Stop By

Today I will be tying from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm at Little River Outfitters in Townsend, TN.  If you are in the area, stop by and say hello and let's talk about fishing.  Afterwards I may get out to fish although the weather is looking pretty sketchy.  Either way, the tying will be a lot of fun.  I hope to see some of you there...

Frosted Cove

Snowy Tremont

Nice Browns!!!

My friends Ethan and Joe Mcgroom were out fishing this past weekend and found some super nice fish.  I made it up to the Park myself but had a slow day.  I got on one 18 inch brown as well as a nice 24 inch fish but ended up spooking both.  At another spot I found 3-4 BIG fish in a pod feeding on something near the bottom.  At least I know where they live and will be back.  How awesome would it be to go back and find them rising?!? 

Thankfully some people had a good day out.  Here is a picture of Ethan's nice fish.  Both Ethan and Joe are great fishermen that know how to find the big guys. 

Joe Mcgroom Photograph

The River Journal

I recently found another great Tennessee based blog/website, this one by fishing guide Mike Bone.  He has recently put some clients on BIG browns using streamers (one of my favorite ways to fish) so I'll definitely be checking back often to see what he is up to.  I hope you will enjoy his site as much as I have...

Tying Demo

I would like to invite everyone who can make it to join me at Little River Outfitters in Townsend, TN on Sunday February 19th for a tying demo I will be doing.  So far I haven't determined exactly what I'll be tying although I'm currently leaning towards simply doing a mix between some of my favorite tailwater and mountain patterns.  The focus will be on effective flies that also happen to be anywhere from mostly to ridiculously easy to tie.  I want to do two tailwater trout flies, as well as my top striper fly that catches all my fish like this...

I will also tie another streamer or two as well as some Smoky Mountain patterns that either I have developed or modified for use in the Park.  I might also tie a brown trout pattern or two that are effective in the Park...

Thinking

When you are at work and daydreaming, what are you normally thinking about?  I catch myself thinking not only about fishing but the beautiful places where the sport takes me.  When all else fails, I'm thinking of a favorite river and what the water looks like in those first hours of daylight or perhaps right as the sun is setting and the fish are getting active....something like this:

Firsts

First brown of the year nailed a white streamer and wanted it in a bad way.  The fish swirled on the fly once so I threw back and it inhaled the fly like it was the last meal it would get.  Not a bad way to kick off another year of fishing for browns!

Also got that first smallmouth and it was definitely a surprise!  Normally I don't expect to see smallies out this time of year, but it just goes to show that fish do still have to eat.  Those that think fishing in cold weather is pointless just need to get out more.  If you spend enough time on the water and learn what the fish are up to, the catches will follow...



Sunsets

Where I live, I am blessed to have good views nearly to the horizon in all directions provided I walk a couple of hundred feet up the road.  More often than not, you will find me wandering up the road in the evening for a short walk as a way to relax at the end of the day.  Of course, if I lived on the bank of a great trout stream I would probably be knee deep in the water, but life should be taken as it comes.  Thus, for the time being, I'll be content with my evening stroll.  The most consistent draw on these walks is watching the sunset.  If I could drag myself out of bed consistently early each morning I would watch the sun rise as well, but so far I only catch that phenomenon every now and then. 

The vast horizon tends to offer up some pretty special sunsets although sometimes they sneak up on me when I least expect it.  Yesterday was such a day.  As I headed up the road from my house, I had my camera dangling around my neck, hopeful for a nice end to the day but not really expecting much.  In fact, the sky seemed to be indicating that the day would end with high clouds streaming overhead, giving the day a gray finish.  When I made it about 100 feet from my house, this is all I saw...

By the time I made it 200 feet, there were vague indications of the treat ahead although I was still somewhat pessimistic about my chances of a light show.

 
A quarter of a mile down the road, a glow started spreading from low in the western sky.  A beautiful end to a nice day, but nothing spectacular.  I was happily snapping a couple of pictures before resuming my walk.

After three pictures, what I saw made me run up the road to a better vantage point.  The following 20 or so minutes were one of great examples of why you should always carry a camera.  I couldn't take enough pictures although in situations like this the pictures never seem good enough.  In my mind I have a memory, and in pictures I still have at least an impression of how beautiful the sky was.  For several minutes, a brilliant sun pillar was standing in the western sky.  The whole experience just reminded me how fortunate I am to live in a place where I can see the sunset and especially have the time to do it.

 

Old Picture...

Perusing old trip pictures is one way to help a case of cabin fever.  Last week I was examining some of my trout pictures and came across an old favorite from back in 2007.  I love how this picture turned out. Not a particularly large fish or anything, but I like how the picture is framed and the different perspective on the release...