Float Down the River

One of the most peaceful and enjoyable ways to fish larger streams and rivers is to float.  While I enjoy the intimacy of wade fishing the Caney Fork, sometimes it is nice to sit back in a boat and relax.  Last Friday I had plans to meet David Perry to float.  We finalized where to meet the evening before and everything was set.  As before most trips, I spent the evening before furiously tying up a few last midge patterns.

Friday morning I got up and was soon on the road.  A quick stop for breakfast and fuel slowed me down temporarily but before I knew it I was cruising along the river to the takeout.  David and Brent had already dropped off the boat so I waited until David came back to do the shuttle.  We rode together back up to the launch point while catching up and discussing the day's fishing prospects.  We found Brent waiting with the drifter and after arranging fly rods and other gear were soon underway.

I somehow found myself in the front seat but the hot spot to be was in the back.  Before we knew it Brent had caught several trout while I was still looking to get rid of the skunk.  My luck was slow to turn while Brent continued to boat trout at a ridiculous pace that soon landed him on the rower's bench. Changing up to a deeper rig to get down to where the fish were holding, I finally fed a few fish and the day was looking up.

Naturally just being back on the river with friends was a great way to spend my time.  I found it difficult to concentrate on the indicator, instead getting distracted by herons, deer, beavers, and whatever else happened to be in view at any given time.  Still I was catching enough fish to make the day amazing.

The best part of the day was when Brent and I doubled up and David P. was kept busy with both fish in the net at once.  I had to ask for a picture.  In the background you can see Brent is already back at it and trying to catch the next fish.

The one disappointment of the day was the lack of big browns.  We normally see a few monsters but the largest we saw was probably 18 inches or so.  Hopefully we just weren't looking in the right places.  If we don't get too much more rain the river may be at low flows for much of the rest of the summer.  To get in on the good fishing, consider taking a trip with David Perry.  He knows the river well and always seems to crack the code early in the trip to get into fish.

Oh, one more funny picture.  I snapped the picture right as the fish panicked...