Chris the Newest Member of the 20 + Club

Last year Chris came up to fish from the drifter and we had what most anglers would consider a pretty tough day. We finished the day in the dark with one last fish just before the ramp. We still had a good time while Chris was in the front casting brace. This day would end in a very similar way. One way to warm up is on schooling fish. We found a school of Skip Jack and Chris was bringing them in on a real regular basis. The trout weren't far from the skippies (yes, I am a big fan of the Skip Jack as well as the trout) and then we were trading one for another depending on the cast.

When we were prepping for drifter, for the float, the bugs were out in force. On this day during low water the fish were into subsurface bugs.  Hatches were starting to wake the fish up, although they weren't off the top they were hungry. A bent fly rod normally keeps an angler happy and with the early float action Chris was one happy angler.

So we ran through the arsenal of flies and at times the fish would just down. There were other times that we made the right decision on the bug, Chris would make a nice cast, put the right presentation with that cast and things would come together. 

Chris made a cast at the end of the day and as the bug came across the gravel bar he had a hit...actually it was a major hit. I knew it was something different because Chris stopped talking mid-sentence. He was fighting the fish and it began execute a series of jumps. Chris was cool but focused. I tried some of my best jokes just to see how he would respond, but the focus was there and he wasn't having any of the stand up routine while such a nice fish was on the line. 

After several minutes Chris got the head of the fish up and it came quietly to the waiting net. That fish put Chris in the 20+ Club and also the first angler in the 20+ Club for 2016. We had our ups and downs through out the day and this was the "up" we needed. After the quick photos the fish was placed in the net and revived, then let out to be caught on another day. A couple kicks of the tail and it disappeared into the off-colored water.

So the rainbows and browns responded to Chris and his presentations. The different species of fish, including a few bluegill, kept us busy at times while they were elusive at others. The weather was good, the flows were high and low, but overall good. It was nice to be out and it was nice to see Chris have a good time while standing in that front casting brace.

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.