movin' big browns.....

nahhh, you sick puppies, this ain't a constipation report.

i finished the business paperwork around 1 this afternoon....
geared up and headed off to a local stream in search of some
sexed browns.

i really look forward to this event every year because the cranky
big 'ole hosses will come out of their hiding dens to satisfy
their reproductive urges. you can usually count on it happening
in november around a full moon for a few weeks....

anyways, i rigged up my trusty sage LL 3wt with a new 9' 6x
leader, and tied on a sulphur parachute with a soft-hackled
orange partridge wet fly dropped off about 12-14 inches. i walked
about 30 minutes down the trail to a put in spot and fished back
up through some typical NC riffle-small pool waters and
eventually made it into a gorge area, typified by waterfalls and
deep pools with nice tails. some of the areas in the tails
provide good gravel for redds and this is where i figured i'd see
some active fish.

fishing the riffle/pool stretches i caught some browns in the 10
to 14 inch range and even managed to land a bow of about 12 inches.

as i approached the gorge stretch the sky started clouding up....
that's a good thing in my book.... it makes stealthiness easier
for the angler.

through the gorge i caught one really nice brown of about 16
inches and a few more in the 12 to 14 inch range. i had one break
off the wet fly with a vicious take that could have been twenty
inches.... yeah, at least 20 ;-)

i hiked back out to the jeep and as i was going by the watauga
river delayed harvest section, i saw some anglers fishing behind
the church so i stopped in, bs'd with the guys and caught some
stockers.

anyways, this is a great time for fishing to big and wild browns
in our NC streams.....

wally