Farewell Tour

Thankfully it was not my last chance ever to fish the Smokies.  With family still living in the area, I will be back to visit and will probably bring a fly rod along on those trips when time will allow for an excursion.  For the present however, yesterday was a farewell tour of sorts, a chance to visit my beloved Smoky Mountains one last time before the craziness begins.

Hoping for one last good brown trout, I got up at the unearthly hour of 3:30 a.m. and was soon on the road.  With the early sunrise of summer, I still was not on the water as early as would be best but luck was with me.  My buddy Ethan was already out fishing when I arrived and had located some good fish.  We decided to check out the pool again and sure enough, a monster brown flashed the streamer but would not hit again.

Slightly stained from recent rains and much higher than in recent weeks, Little River was perfect for fishing nymphs but still a little low for effective streamer fishing.  I switched rods and tied on two flies that are always killer in the summer including my soft hackle Isonychia pattern.  We headed down the river to another spot in hopes of finding more big fish.

The next pool obviously had some big fish moving around.  I was realizing that it was one of those magical days when the browns actually feed during daylight hours in the summer.  Time was short though since the sun would soon be over the ridge and on the water.  Ethan worked on a couple of the fish and soon we moved up the stream to a nice little run where I have generally had good success for rainbows but never any browns.

On my first cast, I changed things up with an active retrieve.  A brown exploded on the larger of the two flies and I quickly tossed the flies back for another go.  Sure enough, the same fish did its best to try and eat the fly but somehow completely missed the hook.  A third cast indicated that the fish had become wise to the game.  Determined to win, I moved up and set up a dead drift right down the middle of the run.  At the deepest point, the line hesitated, and I set the hook into a beautiful fighting brown trout.

The fish jumped and fought like a much larger fish as it tried to outwit me.  In the end, I corralled it while Ethan took over camera duty.  I removed the smaller fly, the soft hackle, and watched the fish swim strongly away, ready for another angler to enjoy the same experience.

Ethan Mcgroom Photograph

Continuing up the river, Ethan worked a large pool while I just watched.  Sometimes it only takes that one fish to satisfy.  This was one of those days.  I had accomplished what I came for.  Anything else would seem like a bonus, or worse yet, potentially greedy.  Above the big pool, a short section of rapids offered a pocket that at higher water levels would be frothing and unfishable.  As Ethan worked his way up, I decided to toss the nymphs in for fun, one of those "I wonder what will happen?" type casts.

The line froze and I set the hook.  This time a larger brown trout started running around the river.  The water was too swift to successfully land the fish so I followed it down stream.  The fish was smart and tried the trick of wrapping the line around a rock.  The current provided a nice advantage for the fish as well.  Remembering the earlier nice fish, I decided that I probably used up my luck for the day and that the fish would probably release itself somehow.  Moments later, I happily banished that thought as I beached the fish on a small sandy strip. Longer but much thinner than the other trout, it was still colored wonderfully.  Ethan was nearly walking on water behind me as he pushed through the rapid to see the fish.  Another picture, another memory stored, and I watched the fish vanish into its watery home.

Ethan Mcgroom Photograph 

Ethan Mcgroom Photograph 

Ethan Mcgroom Photograph

The stream had already been generous with me, but my day was not over.  Fishing a bit longer with Ethan, I started to just enjoy the day and take shots of the stream and scenery.  Eventually Ethan needed to head home so I went into Townsend to talk to the good people at Little River Outfitters and buy a couple of items.  Afterwards, I decided to make another trip into the Park before heading back home.

I messed around on a small stream, as well as on Little River again.  In one place, I found a nice sized rainbow willing to play.  The small stream yielded small rainbows as well as great scenery and the certainty that I was fishing fresh water.

My camera came out more and more to photograph my surroundings.  Recognizing that it might be a while before I return, I wanted to make the most of my time in the Park. Near the small stream, I found butterflies in profusion.  The fish aren't the only thing interesting on these trips!

Finally, drowsiness reminded me that the day had started early, and I had best head for home.  Cruising down I-40 towards the Plateau, I couldn't help but grin.  It had been quite a day!!!