July 4th Weekend Float

Brent and his brother Todd wanted to float the Caney. Todd came in from West Palm and was visiting. Although it was the 4th of July weekend it was the best time for the brothers to get together and enjoy a half day on the river together. So, we left Murfreesboro and headed for the what we felt would be the least traffic on the river, to search out some of the fish in the Caney Fork.

Brent Hooked-Up on Falling Water

We got to the river and launched the drifter before too many people arrived. We launched on water that was still a little high, but we also used this water to get away from most of the crowds. Todd hooked up early and then we stopped at some of the usual places to work on nymphing techniques.

Brent with One of the Rainbows

Brent spent the morning working on nymphing and quickly got into a groove picking up a few rainbows from the run he was fishing. He continued drifting the nymph rig, while I took time to talk to some local folks who were trying out some new patterns. Everyone on the river was having a nice day and we didn't meet a stranger. We continued downstream stopping at some of the likely holes, runs and riffles.

The Guys Discussing the Fine Points of Polarization

Todd in Action on the Long Rod

The first fish of the day came on Todd's nymph. Then we arrived at a hole that usually produces a fish or two on most days. Both the guys were fishing from the drifter and it was on anchor. Brent hooked up in the hole and into the picture came Todd's fly. Todd drifted the nymph into the hole, from the back of the boat, and the guys had their first double of the day. It was classic brothers in action...stealing the hole and the next fish! We stayed around a while and continued to pick fish from that spot. Then we pushed on downstream toward the takeout.

The Usual Hatchery Brat

We were getting close to the takeout when they got onto the streamer rods. We started down the bank and with a little coaching the brothers picked up on streamer fishing. The big fish didn't come out to play, Brent and Todd did get a small taste of the action that streamer fishing can produce. Both agreed that fishing streamers is quite intense and I added it is also addictive...

Brent Blasting the Six Weight

It was a pleasure spending the day on the river with Brent and Todd. Their attitude and willingness to learn made the day enjoyable. Hopefully they can take the information and become even better anglers in the years to come.