Okay, I hate to do this....
 

jeff wrote:

Conan The Librarian wrote:

And of
course there was that discussion we had about how we so often approach
the whole thing wrong. The next trip I take I think I'll try the
"fish in the morning, return to camp mid-afternoon for some
eating/drinking, get back on the water near dusk" approach.

...and here's where i differ with most about the whole deal. that
mid-day break/return to camp stuff interrupts a fine day's activity.
i've no problem with taking breaks by the stream, but damned if i want
to backtrack to camp or cabin or cafe when i'm in such pretty places. i
always want to keep going, to see what's around the next bend, what
might be in the next run, what the landscape offers, wildlife, quiet,
...away...

I certainly can't argue that point. In fact, that's exactly the
approach I have taken on my trips to your beautiful area of the country.

My average day on the water was: Get up at/slightly before daylight,
make some coffee, get on the road, drive to whatever stream I'm fishing
that day, hike for an hour or two (or three), fish upstream from there,
re-trace my steps hitting water I passed on my way up the trail, stumble
back to car, drink cold beer, drive back to camp, make dinner, fall
asleep, rinse, repeat ...

But when staying at a place like Elkmont, I could see adjusting my
schedule so that I was back in camp in the p.m., and then back on the
water in the vicinity of the campground until dark.

So I guess a lot depends on where you are staying.


Chuck Vance (and if you're fishing familiar or new water, as well)

Okay, I hate to do this....
 

Conan The Librarian wrote:

... And of
course there was that discussion we had about how we so often approach
the whole thing wrong. The next trip I take I think I'll try the "fish
in the morning, return to camp mid-afternoon for some eating/drinking,
get back on the water near dusk" approach.

There is no "wrong" approach to the whole thing, only personal
preference. I went through my gung-ho, fish from dawn to dark
phase but anymore my preference is to get on the water around
10:30 or 11 after a leisurely breakfast and then call it a day
in time to be back in camp for Happy Hour. This approach greatly
reduces the number of folks who want to fish with me and whether
that's a bug or a feature, I haven't really decided. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

Okay, I hate to do this....
 

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...
Wolfgang wrote:


And more comfortable than some sofas to which I've been subjected,
although I got a good night's sleep on one last night.

I assume that's related to your comment above? :-|

Nah. Despite his advanced years, Cullen makes a point of trudging up the
stairs each night to maintain his vigil at the foot of his mumma's bed.
Becky was in Colorado and I could think of no good reason to subject him to
that long climb, only to be torn between company on the one hand (or, paw, I
guess) and loyalty on the other. As long as I stayed downstairs on the
couch he was able to overcome the urge to climb the stairs, and remain
peacefully asleep on the rug.

Wolfgang

Okay, I hate to do this....
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Conan The Librarian wrote:

... And of course there was that discussion we had about how we so
often approach the whole thing wrong. The next trip I take I think
I'll try the "fish in the morning, return to camp mid-afternoon for
some eating/drinking, get back on the water near dusk" approach.

There is no "wrong" approach to the whole thing, only personal
preference.

OK, a poor choice of words on my part. But it was obvious during my
last trip that fishing was best around dusk, as that was the one time of
day when there were bugs on the water, and fish were actively working on
the surface.

Hey, being a dry fly purist and all, I'd think you'd want to be on
the water when the fish were actively pursuing bugs on the surface. :-)

I went through my gung-ho, fish from dawn to dark
phase but anymore my preference is to get on the water around
10:30 or 11 after a leisurely breakfast and then call it a day
in time to be back in camp for Happy Hour. This approach greatly
reduces the number of folks who want to fish with me and whether
that's a bug or a feature, I haven't really decided. ;-)

I don't worry about whether folks want to fish with me or not (I'm
pretty much a loner anyway, but did enjoy my time on the water with
Wolfgang and Jeff). However, if I were to start my fishing day around
10:30 or 11:00 it would greatly reduce the amount of water I got to
cover. (And in those Smokies streams, it would likely mean that I was
fishing behind someone all day.)

I only get to fish good trout water once or twice a year, so I tend
to be eager to get out and explore a lot in the limited time I have.
But as I discovered on my last trip, if I'm camped right on good water,
I can still have some time to fish late in the day if I simply plan to
take a little rest in the afternoon.


Chuck Vance