First Camping Trip for 2009

I couldn't stand another weekend, I had to camp. Drove Friday evening straight from work to North Mills River Campground in NC. I got there about 7 PM and set up camp. Made a quick supper on my camp stove and went to bed. Got up early in the morning to drive over the hill to South Mills. Ran in to a gentleman by the name Charlie from Raleigh, hey it rhymes. LOL. Anyway, he was hardcore. He had driven 4 1/2 hours and then slept in his vehicle. He was a South Mills regular. He gave my some tips and we parted ways. The river was beautiful and it was running at a good pace. I noticed a major BWO hatch of small size 18 bugs. Nothing came on top though. I had to use a nymph to draw a strike. Missed the first one and then I caught a creek chub. Man I thought to myself, it's going to be tough. Tough it was I fished for two straight hours and finally caught a small Brown trout of about 6 inches in length. I got hungry and decided to head out. My friend from Raleigh's truck was still there so I can guess how his day went. I drove in to Brevard to grab a bite to eat and then I drove up to Looking Glass Falls. It's an amazing waterfall. Proceeded thereafter to the fish hatchery on Davidson River and took the tour. I have never seen so many fishermen in one place. It made the Clinch and even South Holston look like a wilderness stream. I spotted some heavy bows gliding around and after a awhile I noticed a dead brute floating downstream. I guess the price to pay when it's catch and release only. Anything could have happened. Playing the fish too long, hooking it badly etc, etc. No moral story here but sad to see anyway.

I decided to fish for awhile but quickly determined that this stream is not for my during the peak season. You feel like you're at Wal Mart. I quit and drove back to North Mills River Campground and decided to fish North Mills for an hour before dark. I spoke with one gentleman who had not had much luck. He thought poachers had gotten to most of the fish. I was surprised by catching a 10" Brook trout almost immediately. I thought to myself. Maybe this guy was wrong, Oh no, as soon as that thought came up I jinxed my self. I caught no more that day. One drawback to this area is the fact that horse back riders uses the stream to water their animals and basically ride through the creek. I can't believe this is happening on a DH stream. This weekend wasn't all lost because I got to see new territory and meet some people. The fishing for me though , was below average.

Lost my biggest Rainbow in years

Went to the "fantastic Raven Fork" in Cherokee, NC yesterday. I fished the fly fishing only section for the second time this year. It wasn't easy today. A major tan caddis hatch was in progress all day but they didn't key in on the adults. I took a couple of fish on a nymph. At about five they began taking duns. The first one was a major brute. The fish was pushing 20". I had him on for about five minutes. I couldn't put any pressure on it because of the 6x tippet and the swift current. The fish threw the hook and I felt that limp rod feeling. Oh well, maybe next time. I had a couple of other strikes on top from fish in the 15" bracket but lost my touch after loosing the big one. The river was gorgeous and the water level great. To round out the day, two elk was crossing the river and it made up for my lost fish.

Update

It's been a while since I wrote anything. I did some fishing on Paint Creek in Greene County, TN last weekend as well as a quick Clinch river trip on Sunday. This weekend I went to Little River below the Tremont Institute. I caught 2 fish on Paint Creek and I on Clinch, zero today. The water was coming down good from the latest rains. The cold nights have put the water temp down in to the forties again. Not much else to report. I will try to take some pictures soon and hopefully the fishing will be in full swing next weekend.