Some of my friends who are still in the education field were on Spring Break. After a few phone calls and text messages, everyone agreed that a camping trip would be nice for a couple of nights. It's not the same epic type of trip as our Spring Break trips of old, such as to the Everglades or Grand Canyon, but sometimes a couple of days to relax are better for the soul.
Naturally I took along my two favorite toys, a camera and a fly rod. The fishing was just starting to heat up over on that side of the Park. I did not exactly catch a ton of fish, but all were nice healthy brown trout so I wasn't complaining. The hatches were still nonexistent there the first week of March other than the Little Black Caddis. Things should be much different by now with the fish starting to respond to the increase in available food.
While I did enjoy the fishing, the trip was mostly about time with friends. We went on a short hike up the trail above Smokemont along the Bradley Fork which was the first time I've walked up above the campground. The water is beautiful up there! I'll definitely have to return later in the year for another adventure over there to fish the Bradley Fork a bit more. I've fished the majority of the major streams on the North Carolina side as well as some smaller tributaries at least a few times each, but for some reason I keep ignoring this stream. Doesn't this water just beg to be fished though?
All in all it was a great chance to catch up with friends, spend a bunch of time nursing a campfire, and even take a few pictures.
Interested in learning to fish in the Smokies and looking for a guide? Contact me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com to discuss setting up a trip.
Beautiful pictures as always, really enjoy that second brown. Beautiful fish and scenery there.
ReplyDeleteThank you! That brown had some of the nicest red spots I've seen on one in a while.
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ReplyDeleteIt’s always nice to fish and hike with someone who loves it as much as you do. I notice the fast rapids in some of the images; I would assume that one would really need to be on their nymphing game to fish those type streams? Are there a lot of short hits in water that fast? Thanks for sharing
Bill, those faster sections can be great spots to nymph for sure. The seams just alongside that fast water is great for dry fly fishing as well. Generally those mountain fish are used to seeing food moving quickly and hit solidly. The normal problem is that they hit so fast that they're gone before you can set the hook.
DeleteThis place just moved up a notch on my bucket list. Great post David.
ReplyDeleteHoward, when you get here let me know and we'll finally get together to fish!
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