accumulates crud. A decent bag, like the Fisk bag, uses magnetic brass snaps that will never fail. Zippers: Most important – is the zipper waterproof? Is the zipper made from a material that may rust and jam? Look at each zipper closely and work each back and forth. Do they slide smoothly? Is there a protective covering? Can you make them jump the track? Is the zipper tab large enough to grab easily? Does the zipper tab include an extension to make it easier to operate while wearing gloves? Does the surrounding material produce loose threads that will get caught in the zipper? Fly Patch/Pocket: Does the bag have a fly patch? The patch is the small square of foam or wool intended for temporary storage of flies. Some manufacturers cover the foam with a cloth flap and call it a pocket. Seemingly insignificant, the fly patch is handy to hold a few flies either awaiting use or for quick storage after a change without taking time to dig out a fly box.
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D-Rings: Does the bag have D-rings? These are convenient for attaching zingers to hold floatant, forceps, whistle, and nippers. Is there a D-ring or other feature on the back of the shoulder strap to attach a net? Pockets: These are the most critical feature of the bag. Too many, too few or poorly placed pockets will cause frustration. Since each of us has our own preferences for how we organize, the number of pockets ends up being a personal requirement. As you examine a bag, ensure the pockets are large enough and positioned correctly for your needs. Think about what you really use your vest pockets for and translate that to the bag. Fly Fishing Specific: Was the bag made for fly fishing? If so, it should have features specific to the sport. Look for a rod holder and any other feature useful on the stream. For example, the Fisk bag has a magnetic workstation attachment to hold your rod and flies as well as a compartment for a rod tube. It all comes down to the way you fish. If you find yourself wearing both a vest and a daypack, you should seriously consider trying to combine both into a good bag. Marrying both functions just makes sense. Check out Steve’s YouTube channel at KayakHacksFishing for more on this topic. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 97
Mountain Bridge Trout Unlimited and Davidson River Outfitters Present
THE 2019 MONTANA DREAM TRIP FOR TWO! in Mountain the Rainbow Valley,ofMT, September 14our - 21, The Bridge Chapter Troutfor Unlimited announces 4th 2019. Annual Fly Fishing Film Tour you and Fundraiser for Coldwater on float, DRO will host and a guest for a 3 Conservation days guided September 27th, 2019 at Brewery 85 in Greenville, S.C. Show starts at and 3 days unguided wading with DRO staff. Prize in7:00 pm with pre-party events beginning at 5:00 pm. Advance tickets are cludes all meals, 7 nights lodging at the Rainbow Valley $15.00 available at www.mountainbridgetu.org . Tickets will be $20.00 the Lodge Ennis, MT and ground transportation once in day of the in event. MT. Prize package also includes an Orvis Recon Rod and The Fly Fishing Film Tour is the entertainment event of the year for fly an Orvis Mule Pack Cooler. fisherman and outdoor enthusiasts! Showcasing some of the the country’s best independent filmmakers.
Only 500 tickets to win will be sold! 250 are available online.
There will be music, games, raffles , auctions , great food and vendors displaying the latest in fishing and outdoor gear.
Not included in the Prize Package: airfare, Montana Fishing License See You There! and Guide gratuities, personal fishing gear, bar tabs and incidentals. The Winner will be announced on the MBTU website, www.mountainVisit www.mountainbridgetu.org bridgetu.org, on July 15, 2019. and www.flyfilmtour.com to purchase tickets andadditional for more information. For detailed informationor call 888-861-0111. You can also follow the link at https://raffles.ticketprinting.com/raffle/8281-Mbtu-And-Dro-PresentsThe-2019-Montana-Dream-Trip-For-Two/
Asian Style Rainbo
W
ant a tasty twist to your next trout meal? If so this Asia Style Rainbow Trout. You’ll love it. Asian Style Rainbow Trout consists of butterflied trout fillet cooked with basic ingredients used in Asian cuisine. Marinate trout in soy sauce, salt and pepper, fry it in sesame oil and then toss it with some sautéed ginger, garlic and green onions. While frying trout retain the skin as it makes the fish crispy. Fry in sesame oil definitely gives trout more flavor. Ingredients: Two butterflied trout fillet Soy sauce: 3 tsp Sugar: 1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper to taste Sesame oil: 1 tbsp Chopped garlic: 1 tsp Chopped ginger: 1 tsp Chopped green or spring onions: 2-3 stalks Pour 2 tsp soy sauce over the fish and rub them with sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat sesame oil and shallow fry the fish skin side down till the skin is crispy. (You can fry the other side too, but don’t overcook it because we will again cook it with the ginger garlic.) Remove the semi-fried fish fillet and in the same oil, sauté ginger, garlic and green onions along with 1 tsp soy sauce on medium high heat for a couple of minutes.
Place trout in the pan too and let it cook again for 2-3 minutes so that the flavors from the ginger and garlic become infused properly.
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ow Trout
Check seasoning; soy sauce is salty too, so use less salt while cooking. Remove from heat and spoon over the sautĂŠed onions and ginger over the fish. Serve with white or wild rice and pickled radish, celery or any other salad of your choice. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 101
You Vote o Trout Fly The Adams Parachute
There was a time when just everyone who fished southern waters for trout relied heavily on the male Adam’s dry fly. Around for generations, its shapes and colors have been fooling trout since Moby Dick was a minnow. It mimics so much residing in our streams. I would not be against this coming on top of the survey.
The Copper John Pheasant Tail
The Pheasant Tail Nymph pattern is old time pattern much beloved by everyone. Depending on the size and subtle coloration variations, this versatile pattern can be applied to a number of stream dwelling insects. The addition of the brass bead when tying material became widely available, found its way into hundreds of different fly patterns. The sparkle of the bead attracts more strikes while the weight of the bead means it is no longer necessary to wrap lead at the foundation of the fly. Simply brilliant.
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on Top Dixie y Patterns T
his is a first for Southern Trout Magazine. You, our readers, are voting on the trout pattern that is the most preferred fly pattern of the region’s trout fly casters. Because like everything else that we do that is held together by duct tape and a prayer, most of the flies shown this month will be older patterns. If you want to submit a newer pattern into the fray, send it to quickly at Southern Trout, 275 Tecumseh Street, Montevallo, Alabama 35115. We’ll photography them for publication. There are no real rules or conditions. We’re flying the contest test balloon by the seats of our pants southern style. Intentionally, some very well deserving fly patterns were left off the first Iist we put out. Hopefully, more will follow.
The Royal Coachman
Many scoff at the inclusion of the Yankee born, colorful Royal Coachman. Benny Craig, a well-known old time tyer from Western North Carolina, tells that for years he was always on the look out for discarded red stripes that sealed cigarette packs. There was a reason for this as this was the red plastic band used as a perfect girdle for his Royal Coachmen which were his best sellers. An attractor pattern, it really does not resemble any hatching from a stream, but this easily seen fly works very well. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 105
The Thunderhead
One of the most popular of the region’s traditional trout fly patterns is the Thunderhead. It dates back at least to the before the Second World War, and it is generally attributed to Fred Hall of Bryson City, the Trout Capital of the South. Lee Wulff is credited with creation of hair wing flies. The Thunderhead is more hair applied to an Adams. It has a solid, shorter body much like Walter Babb’s Smoky Mountain Sugar. However, as is with the Adams, the Thunderhead is not a species that mimics any one insect, but rather it is a versatile pattern that is a pretty match for a number of trout foods.
Haystack Dry
Haystack flies were developed over 50 years ago by Fran Betters when he was still in high school. These flies are genuine classics that consistently take trout in streams all over the world, under all conditions, for all types of hatches, and for when other fancy-tied flies fail. The Haystack is an all-purpose pattern that imitates a majority of insects that trout feed on. This pattern does not require expensive neck hackle, and tying can be learned quickly and easily. The Haystack is the perfect fly-tiers fly.
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Dave’s Hopper
There are flies that imitate grasshoppers and there is Dave’s Hopper. Created by Dave Whitlock, this fly appears ready to jump before your very eyes. They are great for catching 6-inch brookies in Virginia or 12-pound browns from the White River of Arkansas. The one thing Dave’s Hopper has in this “bake off” is versatility and the fact that you don’t go fishing without a couple of these up your sleeve. Yellow Stimulator The Yellow Stimulator is fly pattern of the West. In his book, Essential Trout Flies, Dave Hughes comments, “As a searching dressing, it is hard to beat the Yellow Stimulator. It looks like so many things trout eat that they're almost always glad to get one. The Yellow stimulator is a gaudy, big fly pattern that serve double duty as surface offering is good for exploring a trout stream, and as well has serving duty as a strike indicator. I fish without a wet fly beneath it only when surface action is torrid the I pretty much forget. Technically a match for really big stoneflies, the Yellow Stimulator is more than most trout can resist.”
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Since 1999 the Smoky Mountain’s #1 Outfitter and Guide Service! Serving Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Cherokee and Bryson City. Half-day and full-day:
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Authorized Concessioner
Chamber's Cree
Would You Go Back?
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ek
T
Ragan Whitlock
his question has been a trout stream litmus test for years. It acts both as a way to describe the enjoyment of an experience, and as a way to pass judgment on a location as a whole. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 111
I avoid answering or asking this question whenever possible. At best, giving an answer feels privileged. At worst, it feels like an inflated ego childishly attacking an underserving victim. Some trout streams yield obvious answers, and entertaining the discussion is fairly innocuous. The trips that result in wonderful fishing experiences always end with the lucky participants discussing the topic of “next time” before they part ways. The terrible experiences formed by poor weather, fishing, scenery, or all three, also end in fairly obvious answers. “Would you go back?” “Hell no!” The problem is many creeks fall into that grey area. For me, those experiences have been highlighted by preconceived notions of a place. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is rich with trout streams first-time visitors have opinions of before ever setting foot in the waters. One glance through a Harry Middleton book or a quick Google search will generate expectations. I have seen those expectations tempered and opinions radically shifted on many streams in the GSMNP. If you plan a trip to Hazel Creek thinking you will catch a 20” trout and see more bears than fellow anglers, disappointment is already on the horizon. The same extends to Forney, Noland, Deep and other often described streams on the North Shore of Fontana Lake. Like clockwork, that disappointment turns to retaliation. “You won’t see me going there again.” The words are said almost with the foolish belief that the stream will hear them and feel remorse. “How could I not live up to their expectations?” I find comfort in knowing that the stream doesn’t give a damn what I think. The stream was never the one who planted those expectations in my mind, and it changed nothing to accommodate me. 112 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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Chambers Creek is the classic example of a stream falling into that grey area. Very little is said about it online, partly due to its size, partly to its accessibility, and partly to its proximity to significantly more heralded streams. Before attempting my kayaking trip over Fontana to Chambers, my expectations were mostly formed by quick conversations with older fishermen. Many responded with, “ah, it ain’t worth it.” Some, however, responded with a smile and a description of how beautiful the place is. One smile from an old fisherman is enough for me to purchase campsite reservations, so I called my flock of backcountry enthusiasts and planned a trip. When discussing plans, I did my best to describe the place in a fair and honest light. “I’ve heard its beautiful, but not really too much about the fishing,” followed by, “it certainly won’t have much pressure on it,” seemed like the fairest way to get the point across. In a way, it still does. When people refer it “not being worth it,” a couple things come to mind. First and foremost is the accessibility. Like many streams on the North Shore, it is only accessible by boat or a ridiculously long hike. It’s situated far enough away from the typical ferry location to make the price unreasonable. Last time I checked, Fontana Marina charges over $100 to take a single passenger over and back. When other creeks are double the size and half the price, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Kayaking over, however, costs only the amount you value a few hours of your own labor. For me, that’s a pretty negligible amount. There are at least two boat docks within a five-mile paddle to the mouth of the creek, which shouldn’t take more than a few hours of leisurely strolling near Fontana’s shore. When you arrive, the second reason why some deem the trip “not worth it” is fairly obvious: the size of the stream. If there are any hopes of a 14” fish lingering around in your subconscious, they are immediately squashed. I always hesitate to deem it impossible, but upon canvassing the entire two-miles or so of fishable water, I only identified two or three pools that could support a fish of that size. Here is where the issue of passing judgment comes to the forefront. I could describe the fishing at Chambers Creek in two ways, each would be simultaneously truthful and false-hearted. Perhaps giving both is the only way to mitigate the deceit. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 115
My egotistical side would present it this way: Chambers isn’t worth it. It takes so much effort to get there, and then only one full day of fishable stream available to you. There is less fishable water in all of Chambers than one tributary of Deep Creek. Second, the fishing was way too tough to be such a secluded stream. We found gink bottles on the trail and the fish were remarkably tough to get to rise. Regardless of how big the stream was overall, there were a bunch of pools that looked like they should have six to ten inch rainbows, and the simply didn’t. Moreover, it looked like brook trout water, but none were found. Add in that this “beautiful” place wasn’t even well maintained, and I wouldn’t see myself making another trip. The campground had shin-high grass and there was nothing special about the appearance anywhere. 3/10, would rather go to any other North Shore stream. My better side would present it this way: If by worth it, you mean I could experience a weekend full of (1) paddling around the gorgeous Fontana Lake, (2) camping on a trout stream that will almost always be without other people, (3) catching a fair amount of keeper-sized rainbow trout, (4) exploring well preserved ruins of a pre-national park era town and, (5) staring at, arguably, the most beautiful cove on Fontana Lake, then yes – It is sure as hell worth it. Our fishing was certainly tougher than expected. It could be the result of a previous fly-fishing group that just happened to be there a few days before us. It could be a weather change that resulted in a slower metabolism, coupled with our desire to only fish dry flies in such a small stream. It could also be just the luck of the draw. At the end of our two-night jaunt, three fishermen probably tallied twenty or so keeper sized rainbows. As far as the beauty of the place and the difficulty it takes to get there, I fall back on the same answers. Chambers is absolutely gorgeous and maybe we can give the Park Service some slack on the maintenance. It is one of the least traveled back-country sites in the park, and we were there in late-spring. Grass grows. For the difficulty of access, we have almost 330 million people living in the United States. If being alone is your thing, as it is mine, a 5-mile kayak paddle is a pretty cheap price. 116 l Summer 2019 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com
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The only real expectation you can have when planning a trip to Chambers is a true backcountry experience. You can say, “the fishing was tough, the creek was small, and the mountain laurel was so thick that back casts were near impossible. You could also phrase it as, “Chambers is a true GSMP fishing experience. If you want to properly encapsulate what it feels like to bow-and-arrow cast under a tree limb to an 8-inch rainbow trout, that’s the place for you.” When my group arrived back at the boat dock, I could sense opinions were divided. It was a fun weekend with friends, but memories of Hazel and Forney were on the forefront of several minds. Almost like clockwork one voice popped up, “Whew, that was fun man, but I don’t think I’ll be going back.” Trying not to let a scowl emerge on my face, I gave my prototypical response: “I don’t know about that.” The truth is, I don’t know if I will be back. On that Sunday night, after my post-backcountry camping trip shower, I would have put those chances at about ten-percent. Every month, though, that number creeps up higher and higher. I may not choose to go Chambers over another North Shore Stream for my next trip, but it will certainly be in the running. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 119
Riverfront suites at the
Dillsboro Inn www.dillsboroinn.com
146 North River Road, Dillsboro, North Carolina 28725 TJ & Terry Walker welcome you to the Dillsboro Inn and invite you to join them on a whitewater river, where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet the Smokies. Whether you are looking to spend a relaxing time on your riverside deck or boating on the river, the Dillsboro Inn is the place for you!
info@dillsboroinn.com
866.586.3898
new fly guy
“BATTLE OF GAT T
SATURDAY SEP GATLINBU
ake one historic Smoky Mountain town, add one mountain stream stocked with trout, and mix with a group of focused anglers competing for cash and prizes in a threehour shoot-out and you have the “Battle of Gatlinburg 2019” One Fly Royale Fishing Tournament. Brought to you by the Great Smoky Mountain Trout Unlimited chapter for the third year in downtown Gatlinburg TN on Saturday, September 28th, 2019, this is America’s most unique fly fishing tournament. Combining a fast-paced competition with the added requirement of only one fly allowed that is personally chosen by the angler ups the ante and the pressure. The “Battle of Gatlinburg 2019” takes place in the center of Gatlinburg where spectators can have a bird’s eye view of the tournament, unlike most fishing events where it is miles away from public access.
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TLINBURG 2019”
PTEMBER 28TH URG, TN
John Reinhardt
Last year’s competition in cooperation with Mother Nature’s abundant water and the stocking of trout provided again by the City Of Gatlinburg’s Park & Recreation Division brought to hand 1,975 total inches of trout. That is over 164 feet of trout caught and released in just three hours, a testament to the skill of the contestants. The payoff to the top winners was over $3,000 in cash and new fishing gear provided by the sponsors who donated their time and prizes. www.SouthernTrout.com l Southern Trout l Summer 2019 l 123
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It was also a first last year for the “Battle of Gatlinburg” as the father and son anglers Roger Wilson and Peyton Bodo swept first and second place respectfully. Did I mention Peyton was just 13 years old going head to head with competitors three times or more his age and experience? The mission of Trout Unlimited since 1959 has been for the cold water conservation and protection of trout first, and just as important is the introduction to the outdoors and all it offers to everyone. Taking that trip to Alaska or Colorado to catch trout may seem out of reach to many but thanks to the work of the City of Gatlinburg, TN, a child’s first trout can be caught in the dedicated children’s area. In fact, the whole family can have a chance at catching a trout for a minimal cost just steps from where they are staying in town, sparking a love of the outdoors that may last a lifetime. It is because of the continued support of the sponsors that the Great Smoky Mountain Trout Unlimited Chapter is able to make possible this one of a kind fly fishing tournament. A big thank you must be given to Don & Leah Kirk of Southern Trout Magazine, Smoky Mountain Angler, Little River Outfitters, 3 Rivers Angler and Rivers Edge Outfitters. Make your fall travel plans now to be in Gatlinburg, TN and attend the “Battle of Gatlinburg 2019” on Saturday, September 28th, 2019. Whether you are a first-time competitor or a spectator a beautiful fall day in the Great Smoky Mountains makes everyone a winner! Please click on the link below to the “Battle of Gatlinburg 2019” website for more information and registration: https://battleofgatlinburg.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