NC info request (on-topic)

ROFFians,

My plans for a trip to Graham County this June are taking shape.
With that in mind, I ask for some info from those of you who have fished
that area. (I know this is pretty early to be planning a June trip, but
we librarian-types love our research. :-)

After much Googling and consulting Lawrence's _The Fly Fisherman's
Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park_, Jacobs' _Trout
Streams of Southern Appalachia_, and the Delorme for NC, I have
identified B*g Sn*wb*rd, N*l*nd, Abr*ms, H*z*l, F*rn*y, D**p and Sl*ck
Creeks as well as the West Prong of the Pigeon, the Little and possibly
some sections of the Oconaluftee (sp?) River as places worth
investigating. (I know ... I can't expect to do them all. :-)

I have also been tying with an eye towards the obvious flies for the
area (Adams, caddis, yellow and orange palmers, NC Wulffs,
yallerhammers, etc.).

So, now I need some advice from youse guys and gals. In addition to
the above creeks, are there any other must-fish spots that I am missing?
Any other "special" flies (dries preferred) for that area? (Oooops, I
forgot to mention yellow humpies above; but the ones I'm bringing will
have hook points. :-)

On the dangers of the park and environs: I've read of timber
rattlers, cottonmouths, bears and yellowjackets as the likely "pests" I
might run into. At that time of year (first week of June), which of the
above would you expect to be more active/likely to encounter? FWIW, I'm
familiar with rattlers, cottonmouths and yellowjackets. I've only seen
bears from a distance ... a *long* distance.

I've also read that a couple of the creeks are considered dangerous
for a fisherperson to explore alone (Abr*ms, in particular). Also, felt
soles are mentioned as a must for negotiating the streams. But felt
soles are a pain for hiking any distance (especially if the terrain is
rough). Would my studded Aquastealth boots be a viable option in that
area? I know I love them for hiking, but have had mixed results
depending on the composition of the stream bottom.

Also, at that time of year should I plan to wet-wade, or would
breathables be useful to carry?

On food and libations: As I understand it, Bryson City is probably
the closest place to go for adult beverages. Is it also the best place
for stocking up on groceries, or can I plan to do that in Robbinsville?
Are there any decent places to eat in Robbinsville (or in Bryson City,
for that matter)? (FWIW, I'll be renting a house with a full kitchen,
so when I'm not on the water, I'll be eating most of my meals at the
house.)

On general sightseeing: Supposedly the Cherohala Skyway is a must,
and I expect I'll want to hit the Blue Ridge Parkway for at least part
of a day (maybe towards Boone, as I've got an old friend living nearby).
How about the Foothills Parkway? Any other must-see spots?

Any general comments or bits of advice for someone who used to go to
the park as a kid but hasn't been back since the late seventies and has
never fly-fished the area? (FWIW, I'll take both a 3 and a 5 wt. with
me, but plan to fish the 3 wt. unless conditions require that I switch
to the bigger rig.)

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give, serious or not. :-)


Chuck Vance

"Conan the Librarian" wrote in message
...
ROFFians,

My plans for a trip to Graham County this June are taking shape.

given your description of your plans, i can see that you are going to be
in the old north state for the entire month of june.

i don't have the time to type a response to your post just now, but i
will be happy to discuss your trip in detail on the phone this afternoon.
call me at 336-378-0616 if you get the urge.

yfitons
wayno

Wayne Harrison wrote:

given your description of your plans, i can see that you are going to be
in the old north state for the entire month of june.

It looks like it, doesn't it? Let's just say I like to have a lot
of options. :-)

i don't have the time to type a response to your post just now, but i
will be happy to discuss your trip in detail on the phone this afternoon.
call me at 336-378-0616 if you get the urge.

Thanks for the generous offer. I may be unavailable this p.m., but
would another time be OK?


Chuck Vance

On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 07:55:25 -0600, Conan the Librarian
wrote:

ROFFians,

My plans for a trip to Graham County this June are taking shape.
With that in mind, I ask for some info from those of you who have fished
that area. (I know this is pretty early to be planning a June trip, but
we librarian-types love our research. :-)

Don't bother with yallerhammers, but you should add small yellow and orange
stimulators. Those along with yellow humpies and parachute Adams will catch
fish. Small foam beetles work well, too, in brown or black.

You don't want to wear studded boots, the rocks you need to climb over are too
hard for the studs to get a grip and it will be like wearing rollerblades. In
June you should be able to wet wade everywhere.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com/ - photo galleries
http://www.chocphoto.com/roff

Charlie Choc wrote:

You don't want to wear studded boots, the rocks you need to climb over are too
hard for the studs to get a grip and it will be like wearing rollerblades. In
June you should be able to wet wade everywhere.

But will plain felts be OK for hiking? I know that mine (Hodgemans)
offer less than ideal traction when hiking.


Chuck Vance (who's starting to wonder if he should have bought
Chotas to start with)

On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 11:09:21 -0600, Conan the Librarian
wrote:

Charlie Choc wrote:

You don't want to wear studded boots, the rocks you need to climb over are too
hard for the studs to get a grip and it will be like wearing rollerblades. In
June you should be able to wet wade everywhere.

But will plain felts be OK for hiking? I know that mine (Hodgemans)
offer less than ideal traction when hiking.

Plain felts should be OK for that, or you can just wear sneakers and carry
your wading shoes. The biggest problem I have with felts and hiking is in the
fall when everything is covered with wet leaves.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com/ - photo galleries
http://www.chocphoto.com/roff

Conan the Librarian wrote:

But will plain felts be OK for hiking? I know that mine (Hodgemans)
offer less than ideal traction when hiking.

Hiking will wear out felt soles pretty quickly. I usually carry my
wading boots to where I'll fish if I have to hike more than a mile or two.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

Conan the Librarian wrote:
ROFFians,

My plans for a trip to Graham County this June are taking shape.
snip
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give, serious or not. :-)

First and foremost you should remember that Graham County is a
dry county. [shudder] I get the heebie jeebies just thinking
about it.

I don't think Forney is worth the hike, in fact the only *must
fish* stream in the Park is Hazel in my opinion. One not on your
list that fishes pretty well at that time is the Slickrock on the
NC-Tenn. border. Nice browns in there but it's a hike and a half.
And don't forget Santeetlah, they stock it but it's a gorgeous
place to fish.

Like Charlie said, waders are not necessary, just good wading
boots. Fly selection isn't all that critical, something gray,
something yellow, something orange and a handful of Royal Wulffs
should do.

As for pests none that you mentioned are worth worrying about
as much as the killer rhodos and the dry county.

I recommend at least one dinner at the Fryemont Inn in Bryson
City. It's a cool old place and the dinner is good and cheap.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Conan the Librarian wrote:

please, can someone repost conan's full query... my server delivered the
replies posted by wayno and charlie and forty, but not the original.

jeff

"Jeff Miller" wrote in message
news:aprMd.33088$EG1.3010@lakeread04...
please, can someone repost conan's full query... my server delivered
the
replies posted by wayno and charlie and forty, but not the original.

ROFFians,

My plans for a trip to Graham County this June are taking shape.
With that in mind, I ask for some info from those of you who have
fished
that area. (I know this is pretty early to be planning a June trip,
but
we librarian-types love our research. :-)

After much Googling and consulting Lawrence's _The Fly Fisherman's
Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park_, Jacobs' _Trout
Streams of Southern Appalachia_, and the Delorme for NC, I have
identified B*g Sn*wb*rd, N*l*nd, Abr*ms, H*z*l, F*rn*y, D**p and Sl*ck
Creeks as well as the West Prong of the Pigeon, the Little and
possibly
some sections of the Oconaluftee (sp?) River as places worth
investigating. (I know ... I can't expect to do them all. :-)

I have also been tying with an eye towards the obvious flies for
the
area (Adams, caddis, yellow and orange palmers, NC Wulffs,
yallerhammers, etc.).

So, now I need some advice from youse guys and gals. In addition
to
the above creeks, are there any other must-fish spots that I am
missing?
Any other "special" flies (dries preferred) for that area? (Oooops,
I
forgot to mention yellow humpies above; but the ones I'm bringing will
have hook points. :-)

On the dangers of the park and environs: I've read of timber
rattlers, cottonmouths, bears and yellowjackets as the likely "pests"
I
might run into. At that time of year (first week of June), which of
the
above would you expect to be more active/likely to encounter? FWIW,
I'm
familiar with rattlers, cottonmouths and yellowjackets. I've only
seen
bears from a distance ... a *long* distance.

I've also read that a couple of the creeks are considered
dangerous
for a fisherperson to explore alone (Abr*ms, in particular). Also,
felt
soles are mentioned as a must for negotiating the streams. But felt
soles are a pain for hiking any distance (especially if the terrain is
rough). Would my studded Aquastealth boots be a viable option in that
area? I know I love them for hiking, but have had mixed results
depending on the composition of the stream bottom.

Also, at that time of year should I plan to wet-wade, or would
breathables be useful to carry?

On food and libations: As I understand it, Bryson City is
probably
the closest place to go for adult beverages. Is it also the best
place
for stocking up on groceries, or can I plan to do that in
Robbinsville?
Are there any decent places to eat in Robbinsville (or in Bryson
City,
for that matter)? (FWIW, I'll be renting a house with a full kitchen,
so when I'm not on the water, I'll be eating most of my meals at the
house.)

On general sightseeing: Supposedly the Cherohala Skyway is a
must,
and I expect I'll want to hit the Blue Ridge Parkway for at least part
of a day (maybe towards Boone, as I've got an old friend living
nearby).
How about the Foothills Parkway? Any other must-see spots?

Any general comments or bits of advice for someone who used to go
to
the park as a kid but hasn't been back since the late seventies and
has
never fly-fished the area? (FWIW, I'll take both a 3 and a 5 wt. with
me, but plan to fish the 3 wt. unless conditions require that I switch
to the bigger rig.)

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give, serious or not.
:-)


Chuck Vance