first fall fishing

[Joe McIntosh]

just came in from morning bike ride and realized fall is almost here and the
mountains are calling. Plan to hike down from Clingman"s Dome to
upper Forney creek early next week and see if the brookies are around

Think they have a backcountry campsite called Steel Trap at 3,960 ft so
plan to spend a couple of nights there. Have never camped in Great Smoky
Mountauns National Park so any suggestions regarding such plans please
speak up. Do I need a stove or will a small campfire do the job ? I do
not plan to use white gas to promote flames ( nor drink too much "spiced "
rum )

With fall arriving am happy to say my buddy Harold who drives a 23 foot
Regulator around for fly fishing has again rented a house along
waterfront in Beaufort {N.C>} for a week in late October. I plan to join
him for a couple of days and slay the false albacore on my 8wt.
Might have to get a new reel as they almost burned out my old System 2 SA
reel on last visit up that way. This is one angling experience where you
really get to see your backing.
Jeff are you planning to bring your new boat down that way - maybe I can
also share gas and fish with you one day. although there is some rumor
that you allow spinning gear on your { what is boat's name?]

Wind is up {15 to 20 mph} on inland waterway today so think I will take my
kayak up small creek and try to catch a King Mackerel - sort of new to
salt water fishing but did pull in three flounder yesterday using a "crazy
chickin " for a lure. These spin fishermen have such great names to their
plastics.

Life is tough - Joe

[Jeff Miller]

Joe McIntosh wrote:

> just came in from morning bike ride and realized fall is almost here and the
> mountains are calling. Plan to hike down from Clingman"s Dome to
> upper Forney creek early next week and see if the brookies are around

forney?? thought you were going to do hazel above the cascades? i
think forney up high is going to be unsatisfying, but look forward to
your report. rachel and i are going to be at snowbird oct 1-15. are
you going up?

>
> Think they have a backcountry campsite called Steel Trap at 3,960 ft so
> plan to spend a couple of nights there. Have never camped in Great Smoky
> Mountauns National Park so any suggestions regarding such plans please
> speak up. Do I need a stove or will a small campfire do the job ? I do
> not plan to use white gas to promote flames ( nor drink too much "spiced "
> rum )

i'd suggest taking a stove. quicker, sure source of coffee and cooked
food...esp. if it happens to rain. i'd still make a fire, but you can't
beat the certainty of those little stoves. bob and wolfgang had light
and efficient ones.

>
> With fall arriving am happy to say my buddy Harold who drives a 23 foot
> Regulator around for fly fishing has again rented a house along
> waterfront in Beaufort {N.C>} for a week in late October. I plan to join
> him for a couple of days and slay the false albacore on my 8wt.
> Might have to get a new reel as they almost burned out my old System 2 SA
> reel on last visit up that way. This is one angling experience where you
> really get to see your backing.
> Jeff are you planning to bring your new boat down that way - maybe I can
> also share gas and fish with you one day. although there is some rumor
> that you allow spinning gear on your { what is boat's name?]

boat is unnamed, probably unnameable. i doubt i'll chase the fat alberts
in it. might troll for spanish inshore. caught a bunch of false albies
last week way offshore, and they were busting the surface in big groups
inshore along the edge of lookout shoals. i'd be happy to share gas
with you and your friend on his boat one day flyfishing for those lead
torpedoes though. i'll give you a call when i go out again...but, as
you know, it can be a rocky ride out to the bluewater...and my boat only
cruises at about 24 knots.

>
> Wind is up {15 to 20 mph} on inland waterway today so think I will take my
> kayak up small creek and try to catch a King Mackerel - sort of new to
> salt water fishing but did pull in three flounder yesterday using a "crazy
> chickin " for a lure. These spin fishermen have such great names to their
> plastics.

kings are in the creeks around wilmington? are frogs raining from the
sky too? <g> drum fishing ought to be good. the yellow butterflies are
crossing the sound now, and the old salts say that is the sign for the
best red drum fishing.
>
> Life is tough - Joe

indeed... we worry about you often. <g>

jeff

[Bob Patton]

"Joe McIntosh" > wrote in message
...
> just came in from morning bike ride and realized fall is almost here and
> the mountains are calling. Plan to hike down from Clingman"s Dome to
> upper Forney creek early next week and see if the brookies are around
>
> Think they have a backcountry campsite called Steel Trap at 3,960 ft so
> plan to spend a couple of nights there. Have never camped in Great Smoky
> Mountauns National Park so any suggestions regarding such plans please
> speak up. Do I need a stove or will a small campfire do the job ? I do
> not plan to use white gas to promote flames ( nor drink too much "spiced
> " rum )
>
//snip//>
> Life is tough - Joe
>
>

Joe,
I wouldn't plan on building fires. It's permitted and most of the campsites
have pretty good fire rings, but most of the dry wood within a decent hike
of the campsite will have already been scrounged up by other campers. I have
a little stove powered by propane/butane gas that works well. Something
ripped off my Primus stove so I replaced it with a Coleman "Peak 1"
backpacking stove that I found at Wal-Mart. The Coleman is a few ounces
heavier but it works fine. the Coleman weighs about 8 ounces, and a canister
of fuel to last easily two or three days weighs 8 ounces, so for about a
pound of weight you don't have to worry about building a fire unless you
want to. It puts out 10,000 btus and will boil a quart of water pretty fast.

Fires are nice for esthetic reasons - but for cooking, IMHO, they're more
trouble than they're worth.

The only other thing I can think of is that you're supposed to fill out a
back country registration form so they'll know roughly where you are. Some
campsites require reservations but this time of year you should be OK. Most
of the park entrances have a display with a supply of the forms, and you
just fill it out and drop it in the box.

--
Bob Patton
(remove hat to respond)