The Hog Trough

I had some friends who I would eat lunch once a month or so. There were plenty of places to eat from which we could choose. Generally, someone would ask the group where we should eat. The group would casually start running down the list of choices and eventually someone would get tired of listening to no one making a decision, then that someone would say those words we all really wanted to hear, “let’s go to The Hog Trough”.

As all good restaurants go, The Hog Trough wasn’t the real name for this fine southern dining establishment. It was local joint named Wanda’s or Julie’s or something like that and it had a giant buffet. We called that place The Hog Trough because everyone would move down the buffet line with their plate and pile it high with a variety of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, breads, greens and mashed potatoes and the list of delicious Southern cooking went on and on. 

Naturally this was a while back and during my younger years, when I could eat whatever I wanted, without weight gain and I still had hair that was dark and there was still a lot of it. So it’s been a while.

I went by The Hog Trough several months ago and the building was still there, but the name had changed to something else I can’t remember. I imagined the buffet was still there and the food on that buffet would still be great southern cooking. You know southern like food all lined up, piled high and just waiting to be tested by some very hungry patrons.

Fast forward to last Thursday. Vince and Alex were on the boat and taking advantage of a father - son day on the river. We were floating across a long flat where there were plenty of rising fish. Just past the midway point of this flat a trough starts. 

The trough begins as just slope that’s about 2’ wide and it drops less than a foot. It’s against the bank and there are a few trees hanging over it. Great cover. That foot-deep portion runs about two boat lengths (we measure just about everything in boat lengths and sometimes boat widths if we really want to be precise). This gives way to deeper and deeper water and eventually it’s about a boat width wide...precisely a boat-width. 

The trees along that bank continue to hang over the trough and there are some downed trees that are sunk here and there. Even more cover.

After Alex tossed that nymph in the feeding lane of the trough, he threw a mend in and we watched as the indicator slowed, then it began to drift along with the bubbles in the water. The perfect speed. The perfect dead drift.

This particular piece of water is similar to the buffet at The Hog Trough. The trout’s food (although it’s not fried chicken) is funneled down the line. The fish will line up and pick through everything that’s presented correctly. If it looks like a bug, they will take a bite.

Anyway, Alex had a nice presentation with a good mend. Remember the perfect dead drift. The fly was floating at a good speed and then the indicator stopped. Alex lifted the rod tip and the fish came out of the trough right onto the flat. It was fast and the rod bent double. Alex commented on how different this fight was from the 12” and 13” browns we were bringing to the net most of the morning. This fish was quick but we had a good hookset with the fly lodged in the upper lip. Alex was doing a nice job staying with the brown as his Dad, Vince, looked on from the rear casting brace. It was a clean fight with some give and take by the angler and the brown.

We were looking at a quick fight with this fish because when it came onto the flat and made a couple passes it found a waiting net. See before it could get another head of steam for another run, Alex pulled the fish up to the top. The net was scooped and we scored a nice brown for the 20 + Club. The fight was enjoyable but in a record time. It was over before it really even started.

We grabbed some photos for the memories and revived the fish. It didn’t take long before the fish was kicking. The fish came out of the net and slipped under the boat. It was completely out of sight in just a few seconds. What a fish though. 

With thunder and lightning looming we grabbed lunch and waited out a rain under some cover. The water conditions changed late in the day and we changed tactics as well as flies. The fishing picked up and we ended the day with a tally of decent numbers of healthy fish.

A visit to The Hog Trough was worth the few minutes we spared on that Thursday. I can imagine food all lined up with Alex’s nymph floating along just waiting to be tested. Then that brown slipping up and making the right decision to test Alex’s nymph. 

I can imagine that great tasting fried chicken, mashed potatoes, breads, greens and, mashed potatoes (I know mashed potatoes was listed twice and it was listed twice in the second paragraph too. I did that on purpose because I really like mashed potatoes) anyway, mashed potatoes and the list of delicious Southern cooking went on and on...

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.

Huntsville Fly Fishing

Some days on the river are absolutely the best days. Sometimes because the fish are cooperating, sometimes because the bigger fish are eating, and sometimes because the folks in the casting braces are old friends who make the day enjoyable. Greg and Brooke have fished with me for several years now and when we get together, we tend to get good results. Brooke seems to catch the big ones and sometimes the most. Greg, being a dad, seems to enjoy it as much almost as much as if he had caught’em all himself. Greg is no stranger to big fish or the 20+ Club so maybe it is healthy to see your kid catch the big fish every once in a while.

On this day we chose to leave the ramp a little early and try to stay in front of the recreational folks. It wasn’t long before Brooke was bringing her first fish to the net and Greg brought his first a short time later. 

We were sticking close to structure on this day. Structure can mean rocks, pockets in the gravel on the river bottom, and of course the blowdowns. Brooke was catching most her fish close to the different structures. Greg was batting clean-up with his usual accuracy. Blowdowns and pockets along the bank were running up the numbers.

Depth- We kept going after the fish, moving along with the slower currents and picking out the best places. One other thing we focused on was depth. There are blowdowns that look fishy and get the most attention from practically every angler who has a fly and some even toss their favorite lure. One thing I notice when folks are fishing these structures is a high percentage are not adjusting their depth. Most anglers leave their nymph at the same depth and pretty much fish it all day, streamer anglers don’t always let the streamer sink, with timing, or fly weight, or sinking lines. The blowdown is fished hard by angler after angler, but often the flies are not in the fish’s field of vision. 

After a morning of good fishing we stopped at one of my favorite spots for lunch. As Brooke and Greg ate and caught up on their lives, I adjusted the rigs and dropped a few flies in front of a few fish, just to make sure the flies were “well trained and ready for some serious afternoon catching”. 

We loaded the boat, Brooke and Greg slipped into the casting braces and we got the boat into some slack water. We backed up the bank to take another shot at some water that was productive just before we ate. It was the right choice as Brooke and Greg had a few more takes and they added a couple more fish to the count.

One more depth adjustment and we entered one of my favorite stretches of river. It’s heavy with structure and ledges and it’s just super-fishy. Brooke was fishing particularly well and getting real good drifts. Greg had his fly right behind Brooke’s fly. But Brooke’s fly got to the rainbow first and the fish ate. Brooke came tight with a solid hookset and the rainbow started the fight with a quick run to the bottom and into deeper water. Although Brooke had hooked and landed big fish before, this rainbow was a bit on the active side. She stayed with the fish and countered every move. The fish made a blistering run across the river and tried to get to some structure, but Brooke kept just the right amount of pressure on the fish and was able to get the head to turn back toward the boat. After a couple shorter runs the fish finally gave up. Brooke got the head of the fish up and slid the rainbow into the net. Score another one for the green boat and the happy anglers in the casting braces. We snapped some photos and made sure the fish was ready for a good release. We dipped the front of the net and rainbow slid out, then back to the depths.

We were letting our lunch settle and pretty much catching fish in all the likely places with just a few slow spots throughout the afternoon.  Greg and Brooke kept throwing the flies and for the most part the fish responded. Both anglers got their slams and both caught some nice fish.

Brooke and Greg proved again that some days on the river are absolutely the best days. Sometimes because the fish are cooperating, sometimes because the bigger fish are eating, and sometimes because the folks in the casting braces are old friends who just make the day enjoyable.

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.

Summer Fly Fishing Tennessee

 Christmas is the time for giving. We offered gift certificates over Christmas season last year and Matt took advantage of giving a day on the water to Larry. Being that these two guys both fly fish it was only fitting that when Larry decided to book his day on the water that he brings along the guy that was thoughtful enough to give a day on the water as the gift.

Matt and Larry made use of a good forecast with favorable generation and we were floating before the recreational crowd even got out of bed. Larry is experienced and Matt is proficient as well. Both are good casters and both are willing listeners. We moved slowly down the river on this day, picking apart all the likely places and pulling fish off blowdowns, mud banks and ledges. Ledges: I’m a fan of the ledge. Here is the definition of a ledge from of all places the 

Internet. 

Ledge- n

1.    a narrow horizontal surface projecting from a wall, cliff, or other surface.

There is something about a ledge that gets my attention. See, most times a rock wall looks pretty much the same underwater as what we see above the water. Not exact but similar. But as a general rule of thumb if a rock wall has ledges you can see, it probably has ledges that are below the water’s surface that you can’t see.

The ledges are an excellent place for a fish to lay. If there is a current, even the slightest current flowing by a ledge there is a high percentage chance that current is going to carry a little more oxygen and possibly even a little food. And if that isn’t enough there’s a high percentage chance a fish is going to be laying next the that wall, along one of those ledges. If everything goes just right such as the correct presentation, with the right fly drifted or stripped at just the right speed you will get a hit. So if everything goes just right and the fish makes the right decision for us and the wrong decision, looking at it from the fish’s point of view, a fish will be picked-off the ledge.

Not only is a ledge a good place for a fish to lay but with all the possibilities the ledges bring it’s a good idea fish it thoroughly at different depths. Allowing a streamer to sink for different periods of time works and, on this day, we fished the ledges at different depths.  

The guys were hard at work most of the day. We fished nymphs at various depths. As always, we concentrated on the speed of the drift against the speed of the water. Larry was dialed-in and crushing-it from the front of the boat. He is at a place in life where he gets to fish on a regular basis and it shows from his approach, the cast and his presentation. Larry was in the front brace and making the most of it.

We stopped for lunch after a good morning. The guys slowed down their pace even more and I put new leaders and tippet as well as new bullets (flies) at the end of their rigs. 

So, with new flies tied and the guys fresh we started down the river again. Sometimes after lunch the fishing slows but the guys kept bringing fish to the net and the day kept going. 

Matt added some quality to the quantity with some respectable rainbows as the summer heat kept us hunting for shade when possible. 

We lost count of the fish and the places the guys pulled them from throughout the day. But it was a good day all around. Plenty of action and plenty of relaxation with good conversation. And it all started with a Christmas gift.

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.