On the Water With Gary

Gary has been on the river several times and we've had some good days. Some days were better than others but this was one of those special days where the fishing and catching seemed to be equal. We got to the gravel bar to launch the drifter just about the same time as the first thunderstorm of the day. It was a good thing we went back for the waders because before the day was over we would need them more than once.

We shoved the boat in the water and floated for a minute, then we headed for cover as the sideways rain fell. We fished through the rain as we sat under cover and caught a few fish including a real nice brown. When the rain stopped we pulled up the anchor and Gary got his mending just right then the fish came with regularity.

Gary had control of his Sage and was getting good drifts with solid hooksets.  We floated nymphs in pods of schooling fish and pulled some fish from the edges. At times the fish were eating like they were out on bail....and we were liking it.

We pulled out the new Orvis Superfine 5 wt and he laid out some good casts.  This rod has performed well over the past few floats. It seems like you can feel every head shake in these rods and they have good backbone, much more than most people think. One of the best things about these rods is how well they do with an aerial mend. 

Gary and I kept ahead of the pulse all day and were able to fish low water until almost the very end of the float. The drifts were slow, the takes were subtle and the discussion was as good as it gets. Floating along the river is one of the best ways to pass the time with old friends.

If you would like to see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our rates page.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book your day on the water.

Fly Fishing the Caney Fork River

Where does time go? We have been on the water quite a few times over the past few weeks including a quick trip to Colorado with a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park to toss some dries. That said this report has been behind and I hope to catch it up over the next week or so.

The Caney Fork River: It is the time of year for the canoes, kayaks, inner tubes and whatever other contraptions that will help people remain buoyant. So, go early or fish late. That being said some fish are starting to look up especially over water that is a little thinner. We are still dropping nymphs in the feeding lanes but fish are already looking at hoppers too.

On the plane home from Colorado I had a discussion with a Loveland resident and angler who was flying to Nashville where was going to visit his son. He let me know about a fly which is a staple in the RMNP and a fly that I am waiting to come in the mail as this report is written. If the fly works I will post it in the report later. 

Oh, back to the Caney. So with all the other folks enjoying the river it is important to get in the water at the right time. The upper part of the river is fishing good and on low water the fish are holding close to or in the pools. Deep water nymphing, if you want to call it that, is effective. Sometimes the water is moving so slow it looks like the nymph is at a standstill. It is tough but the fish have been responding to those slow yet painful drifts.

The Elk River: This river is fishing good right now for sure. The 240 CFS is very good for floats and easier on the elbows when rowing. We've had some serious looks on hoppers but not by the better fish. Little fish with big attitudes are trying to eat hoppers but the better fish are still coming on nymphs.

Anglers are catching good numbers of fish and with two rods in the boat we are bringing fish to the net on a regular basis. There are some worthy fish close to the accesses too. This river is a good place for beginning anglers to "get their feet wet". There are many different types of water which require different types of approaches.

 

If you would like to see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our rates page.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book your day on the water.

Richard and Alex on the River

We slid into our first stop and worked on some basic casting skills. Richard had booked a trip for himself and his son Alex. Both had fly fished once before and had brought fish to hand on that trip. This day would be the same plus a couple dozen fish.

We worked for a bit on casting, then mending and after that we were ready to bring some fish to the boat. We gave the first run the once-over and it produced no fish. The usual plan is to grind it out, but after spending quite a bit of time on the river and a lot of time watching good drifts we discussed the mend. A short time later we slid into a slow pool and Alex made a good cast, flipped a good mend and was setting the hook on the first fish of the trip.

Richard wasn't far behind and the guys got into catching pretty quick. We had a few doubles on the day as the rain fell. Oh I also should mention the rain was steady and unrelenting at times. But, both guys were troopers and never complained throughout the day. We even ate lunch in the rain, hoping it would stop for the second half of the trip.

After lunch I advised that usually the second half of the trip would be slower for a while. Alex didn't listen and immediately resumed bringing fish the the net. Richard followed suit and we kept making our way through the rain toward the ramp.

The big fish of the day came from the rear of the drifter...again. The rear casting brace is a hotspot for catching larger fish. Alex was locked in the rear brace and Richard was up front. Richard was fishing deep and Alex was drifting his nymph a little more shallow. Richard threw a few feet off the bank in some moving water and Alex tossed a little tighter to the rocks on the bank. Alex threw in a mend and the fly settled in the current. It floated several feet and the indicator twitched then took a dive. Alex raised the rod, set the hook and the fish did the rest. The fight was intense but short as Alex quickly gained control. 

The fish was still hot when it got to the net. We took some quick photos and released the fish back to the moving water where it was plucked.  Alex had is "Lucky" hat on but he also showed he has some skills on boating bigger fish. The guys kept fishing hard and the rain kept falling.

Tennessee has been experiencing some heavy downpours over the last month or so. In the photo below the mouth of a small creek and small island can be seen. A few weeks ago this small island was a shoal that normally is covered with 4" - 6" of water. Creek mouths on several rivers in Middle Tennessee show flash floods have been moving rocks into rivers and pushing shoals around. This particular creek is an extreme case but it does show how large amounts of rain can affect the river bottom.

We made it to the ramp as the rain slowed to a stop. Richard and Alex boated their fair share of fish and overall had a good time in-spite of the less than favorable weather conditions. It was good to have another Father-Son trip for the year.
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If you would like to see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our rates page.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book your day on the water.

Learn to Fly Fish Murfreesboro TN

Eric and his father-in-law Bob were getting together for guys day on the water. The original plan was to fish the local tailwater, but Mother Nature had filled up the lakes and the generation made us think of a good alternative. After some discussion it was decided they would spend a half day on a local warmwater impoundment. We loaded up the boat with all stuff we needed, including Snickers, and pushed away from the ramp.

Bob has fished in Colorado several times by riding into the mountains on horseback, but this would be Eric's first try on the fly rod. We worked both guys on their rollcast and then we got down to business on how to lay out some line. After they were up to speed we began to work the banks and whatever likely structure we could find. We hit the high-value areas pretty hard as the guys began to match their casting skills with their fishing skills.

Fly fishing first requires the ability to remember what seems like a 1000 things and then enough repetition to be able to turn that memory into second nature.  As we moved along the banks Bob was first to hook-up. He cast next to some structure and saw the fish come to the fly. The fish made a quick inspection and then ate the fly. The hook was set nicely, not too hard but not too soft, then after a short and decisive fight we scooped the fish into the waiting net.

Eric was dialing in his cast and fishing skills from the casting brace of the drifter. With the wind and new rod it was taking a little longer to get dialed in, but when we spotted some rising fish Eric would have his chance. We slipped the boat into position and tied up a Parachute Adams to "match the hatch". Eric stripped off some line, set up and cast into the feeding fish. A fish rose to eat the fly and Eric came tight on the line. He kept a good bend in the rod and brought the fish to net. 

With both guys on the board and the skunk off the boat we began to toss some light streamers on floating lines. The guys were launching the streamers further and further as I inched the drifter further and further from the bank. They were dropping them into some tight places and getting drive-bys, swipes, hits and an occasional hook-up. We worked our way up the bank toward the ramp and then it was time to load the boat on the trailer. We were headed home when the guys started to feel the aches from using new muscles after a good day on the water.

The weather and generation are starting to cooperate a little more. If you want to see the latest fishing report click here and here is the page for our rates.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book your day on the water.

Casting For Recovery Normandy Tennessee

For several months the Music City Fly Girls have been preparing for today. The group brought 14 participants to the small town of Normandy, TN to be a part of the Casting For Recovery weekend. The Fly Girls spent a few days preparing the ladies by teaching them to tie flies, casting techniques and then took them for a pond fishing session. Most everyone caught fish from the pond on flies they tied just before going to fish! Today they would fish the river.
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My job for the weekend was to contact the guides and get them to show up at the river a short time before the ladies came to fish. Just in case anyone was wondering it's not hard to get a guide to show up at the river. These guides were ready to go and took the ladies to the river and began putting them on fish right away. I won't go into a lot of detail about the flies and such here, but would like to say it was a great day and everyone caught fish. 

I would also like to say thanks to all the guides. Thank you for making my small part of this weekend very easy. It is always a pleasure to work with each and every one of you. You all rock! Below are some photos from the day.

 

 

Butch and David on the River

After fishing with us in November Butch returned and this time he brought David along. David previously lived in Alaska and had fished some with the long rod. Both guys were easy to float with and wanted to bring some fish to the net while enjoying this day with outstanding weather.

We started the float with a barred owl flying across the river and landing in the trees just far enough away that we were not able to get a clear shot with the camera. I snapped the picture above while trying to row and as we moved through the first riffle of the day. Anyway that wouldn't be the last of the wildlife we would see before the end of this float.

Butch took the rear seat while David stood in the front casting brace. Butch knew the Southeastern Fly style of nymphing and relied on that previous knowledge, while David had the usual short learning curve. We worked on the normal casting and mending, and more mending. David began to catch-on to our style. We floated through a likely section twice and on the second time through David began to pick up fish. First one fish then another and another. Pretty soon Butch began talking trash from the rear seat. 

Butch was dialed in pretty tight as well and we were moving along picking up a fish here and there among the goo that was in the river. The pollen has been thick and the river could use a stiff round of solid generation to move some of that goo along. When we got into the thickest goo of the day we reeled in the flies and made a move. 
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David laid a fine cast into some clear water and set the hook when the indicator took a dive. The fish was good and pulling like a brown. David handled the fish like a pro and soon the brown trout was in the net. David then turned up the trash talk a notch.

It's not a good idea to leave fish to find fish... We slid into a likely pool of rising fish. There were quite a few fish in one area and those fish were hungry. The guys were hooking up and getting hits on what seemed like every cast. We put Butch on a dry and skiddered (that's a fishing term) the fly along the surface, fish began to react. When it is only small fish hitting and we know the better fish are there it is tough to stay away from a bigger offering. We floated the section again and lunch was looming. The guys made the decision to forgo a cooked lunch, grab a quick bite and float the same section a couple more times with big nymphs before racing to the takeout.

After a quick lunch we were right back at it. The fish continued to respond to both guys flies. After a couple more passes we had to leave the area and we fished our way to the takeout with hoppers. We gave the hoppers time on the water but really couldn't fish them as hard as I wanted. There were drive-by's, sniffs and a couple takes, so with the action that was produced I am ready to float nymphs in the mornings for some numbers and get on hoppers shortly thereafter. 

With a deadline approaching we rowed out the last hour or so, stopping only for the oarsman to take a break or two. Then we loaded the boat and raced the guys back to their cars. The last time I saw David he was speeding out of sight and Butch had struck up a conversation with another angler. The guys brought their fair share of fish to hand but the big-one (or Big-un) hid just out of reach throughout the float. Butch still didn't get his cedar-plank grilled salmon, but on the next trip if the daylight is long enough and the fish aren't hitting right at lunch we will get that cooked lunch done.
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The weather and generation have been cooperating for most trips and if one river is generating we usually head to another to make it a good day on the water. So, if you want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143.