Stephanie, Blake and Ninja Warrior Anglers

The weather was nice with clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70's. Those were the conditions when the first oar pushed the drifter into the slow current and we began our float down the river. Throughout the day the skies would remain clear and blue. But, the temps would continue their climb throughout the day and after lunch we would begin seeking the shady side of the river.

Stephanie had fly fished before but it had been a few years. As is usually the case with the ladies she would listen to instruction, ask questions when needed and begin to get a good loop right from the start. We worked a little on the mend and presentation, then she was setting the hook and bringing fish to the net. Eventually she would surpass her fish goal twice-over and then some. Stephanie was a good listener with quick wit and fun to have in the front brace for the day. 

Blake was in the back casting brace. He is well known for his small stream talents. When others are struggling on the mountain streams, Blake has that knack for bringing fish to hand. We took some of the mountain stream skills and applied them to the tailwaters. It was only a short time before Blake was into fish and driving his count upward. Blake quietly put fish in the boat all day.

Our fly of the day was the nymph. The nymph is a fly that will catch nice fish when it is placed in the view of the fish. If placed correctly it forces the fish to make a decision. That decision is often to try the offering, just see what it tastes like. We tried the usual stuff and even went to super hero nymphs for a short time. As is normally the case, the usual patterns worked better than most and we began picking apart the various water types. 

We also went to terrestrial patterns after a couple fish destroyed the indicators, but the terrestrial fishing was tough on this trip. So we went back to the nymphs as the sun moved overhead and the fishing went back to the way we like it.

The rest of the day consisted of nymphing, good conversation and people watching as we passed and were passed by other watercraft. At the end of the day the weather was still nice with clear blue skies and temperatures in the 90's. Eventually Stephanie and the Ninja Warrior Anglers came to the take-out and that was when the people watching was best. As we listened to other anglers review their day we realized the early work we did on casting, mending and presentation helped to make our day possibly even better than we thought.  

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.