H O M E W A T E R S
mile walk being beyond the 100-yard inches of water. The trough looked
limit of most fishermen. I hold to the deep, six feet or so. (I should know by
belief that most folk will not walk more now: I’ve fallen in it a couple of times
than 100 yards from the parking lot to during the last 20 years.) The fish was
fish, particularly if there are woods holding in a pocket on the other side of
between their cars and the water. I’m the ledge. This presented a problem.
thankful for this, because it keeps some The fish was 45 feet away with both fast
water private. and slow water between us. How to drift
I fished the Steps down to the Island a nymph across this without the bellied
DAVIDSON RIVER
for an hour, catching six or seven teenies, line in the fast water yanking the nymph
all browns, all on a soft-hackled bead- out of the pocket where my prey lay?
OUTFITTERS
head peacock, and then started thinking I knew I would have one, maybe two
about the stockers upstream. I gave in to casts and drifts before I spooked whatever
the temptation, thinking about supper was lying over there. I’m not the most
WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT OUR
and how good a couple of ’bows would accomplished caster—the “slack-line”
FULL-SERVICE FLY SHOP
on the banks of one of the Southeast’s best
taste after dark. So I walked back to the cast has never been my strong suit—but
trout streams—with more than 1,000 miles
truck, climbed in and drove the mile or there was no way I could get better position of excellent water within an hour’s drive.
so upstream to the boat ramp. Sure without spooking the fish or taking a
• Year-around fishing for wild
enough, there were a dozen fishermen, dunking. So I had to take my chances.
rainbows and browns
spinning rods in hand and, likely, corn A friend of mine says, “Sometimes
• Great native brook trout and
backcountry trips
on hook, catching pasty-looking stockers. you eat the bear and sometimes the bear
• Guided trips for smallmouth
I kicked myself for even considering eats you.” That day I ate the bear.
bass and muskies
what I had, turned the truck around and I tied on a fly I had created the night
drove to the Trillium Trail pull off. before, while goofing off at the vise. I
4 Pisgah Highway, Pisgah Forest,
I call it the Trillium Trail. I don’t know called it “LaFontaine’s Serendipity”—a
North Carolina 28768
Phone: 828-877-4181
what its real name is or if it has a name. mongrelization of Gary LaFontaine’s
Toll free: 888-861-0111
I found it in the mid-70s, back when I Caddis Nymph and Craig Matthews’s Fax: 828-883-2167
still used a spinning rod. In spring, when Serendipity. I tied it olive, with olive
E-mail:
info@davidsonflyfishing.com
the weather is right, it is covered with hare’s ear dubbing, weighted, lightly
Web:
www.davidsonflyfishing.com
trillium, a beautiful tri-lobed flower overwrapped with olive tubing and with
that’s supposed to be endangered. It may a trimmed deer-hair thorax. I knew the
be endangered elsewhere, but not fly would have to get down in a hurry, so
SUPER GUIDE
here—they blanket the ground like snow I mashed three split-shot onto the
in spring. But the trillium, which was of leader and prayed for gravity.
course dormant in February, gives way to I cast quartering upstream, rolling the
a thicket of Privet, evidence of white rod to put the “esses”into the line so
man’s introduction of a European weed that the drag wouldn’t grab the nymph
into what was formerly pristine country. right away. The nymph landed long, but
I had only an hour until sunset. The the water pulled it directly into the lane
water was cold: 47˚F, the air warm: I hoped for.
60˚F. And the sun was working its way Now, if only the bug will sink fast
towards sinking behind the mountains. I enough, I thought, as I saw the red
worked the soft-hackled peacock to no Amnesia butt section pass over the fish.I
avail and then spotted a large pod of thought I saw the fish roll and was worried
flashing fish, nymphing upstream from for a second that I might have spooked
where I stood, gathered in a pothole. him. Then I saw the Amnesia twitch. I
I changed flies, thinking midge, and raised my rod tip, hoping against hope
tied on a little Brassie, size 18. Nothing. that the line or hook hadn’t caught on a
I decided to try something else. While I submerged rock.
stood there, facing upstream in the No—fish on!
water, opening my fly box, to my right I He did a stupid thing, for such a big
saw something flash. At first I thought, fish: He turned and headed downstream.
Maybe it’s just a submerged leaf. But Trout don’t breathe well when their
then I saw it move again, a flash of heads are not facing the water flow— The South’s foremost outfitter, providing full
amber light in the sunlit water. It was a water needs to flow through their gills
service fly-fishing, lodging, camping and rafting
big flash—a very, very big flash. My and this is best done facing the current.
on the beautiful Hiwassee Scenic River.
heartbeat picked up a stroke or two. Fish that head downstream tire in a
Hiwassee Outfitters
How do I get to that fish? I thought. hurry. But my boy headed down. I
P.O. Box 62
There was a trough in front of me and turned, keeping the rod held high, trying Reliance, TN 37369
then a ledge covered with maybe six to keep the leader from abrading on the
(423) 338-8115 or 800-338-8133
www.hiwasseeoutfitters.com
S UMMER 2002 89
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98