"Grinnin' like a mule eatin' saw briars."

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Jumpin' Jehosaphat

Not much to report, as the second verse is indeed same as the first. The water in East Tennessee is still skinny, but benefited slightly from some light rain that bumped up the CFS by a whopping 20 feet.  But, 54 is better than 34, and I'm pleased to see it tick upward.

Fishing isn't that bad, for all the low water talk. Big fellas are spookier than usual, but trout from 7-10 inches are feeding pretty regularly on dries and nymphs.

Fishing with Smoky Mountain Troutfitters owner and head guide Sean McKay was interesting. We decided to hike into a relatively unknown stream, all of our research (reading a thirty-year-old trail book, bravado provided by Guinness) suggested that this hike was "easy" on the scale from easy - to - strenuous. Mistake number one was believing anything written about the Smoky Mountains, number two was, as usual, extremely low water. The trail was easy for sure, if you're one of the few that can take the Alum Cave to Le Conte in three hours. For a fat guy, hauling up and down one mountain, only to see another peak ahead, was a bit shocking. Of course when we finally found our prize, it was perilously empty. We hiked out and landed at Tremont, fishing below the institute. Fishing was fine, but jello legs weren't. On the way out we noticed a bruiser, a stocked fish for sure, pushing the 25inch mark. We weren't even willing to climb down to chase... that's how tired we were.

Yesterday evening, I jumped Newfound Gap to visit with John Dollar and his son Aaron. We shared some stories into the night with some particularly vivid imagery thrown in like only Mr. Dollar can. Great folks, good times. John said they saw some fish but it was slow. It has been, but it will pick up and I can't wait to get over to WNC for a weekend at Wilson or the Davidson. Wish I could've stayed the night -- especially after nearly running into coyotes all over 441 on the way home at midnight.

Hope you like the links, I just figured that out and thought I'd abuse it. Stay wet, folks, and tight lines!

Griz

5 comments:

Tyler Legg said...

Wilson is going to be on fiya here in a few days! The state has really been stocking some big fish into Wilson. Hope they do the same again this year.

Tyler

John said...

Excellent post griz! It was great to see you and to sit around the fire enjoying our pipes! We will do it again my friend... very soon!

James C. said...

Yes sirs! And I really need a weekend away...

OneBugIsFake said...

Damn good read sir. All the way through. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to teaching these guys.

James C. said...

Thanks, Brandon, teach on!