Rediscovered some old haunts

I used to fish and spend a lot of times down in the southern part of the Cherokee National Forest. Mainly in Monroe County and some times down on Hiwassee River and it's feeders in Polk County. I decided today to do a visit to Bald River at the Holly Flats area. I took a forest service road out of Coker Creek to get there from the back end. All went well and I got on the stream at about 1:30 pm. I fished for a while and hooked a small rainbow immediately. This fish was soot black. I figure from the silted environment it lives in. Bald river is somewhat milky to it's color and it is flat and level at the upper end of the gorge, where I was fishing. Fishing wasn't real good. I managed to catch six small bows before I decided it was time to try somewhere else. The most interesting thing though was this nice bear hound, who showed up stream side almost scaring the beejesus of of me. I tried to make it stay with me as it was obviously lost. It had a radio collar and id but I wasn't able to get close enough to read it. After about an hour or so it vanished and I quit fishing.

This poor fellow is looking for his master.

I decided to check out North river on my way home. I got to the section above North river campground at about 6:30 pm. It was a cloudy and dark afternoon and I think that was the explanation for what happened next. I tied on a yellow stimulator size 14 and flipped it upstream at the first "good looking pool". I had a couple of those pesky war paint shiners coming up and I lifted the fly for another cast. I swung it out again and bam! a fish sipped it. I lifted my rod and immediately felt a better sized fish burrowing down. I knew I had to hold my rod sideways to let the fish fight against the full muscle of my 5 wt. I was glad I had a somewhat heavier rod. The fish was a 13 inch Brown. My best wild brown from a mountain stream in the U.S. It took 15 years. I have caught bigger fish in tail waters and in my native Sweden, but it is a treat when you finally catch one in these infertile mountain streams. I do feel that North river is more fertile than some as well as Bald. I see numerous species of forage fish in both rivers.

Anyway, this turned out to be the only fish on North river today. Darkness came quick this cloudy evening and I headed home with a satisfied grin on my face.

A solid 13" wild brown from N. river, TN