Southern Trout Magazine Issue 3 by Southern Unlimited, LLC

ISSUE #3

OCT/NOV 2012

Southern Trout JEFF KIRK: 2012 Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Expo

IAN RUTTER: Fly Fishing Terrestrials in the Smoky Mountains OAK MYERS: Cranberry Sauce on the Side

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOUTHERNTROUT.COM

THIS ISSUE

Southern Trout

For Readers of For a LIMITED TIME click here to enjoy this excerpt on the Rapidan River in Virginia from

2012 WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA FLY FISHING EXPO departments Generally Speaking Frostbit Mountain Musings Dick Kotis Gear Review Fishpond Sagebrush Mesh Vest

Fly Fishing the

Mid-Atlantic

by Beau Beasley ISBN 978-1-892469-24-3 208 pages 8.5 × 10.875 in. Paperback • $29.95

NO NONSENSE

FLY FISHING GUIDEBOOKS

Available through your favorite flyshop or direct from No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks www.nononsenseguides.com 888-511-1530

Limited Collector’s Edition also available • Signed and numbered with author bookplate • Hardcover sewn bound • Silver-foil stamped cover and spine

• Silvered book edges • Satin ribbon marker • Retail $49.95

(dealer discounts available)

This Limited Collector’s Edition of only 150 makes a great gift!

Ghostly Photography of Brent Golden

The Uncaught Trout

Old Abram’s Revenge

A Philosophy of Fine Fly Rods (and Reels)

Common Sense Approach to Smoky Mountains Fly-Fishing

Continental Angling in North Georgia

Fly Fishing Terrestrials in the Smoky Mountains Fleeting Youth and Dry Run Creek

10 12

Owl’s Perch Hindsight Guide Profile Randy Ratliff Fly of the Month Palmer, Orange Featured Fly Shop Murray’s Fly Shop

Featured Resort Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock Wanderings of the Creek Freak Hatchless, Matchless Days Loose Loops and Wind Knots Why Streamers? For the Sport Birth of a Team: A Year in Review

news An Open Letter to the Virginia Game Commission

26 30 34 36

On the Cover

46-48 46

The

Editor Jeff Kirk

at the base of

Social Media Manager Loryn Kirk Communications Adam Kirk

Fly Fishing in High Muddy Water

Fly Fishing Virginia’s Passage Creek

104 2012 Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Expo

108 How Important Is Supporting The Dale Hollow National Hatchery?

112-116

Publisher Don Kirk

Managing Editor & Advertising Leah Kirk

Fishing Georgia’s “Sliding Water” Cranberry Sauce on the Side

100 Remembering L.J. Decuir

Southern Trout

Webmaster’s Assistant Megan Allbert

features

50-92

History of Southern Trout Fishing Silk Gut Leaders Performance Primer The Evolution of the Modern Fly Rod Book Review Southern Appalachian Fly Guide

Webmaster & Digital Design Leslie Kirk

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6-45

104

cover is a painting of my good friend, the

Frank Willingham fly fishing on a river Mount Mitchell, NC. The title, “Fall Rainbows” both refers to Frank’s age and the season of the year. He often told me late

this river was one of his favorite places in the world.

Years

ago,

Frank

taught me how to

fly cast in his back yard which led to one of my most enjoyable pursuits.... fly fishing for

Rainbows on the rivers of the mind. R. B. Dance www.rbdance.com

contributors

Field Staff Craig Haney, Editor-at-Large Greg Ward, Tennessee Editor Jimmy Jacobs, Georgia Editor Beau Beasley, Virginia Editor Larry Rea, Arkansas Editor Dr. Todd Larson, Columnist Bob Borgwat, Columnist Jeff “Owl” Jones, Columnist Contributors Bill Bernhardt John Berry David Cannon Bo Cash Soc Clay Dave Ezell Daniel Brent Golden George Grant Kevin Howell Roger Lowe

Harry Murray Oak Meyers Ian Rutter Scott Spencer Benjamin VanDevender

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news Publisher’s Message

news talking.” She added that it will do him good to sober up for a few weeks. We did our best to sign him out on work release, but at the last minute the sheriff decided we had not sufficiently established ourselves for him to turn Noodles over to us. Since we now had something of an established relationship with the local authorities, Brock suggested we go to Noodles’ favorite spot, a truck farm where asparagus as tall as your head grew in long rows. As it turned out though, parking here was not free. We were obliged to buy a $150 bushel of tomatoes to validate our river side parking permit.

Summer Bummer You’d think that the daddy of a new trout fishing magazine would be the happiest guy in a honky tonk, and “I is.” The reception of Southern Trout Magazine has exceeded our highest expectations. We thank you for that. Somewhere during first week of August, I had time to make a fishing trip to the Hiwassee River tailwaters below Chatuge Dam. It had been a while since I had gone there last, and my radio partner, Brock Ray, caught his last big brown there, so naturally this was a place he hoped to revisit.

The river was on the drop, and it was already pretty warm, so we decided to wet wade. Here the Hiwassee is a pretty enough stretch of water that reminds me a lot of lower Abrams Creek in its gradient, volume and clarity. Easily waded, its bottom is mostly a sand/gravel with lots of the shaggy moss covered rocks. Only the streamside rocks are particularly slippery. Fishing was tougher than we expected, but as we waded downstream we caught enough trout to keep it interesting, that is until I fell forward onto my left knee.

The trip there was uneventful, and we found Murphy, North Carolina largely unchanged since our last trip there. Our usual guide, Noodles, was unable to join us. According to his wife he was on the long end of a 40 day sentence in the county lock up, for “lettin’ his fists do the

Hell, we’ve all done that a hundred times. You know the feeling. At first you are stunned, then the bone to rock contact makes you a little nauseated, then you get up and continue fishing, and so it was. Unfortunately, there was a hole in my knee that refused to stop a steady ooze of blood. Brock and I made it back

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upstream to the truck where for the next hour he complained about the puddles of blood in the truck. We fished that evening and the next morning before heading home. By now my left leg was a bit sore, but what the heck, it’s not the first time. The next day it was really sore, and the following day it was really sore and really big and really starting to smell funny. Montevallo, Alabama, for all of its shortcomings, has a local doctor you just go to without calling. Doc looks at my leg and says, “If we get you to the hospital right now, we might be able to save your leg.” He’s a decent young man with little in the way of a sense of humor, so I took him at this word. An hour later I was checked in and meeting lots of new people who all say, “Mr. Kirk, how are you doing today?” I wanted to say “shaking like a puppy trying to pass a peach pit,” but all I could respond with was “...my leg…fix it.” By mid afternoon, I was out of surgery. I forget what those bone doctors are called, but according to the ones that teamed up on me, nothing was broken in my knee, although a few places had become infected enough for them to “core me out a bit.” The problem was not so much the impact of the injury as it was the introduction of lots of bacteria from the not so clean waters of the Hiwassee.

a couple others they excavated from me. They told me with all of the new flesh eating bacteria showing up in the region these days, they needed to create cultures of what they extracted from me. They were successful. Ten days later I existed the hospital on both feet, something I do not take for granted anymore. A nurse comes to see me everyday to dress the hole from the inside out, which you might think would hurt, and at that you would be correct. That’s not my complaint. My complaint is new directives from my wife that my wet wading days are over. Statistically speaking, she is way off on this happening to a person twice, but if she is right, I won’t have a leg to stand on. - Don Kirk

Editor’s Letter It’s A Big Tent This issue carries an article on competitive fly fishing for trout by a talented young fly fishing writer, Benjamin VanDevender. I regard this as a pretty radical move in southern trout fishing, more so even than the current curiosity in fly fishing for carp. I grew up fly fishing for trout in a neighborhood surrounded

by bass fishermen deeply committed to winning weekly competitive bass fishing tournaments. Although I have always enjoyed fishing for bass, and Dad faithfully covered the pros at the BASS, Redman and other bass tourneys, he never fished competitively, nor did he much care for it. In those days, and even today for the most part, I considered fishing for trout in a stream to be a very personal, low key, esoteric exercise. As with most other anglers true to trout fishing, the sport is the mono y mono challenge of me using my knowledge and skills to outwit a fish which has a brain the size of a pea. I played football and ran track where the entire object is to out perform or defeat my opponents. This is not to say I have not been humbled many times by wily trout, but I never put catching a 16-inch rainbow in the same category as successfully making a goal line stand. In recent years, techniques for holding competitive tournaments fly fishing for trout (which evolved in Europe) have spilled over into the US, particularly the southeast. This November, televised fly fishing for trout competitions are being held in North Carolina

and Georgia, following other such events held earlier this summer in other southern states including West Virginia. Here at Southern Trout Magazine we are as curious to know what you think about the concept of competitive fly fishing for trout. There’s no question that tournaments fundamentally changed fishing for bass, although the affect on fishing for walleye seems to be considerably less pronounced. Changes within the sport and opportunities for its participants drew some new anglers to bass fishing, while others held it with disdain. It certainly gave fishing a fresh face and a swagger similar to that of NASCAR and golf. As is our credo, “All South, All Trout, All of the Time,” we are going to regularly cover competitive fly fishing for trout. Yep, the nose of the camel is inside the tent. Fortunately, Southern Trout Magazine is a big top circus tent. The clowns are always here, along with fearless lion tamers, high-wire acts and roasted peanuts. I am curious to watch how this competitive twist morphs our old fashioned pastime. - Jeff Kirk

The team of doctors were bacteria specialists. They identified a couple of microbes to treat, but did not recognize

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generally speaking

Frostbit GEORGE GRANT

got frostbite from too much sun.

It happened as I sat in my boxers on a scratchy piece of paper pulled over a vinyl examination chair while a handsome, young Physician’s Assistant gently ran his fingers through my thinning hair. “You know doc,” I said, “this reminds me of a show I saw on Animal Planet last night.” “Huh?” “Yeah,” I continued, “it was all about how basic primate grooming activity bonds baboons within a troop. ‘Course we’re both better looking than the Animal Planet examples.” I’m no paragon, but I do beat out the average baboon even when I’m clad in nothing but my boxers.

wild places that he loved safe. He won most all of his fights about wild places. I still remember the last time I saw him, hip deep and smiling in a river that he loved, and that he’d fought for. We talked about that river, trout, mutual friends, everything except this fight. We both knew that it was the last and lost. We smiled and parted. He turned back to the currents and I walked on upstream. “Well you’ve got a few places we need to work on,” the Physician’s Assistant said. “And I’ll need a biopsy of this place on your hand.” He reached for a canister of liquid nitrogen and diligently sprayed the crusty patches of skin he’d found. The instant, painful frostbite killed the cells that had their nature burned away by too much sun.

He chuckled, shifted his attention to my After a shot of Novocain he sliced the troubling delicate, shell-like ears and said, “You’ve got a spot from my hand. It was going to a lab. few spots we’ll need to work on. Now, let’s see The following Monday I found slightly garbled that place on your hand.” instructions on my answering machine, “Mr. I dutifully held out my left paw, and he began Grant this is Tulepolilly (that’s what it sounded to take measurements of the area that like) at Dr. Whosit’s office. Please call 123-4567 prompted my visit to the dermatologist. He and ask for PA Mulgublaveny (ditto on sound). called out the dimensions in centimeters to He has the results of your biopsy.” the nurse who was taking notes. The nurse was necessary. Anytime I’m in my boxer shorts I dutifully, apprehensively placed the call and with someone running their fingers through the Physician’s Assistant informed me that my hair, my wife wants an impartial witness the biopsy came back as “actinic keratosis”. present. I Googled “actinic keratosis” and found that When the quarter-inch-sized place on my it was also called solar or senile keratosis. It’s hand had appeared a month earlier, it looked a good thing that Mulgublaveny didn’t call it like a scrape that was healing. But, instead senile keratosis to my face. I’d have whupped of getting better, it got bigger, redder and his upstart, smart-alecky young Gluteus more irritated. That was scary because I had Maximus (Google it). recently lost a friend who loved wild water and the trout that fin in gentle currents. A Just kidding. Old Mul (I call him that for short) persistent little “pimple” on his cheek became is a good fellow, and it isn’t his fault that senile is in the name. The truth is, solar and senile a cancer that consumed him. are excellent adjectives for keratosis because He fought a good, long fight, but he fought it years of exposure to the sun cause it. too late. Before he lost his last fight, he had fought many others such as fights to keep the Actinic keratosis in and of itself is relatively 6 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

harmless, although it has been known to sprain spell-checking software if your word processing program is not thoroughly warmed up before you type it.

we characterized the damage as a “healthy glow” or at worst “a little too much sun.” In the end we were the ones that didn’t get away.

The real problem with actinic keratosis is it won’t always remain itself. It often transforms into squamous cell cancer, a type that can and does spread to other parts of the body.

Have you got a little rough spot on your ear? Does it itch and have a scaly crust that won’t go away? What’s that funny red spot on your cheek? It started out as a healthy glow. What is it now?

Actinic keratosis is an issue for anyone that has fished for a few decades. We were in the sun for most of that time and distracted by our objectives, trout, bass, catfish, and bluegills-whatever. Day after day, year after year, the sun delivered ultraviolet radiation to anything we didn’t keep in the shade. That didn’t seem to matter at the time. We were catching trout, bass, catfish or bluegill. We came back from our good days with a little bit of sunburn wrapped around a broad smile. If anybody mentioned it while we yarned about the one that got away,

If you’re old enough to be senile, get the crusty places checked out. If you’re young enough to listen to advice, keep everything in the shade. If it won’t stay in the shade, keep it covered with sunscreen. Just a little advice from a crusty, senile, old man who has most definitely been out in the sun too long.

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mountain musings

mountain musings Dick Kotis Soc Clay

just returned from the broad, shallow and very choppy waters of Lake Erie where I make my one time a year attempt to catch the light-biting walleye. Lake Erie has been a targeted fishing spot for me for more than 40 years. I come all the way from the bad times when the Cuyahoga River caught fire from all the oil, fuel, chemicals (the making of a Molotov cocktail) that were being dumped into the once beautiful river by un-regulated, un-controlled industry that borders the stream in and around Cleveland. The river, of course, feeds Lake Erie and was only one of many tributaries to the lake that threw in every dangerous substance into the streams that the businesses and local communities didn’t want. That led up to the renaming of Lake Erie as the “Dead Sea.” For years there weren’t enough walleye left in this, the best walleye producer in the world, to fish for! Smallmouth were able to hang on, allowing the great cinema-photographer Glenn Lau to make a living guiding bass anglers on the lake. Older readers might recall that Glenn was written about regularly in the big three magazines, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Field & Stream. He also produced many of the covers for their books. One of the anglers who frequently went fishing with Lau was Dick Kotis, now former president and CEO of Fred Arbogast Lures, makers of the famed Jitterbug, Hula Popper and a string of other popular lures that flooded the market during the 1950-1980 eras. Kotis and I fished together on this latest trip to the lake, and we reminisced about the old days when Arbogast Lures were the most popular in the country and especially so in the South. Those were the days when almost every sport fishermen in Dixie fished the first four feet of water in streams and rivers, using lures designed to be effective during early mornings and late afternoon hours.

Two of these lures, the Flyrod Hula Popper (in two sizes) and the Midget, became exceptionally popular with Southern fly fishermen who were using a variety of flyrods made from steel to bamboo to work weed flats, lily fields, stumps and other types of cover in the shallows for largemouth and brim. Kotis found rich diggings in Florida where a world of flyrodders from the Northeast had invaded the state to retire to warmer climates. These anglers were accustomed to fly fishing for trout and sometimes smallmouth (even though they didn’t like the taste of bass which regulated their favorite fisheries). With no trout to be found south of the high reaches of the Smoky Mountains, they chose the next best targets for their fly and bug patterns. Largemouth love a floating meal recognized by the wiggling strands of rubber ribbons and spidery legs of the flyrod-size Hula Popper. Re-settled northerners quickly adjusted their trout fishing tactics and began to bring in huge strings of panfish and bigmouth. The tales generated from these exploits quickly made the rounds of fishermen’s hangouts, and more and more anglers from the South picked up the flyrod. With victory achieved in World War II, millions of “Yanks” returned home determined to make up for lost fishing time. The modern angler wanted artificials that worked on their favorite species and soon copied the fly and bug patterns made for trout and other game fish native to more northern climates. Many of these “buggers” shifted their focus and began to travel to the high country of the Appalachians where they would try their skills against the small, but elusive native brook trout that inhabited most of the tiny streams and reels of this little developed piece of near wilderness.

(AFTMA) and worked tirelessly with Congress to pass the The Sport Fish Restoration Program created through the Dingell-Johnson (D-J) Act of 1950. Through this federal excise tax paid by manufacturers on fishing gear, lines, motorboat fuels, and other fishing-related products, millions of dollars in grants were made for fishery conservation, hatcheries, boating access, and aquatic education, and eventually broght trout to the more southern climates we enjoy today. The D-J Act was a terrific source of revenue for states that were initiating trout hatcheries in the South so that more fly fishermen and others could enjoy what anglers in the northern tier states had been experiencing since the late 1800s when fish and wildlife officials discovered they could transport Pacific steelhead to the East via newly-established railroad routes. During our mostly fishless trip on Lake Erie, Kotis at 87 looked back on the American movement to develop both native and non-native gamefish, especially trout and salmon, to places where 100 years ago no one believed could ever be done. The former star football player, coach and fishing tackle mogul still rarely misses a chance to take his bugs and flyrods to the great fishing places in the world, including the troutin’ resources that Southern Trout Anglers experience today. Though the D-J Act was established in the late 1930s, a younger Kotis led the fight to apply federal excise taxes to fishing lines. Line companies had resisted the tax by claiming their products were used for fishing. They were also used for tying packages, mooring boats, and other uses on their heaver “lines” that we call rope! It was a bitter fight conducted during the 1950s and 60s period, but Kotis and like-thinking manufacturers fought

back the resistance and won the battle to place millions of dollars more into the highly-successful D-J Act. Southern trout fishermen have to pay a few more dollars in federal excise tax for their lines, but the results from the tax has helped create some of the finest trout fishing waters in America! Thanks Dick for all you’ve done for the fishermen of America over the past 60 plus years of your wonderfully-productive life!

In the meantime, Kotis was active in the old American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Assoc.

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gear review Fishpond Sagebrush Mesh Vest Craig Haney, Editor at Large

y name is Craig and I’m a gear-head. At least, that is what my wife thinks I should be saying once a week at a meeting attended by other like-minded (lost) souls. Over the years, I’ve bought enough different fishing vests from big-name and small-name companies alike to stock a store. Fishing for trout mostly in the southern Appalachians, one of the main criteria in choosing a vest for myself, has been that the vest must be of mesh construction to be cool and light-weight. Another consideration for me is that it has a good pocket layout that functions well in a day’s fishing. The requirement that it should have enough pockets inside and out but not too many is a tough one to pull off and very subjective among anglers. The Sagebrush vest by Fishpond admirably meets those two main requirements for me. The vest has ten zippered front pockets with four pockets on the inside. The zip down fly bench pocket with its foam patch is very useful for having flies ready for the day’s fishing, as well as it is a safe place to store flies after they’ve been fished. No more losing flies from an exposed fly patch during the course of a day’s fishing. I did not use the tippet dispenser pocket for a while, but once I did, I enjoyed the convenience of the design. The large back pocket easily holds a rain jacket as well as a water bottle and snacks or a sandwich. The smaller zippered back pocket is great for an extra reel or spool or other smaller items.

The gear attachment tabs and cord loops are placed to provide convenience and ease of use for forceps, floatants and other items. The shoulder straps are padded and distribute the weight of the vest very well over a day’s fishing. The adjustable suspension system allows the vest to fit comfortably whether I am wearing a lightweight summer shirt or layered up for winter’s cold. I like having a vest for all seasons. The last few years have seen great designs in chest packs, satchels and waist packs, but the Sagebrush Mesh Vest by Fishpond is a great choice for those anglers that like the extra storage and convenience of a vest.

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history of southern trout fishing Silk Gut Leaders Don Kirk

uring the early fly-fishing era of the Great Smoky Mountains, just as everywhere else, silkworm gut used to be the preferred material for making leaders, followed by the even older practice of using the long-hair fibers from a stallion or gelding. I have used silk gut leaders a few times and found them flexible, strong, and very nearly clear. When hydrated it looks more like plastic than a natural fiber, but before you can use it must “soak” several hours. Before it is hydrated gut leaders are only slightly lighter in color and about as flexible as uncooked spaghetti. Next, a single 18 to 24 inches strand is gently tugged from the casing of the gland. As the I have never actually seen it made, and if opaque, whitish strands dry, they clarify. Then, it was ever made in the South, I have yet the gut strands are soaked for ten minutes to know who or where it occurred. Frankly, so that their “carne” or outer layer can be because silk gut leaders were so universally stripped off, leaving a surprisingly clear available and made (or at least distributed) leader. Next, the strands are run on a 0.011” by large tackle companies such as South sizing die and called size 0x then further Bend and Shakespeare, I am of the opinion pulled through drawing dies. Each draws the that southern manufacturers took the time to diameter down about 0.001”. husband silk worms in sufficient quantity to actually make such leaders on a commercial The “x” designation was how many drawing or private use basis. Drew McGill, one of the dies it was run through, so 1x was 0.010 inches, founders of the Wright and McGill, distributed and 2x was 0.009 inches. In the old days, this via mail order an inexpensive brand of trout is the is the gut that was twisted, occasionally flies called Wiltless Wing Trout Flies with dyed, and shaped to go onto a hook to be attached leaders made of silk gut that came secured with silk thread. It was a nasty, smelly from Spain. Perfect Strike and Wigwam cottage industry found predominantly in rural Trout Flies were other trade names. Royal areas of Spain and Japan, but in the early Coachman, Ginger Quill and the Gunnison 1900s, it was state-of-the-art fly fishing. were listed as some of the favorite patterns. The last time I checked, it was possible to It is my understanding that making gut leaders buy silk gut leaders out of Japan. However, was tedious, smelly, nasty work. The process you might be surprised how easy and often begins by taking live silk worms ready to spin inexpensive it is to buy old snelled hook their cocoons and dropping the critters into a flies off Ebay that often have gut leaders solution of vinegar saturated with salt. In quick incorporated into the construction. A couple order, the worms float amidst the solution. of decades ago when I was chasing old tackle When you sever their heads, the translucent, like a crazed loon (and much to the determent soft, rubbery silk glands pop out cleaner than of my fishing for some years), I used to find a new penny. caches of snelled Coachmans, Professors, and other old wet fly patterns in wicker creels that I

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history of southern trout fishing chased down. My experience is that the snells give out before the fly, leaving an otherwise good, but useless, fly on your hands. You would have as much luck parting the Red Sea as finding much of the old tackle these days unless you peruse Lang’s or Ebay. Still, silk gut leader fly fishing has a certain air of “been there, done that.” One word of caution. Read the fine print. Silk fly lines are still quite popular in England and among some traditionalists. Therefore, they are pretty easy to find. It’s pretty easy to confuse labeling on silk gut and silk fly lines.

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performance primer The Evolution of the Modern Fly Rod Bill Bernhardt

performance primer “...Who has not seen the scarus (trout) rise, decoyed and killed by fraudful flies...” Unfortunately, very little other material was written on the early history of fly fishing until The Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle which is attributed to author Dame Juliana Berners whose treatise was published in 1496 within The Boke of St. Albans. This treatise, along with instructions on rod, line, and hook making, includes descriptions of dressings for different flies to be used at different times of the year.

he earliest written history of someone fishing with an artificial fly is both vague and contested, but it appears to date all of the way back to the Romans! In fact, many credit the first recorded use of an artificial fly to the Roman author Claudius Aelianus near the end of the 2nd century C.E. since Claudius is the first to describe the practice of Macedonian anglers on the Astraeus River: “...they have planned a snare for the fish, and get the better of them by their fisherman’s craft. . . . They fasten red . . . wool round a hook, and fit on to the wool two feathers which grow under a cock’s

wattles, and which in color are like wax. Their rod is six feet long, and their line is the same length. Then they throw their snare, and the fish, attracted and maddened by the color, comes straight at it, thinking from the pretty sight to gain a dainty mouthful; when, however, it opens its jaws, it is caught by the hook, and enjoys a bitter repast, a captive.” However, in his book Fishing from the Earliest Times, William Radcliff (1921) gave the credit to Marcus Valerius Martialis who was born some two hundred years before Aelian, and who wrote:

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Fortunately for fly anglers, fly-fishing equipment has greatly improved since its earliest inception with vast improvements being made in fly rod materials, fly reels, and fly lines. For instance, the fly rods of Dame Berners’ time were made by assembling round, tapered, sections of various species of wood to achieve the desired action and often ranged in length from twelve to fifteen feet. However, these early fly rods were both heavy and inefficient as fly-casting tools. Consequently, at some point, craftsmen hit upon the idea of making an improved version of these early fly rods by splitting lengths of bamboo (which many fly fishermen even today still consider to be the ultimate material from which to build a fly rod) and then precisely tapering these sections before gluing them together in a hexagonal shape to form a fly rod blank. However, this process required highly skilled labor, special equipment, and a considerable amount of time to complete just a single fly rod. Therefore, seeking to further enhance fly rod performance while reducing manufacturing costs in order to make the sport available to a wider range of anglers, various manufactures begin experimenting with fiberglass as a inexpensive replacement

material for bamboo fly rods. Thus, fiberglass fly rods quickly became the new standard because they could easily be mass-produced by less skilled laborers which in turn made the sport of fly fishing available to a much wider audience due to the lower cost of a fiberglass fly rod compared to a similar rod made from bamboo. However, while fiberglass fly rods were relatively cheap, they were also relatively heavy in the caster’s hand. So, in an effort to improve the performance of fiberglass fly rods, Charles F. Orvis (who was a famous builder of bamboo fly rods) began experimenting with a new material called graphite, and thus he introduced the first graphite fly rods to the fly fishing community in 1974 with the debut of his Orvis Superfine Series. Each of these rods featured a slow action that was specifically designed to emulate the feel of his famous bamboo fly rods as evidenced by the names he assigned them such as Flea, Small Stream, Far & Fine, and Henry’s Fork. Therefore, these rods were an immediate hit with fly anglers due to their lighter weight and much greater sensitivity over fiberglass fly rods. Even today, they have a large cult following of people who still feel that they are the best dry fly rods ever designed. Consequently, graphite fly rods are now the hallmark of the modern fly fisherman and manufacturers are continuing to improve the technology by introducing lighter and stronger fly rods than were ever thought possible in the past. Therefore, although bamboo fly rods are still popular with certain fly anglers who appreciate the unique action, feel, and aesthetics of a fly rod made from natural materials, bamboo fly rods are still very expensive to manufacture, and thus they now tend to serve mostly as status symbols for the

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performance primer elite fly fisherman rather than the standard for the ma jority. However, that neither means that graphite fly rods are inferior to bamboo fly rods, nor are they necessarily inexpensive. In fact, a top-quality graphite fly rod from manufacturers such as Orvis, Sage, Winston, or Thomas & Thomas (just to name a few) can easily cost $700 to $1,000, and there are many fly fishermen who feel that they are worth every penny. Even so, this cost is still much cheaper that the $2,000 to $4,000 that a similar bamboo fly rod from a famous fly rod craftsman can cost an angler. In fact, because I have been a dedicated fly fisherman since the late sixties, I too have evolved right along with the various advancements in fly rod technology. Consequently, I clearly remember my first fly rod which was a nine foot, Eagle Claw, fiberglass fly rod that my father purchased for me when I was eight years old. As I recall, it was both heavy and had an action like a wet noodle by today’s standards, and I chose to pair it with an Abu Garcia, spring-operated, automatic fly reel which was also heavy but served well to balance the fiberglass rod to which I attached it. Furthermore, the fly line that I used during that time was an early Level Taper Floating fly line which is quite possibly the worst piece of fly casting equipment ever designed, and it was made even worse by my lack of knowledge concerning fly line leaders. Thus, I used another horrid device called a No-Knot Eyelet which was a small piece of very thin diameter wire with a needle-like point and small barbs on one end and a small eye on the other. In order to use this device, the pointed, barbed end was inserted into the end of the fly line, and then I simply attached a length of tippet material to the eye to serve as my fly leader.

rods are high-modulus, graphite, rods and my fly lines are all Weight Forward Tapers. Plus, in place of the No Knot Eyelet, I now use a neat little device called a Braided Loop Connector and, instead of simply attaching a short piece of tippet material to the end of my fly line to serve as a fly line leader, I now assemble my own tapered leaders by knotting together various lengths of different diameter tippet material according to precise formulas which allows me to tailor their performance to the conditions in which I will be using them.

believe that it will be very interesting to see what further advances fly rod manufacturers are able to make in the coming years as technology from various disparate fields Bill Bernhardt comes together and is incorporated into Guide & Instructor fly rod manufacturing. Who knows? We Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company may eventually end up with a fly rod that is ultralight, is able to cast a fly line a country mile, and is completely indestructible.

Alas, even though fly-rod manufacturers have made tremendous advances in scrim material and epoxy resins that now allow them to produce fly rods that are so light that they feel like a feather and are so sensitive that you can feel even the subtlest strike to your nymph or streamer, I personally still have tremendous affection for some series of vintage, slow-action, graphite fly rods and vintage, machined aluminum, fly reels. On the other hand, I also have great appreciation for the new generation of lighter, faster action, graphite fly rods, especially when I am fishing on “big water.” In fact, this new level of casting performance in a fly rod so lightweight was simply unheard of just a few years ago. Consequently, many of today’s top-end graphite fly rods are capable of casting sixty to seventy feet of fly line with relative ease, amazing accuracy, and far less effort than is required with an older series of graphite fly rods.

Last, fly rod manufacturers over the years have tried other materials such as Boron in an effort to improve either the performance or the cost of the modern fly rod but the main focus of present day technology seems to be in varying the modulus (number of threads per sq. in.) of the graphite cloth and Fortunately, as my knowledge of fly-fishing the composition of the epoxy resin which is techniques improved, so did my knowledge used to impregnate it. In fact, one particular of fly-fishing equipment. Thus, I have left manufacturer is now using a proprietary the old fiberglass fly rod behind along with resin matrix that was originally developed for the automatic fly reel and the Level Taper U.S. military use, and it is so advanced, they fly line in favor of much more sophisticated are not allowed to ship rods made with this equipment. For instance, all of my present fly resin outside of the country! Consequently, I 16 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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book review Southern Appalachian Fly Guide

www.clinchriverhouse.com For more inFormation call:

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Publishing has published the 2nd edition that has been well updated with expanded coverage adding seven new regions to include the Tennessee tailwater rivers, streams of North Georgia, and the streams of Great Smokey Mountain National Park and surrounding area.

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accessible superb fly fishing spot – the Clinch River House. Our 8-acre location features a fully furnished main house, cabin and pavilion, and is the perfect setting for families, groups, reunions, weddings, corporate meetings and other events.

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House Rentals from $300* *Taxes, food and guide services not included. A deposit equal to half the cost of your stay is required to secure your reservation. Two-night minimum stay required.

In this book, J.E.B. Hall profiles fishy waters located within the Southern Appalachian in a way that the beginning to avid angler can use it as a ready reference. Each profile lists directions to the river, regulations, what time of year to fish, and what flies to use. Did I mention that it is very pretty, too? A native of western North Carolina, J.E.B. Hall has spent his life fishing the waters of the Appalachians and other part of he second edition of Southern North America is has served a fishing Appalachian Fly Guide by guide. Southern Trout Magazine rates J.E.B. Hall (Brushy Mountain his book as a “two thumbs up.” Publishing) is one of the most lovely of the many guide books currently available that tell readers how and where to fly fish in the Southeast. Colorful to the point that I am not sure that the designers were not in some sort of celebratory mood, I was impressed with the quality of mechanics of the books from its printing and binding to the quality of the paper used. The asking price of $39 is a bit stiff, but you get good bang for the bucks spent.

North Carolina-based Brushy Mountain 18 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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owl’s perch Hindsight Owl Jones

here’s a sort of perfect little trout stream not an hour from where we live that’s home to the prettiest little brown trout you’ve ever seen. It’s also home to a US Forest Service road and a few primitive camping spots along its length. The creek is almost always lightly fished, though it has a reputation that it really doesn’t deserve for big wild browns and rainbows. The camping areas see light use in early spring from a steady trickle of Appalachian Trail hikers, and the occasional family that doesn’t mind “roughing it.” There are no amenities save some beautiful old pine trees and a pristine stream full of six-inch wild trout.

his enormous white hind-end. We groaned in unison and both laughed a little as we passed him. He didn’t move. He didn’t pull up his pants – he didn’t cower down. He didn’t even grab a rhodo limb and try to cover his assets. Well, at least, not for the two seconds we were looking at him, although surely he heard the truck roll past on the rutted gravel road. Like an alert rabbit perhaps, he remained motionless and probably hoped we’d taken his “moon” for a rather large quartz outcropping. It was no gem.

Later that summer as I fished the creek again, I was working my way up a run that was extremely choked with rhododendrons and mountain laurel. Two small browns had I’d name the little creek for you–it’s not a already been released, and I was having big secret. Most streams it’s size here in the a fine day of it just enjoying the creek and Southeast aren’t anyone’s secret anymore. the pretty little fish. Up ahead of me on the Yet, the creek has earned a very special name road that follows the creek walked a family over the years, and I much prefer it over the of campers. They were laughing and singing historical name which no one can ever spell and two small kids were playing some sort correctly anyway. I call it “Hindsight Creek,” of improvised tag game. Turning back to my and it periodically lives up to its name via the fishing, I found my tippet had two knots in it travelers and campers that visit the trails and from earlier tangles, and I set about replacing parking spots that dot the forest there. Why it. the funny name? Well, like I was telling you, the creek sort of earned it. While I worked on my line, I heard a rustling up ahead. In the middle of a triple-surgeon knot Several years ago, as my friend Joe and and not looking up I guessed that a squirrel I rounded a bend in the road, the small hadn’t seen me and was clamoring for a nut. campsite area that was adjacent to the AT Another rustle, but it didn’t sound much like crossing came into view. There were several a squirrel. It didn’t look much like a squirrel fancy blue tents scattered around, and the either! I looked up to see a woman, obviously remnants of last night’s fire still smoldered in the mother of the family, in full squat behind a a sloppy little rock fire ring. I was about to giant creek-side boulder. She was out of sight return to looking at the topographical map from the road and thinking she was surely not when Joe smacked my arm and giggled. going to offend any fish, she’d unknowingly “Look at this guy....” he said. chosen a spot no more than 20 feet in front of me to do her business. The man really was well hidden. Behind a tent and out of sight of everyone in camp, his Thankfully, there wasn’t much to it. You know, pants around his ankles, he didn’t even bother in hindsight... finding adequate trees or bushes to conceal 22 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company

Your small stream specialist

www.nc-flyfishing.com

We are North Carolina’s Premier Backcountry Fly Fishing Guide Service! Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company is a professional fly fishing guide service specializing in back-country, walk/wade, fly fishing trips for experienced anglers and guided fly fishing instructional trips for novices. We also offer summertime fly fishing or light spin-tackle kayak fishing trips for Smallmouth Bass on the New River.

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guide profile Randy Ratliff, Troutfishers Guide Service Craig Haney

andy Ratliff is based in Northeast Tennessee where he calls the rivers and streams of the Southern Appalachian his “home waters.” He has been fishing these waters most of his life. Ratliff’s passion for fishing was passed to him by his father who often took him fishing on the rivers, lakes, and ponds near their home. During his latter teenage years, he migrated towards using the long rod. In his quest to be a better fly fisherman, he learned his second passion, fly-tying. His tying skills were enhanced with lessons from local fly tying legends including George Grant, Tim Landis and Eddie Wyatt. When not on the water, Ratliff is at his tying bench designing new flies or fine-tuning his proven local fly patterns. Ratliff is the owner and guide of Troutfishers Guide Service, a professional, licensed and insured fishing guide service based in Kingsport, Tennessee. He offers trout and smallmouth bass fishing trips in East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia. This region holds some of the best trout streams and rivers in the South. One of Ratliff’s top trips is the 14-mile long South Holston Tailwater with its legendary native brown trout population and big western river feel during generation flows.

For more info visit www.trout-fishers.net, or contact Randy Ratliff, Troutfishers Guide Service at 423-360-1468 or fishwithrandy@ embarqmail.com

Another is the Watauga Tailwater which has many different and sometimes challenging personalities along its 16-mile length. This includes being the only river in the state to offer a special regulation “Quality Trout Zone.” The nearby Holston Proper, west of Kingsport, is home to some of the best smallmouth fishing in the country and where Ratliff spends many of his days fishing. In addition, he offers trips for wild rainbow trout, brown trout, and true southern-strain Appalachian brook trout in the many miles of freestone mountain streams throughout upper East Tennessee.

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fly of the month Palmer, Orange Roger Lowe

he Orange Palmer is one of the oldest fly patterns found in the vicinity of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As a solid performer, this attractor fly is one of my favorite go-to patterns in September and October. It is a high riding, easily seen pattern when on the surface which is almost as effective when sucked under, so play out the drift when an Orange Palmer dives.

This is an easily tied pattern that is is very forgiving to even the most novice fly tyers. For my personal use, I tie them mostly on No. 12 and 14. However, if you tie them a size smaller I believe Orange Palmer reminds wild trout of surface riding ants. Tied on a No. 10 the Orange Palmer is a better than average substitute for the brownish, darker grasshoppers of September and October.

5 States 38 River Systems $21.95

9 States 46 Tailwaters $19.95

Trout Fishing Guidebooks For The South By Jimmy Jacobs Recipe Hook: 94840 Mustad Thread: Orange Tail: Golden Pheasant Tippet Hackle: Brown and Grizzly Body: Orange poly yarn or dubbing

Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book, Roger Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains is a fly tying and identification guide. He also has a tying video, Smoky Mountain Fly Patterns. It shows how to tie a lot of the Smoky Mountain patterns. He also has a hatch book, Smoky Mountain Fly Patterns. It tells you which patterns to use each month. Contact him at loweguideservice@charter.net for autographed copies or to inquire about booking a guide fishing trip.

26 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

80 Watersheds On Public Land $15.95

Autographed copies available.

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Traditional Flies Custom Flies

Specializing in traditional flies used in the Appalachians, Ozarks and Tennessee Tail Waters

www.tennesseetraditionalflies.com shop.tennesseetraditionalflies.com 28 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

Tying Materials Tying Tools Fly Fishing Accessories

Made In the USA www.southerntrout.com | October 2012 | Southern Trout | 29

featured fly shop Murray’s Fly Shop

featured fly shop Edinburg, Virginia sets on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Since May of 1962 Murray’s Fly Shop has operated at its brick and mortar location at 121 South Main Street. Murray’s Fly Shop offers for rent complete fly fishing outfits available from the leading manufacturers for customers to use. Outfits can be rented for a day or a week ($30/day or $100/week). It is a great way to try several outfits before purchasing the one that is right for you. (They apply rental fees to the purchase of any new rod.) Fly tackle rentals and learning to fly fish in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is a tough-totop combo offering.

urray’s Fly Shop as been the flyfishing heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley since 1962. From fly fishing for smallmouth bass to trout fishing, Murrays Fly Shop and its founder, Harry Murray, are synonymous with mountain fly fishing in the Cavalier State for decades. Regardless if you are seeking help to learn to fly fish their stream via their fly-fishing school and lessons or if you are seeking a guided trip, or a few flies, maybe a fly rod, or advice to help you decide where to go on your next adventure, Murray’s Fly Shop is an inclusive hub for all things fly fishing in Virginia.

the ma jority of the time in these schools on the stream fly fishing so they come away with a thorough understanding of the art of fly fishing. Each day classes start at 9:00 a.m. with an interactive presentation. Then it’s off to the stream to fish until 5:00 p.m. Students spend approximately one and one-half hours in the classroom and the rest of the time on the stream practicing with the help of one-on-one sessions with Murray’s Fly Shop guides and instructors. Space in these schools is limited and is reserved on a first come first served basis. Sixteen years old is the minimum recommended age for students. (Please, no pets at these schools.) The costs for these schools are $295.00 for the two day session.

The shop’s fly fishing schools are a great way for anyone to learn how to fly fish or to brush up on their fly-fishing skills. Students spend

One of the South’s most comprehensive fly shops, Murray’s carries complete lines of Simms Waders, Scott Fly Rods, Orvis Fly Rods, Winston Fly Rods and St. Croix Fly Rods along with Abel, Tibor, Billy Pate, Orvis and Ross Fly Reels. It is one of the very places with a selection of custom flies by Ed Shenk, Bob Clouser, Lefty Kreh and Harry Murray. Harry Murray, along with the help of several folks at the fly shop, publish a Podcast blog for information and enjoyment. They are located in the small town of Edinburg, VA (population 650) which

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For more info on anything to do with Murray’s Fly Shop, call 540-984-4212) or email (info@ murraysflyshop.com) or visit www.murraysflyshop.com.

Harry Murray’s Fly Fishing Schools “On the stream” schools for smallmouth bass on the Shenandoah River and trout in the Shenandoah National Park

• 2 days - $295 • All tackle provided free • Twenty separate schools • Free catalog for schools and ﬂy shop Guided trips $375 per day for one or two people 121 Main St., Edinburg, VA 22824 540-984-4212 • info@murraysﬂyshop.com

www.murraysflyshop.com

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featured resort Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock

erched high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock is unsurpassed in quality of fishing, dinning or accommodations. A stunning retreat, the facility covers 87-acres where a variety of activities are available. Guided fly fishing packages are offered at Chetola’s private waters, nearby streams, and tailrace rivers. Half-day trips are also offered to The Refuge, a pristine fishing paradise hidden along the banks of Boone Fork Creek.

featured resort Blowing Rock, North Carolina

October through March, visitors can enjoy the resort’s Wing Shooting Package at Covey Hollar Preserve or a “Cast and Blast” Package combining wing shooting and fly fishing with value pricing. Fly-fishing packages include overnight accommodations, breakfast, lunch, transportation, and equipment. For more information contact Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock /The Bob Timberlake Inn, Blowing Rock, NC 28605; 828-295-5500; or visit www.chetola.com

Lodging is available in Chetola Lodge, The Bob Timberlake Inn, or in spacious condominiums located on the property. After a day of fly fishing, you can enjoy The Spa at Chetola Resort or dining in the “Timberlake’s Restaurant” overlooking Chetola Lake. Resort amenities include a pool, fitness center, pub, tennis, boating, hiking, and more. 34 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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wanderings of the creek freak

wanderings of the creek freak twisting seams with delicate 3- and 4-weight rods. Stashed for what seems like months on end, these personal gems are swapped in September for meaty 5- and 6-weight working rods with the backbones of broom handles. Airborne behind the power of sticks like that, the big fakes require little finesse and lowly but honorable skill-sets from the anglers who cast ‘em. They float high and they’re forgiving of a bad cast (plop!) or a waking drift. In fact, the plop-and-skid tactic can mimic the actions of the water-bound beetles, hoppers, worms and cicadas these patterns are tied to imitate. The real bugs don’t know better than to give themselves away by waving their wings, vibrating their bodies and beating their legs, only to disappear in the attacking swirl of a fat trout that in summertime feeds almost exclusively on these calorie-filled nuggets of energy.

Hatchless, Matchless Days Bob Borgwat

he hatchless, matchless days on trout streams in September suck. In the Southeast, that’s now late summer, moving into early fall, water temperatures peak and the life-cycles of many aquatic insects are in their earliest stages. The caddisflies, mayflies and stoneflies that have spent months bouncing their booties on stream surfaces have all but disappeared above the waterline. An impulsive few, ignoring their mostly predictable appearances March through July, may flutter and float about here and there, but the timely bugs of spring and early summer are gone.

brown trout. And I always believe I can “pull the rabbit out of the hat,” making magic happen at the working end of a 9-foot leader, fishing unlikely water with an unlikely dry fly because the odds are weighted against me, short on observation that would otherwise help me match the antics of likely hatching insects now months behind me. I remember those days with clear eyes in my head and cloudy skies over my head: tiny Blue-Winged Olives in February, Black Winter Stoneflies in March, Mottle-winged Hendricksons in April, Yellow-as-the-sun Sulphurs in May, Palebodied Cahills in June, and Pterodactyl-like Isonychias in July. All of them - sometimes in breezy waves of hundreds - shedding light on Don’t get me wrong. I’m still flogging away the life-and-death action below the waterline under the waning heat of a Southeast summer. and revealing why the splashy rises before I’m like that. My never-give-in attitude is me call for emergers rather than dries. sustained by the thrill of striking once more against the bob and weave of an indicator to Hatchless, matchless days suck. From among come tight again against the jaw of a sporty the fly boxes I carry that are too many to

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Hatchless, matchless days suck, indeed…and I won’t have any more of it when October’s Indian Summer gives way to November’s freezing nights and brilliant sunrises. Bigbodied terrestrials will disappear with the change of season. Yet, I’ll look back on September and October with late-season count, comes September. I have to look into memories that foreshadow the excitement pockets I’ve not opened in months. It’s a to come when tiny midges challenge my requirement for the time of year. The patterns eyesight both near (finding the eyelet) and I choose now have little to nothing to do with far (just being able to see the damn thing). hatching mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies. That sucks, too. See that clackety-click-clack jumper in the shoreline grass? Hear that dinning whine in the bankside trees? Did you dodge a buzzing flier in your face? Those are the here-and-now bugs of late summer fly fishing - terrestrials that are flying and dying. Grasshoppers. Cicadas. Bumblebees. Wasps. Crickets. Beetles. Inchworms. They’re all large, they’re all a bit clumsy, and they’re all tasty to trout. Dave’s Hopper. Chernobyl Ant. Clark’s Cicada. San Juan Worm. Madam X. Turck’s Tarantula. Royal Humpy. Rubberleg Stimulator. These are the usual suspects in my box of terrestrials, but terrestrial fly patterns abound. Hatchless, matchless days suck. Gone is the delight behind pressing tiny dry flies on

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Great Fly FishinG The only Fly Fishing Trail in the United States

Nestled in the Blue Ridge, Balsam and Smoky mountains, Jackson Country, NC is a scenic haven for fly fishing. Catch brook, brown and rainbow trout along the beautiful Tuckasegee River. Enjoy mountain resorts, historic inns, B&Bs, or cabins. Call for a new, free Visitors Guide with lodging info and its popular map with directions to 19 waterfalls, 20 hiking trails, rafting, golf, and outdoor fun. Be sure to request the new, free Western NC Fly Fishing Trail Map. The Fly Fishing Trail Map features 15 of the best trout waters in the Great Smoky Mountains.

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loose loops and wind knots

Why Streamers?

but they didn’t catch a fish from that run. They climbed up the bank and headed upstream to fish the next section. To me, that section looked like it was shouting ”Fish a streamer!” I waited a while and rested the water before I got in at the top and started fishing downstream with a streamer, a light olive wooly bugger with some pink crystal flash in the tail to be exact. I caught three wild trout in the 12-14 inch range on that streamer and missed another by the time I finished fishing the run. As I released the last trout, I heard “must be using bait” come from the bank to my back. Steve, along with Fred and Bob, had seen me catch the last fish. I climbed out and joined them for lunch on the trail. I could hardly eat my lunch for Steve giving me a hard time about using “bait.”

Craig Haney

f the three main types of flies for trout and bass (dries, nymphs, and streamers), streamers seem to get the least love from anglers. Oh, I know, you’ve got a bunch of wooly buggers in your fly box and probably a Clouser Minnow or two. You probably even fish them some, particularly when the fish aren’t hitting your favorite dry fly or popping bug and you have tried most of the other topwater flies staring back at you from your fly box. Most all of my fly-fishing friends (maybe 99.4%) prefer catching fish on top than any other method. It’s totally understandable. It’s awesome to see fish hit your fly on the surface. Whether the fish gently sucks it in, slams it hard, or leaps out of the water and takes it on the way down, it’s the most fun way to catch fish. Because it’s so much fun, I feel like most anglers stick with fishing on top long after the fish have quit looking up. Or, if the fish aren’t hitting on top, it’s because we have the wrong fly tied to our leader. So, we change our dry fly or bug hoping that we’ll luck into the right pattern to catch ‘em on top. Only as a last resort do we tie on a streamer. I was a member of Dry Fly Anonymous for a number of years, but then I had an epiphany. I realized it was more fun to catch trout and bass on streamers than not catch them on topwater flies. I don’t remember the date of my epiphany, but I suspect it was around the time Lefty Kreh started writing about a new streamer called the Clouser Deep Minnow. For a while, Lefty did a great job of selling the

sizzle of the Clouser Minnow through numerous articles and appearances. Lefty sold me on the idea, and I ordered some from Clouser’s Fly Shop that were tied by Bob himself. The darnndest thing happened. I started catching fish on them, both bass and trout, and quickly became a subsurface convert. I even started out fishing some days with a streamer rather than a favorite topwater fly. I began to see sections of water on streams that were probably better streamer water than dry fly water. Plus, it was an excuse to tie or buy more fly patterns (streamers). A few years back, our fly shop was doing a backcountry fishing/camping trip on Hazel Creek in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park with eight of our customers. I was about four miles up the trail when I spotted the head guide and outfitter, Steve Claxton (steveclaxton.com), guiding two of our group. They were fishing upstream through a fifty yard run casting dry flies to the best looking lies. I don’t know if it was operator error on the two angler’s part or the trout weren’t looking up,

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Since that time, I believe streamer fishing for all species has increased. I can’t say for sure, but I believe it is due to the number of streamer patterns available to anglers in the last few years. Great fly designers like Scott Sanchez. John Barr, Kelly Galloup and Blaine Chocklett have created patterns that are great not only for trout but other species as well. Sanchez’s Double Bunny has won the Jackson Hole One Fly Contest and caught trout worldwide as well as bass and saltwater species. When John Barr created the Meat Whistle and Slumpbuster patterns, he created great flies for bass as well as big trout. Blaine Chocklett created perhaps the most realistic minnow pattern ever with the Gummy Minnow. It produces bass, trout, and bonefish on a regular basis and most anything else that swims. No one has done more for streamer fishing the last few years than Kelly Galloup. His flies are big patterns that catch big trout. Patterns such as Peanut Envy, Butt Monkey, Sex Dungeon and Bottoms Up catch not only the angler’s attention but also the fish’s as well. The Butt Monkey has been a particularly good bass pattern for me. If you are not fishing streamers now, you really should give them a try. Get out of the topwater only mindset and you will catch more fish and have more fun. After all, that’s really why we go, isn’t it?

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for the sport

for the sport fluid, up to date and visually appealing. Matt Zudweg of Boneyard Fly Gear did a great job of rendering the team logo which we display on all of our media outlets (as well as apparel). Thanks to our IT admin officer Jamie Sullivan, our website and private forum runs and operates smoothly and receives a steadily increasing number of hits each week. Other internet venues we have used to disseminate information are Facebook and North Georgia Trout Online, a local 501c3 non- profit agency with a popular message board forum.

talent or attribute that he or she could use to quickly propel the team in a successful direction. At each practice the cohesiveness of our team becomes more evident.

Birth of a Team: A Year in Review Benjamin Van Devender

n January 8, 2011, a mild winter day here in Georgia, a Euro-nymphing clinic was held on the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta. We were expecting around 10-12 participants but were surprised when over 30 people showed up to learn the finer points of competitive fly fishing. Due to the increasing interest in the competition scene, we were able to enlist the aid of Paul Bourcq, Kevin Lowe, and Larry Hofferberth from Team North Carolina to provide instruction on flies, leaders and techniques. These three individuals made the long drive down from the North Carolina mountains and spent the day providing instruction and answering questions for all attendees. After that day, we knew there was sufficient interest in and support for a competitive flyfishing team in the state of Georgia.

Following the clinic in January, Derek Geldhauser, Robby Elliott, Justin Pickett, and I began laying a foundation of rules and bylaws that we thought would be essential for the team. We also began making a wish list of people to form the roster who would listen, learn, and perform within the construct of the team. In only one month, a solid roster was formed. We did not seek to form a team just for the sake of forming a team. A lot of thought and scrutiny went into the member selection process. Not only did we feel that the team needed fishermen, we felt that the team needed fishermen who meshed on a personal level and worked well together. Each member of the team was chosen based on a strength,

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On February 19, 2011 Team Dead Drift was born at a meeting of the 12 charter members. We signed our bylaws into effect, put forth a mission statement, voted for our team officers and submitted our proposal for membership to the Trout Legend Coop. The application process went smoothly and painlessly. We were immediately voted in as the 5th team in the coop, and Derek Geldhauser was ratified as our representative to the TL advisory board. Through Derek we now have a direct line of communication with the league. The entire process was incredibly easy, and the support of the coop has been invaluable.

Having the right gear is of paramount importance when competing. Quality gear breeds confidence which in turn improves an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance. We knew that we would need sponsors to help us acquire the necessary gear to be successful on the water. Jumpstarting our sponsorship campaign was accomplished by utilizing contacts that I made within the industry as a fly-fishing guide. We obtained several great sponsorship offers almost immediately. Thanks to companies like Farbankpros and Rising of www.risingfish. net we have been able to obtain the reliable, quality gear we need for competitions. Rio lines are our choice from tippet to fly line due to incomparable quality. C&F boxes stand out above the competition. All of the equipment (and accessories) we have received from sponsors has been easy to use, durable, and

After the team was formed we began laying the foundation for our website. We felt that the team must be marketable in order to garner support and much needed sponsorships. Media outlets are pivotal in any campaign to launch a new group, and we saw these as the most plausible tools to reach our members, fans, and potential sponsors. A private forum was created to pave the way for sharing ideas and communicating within our team. We felt it imperative that the website be www.southerntrout.com | October 2012 | Southern Trout | 43

for the sport eye-catching. We look forward to hitting the water with gear from these great companies. Along with our sponsors there have been several other vital supporters of our team. Kenny Simmons of Frog Hollow Fly Fishing has been invaluable to the team by providing an incredible venue for competitions. Team photographer Hallie Mansfield and public relations assistant Heather Van Devender keep our media outlets up to date and professional looking. Kenny, Hallie and Heather were unanimously elected honorary team members for their ongoing support. Without

their support and that of our sponsors, the team would not be where it is today. Monthly practice has been crucial in getting our team members up to speed on the techniques and demands of competition fly fishing. These monthly practices have provided a plethora of information for members to use on the water and improve skills for the future. Team members incorporate the techniques learned in practice into their many and varied fishing excursions and share the results with the rest of the team. We divide our practices into several categories and organize practices to improve in each area. Casting practice is performed under the

tutelage of casting coach FFF MCI Eric Cook and FFF CCI Bret Nelson who provide insight on presentation and technique. Fly tying being another important aspect of competition fly fishing, we tie under the watchful eye of Kevin Griffin who is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Tyer. Kevin creates cutting edge, effective patterns and instructs the team in varied and essential tying techniques. Other practice items are leader set-up and knot tying. Any team member with an idea or new technique shares this with the group. As a team we implement and practice all of these elements in hopes that each member will improve his skills and become a more rounded angler. As a competition fly fishing team, we began entering as many different competitions as we could. Practices are great for getting an idea of what to expect, but there is no substitute for experience. The team as a whole gained a great deal of competition experience in a relatively short period of time by participating in 10 competitions in less than six months (including the Southeast Qualifier in North Carolina and National Fly Fishing Championship in Cherokee). On May 7, 2011, we organized and hosted our first team sanctioned tournament, the Team Dead Drift Fly Masters Competition. The comp filled quickly with 15 teams competing for points toward the Trout legend Leader board. This comp (along with the Regionals) gave our team members a chance to learn by observing (and fishing with) some of the best fly fishermen in the country. It also immensely helped the four members of our team who competed in the 2011 Team USA National Fly Fishing Championship prepare for a high

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level of competition. The team looks forward to the day when it will be in the top 5 teams in the Nation. That accomplishment is one of the team’s foremost goals.

fishing in the Southeast is growing by leaps and bounds and is becoming much more prominent. Team Dead Drift is excited to be at the forefront of this movement.

It is a staggering thought that only two short years ago there was no indication of such an immense interest in competitive fly fishing in our part of the country. We have come far in establishing our team and are working with other fledgling teams to help them become established in our region. Competitive fly

Team Dead Drift strives to mold its own future. A strong foundation and membership bodes well for the future of the team. We finished in 8th place as a team in last years cycle, and look to maintain our top 3 placing as the year progresses for the 2012 cycle.

Adriano Manocchia

Invitation For Next Summer

Oil on Panel

9” x 16”

Oils • Watercolors • Etchings

518.677.5744 • www.adriano-art.com www.southerntrout.com | October 2012 | Southern Trout | 45

news Dear Chairman Reed,

news July 10th 2012

I write this letter to express my concern about the Virginia Game Commission’s apparent lack of interest in what many Virginia sportsmen believe is a looming threat to our cherished freedoms. No doubt you are aware of the particulars of a case currently working its way through the Alleghany District Court. North South Development vs Crawford has captured the attention of thousands of anglers, hunters, and paddlers across the midAtlantic. The defendants in the case are a pair of anglers who are being sued for trespassing. The plaintiffs are landowners who claim to possess a 17th-century deed from the King of England—commonly referred to as a crown grant - granting them ownership of the bottom of the river. They argue that the defendants stepped on the bottom of the Jackson River, the plaintiffs’ private property, while fishing. The Virginia Game Commission is familiar with crown grants. In 1996, the Virginia Supreme Court adjudicated (in favor of the plaintiffs) Kraft v Burr, also on the Jackson and also involving disputed access to and usage of crown grant property. In June of 2009, Gary Martel, Director of Fisheries for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), wrote a letter to the landowners, stating that • The VDGIF knew the landowners were posting the river as private property, which they had no right to do. • State codes prevented the landowners from denying the public use of the river. • State code asserts that the river bottom belongs to the commonwealth. • The VDGIF felt that the landowners might be engaged in angler harassment. • Their crown grant claim was different from what was recognized by the courts in the 1996 case. In other words, the VDGIF made it clear then—and has maintained since then—that the river bottom in question was and is considered public land. Criminal proceedings against the defendants were thrown out of court because there is no indication that the anglers ever went beyond the river’s high-water mark or trespassed on the privately owned riverbank property. Nevertheless, the plaintiffs are now suing the anglers in civil court for trespassing on what they claim is privately held Jackson River bottom. In June of 2012, Judge Malfourd Trumbold ruled in partial summary judgment on behalf of the landowners, who have prima facie title - that is, the plaintiffs appear to have a stronger case for possession of the property than do the anglers. But the defendants never claimed to have any possession in the case. They took the Commonwealth at its word that, armed with a valid fishing license, they had the right to fish on property that the state has deemed public. As an avid sportsman, the facts in the case alarm me. • Clearly the Game Commission has known for some time that the landowners claim possession of the river bottom and post it as private property. The landowners in question have attempted to prevent its public use. • The defendants entered the river at a public put-in - a put-in purchased with taxpayer

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dollars and managed by the Commonwealth of Virginia. • The anglers had paid for and held valid Virginia fishing licenses when the landowners confronted them. • The anglers contacted the VDGIF before they fished the Jackson River to ensure that they were fishing on public property. VDGIF staffers assured the anglers that if they observed state-posted signs and steered clear of the recognized Kraft v Burr crown grant section of the river, they would be fishing legally in public water. • The VDGIF website and VDGIF-posted signs along the river clearly stated then (and continue to state now) that the area the anglers fished in - the area they are currently being sued for trespassing in - remains in trust for public use and enjoyment. Now, I am neither an attorney nor a judge nor a politician. I do not pretend to know all the precedents involved in crown grant disputes. I imagine that the plaintiffs, too, are frustrated that the only recourse left to them by the Commonwealth to demonstrate their alleged ownership of the river bottom appears to be to sue hapless sportsmen. The case raises a number of very important questions: • Who determines what water is public in Virginia? • Has the Game Commission asked the Attorney General’s Office to intervene in the case to protect the rights of Virginia sportsmen to use resources the state insists are public? • If the Game Commission asked the Attorney General’s Office to intervene in this case, when did this occur? • What is the Game Commission’s policy on assisting sportsmen who are facing legal action for engaging in legal activity with a valid state license on public property? • Other Jackson River landowners have begun posting their property as private. How are anglers to determine where they can and cannot fish if they cannot trust the VDGIFposted signs? • If the state-posted signs along the Jackson River are not reliable, can anglers rely on the validity of VDGIF-posted signs on other rivers or hunting areas across the Commonwealth? • At this writing, the defendants in North South Development v Crawford have incurred nearly $80,000 in legal fees defending themselves from criminal and civil prosecution. Can you explain why any Virginia sportsman should purchase a hunting or fishing license if the Commonwealth has no intention of defending them from legal action for engaging in the very activity for which the state has sold them a license? No doubt the issues surrounding this case are more complicated than they at first appear. And yet on one salient point, surely we can all agree. Sportsmen with valid state-issued licenses must be able to trust that, so long as they obey the law, they can hunt and fish without fear of prosecution on public land. If sportsmen cannot so trust, then we may anticipate that this case will have a chilling effect on Virginia’s sporting tourism even before the case itself is settled. If anglers know that the Commonwealth, while happy to sell them a license, will not lift a finger to protect them from prosecution for using that license, then any stretch along a colonial-era river—like the Cowpasture, York, Elizabeth, Hazel, and even the James and Shenandoah—may be privatized de facto simply by posting it so. As an outdoor writer, I am frustrated by the Game Commission’s apparent inaction in this

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news case. As a guidebook author, I am concerned that my books (and maps) accurately reflect where fellow anglers may safely fish. As an avid sportsman, I am afraid of stumbling into a similar mess on one of my many fishing trips across the state. And as a Virginian, I am absolutely nonplussed that the courts appear to be the only place that something as significant as a crown grant will be recognized, forcing fellow Virginians into a needlessly adversarial relationship to undertake by proxy what should be the responsibility of the state legislature. The VDGIF by and large enjoys an excellent relationship with sportsmen across Virginia which is well deserved. The current court case however has thrown a cloud of suspicion on what waters remain open to the public, and just what the public can legally access and use once they have purchased their license. Mr. Chairman, Virginia sportsmen across this great Commonwealth await your response to these pressing questions. I respectfully ask that you respond to my letter as soon as possible. Respectfully, Beau Beasley Author, Fly Fishing Virginia

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feature

Ghostly Photography of Brent Golden

feature

Leah Kirk

hen viewing Brent Golden’s infrared trout fishing and river photography, your first impression is that there must be a ghost or two hiding somewhere in the picture. Back in the days when rolls of celluloid film was fed into cameras operated by gears and springs, infrared photography was a favorite medium of expression among a legion of artsy photographers. However, since digital photography has become the overwhelming norm among shutterbugs, infrared photography seems to have largely fallen from grace. Brent Golden of Knoxville, Tennessee, is an exception to this, but before you think that he is stubbornly holding on to a cache of old film-munching Nikons, think again. Through years of study and experimenting, he has brought infrared into the world of digital photography where he has earned quite a reputation for his haunting trout and river fishing photographs. I asked Brent what was the genesis of his interest in capturing the essence of trout fishing in the South on film. “I grew up hunting and fishing in East Tennessee and later earned a design and photography degree from UT- Knoxville,” he explained. “There were specific places that I hunted or fished that I wanted to capture, and I decided to start experimenting with 50 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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shooting panoramic images in the early 90s. I would stitch together images to form a 180 or 360 degree view of my favorite places. I have a five-foot wide 360 degree color panorama of my favorite tree stand hanging in my office and another of my favorite Tarpon spot. The incredible amount of detail of the surroundings captured by this method simply cannot be obtained with a standard shot.” Brent was introduced to infrared (IR) in 2000 by a famous photographer named

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Don Dudenbostel, who used to work for Ansel Adams. “It was extremely difficult back then to get a good IR image. I still use two old unmodified Nikon digital cameras with an 87C IR glass filter. The IR filter blocks all visible light from entering the camera, and only lets in the IR light. In bright sunlight, I use a tripod, and my exposures range from two seconds to a minute. My camera thinks I have the lens cap on. For years I used an old camera, but these days you can get a camera modified to shoot only IR, and they are pretty

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feature easy to use. However, I don’t know of anything ‘off the shelf’ that will do it.” In a nutshell, Brent says infrared images differ from a traditional panchromatic b/w image in that infrared is a light frequency that is invisible to us. A digital chip slowly picks up the IR and yields an image that is unseen. Only the things that absorb IR show up. A blue sky appears black, darkgreen leaves appear white, and crystal-clear water appears black as oil. The most frequent question is “Was that taken in winter with frost on the leaves?” His answer: “No, it’s July at noon.”

feature also did an installation this summer at Fountainhead College that included 16-footwide wall murals of East Tennessee Rivers. At this time Brent has no plans to conduct classes or seminars in outdoor infrared photography, noting that he really needs more time to fish. Brent’s prints are available for purchase at www.brentgolden.com as well as at Bennett Galleries at www.bennettgalleries. com.

Moving water is his favorite subject to photograph. He shoots purely in digital, noting that he would go broke shooting film— digital only. “I love the panoramic image for capturing the essence of a place, but the IR makes it extraordinary,” says Brent. His work is widely known and displayed. Bennett Gallery in Knoxville keeps a good inventory of his Giclee’ Art prints. His photography is also on display in fly-fishing lodges like Blackberry Farm, Pere Marquette River Lodge, HydeIsland Park, Idaho, or Tarpon Caye, Belize, as well as a few at the Clinch River House. He

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feature The Uncaught Trout

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Donald Gillis Editor’s note: The following is from the June, 1888 issue of Sportsman’s Review. Despite considerable effort, to date we remain in search of information of its author, Donald Gillis. It is believed though, that he was a southerner and not an interloping Yankee.

t is a Pretty Wild Country This, Up Under the Shade of the Smoky Ramparts But Beautiful Beyond Compare--The Southern Mountains Present Vistas of Real Beauty When the Rhododendrons Burst Into Bloom.

the tawny tide. Perhaps a Silver Doctor might make a flash to lure a rainbow from his rock-roofed domicile out into the wet to see the traveler with the silver raiment and the blue umbrella, but not likely. Substantial citizens stay at home in bad weather and cuss the administration for the short crop of The rain clouds had passed, but the saturated grasshoppers. Fingerlings are not worthwhile. slopes of the Great Smokies sent the storm Tomorrow may be another day. We will go to water roaring up over the rocky bed of the the dwelling of Nix and watch the chickens go Raven and filling the narrow valley with its to roost in their armored tree. clamor. Brimful, the little river in the forest ran discolored from bank to bank, dirty This isn’t any war story in disguise. The roost brown even to its foam churning against tree is really iron-clad. Old ploughshares, mossy boulders. On its flood came debris of crippled axes, fragments of stoves, rusty driftwood and broken twigs, and overhanging chains and broken locks are suspended by rhododendrons sprinkled on it white petals wires from the limbs. You might think this tinged with rose. was a gallows tree where a hardware store had been lynched, but Mr. Nix is no lyncher, No time or place is this for the snowy- neither is he insane. Furthermore, Nix is no winged Coachman. Neither is it the place for stage name. The irons are where they are Beaverkill, Quill, Golden Spinner, and Palmers. merely to protect the chickens from the Plus Hackles would be part and parcel of winter’s cold. Every intelligent person knows,

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feature or ought to know, that iron attracts cold. Therefore, when chilly air comes to assail the sleeping fowls, the irons are there to absorb it. The cold makes for the dangling irons and is swallowed alive and the chickens are saved. Whether the iron digests the cold and is then ready to absorb some more is a matter for discussion by chemists. Me, I am no chemist. I do not even know the physiological effect of fly oil on fish. Tomorrow comes indeed as another day. The mist rises slowly from its wet bed and makes skyward where we feel but do not see that the sun is shining clearly. The Raven has largely clarified over night, but it is still murky. Not for another day will it regain its sparkling clearness. The better fishing will be further on, up further where the clay road ceases to cling to the bank and generously shed its red surface into the protesting stream. The best fishing is always further on, I have noticed, in any stream.

feature mountain streams in the South, yet in Western North Carolina, there are the highest mountains east of the Mississippi, 23 of them higher than Mt. Washington and 64 over 6,000 feet high. Mountains and plenty of rain are apt to ensure trout streams, arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they? At any rate, there are plenty of them between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Smokies. I have caught mountain trout in South Carolina where the white water crashes over the state line with a waterfall. It is a pretty wild country this, up under the shadow of the Smoky ramparts. Rainfall and a Southern latitude make for a profuse growth of vegetation and altitude produces climatic conditions that add a variety of Northern flora. The forests of poplar, chestnut, oak, pine, and hardwoods climb up and up to the dark balsam domes. The sun shows clearly the great mass of Mt. Guyot, the high peak so overgrown with underbrush, that few others other than timber cruisers have troubled to ascend it.

of this gilded deceiver. I have used the wet fly Professor and it was good. Of the dry fly Professor, I can cheerfully say that I never knew of anyone who ever took a trout with it. Now, I am even with this flaring winged imposter for the false expectations it has often raised in me.

the Raven. Lo, the poor Indian, beats up walnut bark and poisons the fish to save the trouble of angling for them. Is it any wonder that a man who killed an Indian in this neighborhood a while back fell asleep while his trial was in progress?

This started out to be a story about fishing, with a shadowy hint of how a large rainbow lies under a submerged rock. That was before I broke the tip of my $1.17 department store rod, but the story must stop, because no trout lies under that rock, sad to say. Few trout lie under, around or near any rock anywhere in

So we hoof it for a couple of miles while the sun comes into view and warms up this fragment of the U. S. Some fishermen preach early rising, breakfast by lamplight and beginning work at dusky dawn. Not for me. I am for union hours in beginning the day with a good meal and a pipe by the kitchen stove. The habits of fishes are not the same in all streams. In some waters, they rise early, but up Raven way, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get busy until the sun shines good.

This was the Indian country. Here it was that the Cherokees lived before the Government moved them to Indian Territory in 1846. Up stream a young fellow is fishing with a crooked pole. Slender and straight and brown hued the wild surroundings might make you fancy him an Indian. He is an Indian. Some of the Indians refused to go West and hid out in the woods and after much negotiation, they were allowed to remain, and the United States provided them a reservation. Lower down their cabins Raven is a long, long way from the feverish are scattered along the Oconaluftee, and at activities of cities. The Raven is a good Yellow Hill is the Government school. There provider of grub, so why this early rising by are about a thousand Indians in this section. prosperous trout? We go up where the river is smaller and also more rapid and rocky. Having arrived where the water comes Rock cliffs hang over it, and big trees lean down crashing and flashing, slipping darkly over dark pools behind housesize boulders. A by undermined ledges, sparkling in swift tangle of rhododendron on each side keeps runways and lying brown in deep pools, it us in the stream, and casting must generally is to be expected that one will stop talking be overhead. The water comes swift and and go fishing. Among my flies is one with waist deep except where it spreads thin and a gold banded body and smoke colored shimmering over a slanting table of yellow wings. Wickhams Fancy meets the tastes of quartz. trout hereabouts. I am talking now of dry fly Most people never think of there being Wickhams. I never used the wet fly variety 58 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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feature Old Abram’s Revenge

feature

Don Kirk

t was pretty cut and dried as ending a two centuries long feud that involved lots of murderous activity. Brokered by Soc Clay, I was hosted at a trout fry in Cherokee, North Carolina by a group of local tribal members. Headed up by Chief David Archer, we buried the hatchet, if you will, on any carry over ill feelings about the last Cherokee War in 1787. The Chief was a bit uncomfortable at the outdoor fish fry, but so was I. At the conclusion of the meal and with the smoking of a couple of Monte Cristo cigars, we departed in peace.

Sounds nutty, eh? Well were I not in constant fear for my life when fishing Abrams Creek in the Smokies, I would agree. The fact is though that for as long as I can remember, that trout stream has been trying to kill me. With the newly agreed to peace treaty, I am able to fish there without feeling like there is a “oneway ticket” in my fly vest. Abrams Creek is one of many streams in the park still known by its Native American name. Old Abram was the chief of the Cherokee village of Chilhowee, which was located at the mouth of Abrams Creek on the Little Tennessee River. He met an untimely and gruesome death at the hands of a vengeful 17-year-old lad named John Kirk. Old Abram and four other Cherokee chiefs from the neighboring Little Tennessee River area were being held prisoner, as they were thought

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responsible for the deaths of Kirk’s mother and ten brothers and sisters. For better or for worse, I am a direct descendent of this impulsive Kirk.

According to the story told in my family and in all of the history books, while John and his oldest son, John, Jr., were hunting, a group of traveling braves visited the Kirk cabin where Mrs. Kirk sold them whiskey. Shortly His father, John Kirk, had received a 275-acre thereafter, the now-drunken braves returned land grant from the state of North Carolina in to kill her and her ten children. The massacre lieu of pay that was due him for his service was discovered upon the Kirks’ return. John as a quartermaster in the Revolutionary War. Sevier quickly mustered the militia at Hunters Moving west, the Kirks built a cabin on Nine Station (near present-day Maryville) to quell Mile Creek, not far from the site of old Fort what turned out to be the last of three bloody Loudoun, a British stronghold overtaken by the wars with the Cherokee and East Tennesseans. Cherokee prior to 1776. The new homestead was on land disputed as Indian Territory In the first confrontations, five Overhill near the Great War Path, an ancient trade villages, including Hiwassee, were burned in route extending from Georgia to the Great reprisal. Five captured village chiefs were Lakes. Kirk took advantage of this trade trail, left in the care of a Ma jor James Hubbard. operating a business selling whiskey and Crossing the Little T, Sevier’s militia moved firearms to Indians passing along this route. upstream from the mouth of Citico Creek. Met

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feature by a delegation of tribal elders, Sevier was informed that the massacre of the Kirk family was the work of a band of Creek from the south. Thus ended the Cherokee War of 1788, but it was not the end of the story. One version of the storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subsequent events is that Ma jor Hubbard actually invited a group of chiefs that included the famous Old Tassel. Among them were Old Abram (also known as Old Abraham of Chilhowee) and his son. At the goading of Ma jor Hubbard, the younger Kirk entered the lodge where the five chiefs were held (or visiting). In my earlier books I noted that Kirk then killed all five with blows from an ax. Another account says the killings were accomplished with a tomahawk. As it turns out, though, each chief was beheaded by Kirk who wielded a very short iron sword. Not long ago I examined the sword which is still in the family. It is not much more than a poorly balanced, iron butcher knife.

was standing in water that was chest deep literally opened up and sucked me down in the blink of an eye. Another time, while I was in the Horseshoe, I lodged my meaty knee in a sharp crevice. It took the help of Mark Sudeimer to free me from that granite snare, a service he rendered that he never allowed me to forget. So, I fished Abrams Creek twice in midJune. I saw other anglers, something I rarely observed when fishing there in the 1970s. I caught lots of trout, but they did not uniformly average 11-inches long (in those days the minimum size limit was 12-inches long). Nothing in the way of snakes or spiders or bears or lightening gave me pause as I fished. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping that Old Abram is a peace with me and my kin. That stuff happened a long, long time ago.

Sevier ordered young Kirk hanged for the murder of the Cherokee leaders, but the militiamen then refused to carry out the execution and released Kirk. Sevier went on to become the governor of Tennessee, and my great-greatgreat-great-grandfather, John Kirk, resettled much farther north in Nolichucky Valley in what is now Greene County. Over the years, I have almost drowned twice on Abrams Creek. Once a sand bar on which I 62 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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feature A Philosophy of Fine Fly Rods (and reels) Bo Cash

Our fly fishing friend and shop owner, “Bo” Cash of Morganton, North Carolina’s Table Rock Angler recently penned some words on the subject of spending your hard earned dollars on quality fly rods and reels. The resulting text is something that every angler should at a minimum share with the spouse who shares the purse strings.

from my push-button spinning reel. My flies came two to the package for a quarter with the brand name Glen L. Evans, printed on the started fly fishing in 1957 at age eight. blister pack. Four packs equaled eight flies, After some coaching from a step-uncle enough to get me started. Essentially, my with his old Shakespeare glass WonderRod first fly-fishing outfit was a whopping seven and a handful of cork popping bugs used dollars. For me, those dollars were hard to to slay my first farm pond bream and bass, come by. the passion of fly fishing started, and I caught fire. The site was Sedgefield Lakes in the Jamestown section of Greensboro where said step-uncle resided. He was my mentor in the beginning of a life-long sport for which I had no other help.

Once I returned home from that wonderful week, I read every Field and Stream magazine I could get my hands upon and absorbed anything that was related to fly fishing. Being financially lacking, my first fly rod was a Sears rod which set me back the terrible price of four dollars. For weeks until placing the order, I ate with and slept with the catalog until wearing out the two or three pages containing their fly gear offerings. My excitement could not be contained on the day the lady called our house and said, “Your order is here.” My mother somehow found time to take me to the store. I distinctly remember paying for it with nickels and dimes. The rod was seven and one-half feet for a six weight line. The first reel was a stamped Japanese skeleton affair. Cost? One dollar. The matching fly line was a level line by Gladding. Cost? One dollar. The leader was a four foot piece of monofilament stripped

Graduating up the ladder, the next rod was an eight dollar rod, also from Sears. As I thought, I needed a different length, this one was eight feet and also for a six weight line. The next was a luxurious Fenwick Feralite fiberglass that was seven feet for a six weight line. The year was 1969. The price was thirty dollars. By this time I was becoming somewhat accomplished, and that rod accounted for hundreds of local trout of all species. Within

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a week of college graduation, a brand new Orvis bamboo “Flea” found its way to my hands with the last dollars I had in my college savings account, never mind that I owed the government over $3,000 for a student loan. Thus were my priorities. I had no job, no money, owed money, but I had a single tipped Orvis Madison bamboo six and one-half foot rod that would become my right arm for the next 10 years. Cost? $89. The year was 1971. We all move up the rungs. We all pay our dues. Some of us with means choose to start cheap and are never satisfied with what we purchase. This leads to spending more money than necessary as people run through a gamut of fly rods and reels that do not make them happy. They spend more money seeking the perfect rod, all in an effort to avoid the purchase of a truly premium rod to start. Some have to acquire what they can afford, and this is understandable. I certainly understand this as well as anyone. My first pair of waders for icy streams were a pair of Converse canvas basketball shoes, no felt, but many hours of numb, wet legs had to be endured as I had no other choice.

who appreciates brand X but was hesitant to spend the bucks for the premium models. He has means. At his age and his serious longtime fishing passion, I see no reason for him to deny himself the best. When one casts a finely tuned rod that they call their own, they have the satisfaction of knowing that the hunt for the perfect rod is over. This customer made the decision to go for the best and plans to do so. A life long fly fisherman in his late 50s is replacing a recently broken 35 year old Fenwick graphite and has committed to a premium rod backed by an dedicated American company that will last him the rest of his life. Before he committed, I shared my “Tackle Buying Philosophy of Life.” Life is short.

If you are truly and passionately serious about this sport, and you love feeling a finely tuned fly rod unload its line after a well timed cast, buying a top grade fly rod is cheap. It is not like you are purchasing a Ranger Bass Boat with a 200 HP Mercury motor that costs as much as your first house and a Suburban with which to pull it all. You are just buying a I put these thoughts down for readers as I fly rod for a few hundred dollars that should reflect. A potential rod customer called me be with you and a part of you for the rest of www.southerntrout.com | October 2012 | Southern Trout | 65

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feature your life. Realize, you will have an unlimited lifetime warranty backed by people that do not want you to be unhappy. When personal fishing, I fish the best rods and reels. This is not because I am a show-off, but those rods have a different feel and I cannot ever get enough of it. Fishing the best brings me personal pleasure, and I also know that I do not have to question whether I should have looked at another brand or a cheaper model. I cannot place a monetary value on that feeling. Life is short. I think the above is why we are here. In summary, if fly fishing is your primary focus to the point where you live and breathe it, you owe yourself the equipment that will bring you the most pleasure. Y’all be good. “Bo”

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feature Common Sense Approach To Smoky Mountains Fly-fishing Greg Ward

or almost two decades, I have spent an embarrassing portion of my life waist deep in the streams of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Much of that time I have also earned all or a portion of my income as a licensed fishing guide in the national park. I fish dry flies almost exclusively for two reasons. First, nothing in the world thrills me more than seeing a trout take a fly from the surface, and second, it allows me to totally escape the modern world. The fact that I catch bigger trout on dry flies only makes it even better. During this time, I have developed what I refer to as my “Ten Dry Fly Theory.” To begin, allow me to tell you to what I don’t pay attention. First is the midges. Sure, trout eat them, and some fly-fishermen catch fish on midge patterns, but please, forget them. They aren’t worthy of further discussion. Next are stoneflies. Yes, they are big, and yes, trout do feed on them; however, for dry fly-fishing they are not worth singling out because for the most part caddisfly imitators effectively match emerging stoneflies. In my opinion, any caddisfly or mayfly dry fly pattern is an effective imitator of a stonefly of its size and color. A trout cannot see the top of a dry fly, which is the only real difference in the appearance of a caddisfly, mayfly, or stonefly dry fly pattern. Next, I don’t fly-fish the waters of the Smokies from around the first of November through mid-December. That’s when these streams are largely clogged with leaves from the hardwoods, which result in large amounts of tannic acid in the water. However, from mid-December through February I highly recommend angling with dry flies in the park, but only when the air temperature has risen to at least 47 degrees F. That is the magic time for fly activity. The warmer its gets, and

feature without a few Bluewing Olives (size #14), as well as the Thunderhead (sizes #14 to #16), or my personal favorite at this time, the Little Black Caddis (sizes #14 to #16) that matches the typically large hatches of these prolific aquatic insects. If you must drift nymphs during March, you can do no better than to tie on a Cream Caddis Pupa (size #14). The only exception to this is when fly-fishing the Little River where the Olive Caddis Pupa (size #14) is a better choice. The arrival of April is a continuation of the seasonal coloration transition from inky and black in winter, to lighter (or more neutral) colors in spring, and even lighter colors during the summer months. My favorite mayfly imitator is the Male Adams (sizes #10 to #14). The nymph of the month is the Hare’s Ear (sizes #12 to #14).

the more sunshine and less wind you have, the better things are on these waters.

(sizes #10 to #14). I commonly use size #10 Adams, and even size #8 Adam, which are my secret weapon at this time for catching trophy-class brown trout. To match the bright green caddisflies common to this month, cast the Fluorescent Green Tennessee Wulff (sizes #12 to #14) or a Fluorescent Green Humpy (sizes #12 to #14). July and August are also prime months for dry fly-fishing. Again, the Fluorescent Green Tennessee Wulff (sizes #12 to #14) and a Fluorescent Green Humpy (sizes #12 to #14) are good choices. However, my favorites remain the Adams (sizes #10 to #12) and the Thunderhead (sizes #10 to #12). This is true also when I switch to terrestrial insect patterns such as ants and grasshoppers. I like big ‘hoppers (sizes #8 to #4). This is also a great time to nymph fish using a Fluorescent Green Inch Worm (sizes #12 to #14).

May and June rank among the top, if not the best, dry fly-fishing months of the year. My Early autumn dry fly-fishing is excellent in favorite dry fly during May is the Male Adams the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My (sizes #10 to #14), followed by the Light Cahill favorite then, as it was in the preceding months,

Winter fly hatches present you with the challenge of matching may and caddisflies that are generally small (sizes #14 to #16) and predominantly black to dark brown in color. Dry flies one should always carry at this time include Bluewing Olive (sizes #14 to #16). If you must nymph fish, nothing tops a Pheasant Tail (sizes #14 to #16), and Caddis Pupa (sizes #14 to #16), and if you aren’t going to dry fly-fish, why not go whole hog and drag a streamer? My favorite streamer patterns at this time include a Muddler Minnow (size #6 to #8) trimmed with a white turkey feather, and an Olive Wooly Booger (size #6). The addition of the white turkey feather to the Muddler Minnow is the real key. In March, the streams of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park undergo a predictable transition, and the flies become a little larger and less dark in color. Again, never go fishing

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feature The latter is by far the most important to those wishing to catch large trout. It’s a simple approach which works very well. My gear recommendations are also simple. Fly rods between 7.5 and 9.5 feet are recommended. A few people push 6- to 7-foot rods for use on small streams, but such short rods do not permit you to mend line drag as effectively as longer rods. I also advise anglers guided by my staff to wear camouflage clothing and wading boots with felt soles. Camo helps you blend in with your surroundings, while the felt soles enable you to wade the waters with significantly fewer slips and tumbles. In conclusion, if I were limited to a single dry fly, it would be a size #12 Male Adams. I can catch trout year round on this particularly deadly pattern. There is always some meaty, tasty looking neutral-colored mayfly hatching on these streams, and the trout love ‘em. If I only had one nymph, it would be a #14 Gold Ear’s Hare that is presented properly.

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Proper presentation is the secret to catching trout in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or anywhere else. is the Adams (sizes #10 to #12), followed by the Orange Palmer (sizes #10 to #12), which matches the fall hatch of orangish-colored caddisflies in the park. Nymph fishermen will discover they do better switching to smaller and darker nymph patterns, as the dark-tolight-to-dark cycle is now making its full circle beneath the surface of these streams.

If you have any questions about fly-fishing in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, please do not hesitate to contact me at Rocky Top Outfitters; 2721 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863; 423-429-3474.

The aquatic insects of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are incredibly simple to understand. The key to catching trout here is to remember these insects are small and dark during the winter months. As spring arrives, they become slightly larger and lighter in color. During the summer months, stream insects are their largest and lightest in color. This is also when these fish have their greatest access to terrestrial insects, such as jassids, beetles, bees, ants, and grasshoppers. 70 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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feature Fly Fishing Terrestrials in the Smoky Mountains Ian Rutter

feature into some calm water in the shade of some rhododendron bushes. The fly had barely settled with a soft plop when it disappeared in a swirl. A few moments later he released a beautiful brown. Preferring dry flies, I had long steered away from many ter re s tr i a l p a t t e r n s like beetles or inchworms fished wet in riffles and plunges. I tried to reserve nymph and wet fly fishing for winter and early spring. Most beetle and inchworm patterns don’t float very long just like their real life counterparts. The assumption that terrestrial fishing didn’t mean dry fly fishing caused me to ignore the possibilities, like foam yellowjacket patterns that look more appropriate for bluegill than trout.

should have been acutely aware that I was about to be sold on something when the fly box opened. Tim Doyle, a former carnival barker, was my trout fishing companion. He opened up his fly box of late night fly tying creations, born of imagination and a bottle of beer. Inside was a menagerie of feather and fur, rubber legs and foam. Tim withdrew a fly with a body of alternating black and yellow foam topped by a wispy wing of white antron yarn. A couple of turns of grizzly hackle made it look like a trout fly’s first cousin. It had been two weeks since the last rain, and the creeks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park were shrinking in the August heat. The fishing was less than stellar in the midday sun. We took advantage of the low water and good light to spy on the shallow

pools rather than cast into them. It was the perfect opportunity to discover the layout of the bottom of the deepest holes including the most pressured pool on the river. The pool is only a short distance from the popular Elkmont campground and is an oasis for swimmers and fishermen alike. This late in the season, the trout refused to spook after the constant parade of swimmers and inept fishermen. Over the years the eldest brown in the pool had probably seen everything from baloney rinds to blasting caps. “The first time I saw this fly was out in Yellowstone,” Tim said. “Didn’t even know they had yellowjackets out there.” A cocked eyebrow betrayed my skepticism. The carnie in him jumped at the opportunity. “They called it…” dramatic pause, “… the Killer Bee.” Tim did an admirable job of casting the Killer Bee

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Always keeping my ear to the ground for the next killer pattern or new spot, I heard about research done on the importance of terrestrial insects as a food source for trout. The study was conducted by the fisheries department at Tennessee Tech University on the Gulf Prong of Big Creek just north of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A mid summer sampling of insects adrift in the stream was compared to the contents found in trout stomachs. Aquatic insects made up the ma jority of trout food found in the stream sampling. However, the number of aquatics in the seines was proportionally greater than what was found in the stomachs of trout. The number of terrestrial insects sampled correlated almost precisely with those found in the trout. The study found that nearly every terrestrial insect that fell into the stream was consumed by a trout.

Aquatic insects are most available during the period they ascend to the surface and hatch. While vulnerable, they are only available until they leave the water. Terrestrials, on the other hand, usually drown if they fall into a stream and tumble with the currents until they are eventually eaten by a trout. Most terrestrials are also larger than most summer and autumn aquatics and provide more calories. Inchworm patterns are probably the dream of commercial fly tyers around the world. Any ten thumbed tyer can produce a box full in a short period of time. Chenille or vernille are the most popular and easiest materials to use. However, furry foam makes a juicy looking imitation that also sinks. Closed cell foam is probably the easiest material to use for a floating inchworm. While no more effective than cork or spun deer hair, it’s easier to work with. Many Appalachian fishermen employ one of several patterns as a dropper under a grasshopper or cricket p a tte r n . C h e n il l e inchworms and ants tied as wet flies are among the best patterns to fish under a large dry. The Little River Ant is a pattern indigenous to the Great Smoky Mountains. This soft hackled ant is tied backwards. A yellow patch is dubbed at the rear of the hook to represent an ant carrying an egg. Soft hackle gives the impression of struggling legs.

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feature is an easy to tie hopper that is an exceptional fish fooler. The Killer Bee, a fly I had never heard of just a couple of years ago, may be the most effective pattern I’ve witnessed on hot, sunny days. Fished in the oxygen rich riffles and pockets, it can be a trout magnet.

Beetl es also fish well as a dropper since the naturals rarely float for very long. One simple Appalachian beetle pattern that is highly effective fished alone or as a dropper is the Hot Creek Special devised by Kevin Howell in Brevard, North Carolina. The Hot Creek is a constant summertime producer in the highly pressured waters of North Carolina’s Davidson River, an excellent laboratory to test a fly’s effectiveness. Many terrestrial fly patterns perform beyond the streams where they were developed. There are a number of Western imports that are no less effective than their Eastern counterparts. Schroeder’s Parachute Hopper may be the hopper I see in more fly boxes, but the classic Dave’s Hopper is in the running for the title. Craig Matthew’s Chaos Hopper may be the best hopper to come along for the fisherman who ties his own flies. This simple pattern incorporates a foam body, knotted rubber legs, antron yarn, and a couple of turns of hackle. The Chaos Hopper

The Chernobyl Ant is another Western innovation that has headed East. Scaled down to the Eastern freestone size of #10, this rubber and foam conglomeration has been known to move substantially sized trout. However, if not fished properly, most of the trout go the wrong way! This pattern is best fished around cover that provides an ambush point. Cut banks, logs, and boulders are likely places to get a strike on a Chernobyl. Fished in open riffles, it tends to spook more skittish mountain trout than it attracts. Freestone trout are sluggish yet nervous in the skinny water that they have left in August and September. The slightest disturbance on the water will send them sprinting for shelter. There are no predictable hatches that will place fish in reliable feeding lies. The disadvantages can seem to outweigh any advantages. These are the times that try fishermen’s souls. Desperate times often call for desperate measures. Fishing in such challenging conditions brings out the best in fishermen and fly tyers alike. The key to making the breakthrough on tough stream conditions is to take the disadvantages and turn them into advantages.

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76 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

John Berry

he most precious gem of the Ozark’s trout streams is Dry Run Creek, a small tributary of the Norfork River located near the town of Norfork, Arkansas. It flows through Quarry Park, a United States Army Corps of Engineer recreational site just below Norfork Dam. It is adjacent to the Norfork National Fish Hatchery, the largest Federal fish hatchery in the United States. This stream is absolutely teeming with four species of trophy trout: rainbow, brown, cutthroat and brook. It is the oldest catch-and-release stream in Arkansas and by far the most successful. Dry Run Creek has been set aside for children under sixteen (accompanied by an adult) and the handicapped (a handicapped permit available from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is required). The creek is small and gin clear. You will see huge trout everywhere. It is not unusual for young anglers to land a lunker on their first trip.

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The creek benefits from a constant flow of clean cool water from the discharge pipes of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. The recent addition of numerous diffusers at the hatchery has enhanced the oxygen level in the creek. The creek has been substantially enhanced by a ma jor bank stabilization and habitat enhancement project funded by Trout Unlimited, Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The project was designed by Dave Whitlock and includes paths along

the creek, fish holding structures and a sizable boardwalk complete with casting platforms for handicapped anglers. There are plenty of great places along the path to fish from the bank. A pair of waders or the willingness to wet wade will give you access to the most productive spots. The creek is located in a tight little valley with lots of tree cover. A shorter rod (seven feet) is more practical, especially when paired with a fly reel, with a stout drag system and a floating line. Use 4X tippet or larger to give the youngster more of a chance to land a big fish. Fluorocarbon is recommended for its abrasion resistance and ability to be nearly invisible in the water. Carry the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Many of these fish are huge and most are lost at the net. A long handled boat net with a rubber bag is the perfect choice. Fly selection is pretty easy. The dominate food source on the creek is sowbugs in size 10, 12, and 14. Gray is the best color. Other effective patterns are San Juan worms (worm brown, red, and hot fluorescent pink), egg patterns and copper Johns. The special regulations require that any flies or lures used have only one barbless hook point. Baits or scents of any kind are strictly prohibited. Due to the tree cover, the most effective technique is to high stick nymphs. There is precious little room to cast and the creek is very narrow. You do not want to spend most

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arkansas

of your time removing flies from brush. The tree cover is so heavy that a flash is required to take photos of your trophy catch. Be sure and carry a camera to record the catch of a lifetime. This is the perfect place to introduce a child to the quiet sport. The potential for success is unlimited! John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has been guiding on Dry Run Creek for over twenty years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or www.berrybrothersguides.com. Â John Berry berrybrothers@infodash.com

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te Sta ! i r T ion Reg

Georgia -- Tennesssee -- North Carolina

georgia

Fishing Georgia’s “Sliding Water”

eorgia sits right on the southern edge of trout country. In the state’s northern third, the Blue Ridge Mountains are home to freestone streams that harbor brook, rainbow and brown trout. But moving south, the highland terrain gives way to the Piedmont plateau.

Trout -- Bass -- Striped Bass -- Panfish

! ing ! h s i g F Fly- Fishin n Spi

Jimmy Jacobs

bridge on Steele Bridge Road (County Road 192) downstream to the Georgia Highway fiftythree bridge now receives heavy stockings of rainbows and is open to catch-and-release, single-hook, artificial lure only angling during the fall through the spring. The delayed harvest season begins on November first each year and runs through May 14. Then the

In the region where the mountains meld into the plateau, a number of rivers and streams have the rocky, tumbling look of their more northerly neighbors. Yet, these waters tend to warm in the summer months to temperatures that are dangerous for trout. Still, these streams have water cold enough to support the fish eight or nine months of the year. The most vivid example of this phenomenon is Amicalola Creek. Situated in Dawson County, about 60 miles north of Atlanta, this feeder stream of the Etowah River was long noted as a superior whitewater paddling stream with class III and IV rapids. Its ma jor feeder stream, Little Amicalola Creek, also is home to the seven-hundred and twenty-nine foot Amicalola Falls, the tallest cascade in Georgia. That may account for the stream’s name, which loosely translates from the Cherokee language as “sliding water.” For decades the upper reaches of the stream also received light stockings of rainbow and brown trout in the spring, but the creek was hardly a destination for serious coldwater anglers. That all changed back around the turn of the century when the Georgia Department regulations revert to the general statewide of Natural Resources began managing the trout fishing rules. stream as a delayed harvest fishery. The 3-mile portion of the stream from the metal The first few years of the DH management,

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georgia

brown trout also were stocked in the stream. That was discontinued when endangered Etowah darters were discovered in the creek. Having the carnivorous browns in the creek with an endangered species was thought to be a bit risky. Today, the stockings are exclusively composed of rainbows. While carry over of trout from year to year is extremely low, during the colder months the fish thrive and grow in Amicalola. The food base there is better than in the higher elevation streams of the Peach State mountains.

stripped across current. The Y2K generally attracts some fish, as well. Later on, fishing small Prince Nymphs on four-foot droppers under Adams or Elk-hair Caddis dry flies works better. As you encounter differing depths in the pools, you may need to add weight or adjust the dropper length to get the fly down to the fish. For information on delayed harvest fishing on Amicalola Creek, visit gofishgeorgia. com/Fishing/Trout. For the latest fishing conditions check out Unicoi Outfitters at unicoioutfitters.com.

Freshly stocked trout in November and December on Amicalola often fall for the most basic of flies such as black Wooly Buggers either dead drifted or 82 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

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west virginia Cranberry Sauce on the Side

west virginia

Oak Myers

he Cranberry. Some refer to it as the holy grail of trout fishing. Others see it as the comeback kid. More on that later. I see this river as something God saw fit to lay right in my lap here in the midst of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. My name is Oak Myers, owner of Cranberry Wilderness Outfitters, and I am a confessed trout junkie. The Cranberry River has its origin in the bogs of Cranberry Glades. This area is a postglacial area with plants and flowers that one would find in much more northern climates. The Cranberry Wilderness Area is a 35,000 plus acre paradise that is accessible only by foot, mountain bike, or horse and wagon. The well maintained gravel road is behind federal locked gates and is only utilized by authorized forest service personnel.

Getting down into the “fishy” area is a fairly simple proposition. Dogway Road, near the top of Kennison Mountain, leaves you with a five mile or so “downhill” bike ride to get to fishable water. One can also access this area by going in at the Cranberry Glades Road, or at the bottom of the mountain and going in at Summit Lake. All these access points are relatively the same in distance. The only difference is the spiritual landscapes…and they are all good. Having guided for 15 plus years, I have had a front-row seat to some of the finest displays of fishing, as well as some things that will have to be discussed upon your travels to my backyard. They would not be fit for print at this time.

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west virginia

west virginia It’s all downhill from here. No, really. It is.

Being dropped off at the peak of the mountain, not to be picked up until dark-thirty, can be a daunting thought for some. However, when the cell-phones are useless, and the jobs are left behind, serenity takes over, and…oh my, the serenity. God is indeed good. Rolling along downhill, you may see deer, various birds, and the occasional black bear. I once had a legally blind man t-bone a bear. You’ll have to visit for the rest of that story. In about an hour, you will begin to hear the faint sound of running water. You are almost there. When the river finally materializes, you see the rhododendrons that line the banks. You may also see the flies of fishermen past that hang like stark reminders of an errant cast. The trout that reside in the upper reaches are mostly native brookies that reproduce in water that has been sweetened by limestone and is fed into the stream by tumblers that crush the stone into a fine powder. This makes the water more conducive to reproduction, more prolific with hatches, and a better fishery all around. While taking the time to string your rod, many of the world’s problems can be solved. Fly fishing forces you to slow down and think. To catch the brookies in these upper reaches, fly selection is not rocket science. Here, we begin to go into the back-country on bikes as soon as the snow is history, although we have seen snow here as late as June. Any attractor dry or wooly-bugger will catch plenty of these fish. If you don’t step on them, you can catch them. Nothing in the universe, however, is quicker than a brookie striking a dry. Your reflexes will be tested to the max. They give you no time to react. He who hesitates...well, you know the rest of that bit of trivia.

is catch and release with fly-rods only. Live bait, powerbait, and the like can wind you up on the costly end of a citation. Your treble hooks must be barbless, while single hooks may have a barb. I fish barbless exclusively, as it is much easier on the fish. And anyway, catch and release is just that.

If you do happen to come to our neck of the woods, there is one trick I will let you in on. If you have fished a section of river with dry flies going up stream, and you swear there are no fish, try this. Fish the same section in reverse with a wooly-bugger. Keep a low profile, be super stealthy, and fish the entire Further on down the river, the water is more section. Cast, swing, short strip, let drift with plentiful, and the fishing is comprised of more the current, repeat. Often times, the biggest varieties. In the catch-and-release section fish in the area will fall for a bigger meal fished that joins Dogway, you can sometimes have in an unorthodox manner. I have never been much of the river to yourself. This section is one to go with the flow, and I have come up open to spinning gear which, unlike Dogway, with a few cheats of my own that will put fish 86 | Southern Trout | October 2012 | www.southerntrout.com

on the end of your line when others are empty. Once again, these fish can be caught with a paltry selection of flies. Six or eight patterns in different colors and sizes will do the job just fine. I try and keep things simple for my clients because they are here for pretty much one reason--fish. Wooly-boogers in olive and black, sizes No. 8-12, beadhead Princes in sizes No. 12-16, and beadhead Hares Ears in the same, will catch what lurks beneath. I am a huge fan of the dry. I relish the challenge of catching trout in the winter on a dry fly that is not supposed to work at that time of year. I have caught trout on top in every month of the year. Royal Wulffs in sizes No.-16, Elk Hare Caddis in the same, Griffith’s Gnats in sizes No. 1620 fished as a dropper can be dynamite. Another tidbit of trickery is to fish a sizes No. 14-18 Black or Cinnamon Ant on the rear of a stimulator. You need the attractor to show you the ant. Like on the upper stretches, stealth and reflexes will be tested, but the rewards can be first class.

boulders, a possible rattler or three makes for an engrossing experience to say the least. With tired legs, sore shoulders, and memories to last a lifetime, we see our chauffeur at the lower gate awaiting our arrival. I am not a numbers kind of guy. When asked how many, I merely say, ”Enough.” Thanking the Good Lord above for another safe trip, new friends, and the opportunity to do what so many take for granted, we share hugs, backslaps, and hand shakes. Indeed, life is good. Oak Myers website wvoutfitters.com e-mail brookie7in@yahoo.com Box 263 Fenwick, WV 26202 304-651-3177

Below the bridge at the forks of Dogway and the main stem of Cranberry, the river becomes a freefor-all for bait fishers. There is nothing at all the matter with that, it is just not my mess of ramps. Below Dogway a couple miles or so is the only up-hill pedal. It circumvents the “roughs” as the road follows the contour of the mountain and leads to a remarkable sight at the top. This section is not pressured to the extent of the rest, although it is still put-take. It is not called the “roughs” for nothing. A little rugged, with house-sized www.southerntrout.com | October 2012 | Southern Trout | 87

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2/27/09 11:28:12 AM

north carolina Fly Fishing in High Muddy Water Kevin Howell

ow many times have you arrived at your favorite fishing spot only to find the river high and muddy? We have all been there from time to time and more often than not we just turn around and go back home. What most of us do not realize

is that the ma jority of large Brown Trout in the river gorge themselves during these times of high off-colored water. Here are some helpful tips that will help you find and catch more fish in high-colored water.

north carolina 1. The first rule is figuring out where the trout are. Remember that trout want out of that hard flow of water as much as you do. They often times float out to the edges of the river or lay behind any object that can provide a break in the current. The other place they often head is to the very bottom of the river where the current is slower. 2. The second rule is that you have to get your fly to the trout. The water flow has dramatically increased; it is moving much faster than normal. If you are still fishing the #14 BH you were a week ago when the water was low, you might as well be fishing a dry fly the fish cannot find nor catch in the faster water. Large heavily weighted flies are the rule for muddy water. Streamers like the Bunny Leech, Double Bunny, or large Wooly Buggers, often weighted with large dumbbell eyes to hold them down on the bottom, are my first pick. Large nymphs like a Bitch Creek nymph or a Yuk Bug or Big Nasty all with full shanks of .040 lead wire or heavier depending on the flow will also produce fish. Muddy water flies generally range from a size two to six. Your flies need to incorporate a lot of rubber legs or marabou or bunny fur. All of these products have a lot of motion to help trout find them in the muddy water. Remember they cannot see as well in the dark water, so the fly needs to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;in their faceâ&#x20AC;? and look tasty. 3. The third rule is to not fish light tippet and risk a broken heart. I have seen a lot of hearts broken because the angler was fishing 6x tippet in muddy water. Remember the fish cannot see one-third as good as normal. This allows you to fish very heavy tippet. Typically, you should fish 0x-2x tippet in muddy water. Remember, he cannot see it so put the odds in your favor and prevent a lost fish. 4. The last rule is to be persistent. Remember he cannot see as well as normal, so it will take a few extra casts to those likely spots for him to find your fly. Slow down and really fish any spot where a trout can get a little break from the current.

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north carolina

Go To Tactics We have all stood on the side of the stream from time to time and wondered what we were doing wrong, and why we could not

catch any fish. Here are some of the tricks that I use as a fishing guide to help my clients stay on fish.

• Best bet is that you are not getting your fly to the fish. Keep adding weight until you are hanging on the bottom or catching fish. It can take a lot more weight than you think to stay in contact with the bottom. • Almost 90% of a trout’s diet is what it finds under the surface of the water to eat. Only 10% of fly fishermen are effective nymph fishermen. Leave your dry flies at home and become a better nymph fisherman. • I dry fly fish only when there is a hatch on or I am searching for fish with terrestrials. Then I usually have a dropper on behind the fly. • While most of the time I fish with 3-5x tippet, I do on rare occasions go down to 6x tippet. Not as much for the fish not being able to see the fly, but to change the drag pattern on my fly. Also, smaller diameter mono sinks quicker than the heavy diameter mono. • When all else fails, go to size 16-18 soft hackle nymphs. These will always produce a few fish although they may be small. The other “go to” fly is a Kevin’s Stonefly in size 8-12.

Hopefully these tips will help you out the next time you arrive to find you favorite spot high and muddy. Good Fishing Kevin Howell

• My three “go to” flies are a size 18 soft hackle Pheasant Tail, a size 16 Red Fox Squirrel Nymph with rubber legs, and a number 8 Kevin’s Stonefly with Rubber Legs. • Fish the faster moving water. In cool weather, trout will often move into the base of the riffles, the shallower water is warmer and insects are more active there. In hot weather, this is where the oxygen is and where the water is the coolest.

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virginia Fly Fishing Virginia’s Passage Creek Harry Murray

assage Creek flows through the history-rich Fort Valley just east of Edinburg, Virginia. George Washington surveyed this area when he was young, and there are documented stories that he considered using this well protected area for his army. Stonewall Jackson’s “foot cavalry” used the valley frequently which would be expected since many of his men were from the “Fort.”

When there is heavily overcast weather for several consecutive days in October, there can be excellent hatches of beatis mayflies. These are well matched with the Mr. Rapidan Dry fly size 18 and Beatis Parachute Dry Fly size 18. Fishing this hatch is a great amount of fun because you just might have several large trout rising within casting distance of where you are standing. This hatch can last through November, so keep an eye out for rising trout.

This is such a great trout stream that the State of Virginia has placed one of its best sections in their Delayed Harvest management program. From October 1st through May 31st, this section is well stocked and fished as a nokill stream.

Starting in November and lasting until March, one can hit midge hatches. These flies are moody and you may get good midgefishing for five days in a row, and then not see them again for a week. The trout feed in two different methods on the midge hatch. You may see a delicate dimple on the surface indicating they are feeding on the adult midges. In this case, drift a CDC Midge #22 or Mr. Rapidan Midge #22 over them on a 9 foot 6X leader and you’ll get great fishing. If you see splashy rises, swirls or leaping trout, they are feeding on emerging midges. In this case, switch to a Brassie #20 or a Pheasant Tail Nymph #18 and dress the leader with silicone floatant to within six inches of the fly. Fish these just below the stream surface with a very slow two-inch twitching action. Be gentle with this last ploy, because it is easy to break off a large trout on the strike with this tight line retrieve.

Fall is a great time to fish Passage Creek, so we begin our evaluation of this stream in the fall and see the effective tactics and flies to use on through the winter. Then we’ll look at the spring hatches and finally, the summer tactics. In October, one of the best tactics is to use the Murray’s Flying Beetle #16 to go one-on-one with feeding trout that you see rising along the shaded banks. If you don’t see many fish rising, use this same fly to fish along the runs below the riffles.

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virginia is effective as you wade slowly down the stream and strip the fly three inches every five seconds to swim it along the stream bottom.

Frequently, winter rains and melting snows raise the level of Passage Creek slightly during the winter, and some anglers go big fish hunting. Last winter, a friend had a good fish follow a Murray’s Black Marauder #10 twice in one evening, but refused to take it. He went back at dawn the next day and caught his trout which turned out to be a fourpound rainbow on that same fly. One half hour later, he caught a threepound rainbow twenty yards downstream from the first one. In addition to this fly, the Murray’s Olive Strymph #10 and Black Strymph #10 are both excellent streamers during the winter. A good streamer tactic on the narrow sections of Passage Creek is the “bounce retrieve.” With it, you wade upstream and cast upstream. After the fly sinks deeply, retrieve it back downstream with a series of lifting and dropping rod tip motions to make it look like a minnow swimming downstream. In the wide pools, an across stream presentation

In late March the mayfly hatches begin with the quill Gordon showing up first and being followed two weeks later with the march brown. These are the two insects I designed the Mr. Rapidan Dry Fly to match twenty years ago, and it is the favorite fly for most serious anglers on these two hatches. When you spot rising trout, go one-on-one with each one with a Mr. Rapidan Dry Fly size 14. If the hatch is sparse on the day you are fishing, you can still get great fishing with this dry fly by fishing below the riffles and in the tails of the pools.

great in March and April. However, by summer this section is usually too low for good fishing. The same dry flies used in the delayed harvest section of the stream are effective here. In the early part of the summer the fishing can be good in the delayed harvest part of the stream with beetles and ants. Yet, with the removal of the no-kill regulation in June and the low stream levels, the fishing becomes very demanding through the summer.

Passage Creek is accessible by taking Route 675 East from Edinburg to Kings Crossing on to Route 678. To reach the delayed harvest section, take Route 678 north about 18 miles to Route 619 which leads to the fish hatchery. The delayed harvest section lies both upstream and downstream of the bridge on Route 619 which crosses the stream. There is also some excellent water in the George Washington National Forest just upstream of the delayed harvest section of the stream with some beautiful camping areas. To reach the extreme upstream section of Passage Creek in Crisman Hollow, take Route 675 south from Kings Crossing to the crossroads on Route 274 and Route 675. Follow Route 274 south to the parking lot about one mile south on the right. The stream is just west of this parking lot. The appeal of fishing Passage Creek is threefold: beautiful scenery, rich history, and great fishing.

The sulphur hatch is also good here, beginning in the middle of May and lasting until the middle of June. Ed Shenk’s Dry Sulphur size 16 and 18 are my favorite flies for this hatch. The duns start coming off heavily two hours before dark, and for the last hour of daylight, you have both duns and spinners on the water. At this time, the fishing can be outstanding as you wade slowly up the stream from one feeding station to the next. An entirely different section of Passage Creek is found in the far southern section of Fort Valley in Crisman Hollow. Many anglers refer to this as the head of Passage Creek, and although it is not managed as a delayed harvest part of the stream, the fishing can be

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southern trout lore

southern trout lore Remembering L.J. DeCuir Don Kirk

his is an ongoing series of articles about well-known and not so wellknown southern trout fishermen who made (what we at Southern Trout Magazine consider to be) significant contributions to the history and evolution of our passionate pastime. Some times the subject will be a long past personage, while other times it will be a contemporary individual. This go round we are remembering L. J. DeCuir, the author of Southeastern Flies (Menasha Ridge Press, 1999). I personally never met this Knoxville based fly fisherman, tyer and writer, although I was close to the production of the book. Mike Jones, who at one time ran acquisitions for Birminghambased Menasha Ridge Press, contacted me in 1998 to look over a book query on flies and fly patterns for southern trout waters. My flyfishing guide to the Smokies had come out the year before. Menasha Ridge Press is best known for its paddling, camping and ghost adventure books. In those days, I helped them sort through fishing book queries which they now tend to shy away from most of the time. L. J. DeCuir was a fellow I did not know, but after reading his book proposal (and later his manuscript), I became a big fan of his. Even now, his work, Southeastern Flies, remains the most comprehensive book on the subject of flies for mountain streams and tailwater rivers of the South. It has been out of print for several years. Copies of it show up occasionally online, now fetching upwards of $100. If you have a copy, you are indeed lucky. I ransacked the warehouse at Menasha Ridge Press when they told me that their inventory showed a case on the premises. After acquiring lungs full of dust, I found only a single copy of L. J.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book.

academia where he was well known for his stage and theater lighting skills and innovations. His list of honors and publications during his long tenure as an associate professor at the University of Tennessee is far to long to mention here. An intellectual of considerable stature, DeCuir was also a long time member of the Great Smoky Mountains Chapter of Trout Unlmited where he shared his passion for fly fishing and fly tying with some of the most knowledgeable trout fishermen in the South.

today. Walt Winters of EZ Fly Shop often accompanied him on streams, noting that DeCuir was lots of fun, especially when in the company of his partner in crime, David Allerton. Other partners include David Blackburn, H.B. Cowan, Pat Proffitt, Dave Cox and Bill Murphy. However, his biggest fan was his wife Mari, who encouraged DeCuir to fish often and enjoy himself. Doubtless there would have been a follow-up edition of Southern Flies had life not ended prematurely for L. J. DeCuir. In his 57th year in 2003, he passed away after a gallant 3 year battle with cancer. He is sorely missed as certainly L. J. DeCuir would have continued his invaluable contributions to the traditions of southern fly fishing for trout.

DeCuir graduated in 1967 from Tulane DeCuirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fly fishing buddies included many University, beginning a lifelong career in of the usual suspects that are still around

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2012 Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Expo Jeff Kirk

estern North Carolina is fortunate to have beautiful mountains, clean streams, and wild trout. This rare combination in the Southeast has lead to an abundance of people who love to fly fish. To support this pastime, The 4th Annual WNC Fly Fishing Expo kicks off on Nov. 3rd, 2012 at the WNC Agricultural Center for an entire weekend focused on the fly fishing opportunities of our area. This Expo is a two-day fly-fishing extravaganza providing anglers an opportunity to learn about the very latest in fly-fishing gear, techniques, and fishing locations. This has become the largest event in the Southeast for fly anglers because it attracts over 1,500 visitors over the two-day event. The WNC Fly Fishing Expo will feature local fly shops, expert anglers, celebrity guest speakers, clubs and organizations, as well as manufacturer representatives. Here you can see the latest fly-fishing gear from companies such as Simms, St. Croix, Scientific Anglers, Fishpond, Ross Reels, Montana Fly Company and Sage, and many others. Also, a visitor will enjoy access to complimentary fly-fishing instruction from local area experts and enjoy lunch from 12 Bones BBQ while tasting the beer of the Highland Brewery. The 2012 featured speaker is legendary flyfishing expert, Kelly Galloup. Kelly started his fly-fishing career at the age of 13 tying flies for the local tackle shop, and started professionally guiding at 16. Kelly currently owns and operates The Slide Inn lodge on the banks of the Madison River in southwest Montana. He has written two acclaimed books, Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout

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and Cripples and Spinners, and has numerous DVDs on tying and fishing. In 2003, Kelly received the living legend award from the FFF and was awarded the Charles E Brooks memorial life award in 2007. Kelly has created over 90 nationally recognized fly patterns that are sold worldwide and is currently a royalty fly tier for Rainy’s Flies. He is also a fly rod designer for St Croix rods and fly line designer for Scientific Anglers. He is one of the editors at large for Fly Fisherman magazine and is also the host of Fly Fish TV with Kelly Galloup. He will be presenting two seminars on Streamer and Nymph fishing tactics, tailored specifically to the waters in the area. Kelly first fished the Southeast in the 80s and proclaims to have an addiction for local rivers including the South Holston and Watauga in East Tennessee. When asked for his take on the fishing in our area, he said, “The Southeast is the new West. As for quality of the fishing, it rivals anything we have here in Montana.” The WNC Fly Fishing Expo will be open on Saturday, November 3, from 9AM – 5PM and again on Sunday from 9AM – 4PM. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children 16 years of age and younger. Visit wncflyfishingexpo.com for more information about the 2012 WNC Fly Fishing Expo. www.southerntrout.com | October 2012 | Southern Trout | 105

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feature million from the US Army Corps of Engineers of which only $3.8 million (80%) has been provided. The Service is moving to a user pay system to supply fish for mitigation of federal water development projects since putand-take fisheries are a lower conservation priority. Linking Biological and Economic Health The Southeastern U.S.’s fish and aquatic resources are among the richest and most

This is especially significant in small towns and rural areas near the waters that are stocked by Dale Hollow NFH and where the purchases of fishing equipment, lodging, food, and transportation are made. In addition, businesses and industries that supply local retailers benefit from angler expenditures. In this way, each dollar of local retail expenditures can affect a variety of businesses at the local, regional and national levels. According to the study, the total economic output for trout production at Dale Hollow NFH amounts to $75.1 million every year. That’s an economic return of $94.00 for every tax dollar spent to operate the hatchery.

How Important is Supporting the Dale Hollow National Hatchery? Jeff Kirk

ow important is it for Southern Trout fisherman to unit to save the Dale Hollow National Hatchery? Subtract 1,340.000 creel size and fingerling trout a year from the waters of several states, including Georgia and Tennessee. So what is the deal? President Obama’s budget for FY 2012 includes a reduction of $6.3 million for funding of NFHS operations is proposed. This will impact nine hatcheries. Six of these hatcheries, including Dale Hollow and Erwin, are located in the Southeast. Should full reimbursement by the responsible federal parties not be secured, production for mitigation activities at these hatcheries will stop. The USFWS has requested $835,000 from TVA to reimburse the service for TVA mitigation fish production taking place at Dale Hollow NFH, Erwin NFH (TN), and Chattahoochee Forest NFH (GA). Approximately $600,000 of this funding would be directed to Dale Hollow NFH. The Service has also requested $4.7

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these annual economic benefits. Dale Hollow NFH provides an enormous economic impact to the local, regional, and state economy. The hatchery is a major economic driver for many of the counties in north-central Tennessee and contributes significantly to the economies of counties in east Tennessee. The economic impact is felt by everyone, not just those associated with addressing the needs of anglers.

diverse in the world. These resources, and the recreational opportunities they provide, have helped support the Nation’s growth by providing enormous ecological, social and economic contributions. Our aquatic resources are recognized as national assets that contribute to the quality of life and well being of the American people. National Fish Hatcheries help foster this critical link between the biological health of our nation and its overall economic health. The high quality and efficient trout production at Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery (NFH) is just one aspect of their fish production that creates a positive ripple effect for all Southerners. Recreational angling for fish produced by the hatchery results in considerable expenditures of recreationrelated goods and services such as lodging, transportation, boats, fishing equipment, and other gear used by the fishing public. A 2010 economic study clearly identified www.southerntrout.com | October 2012 | Southern Trout | 109

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Leading the campaign to save this valuable resource is the Friends of the Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery. They recognize the importance of the hatchery to this area and are committed to supporting the hatcheryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission, promoting conservation ethics, education, and encouraging the sport or trout fishing. Their goals include providing support for hatchery operations, provide educational support to local schools, educating the public and government agencies on conservation issues and ethics, and working to provide opportunities for trout fishing for the public while being an advocate for the hatchery as needed. For more infomation, contact the Friends of the Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery at www.tennesseetailwatertrout.com Photos courtesy of USFWS

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contributors

contributors Beau Beasley, Virginia Editor Beau Beasley is a well-known name among readers of fly angling magazines. His work has appeared in nearly every ma jor fly fishing periodical in the country. He is the author of Fly Fishing Virginia. Recently he won the TalbotDenmade Memorial Award for Best Conservation Article from the MasonDixon Outdoor Writers Association for his investigative piece “Where Have All The Menhaden Gone?” He’s also the director of the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival www.vaflyfishingfestival.org and lives with his wife and children in Warrenton, VA.

Bill Bernhardt Bill Bernhardt, 52, is the owner of and guide, instructor, and custom rod builder for Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company (www.nc-flyfishing.com) located in Lenoir, North Carolina. In addition, Bill is somewhat unusual in that he specialize in small streams, wild trout, and back county, remote access, walk/wade trips into the Blue Ridge Mountains. Consequently, his freelance outdoor articles along with his nature photography focus specifically on the exceptional beauty and excellent trout fishing opportunities available to fly fishermen in western North Carolina. John Berry Located in Cotter, Arkansas, “Trout Capital USA,” John Berry provides wade and float trips on the White, Norfork, Spring, and Little Red Rivers for trout and Crooked Creek for Smallmouth Bass. A retired CPA, he has been a professional fly-fishing guide in the Ozarks for almost two decades. An active conservationist, he has taught fly fishing and fly casting at a long list of colleges and events. Bob Borgwat, Columnist Bob Borgwat, 55, leads the team of Reel Angling Adventures at ReelAnglingAdventures.com as owner, administrator, webmaster and guide. His freelance writing, editing, and photography covers fishing across the US, but his daily piscatorial adventures take place with fly-rod in hand just outside his doorstep in the southern reach of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. He is a former senior editor for Game & Fish Magazines, Primedia and Intermedia Outdoors, and is an active member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association.

David Cannon David was previously a full-timer in the outdoor publication world, having worked for such titles as American Angler, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Fly Tyer and Georgia Outdoor News and Alabama Outdoor News, but he is now a global missions pastor and photographer in Walton County, Georgia (betwixt Atlanta and Athens). He is also the author of the book Fly Fishing Georgia: A No Nonsense Guide To Top Waters. He and his wife, Stephanie, successfully spawned this past winter and are expecting their first fry - a baby girl - this fall. When he’s not working, David enjoys tearing his own ligaments, sprouting new grey hairs and making new people who will eventually replace him. For more, visit CannonTTL.com.

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William “Bo” Cash A native of Morganton, North Carolina, Bo Cash was taught trout fishing by his grandfather at the age of three in 1952. He earned a B.S degree in biology with a concentration in ecology from Gardner-Webb University and began tying flies in 1970, rod building in 1976, and opened a Table Top Angler fly shop in 1980. In 1998, he “retired” from building rods after having completed well over 500 and in 2001he retired from teaching high school biology. He is the owner of the Table Top Angler fly shop, a life member in Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers, and as had articles published in sporting journals. His first book, Water Under the Bridge, was published in 2011. Bo is married Novah Wall, who accompanies him on many of his trips. Soc Clay Soc Clay was first published in Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines in the 1950s. He was one of the first members of the SEOPA, served as director for the OWAA, founded the Kentucky Outdoor Press Association, an inductee of the Freshwater Fishing Hall, and he is a poet laureate of Kentucky. A lifelong resident of South Shore, Kentucky, Clay is also known as an outdoor photographer. His photography has graced the covers of scores of magazines including in one year 11 of 12 issues of the fabled Bassmaster magazine. His latest book Soc Clay’s Mad Trapper Sourdough Baking Book, portrays the romantic history of the use of sourdough starters and recipes used to sustain rugged prospector during the Alaska Gold Rush. It is the authority for the use of sourdough in baking in the world. (www.WhitefishPress.com) Dave Ezell Dave Ezell grew up fishing on East Tennessee rivers and lakes and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lucky enough to make a living in sales and as a scribe for business publications, he also has enjoyed fishing a variety of waters from steelhead on the Sol Duc to tarpon off North Captiva, Florida. Dave is one of the sparkplugs in the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, he has been intimately involved with Troutfest since its inception. Currently he finds himself just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Maryville, Tennessee. Daniel Brent Golden Native East Tennessean Brent Golden’s interest in photography began while studying for his fine-arts degree at the University of Tennessee. An avid flyfisherman, his passion for the outdoors is the focal point of his photographic interest. His specialty is shooting large panoramic landscapes of North America’s flyfishing waters. A recent interest in the invisible light of infrared (IR) photography has inspired him to capture his local waters in this unique way.

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contributors

George Grant George Grant lives in Johnson City with his wife and earnestly wades upstream through his sixth decade. Mountain streams large and small are his first love, but he regards the South Holston and Watauga tailwaters to be his mistresses. In addition to actually fly fishing, he enjoys the history and the craft of fly tying, especially “resurrecting” patterns that have passed from common use. For many years Grant worked in local fly shops. He also wrote columns about fly fishing for a local sports magazine and for the Bristol Herald Courier. Craig Haney, Editor-at-Large Craig Haney has spent a lifetime chasing trout on the streams, headwaters and tailwaters of the southern Appalachians and elsewhere. After graduating from Auburn University with an animal science degree, Craig has spent the ma jority of his career in the outdoor industry as a manufacturers’ rep for fishing, boating, camping and hunting gear as well as operating partner of Riverwoods Outfitters / Haney-Mullins Orvis for eight years. He has taught fly tying and fly casting at his shops and community colleges. Additionally, he has written on fly fishing and other outdoor subjects for a variety on national and regional magazines. Craig and his wife Lynn live on Shades Mountain in Hoover, AL in the southern Appalachian foothills. Kevin Howell Kevin Howell fished 38 states before college. In 1997 Kevin took a job as Manager of Davidson River Outfitters. He was also helping his father run Dwight and Don’s Custom Tackle. After his father passed away in 1998, Kevin took over the operation of Dwight and Don’s Custom Tackle while remaining the Manager of Davidson River Outfitters. In 2000 Kevin purchased Davidson River Outfitters and combined the operation of the two businesses. He is also a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor. Kevin is also a nationally known fly tyer and is currently the FlyTying Editor for Fly-Fishing the Mid Atlantic States. He has also had several of his original patterns published in various magazines as well as being produced by some of the national tying companies. Jimmy Jacobs, Georgia Editor Jimmy Jacobs is with Game & Fish Magazines. He also is the Outdoor Columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper and online Atlanta Outdoor Travel Writer for Examiner.com. Jacobs has authored five guidebooks to fishing in the southeastern United States, including Trout Streams of Southern Appalachia; Trout Fishing in North Georgia; and Tailwater Trout in the South. His writing and photography have earned Excellence In Craft awards from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.

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Jeff “Owl” Jones, Columnist Fly Fishing Film Maker Owl Jones is a something of polarizing figure among the fly fishing community. He first came on the scene during the messageboard craze of the mid-90s. Since the late 90s, he has been banned from most of the larger forums due to his ability to ruffle the feathers of fellow anglers and state wildlife agencies alike. In late 2010 he started his own blog which is now called “OwlJones.com” where he has not yet been banned. Owl currently lives in Gainesville, Ga., with his lovely wife and their invisible dog “Snickers” who always does what he’s told and never barks at night. His goal is to get famous, and to take over the fly-fishing world.

Dr. Todd Larson, Columnist A dedicated fisherman and college history professor, Dr. Todd Larson writes and publishes everything related to the history of fishing, including the history of baits, (lures and flies), rods and reels, techniques, and people important to the history of fishing (Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, etc.) As an owner of Whitefish Press, Dr. Todd is dedicated to publishing a wide variety of works on fishing history and fishing tackle. Founded in 2006 by Dr. Todd, The impressive Whitefish catalog includes some of the finest in fishing history. He also writes and publishes a fine blog called Fishing for History: The History of Fishing and Fishing Tackle. More recently, he acquired ownership of The Classic Fly Rod Forum. Roger Lowe Roger Lowe is the owner of Lowe Guide Service & Outfitters, located in the heart of the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains in Waynesville, North Carolina. The area offers some of the best fishing in the eastern United States. Being a native of Waynesville, he spent his childhood summers camping and fishing with his father and grandfather in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. He learned about insects indigenous to local streams and the trout’s feeding habits. Roger developed his own technique for tying effective imitator patterns and became a master at catching the wild and wary mountain trout. He has been tying for forty years and fishing all his life. Today, as a professional guide, his fly patterns are used extensively by local fishermen. Roger’s book, Roger Lowe’s Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains is a fly tying and identification guide. He also has a tying video, Smoky Mountain Fly Patterns. It shows how to tie a lot of the Smoky Mountain Patterns. He also has a hatch book, Smoky Mountain Fly Patterns which is a guide to the patterns to use each month. Harry Murray Harry Murray was born, raised and still lives on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in the village of Edinburg, Virginia where he owns and has operated Murray’s Fly Shop for over 40 years. He has published eight books on fly fishing, including Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park; Virginia Blue Ribbon Streams; and Murray’s Fly Shop Exclusive Fly Patterns. His articles can be seen regularly in many national fly fishing magazines. Harry conducts “on the stream” fly fishing schools each spring and summer out of his fly shop. He has designed over 50 fly patterns and provides guide service in the Virginia area.

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contributors

Oak Myers Native West Virginia resident, Oak Myers has been a full time trout fishing guide for decades. His company, Cranberry Wilderness Outfitters (wvoutfitters.com, 304-651-3177) is based out of the mountain town of Richwood. A talented writer and fly fishing instructor, Myers is best known for helping his clients use bicycles to access the bowels of the rugged Cranberry Wilderness. Larry Rea, Arkansas Editor Larry Rea is the seasoned, retired Outdoors Editor for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN, where he held that post between 1967 and 2001. Currently he is the host of Outdoors with Larry Rea on Sports 790-AM in Memphis; www.lroutdoors.com. He is also free-lance writer for The Commercial Appeal’s DeSoto Appeal (Sunday outdoors column). A master scribe, for five consecutive years he was a double award winner (first and second place) in Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association’s Excellence in Craft Broadcast category. He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Hall of Fame in 2010 where he is now an honored lifetime member. Larry also serves on the board of directors for Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (2010-present).

Greg Ward, Tennessee Editor Greg Ward lives in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, where he has been a full-time hunting and fishing guide since 1989. He owns and operates Rocky Top Outfitters, a hunting and fishing guide service specializing in stream fly-fishing, spin fishing, and guided turkey and bear hunts. His articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and outdoor magazines. He is the co-author of the Ultimate Fly Fishing Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains. Greg has hosted several radio shows and has been a popular presenter at Pigeon Forge’s annual Wilderness Wildlife Week. He lives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, with his wife and daughter.

Ian Rutter Along with wife, Charity, Ian Rutter is the owner of R&R Fly Fishing, which is based out of Townsend, Tennessee. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, he has guided fly fishers since 1995. He is on the pro staffs of Scott Fly Rods and Hyde Drift Boats. A prolific writers, Ian wrote Great Smoky Mountains National Park Angler’s Companion, Tennessee Trout Waters: Blue Ribbon Guide, and Rise Rings and Rhododendron: Fly Fishing the Mountain Streams and Tailwaters of Southern Appalachia. He has logged countless hours on the water in Tennessee and North Carolina he spends a good deal of time fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains every year. Scott Spencer Scott Spencer is a freelance writer who was born and raised in Alabama. An avid hunter and fisherman, he learned about fly fishing nearly 40 years ago when he first picked up the flyrod at the age of 12. He was tutored in the art of casting and fly fishing using my father’s 1952 Phillipson bamboo flyrod. A banker by profession, he has hunted across the United States and has done both television hunting programs and hunting DVD’s. A passionate fly fisherman, Spencer frequently fishes the streams and tailwaters of North Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. He is married with three children.

Benjamin VanDevender President of Team Dead Drift, Georgia’s Competitive Fly Fishing Team, Benjamin VanDevender, fell in love with fly fishing and chasing trout across Georgia. In recent years he has won accolades and awards for his fly-fishing expertise. Ben started fly fishing competitively a few years ago. Through competitive fly fishing, Ben learned more advanced tactics than some have ever thought possible. Already a fan of fly fishing for trout, his entry into its competitive side has given him a new appreciation for all aspects of the sport we call fly fishing.

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