From Mongolia to Middle Tennessee

A Sporting Dog's Life

I was getting things together for this trip and stepping over one of our golden retrievers. So, I stopped and snapped the photo of a sporting dog at work....not. But drop a crumb and they spring into action. Anyway, back to the trip.  David flew in from Colorado to bring some of his songs to the folks in Nashville. David is an avid angler, has fished all over the world and told great stories about catching rainbows in Kamchatka, browns in Chili and taimen in Mongolia. What does an angler do when he has been fly fishing all over the world? Buy a working ranch with big trout. Brent booked a trip so he could spend some time with his Uncle. I picked them up and we were off to add another destination to David's list. OK, that was a joke please don't send me emails. But he really hasn't fished Middle Tennessee.

That is a Slam and in Record Time on This Trip

With Isaac churning and making its way North, we were trying to sneak the trip in between heavy downpours. We pushed the drifter from the gravel bar and as soon as we began to float, I swear, the clouds parted and the sun came out. It was unbelievable, but we believed it anyway. The fish believed it too and they were rising as far as we could see. David sat in the back of the boat and we watched Brent put on a clinic of nymph fishing. While David smoked a great smelling cigar, Brent pulled a fish from what seemed like every shoal and shelf in the river. 

Brent Hooking Up on a Big Rainbow...We Lost the Fish and It Hurt

Brent fishes with me quite often so he knows the water. Brent was the perfect test pilot for a new bug I was wanting to try. It is a floating nymph and the fly caught fish right away, then another and then another. The fly still needs some work and a name, but it is already a proven winner. An hour and a half into the trip David finally picked up a rod and within a few casts with a hopper he was hooked up with the fish of the day. He never left the comfort of the rear seat and the rear seat in the drifter is now known as The Fighting Chair. We snapped the appropriate photos and then he sat the rod down and fired up another great smelling cigar. 

David Having a Little Fun on a Terrestrial Pattern from What is Now Known as the Fighting Chair

We were throwing dries to feeding bows and Brent was in the front. We spotted a nice rainbow feeding on top. Brent went after the fish with a hopper. The fish refused several times and then turned on the hopper and  ate, but it wasn't a full-on eat and the bug didn't stick. We tried several more times and at one point the fish basically tried to sip a hopper three times in a row and never ate hard. You know when the fish crashes the fly and the fly sticks in the roof of the mouth. After that we found some more feeding fish and Brent hooked up with a pig of trout! This fish took a small caddis pattern and dove straight to the bottom. After a short fight the fish broke off. This is the second week in a row Brent had a pig break off. Needless to say his time is past due!

A Happy Angler and a Colorful Bow

The guys were a lot fun to float with on the river. David had some really funny stories and some stories that make me want to get on a plane with a tent and a fly rod. It was a good day all around and there are a couple fish with Brent's name on them, all we have to do is make everything go just right next time.