Southern Trout Magazine Issue 15

issue 15

dec/jan 2015

Southern Trout The Bug Man: The Winter Trifecta Matt Green Trout and Georgia’s Old Mills Jimmy Jacobs Western Maryland’s Savage River Beau Beasley www.southerntrout.com

Publisher’s message Yep, it’s just that easy with Western North Carolina’s premier fly shop and guide service. Kevin Howell and his experienced staff have been fishing the surrounding 500 miles of prime trout waters so long, they know all the fish on first name basis. And they’ll be more than happy to make a few introductions.

The Truth about TVA

I PISGAH FOREST, NC

GUIDE SERVICES | ONLINE & RETAIL STORE | LESSONS

was a kid in grade school running a newspaper route when I recall seeing bumper stickers that said “Save the Little T” and others that read, “Dam the Little T.” I grew in a “New Deal” home where FDR was regarded as a deity. TVA was the Almighty’s gift to the Tennessee River Valley, and if you didn’t like ‘em, well you were a bastard like Barry Goldwater.

My parent’s generation knew the valley before FDR/TVA, something I can only wonder about. It was a different world and a different time in those days. The only time in my life that I crossed swords with my father was when I told him that I thought FDR was wrong on just about everything. Thereafter, politics were no longer subject of discussion between us.

TVA was created in 1933 to control flooding, provide navigation, deliver low-cost electricity, improve the economy, and to provide recreational opportunities for the Tennessee Valley. This is the list in its order of priorities. Flood control meant the building of hydroelectric dams, which in turn has provided rural electrification and the one thing most folks here think of when they hear TVA, recreation on the lakes.

Initially TVA brought affordable electricity to the region.

Most people reveled in the creation of the “Great Lakes of the South,” as the more than three dozen impoundments were dubbed.

For a very long time, little consideration was given to the collateral damage inflicted by TVA, especially with regard to the tailwater releases at tributary dams like Cherokee, Douglas, and Norris. When these projects were developed, it is not surprising that there was nothing in

the way of mitigation for the changes that occurred to the rivers. After all, the residents of the Tennessee River Valley had turned a blind eye to the blight of tens of thousands of their neighbors being evicted from their home at gunpoint

by TVA, so these wonderful lakes could be created for the greater good. Taming these naughty rivers was a just cause, and getting cheap hydro- electricity in the process made sense to many whose families were surviving on soup beans and boiled potatoes.

TVA shot itself in the foot with the Tellico Dam project. It was the first time there was public outcry at the agency’s reckless dam building policies. Shortly thereafter, TVA’s foolish decision to become a world leader in nuclear power bit the powerful bureaucrats squarely on the ass. It was a one-two punch from which TVA has never recovered its former halo of infallibility. When the dams reached their 50th birthday, TVA was required to “recertify” them. This time around, there was no FDR strong arm or looming world war to enable TVA to ignore the environmental consequences of tailwater releases that only considered flood control, navigation, and the production of electricity.

A volume of data on the consequences of low dissolved oxygen (DO) and lack of minimum flow, coupled with new environmental regulations that addressed these issues, forced TVA to finally confront problems that the agency had ignored for decades. While it is far from perfect or optimal, the construction of weir dams, pulsing generators, and stocking trout have greatly improved fishing at many tailwater rivers in the Tennessee River Valley. Make no mistake about it though, TVA did not do these good deeds out of a feeling they should do the right thing.

Despite a slick public relations veneer, TVA is still run by a gaggle of bureaucrats who follow the original mission that their first priorities are flood control, navigation, and

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Southern Trout Publisher Co-Publisher Editor-at-large Managing Editor Photographer/Writer Editorial Consultant

Don Kirk David Gray Beau Beasley Leah Kirk Loryn Patterson Olive K. Nynne

Contributors

Bill Bernhardt Bill Cooper Kevin Howell Roger Lowe Harry Murray Jason Sparks Joel DeJong

FIELD STAFF Bob Borgwat

Columnist Ron Gaddy Columnist George Grant Columnist Craig Haney Alabama Editor Jimmy Jacobs, Georgia Editor Steve Moore Columnist Larry Rea Arkansas Editor

Southern Trout is a publication of Southern Unlimited LLC and Stonefly Press LLC. Copyright 2014 Southern Unlimited LLC and Stonefly Press LLC. All rights reserved.

Publisher’s message

(cont.)

providing electricity. TVA central committee regards the management of fisheries much the same as you or I regard an ingrown hair on our buttocks.

For a number of years I have toyed with the notion that privatizing TVA and freeing ourselves of the parasitic bureaucrats was the path to follow.

However, whoever controls the dams, be they government or corporate, their priorities will also be (1) flood control, (2) navigation, and (3) producing hydroelectricity as profitably as possible. Like it or lump it, this is the reality of the matter.

On the positive side, tailwater fishing is better today than it ever has been. Could it be better? Yes it could, but anyway you cut it, it is better now than in the 1950-60s. Fishermen are better organized now than ever before.

Organizations like the River Keepers and Trout Unlimited keep a close eye on TVA which is a good thing. The sport still has fewer worker bees than it does drones in the hive, but again, it could be worse. It’s pretty easy stuff to rant against TVA or the US Army Corp of Engineers. It’s another matter to continuously hold their feet to the fire to make them properly manage rivers for the benefit of fisheries.

If it were up to me, I’d like to see TVA sold and its bureaucrats put out to pasture (something I’d like to see happen to about ninety percent of the government). However, I’m old enough to know that it’s not going happen. The best we can do is watch TVA like a hawk and squeal “rape” every time they make a decision that is not in the best interest of fisheries management.

Those who seek to exploit our natural resources will never stop pushing, and those of us committed to the conservation of natural resources must never stop pushing back.

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4 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

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THIS ISSUE

The Truth About TVA departments

Generally Speaking

THIS ISSUE

3

154

8-46 8

FEATURES 118 Maryland: Savage River

Gearhead

12

130 Trout and Georgia’s Old Mills

New Fly Guy

22

140 Situational Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing for Trout Myths

The Black Wing Olive Chronicles 28 History of Southern Trout

32

Fish Hunter Adventures in Cuisine

40

8

12

148 Jewels of Piney Creek

Fly of the Month 42 Wanderings of Creek Freak

44

Loose Loops and Wind Knots

50

The Bug Man

54

Book Review

64

Blooper

166 North Carolina’s Delayed Harvest

88

Tennessee

Southern Spirits 68 Popcorn Sutton Moonshine Guide Profile 76 Chris Nischan

Featured Resort Clinch River House

162 My Favorite Fly Fishing

32

close look

Featured Rod Builder Walter Babb

154 Discovering Virginia’s

St. Mary’s River

68

82 88

Featured Fly Tier Joel Dean

96

Featured Fly Shop Fly South Fly Shop

102

Discovery Caney Fork River

108

28 22

172 Show Time in Winston-Salem

118

122

TENKARA

174 Hunting Tenkara Waters

130 54

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174

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generally speaking

Little Things

by George Grant

generally speaking In the pasture, the stream followed a course that always reminded me of a child filled with abundant and purposeless energy and dancing through a long summer afternoon. When it entered the woodlot you had to sense its course, still aimless and exuberant, by the implication of the low brush and brambles that lined it, to exchange their cooling shade for an easy draught.

After the woodlot it enters a subdivision where homeowners and road builders were devoted to the straight lines that surveyors draw so well. There its dance stops abruptly. It is directed into a ditch and marched relentlessly toward culverts, childhood’s end.

Ditches don’t dance.

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very day I pass a tiny stream meandering through a retired pasture and whispering into a woodlot. The pasture is retired because it’s now well inside the city limits. Years ago it held a few pleasure horses, but they’re long gone. Now the only use for the stream, the pasture, and the woodlot is to grow the value of their owner’s estate. I’ve always liked the little stream, although it could never hold trout. It is too narrow, too shallow, and too open to the sun. It was a pleasingly rustic vignette to see in passing before houses and minimarts crowded the road’s shoulder again.

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Now someone has crowded three houses into a corner of the woodlot. The music that the stream makes was probably a selling point. After the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the road dies down in the evening the new owners will be able to hear it between cars. At least the builder didn’t discipline it with a ditch. It still looks pretty, and to give the residents a good view, all the brush and trees on one side are gone and lawns that will need mowing and fertilizing curve down to the water on that side.

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That little stream will now have a harder time doing one of its most important tasks. The aimless, childlike wandering and the screening vegetation are one of the most efficient filters on the planet.

Together they clean the water as it returns to the rivers, the lakes, and even the oceans that sustain all life on this planet.

Trees and streams function as a unit. Within the stream bacteria, algae, and fungus strip out the excess nutrients that we deposit because we want greener lawns and taller corn. Brush and brambles along the banks hold on to the soil and keep an intricate web of plants and animals balanced and thriving. Each part of this web is critical to the health of the whole.

We have to stop mistaking the order we want to impose on a system that was here long before it gave rise to us for the “answer.” This web of lives, this system masquerading as chaos, loathing straight lines and the straight walls of ditches, is critical to our survival. The aimless, chaotic dance of childhood is order, the highest order. It may be at the edge of our comprehension, but it is not beyond our grasp. We have to keep it out of ditches, so that it can dance on through the long summer of time. our grasp. We have to keep it out of ditches so that it can dance on through the long summer of time.

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gearhead

Chemical Dependency

gearhead

Fly Floatants Part 1 (Gels and Pastes) Bob Mallard Chemicals are an important part of the fly fishing tackle offering. While there are many types of chemicals used in fly fishing, fly floatants are by far the most popular.

Fly fishers are constantly faced with the dilemma of trying to float things that are absorbent by nature. This ongoing battle with physics has resulted in the development of myriad products designed to make flies float. Anyone who has ever cast a dry fly has used some sort of chemical or cocktail. Fly floatants come in gel, paste, liquid, and powder form.

Fly floatants contain ingredients such as silica, fumed silica, silicone, isopropanol, petrolatum, mineral oil, mineral wax, and paraffin. Companies either repackage these, or blend two or more items together, to attain a desired result. There are no labeling laws for fly floatants, and companies guard their ingredients and recipes like Colonel Sanders guards his fried chicken. In fact, companies are more likely to tell you what their product does not contain than what it does—as in “Silicone Free.” Mostly, these products are described using terms such as “non-toxic,” “non-hazardous,” “environmentally-friendly,” “all-natural,” “non-flammable,” “temperature–stable,” “highriding,” and “long-lasting.”

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While labeled differently, the contents of fly floatants are the same from one product to the next in many cases. In some cases, it is simply a repackaging of a given chemical.

In others, it is due to what is referred to as “private labeling” whereby one company packages their product for other companies and labels them accordingly. But there are other products that, while they may look the same as another, are not.

While the cost of the ingredients used in fly floatants are relatively cheap, much time and money goes into the handling, packaging, and labeling of the products sold to fly fishers. If you think it’s easy to load those little bottles, try emptying one and then pouring it back in. Some chemicals even require you cover up from head to toe and wear protective eyewear and a respirator. In addition, most chemicals and packaging can only be bought in bulk, making it impractical for the do-it-yourselfer.

Fly floatants are sold by such well-known companies as Cortland, Loon, Orvis, Scientific Anglers, and Umpqua (which includes Shimazaki and Tiemco). Other companies such as Footloose Products (Frog’s Fanny) and Gehrke’s (Gink) are better known for their products than their name. Still others are sold by companies such as Hareline Dubbin, Stone Creek, and Wapsi (sold under the Anglers Image and Lightning Strike brands) that are better known to fly shops than fly fishers. www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout | 13

gearhead

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Gel Fly Floatants Gel fly floatants are by far the most popular. They can be used on most flies including those made from nonabsorbent synthetic materials. They do not work for flies tied with CDC as it mats the fibers. Their viscosity is somewhere between a liquid and a paste and varies radically. Most contain a temperature stabilizer that keeps them from melting or hardening. Some have a human odor masking agent.

Gel fly floatants come in small plastic bottles or tubes with a nipple-and-cap or flat flip-cap covering a small hole. While the former are easier to use, the latter are easier to open and close and less likely to break. Gels are less likely to spill than liquids. They can however leak if you do not put the cap on tightly or damage the nipple, especially since most are stored upside down outside your vest or pack.

Gel fly floatants can be applied directly to the fly or dabbed on with your fingers.

While they are not inherently penetrative, they can be worked into the fly using your fingers. They also seal the fly to some degree.

Gel fly floatants include Aquel and Royal Gel (Loon); Bug Butter and Bug Flote (Umpqua); Dry Gel and Dry Magic (Tiemco); Everclear Floatant, Gel Floatant, and White Lightning Floatant (Anglers Image); Fly Floatant (Scientific Anglers); Fly Sauce (Fish Pimp); Gink (Gehrke’s); HyGel (Stone Creek); Hy-Flote Gel Floatant (Orvis); and Pro Float (Cortland). Note that Aquel is available in a guide-size bottle as well as the standard consumer serving.

Pros Compact, cheap, efficient and easy to use. Darken but do not change the color of your fly. Effective on most natural and synthetic materials. Applications last longer than liquids.

Photo by Diana Mallard

Cons Cannot be used on CDC. Some leave a slick on the water. Applications don’t last as long as pastes and powders.

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gearhead

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Paste Fly Floatants Most early paste floatants were sold as fly/line dressings, and some still are. They can be used on most flies including those made from nonabsorbent synthetic materials.

Like gels, they are not recommended for flies tied with CDC. Their viscosity is thicker than liquids and gels. Some contain a temperature stabilizer that keeps them from melting or hardening.

Paste fly floatants come in small tubs with a removable or flip lid, and more recently, in sticks like those used for lip balm. They will not spill and rarely leak. Tub paste floatants must be dabbed on with your fingers while stick products can be applied directly to the fly. While they are not inherently penetrative, they can be worked into the fly using your fingers. Pastes seal the fly to a higher degree than gels.

Tub paste fly floatants include products such as Dab (Cortland), Hy-Flote Leader/ Tippet/Indicator Dressing (Orvis) which, while not marketed as a fly floatant, is similar to many products that are, Mucilin and Silicone Mucilin (Thames Fishing Tackle), and Payette Paste (Loon). Stick products include Solid Floatant (Lightning Strike).

Pros Very compact, cheap, efficient and easy to use. Darken but do not change the color of your fly. Effective on most natural and synthetic materials. Applications last longer than liquids or gels.

Cons Cannot be used on CDC. Some leave a slick on the water. Applications don’t last as long as powders.

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Photo by Diana Mallard

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gearhead Substance Abuse: Gel and Paste Fly Floatant Do’s and Don’ts Always apply gel or paste floatant before your flies get wet. Applying it to a wet fly seals in the moisture and adds weight—leaving you with a fly that is less buoyant than before you treated it.

Never reapply gel or paste floatant without first drying the fly. This can be accomplished using an absorbent cloth or desiccant (to be covered in Part III) -- or letting it air dry on a patch. Again, it seals in the moisture and adds weight.

Conclusion: No floatant does everything I need it to do—at least well. I carry two with me at all times—and have a couple of others stored in my wader bag for specific situations.

Gels are the most versatile. But neither gels nor pastes work on CDC. On spring creeks I use products that do not leave a slick. When fishing large foam bugs I use paste—it floats higher and lasts longer than gel.

BOB MALLARD has fly fished for over 35 years. He is a blogger, writer and author; and has owned and operated Kennebec River Outfitters in Madison, Maine since 2001. His writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines at the local, regional and national levels. He has appeared on radio and television. Look for his books from Stonefly Press, 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast (Now Available), 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout (Spring 2015) and 50 Best Places Fly Fishing for Brook Trout (Fall 2015). Bob is also a staff fly designer for Catch Fly Fishing. He is also the northeast sales rep for both Stonefly Press and Catch Fly Fishing.

Bob can be reached at www.kennebecriveroutfitters. com, www.bobmallard.com, info@bobmallard.com or 207-474-2500.

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GEĆ’R UP FOR THE summer

PRESENT THIS AD AT ANY ORVIS LOCATION

Coupon valid on full-priced items only. Expires October 28, 2014. Offer not valid on purchase of merchandise at orvis.com, or through any Orvis dealer, outlet store, sale event, or catalog.

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new fly guy

Pick the Right Reel

new fly guy

C

onsidering the rod, line and reel, the reel is the least important part of your fly fishing outfit. Right? A good rod provides power to punch out a well executed cast facilitated by smooth, supple matched line. All the reel does is hold the line. Not so fast! While you may not be need some elements of the reel to be the highest quality based on the size of fish you typically pursue, the reel has to be capable of handling that special instance when luck blesses limited skill and a behemoth grabs your fly. While the prospect of a monster is remote on streams where stocking programs plant fish with the expectation of 100% harvest prior the inevitable fish kill as the water warms, beasts can be present in any water supporting year round survival.

All things considered, the reel included in any decent combo package is good enough for stocked trout. If you expect to catch anything bigger than the typical one pound stocker, evaluate your reel against the points below before spending money. There are three basic choices - the standard single retrieve, a multiplier or an automatic retrieve. Unless you have a special situation, the single retrieve reel will do just fine. This type of reel has a 1:1 ratio where a single turn of the handle brings in a length of line equal to the circumference of the spool. When evaluating a reel consider size (capacity, weight), quality (materials, construction, finish), and performance (arbor, drag, retrieval system, noise, left or right hand retrieve).

The cost driver for machined aluminum is the time spent on the assembly line. More cuts, more time, higher cost.

The $150, 3.54 ounce 3/4 wt Snake reel from Fly Fishing Benefactors is a good example. The designers looked for ways to eliminate mass while maintaining structural integrity.

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new fly guy

Size is the most important criteria since it dictates line capacity and weight. The reel must balance with the rod and manufacturers make this easier by designing against specific line weights plus backing. Therefore, a reel rated as 3/4 wt will hold either a 3 wt or 4 wt line with backing. A rod’s target line weight is inscribed above the handle. The reel should be able to accommodate going up or down a line weight; providing flexibility to handle different streamside situations. Since fly line weight is standard and backing is very light, the actual weight of the reel itself becomes important, not only to balance the rod, but to minimize fatigue.

Look for a tight fit between the spool and the frame. These seven year old Orvis Battenkills are still tight despite being banged on just about every rock in the Blue Ridge.

The difference of an ounce is noticeable at the end of an all day fishing expedition. For example, the inexpensive ($50) cast aluminum Cabelas Prestige Plus 3/4 wt reel weighs 5.4 ounces. By comparison, spending $85 gets a fully machined 4.7 ounce Metolius reel from Fly Fishing Benefactors (an interesting company it donates most of its net profits to fly fishing charities like Casting for Recovery).

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To check whether the reel is the correct weight, attach the reel (with line) and observe the balance point.

Ideally, it is at the end of the handle. If the reel is too heavy and you are concerned about fatigue, you need to upgrade quality drives weight.

Quality is the sum of materials, construction and finish. Most good fly reels are machined from a single block of aluminum with a hard anodized, corrosion resistant finish.

The intricate designs are not only nice to look at, but reduce weight by removing material.

The more “spidery” the design, the higher the cost since the reel will spend more time in the cutting machine and reduce the overall throughput of the assembly line. You want a design that is both light and durable, but not delicate.

It needs to be tough enough to bang against rocks in the rough terrain around mountain streams as well as resistant to the inevitable drops from slips and falls. Less expensive reels are made from cast aluminum or composite materials. These are a step down from machined

new fly guy

aluminum, are heavier, and may not include robust components or offer comparable performance characteristics.

Regardless of construction, make sure the spool fits tightly on the frame. Any gap between the two could snag or nick your fly line. A good reel has stainless steel gearing to fight corrosion and should include a one way roller bearing to keep the line from backing up.

Performance is the final attribute. The standard single retrieve fly reel has a 1:1 ratio. If your primary target is mostly small brook trout on mountain streams or stocked fish, the ratio doesn’t matter. You will never get those fish “on the reel” with the need to crank the handle and use the mechanical advantage of a higher ratio to work the fish. Instead, you slowly retrieve the line hand over hand, allowing the rod tip to absorb the shock of pulls and runs. If you expect to encounter larger fish whose lunges rip out line and get onto the backing, a large arbor reel holds more backing to provide working length as you deal with a once in a lifetime catch.

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new fly guy

Most reels have a disk drag. It can be made out of Teflon, glass composite, cork or a variety of proprietary materials and operates by compressing the components together in the same way a disc brake slows a vehicle.

Regardless of the material used in construction, a good drag will not bind.

To test for binding, set the drag and pull against the line. It should pull smoothly away from the reel. If the line slips or jerks, the drag is defective. Any slip sends a shock down the line that could cause a light tippet to break. Take the spool off and look at the drag mechanism. On higherquality reels, the drag will be sealed, protecting it from sand.

As you spin the reel, listen for noise. Some reels make a reassuring click while others operate in stealth mode, totally silent. Neither is better than the other; it’s a personal preference. If you fall on the side of silence, the click will drive you crazy – so avoid those. Finally, if you like to crank with your left hand, confirm the reel allows either a right or left hand retrieve. Good reels feature a quick, notools reversible bearing to account for southpaws.

So, what about price?

You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars for a nice reel - especially when you are just starting out.

Sticking with Cabelas and Fly Fishing Benefactors as the points of comparison, Cabelas RLS+ series fly reels are all machined aluminum with the 3/4 wt being 4.9 ounces and running $125. The Fly Fishing Benefactors 3/4 wt Metolius reel is only $85 and a little lighter at 4.7 ounces while $130 gets their large arbor 3/4 wt Fire Hole model at 4.48 ounces. The bottom line is

After picking the it does not have to cost a right reel for your rod and line, look for a spare spool. fortune to get a good solid reel that will last for years, At some point, you will maybe a lifetime, if you pay want to go up or down a line weight. Having a spare attention to quality. As your spool with a different weight needs change and your commitment to fly fishing line already loaded makes changing a trivial operation. grows, you can investigate the additional features of Since manufacturers the higher priced reels, but evolve designs to give us something else to buy, pick for now, stick with any of the good, reliable models up a spare spool while available at the low end. they are available for your model.

NOW OPEN Bryson City, NC’s only full service fly shop.

You’re headquarters for local fly patterns and fly-fishing advice.

3 Depot St., Bryson City, NC (828) 488-3333 www.tuckflyshop.com

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black wing olive chronicles

black wing olive chronicles

Hardhead Syndrome old, and pretty much have my girlish figure of years gone by. Just between you and me, Daddyboy should have done so well at the aging process. I’ll admit that I am not as adept at catching Frisbees as I used to be, but I still got it.

One change in life is my general attitude. Hell, I know the rules. I know the consequences for

December 7th is my birthday, which this breaking the rules. How shall I say this, other than year makes me eleven years. Actually, that is a bit coming right out and noting, I really don’t give a of fabrication on my part, as no one, including damn if that uneaten half of baloney sandwich on me knows exactly when I was whelped. I chose the coffee table is off limits or not. In my world, December 7th because it is easy to remember, if you snooze you lose, and finders-keepers. If you a choice I made eight years ago when, as best I don’t want me to eat it, then eat it yourself. I mean could tell at the time, I was a spry pup of about after all Daddyboy, is it my fault you can’t stay three years old. Don’t laugh, because, if you are awake long enough to finish your third sandwich? human, about the best you can hope for is that at least half of the information on your birth

As you can imagine, acts such as sandwich certificate is correct. snatching or helping sort through garbage can in the wee hours of the morning has not garnered

In my canine world it is generally agreed me any brownie points. Much the same is true upon that those of us on four legs age at about when I get caught chasing squirrels and cats a rate of 7 to 9 years for every human year. and do not cease and desist once the old goat Applying this moronic logic, that makes me says “whoa.” Hell, I’m 77 years old going on 99. between 77 and 99 years old which is pure “Whoa” often sounds like “go” to me. Daddyboy poppycock. I don’t feel a day over 40 years says that, as I age, I am becoming “hardheaded.”

by Olive k. nynne

but for about the last year ago, I have been coming and going about the interior of the compound without much being said. If I enter

According to ole Mister Wizard, hardhead a room where Daddyboy is maintaining a lifelike position, he is about as apt to say hello to syndrome occurs in dogs over ten years.

According to his sage explanation, for no reason me as he is to ask what the hell I am doing out of the game room. There was a time when such other than just getting old, even well-trained a breach of protocol was met with a folded and heeled canines often forget their station in up newspaper swatted about like a riding crop. life. Signs of early-stage hardhead syndrome include refusing to obey simple commands such Even more remarkable, as of late I have been sleeping in the Master’s Chambers. I’m not as “sit” and “down.” This is not say that I will talking about just on stormy nights, but every not comply, oh let’s say about the third time dad-gum night. you tell me, but you know those reward treats I used to get for dropping my rump have been That I am getting a bit hardheaded is mighty damned few and far between the last few probably at least partially correct, but I think years. Just between you and me, I don’t care if Daddyboy likes it or not. I suppose that is being a that maybe Daddyboy is getting a little soft. I am not necessarily referring to soft in the head, hardhead, but then I don’t really care either. which by the way he is. Rumor has it at the compound that he is mellowing a bit. Come to

To be honest about it, I suppose I am guilty of pushing the envelope. Up until recently, think of it, he doesn’t even clean his guns on the front porch all that often anymore. my time spent indoors at the compound was limited to what they call the game room. During the day, I’d hang out under an old Coca-Cola cooler Daddyboy gutted to turn into a bar. It’s just big enough to hold me, and I like it because no one knows where I am. As soon as the bipods hit the hay, I would emerged to find my way to the forbidden couch where I slept until one of them finally pulled out of bed the next day. The only exception was if there was a thunderstorm which enabled me to get much needed refuge in Boy’s room.

I can only presume he knows from personal metamorphosis.

I’m not exactly sure why it happened,

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southern trout fishing history

Wiley Oakley

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O

southern trout fishing history

ne of the most interesting old time fishermen in the Southern Highlands was a colorful fellow named Wiley Oakley. Simply put, Wiley Oakley was synonymous with the Great Smoky Mountains, prior to establishment, and during the early years as a National Park. Some have even described him as an icon of the Smokies. A true jack-of-all-trades, Wiley’s earliest calls to fame was that of being a mountain trout fishing guide. Ironically, very little is known about his fishing habits.

Wiley, widely known as the “Roamin Man of the Mountains”, was born in 1885 on Mt LeConte. His mother died when he was a young boy. To help deal with his grief, young Wiley began wandering the hollows and ridges of the Smokies. It is said that he spoke of climbing the highest peaks to catch a glimpse of her in heaven. As a youth he helped his family with hunting and fishing efforts. Wiley became a renowned While “roamin” Wiley blazed paths guide. Among those he guided were John D. and discovered the unique features of Rockefeller, Henry Ford and Ernie Pyle.

Smokies. During the Park’s formation, he was key a major consultant who assisted in determining its boundaries.

A true Gatlinburg-style entrepreneur, during his lifetime he was a hunting/ fishing guide, farmer, shopkeeper, developer, backcountry guide, botanist, artist, musician, yodeler, author, columnist, broadcaster, poet and storyteller. His abilities to spin tales about the Smokies that gained him national attention and the nickname as the “Will Rogers of the Smokies.” At his shop in White Oaks Flats (now known as Gatlinburg) Wiley entertained visitors with his humorous stories and mountain music. A sign outside his craft shop read, “Antiques Made to Order.”

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southern trout fishing history

southern trout fishing history

Wiley was often quoted by simply saying, “liked to hunt, fish and hike” the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and into North Carolina.

By the 1950s, Wiley Oakley had achieved almost legendary status among the region’s natives.

From the city of Gatlinburg to the inner reaches of the Cherokee Nation, the mountaineer was regarded as the principal source of information on the mountains. His reputation among the Cherokee was particularly noteworthy as he was, for all intents and purposes, regarded by many of them as an unofficial member of the tribe, who wandered freely on the Reservation.

It was always his talents and abilities.

Wiley and his wife, Rebecca Ann Ogle Oakley lived on the northern slopes of Mount Le Conte in an area known as the Scratch Britches (now traversed by the Rainbow Falls Trail). Subscribing to the philosophy of “cheaper by the dozen,” he and his, stopped having children after the twelfth came along. Among their twelve children I had good fortune to meet daughter Lucinda Oakley Ogle, and son, Harvey Oakley.

Harvey Oakley authored “Rememberin’ the Roamin’ Man of the Mountains” is written by Oakley’s son Harvey Oakley, who spent his career with the National Park Service in Gatlinburg and includes valuable excerpts from the thousands of letters the Gatlinburg native received throughout his life as well as numerous photographs of Oakley and his family.

He was also called “the roamin’ man of the mountains” by hunters, anglers, and tourists through the Smokies before the national park was established. He knew as much, or more, about these mountains as any person alive. His laid back personality and generosity helped make him a successful entrepreneur and regional celebrity. His friends included Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford of automotive fame; entertainer Kate Smith; and millionaire, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Lucinda authored Remembrances of My Past 93 Years Growing Up in the Great Smoky Mountains (self-published in 2002) which is a terrific read that talks a lot about creeks where she grew up. In 1976 Lucinda related a story to me about her father teaching the children about catching wild trout by technique known as “choking.”

In her 80s at the time, she explained that “choking” was accomplished by finding a pea-sized pebble that was then attached to a sting. The pebble was then suspended in a pool were a trout would gobble it down.

Patience was needed to allow the trout to ingest the pebble until it was “choked” and could be pulled from the water.

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southern trout fishing history

southern trout fishing history

Try as I have, to date I have found little of historical substance regarding the angling habits or adventures of Wiley Oakly. Perhaps the best story I have heard is from the from the 1936 book, The Great Smoky Mountains, by Laura Thornborough shares this Wiley Oakley story:

“I was guidin’ some girls up Le Conte and had toted some potatoes along because I like potatoes cooked in the ashes,” Wiley began. “Hit war cold that night and to keep ‘em from freezin’ I planted the taters under a balsam tree. Next day when I was diggin’ ‘em up, one of the girls seed me and wanted to know what kind of tree that was. I tole her it was a balsam tree and jes’ for a joke, I never dreamt she’d believe it, I says, ‘and these here are balsam potatoes.’

“She ‘lowed that she never heared that potatoes growed on balsam roots and wanted to taste ‘em. So when I had cooked ‘em in the ashes I gave her one. She divided with the other girl, who said it tasted like ordinary potatoes to her, but the first girl says, ‘No, it tastes stronger!’ That tickled me. I ‘low they were burnt a little grain with the smoke, and when she says they are stronger than ordinary potatoes, I thought I’d bust out laughin’.

“Goin’ down Le Conte that afternoon, the first girl wanted to stop under some balsams and dig some potatoes to take home with her. I tole her that only the she-balsams growed potatoes. Us mountain people,” he explained, “call the spruce ‘he-balsam,’ and the mountain balsam we call ‘she-balsam.’”

Then he resumed, with a chuckle, “That girl wanted me to find a shebalsam. She shore did. But, ‘course I couldn’t find nary one. But the first girl must uv believed me, ‘cause when I was down to Knoxville atter that, a man I knowed stopped me on the street and he says, ‘Wiley, why did you tell those girls that yarn about balsam potatoes ? They believed you and come back and tole everybody that Wiley Oakley tole them that balsam trees growed potatoes on their roots, and they’d even had some to eat.’”

“I ‘lowed to him I never dreamt they’d believe a yarn like that. When I’m a yarnin’,” he concluded seriously, “I allers tell ‘em they don’t have to believe it if they don’t want to. Or sometimes I just yodel after I’ve tole a big ‘un!”

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fishhunter adventures in cuisine

fishhunter adventures in cuisine

Mighty Good Meatballs

by Craig Haney

Ingredients A 2 pound bag (+/-) of frozen meatballs from the grocery store 12 ounce can of Coca Cola (Dr. Pepper is good also) 1 cup ketchup 1/3 cup brown sugar (I use light but dark is good also) 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste Instructions 1. Combine the ingredients, except for meatballs, in a boiler or Dutch oven on the stove. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat while stirring constantly.

2. Slowly add meatballs into the liquid and heat the mixture for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Serve over a bed of rice or noodles.

I like to make this recipe, vacuum pack it in a Food Saver bag and freeze it before I head to the mountains for a few days of trout fishing. Whether I am camping or staying in a cabin, this is easily warmed up and is excellent served over rice or noodles. Along with a salad and dessert, it is an excellent meal after a day’s fishing.

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The meatballs are excellent also served as tailgaiting food or an appetizer.

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from Stackpole Books

fly of the month

The Invisible Dry Fly

T

Roger Lowe

he bivisable-dryfly is one of those dry fly patterns that has been tied and fished effectively for many years This high floating fly features palmered hackles from the back all the way to the front of the fly and the front hackles next to the eye always a couple of wraps of white or cream colored hackles.

Most common colored bivisables are brown with white front hackle, blue dun with white front hackle, and black with white front hackle.

“From the old Yallarhammar to modern classics like the Tennessee Wulff, Don has covered it all in his book Hatches and Fly Patterns of the Great Smoky Mountains. This is a must read for every Southern fly fisherman.”

Recipe Thread- 8/0 black thread Hook- 94840-12 14 16 Tail-brown hackle barbs Body- two brown hackles palmered Front hackle- two turns of white hackle

The best I can tell Edward Hewitt was one of the first to tie this fly almost a hundred years ago. Most of the time I go to this fly during times when their is very little hatch and basically the trout are being opportunists, such as brook trout in smaller streams. For the angler who enjoys dropping a bead head nymph or small soft hackle off the dry fly will really appreciate the bivisable because it floats so well and really is visible because of the white front hackle.

I enjoy fishing lots of dark blue dun hackles flies in winter and early spring . Most of these being Hendrickson, blue quills, and quill gordons. Thus this makes my favorite bivisable pattern the dark blue dun body with the white hackle in front so I can see it better in fast moving water.

Tie you some of these and fish them .

I think you will enjoy how well they float and the visibility.

The trout like them, too.

—Kevin Howell, Davidson River Outfitters

$24.95 Paperback 256 pages 200 color photos 978-0-8117-1117-3 This book and other Stackpole fishing titles are available Available Now! $25 (includes shipping) from booksellers and fly shops nationwide.

Use Paypal or email Don@southerntrout STACKPOLE BOOKS 800-732-3669 • www.stackpolebooks.com • Follow us on: for paying by mail

42 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

CLICK HERE TO PAY WITH PAYPAL www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout |43

wanderings of creek freak Gimme a break. As a fishing guide, I get few.

GIMME

by Bob Borgwat

Among the local guiding clan, I’m several years older than most other fishing guides. They frequently remind me of that fact and spare no mercy when I make things easy on myself. The wittiest of them deride me for my cataraft – an inflatable, nearly indestructible drift boat, more likely seen in Colorado and Idaho than in Tennessee and Georgia – sharing its rightful place among a small fleet of Clackacrafts, ever-popular among the clan. The “great blue barge,” they call it. Call it what they will. They don’t see me cringe when that barge sharply tags a tower of river granite. So, gimme a break. On my days off, I know I won’t be mending a chipped gel coat with epoxy putty and sandpaper.

wanderings of creek freak

A BREAK!

My practical method of rowing leaves them room to taunt me, too. With oar rights tightly fixed around the shaft of my oars, the oar blades are guided constantly into an always-right position for pushing as much water as possible against the blades. So, gimme a break. I’m still heading downstream, never to miss those critical digs left or right that keeps the cataraft tracking the only lane deep enough to carry a drift boat through the rapids ahead.

I fish year ‘round with folks who come to me to catch trout. They look to me for successful outings, and they measure by how many trout they catch and how big the trout are that they catch. I understand. When the bite is slow, don’t expect me to tiredly say, “Fishing is fishing, not catching.” For me, indeed for you, I say, “Fishing is catching!” I want you to catch fish. I work hard to make that happen. So, gimme a break. Sometimes, fishing sucks.

And when it sucks, I like to work other angles. My passion for trout fishing lies in fly fishing, indeed. But when the going gets tough, a small spinning rod armed with small spoons, spinners, and jigs can make a day. So, gimme a break. I’m no purist.

Much as I would rather be on the water than off, days between guide trips typically are no break at all. I fish a lot. It’s my job. But I’m an Average Joe, too, who has to make trips to the grocery store, run errands, wash laundry, clean the house, and fix broken toys for my grandson (who respects me, thank you very much, and thinks I can fix anything). I live in the Appalachian Mountains, where there’s also firewood to split, trees to trim, deer fences to mend, and gardens to tend. So, gimme a break, and let’s go fishing!

Photo by Arno Laubscher 44 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

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loose loops and wind knots

loose loops and wind knots

J

ohn Wayne was my hero growing up. I wanted to be like him: handsome, rugged, and tough; someone the good guys looked up to and the bad guys feared. A lot of popcorn, Junior Mints, and Coca Cola were bought through the years to make watching The Duke on the big screen even more pleasurable.

Even in college, I still went to see every one of his movies that came to town. However, I found something better than popcorn and Junior Mints to enjoy in the theater.

With our shirt-tails out, my buddy Dennis and I could smuggle into the theater a minimum of three PBR’s each in our pants. Even as a full-grown adult, I still enjoyed his movies and wanted to be like him.

I didn’t quite make it, unfortunately.

Some years ago, I realized that I wasn’t John Wayne but rather Clark Griswold of the National Lampoon Vacation films. I am laid back and mild mannered, like Clark, even in adverse situations.

However, like Clark, when I am pushed past my limits, I may lose my temper and have a “comea-part.” Clark always has great expectations for events in his life but despite his planning and preparation, something always seems to go wrong. This is where Clark and I become connected, particularly when it comes to fishing trips.

Clark Never Take Clark and I Griswold on a Fishing Trip!

afternoon before I was to leave, I had a tooth break at the gumline but it did not hurt enough to keep me from fishing the next day. However, I did not expect the Clark Griswold “Two-Fer” deal that would happen in a few hours and cause the trip to be canceled.

Due to some health issues, I had not fished as much as I would have liked the last year or two. Because of that, the times I have spent fishing have become more carefully planned and highly anticipated. With the increased level of anticipation, the level of disappointment rises in proportion when the Griswold factor attaches itself to my trip and hits me between the eyes.

A couple of months ago, my buddy Greg and I headed to my favorite section of an excellent spotted bass stream. I had not been able to fish locally or in the mountains and badly needed some water therapy.

I could hardly wait to get knee deep in the stream and hook up with a nice spot. From past experience on this stretch of river, I knew we had a good shot at catching a number of spots in the 1-2 pound range and a 3 pound or better kicker fish. Arriving at the river shortly after daylight, I parked next to the only put-in to see a large no trespassing sign

directly in front of me. I felt like I had been kicked in the nether regions. I had fished this stretch for years with no problems and now it was posted. I did not want to risk getting my vehicle towed or tires cut so we headed to another stretch where we were rewarded with undersized fish, tough wading, and a belligerent Cottonmouth later in the morning.

Thanks, Clark.

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Another fall trip was planned to a smallmouth stream that flows into the Tennessee River. I had not fished it in a few years and was excited when JW called to say the water levels were good, and there should be some prime fall smallmouth fishing. JW had grown up fishing this river and knew it intimately, so I did not have to be asked twice. I tied some articulated streamers particularly for the trip and was excited to give them a try. The

As I was loading my vehicle for the early morning departure the next day, my wife got a phone call that her mother had “fallen and could not get up.” Suddenly, I was in a commercial for Life Line and another trip had to be canceled.

Rather than catching smallies on my newly tied super dooper, can’t-miss articulated streamers the next day, I was at the hospital waiting with my wife for her mother’s broken shoulder to be repaired. My buddy(?) JW was kind enough to text me that night that it had been a great fishing day, and that I had probably brought him good luck by not coming up. Sure JW, anytime my mother-in-law and I can help you have a great fishing trip, let us know. As for Clark’s luck that he shared with me, I would say he overdid it!

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loose loops and wind knots My last example is when my fourteen year old grandson flew in from Albuquerque for a visit this past summer. Hunter truly loves to fish and had been looking forward to a backcountry camping and fishing trip on Hazel Creek in the Smokies.

The trip had been planned for months, and I tried to have all the details nailed down. We got to the Proctor backcountry site and set up camp on a Thursday night. After a good supper and time spent around the crackling fire, we decided to turn in for the night. The clear, dark blue sky full of twinkling stars, gave no hint of what was to confront us in the morning.

As my eyes slowly opened the next morning, my ears filled with the sound of raindrops peppering the tent in a steady rhythm.

Getting out of my sleeping bag and looking out the tent door, the rain looked like it was set in for days. And it was. I got dressed, threw on my rain jacked and checked the creek. It was rising and the water color was getting dingy. We quickly got our gear together and fished several hours but with no luck.

Two days of solid rain later, my buddy came over to check on us.

When he arrived, we decided to quickly pack up and head across Fontana Lake and home. The sparkling, crystal clear waters of Hazel Creek had risen 12-15 inches and had turned an ugly shade of brown. Clark’s curse continues.

These are just a few of innumerable occurrences over the years where the curse of Clark Griswold has plagued me.

My fishing buddy Bill suggests that an exorcism might be in order to help me, but I am not Catholic so that may negate exorcism as a cure. Besides, I still remember the little girl’s head spinning around in the movie when the priest performed his exorcism, and I don’t think I want that to happen to me. So, in hopes of breaking Clark’s curse before I go fishing again, I am taking all my National Lampoon DVD’s and throwing them into the fire pit in my backyard and watching them melt into oblivion while it blazes. Also, I am going to break my Marty Moose cups in a garbage can in hope that will also help. I figure it can’t hurt. Come on Clark, enough’s enough!

&

Relax

Unwind

G

uests breathe easier here, and it isn’t just the mountain air. It’s the entire Eseeola experience: award-winning cuisine, exceptional service, and of course, first-rate fly fishing on the Linville River.

175 Linville Avenue Linville, NC 28646 (800)742-6717

the bug man

W

hen ice begins to freeze in the guides of fly rods, most anglers head to the house, start up a pot of hot coffee, warm their feet by the fire, and begin to tie flies for the spring. To serious anglers, winter signifies a chance to tie flies for that next great fishing trip to paradise—wherever that may be. However, a few anglers, although they may be a rare breed, secretly grin in confidence knowing that the ice is only something that they must walk across or step over to find trout willing to take the fly. In Virginia’s trout streams, stocked winter trout and wild and native fish eagerly await the emergence of winter aquatic insects that a significant majority of anglers often fail to recognize. Certainly this could be a matter of the angler just not being there, but more so this not knowing is the product of the emergence or hatch not being publicized in the angling literature.

There are many winter aquatic insects that fly fisherman should consider important, but there are few that are truly significant in terms of their abundance. Three winter insects graciously meet this abundance requirement and include the tiny winter black stoneflies (Capniidae), the winter caddisflies (Dolophilodes distinctus), and the true midges (Chironomidae). Fly fishing during these significant emergences (i.e. fishing “The Winter Trifecta”) should provide you with successful angling during the winter months and give you some freedom on the stream that is rarely experienced during the spring.

the bug man

The Winter Trifecta

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Matthew Green

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the bug man Capniidae (Tiny Winter Black Stoneflies)

The capniidae are a family of stoneflies that are perhaps the most underrated of all aquatic insects in regards to imitating them with the fly. This fact is very surprising to me, given the abundance of capniid stoneflies in leaf packs stuck in between rocks and substrata near the riparian (stream edge) during the winter. Early instar or developmental capniid stoneflies live in an area of the stream called the hyporheos where an active exchange of groundwater and upstream river water occurs underneath rocks and sandy substrata. Life history studies of capniidae have found that early instar capniids feed on detritus and dead organic material underneath the stream’s rocky substrata and undergo an accelerated development as water temperatures begin to cool in late September and early October. For this reason, early instar nymphs of capniids should not be attempted or fished in the fall, as they are not available to trout during this time period. Prior to emerging, capniids migrate out of the hyporheic regions of the stream and congregate in leaf packs close to the stream’s riparian.

I have witnessed, at times, thousands of capniids in leaf packs along stream edges and in debris trapped by exposed rocks and substrate within the stream itself. Late instar nymphs are usually tan or light pinkish-white colored, average 0.5 inches in length, have two sets of robust wing pads, and have two 0.25 inch long cerci or tails. In my experience, the first 56 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

the bug man capniids to emerge usually grace streamside vegetation and boulders as early as the first weekend in November and can last well into the month of January. As capniids emerge from their exuvia or exoskeleton near midday, they craw onto rocks or woody debris on dry land to seek refuge before trying to find a mate. It is important then to fish late instar nymphal imitations of capniidae along the sides of rocks and exposed substrata while raising the rod tip in the air and dragging the fly along the sides of streamside boulders. Eagerly feeding trout will wait in these locations for capniid stoneflies that are ready to emerge. Capniids are noted for their ability to survive very low air temperatures as adults and therefore can be found walking on snow or ice next to streams.

Described by some southern anglers as “ice crawlers” capniid adults are brown or black in coloration and are generally smaller than nymphs measuring 0.2-0.4 inches.

It is important to note that females often have wings that cover the entire abdomen as compared to males whose wings are apterous or shortened and do not cover the entire abdomen. Instead, the wings of adult males appear dwarfed and often leave half to the abdomen wingless.

Cerci on the adults of both sexes generally extend past the tip of the wings. After finding a mate, female capniids return to the water to lay their eggs. I have noticed that this event usually occurs after 4pm and that females do not bias where they lay their eggs (i.e. they are just as likely to lay their eggs in a riffle as they are in a pool).

Capniids have a very brief life span as an adult. Although I have been able to keep adults alive for up to 9 days in captivity, I have seen female adults returning to the water in as little as 36 hours. This female egg-laying event should be the only time in which dry flies are used to fish this emergence. Emergers may work well for emerging nymphs, but true dry flies should be used for egg laying female capniids.

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the bug man Dolophilodes distinctus (Finger-net Caddisflies) Dolophilodes distinctus, or the winter caddis, is perhaps the most biologically complex winter insect to understand.

But herein lies an initial paradox that is only resolved by the pleasure the angler receives while fishing the imitation.

Dolophilodes distinctus is bivoltine having a summer and strong winter emergence. The adult males of this species have tan wings with minute black spots and are about 0.5 inches long.

The adult females are remarkably different and more closely resemble the male pupa than the male adult as they lack wings. This morphological difference between the two sexes yields important considerations when deciding upon your fishing technique. Adult males are often found “skating” or “gliding” across the surface of rivers and streams after ascending to the surface as pupa and emerging into adults. On the other hand,

the bug man pupal females simply migrate to rocks or exposed substrate and emerge on dry land while barely attracting the attention of trout. Therefore, although identifying females by morphology is important, adult male imitations will induce many more top water strikes from trout. In most Virginia trout streams, the Dolophilodes distinctus emergence begins in mid-December and can last until the last weekend in February. Around midday, similar in timing to the start of daily capniid emergences, I usually begin to see the males gliding across the water’s surface. Fishing a pupa pattern or winter caddis wetfly pattern and twitching the rod tip while raising the fly into the surface film should induce a strike. I have never known the larvae of the winter caddis to be particularly important. Given the larvae’s affinity for benthic habitats, collecting detritus and organic matter in fine mesh nets composed of silk at the bottom of streams, I have found little reason to imitate any life history stage other than the pupa and male adult.

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the bug man Chironomidae (True Midges) Chironomids, or more colloquially referred to as midges, are available to trout year round, but are often more abundant during the winter than in other months of the year. Midges take advantage of the lack of competition for habitat and food that is forfeited by other aquatic insects whose development is slowed or nonexistent during winter. Early developmental larvae can range anywhere from 0.1-0.25 inches in length and are usually crème colored. Midge larvae do not take on darker colors like red (origin of the nickname “bloodworms”) or green until much later in their larval development or after reaching the pupa stage. Midge larvae are also fairly translucent and thus should be tied and fished in consideration with the color of their habitat. A light crème colored midge feeding on diatoms (algae) or detritus against a darker rock will appear a shade or two darker to the fish.

Trout will feed on midge larvae that get sucked into quicker, mid-depth currents in periods of high flow in addition to finding them on benthic substrates in large abundances. Surprisingly, midge larvae are still important winter food sources for trout

the bug man

despite being so small in stature. Once developing into a pupa, the midge will spend just a few extra days in the stream’s benthos before working its way to the surface to emerge into an adult. Most midge pupa patterns that float and have developed wing pads are effective for catching rising fish dining on emerging midge pupae. However, midge soft hackles that imitate adults in light yellow, black, or olive successfully imitate both emerging pupa and adults if fished correctly. In order to capture the emergence behavior of the emerging midge pupa with your fly fishing technique, the angler must use a downstream tighline drift while raising the fly with the rod tip to the rising fish.

I call this technique, “raising the fly into the ring of the rise”. This method for fishing emerging midge pupa is extremely effective for fishing to selective trout both in tailwater rivers and small streams where midges are abundant.

Fishing the winter trifecta is certainly fun for the most serious of anglers.

However, if you’d rather not tread in the snow, it is definitely worth putting on your fly fishing bucket list.

Matt Green is a graduate of North Carolina State University. His past research with aquatic insects has led him to pursue fly fishing opportunities across the entire east coast. Having developed a love affair with mayflies, he has become a connoisseur of great eastern emergences particularly on spring creeks and tailwater rivers.

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book review

book review

T

he digital medium is quickly changing the landscape of publishing. Rumor has it that newspapers are dead, and printed magazines are in hospice care. Printed books continue on thanks, in part, to the Far East’s cheap printing presses.

Digital magazines like this are the craze, and it is not uncommon for Kindle versions of books on Amazon to out-sell their printed counterparts. Last year Bill Bernhardt, a Western North Carolina-based writer who has frequently contributed to Southern Trout Magazine, released a series of so-called e-books about fly fishing for trout in southern waters.

Bill Bernhardt’s ebooks

At age eight, after watching my father fly fish when we camped on Slick Rock Creek, Bill convinced his father to buy him his first fly-fishing outfit. He has been obsessed with the sport ever since. Due to my father’s employment with the U.S. Forest Service, he has lived and fished many exotic locales including Juneau, Alaska, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the Florida Keys. Bill has been guiding and instructing professionally for over fifteen years via his Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company. He has a passion for small, hidden, mountain streams, and dearly loves teaching the art of fly fishing. Bill’s “Doc Trout’s Collection of Fly Fishing Wisdom” series breaks down different aspects of fly fishing for trout.

What You Should Know Before Wading Into the Art of Fly Fishing (Doc Trout's Collection of Fly Fishing Wisdom Book 1) is a 44 page volume that begins with a brief history of fly fishing and then goes on to explain why you should learn to fly fish, where to find places to fly fish, why you should hire a fly fishing guide, and why wader safety is of paramount importance. Kindle Price: $4.99

A Beginner’s Guide to Approach, Presentation, and Short Range Fly Casting (Doc Trout’s Collection of Fly Fishing Wisdom Book 3) devotes 41 pages to detailing how to choose an appropriate small stream fly rod, how to safely wade a trout stream, and how to approach a trout lie, and the importance of proper presentation. In addition, it also describes both basic and advanced short range fly casting techniques. Kindle Price: $9.99 64 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

A Beginner's Guide to Understanding Fly Rods, Reels, Lines, Leaders, and Knots (Doc Trout's Collection of Fly Fishing Wisdom Book 2) is 58 pages that explains how to understand fly rod length versus fly rod action, how to choose a fly rod for your particular purpose, the different types of fly reels and how to choose one, the different types of fly lines and how to choose one, freshwater fly lines versus saltwater fly lines and how they equate, as well as what fly leader to use for your particular purpose. Plus, it has a simplified section on fly fishing knots and, it contains a bonus chapter listing the items you should carry in your fly vest. Kindle Price: $9.99

A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Trout Foods and Their Imitations (Doc Trout’s Collection of Fly Fishing Wisdom Book 5) this is 56 pages that describe the many different types of trout foods and the flies used to imitate them as well as providing a basic lesson in entomology. Also, it describes the author’s unique approach to fly selection using his Three-color Attractor System and his Six-color Imitator System which enables the fly fisherman to carry a single dry fly or nymph box containing all of the flies needed to catch trout anywhere in the world. Further, it explains how to choose an appropriate fly for the particular stream you are fishing and includes two charts containing what the author considers to be an essential southern Appalachian fly selection as well as an appropriate trophy trout fly selection. Kindle: $9.99

Beginner's Guide to Understanding Trout and Their Environment (Doc Trout's Collection of Fly Fishing Wisdom Book 4) is Bill’s fourth installment. Its 56 pages describe the four common, eastern trout species and how to identify them as well as providing an insight into trout mentality and their preferred habitat by species. In addition, it describes the three different types of trout lies in addition to explaining the effects of barometric pressure on trout's feeding behavior and how to put all of this information together in order to choose the best possible time for trout fishing.

Each title is well written, concise and well-illustrated. Check them out at www.amazon.com www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout | 65

Join Us For The 5th Annual

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April 30 - May 2, 2015 for Men & Women of All Skill Levels More than 2,200 Miles of Public Water Available to Fish During the Tournament Teams will fish one native, one hatchery supported and one delayed-harvest stream

Just $500 Per 2-Person Team Early-Bird Registration just $450 if received by March 1

We’re in it for the long haul.

Project Healing Waters is about much more than just taking disabled veterans fishing.

It is about coaching, mentoring, and friendship on a journey of healing.

For the long haul.

Ed Nicholson, Founder and President

#82526

www.projecthealingwaters.org

This fun weekend for the whole family includes Lunch Both Days, Opening Night Reception, Closing Night Winners’ Dinner With Food, Prizes and a Fishing Goody Bag

Charter Sponsors:

Funding for the Three River Tournament is due in part to an Advertising Partnership with the Highlands Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center.

Entry Fees Payable to the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund are 100% Tax-Deductible www.HighlandsThreeRiver.com or 828-526-8673

Elk River Guide Service *Providing high quality guided wad and fish trips in southeastern West Virginia. *Small mouth bass floats on the New River Gorge. *Located near Showshoe ski area on the banks of the famous Elk River slatyfork section of C&R. *Year round guide services on the Williams, Cranberry, Cherry, Greenbrier and Elk rivers. *3 cabins and 13 inn rooms for lodging. *Full service regionally famous restaurant.

Mention this ad and get a discount on lodging or a day of guided fly fishing.

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close look - tennessee

southern spirits

A

lot of the moonshine making lore in the Great Smoky Mountains was established long ago, with the iconic movie on the subject being “Thunder Road.” When catching it on television, who cannot help but watch a dashing young Robert Mitchem. A legend of the art of making moonshine is Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, for which the newly opened Popcorn Sutton distillery in Newport, Tennessee is named in honor of.

Born in 1946, Popcorn was originally from Maggie Valley, North Carolina. He wrote a self-published autobiographical guide to moonshine production, self-produced a home video depicting his moonshining activities, and was later the subject of a documentary that won an Emmy Award. He had a long moonshine making career thanks to a talent for avoiding law enforcement—most of the time. Popcorn achieved national notoriety in 2002 with the release of his video “This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I’ll Ever Make”.

Popcorn was a short, skinny fella, who always wore his hat and bib overalls. Even when he came to federal court, he wore those bib overalls. In the 1960s he got the “Popcorn” nickname after using a pool cue to have a “discussion” with a bar’s popcorn vending machine, which had stolen his money.

Scot-Irish to his marrow, Popcorn regarded moonshining as a legitimate part of his heritage passed down to him from a long line of moonshiners. In 2009, after an ATF raid led by Jim Cavanaugh of Waco Massacre notoriety, cancer ridden Popcorn was handed a sentence to federal prison. Petitions were made in attempts to reduce or commute Popcorn’s sentence. He went down fighting as much as Jim Cavanaugh’s Goons-R-Us dished out at Waco.

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close look - tennesseeee “The mission statement of the newly opened Popcorn Sutton distillery in Newport, Tennessee is to distill Popcorn Sutton likker in accordance with the mountaineer’s original recipe and process, that was passed down through three generations over the last 100 years,” explains Travis Hixon, Distillery Manager. “Before his death we had agreed with Popcorn to open a distillery and help him go legal. Since then we have tried to honor that vision.”

What makes Newport in Cocke County, Tennessee the logical place for establishing this local moonshine distillery?

Location, location and location, but also historical precedent.

“Our new distillery is located only a few miles from Popcorn Sutton’s home and the backwoods where this legend ran off some of his finest likker,” says Hixon.

“We believe that Popcorn would have wanted it this way---close by…with the success of the distillery benefiting the people of Cocke County. At the time of Popcorn’s passing, commercial distilling was not yet legal here,” says Hixon. “ So we opened our first distilling facility in Nashville, Tennessee. But when local laws permitting commercial distilling changed, we naturally looked back to Cocke County”.

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southern spirits

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close look - tennessee

A few people claim that Popcorn Sutton was an avid mountain trout fisherman. This may or may not be true, but what we do know is Popcorn was fond of pure, cool mountain streams that were key to his likker making efforts.

The distillery’s flagship product is Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey. Crystal clear, with subtle notes of corn, grain and fruit in the aroma, it tastes like slightly sweet corn with a hint of spice and a clean, surprisingly smooth finish for 88 proof. Their new offering is Mrs. Sutton’s Moonshine Likker, a line of 6 flavored products at 66 proof. According to Hixon, the company may have some surprise offerings in 2015. The atmosphere at the distillery is that of a team that is warm, friendly, genuine and authentically “Cocke County.” A retail store opened a little bit ago, but the facility is still being prepared for tours.

The spirits are currently distributed in 17 states.

The distillery follows Popcorn’s recipe and methods, and embraces the old timer’s hand crafted skills on a larger scale, but with an eye towards preserving the environment. “We conserve energy and water consumption through efficient steam generation, and embrace water recovery in our cooling process,” says Hixon. “We have also installed special burners for our boilers which greatly reduce

southern spirits

the amount of nitrogen oxides released, to a level that is below the strictest guidelines.”

”The most satisfying thing about operating a legal moonshine distillery is carrying on Popcorn’s legacy and heritage,” says Hixon. “It’s an American dream to distill a high quality product like this from scratch, and be involved in every aspect of the process from grain to the finished product.

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guide profile

close look - tennessee

D

Chris Nischan

ixie has its share of outstanding fly fishing guide, but none are more enthusiastic or have been at it longer than Chris Nischan, owner of Rod and Gun Guide Service. “I have been guiding since 1982 for both fishing and hunting,” says Chris. “I attended Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and majored in wildlife management. I was a partner in an upscale hunting and fishing store for six years. I decided that I wanted to be a full time guide after being in retail.”

Rod and Gun Guide Services Nashville, Tennessee

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close look - tennessee “I love to expose people to God’s fabulous creation...”

“I guided for fishing and big game in Montana for 11 years. I am currently guiding fishermen in Tennessee for warm- and cold-water species. I manage or have access to approximately 200 acres of private ponds and lakes for panfish and trophy bass. I also have miles of private access for stream bass and trout fishing. The main trout water I fish is the Caney Fork, the Elk, and the Cumberland in Kentucky. I also run Tennessee “Sampler” multi-day trips in East Tennessee to fish the Holston, Watauga, and South Holston rivers. I also guide some small streams in western North Carolina. I am a FFF certified casting instructor and won the Field and Stream Total Outdoorsman Challenge in 2004.

“The mission of my guide service is to provide my clients unique escapes for learning about the great outdoors while helping to create lifelong memories,” says Chris. “I am also a hunting guide for both large and small game. Guiding for spring turkey and elk in the fall are very popular and keep me very busy.

guide profile

“I consider myself a teaching guide, and I love to pass on my knowledge of the outdoors,” says Chris. “Teaching is a passion of mine. I always hope my clients expectations are to have a good time while being open to learning about the sport of fly fishing and the habitat of the fish. I provide transportation if needed, and drinks and snacks are provided on half-day trips.

Lunch is provided on full day excursions.”

Chris’ most popular trips are fly fishing on the Caney Fork and spring time bass fishing on various lakes. Beginners love the guided instructional trips.

He wants his customers to look forward to their trip. Whether they are a beginner or a seasoned expert, Chris hopes they will learn something new that will help them when they are fishing on their own.

“I started teaching myself to fly fish when I was eight,” says Chris.

“I have made every mistake possible. I want beginners to be relaxed and know that fly fishing is not rocket science. I have taught thousands of people from ages 6 to 88.

Almost anyone can learn to fly fish. I am happy to guide conventional tackle anglers as well. I do not use bait, and I also promote catch-and-release fishing with the exception of my private lakes. I need to manage the population of the fish, so I do allow them to be taken home for consumption.”

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Chris started guiding when was a partner in a fly shop. It started as a way to escape the store. He would take customers to the river and help them. One day a man tried to pay him. He told the man that he was not a guide, but the man told Chris that he should be. As a result Chris started guiding, and now, it is a fulltime job. An experienced, well-traveled angler, Chris has fished throughout North and South America, Mexico, The Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, and several European countries. That’s a pretty impressive resume for a father of two. Fourteen years ago on a guide trip, he met his wife, Leisha.

“I love to expose people to God’s fabulous creation, the wonder of it all,” says Chris. “The word ‘behold’ comes to mind. I hope that people will realize that I have a passion for the outdoors, and I feel strongly that experiencing the wonder of nature and God’s creation is meant to be a part of everyone’s life. Water and the surrounding environs were put on this earth to be enjoyed and explored, not just used to sustain us.”

For more info visit

www.rodandgunguide.com,

or contact Chris at 615385-1116.

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close look - West Virginia

The Watauga River: Dixie’s Best Kept Secret

7

close look - tennessee

featured rod builder

Walter Babb Nathan Chapman

Tellico River Rods and Flies Sweetwater, Tennessee

F

ly fishing for trout in the waters of the South has its share of legendary figures, but none among the living is better known than Walter Babb. Babb not only is a touted fly tier, but also is knowledge as a resource for tough to find historical information on the sport in this region. Babb has two other claims to fame. One which he may not tell you about is the fact that he is one of the most talented modern era makers of split cane bamboo fly rods. What Walter will admit to though, is that his brother is the editor of Gray’s Sporting Journal, one of the country’s more revered sporting periodicals.

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close look - tennessee

I

f picking up a finely crafted bamboo fly rod makes your heart race a bit, then holding one of Lee Orr’s handcrafted pieces of cane will make shivers run up your spine. Insofar as we have reasonable standards of decency at Southern Trout, I can’t tell what is the only other thing I have handled that was sweeter, and I suppose it really not a fair comparison. However, when it comes to fine, when it comes to crème de la crème, Orr cane is pretty fantastic. f you grow up in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina surrounded by premier fly fishing rivers and streams, and then attend Western Carolina University, it makes sense that you would be smitten by

I

Chapman grew up fishing for trout.

There is a picture of him at age four Walter as grew holding up a wild rainbow longup as his fishing the dashing leg. He began fly fishing early in his teens waters of what to of and was guiding at age 19 as used the men be known as the Tellico his family mentored his fly-fishing passion.

WMA, which not so long His mentors included his Grandfather ago was epicenter Lawrence, Great Uncles Jerry andof cold water fly well-known fishing Lester Chapman, who were thetrout Volunteer State. outdoorsmeninand fishermen.

He was His current fly fishing also schooled on fly fishing for trout by his resume hasand grown over father, Ronnie Chapman his Uncle the years, although he Steve. stillsays considers fast

Chapman he built these a few rods flowingfor streams as his in his early twenties family members. home waters.

“I liked the idea of making a “gift rod” for

“I caught first Christmas presents, etc., but my my desire trout on a worm in 1954 when I was 7 years old,” says Walter. “The place was Tellico River, just above Big Oak Core Campground. Two years for building rods really came out of my later I started tying flies deep interest in the tackle itself. I worked and caught a trout on a at a hardware store for a few years out of fly in North River, about high school while going to college. The a half mile below McNabb store had a sporting goods section, and creek. I remember both by the time I left working there, I was the of those fish like it was sporting goods guru.” yesterday. In those days

Chapman describes himself as a my most frequently self-taught rod builder, although he did fished waters were the attend Doug Hall’s bamboo class at the Citico Creek and the John C. Campbell Folkschool a few years bigger Tellico River. I ago. “As yet, I haven’t pursued bamboo really liked fishing the from a financial standpoint as the current upper reaches of these economy remains prohibitive for most drainages, especially anglers to consider purchasing a bamboo North River and South rod that is well in excess of a thousand Fork of Citco Creek.” dollars. The biggest demand I meet is for custom built fiberglass fly rods. However, I learned a lot in Doug’s bamboo rod building class, and that has translated to

Glass fly rods in small streams just work, period.

the fly-flicking affliction. Such is the case with Nathan Chapman, owner of Southern Appalachian Rod Company. Located in Andrews in the extreme western end of the Tar Heel State, his shop has achieved national prominence due to the quality of the rods he builds.

“I grew up in a house that sits squarely on the Eastern Continental Divide,” says Chapman, “close to the headwaters of the Savannah, Tuckaseegee, French Broad, and Pigeon rivers. Within thirty minutes of my parents’ house is a wealth of trout fishing from large rivers with large rainbow and brown trout, to tiny headwater blue lines with rainbows and specks. In my younger years, I went on a personal quest to find as much native speck water as I could, and I found a fair share of it over time.”

featured rod builder

“My first fly rod was a hand me down 9 foot bamboo Horrocks– Ibbotson ‘Beaverkill,’ continues Walter. “That old rod was crooked as a dog’s hind leg, and weighed at least 7 ounces. As I recall, it probably cast a 7 weight line which was fine in the days when I mostly fished worms and grasshoppers with it.

Later, I fished wet flies and Tellico Nymphs, but I didn’t mourn the passing of that piece of cane, as I later got a 7-foot, 9-inch Shakespeare ‘Wonder Rod’ for my 10th birthday.”

Walter’ fly fishing mentor was his father who was an excellent wet fly and nymph fisherman.

This was the approach to fly fishing that Walter was first taught. Several years ago, a fishing companion asked Walter when he started Czech nymphing. Walter responding by explaining to the fellow that his father had told him about nymphing ‘Czech-style’ about halfway through the first Eisenhower administration.

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“

close look - tennessee

“My father just called it nymph fishing,” says Walter. “I know what he showed me goes back to at least the 1920’s, so it’s not something new in the Southern Appalachians.”

A lifelong fly tier, whose signature patterns are the Smoky Mountain Candy and the Speck (originated

by Joe Bishop), in 2000 Walter caught the cane splitting bug. Legendary bamboo rod builder Stan Smartt and David Ray were his ‘bamboo mentors.’ Walter says that Charlie Downs was a big help in getting him started as a serious rod builder.

“Stan, David, and Charlie allowed me to watch them plane, glue up, and bind rods,” says Walter. “I watched a one day Wonder rod made for charity at Stan’s shop. That’s how I got started. Books such as a Master’s Guide to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod, The Lovely Reed, and Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly Rod, game me some tapers to start with, and really good information. Also the Planing Form is a great quarterly publication that also has a lot of tapers and many tips from professional bamboo rod makers. I only make Bamboo Rods. I have assembled glass and graphite rods many years ago.”

The hardest part is the grunt work.

This starts with splitting the cane into strips, flattening and straightening nodes, or growth rings, and straightening strips.

Rough, preliminary, and final planning is time consuming, and involves lots of plane blade sharpening, if you hand plane your strips. Some makers use a Morgan Hand Mill or some other milling device to shorten the procedure, but Walter hand planes his rods. He notes that the

featured rod builder

toughest component to find these days is really good cork for grips. Everything else is readily available from many sources.

“My rod making equipment is mostly traditional,” says Walter, adding “with some modern components such as shell epon Epoxy to glue my rods with. It’s waterproof and has a 2 hour working time which gives me plenty of time to straighten rod sections before the glue cures. My rods are custom built to customer specifications.

I have made charity rods for Trout Fest and T.U. auctions.

John Geirach has one

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of my rods and has mentioned it in Fly Rod and Reel. Also in Gray’s Sporting Journal and the Heartland Series (a local TV spot).

Walter notes that potential bamboo fly rod buyers should consider where they will do most of their fishing. If they fish only dry flies in small mountain streams, that will tell him what tapers to start thinking about. If possible he recommend that they cast different rods, noting that most bamboo makers keep rods on hand to cast.

Walter says that he has a closet full of different rods for customers to try out.

“The best advice for first time bamboo fly rod buyers is to do your homework,” concludes Walter. “Get the rod best suited for the fishing you do most.

Cast several rods, if possible. There is no such thing as a rod that will do everything.

There are a few all around rods out there that will do a lot, but not all types of fishing.

A good bass rod is not necessarily a good trout rod or vice-versa. I can be reached at 423-3376772 or by writing to me at 197 Oakland Rd. Sweetwater, TN. 378741870. I don’t have a computer, so it’s snail mail or nothing.”

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featured resort

close look - tennessee

CLINCH RIVER HOUSE T

he Clinch River House is the perfect base for fly fishing for trout at the touted tailwaters of the Clinch River in central Tennessee.

Why, well according to its fly fishing owner, Buddy McLean, it’s “location, location, location.” The Clinch River House (CRH) and its spacious deck are perched right on the Clinch River with house and deck suspended over the river in of two trout producing shoals a half mile above Peach Orchard Public Launch. If it’s nice you are looking for when not casting, the CRH has a 24’x24’ pavilion with a fireplace.

In fact the CHR actually consists two houses on the river, both with fireplaces, a pavilion with cable TV, fireplace overlooking the Clinch, and a hot tub with chiminea fireplace below the house facing the river.

The original house was built by a group of fisherman including John Moore and H.B. McCowan, who also became a fishing guide. The second house (or cabin) was remodeled as a two bedroom, two bath, boat port with a loft. Numerous guides are available to guests at the CRH, although Mike Bone is usually the guide that many guests fish with and have a wonderful experience.

The CRH is only part of McLean’s offerings for fly fishermen visiting Tennessee. His renowned Buckberry Lodge the perfect base for fly fishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Situated bordering the National Park, and offering views directly of Mt. LeConte, with Buckberry Creek a half mile below, and fishing in the national park is only 20 minutes away. It is also the main facility for the Smoky Mountain Orvis Fly Fishing schools run by Dave Carson.

Buckberry Lodge is an all-suite resort with a fine dining restaurant and bar. All guest rooms offer a fireplace, whirlpool tubs, full kitchen, and decks facing the mountains. It is an AAA four diamond rated hotel.

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“

featured resort

close look - tennessee McLean’s grandfather purchased the land (originally 180 acres) in 1945, from Campbell Lead Road down to the river in downtown Gatlinburg. “My brother, our partner Jeanie Johnson (designer), and I built the resort in 2004 and opened in 2005,” explains Buddy.

“It was built to have a rustic style and to feel well-traveled with all natural materials, artifacts and antiques, but with modern amenities.

If you are coming to Buckberry Lodge, spend time exploring our antiques and original artifacts. Fly collections from US and Scotland as well as England: rod, reels, creels and mounts. There is a small collection of flies from John Voelker, who wrote “Anatomy of a Murder”, “Testament of a Fisherman”, “Trout Madness”, and “Anatomy of a Fisherman”. It may be the top fly fishing museum in Tennessee.

Orvis fly fishing schools with Dave Carson are held here weekly (in season), and we arrange trips to a private stocked stream. Casting for Recovery for breast cancer survivors, plus individuals and groups who just want to fish frequent Buckberry Lodge.

Healing Waters for wounded veterans at the Clinch River House. Plus, we donate stays to several fly fishing charities for fund raising efforts.

“Buckberry Lodge is a great place to come to have fun, learn and laugh about your fly fishing experiences,” notes Buddy. “Couples, just males, just females, children with parents – all groups are welcome. It’s a great place for generations to come together to learn to fly fish and pass on traditions.”

For more info, visit www.buckberrylodge.com and www.clinchriverhouse.com

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close look - tennessee

JOEL DEAN Nolensville, TN

There’s a well-established school of thought that the “old ways” often are the best ways.

I

f you are an adherent of this time honored philosophy, then you are already a fan of flies that Joel Dean ties and sells via his internet fly shop, Tennessee Traditional Flies. This Nolensville, Tennessee resident is one of a handful of knowledgeable fly tiers who respect keeping alive old time fly patterns as one of their life missions.

Last year, Joel set up his vise at the first Southern Trout Fly Fishing Fair held in conjunction with the 25th Wilderness Wildlife Week at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Throughout the day long event, Joel lashed together flies before the hundreds of people that turned out there that day.

Located adjacent to the Southern Trout Magazine booth, Joel was the star of the show. It’s worth noting here that he will again be at the fly fishing fair (January 31st at the LeConte Center) demonstrating his tying skills.

Joel lives in Nolensville, which is south of Nashville, Tennessee. In fly fishing lingo though, he lives one hour and half from the Caney Fork, and one and one half hour from the Elk River. Both rivers are prime trout fishing waters.

He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, a wonderful location in the Midwest as things go in Yankeeland. A card carrying Baby Boomer, his salad days were the 50s, 60s and 70s which were a great times to a young person in a quickly changing country.

“I grew up fishing in primarily warm water,” says Joel. “In my teens I fished the Scioto River below Griggs Dam just walking distance from my home. In my twenties, I lived within walking distance of the Olentangy River a great warm water fishery. I fly fished the Olentangy almost every day after work. We did have the Mad River stocked with trout, and it is located about an hour west of Columbus. I fished the Mad River several times each year. I also traveled to fish the Oconaluftee North Carolina and Dale Hallow Tennessee several times per year. I would have to say I cut my teeth fly fishing

on the Olentangy River, but I fell in love with the Smokies and Dale Hallow for trout.”

Joel’s introduction to fly fishing came about from hundreds of hours spent reading books written by Art Flick (Fly Tying Guide) , Ernest Schwiebert (Matching The Hatch), Leonard Wright (Fishing The Dry Fly As a Living Insect), just to mention a few. Always eager for more, the brutal and boring winters in Buckeye State had a lot to do with Joel delving into fly tying in the 1970s. After becoming familiar with books written by Vincent C. Marino (A Modern Dry-

Borcher Special

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featured fly tyer

Fly Code) and others he was hooked.

“I would say that I am largely self-taught,” notes Joel. “When I first began tying, I tied Grey Ghost, Muddler Minnows and Poppers for warm water. You could not go wrong with any of them on the Olentangy. When visiting various cold water locations, Copper John and Hares Ear were and are still hard to beat.”

Some of the older, traditional patterns Joel likes to fish and tie include the Borcher Special, Buck Tail Mayfly, Ground Hog Caddis, Cory’s Calf Tail, Fore And After, Little River Ant, Charlie

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close look - tennessee

Corey’s Calf Tail

Crow Fly

Horse Hair Whopper, Orange Forked Tail, Near-Nuff, Tennessee Wulff, Crow Fly, Georges Nymph, Horse Hair, My Pet, Secret Weapon, Sheep Fly, Wood Duck Nymph, Yellow Hammer Dry, Yellow Hammer Nymph, Stick Bait and Olive Juicy Buggers just to mention a few. A few of the newer patterns he has come to rely on a lot in recent years include Black Zebra Midges, MOJO Midges, Hump Back Scuds, Sow-Scuds, and Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles, adding that he has a lot of growth in popularity in recent years in soft hackle fly patterns.

featured fly tyer

“I do most of my tying with commercially available materials,” says Joel. “However, some of the older patterns designed my some of the old timers require local materials hard to find these days.

Some tying materials are difficult to find, especially fairly exotic things such Jungle Cock, ground hog, wild boar whiskers, crow, and quality duck wing to mention a few.”

Joel ties flies commercially. His speciality is the old, traditional patterns from the Great Smoky Mountains as well as local favorites for the Caney Fork TN, Elk River TN, Tuckasegee NC, Raven Fork NC, White River AR, Norfork River AR, Spring River AR as well as custom patterns.

My company name is Tennessee Traditional Flies. He also provides beginner fly fishing, beginner fly tying and advanced water specific patterns.

For more info visit

tennesseetraditionalflies.com

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More than 1 million trout stocked in 200 streams and lakes Wild, native Eastern Brook Trout Fly fishing-only and catch-and-release areas

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Fly Fishing the Smokies Guided Fly Fishing in the Tennessee and North Carolina Smoky Mountains (828)-488-7665 or flyfishingthesmokies.net Wade Trips, Float Trips, Hazel Creek Camping, Beginner Lessons, and Fly Fishing for Kids.

Est. in 1999, one of the oldest and most experienced Guide Services and Outfitters in the Smokies. Wade or Float for Trout and Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Muskie, and Carp. We offer guided fly fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the WNC Fly Fishing Trail, Tuckasegee River, Little Tennessee River, Ravens Fork, Pigeon River, and Fontana Lake

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For reservations call (828)-488-7665 or book your trip on the web at; flyfishingthesmokies.net

close look - tennessee

featured fly shop

FLY SOUTH Fly Shop

A

s is the case with fly fishermen, every fly shop in the South has its own character and flavor. To compete with the big box stores and the internet, a fly shop has to be much more than to wiggle new fly rods or hand pick your fly tying supplies. Correctly done, a fly shop is the local epicenter of the sport where fly fishing addicts go to get a fix when they are not able to be on the water. Located in the heart of the Music City, Fly South is one of the best examples around of a local fly shop that is operated with this in mind.

The brainchild of Jim Maury, Fly South is a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It’s not too big, but not too small. If you are looking for fly tying supplies, the selection is dazzling, and if you are just looking for a quiet place to leaf through the latest fly fishing book releases, there’s a theater room that is something of a Fortress of Solitude in an urban world. It begs to ask, in a town where banjos and guitars are king, how does fly fishing survive?

“What most anglers don’t realize is within a twohour drive you have five southern tailwaters to choose from, the Caney Fork being feet wet in an hour,” explains Maury. “Trout fishing business and growth and been slow but steady over the last ten years. The fly fishing business in general has been a tough business to survive in the last ten years, so we focus on customer service as a key element to our business model.”

The plan seems to be working, as Fly South is now in its 14th year in business. Maury credits much of the success to the expertise and commitment of the store staff. “We try hard to have all of the shop staff contribute to the direction of the shop,” he says. “I think that at the moment we are growing, we are finally seeing new blood in the sport. Women and younger anglers have been on the rise, and finally some new interest from the warm water market.

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close look - tennessee

Located in heart of one of the South’s major urban areas, Fly South is uniquely positioned to attract novice fly fishermen. According to Maury, everyday

Nestled in the Middle Tennessee Basin, it’s impossible to stay in the black a novice walks through the door. Besides of a cornucopia of fly fishing trinkets, by relying just on fly fishermen whose passion is just trout. “I don’t think you can Fly South offers all the free advice and support you want, which is is the key survive in the Middle Tennessee area advantage of shopping local. Being a full unless you are a full service fly shop,” service fly shop, the staff not only guides, notes Maury. “We specialize in trout, but they offer fly fishing schools, free carp, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and private casting instructing, and fly and most recently in musky. Despite tying classes for all levels. While the staff Nashville being hundreds of miles from at Fly South is top notch, they also bring the Gulf of Mexico or the east coast, outside instructors and experts to teach there is considerable interest among classes and give presentations at the our customers in anything to do with shop. saltwater fly fishing. One of the things we do best at Fly South is to make sure you have what you need for a destination trip.”

featured fly shop

A fly shop would not be a fly shop were it not awash with the feathers, fur and other materials tyers cannot get enough of. “We have the largest selection of fly tying material in the southeast,” notes Maury.

“The amount of floor space allocated to fly tying is bigger than a lot of fly shops. We offer classes and have tying demos; we have a space in the shop to show a tier how to tie something he/she might be stuck on. All shop employees must have tying experience.”

Maury notes that Fly South has a number of the product lines and items that help make the shop unique. They try hard to carry local and regional products such as Beasley Bamboo rods (Crossville TN), Ness Wooden nets (Johnson City, TN), and flies tied by local tier and boats made in Tennessee. At the shop they also dye lots of their own tying products in house, make their own strike indicator, artwork by local artists such as A.D. Maddox.

When asked what the current trends in fly-fishing are most evident in the middle Tennessee market, Maury said, “The acceptance of warm water fly fishing has finally matured. We have worked for years on pushing warm water fly fishing in our area. We have run the oldest carp on a fly tournament in the country; we were the first shop to run a fly only series bass tournament. We encourage anglers to fish for any fish that will eat the fly.”

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“We appreciate any and all customers that walks through our doors,” adds Maury. “In the age of Internet sales and home delivery, you must provide friendly knowledgeable service or you don’t last long. We don’t always get in right but we try hard to everyday. I think the other thing is, we all fish and we all tie flies; it is the passion of everyone that works at the store.”

Fly South is located 115 19th Avenue South; Nashville, Tennessee.

For more info visit www. flysouth.net, or call them at 615-341-0420 or 615-3410421 (Email: flysouth@ bellsouth.net)

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close look - tennessee

LOCATION: Middle Tennessee, approximately 1 hour east of Nashville and 2 hours west of Knoxville on I-40.

The Caney Fork River is a typical Southern hydroelectric tailwater, situated below the Center Hill Dam, which is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Daily releases of cold, trout-sustaining water from Center Hill Dam meander 26 miles through the gentle Tennessee hills. The river crosses under I-40 five times before joining the Cumberland River near the town of Carthage, Tennessee.

discovery

The Caney Fork River Jim Mauries

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close look - tennessee

At first glance, the river is not your classic trout stream environment. The gentle riffles, runs, and deep pools of the Caney Fork lack structure and cover, making it a tricky river to read, and locate trout. The river also lacks the prolific mayfly hatches found in the tailwaters of eastern Tennessee.

Crustaceans and midges dominate the food base. Do not let the lack of

classic hatches fool you—anglers are pleasantly surprised by the numbers of quality rainbows, browns, and brook trout found throughout the river.

Recent water quality improvements and trophy trout regulations continue to improve both sizes and numbers of fish.

discovery

A few important things to know about the river: The Caney Fork is a year-round fishery; it runs at approximately 250 cfs when the Corps is not gen- erating power or releasing water through a sluice or floodgate. Water releases can reach volumes upward of 15,000 cfs. Wadable water levels are found during times of no water releases, 300 cfs and lower. The river is also very fishable during higher water with a drift boat, canoe, or other motorboat. Most anglers prefer a water level below 5,000 cfs, as the river can be a dangerous float at higher water levels. Make sure you check the water release schedule for the day—water levels can go from the top of your wading boots to over your head in a matter of minutes! Release schedules are always subject to change, so be sure to check in the morning before departure. Water release schedules are online at www.tva.gov/river/lakeinfo/index.htm.

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close look - tennessee The upper 8 miles of the river (from the dam to Betty’s Is- land) supports the majority of fish, anglers, recreational paddlers, and guides.

This section of the river can be extremely crowded due in summer due to easy access, proximity to a campground, the high numbers of fish per mile, and the re- cent proliferation of canoe and kayak liveries. The upper 8 miles also has the two shortest floats on the river. From May through September, fishing on weekdays offers a far better experience than on weekends. The middle and lower river has less traffic, but there is very little legal access other than by boat or canoe.

On the Caney Fork, always have plenty of midge, blackfly, scud, and sow bug patterns in your fly box. These are the big four trout foods here, top to bottom, year-round. Sow bugs are my go-to patterns when the fish are tight-lipped, in winter, spring, summer, or fall.

April usually kicks off the season on the Caney, with caddis hatches in the middle and lower sections and scuds, sow bugs, and midges dominating the upper section. Fishing in the spring is usually fast and furious. After long periods of high water, the fish are fat, strong, and usually less selective.

discovery

June to October is midge and blackfly time. Long leaders and fine tippets rule the day during the summer. The river is usually very wadable and fishes like a big spring creek this time of year. If sight casting to feeding fish in thin, clear water is what you like, you will love the river in summer. The fish can be very size- and color-selective. They will not move far for the fly. Fish will even move away from bright-colored strike indicators in thin water. Summer months in Tennessee can also bring some great terrestrial fishing. Grasshoppers, beetles, and ants can always be found struggling in the surface film. October usually brings caddis back into the middle and lower sections.

From November through the end of March usually re- quires a boat, because this is our rainy season. It is not un- common to have no wadable water for months on end. This winter fishing calls for streamers and big sink-tips—8- or 9-weight rods with 200- to 450-grain sinking tips are the norm. The winter months on the Caney Fork are the big-fish time of year.

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close look - tennessee

discovery

When the stars align correctly, we have just the right amount of precipitation so the river doesn’t blow out, and air temperatures stay cold enough to start killing shad in Center Hill Lake above the dam . . . then, get ready! Dead and dying shad get sucked through the generators in massive numbers and create a feeding frenzy downriver. The shad “hatch” on the Caney is something every angler should experience at least once in a lifetime. Big trout, stripers, wall- eye, skipjack, and buffalo all get in on the buffet. Nothing beats a floating shad pattern getting crushed by a 10-pound trout or a 30-pound striper! This is our reward after months of 15-foot leaders, 8X tippets, and #26 flies.

Excerpt from 50 Best Tailwater Streams (Stonefly Press, 2013) by Terry and Wendy Gunn

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Chota Hippies Adjustable Hip Waders

www.chotaoutdoorgear.com 877-462-4682

Western Maryland’s Savage River Articles and photos

by Beau Beasley

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While doing research for my book Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic, I knew I’d be missing the boat if I didn’t include some of the excellent waters located within the state of Maryland. Having been a manufactures representative for several fly fishing companies, I’d seen much of the “Free State” up close and personal. I must say I liked what I saw. While it’s true I viewed much of the state behind the windshield of my car (a job hazard of being a traveling salesman), I also did some fishing between calling on my fly shop customers. In my humble opinion few locations hold the excellent scenery and multiple fishing options offered in and around Garret County, Maryland.

The Savage River has long been a favorite water among those hardy souls who like nothing better than to match wits with wary native brook trout. This picturesque river flows from Savage River Reservoir and winds its way back and forth, tumbling over mountainous rocks for nearly four miles before it empties into the North Branch of the Potomac. What lies in between is the brook trout lover’s nirvana, perfect for those who specialize in lightweight gear and have the skill to land these fish. Access points abound along the road, and pulling off at any of these locations and walking a few yards will put anglers into position on the river. If you see someone parked along the road, simply drive up or down stream until you have room to park. Once you abandon your car however, get ready to go one on one with some pretty tough customers.

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“This is a great trout stream—but if I have relatively new clients, it’s not my first choice,” Harold Harsh, owner of Spring Creek Outfitters, the oldest fly fishing guide service in Garrett County, told me. “There are plenty of fish here, but at times they can be unforgiving.” Harsh was casting a beautiful bamboo rod on the day that we fished together. “This is just the right river for guys who want to fish bamboo,” he says. “There’s tight cover here at times, but also enough room to make some long casts if you take your time and pay attention.” As if on cue, a spunky native brookie crashed Harold’s pattern, and he quickly brought the beauty to hand.

Access to the Savage is easy since Savage River Road runs along most of it and allows for multiple pull-offs. Also, two steady footbridges—the Garrett and the Alleghany—traverse this river, both of which are great spotting platforms for anglers. Above the Garrett Bridge is “7X Pool,” which should indicate how tough it is to fish this still water: This pool is as wide as the river and seems to be a few hundred yards long. Trout often cruise around here and love to lazily sip insects. I say lazily because there is so little current here that the fish simply aren’t in a hurry— and consequently, catching the fish here can be really tough. You may try spotting a particular fish from the bridge and then trying to position yourself for a good cast.

Be careful, though: You’re not likely to get a second chance. An artificial flies only section runs from the reservoir to the Alleghany Bridge, then artificial lures can used through the river.

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“Anglers need to really take their time here and be methodical” says Harsh.

“This isn’t the place for loud foot falls, and poor casting, but if you take your time, and think about your tactics before you cast, you can be successful.” Not long after making this statement, Harsh landed another nice brookie. Harsh, a former Marine, has been guiding in Maryland more than 20 years and has a rock solid reputation. While Harsh takes clients on wade trips to the Savage, he also guides clients via Visitors taking on the raft on other nearby rivers Savage River can expect like the Potomac and little to no pressure from traditional anglers since the Youghiogheny. Anglers Savage can only be fished who wish to want to fish a combination of rivers with with artificial flies or lures.

Harsh can do so, but this While its true most visitors hope to land brookies here, generally requires booking multiple days. Harsh also you can also land browns.

On rare occasions anglers takes annual guide trips to exotic locations like Chile, might land a few rainbows but for the most part he or cutthroat trout too. The fishes his home waters of rainbows and cutthroats aren’t residents here, rather Western Maryland. they swim upstream in to the Savage from the North Branch of the Potomac into which the Savage River empties.

Despite the wild setting and wily trout, the Savage River is a great place for the whole family to spend the day: You’ll find picnic tables and open areas where families can enjoy the river together—and yet alone. There are excellent accommodations at Savage River Lodge, but consider yourself warned. Once you enter the lodge, have a glass of wine and look at the mountains through their large windows, you are hard pressed to leave.

The Savage also provides options for anglers who wish to cast dries along the broken sections of the river, and nymphing can be excellent here. Rocks ranging in size from softball to wheelbarrow provide plenty of stair-step pools for those who want to fish the river methodically. An angler who can afford to take his time and thoroughly fish the river could easily spend two days on the Savage and not fish the same place twice. Taking your time here is also the key to safe wading and effective fishing. Take note: the rocks on this river can be as slippery as greased bowling balls. While the cool water is great for the trout, falling down and getting that same water on the inside of your waders is a sure fire way to ruin your morning.

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Gear needs are pretty straight forward with 3-5 weight rods, 7.5-8 feet in length and weight forward floating will have you covered. Again the trout can be very spooky of leaders can run from 9-14 feet in length. You can certainly get by with hip boots, but I prefer chest waders here because it gives me more wading options, and again let’s not forget those slippery rocks Good fly patterns here include BWO 14-24, Elk Hair Caddis 12-16, Flying Ant 12-18, Green Drake 8-10, Gelsoe’s Little Black Stone Fly 16-20, Lt. Cahill 14-20. For those that like to nymph fish try BH Hare’s Ear 14-20, BH Prince Nymph 14-20, and Copper John 16-22. An excellent local pattern created by Harsh which came about after years of observation. is Harold’s Indestructible Nymph 12-16. This pattern is also effective on other local rivers like the North Branch of the Potomac, the Casselman and the Youghiogheny Rivers.

Accommodations/ Activities/ Fly Shops/ Guides

If you’re fishing the Savage River there’s no finer place to stay than Savage River Lodge. This well-appointed lodge is the perfect place for a family getaway or a small group gathering. In 2009 they were honored by being named the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.

Anglers who wish to prepare their own food while visiting can contact Savage River Outfitters. They rent houses right along the Savage River .Both locations can also act as a base of operations should you wish to fish more than one river during your stay.

Spring Creek Outfitters Oakland, MD www.springcreekoutfitter.com (301) 387-6587 Harold Harsh a former Marine, is a well-respected guide that loves catching native trout.

Anglers who prefer a little bushwhack with their bamboo can fish the single mile of the Savage above the reservoir. The fishing can be good, but the river is smaller with much tighter cover. It is also rumored to harbor a healthy population of rattlesnakes. Consider yourself warned: They don’t call it the Savage for nothing.

Beau Beasley (www.beaubeasley.com) is the author of Fly Fishing Virginia and Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic.

He’s the Editor at Large for Southern Trout Magazine and lives with his wife and children in Warrenton, VA.

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Big Frog Fly Shop Oakland, MD www.springcreekoutfitter.com (301) 387-6587 Savage River Lodge Frostburg, MD www.savageriverlodge.com (301) 689-3200 Savage River Outfitters Swanton, MD www.savageriveroutfitters.com (703) 517-1040 www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout | 127

Trout and Georgia’s Old Mills N

by Jimmy Jacobs

eedless to say, trout like cold, tumbling waters.

Such habitat is ideal for the fish, but that moving water has for centuries also had an appeal to humans. Today’s anglers are drawn to it because of the fish that live there. But, in the past the rush of the stream over rocks also attracted men more interested in harnessing the cheap power of the water.

What those entrepreneurs have left behind are a host of old mills, either still working or now abandoned. Some of these structures in Georgia have close associations with trout fishing, while others have just a tenuous connection.

Here’s a look at three such grist or manufacturing mills that fit into one or the other of those categories and provide scenic back drops for some angling.

The mill dam on the Chattahoochee River at Nora Mills.

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Nora Mills

This grist mill on the Chattahoochee River just south of the Bavarian theme resort town of Helen is probably the mill most closely associated with trout in Georgia. The first mill here was erected in 1824 by Daniel Brown, while the present structure was built in 1876. The mill is still operational and sells stone-ground grits, cornmeal and pancake flour in their gift shop.

Nora Mills is situated on the Chattahoochee River just south of Helen.

Standing on the platform overlooking the water behind the structure often presents views of rainbow and brown trout running up to 24 inches in length. Fortunately for anglers, these brutes are not just for watching. This portion of the river is known as Nacoochee Bend and managed by Unicoi Outfitters. Fishermen can fly-fish for these trout for a fee on either guided or unguided trips offered by the outfitter.

For more details check out www.unicoioutfitters.com.

Nacoochee Bend at Nora Mills gives up some monster rainbows like the one Polly Dean holds.

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Springbank Mill

In fact, the actual name of this mill in northwest Georgia has been lost. It is located in the Springbank Green Space Park owned by Bartow County near the town of Adairsville. The ruins of the mill, which pre-date the Civil War, are situated on the shore of Connesena Creek.

The spring from which the Springbank tract gets its name.

The stream flows parallel to Hall Station Road on its east, while the shooting ground of Springbank Plantation are to the west. The 40-acre park also holds the second largest oak tree in the Peach State, a historic cemetery and the site of Springbank Academy, a 19th century young ladies finishing school. During the Civil War both blue and gray armies marched through this region during Sherman’s campaign to reach Atlanta.

The name Springbank comes from the spring that issues from a bank that was just behind the old academy. In the spring months it pumps out a steady stream of 58 degree water that runs down into Connesena Creek. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocks the stream with rainbow trout a couple of times each spring.

Left: The Springbank Mill lies on a patch of historic public land on Connesena Creek.

Right: Polly Dean testing the waters of Connesena Creek.

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Left: Sweetwater Falls are a 1/2 mile downstream of the mill ruins in suburban Atlanta.

Right: The ruins of New Manchester Mill on Sweetwater Creek.

Below: A 13inch rainbow that found its way into Sweetwater Creek from the Chattahoochee river.

New Manchester Mill

The remnants of the New Manchester Mill are located in Sweetwater Creek State Park in Douglas County, on the western suburban fringe of Atlanta. This antebellum textile mill was burned by Sherman’s army in 1864 and the factory workers were exiled to Louisville, Kentucky. None ever returned and the mill and its town were abandoned.

This historic old ruin should not have any connection to trout fishing, since Sweetwater Creek on which it sits gets very warm in the summer months. But, trout stocked in the delayed-harvest section of the Chattahoochee River do manage to find their way into the creek occasionally in the winter and early spring.

Those fish are most likely to show up in the shoals downstream of the mill at Sweetwater Falls. This small cataract is about ½-mile below the mill. To get there the fish have traveled roughly eight miles down the river from the last designated trout water, then another three to four miles up the creek.

Summing it up

These three mills are just a sampling of what lies hidden on streams in North Georgia. Other old mills overlooking water that host trout at some time during the year are Old Skeenah Mill on Skeenah Creek in Fannin County, the Mark of the Potter on the Soque River in Habersham County and, most surprising, the Marietta Paper Mill Ruins on Sope Creek in Cobb County. Undoubtedly, there are more that can be found by enterprising “blue-liners” that get farther off the beaten paths.

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Situational Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains

Fly Fishing (For Trout) Myths

by Ron Gaddy

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Fly fishing for wild trout in the Great Smoky Mountains and the surrounding states requires a lot of technique, strategy, and experience to be successful.

There have been tons of flyfishing verbiage thrown down based on observations that might apply to a particular part of the country but not hold water in another state or time zone. Wild trout will develop different habits and feed somewhat differently depending on the environment they have been raised in and the conditions at hand. It is different from state to state and even stream to stream.

Fishing pressure, food access, predators, water levels, and many other factors make it very hard to form a truism about fly fishing. Very few labels can be put on trout as a whole.

Most theories you read about in the fly fishing world are based on limited observation and research and in a specific region. Some speculation may have one think that a trout would have the ability of deductive reasoning. What follows are a few myths on which I would like to weigh-in. www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout | 141

Presentation is More Important than the Fly II have read in many different books and articles that a good presentation is a dead drift with the same speed as the current without dragging the fly or nymph. This is a good technique, but only one method of presentation. I’ve caught a lot of trout skipping or dragging a dry fly across a run and many while pulsing or pulling a nymph through the water. I would propose that a good presentation would first and foremost be making sure that trout see your fly and not you. Fly-fishing conditions that vary from day to day and stream to stream may require a different presentation, but the main objective of presentation is showing your fly to as many trout as possible. I’ve never had a slow fishing day because of presentation, but I’ve had many slow times in the creek due to fly selection.

Smaller Tippet Size Catches More Trout Don’t waste your money. Some fly fishers carry four or five different sizes of tippet and even in different colors. I’ve never witnessed a trout come up to look at the tippet or leader. A trout does not understand the concept of a line, leader, and tippet. If you have ever had a trout reject your fly, it’s probably because he either sees you, or he sees that sharp thing that jerked his brains out a couple days before. To better put this in prospective, going from 4X down to 7X is only a difference of 3/1000 of an inch. Go to your favorite fishing store and buy some clear monofilament or clear fluorocarbon in sizes to suite your needs, and save your money. Most of the time all I use for tippet is six-pound fluorocarbon; sometimes I go down to four-pound when fishing smaller flies.

I’ve also seen a lot of fish caught on twenty-pound mono.

Go figure.

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Fly Pattern Characteristics

Trout Are Not Selective

To a trout, what’s more important in a fly pattern? Size, color, action, shape, or texture?

In Rick Halefe’s book Nymph Fishing Rivers and Streams, he lists the key features of a fly pattern in order of importance as follows: size, shape, movement, and then color.

Dave Whitlock’s book Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods has the critical elements of a fly prioritized as size, action, texture, shape, and color. Actually, color is the feature a trout can most identify with. More times than anything else, a trout will key in on color, but the closer you match all the features, the more productive your fly will be.Trout food easiest to imitate such as inchworms, red worms, and caddis larva will prove more productive than a harder to imitate bug like a stonefly. When fishing dry flies, you will also find that trout key in on body color. Most top water patterns don’t look anything like the naturals, but if you get the body color right and the size fairly close, you will catch fish. A good example is my go-to parachute fly. It works great, but I’m pretty sure there is not a mayfly that looks like a helicopter. Trout are looking for calories, and that would be in the body of the fly.

I’ve heard fly fishermen say this with four boxes of twenty-four different fly patterns in their vest. Wild trout in the Great Smoky Mountains will get selective any time there is an abundant food source available. Matching the hatch is rule number one in Great Smoky Mountains if you want to catch fish. The best way to do this is by taking the time for a little investigation before you start slinging flies. Turn over a few rocks, look for a hatch, check the leaves and logs to see what’s available to the trout. I’ve witnessed the old-timers do this over and over and catch tons of fish. The truth is they probably didn’t know a mayfly from a stonefly, but they did know that to catch fish, they had to imitate what aquatic or terrestrial life they found in the creek.

Trout are Always Feeding This may be true but very misleading. The percentage will depend on factors such as food availability, water levels, and water temperature. The number of trout feeding is at it’s highest during the front end of a rain due to all the food being washed in the stream.

A sudden brisk wind that will fill the creek with leaves and bugs will also bring out a high number of feeding trout. Extremely low water levels will result in a low volume of aquatic activity, and the low and clear water also causes trout to get very timid and hunker down resulting in some slow fishing. When too much rain fills the creek with bugs and worms and trout get full, catching fish will be touch and go. If trout are not feeding, then it’s going to be a slow day.

Test The Speculation Don’t believe everything you read or hear. You should put all the theories and speculations to the test. You may be surprised at what you learn!

Fish Responsibly.

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Jewels of Piney Creek

by Bill Cooper

I

t has been said that trout live in beautiful paces. Some places, however, are more beautiful than others. TIt has been said that trout live in beautiful paces. Some places, however, are more beautiful than others.

The Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas have been eons in the making, and in the process, the Great Artist spared no effort in designing gorgeous trout waters which meander through the region. Most are grand jewels of the trout order, and each harbors magnificent, tiny jewels of its own that any trout

that support whitetail deer, wild turkey, mountain lions,and black bear, provide the perfect back drop for the adventurous fly angler who hopes to experience all the wild jewels of an enchanted trout stream.

monger would trade his favorite wand to discover.

inches constitutes a daily limit. Very few anglers choose to reduce such a magnificent fish to creel. Rainbows of such proportions are limited in Little Piney Creek, and knowledgeable anglers realize how long it takes for a fish to reach that size. The greatest reward in releasing a trophy trout is the fact that one may be allowing another fisherman to enjoy the same experience with the crown jewel of the Little Piney.

Little Piney Creek is a diminutive, clearwater stream in the south central Ozarks region of Missouri. Arguably, it is one of Missouri’s highest quality spring-creek wild trout streams. Formed by several year-round flow springs, the Little Piney meanders its way through traditional, spectacular Ozark topography. Rugged hills, covered with hardwood ridges 148 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

The upper section of Little Piney Creek is classified by the Missouri Department of Conservation as Blue Ribbon Waters in order to protect the wild trout population found there. Only artificial flies and lures may be used in this section. One trout over eighteen

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Further downstream lay the White Ribbon waters.

This section is stocked. Those who want to may reduce fish to creel. The Blue Ribbon section starts near the headwaters, but the most productive area of Little Piney Creek is located near,and downstream of, the springs near Highway 63. There is access at the Highway 63 bridge, Lane Spring Recreation Area, Milldam Hollow, and Vida Slab.

Fly fishing Little Piney Creek is best during spring and fall. Both seasons provide dramatic backdrops of color. Spring brings a bouquet of splendid wildflowers and flowering trees. Columbines, tall lobelias, and violets blanket the stream side. Flowering dogwood and redbuds paint the sunrise for those early risers who enjoy the bejeweled, wild atmosphere as much as catching colorful rainbows. Too, water flows are increased in spring and fall giving anglers better fishing opportunities.

Piney Creek flows through rough, hilly country in the Missouri Ozarks.

Rainbows may be caught in the summer months, but low water can limit trout holding habitat. Long, light leaders are required because of the intense light. Trout become unceasingly wary, and only the stealthiest of trout anglers will enjoy success.

Little Piney Creek supports a diversity of aquatic insects and crustaceans. Blue-winged olives and brown drakes are fairly common. Mayflies and caddis flies are abundant as are small crayfish and freshwater shrimp. Imitations of these important food items are endless, but every angler has his or her favorites.

If you want to match the most prominent food sources, stick with generic nymphs in sizes 14-18 and dries in sizes 12-16. Piney Creek rainbows can also be fooled with glo-bugs, woolly buggers, and foam flies.

Spring and fall provide the best water flows for fishing Little Piney Creek.

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The creek has good hatches, and blue-winged olives, adams, tan midges, elk hair caddis, and pheasant tail bead head nymphs will get you into fish. Cracklebacks and renegades also work well at times. Small grasshoppers and big ants work well in late summer.

Fish them along tall banks. They can be deadly.

The brown drake hatch in September can provide fast action. These big brown mayflies do not emerge in massive numbers, but do provide a short-lived frenzy of feeding action. Timing is everything for this jewel of the fall.

“Matching the hatch” may seem a tongue in cheek statement to many, but serious fly anglers understand the importance of the idea. Presenting fly imitations that represent something other than what is present in Little Piney creek at the time is an effort in frustration.

Aquatic insects which are found in one Ozark watershed may not necessarily be found in another.

Time invested in research before tackling the Little Piney will pay dividends. Google “Ozark Hatch Charts” to find out which aquatic insects hatch in a given month. You will be well ahead of the game, and the quality of your trip will improve proportionately.

The rainbows of Little Piney Creek are truly stunning. Brightly colored fish are attributed to hybridization between McCloud redbands and the Arlee strain introduced by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Rumor has it that there may have been a private stock of an additional strain introduced long ago, most likely Shasta or Gila. Regardless, when you catch a stunning Little Piney Creek rainbow, you immediately realize that you have experienced the Crown Jewel of the many jewels which Little Piney Creek has to offer.

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Still Made in the U.S.A.

In the 1930s, Tycoon Tackle, Inc. developed and patented a heart-shaped laminated split-bamboo method of fishing rod construction that became the standard for excellence. The parabolic design was light and strong and this type of construction proved to withstand 60% more stress pounds per square inch than the conventionally shaped rods of the same crosssectional area.

Today, we still manufacture the laminated split-bamboo fishing rods with the same care and quality as in the past. Our standard sizes are specifically designed for Trout fishing.

Contact us with your fly-rod needs.

Tycoontackle.com 434-282-2799

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Nothing www.southerntrout.com | but Novembernet...

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Discovering Virginia’s St. Mary’s River Beau Beasley

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F

or decades, anglers after wary mountain trout have enjoyed the St. Mary’s River in the heart of Augusta County. Embattled by acid rain in the 1990s, the St. Mary’s has made a dramatic turnaround with the help of the U.S. Forestry Service, The Fly Fishers of Virginia, and Dominion, a Richmond-based energy company. In 1998, the U.S. Forestry Service acted as the lead agency to lime the St. Mary’s which was no mean feat in this isolated, protected section of the George Washington National Forest. Officials could have brought limestone in by pack mule, but they determined that this river rescue operation would take too long (about six months) and cost far too much.

Instead, a helicopter dropped crushed limestone into the river, accomplishing the job in a single day. In 2005, officials added more limestone to St. Mary’s, and, although this trout water isn’t out of the woods yet, the limestone has certainly improved the current conditions for the fish and, thus, for anglers and sightseeing hikers.

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The St. Mary’s is easily accessed off of Fire Road 41—but that’s where the easy part ends.

Yes, there is a hiking trail that runs along the left side of the river that aids anglers and hikers up the river. Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword. Anglers must move further and further upstream to find fishable water. There are a few feeder streams that seem to flow into the St. Mary’s. However, they are actually parts of the river itself that have been separated from the main stem, and this can confuse new anglers. In the event that you find yourself disoriented, remember that going downstream leads you back to the parking lot. If you happen to enter the river below the parking lot, you will soon run out onto a main road if you walk far enough.

The St. Mary’s River is not for rank beginners and can be intimidating even for the more experienced angler. To begin with, its name is misleading: At first blush, the St. Mary’s is much more like a creek than a river, and low water conditions here can make fishing tough. Second, the river can’t seem to make up its mind which way it wants to run—sometimes east, sometimes west, sometimes seemingly in both directions simultaneously, branching around small islands that cause you to lose sight of the main river. Third, this constant changing of course is illustrated by the large amounts of stone on each side of the river banks, which make walking up or downstream quite difficult at times. This rock-strewn area is also evidence of a huge amount of water that accompanied Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Finally, the water is gin clear, making a stealthy, cautious approach a must for those who hope to bring the St. Mary’s sly mountain trout to hand.

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“The St. Mary’s river is not for rank beginners...” www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout | 157

My advice for this fishery is to walk up as far as your legs can carry you, and then go another hundred yards. All joking aside, anglers that head further upstream will generally find more fish. The old adage of a fly angler’s willingness to drive hundreds of miles to find and a new stream, but then refusing to walk a hundred yards from the new destination, has more truth in it than you realize. Good, comfortable wading shoes are a must here because of the terrain and the grade. Luckily, hip boots are a very reasonable tool for this fishery, and some anglers opt to walk up with good hiking boots and then put on their hippers once they arrive.

Once upstream, you can then fish your way down stream with your hiking shoes in your vest or sling pack.

This fishery is also a great place to break out that small stream rod, or better yet, that Tenkara you’ve been meaning to try out. But don’t let the small rods fool you. Long leaders and careful casting is the order of the day here, because the water can, at times, be quite low and gin clear. A stealthy approach and good casting techniques are a must on this fishery, and those who refuse to use these techniques to their advantage could have a long day ahead of them. The brookies and the occasional rainbows that call this river home are not going to come to hand easily, but careful anglers can have a good day here.

Your rod can range from size 2-4 weights and vary in length from seven to eight feet.

Leaders should be no larger than 4X and using a 7X is not unheard of when the water is low. Floating lines are the order of the day, but there may be times when a few split shot could be needed to get you down into some of the larger pools. Hatches are what you might suppose with Winter stoneflies, Quill Gordons, and March Brown’s all making an appearance. Good patterns for the Saint Mary’s may include Adams 14-20, BWO 14-20, Dusty’s Deviant 12-16, Elk Hair Caddis 14-20, Flying Ant 10-18, Gelsoe’s Little Black Stone Fly16-20, Lt. Cahill 14-20, Little Yellow Sally 14-20, March Brown 1014, and a Murray’s Mr. Rapidan 14-20, is always a good searching pattern. Other subsurface patterns include BH Goldilox 6-10, BH Hare’s Ear 14-20, BH Prince Nymph 14-20, Finn’s Golden Retriever 6-10, Green Weenie 14-16, Matuka 6-10, Mickey Finn 6-10, and, of course, the every popular Wooly Bugger 6-10.

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If you arrive and the St. Mary’s is blown out, or you’re not up to a hike combined with a fly-fishing trip, a local alternative is the South River in nearby Waynesboro. The South River has practically no grade, and many of the same patterns can be used on both rivers. The St. Mary’s is a very nice fishery, and the scenery in this semi-rugged area is often worth the trip in its own right. Beautiful trees and a gurgling trout stream are nice to take in on any day. Add in a few trout and you can easily spend an entire day here.

For the latest information on the St Mary’s, contact Kevin Little, or Tommy Lawhorn at the South River Fly Shop they have fished this stream often and guide there as well. Another great source for information is Dominion Outdoors conveniently located in Stuart’s Draft about a 10 minute drive from the St. Mary’s River.

Beau Beasley (www.beaubeasley.com) is an award winning writer and the author of Fly Fishing Virginia and Fly Fishing the MidAtlantic He serves as the editor at large for Southern Trout Magazine and the Director of Programs for the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival (www.vaflyfishing.org).

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Trout Fishing Guidebooks For The South

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Autographed copies available.

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My Favorite Fly Fishing BLOOPER

I

the trail above the Falls is little more than a drunken goat trail with sheer rock faces on one side and sheer drops on the other. It is somewhat treacherous even in good light, so traveling it after dark requires a definite sense of adventure and firm concentration. Eventually, we managed to make it to the falls without either of us plunging perilously our deaths, and that is when the fun began.

Shortly after our harrowing exodus from the upper section, Tim and I came upon the hollow that I mentioned earlier. However, instead of being empty as it was that morning when we passed through, there must have twenty or more tents pitched there which was a sight neither of has had ever seen before! Although that, in itself, was an unexpected surprise, there was, strangely, not a single soul in sight! Not a one! Anywhere!

Bill Bernhardt Professional Guide & Instructor Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company

have said it before and I will say it again, if you fly fish long enough and often enough, you will have some interesting experiences! However, there will always be that one particular experience that stands out in your mind above all others, and such is the case with my favorite fly-fishing blooper.

This particular incident took place several years ago on Harper Creek late one June evening. The day started like any other normal day when I met with my fishing buddy, Tim, at his house well before first light. After loading our gear in his truck, we drove up to the trail head into Harper Creek, arriving there just after dawn. As much as I love fishing Harper Creek, the first hundred yards or so of that trail is an exercise in dedication in the form of a series of steep switchbacks leading up the side of an even steeper mountain. It reminds me of a ship climbing a series of locks, and I always dread having to hike that first section. However, once you reach top, it levels out a bit, so it’s not too bad from there. Consequently, we procrastinated a bit as we were putting on our gear and assembling our rods, but we finally reached the point where it was time to bite the bullet. So, up we went!

After about a twenty-minute walk, we came to what we Southern folk like to call a “hollow” that I had always thought would make an excellent camping spot and which I have always used as a landmark to gauge my

progress. As usual, there was not a soul in sight. We continued up the trail and put in just above the falls. After an excellent day of fishing, we decided to stay late that evening in order to catch the hatches that usually come off that time of day even though the trail out was absolutely treacherous. I made the mistake of not asking Tim if he had brought a flashlight with him; I simply assumed that he had the forethought to do so.

Unfortunately, my faith in human nature was sorely misplaced, and consequently, when we started out on the trail well after dark, I was the only one of us with a flashlight.

I had to walk behind Tim and shine the beam at the trail in front of him, so that both of us could see where we were going. Now, at this point, I should probably make it clear to you that

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By this time, it was getting pretty dark, so after remarking on the strangeness of it, we decided to continue on the trail until we came to a deep, horseshoe-like bend at which point we heard a noise of some sort on the trail in front of us. Being naturally cautious, Tim immediately halted in the middle of the trail in front of me so abruptly that I nearly ran into him (which would have probably toppled both of us off of the trial at that point because it was very narrow). He said, “What’s that?” After listening intently for a few seconds, we determined that it was merely some other people. No problem, or so we thought. You see, as both groups approached the bend in the trail, it became so narrow that we could not pass each other shoulder-to-shoulder, and thus, we would have to turn face-to-face instead. As we met the other party, I could see that it was a group of three teenage boys. Just as we came abreast of them, Tim suddenly halted without warning (again!), drew himself up to his full height, and set his shoulders like he was ready to fight!

At this point, it is helpful to understand that Tim is as tall as I am and wider in the shoulders, so all I could see of those boys were their heads. I just could not figure out what had set Tim off. Consequently, I decided that I had www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout | 163

best diffuse the situation by playing ambassador. I asked them if they were with the group camping up the trail a bit, and they told us that they were with a Boy Scout troop, and the rest of the group was down the trail a ways. I noticed that none of them appeared to have a flashlight. When I asked them about it, I got a gruff response roughly equivalent to, “We don’t need no stinkin’ flashlight.”

I immediately decided that they were all adolescent morons, and I had no further interest in talking with them. Fortunately, Tim

got the message that the conversation was over, and he anxiously made the first move forward on the trail to get past those fellows.

As he turned sideways and started to sidle past them, I finally got my first good look at them and that’s when I saw what had set Tim off. Not only were these three fools out walking on a treacherous trail in the woods after dark with no flashlight, all three of them were BUCK NAKED!!! I mean, they had nothing on but their tennis shoes, right there in front of God and everybody!

I’ve thought about this experience many times over the intervening years, and to this day, I have to admit that it completely eludes me why anyone would want to walk around in the woods naked, especially after dark, on a treacherous tail with no flashlight. But, to each his own I guess, as long as they don’t hurt anybody.

If people are going to run around naked in the woods, they ought to give us normal folks a little warning in order to prevent heart attacks. Oh yeah, and don’t forget your flashlight!

Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company

Your small stream specialist

www.nc-flyfishing.com

We are North Carolina’s Premier Backcountry Fly Fishing Guide Service!

Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company is a professional fly fishing guide service specializing in back-country, walk/wade, fly fishing trips for experienced anglers and guided fly fishing instructional trips for novices. We also offer summertime fly fishing or light spin-tackle kayak fishing trips for Smallmouth Bass on the New River.

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North Carolina’s Delayed Harvest Kevin Howell

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N

orth Carolina was the first state in the Southeastern United State to offer a delayed harvest fishing regulation. NC began its DH program in 1992 with four pilot streams. Two of the pilot streams The Tuckasegee and North are still regarded as two of the best streams in the program. Since 1992 the Delayed Harvest Program has been expanded to over 59 miles of river. River sections vary in length from .7 of a mile to as long as an eight mile stretch on Helton Creek in Ashe County.

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Approximately 50% of all of the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NWRC) trout production goes into the delayed Harvest Program. The DH streams are chosen using a combination of factors from fish carrying capacity; thermal dynamics of the stream, average stream flows etc‌ The Delayed Harvest option allows fish to be stocked under a catch and release artificial lure only regulation beginning in October and remains in effect until the first Saturday of the following June. The idea is to allow anglers to harvest the fish at the beginning of the summer months before the water warms to a level that is not conducive as trout habitat. While a few of the streams will support a small number of trout through the summer months, most of the streams struggle to offer prime trout habitat in the summer months. This program allows anglers to enjoy the fish in the cooler months and then harvest them prior to a summer kill off. The Delayed Harvest streams receive stocking the first week of October, November, and again the first

weeks of March, April and May. By the end of the stocking in May the Tuckasegee river has had as many as 20,000 fish stocked in an eight mile section of river.

The Tuckasegee in Jackson County receives the most pressure of all the Delayed Harvest Streams. It is not uncommon for the river to have 25 wade anglers and 5-8 drift Boats on the river at one time. The drawback to fishing the Tuck is that it is a tailwater controlled

by Duke Energy and operated daily for power needs. Wade anglers need to be cognizant of changing water levels.

Generation out of the West Fork will still allow for wade access upstream of the Webster Bridge; however generation out of the East Fork or a combination of generation of the East and West Fork will make the river unfishable for wade anglers. While the Tuck receives the most fish of any DH stream, other streams like the North Mills River and East Fork of the French Broad offer a more scenic and picturesque setting.

The Delayed Harvest streams provide not only a great opportunity for beginning fly fishermen to be successful, but also a place for veteran anglers to have a fun filled day with a high fish count. When first stocked the fish often pod together in the larger slower pools. However once they have been caught a few times they can get as wary as any wild fish and will disperse from the large pods into groups of two to three fish and will spread out throughout the stream.

During the first few weeks the fish are stocked, egg patterns, San Juan Worms, Lightening Bugs and similar flashy attractor style flies with work well. During this time anglers can also fish larger size tippet like 4x. However once they have been caught a few times the fish will shy off of the flashy worms and eggs and anglers will have to treat the fish as if they are wild trout. I often switch to size 18 nymphs and soft hackles fished on 5-6x tippet.

I often here anglers that quite fishing the DH streams in Jan and February saying that have not been stocked the truth is that they offer some great winter fishing opportunities. Anglers that are willing to bundle up, fish small nymphs and dries on 6x tippet will find plenty of fish in NC Delayed Harvest streams. So this winter instead of sitting by the fireplace and dreaming of the fish filled days get out on the water and enjoy some of the Delayed Harvest Streams. Sure will make that fire feel better when you get home.

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2nd Annual

Southern Trout

Fly Fishing Fair

January 31, 2015 8:30 am to 6 pm LeConte Center 2986 Teaster Lane Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

ADMISSION

FREE!

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O

ne of the most anticipated get togethers of fly fishermen in the South, February 6 and 7 are the dates for the 2015 Fly Fishing Show in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As in previous years, the venue is held at the spacious Benton Convention Center located in the heart of downtown WinstonSalem. The show is the brainchild of Fred and Ben Furimsky, two of the

country’s best known promoters of the sport of fly fishing.

A well-orchestrated consumer gathering, the Fly Fishing Show in Winston-Salem is only one of the Furimsky’s nationally known shows that are also held this winter. Others are held in locations such as Lancaster, PA; Somerset, NJ; Denver, CO; Marlborough, MA; Lynnwood, WA and Pleasanton, CA. The

father and son team have refined a formula for bringing together key components such as fly fishing manufacturers, outfitters, guides, fly shops and other related businesses as well as entertainment in the form of nationally and regionally known fly fishing celebrities, expert anglers and fly tiers and authors who provide presentations, demonstrations and seminars. At the Winston-

Salem Fly Fishing Show, as with other Furimsky events, there is always something going on to keep show goers excited and entertained.

Back by popular demand at the WinstonSalem Fly Fishing Show is the Learning Center where the International Federation of Fly Fishers is pleased to offer FREE fly fishing instruction.

The IFFF Learning Center located at the IFFF booth and will be manned throughout the show. Additionally, basic fly casting- fly tyingknot tying will be taught throughout the day-every day of the Fly Fishing Show. Back again, too, is The International Fly Fishing Film Festival.

This is a one night only showing, Friday, February 6 at 6:30 p.m.

One thing that sets the Furimsky’s Fly Fishing Shows apart is the selection of presentations and seminars. The lineup for the Winston-Salem show is as impressive as in years past. It includes the two biggest names

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Lefty Kreh

Bob Clouser

Matthew Green

in fly fishing: Lefty Kreh and Bob Clouser. Living legends in the world of fly fishing, both will be giving casting seminars at the large casting pool

at the show. Other fly fishing celebrities at North Carolina event include Ozzie Ozefovich and Captain Gary Dubiel as well as Southern Trout Magazine’s own, Matthew Green.

The WinstonSalem Fly Fishing Show is being held at Benton Convention Center located at 301 West 5th Street, Winston-Salem.

Show hours are Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission (cash only at the gate) for adults is $18 for one day, and $28 for a twoday pass. Admission for children under 5 years old free, for those under 12 years old the cost of admission is $2. Scouts under 16 years old who are in uniform are admitted free, and Active Military with ID admission is $10. Admission to the Fly Fishing Film Festival Friday is $15 at the gate, and $10 when purchased in advance. Regardless of the weather, the show will go on.

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Hunting Tenkara Waters

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art of the lure of modern Tenkara fishing is the joy of discovering new and seldom explored waters.

When you finally emerge from the underbrush and set eyes on an isolated stream that has been winding its way down a mountain slope for thousands of years, it is a moment in time that sticks with you. The first fish you pull from that very stream is made even more memorable with the knowledge that the fish you hooked has probably never seen another angler in its lifetime. The fish, like the water in which they dwell, are seldom large but what they lack in size they more than makeup for in beauty.

In the southern Appalachian mountain chain we are lucky enough to have some of the best secluded brook trout waters in the nation. For centuries these waters have supported healthy trout population, and with the founding of state and national parks, these protected and out-of-the-way waters have thrived. Many of these waters are a whispered secret amongst anglers, but they don’t have to be. To find them, all you need is an explorer’s spirit and a bit of research. For the few modern day explorers that do take the time and effort in seeking these waters, Tenkara hits a cord that rings true.

For them, the allure of hidden trout pools and babbling waters is married with the search and the journey to ferret them out. Tenkara fishing allows then to seek them out unimpeded by the weight of additional gear.

Often these abandoned parts of our southern states are overgrown with dense underbrush and gear-catching hazards at every turn. Anyone who has caught a fly line or fish net in a brier bush knows first hand the frustration involved in untangling gear from such hazards. Tenkara fishing not only frees those anglers from the weight of gear needed to safely trek into the back country, but it allows a freedom of movement in an otherwise maze of fly line death traps.

Magical waters are more common than most anglers realize, but it takes effort to get there. To reach the truly detached waters it often takes precious time in planning and research before leaving the house. In

today’s fast-paced world of instant gratification, fewer anglers are willing to devote the effort required in searching them out. But for a few, it’s all part of finding that special place few people know exists.

First thing you need in searching out your own mystical water is to get yourself a topo map.

The term topo refers to a topography map, and is

often sold at hiking and backpacking outfitters.

However, with a little research, it can just as easily be purchased or downloaded for free from the internet. I have also found that Google Earth is a great tool for searching out deserted corners of wilderness. Before you set out, make sure you get yourself a hard copy to bring with you. Getting

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turned around in the woods miles away from your car is not the time to wish you had spent $15 on a local topography map.

What you are looking for on these topo maps comes down to one thing, fishy water. Here in the south we are lucky enough to have waters that generally hold fish year round, and we don’t have to worry about glacial effects on our rivers. As you make your way west, you will find a lot of waters that are seasonal runoffs and are not fish-sustaining, so knowledge of your area is key. Look for waters that have a good gradient down the mountain with a lot of twists and turns. The twists and turns often denote age, and the older, the more water has been flowing.

This means there are probably many pools that hold trout through the lower water flow periods.

Our government has spent countless millions in researching the water flows and topography of our nation’s lands, and this is one of those times that their effort, and your tax dollars, pays off for you. Through the USGS, or your state’s government websites, you are often able to find water flows and even average water temperatures for these secluded streams. I have found that when researching isolated water in the southeast, the information I get is usually a few years old but is generally still a valid base to work from. In rare instances, you might even be able to find fish population data from www.southerntrout.com | January 2015 | Southern Trout | 177

old research done by your state’s DNR.

The second key element in your search is finding access. Luckily a lot of these isolated waters here in the south are on public land. Getting information on these tracks of wilderness is generally a lot easier to do due to the amount of material the government has on file. All of this is made public and can be found though your particular state’s or the USGS website. These maps often depict trails and old logging roads plus hazards and rules about accessing the area. It is also a good idea to look into the regulations about fishing these waters through your state’s DNR. I often find a detailed email or simple phone call to the local office will give me all the information I need to start packing.

For access to privately held land it gets a lot trickier. It often involves actually traveling to the site, finding a driveway, and knocking on the door of a stranger’s residence to ask for permission. I have had measured success with this method, especially if I explain I only catch and release fish and follow the ‘leave no trace’ rules of hiking. It is never advisable to access a persons property in the south without permission, and doing so might cost you dearly as most southerners carry firearms. A ‘NO FISHING’ sign is a dead giveaway that you would not be welcome on their land and should move on to other healthy waters.

The things you should bring with you once you have selected your water are placed into two categories, the fishing gear and the safety gear. For Tenkara fishing, things are quite simple which is the entire draw of the sport. All you really need is the telescoping Tenkara rod, a stretch of line, and a few flies. I typically bring a 12-foot Iwana from Tenkara USA, but the new lines of smaller Tenkara rods might be better on the smaller vegetation-choked streams of the south. enkara USA, Tenkara Rod Co., Nissen, Temple Fork, and Patagonia are just a few manufactures now producing a variety of quality Tenkara rods to choose from. I also bring a small pouch with 8-, 12-, and 16-foot lengths of level lines wrapped around separate line holders, but I generally stick to using the twelve foot length, as it is the most versatile for the streams I fish.

For my flies I carry only one small box with a variety of my favorite brook and rainbow trout flies. The selection of flies is a personal matter for most of us, but a few absolute musts in my box will always be the pheasant tail and bedhead nymphs, Sawyer’s Killer bug, small terrestrials in sizes 16 and smaller, a selection of the traditional reverse hackle Tenkara flies, and a few wooly buggers and black nose daces tied in sizes 14 or smaller. For chasing brookies in the southeast, my personal favorite is what I call the Orange Killer, a simple orange-body dry fly with a grizzly hackle wrapped back to front its entire length and tied in sizes 14 and smaller. It’s a simple, easily tied fly that is extremely effective on native brook trout and one I never go without.

For the rest of your gear it really comes down to the essentials of a backpacking or day hiking checklist. Safety is a key element to any excursion, and I always carry 178 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

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a few basics with me on any fishing trip regardless of distance. A first aid kit is an absolute must, since you could be miles away from help. In my small backpack, I also carry a map of the area, a pencil and note pad, flashlight, compass, small knife, waterproof matches or a lighter, small roll of duct tape, whistle, emergency bivy bag, and water. I also make sure I am dressed for the weather of the day or have cloths with me should the weather turn bad.

You should also let people know where you plan to go and when you expect to return. This is where proper planning really pays off. Leave them a map and, if possible, a time schedule of your trip. If you were to seriously injure yourself miles from a point of civilization, and were unable to self-rescue, having someone know your approximate location could very well save your life.

Fishing the secluded areas and mountain streams with your Tenkara outfit might seem like a daunting task, but with proper planning and research you will find that it pays off with beautiful views of nature and, if you are lucky, some of the most pristine trout you have ever seen. The wild places and wild trout are still out there waiting to be rediscovered, and it’s up to you to find them.

For more of all things Tenkara, go to www.tenkaraonthefly.net 180 | Southern Trout | December 2014 | www.southerntrout.com

CONTRIBU TORS Bob Borgwat, 55, leads the team of Reel Angling Adventures at ReelAnglingAdventures.com as owner, administrator, Webmaster, and guide. His freelance writing, editing, and photography covers fishing across the US, but his daily piscatorial adventures take place with fly-rod in hand just outside his doorstep in the southern reach of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. He is a former senior editor for Game and Fish Magazines, Primedia and Intermedia Outdoors, and is an active member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association.

Ed Mashburn, Editor of Southern Kayak Magazine, lives in Bay Minette, Alabama, and previously lived in the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri where he spent much time on the White and Little Red Rivers neglecting school work and home chores in pursuit of rainbows and browns.

He has published three books and several hundred magazine articles. When not fishing or writing about fishing, Ed Mashburn builds wooden kayaks

Virginia Editor Beau Beasley is a well-known name among readers of fly angling magazines. His work has appeared in nearly every major fly fishing periodical in the country. He is the author of Fly Fishing Virginia.

Recently he won the TalbotDenmade Memorial Award for Best Conservation Article from the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writer’s Association for his investigative piece, “Where Have all the menhaden Gone?” He is also the director of the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, www.vaflyfishingfestival.org, and lives with his wife and children in Warrenton, VA.

A native of northern VA, Steve Moore grew up fishing in a fishing family. Steve’s father, much to his mother’s chagrin, was fishing in a local bass tournament the morning that Steve was born. Steve has published five books on fishing in VA and Maryland including Maryland Trout Fishing, Wade, and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River for Smallmouth Bass. Wade Fishing the Rappahannock River and Wade Fishing the Rapidan River. Steve provides frequent updates on fishing these waters and others on his popular blog at www.

CatchGuide.com.

Craig Haney has spent a lifetime chasing trout on the streams, headwaters and tailwaters of the southern Appalachians and elsewhere. After graduating from Auburn University with an animal science degree, Craig has spent the majority of his career in the outdoor industry as a manufacturers’ rep for fishing, boating, camping and hunting gear as well as operating partner of Riverwoods Outfitters / HaneyMullins Orvis for eight years. He has taught fly tying and fly casting at his shops and community colleges. Additionally, he has written on fly fishing and other outdoor subjects for a variety on national and regional magazines.

Craig and his wife Lynn live on Shades Mountain in Hoover, AL in the southern Appalachian foothills.

Arkansas Editor Larry Rea is the seasoned, retired Outdoors Editor for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN, where he held that post between 1967 and 2001. Currently he is the host of Outdoors with Larry Rea on Sports 790-AM in Memphis; www.lroutdoors.com. He is also free-lance writer for The Commercial Appeal’s DeSoto Appeal (Sunday outdoors column). A master scribe, for five consecutive years he was a double award winner (first and second place) in Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association’s Excellence in Craft Broadcast category. He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Hall of Fame in 2010 where he is now an honored lifetime member. Larry also serves on the board of directors for Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (2010-present).

CONTRIBU TORS A Clinch River, fly-fishing fanatic, Shawn Madison is also a passionate entrepreneur and experienced boat builder. Using his vast experience in design, engineering, and manufacturing in the boat building industry, Shawn is currently finalizing the production plan for a Southern Style Drift Boat. An avid photographer, fly-tyer, and inventor, he also maintains The Clinch River, TN Facebook page that promotes one of the East Tennessee’s greatest resources. His goal is to help promote the sport of fly-fishing, increase conservation, and to help others find the joy of tricking trout. Watch for his current project soon, a book titled Find the Joy of Fly Fishing.

Roger Lowe was born in Waynesville, NC and now lives in the nearby town of Cashiers. He has enjoyed fly-fishing the waters of the Southern Appalachians all his life.

He first began tying flies and fishing them at a very early age. Roger has his own fly shop for twelve years and has been guiding full time for twenty-seven years. He can most often be found at Brookings Angler in Cashiers where he guides daily or works in the fly shop where is signature patterns are available. He is also a fly tying instructor. He is the author of Roger Lowe’s Guide to the Great Smoky Mounatins, and he has a fly tying video, Smoky Mountain Fly Patterns, that shows how to tie a lot of the Smoky Mountain Patterns.

Ron Gaddy grew up in Waynesville, North Carolina and started fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains at an early age. He grew up fishing Chattahoochee, East and West Fork of the Pigeon River, Little East Fork of the Pigeon River, Nantahala River, and Jonathan Creek. Ron left North Carolina at age 24 for a career with the Department of Defense at Charleston, SC and Norfolk, VA. After retiring from DOD in 2009 he returned to Waynesville, NC to be close to all the great trout fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains. Since retirement, Ron has consistently fished in the Smoky Mountains for trout. When not fishing, Ron is tying flies for building rods.

Bill Bernhardt, 52, is the owner of and guide, instructor, and custom rod builder for Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company (www.nc-flyfishing.com) located in Lenoir, North Carolina. In addition, Bill is somewhat unusual in that he specializes in small streams, wild trout, and backcountry, remote access, and walk/wade trips into the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Consequently, his freelance outdoor articles along with his nature photography focus specifically on the exceptional beautify and excellent trout fishing opportunities available to fly fishermen in western North Carolina.

Kevin Howell fished 38 states before college. In 1997 Kevin took a job as Manager or Davidson River Outfitters. He was also helping his father run Dwight and Don’s Custom Tackle. After his father passed away in 1998, Kevin took over the operation of Dwight and Don’t Custom Tackle while remaining the Manager of Davidson River Outfitters and combined the operation of the two businesses. He is also a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor. Kevin is also a nationally known fly-tyer and is currently the fly-tying editor for Fly Fishing the Mid Atlantic States. He has also had several of his original patterns published in various magazines as well as being produced by some of the national tying companies.

Georgia Editor Jimmy Jacobs is with Game & Fish Magazines. He also is the Outdoor Columnist for the Atlanta JournalConstitution newspaper and online Atlanta Outdoor Travel Writer for Examiner.com. Jacobs has authored five guidebooks to fishing in the southeastern US, including Trout Streams of Southern Appalachia: Trout Fishing in Northern Georgia, and Tailwater Trout in the South.

His writing and photography have earned Excellence in Craft awards from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.

CONTRIBU TORS Jason Sparks is the founder of Southern Appalachian Tenkara Anglers, A growing community of fishermen that embrace the elegant simplicity of the traditional Japanese method of fly fishing.. As an ambassador in promoting Tenkara across the South he often conducts clinics, instructs techniques and speaks to groups on the subject. A Navy Veteran, he has fished the world in waters from the Azores to the Appalachians. Now living near Banner Elk, North Carolina, he is recognized by Tenkara USA as a Certified Tenkara Guide and a leading instructional resource in the Southeast for inquiring anglers and fly-fishing clubs.

George Grant lives in Johnson City with his wife and earnestly wades upstream through his sixth decade. Mountain streams large and small are his first love, but he regards the South Holston and Watauga tail waters to be his mistress. In addition to actually fly fishing, he enjoys the history and the craft of fly tying, especially “resurrecting” patterns that have passed from common use.

For many years Grant worked in local fly shops. He also wrote columns about fly-fishing for a local sports magazine and for the Bristol herald Courier.

Living in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks, Bill Cooper has experienced the magic of the long rod from the Allegheny in the East to the Yellowstone in the West, and from the Quetico in Canada to the North to the Yucatan in the South. With an MS in Outdoor Education, his experience as a park superintendent and teacher of outdoor skills at Bass Pro Shop’s Wonders of Wildlife School has served him well ashe serves as a tourism consultant to Campeche State, Mexico and Maya Amazing Outfitters. He is the author of the Outdoor Celebrities Cookbook and his writing experience spans writing for Cabela’s Outfitter Jornal, Bassprolsours.com, Game and Fish, Trophy Whitetail World, Turkey Country and Union Sportsman.

Jim Mauries is the owner/ operator of Fly South, a full-service fly shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Jim was born and raised in Colorado, and it was there his flyfishing addiction took root. Jim started tying flies pro- fessionally during his college years to support his fish- ing habit. That was the steppingstone into working for a fly shop, which in turn led to guiding and instructing fly tiers and fly fishers. Jim has guided and taught fly fishers in Tennessee for more than 20 years. Jim pioneered fly fishing for many different species in the Middle Tennessee area, but trout remain his first love.

Joel DeJong Ernerst Hemingway once wrote “Write what you know.” Artist Joel DeJong took that advice to heart when it came to his paintings. When he is not sketching out fly patterns or working on a custom watercolors of trophy fish you can find him fishing remote Carolina streams, fishing hexagenia flies in Michigan, or tracking big brown through Montana. There is no doubt that Joel DeJong knows his subjects and it shows in his artwork and his love for all types of fish.

Bob Mallard has fly fished for over 35 years. He is a blogger, writer and author; and has owned and operated Kennebec River Outfitters in Madison, Maine since 2001.

His writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines at the local, regional and national levels. He has appeared on radio and television. Look for his books from Stonefly Press, 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast (Now Available), 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout (Spring 2015) and 50 Best Places Fly Fishing for Brook Trout (Fall 2015). Bob is also a staff fly designer for Catch Fly Fishing. He is also the northeast sales rep for both Stonefly Press and Catch Fly Fishing. Bob can be reached at www.kennebecriveroutfitters. com, www.bobmallard.com, info@bobmallard.com or 207474-2500.