Smallmouth fishery an underrated resource | McDowellNews.com

Smallmouth fishery an underrated resource | McDowellNews.com

UNITED WE FISH

The Obama administration has ended public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.


ESPN.COM

Concealed Firearms allowed in GSMNP

Concealed Firearms Regulations
As of February 22, 2010, a new federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in this park. It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable state, local, and federal firearms laws before entering this park. As a starting point, please visit the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms website and select the state that you are interested in from the list on the right side of the page. More specific information about state permit regulations can be obtained on the following website

GSMNP Laws and Policies

Skating for trout | TriCities

Skating for trout | TriCities

Montana Trip Cancelled

Normally this would be very bad news.....the plane tickets were refunded, The new Simms Gore-tex waders will collect dust for a while, I won't be cleaning fly lines or winding spools, and the western Trout will wait a season to see some of the best flies I've ever tied........ but in this case it was all a blessing.

Malenda Sage

South Holston

I get a little sentimental when talking of the South Holston as it's the river where I took my first fly fishing trip. My wife booked a guided trip for us back in 2003 before I learned how to properly assemble a fly rod. I can still remember how we started the morning....an hour of wade-fishing before the big float, and I was not happy.
The rocks were too slick to stand up, my line was caught in a tree,it was cold, way too early to be standing in a river, and we sure weren't catching any fish....



--amazing what time can do.
For our triumphant return, long-time guide, Bob Viers, graciously allowed us to stay, once again, at his place on the river called Anglers Rest. This place is like a Shrine dedicated to fly fishing. One could spend several hours reading all the stuff on the walls viewing the various styles of trout-art....and that's just in the bathroom. On the backside of the house, facing the river, there's a set of strategically placed rod holders and place to clean your wading boots


....If you go, don't bother bringing any books on fly fishing, because they're already there, including, The Compleat Lee Wulff

Coincidentally, I began this most recent trip with an early 6:00am wade among the slick rocks and the 50 degree water except this time, after landing three little Browns in quick succession, I knew it was going to be a memorable day. I only had about 90 mins before the dam generation started pushing me downstream....Bob warned us on the night we arrived, if we got stuck on the opposite side of the river that it was a four-mile hike back to civilization.

As our wives began their weekend shopping binge, Bob, Mark and I started our Trout quest down the SoHo.
Lately, the generation schedule has favored the floaters as we only saw a three hour window that would allow for wade fishing, which is difficult under moonlight.

we caught so many fish we lost count....a solid estimate would be around 15 fish for each of us, including something Bob takes a lot of pride in, "The double hook-up" or when two anglers hook fish simultaneously...we accomplished that 7 times. After begging Bob to break out the dry flies, I immediately brought in three Browns in the 14" to 15" inch range. We fished most of the day with Partridge and Yellow and only switched over to Sulpher Spinners for a brief period in the late afternoon....it was real treat targeting several rising Browns and seeing them agressively pounce on the dries.

If you want to have good time and catch a lot of fish, I highly recommend Bob Viers who works out of Virginia Creeper Fly Shop in Abingdon, VA. His experience shows as I've never landed so many fish with so much size. I know we'll be back again; except next time, we won't wait six years.

Montana Bound...

In preparation for our annual trip to Montana, I've started tying some flies I hope will fool a big Trout or three. I guess if they're big, they'll be fairly skilled in the art of not getting caught.



The photo from the top right of this blog, is of a 20" Yellowstone Cutthroat I got on the Lamar river, last summer. The Lamar, a popular spot for anglers, is well-known for the massive Green Drake hatches and hordes of Hoppers. But when we showed up last September, a cold front had moved in and there wasn't much surface activity. I got the big Cutt on a Quasimodo PT. Hopefully, if we make our way back to Yellowstone again, the terrestrial fishing will be back to normal....at least that's what I'm counting on.

When hopper season starts, you can find willing fish using a variety of patterns. Since we tend to travel west late in the season, I've found a few patterns that Trout will go for in addition to ants and hoppers.



Attractor and hairwing dries can be good producers during hopper season...and the "buggier" the better. Yellow Stones will work well as will Stimulators and large Adams variations.