Elk River Report

Instead of shopping, today I slipped away, went on a tour of the Elk and spent some time in Lynchburg too. I stopped in the fly shop and saw Rhonda, picked up some stuff and caught up on the latest news. Then I circled the square, drove by Miss Mary BoBo's and the folks were lined up waiting to get in for some good southern cookin. The parking lot at Jack Daniels was about a 1/4 of the way full, so today might have been a good day for the tour.

The Rainbows Sure Are Colorful

I checked some different stretches of the river and looked in on some old haunts from a few years back. Finally I got to a nice looking spot and layered up, because the temps were dropping. The creeks were running clear, but the river was stained from the discharge of the generators. The lake level is close to winter pool and the water is just simply off color. But, the fish were cooperative which is what I was looking forward to.

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I also was on a mission to try out the new TFO-BVK 6 wt. A 6wt can be a little much for the Elk, but the wind was killer strong and the rod performed flawlessly. I did have to adjust the hook set a little and missed the first several fish then lost a couple more. Finally I adjusted and the catch was on. This rod will make a great hopper rod this coming season.

The Southeastern Fly 2011 Hopper Rod

The fish were feisty today and the first one came to a midge pattern that has been stuck in my truck visor for a year or so. Egg patterns worked OK when bounced along the bottom. The Fall migration of hatchery brats was on, with a nice fatty once in a while to keep things interesting.

Very Colorful Rainbows

Under Pressure

The best flies were size 14 nymphs. I tried several different patterns from size 12 down to size 20 and the fish settled in on 14's. It is amazing how they can see a fly just a little different and key-in immediately. The joys of fly fishing are endless...

At the end of the day I tried the Fish Skull Generic Shad in some faster moving water. It had good action and worked well on a floating line, but it didn't produce the few times I launched it. I got away from the river just before the rains started. There were several other anglers around, but it appeared there was room for everyone. Winter fishing can be tough, but if you find one fish you can usually catch a few more from the same spot. There it is another report from the Elk. I have to say this was a very enjoyable day!