TR 2 - TENN, part 1

on my arrival, cindy and sarge and a neighbor's dog greeted me. if
there's a better welcome to a new place than a lovely woman and two
friendly dogs, i'm damned if i know it. danl and willi were gone
fishing on the tellico. i spent a few hours on the dock trying to trick
a bass with some spinnerbaits, but no luck. i noticed danl's minnow
bucket in the water, but refrained from old habits and addictions (for a
while...and unsuccessfully). we did our slickrock trip on monday.

on tuesday, danl took us to a trib of the tellico. after a hike of about
a half mile or so, we dropped into a little gorge section of the river.
the water did not have the clarity of some of the other mountain
streams, but it had plenty of fish and more bug life and variety of bugs
than most of the appalachian streams i'm accustomed to. again...sulphurs
and big yellow stoneflies seemed to predominate, though there were
plenty of caddis and other than yellow-colored mayflies too. we fished
through the gorge and up to a big waterfall. most of the fish i caught
were rainbows, with a few browns. nice, healthy fish. the stream had a
lot of character, and it's located off the cherohala skyway, so it's
close enough to include in one's meanderings when in graham county. but
the $30+ three day nonres license is a drawback. posted pics of the
waterfall on abpf. when we hiked out, we observed a parade of miatas,
occupied by folks who appeared to have had the cars constructed around
them. the skyway and the tail of the dragon are nearby, and sports car
clubs frequent both. these folks apparently made a guided side trip to
see the lower of falls along the road where this stream meets the
tellico. fishing the upper tellico requires purchase of a special daily
permit and is allowed only on limited days during the week...perhaps a
sign of things to come. we dallied in the lower section on our way back
to tellico plains. willi caught several, including a smallmouth...i
managed a stocker rainbow of about 13", caught on a western stonefly nymph.

on the return from the stream, danl suggested we dine at a barbecue
joint he had seen along the route. i think we knew we were in trouble
when i asked the hostess which meal she recommended and she said "the
chicken tenders." based on the patrons observed in the place, it's clear
that the sawg ball is not a delicacy limited to nc's graham and hyde
county residents.

jeff