Southern Trout Issue 1 May 2012

BEAU BEASLEY: Great Flies of Virginia

TROUTFEST Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Exposition

JIMMY JACOBS: Toccoa Tailwater Trout

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOUTHERNTROUT.COM

MAY 2012PREMIER ISSUE

Southern Trout

http://www.southerntrout.com

Southern TroutEditor

Jeff Kirk WEbmastEr & digital dEsign

Leslie Kirk

PublishEr

Don Kirk

advErtising

Leah Kirk

CommuniCations

Adam Kirk

THIS MonTH

departments

Field TestCosta 580 Fantail Sunglasses

features

The History of Southern Trout Fishing - Part 1by Dr Todd E. A. Larson

Perfomance Primer Balancing Act: Rod andReel Weights

Book Review Water Under the Bridge, a Journey Through a Life in the Outoors

Guide ProfileSteve Claxon

Fly of the MonthPublic Enemy #1

Featured Fly ShopLittle Rivers Outfitters

TroutfestGreat Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Expo

Great Flies of Virginia

The Trout Barnby Don Kirk

Ray Ball: Last of the Mountain Men

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TRoUTFEST – GREAT SMoKY MoUnTAInS FLY FISHInG EXPoSITIon

Over the years I have raised five children and been the start-up editor for more magazines than I can name. I have endured numerous marriages, wrote a dozen or so books, and faced judges in a half dozen different states. Until taking on the launch of Southern Trout Magazine, I regarded myself as a seasoned vet with the scars to prove it. I have a renewed respect for the travails of child birth which, incidentally, I had only observed until now.

Scheduled for arrival in late February, between then and the end of April was an education in learning the finer points of publishing that until now had been done by others. Hereto, I was the creative talent and perhaps the most inept people-manager to ever be responsible for filing out the pregnancy leave papers of an employee. It is now clear to me that nothing actually gets done unless someone actually does it. What a sobering moment that was for me.

During my long tenure in this business, I never met a southern trout fisherman who did not have a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to reading about trout fishing in magazines. Until recent times, Southern trouters found more than they every wanted to read about fishing the Yellowstone, Beaverkill and Miramichi rivers. There is never enough on the Davidson, Hiwassee, or Little Red rivers. Southern Trout is the

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first publication ever devoted to fishing for trout in the South.

Southern Trout is a monthly magazine dedicated to trout fishing in the South, and nothing but trout fishing in the South. The only thing better than that is that it is your absolutely free. The very notion of such a regional publication was laughable even a decade ago. However, the attention the sport has generated in the region is nothing short of phenomenal. In 1980 there were perhaps a dozen fly shops from Virginia to north Georgia, and only a few more guides than that number. Today there is over a hundred fly shops in the South, and hundreds of guides and guides services. At least five dozen major resorts now include fly fishing for trout in their offerings. The transition has been astounding.

Using state-of-the-art internet technology, Southern Trout brings together the South’s top trout fishing experts to share their knowledge and experiences with fellow Southern trout fishing enthusiast. It’s a bold move into uncharted waters, but every effort is being made to make Southern Trout Magazine a must read publication that distills the finest in trout fishing in the region.

Don Kirk

I cannot recall any point in my life when we were not headed to the mountains to fish for trout. If I had a nickel for every trout I saw fried golden brown in an iron skillet, I could buy beach front property in Hawaii. Back in those days my brother and I served as unpaid models catching fish before then film loaded Nikons. For every photo that made it into the pages of a magazine, fifty or more were taken and discarded. During the spring and summer Pop had a pop-up camper he towed around the country

news

Editor’s Letter

Publisher’s Messagefrom Yellowstone to the Gaspe Peninsula and beyond. When hunting season arrived and I was old enough to drive, he put me behind the wheel of his Bronco, handed me a map and then dozed off. I grew up thinking everyone hunted moose, caribou and things like mountain lion every year. Of course I knew Pop was a bit different insofar as we celebrated Earth Day by burning old truck tires. This is the first time in my adult life that Pop and I have collaborated on a project that involves lots of trout fishing and the potential to amass unimaginable riches. My wife Leslie and I are detail oriented, careful planners who prefer to operate on the side of reason and caution. Those of you who know Pop, know he is 180 degrees in the other direction. He is hard working and creative, but his wife Leah rarely lets him out of her sight lest be might be run down on the highway. As editor of Southern Trout, I am the primary contact for writers and photographers wishing to contribute to the publication. This entails communication on a timely basis, an aspect of business that has never been of great interest to Pop. If you are interested in contributing to Southern Trout, writer/photographer guides are available for inspection at www.southerntrout.com. If you take the time to query me, or ask a question about providing content, I promise to promptly reply.

The launch of Southern Trout is possible thanks to the contributions of the region’s top trout fishing experts. We hope to continue to bring you their work, but we also want to invite anyone who is interested in being published here to please contact me. There’s only one rule. Southern Trout: All southern trout fishing all of the time.

Jeff Kirk

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FiEld staFF Craig Haney, editor-at-Large

greg Ward, tennessee editor

Jimmy JaCobs, georgia editor

beau beasLey, Virginia editor

Larry rea, arkansas editor

dr. todd Larson, CoLumnist

bob borgWat, CoLumnist

Jeff “oWL” Jones, CoLumnist

Contributors

Bill BernhardtHarry MurrayIan Rutter

Featured LodgeGaston’s White River Resort

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Glory Daysby Bob Borgwat

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Thinking Outside The Fly Box

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Smokies in the Spring45

Little Red Served Up Coldby Larry Rea

Toccoa River:Georgia’s Other Tailwater

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North Carolina’s Best Kept Secret

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Insider’s Advice For Shenandoah National Park Fishing

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Owl’s Perch The “Real Campers” of Cades Cove

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contributors

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On the Cover

Artwork by James Ledgerwood of Jefferson City, TN

2 | Southern Trout | May 2012 | www.southerntrout.com www.southerntrout.com | May 2012 | Southern Trout | 3





CoSTA 580 FAnTAIL SUnGLASSESJEFF KIRK

We did it again…tried out another pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses.

Why? Why indeed you might rightly ask. The truth is we love sunglasses, and the better they work and fit, the better we like them. Recently I received a pair of Costa 580 Fantail sunglasses for field testing. Anyone who has ever owned a pair of good sunglasses is scarred for life with the knowledge of understanding the difference of great eye wear and economy sunglasses. Granted premium grade sunglasses cost more, but if you wear a pair of them fishing or driving for four or five hours, then you know it is money well spent. Costa Del Mar is one of a dozen or so makers of premium sunglasses. The Florida-based company has garnered a

field test

reputation for their great sunglasses for fishing and for delivering buyers mega bang for the buck. For starters, the Fantail’s fit like they were made for oddball shaped head such as mine. I do not like sunglasses that pinch my oversized skull. Lots of sunglasses come in large sizes, but typically these slide off of your face if you tilt downward to say, pick up a penny on the sidewalk. The 580 Fantail design includes several state-of-the-art features that include a Megol/Silicon nose pads that not only fits comfortably to your nose, but the more you sweat, the tighter they grip. I really like the “360 degree co-molded technology” – a no-slip Hydrolite™ lining along the entire interior of the frame to help keep the sunglasses comfortably in

place all day. The Fantail has a hard rectangular shape frame, with a medium to large fit. The bold nylon construction provides maximum durability and “forget-they’re-on” comfort fit, able to withstand harsh outdoor conditions and rugged adventure. The heart of any sunglasses though, are the lenses. The Costa 580 lens technology is awesome. I opted for glass, which is the most optically correct lens material offering the purest vision. Costa’s LightWAVETM glass lenses are 20% thinner and 22% lighter, and still exceed federal standards for impact resistance. The Fantail 580’s are also offered with CR-39 and Polycarbonate lenses. The CR-39 deliver exceptional resolution in the most optically correct, lightweight and scratch-resistant plastic

lens material out there, the Polycarbonate lenses are cast and hard-coated to make it as tough as possible. These are not just off-the-shelf sun lenses stuck in their frames. It’s hard for the eye to process and changes how you see the world. Costa 580 lenses are high-tech, high-performance lenses elevate the red, blue and green areas to amazing levels, while eliminating much of the yellow light. Yellow light waves are the enemy in the crosshairs of all sunglasses lens makers. The 580 patent-packed lenses deliver purer

field test

vision, deeper colors and sharper contrast. Costa 580 lenses are available in gray, copper, blue and green mirrors, making them the perfect choice for any conditions. So, how did they perform in the field? They were comfortable to wear; never sliding about my noggin or needing adjustments. This was impressive. The clarity of the lenses is as good or better than any sunglasses I have tried, and that includes those brands which typically sell for twice the asking price of the Fantail. The polarization

was prefect, while the optical quality of the Fantail is without peer, and can also be prepared for you by your optometrist. I give the Costa Del Mar Fantail sunglasses straight A’s, including being reasonably priced. For more information visit www.costadelmar.com


http://www.costadelmar.com





THE HISToRY oF SoUTHERn TRoUT FISHInG PART IDR ToDD E. A. LARSon

Finding specific examples of antebellum trout fishing can be a

daunting task. This is in large part due to the fact that, according to William Cowper Prime, a noted author writing in 1884 in The American Angler, that “as a general rule, when a Southern newspaper mentions trout or trout fishing it refers to black bass.” The bass is the fish the American Cotton Planter (1858) often called a Carolina Trout. So a nuanced reading of early Southern trout literature is necessary to make certain that the author is actually referring to trout and not

another species entirely.Even if finding evidence of trout fishing in the South before the Civil War can be a daunting task, there are a number of early references to trout and trout fishing from the 1820s to the 1860s. One example comes from the popular magazine Southern Cultivator, published by William S. Jones in Augusta, Georgia, and dated May 1854. It reported on noted fish culturist Dr. Theodatus Garlick’s research on the propagation of trout, which it was felt would be perfect for Southern climates. “Every one who may be so fortunate as to possess a spring of

water of moderate size,” the article reported, “can rear this charming fish in great numbers, and the streams that have been depopulated by the untiring zeal of the angler can be replenished with a little trouble and at a small expense.”

A more direct reference to Southern trout can be found in Henry E. Colton’s book The Scenery of the Mountains of Western North Carolina (1859). Colton writes that the mountain trout “[is a] beautiful fish found in most mountain streams, but exists in greater abundance in those which are comparatively

wild, and whose banks are uncultivated. North and South Toe Rivers abound with them. The Upper Swananoa has considerable. They are found in Buck Creek, near Carson’s; and in Pigeon and Nantihala Rivers, and many other streams, they are found in abundance. The Nantihala…is especially famous for its trout. The fish itself is one of the loveliest creatures the eye ever beheld…Fishing for them is fine sport, as one does not have to wait forever for a bite.” He was clearly referring to Brook Trout here and not the Carolina Trout.

departmentdepartment




BALAnCInG ACT: RoD AnD REEL WEIGHTSBo CASH

Too many people spend too much time worrying about a tiny fraction of an ounce whether it be rod

or reel. For those concerned with “balance” - THINK: If all rods have UPlocking reel seats, and long rods already tend to “balance” towards the tip, placing any UPlock seat pushes the reel further towards that tip, and therefore should require a heavier reel to “balance.” Yes, I tend to favor downlocking seats for a number of reasons. Alas, marketing in recent years has produced a gravitation towards uplocking seats by all major graphite rod manufacturers.

performance primer

I believe just placing a reasonably sized reel loaded with the proper line on a typical 9 foot rod with UPlock seat, you are going to see a “balance” which is on the most forward cork ring of the grip. I don’t know about the rest of you fly flingers, but I don’t place that uppermost cork ring in the center of my palm. When the line is strung up and actually being used, the “balance” will then be moved well up on the graphite blank, maybe past the end of the cork grip. The majority of the time, my hand is resting at the extreme rear of the grip. To me, the perfectly “balanced” rod has a downlocking seat with a reel that is proportionally sized and just plain looks “right” on

the given rod. Examples: not placing a 5 inch diameter reel on a 6 1/2 foot rod, or placing a 2 1/2 inch diameter reel on a 9 foot rod. If concerned with “balance,” a downlocking seat places that balance closer to where most people want it, - the center of the hand. Also, a downlocking seat gives more grip options. The reel will have an opening between the bottom end of the cork grip and the reel foot. This can be where the hand is moved down off the cork grip a bit to milk the rod for the most of its useful inches. Likewise, the hand can be moved up the grip and a forefinger placed on the rod shaft for accurate close “pointing” work. I am old fashioned, but downlocking seats are the way to go for

me. Too bad that today’s rod companies don’t see it that way. The “balance” constantly changes anyway as line is brought in for storage on short casts or let all the way out to hit that fish 75 feet away. My bottom line is that I do not get torn up about “balance” and/or fractions of ounces on rods or reels as long as they look proportional to each other, feel good in the hand when casting, and perform well. For more information contact me at 828-433-7637; or come by Table Rock Angler, 4515 NC 181, Morganton, NC.

performance primer




On the banks of East Tennessee’s Clinch River, is a secluded yet

accessible superb fly fishing spot – the Clinch River House.

Our 8-acre location features a fully furnished main house, cabin and pavilion, and is the perfect setting for families, groups, reunions, weddings, corporate meetings and other events.

Book your relaxing return to nature today!

House Rentals from $300*

*Taxes, food and guide services not included. A deposit equal to half the cost of your

stay is required to secure your reservation.Two-night minimum stay required.

Relax and Rewind your Reel.

www.clinchriverhouse.com

For more inFormation call: 1-865-250-9361

In recent years southern trout fishing has been chronicled by a number of well-received, well-

written books on this once largely ignored in print subject. Water Under the Bridge, a Journey Through a Life in the Outdoors by Bo Cash (Brushy Mountain Publishing, Swannanoa, NC) is the latest release on the subject. If you are looking for neatly packaged, “how-to or where-to” information you will not find it here from cover to cover. On the other hand, if you appreciate great, heart felt prose this book is a wonderful collection of streamside memories which span almost six decades.

Already a legendary western North Carolina fly fishermen, Bo Cash of Morganton, NC, probably could not write a book dealing with trout

fishing that where he failed to share some of his secrets and give advice on catching fish, which he does in a couple of chapters. However, the heart and charm of this 240 page volume is his passages about conservation, land ownership, geology, human nature, Native Americans, history, forgotten burials, appreciating our natural world, memories of his grandfather, and the exploration of remote backwoods areas for wild trout, grouse, and beautiful places.

The chapters are based on fly fishing and other outdoor endeavors, but are also heavily laced with reflections of a life made richer by the generosity of a grandfather who taught young Cash to love the woods and streams. Thoughts and moods experienced while fly fishing or wandering in deep woods produced these stories which included are narratives of being outdoors during the

worst types of weather, which makes for memories we cannot forget.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, Bo wrote most of the book beside a Coleman lanterns while spending many nights alone in the mountains. The book represents 25 years ago of memories of the grandfather who raised him after his father died when he was fourteen. It is truly a great read.

Water Under the Bridge, a Journey Through a Life in the Outoors is a paperback format (6” X 9”) priced $15. Signed copies are available directly from the author ($15 plus $3 S&H media mail) at: Bo Cash, 4515 NC 181, Morganton NC 28655; telephone 828-433-7637.

WATER UnDER THE BRIDGE, A JoURnEY THRoUGH A LIFE In THE oUTDooRS

book review


http://www.tablerockangler.com/

http://www.clinchriverhouse.com



STEvE CLAXTonBRYSon CITY, noRTH CARoLInA

Steve Claxton fell in love at nine years old and has been true to that love for over forty years.

There has been temptation and oftentimes grass that looked greener, but he has remained faithful. His father introduced him to her on a spring weekend and they have been going steady ever since. Actually due to the amount of time they have spent together, common-law marriage might be the better term. Hazel Creek, on the remote North Shore area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, since that first father-son fishing camping trip has been the true love of Steve’s fishing life. While he guides on other streams such as Deep Creek, Forney Creek and Eagle Creek, Steve is found primarily guiding on the waters of Hazel Creek that he knows so intimately. A customer came into our fly shop in Mountain Brook, Alabama in the fall of 1997 and said “I just fished with a great guide out of Bryson City and thought you ought to know about him.” Larry went on to tell me about the trip he had made with Steve and gave me Steve’s contact information. The next day I called him and we talked mountain trout fishing and the areas where Steve concentrated his guiding efforts. I had fished the Smokies for over thirty five years at the time but had not fished much in that

guide profile

part of the park. Steve later put together a Hazel Creek group trip package for our store that became immensely popular for all involved and has become the mainstay of Smoky Mountain Adventures.

Steve specializes in taking groups of 5 to 12 anglers across Fontana Lake to camp on the banks of Hazel Creek for a two-day guided outing featuring great fishing, great food and great fellowship. Steve’s camp is called the “Hazel Creek Hilton” due to the roomy 120 square foot tents, oversize cots, hammocks and many other amenities not found in a back country camp. My favorite is the portable hot shower! You won’t go hungry at the “Hilton” with meals featuring steaks, chicken, trout and seasonal fresh vegetables along with homemade pies and cobblers. Mornings are special, in camp, with hot coffee waiting on you when

you wake up and a hearty breakfast with made from scratch “cat head” biscuits, pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. The beauty of Hazel Creek along with its’ rich history and great fishing makes it one of the most unique destinations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wildlife sightings are commonplace and you will see relics of the once bustling lumber town of Proctor that was home to over a thousand residents. For fishing with Steve, he recommends a 3 or 4 weight rod, 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 feet long with a neutral or dull colored fly line. However, if you have a favorite 1, 2, or 5 weight rod, it will work, also. His favorite rod is an 8 foot 4 inch Orvis rod for a 3 weight line. Steve also advises his customers to save their bright colored fishing shirts and caps for tailwaters, lakes and saltwater and wear mid to dark green colors to blend better on the closer confines of his favorite streams. When it comes to leader length, he generally uses an recommends a 7 1/2 foot 5X leader looped to his fly line. Like most fly fishermen, Claxton carries far more patterns than he will actually need and when pressed about favorite patterns, he includes Parachute Adams, blue wing olives and yellow or orange stimulators in sizes from 12 to 16 ( # 18 also for the

Parachute Adams and Blue Wing Olives). When I asked about nymphs and streamers, he said with a straight face “ What are those?” He believes the majority of the time that presentation is more important than pattern and most of the little used patterns he carries are in his vest are there “just-in-case”.

Claxton says “most anglers new to mountain trout fishing tend to make longer than necessary casts and quickly get drag when fishing their fly.” They are usually surprised when he shows them how little fly line is really needed to fish the streams. “Another mistake is the angler often casts too many times to the same spot and also makes too many false casts. The wild fish in

guide profile

these mountains are spooky, so just cast two or three times to a spot and keep moving in order to cover more water and put your fly in front of more fish to increase your chances.”

When I’ve asked clients about their trips with Steve, they always say “I learned a lot, had a great time and caught some fish!” Steve has a teachers’ heart and the ability to share his knowledge with his clients and make the outing a fun and memorable one.

Contact Steve at:Steve ClaxtonSmoky Mountain AdventuresP.O.Box 995 Bryson City, NC 28713

Cell 828.736.7501

[email protected]


http://www.steveclaxton.com

mailto:steve%40steveclaxton.com?subject=



It is only fitting that the first fly covered in Southern Trout be the infamous Yallarhammar:

Public Enemy Number One. All of the old timers regularly fished this locally born pattern, although these days many of the younger anglers have not seen one, much less fished one. As best I can tell after looking for over a half century for where this pattern came from, no one has more than a colorful hypnosis about even its most vague origins. It is easy to disqualify theories such as it originates from the Cherokee or resembles a floating hemlock branch as is espoused by a good many well-intentioned experts. It is also worth noting that contrary to the claims of some, Yellow Flicker Woodpeckers were never hunted to near extinction to obtain their magical wing feathers. Doubtless, a few decades back, yellowhammers were shot for feathers, including a few that trespassed on my property when I lived in Morristown. However, having been protected for the last 75 years by federal and state statutes, hunting these birds has never impacted their numbers. First, I am relatively certain that Yallarhammar is not of Cherokee origins. These people did not fly fish until they endured a lot of contact with us Europeans who furnished them with metal fishing hooks and horsetail fibers for fishing line. We do

know that some sort of fly fishing occurred at mountain streams in the South perhaps has early as 1800, and certainly by the 1840s. In those days though, bait was universally legal and recreational fishing was a luxury few. The flies that were fished in the waters typically were brought here by visiting Yankees or were mail order flies that have been available a lot longer than many suspect. Anywho, the trick is to split the wing feather of your fowl of choice, soak it in water for a few minutes until it is pliable, and then wrap it either palmer or collar style. Some say the palmered style

pattern is the traditional style, while others contend it is the collared peacock herl body style. Personally, I tend to believe it was the latter because the earliest tying styles introduced to these waters were so fashioned. In my opinion the earliest local tyers mimicked patterns they were introduced to (such as a Leadwing Coachman which had wet fly collars) rather than setting off to reinvent the wheel.

YALLARHAMMARfly of the month

Yellow, obviously, was one of the colors that worked, and few other local birds other than the yellowhammer and meadow lark were consistently available to meet that need. It is not rocket science. Although, do not expect an NPS ranger to be

able to tell the difference in a fly tied with real

yellowhammer plume or one

tied with a dyed

cowbird When

one of

fly of the month

The following patterns are from the late L.J.DeCuir’s book “Southeastern Flies” (Menasha Ridge Press) Hook: 2X nymph #4-14Thread: BlackWeight: Lead wire or substitutePalmered Ribbing: Yellow dyed Grizzly HackleBody: 2-5 Strands of peacock herl (depending on size of hook) Variations; Classic Nymph/Wet Fly PatternHook: Mustad 3906 #8-14Thread: BlackHackle: Split wing feather of Yellow Shafted Woodpecker palmered from back to front.Body: Peacock herl

Classic Wet Fly PatternHook: Mustad 3906 #8-14Thread: BlackBody: Peacock HerlHackle: Split wing feather of Yellow Shafted Woodpecker tied on as a wet fly collar

Modern Wet Fly PatternHook: Mustad 3906 #8-14Thread: BlackTail: Mixed yellow and black hackle fibers, hook gap in lengthHackle: Yellowed dyed Grizzly palmered from back to frontBody: Peacock Herl

Modern Dry Fly PatternHook: Mustad 94840 #12-18Thread: BlackTail: Mixed yellow and black hackle fibers, 1 1/2 hook gap in lengthBody: Peacock HerlHackle: Yellow dyed Grizzly tied in dry fly style

Modern Dry Fly Pattern #2Mustad: 94840 #12-18Thread: BlackWing: Mixed yellow and black hackle fibers, upright and dividedTail: Black hackle fibers, 1 1/2 hook gap in lengthBody: Peacock HerlHackle: 1 Yellow dyed Grizzly, 1 Black tied in dry fly style

the NPS

guys peruse

your fly box for contraband, about the best they can do is make a SWAG (scientific wild ass guess) about the origins of any of your fly tying materials.





http://www.admaddox.com

http://www.lroutdoors.com




Located at the quiet entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,

Little River Outfitters is one of Dixie’s oldest and most successful fly fishing shops. Founded in 1994 by Byron and Paula Begley, Little River Outfitters has a wide national reputation for its service and commitment to its customers and the sport of fly fishing. One of the South’s largest fly fishing shops, Little River Outfitters is staffed by 12 people who love the sport of fly fishing, not just for trout, but also for saltwater and warmwater quarries. So we’re not just a trout shop. You can tell by looking at our rods, reels lines and flies. Larger than most fly shops, they have room to park 50 cars. When you walk in the front door another “big” impression will be obvious to you. But when you talk to Byron, Paula or their friendly

staff you get the warm feeling of a small store. Little River Outfitters offer products from companies such as Orvis, Winston, Sage, Chota, St Croix, Fishpond, Temple Fork, Simms, Ross, Waterworks Lamson, Scientific Anglers, Korkers, Wapsi, Hareline Dubbin, Umpqua Feather Merchants, Holly Flies, Whiting Farms, Abel Reels, Rio Fly Lines and Leaders, Dr. Slick, Metz Hackle, Tiemco Hooks, Gamakatsu Hooks, Renzetti Fly Tying Vises and Dyna King tying vises. In addition to being a well-stocked brick-and-mortar retailer, Little River Outfitters is also a thriving a mail order company that ships orders promptly all over the United States and the world. Service is the key to any fly shop’s survival against big box and internet-based retailers. Byron and Paula have become nationally

known for their innovative approach to business which goes light years beyond the mere basics of selling rods, reels and flies. The Little River Outfitter Forum is the country’s premier online meeting place for southern fishermen. Its “Smokies” topic section along has over 26,000 posts. The shop also operates a fly fishing school where they train approximately 200 beginners every year, plus have classes on fly tying and aquatic entomology. Whereas most fly shops are dormant during the winter, Little River Outfitters is a hive of activity. Each weekend during the first two months they host fly tying exhibition which featured the top expert in the regions such as Jack Gregory,Walter Babb, Clayton Gist, Ethan McGroom, Mike Bone, Gary McCown, Tim Ivey, Bill Hall and David Knapp to name a few. There is always something afoot at Little River Outfitters for everyone from beginners to seasoned veterans.

LITTLE RIvERS oUTFITTERSfeatured fly shop

Little River Outfitters also maintains a daily fishing report that details water conditions, fishing success, hatch info and more. It is regarded as reliable, and respected, evident in the fact that during the first two months of 2012 t had over 35,000 hits. If you visit their wed site you will find the Little River Journal Archives, their monthly e-newsletter that we write and send out. You can sign up and get yours a month early. The articles are

written by the staff at Little River Outfitters and other guest writers. It is extremely popular and a great reference for you to visit later. While they are far too modest in taking credit, Byron and Paula Begley are the proud parents of Troutfest, a now annual event held each May in Townsend. Working with the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, they have seen the transformation of this event from its infancy to that of the premier fly fishing for trout

event in the Southeast. Byron and Paula donate to Trout Unlimited Chapters, Troutfest, Fly Fishing Federation Clubs, Friends of the Smokies and Great Smoky Mountains National Park to support fisheries and the Park. Many of our staff volunteer their time on fundraising for our fisheries and our community.

ToWnSEnD, TEnnESSEEfeatured fly shop


http://www.littleriveroutfitters.com



Gaston’s White River Resort in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas began

50 years ago when Al Gaston, Jim Gaston’s father, purchased 20 acres of White River frontage with six small cottages and six boats...the year was 1958. Now the resort covers over 400 acres with two miles of river frontage, and has 79 cottages ranging in size from two double beds and a bathroom to a two-story cottage with ten private bedrooms. The airstrip has grown from 1800 feet to 3200 feet. The six boats are now over 70, and with a massive state-of-the-art dock to hold them all. Anglers staying at Gaston’s can freelance their own trips on the river, or enlist the services of the resort’s extensive list of highly qualified guides who can

accommodate the needs of first time anglers, or put the most experienced fly fishermen on the best runs. Rated by many as the finest trout fishing river in the world, the White River literally has room for everyone. No fishing trip to Gaston’s is complete without at least a half dozen trips to its historic restaurant. Famous for its fine dining and mouth watering

barbeque, you will never find a more magnificent view, looking inside or out, than the one from our restaurant. Almost rivaling the tranquil beauty of the river view is the cozy atmosphere created by our collection of old tools, antiques, and historic photography. Of course, there’s the fabulous seafood, steaks and the freshest rainbow trout. Not to mention

GASTon’S WHITE RIvER RESoRTfeatured lodge

a fine selection of wines and full bar. The restaurant is open 7 days a week with brunch available every Sunday. Gaston’s White River Resort also has its own, well-respected fly fishing school, taught by Frank Saksa is one of the most knowledgeable fly fishing guides on the White River. Frank has fly fished on all the major streams in the western part of the United States and brings many years of experience that he will share with you. Frank has developed many new techniques for catching fish here on the White River, ones that will make you a much better fly fisherman, no matter what you fly fish for. Most of all, he is a great teacher and very gifted at

LAKEvIEW, ARKAnSASfeatured lodge

sharing what he has learned over the many years of fishing.

For more information contact Gaston’s White River Resort, 870-431-5202, or visit www.gastons.com


http://www.gastons.com




department

GLoRY DAzEBoB BoRGWAT

Amonth ahead of the first issue of Southern Trout, it’s March, and it’s warm outside. Historically warm. Historically weird. For weeks – from mid-winter forward, really – spring-like weather has spread far across the mountains and the

flatlands of the Southeast. And while my wife reminds me I’m easily confused, I’m in a daze of glory as the trout streams in my backyard and beyond respond to freaky weather conditions that have lifted water temperatures to degrees usually seen in early May. Nope. I’m not confused. The stream thermometer reads 59 degrees on the spring creeks and freestone trout streams of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Those are where I wander these days, watching trout rise freely to a smorgasbord of insects. Many of these bugs would not be seen now if the weather wasn’t weird. Hendricksons. Cahills. Hexs. Black Caddis. Even brown Stoneflies. Nope. I’m not confused. Those – and a smattering of other species -- flutter about in their own daze of glory amid air temperatures near 80 degrees. Nope. I’m not confused. Warm days grow thunderstorms quickly. Black clouds rain furiously. My streams flow deeply stained. My eyesight strains. Lanes are languid. Riffles run rich. Chutes are shaded. Pools are pitched. Sight-fishing awaits another day. Nope. I’m not confused. The water clears, and the fly-fishing returns to its incredibly furious action on my streams. Trout chase my bugs. Quick-stripping Buggers. Swinging Pheasant Tails. Skating Caddis. Tactics reserved for weeks from now. The trout – bows, browns and frantic wild brookies –must be dazed when the live winged morsels are mistaken for their fake counterparts. Hook points penetrate their jaws. They must be confused. Not me. Nope. I’m not confused. I’m in my glory daze. Springtime springs around me. Trout rise. Woodlands grow green. Trout rise. Turkeys gobble. Trout waters chill me. Trout rise. Sunrise warms me. Trout rise. Dusk depresses me. Trout rise. My favored 3-weight ... restless in my hand. Trout rise.

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WAnDERInGS oF THE CREEK FREAK




THInKInG oUTSIDE THE FLY BoX

Ithink most of us as flyfishermen have our favorite flies that we always fish in certain

non –hatch situations in the case of trout. They are our go-to flies, the ones we have confidence in when nothing is coming off the water. Mine used to be a 14 or 16 Royal Wulff, because it floated well in the mountain streams I like to fish and I could see it easily. Now as often as not, I’ll knot a 16 Parachute Adams to my leader. If the P arachute Adams doesn’t bring up a fish after awhile, I’ll tie on a 16 Yellow Palmer which floats a little higher and is easier to see with my now out-of-warranty eyes. If you fish in western North Carolina, you are familiar with the Palmer family. They are generally tied with a yellow, green, orange,or gray body and brown and grizzly hackle palmered

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together the length of the hook shank. Sometimes there is a tail of elk hair or pheasant tippets.

The Yellow Palmer may be thought of as thinking outside the box to many trout fisherman. A more dramatic example may be that of my friend Ted Calvert who was fishing the Elk River in south central Tennessee and not having much luck with the patterns that usually produced trout for him. While taking a break for water and a snack, he realized that the cicadas he had been seeing might be what the trout were wanting for lunch. Looking through his fly boxes he found nothing even close to a large dark pattern that might faintly resemble a cicada. Evidently the sugar high from the Little Debbie he had just eaten stimulated his brain

and he remembered his bass and panfish fly boxes were in his vehicle. Walking back to his car, he quickly found what he was looking for, a black size 6 popping bug with black rubber legs. Returning to the river, Ted soon was fishing back through the same stretches where he had been unsuccessful earlier. It was not long before he soon had a solid hit on the black popper and soon brought a nice 15 inch brown trout to the net. The action continued for several more hours with a number of trout coming to the black popper. Thinking outside his trout fly boxes, Ted ended up with a great day of fishing. I had a similar experience on Deep Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a summer day. Terrestrial patterns are always

good in the summer but I had put what I hoped would be a secret weapon in my box along with the hoppers, crickets, ants, and inchworms. When in the Smokies, it is not uncommon to get a 20 or 30 minute rain shower in the afternoon during the summer. Afterwards, you will usually see a number of little frogs hopping around everywhere. So for this trip, I had put a size 6 frog popper in my terrestrial box. After a brief shower the second afternoon of my trip, I tied on the frog pattern and fished it along the stream banks much as I would have for bass. I caught a number of nice browns that

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afternoon and now the frog has a permanent place in my terrestrial box. I’m not advocating using bass flies when the trout are not hitting but rather think outside the norm for the situation. Try something off the wall and you may change Your luck when you think outside the flybox.




TRoUTFEST – GREAT SMoKY MoUnTAInS FLY FISHInG EXPoSITIon

Troutfest 2012 is just around the corner and I can’t wait for this year’s event, May

18, 19, & 20. Troutfest has always been one of the highlights of my spring trout fishing. In my opinion, Troutfest is one of the coolest fly fishing festivals in the United States. Where else can you sit beside Lefty Kreh and Bob Clouser while you watch a kid from Knoxville, TN tie flies of his own creation? Troutfest is held in beautiful Townsend, TN next door to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies”. For those of you that are not familiar with Troutfest, you can check it out on their website www.Troutfest.org , or on their Facebook page, Troutfest – Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Expostition. However let me give you my

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interpretation of the event. Troutfest is a three day trout fisherman’s paradise. Be sure to save up your brownie points and hall passes from your significant other so you can attend the full event. On Friday night there is a banquet and auction with killer food. There will be BBQ chicken, the best pasta salad to ever pass your lips and sweet tea to name just a few. I won’t go into how great the desserts are, but let’s just say I usually try and take some home for later. I’ve never been to a banquet where you can get into a discussion about the newest streamer patterns for monster Brown trout with an absolute stranger, but you can here. The auction items, all donated, range from the latest high quality gear to art work to locally made items in all price ranges.

The festival is Saturday and Sunday with vendors and industry reps from the top fly fishing companies displaying their latest gear. Plus, there are FREE fly tying demonstrations, casting demonstrations, and presentations by some of the legends in the sport such as Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser, and Jason Borger. The 2012 lineup is not completely firmed up yet, so keep an eye on the web site or Facebook page. In addition to these living legends there are also many regional pros like Ian and Charity Rutter of R&R Fly Fishing, Zach Matthews, Randy Hamilton and the best fly tyers around. Have you ever seen Bob Clouser tie the famous Clouser Minnow? This is your chance. Let me also say that these guys are not behind any rope or on a stage. You won’t have to wait in lines or buy tickets for

anything, because the festival is FREE! A $10 donation is requested this year, but it’s optional. Not bad for two full days! I’ve been attending the event since 2006; Troutfest has been running since 2004.

Troutfest is a sanctioned annual event of the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited which is chartered by Trout Unlimited National as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Most people don’t know, but Joe Hatton (former LRCTU chapter president) was one of the driving forces for getting the event started 9 years ago, along with Charity Rutter. Since then, Byron Begley of Little River Outfitters and many others have helped to grow the event over the last few years to where it is today. Attendance is about 2,000 – 2,500. To date the event has raised over $175,000 for Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fisheries Projects, such as Brook Trout Restoration. Most of the proceeds are made at Friday night’s banquet and auction, and from renting space to vendors.

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Over 100 volunteers donate thousands of hours of their time each year to make the event a success. Also, without the sponsors and exhibitors the event could not happen. Troutfest receives cash and gear donations from many of the fly fishing industry manufacturers to help support the event and auction on Friday night. In addition to industry companies, Troutfest also gets support from private individuals and other local companies. You can see a list of the supporters on the event website, www.Troutfest.org. All of the hard work and generosity that it takes to put this event together can be felt when attending and walking around. It is truly awe inspiring. One of my favorite stories is from three years ago when I had rented a cabin on Little River for the duration of the event. I was waiting for my wife to arrive so we could attend the banquet. There happened to be a swinging

bridge just out from the cabin and I was enjoying the weather. Just down from the bridge was an older gentleman fly fishing. At one point he looked up and asked me the time. There was an odd familiarity to the sound of his voice and his face. I figured that it was just someone that I had passed on the river or in a local fly shop. However after a second glance I realized it was Joe Humphrey and he was fishing 20 minutes before he had to be at the banquet, where he was a special guest! I realized then, that it is still just about fishing and we all share that same passion. A friend of mine, who has only been fly fishing about three years, told me about a couple of his experiences last year. He was walking around and saw Zach Matthews standing in an open space casting. He introduced himself and said “Hey Zach, take a look at my cast”. In 15 minutes Zach had improved his cast a great deal with a couple simple tips.

BY KRIS MAURER AnD JoE REnTz


http://www.Troutfest.org



Later that day my friend got a half rack of the delicious ribs cooked on-site and sat at the table right next to Tom Rosenbauer (Fly Rod and Reel’s 2011 Angler of the Year). Having a casual conversation with Tom was a real treat for my friend! He savored the moment with a big cup of homemade ice cream, made on site. That’s the way Troutfest goes. There are programs, scheduled fly tyers, casting demonstrations, artists and nonprofit organizations (such as Casting For Recovery), manufacturers displaying the latest gear, and local and regional rod makers, fly tyers, guides, artisans, and more. But much of the fun and benefit comes from interacting with fellow anglers and the experts on a casual basis. So you may not be a trout bum yet, but that’s okay!

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Maybe you’ve had a desire to take up trout fishing or tried it, but just didn’t get it. Then, Troutfest is the place for you. This year’s event will also be focused on beginner education! There will be free casting lessons, presentations on basic entomology and fly selection, as well as on-stream tactics. With all of the knowledge floating around this event, one cannot help to learn something new even if you are an old grizzly trout bum. Also, attending Troutfest are many local and regional artisans and there are activities for the kids too. Plus, don’t forget that the event is held in Townsend Tennessee, just minutes from some of the best wild mountain streams in the east. There will be plenty of “what are they biting on” talk and I guarantee some great fishing!

The Casting Contest is great fun and a very popular event and fundraiser. The winner leaves with a sense of pride and also a beautiful, expensive piece of gear, usually a rod or reel. It’s time to start practicing my distance and accuracy for the challenging course, hoops, and targets! A very exciting new event this year is the addition of Jason Borger, technical advisor for the movie A River Runs Through It. That movie is where many fly fishers got the bug to take up the sport. Jason taught the actors how to cast and fly fish, and everyone involved with the film about what fly fishing is all about. Many of those casts you see in the movie are his. Sorry Brad Pitt. On Saturday night he will make a presentation about the movie

followed by a showing of the movie. This year is the 20th anniversary of the film. He will be around Sunday too, showing his artist and casting skills and participating in Sunday’s programs. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its excellent trout fishing. The 500,000 acre park has over 800 miles of fishable trout streams. Wild rainbow and brown trout inhabit most of the rivers and small streams. Brook trout can be found in the higher elevation streams. Stocking was stopped in the early 70’s so what we have here is a self-sustaining population of wild trout. The streams are freestone, free flowing and gin clear. Aquatic insects here are diverse. Mayflies, caddis and stoneflies make up the major hatches that you will encounter during

Troutfest. May is one of the best months to fish here and did I mention that it is FREE to enter Great Smoky Mountain National Park, all you need to fish is a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license. Last year the Premiere Issue of the Troutfest Journal was produced. Volunteers did all the work. It is a beautiful magazine and features articles on the history of Troutfest, small stream tactics, a guide to fishing in the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Brook Trout, fishing by blue-lining (the lines on a topographic map), and more. This year’s issue promises to have more articles and helpful information about how and where to fish in the Smokies. For me Troutfest is a chance to spend time in the mountains with people that

share my same passion for fly fishing. I live in Knoxville, TN, just thirty minutes from the event. However I always rent a cabin or a hotel room in Townsend during Troutfest. I usually get up early and grab a biscuit to go from a local restaurant on my way into the Park to do a little fishing before the event gets going. There are also some great food vendors at the event to tide you over to dinner. In the past they have had some excellent ribs and homemade ice cream. I usually grab an early dinner from a local comfort food restaurant before catching an evening hatch on Little River, and then retire to the cabin to sit on the deck and enjoy that left over dessert. I really can’t imagine a better vacation. For easier fishing, Little River runs through Townsend,

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right across the street from Troutfest. There you will find wild trout that have descended from the higher elevations in the Smokies, and stocked trout, as well as smallmouth bass.

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Is your family still balking? Townsend is only 18 miles from Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, and Gatlinburg. Deposit the family there for a great variety of entertainment, amusement parks, shopping and restaurants of all types. They

will love it. Half of Troutfest’s attendees are from out of state. Apparently the trip is well worth it. Check out Troutfest for yourself, bring a rod and a handful of flies, sit with legends and learn the finer points of our great sport. Bring a friend, child or spouse and share your passion with them. Come to the banquet and auction and bid on some excellent gear and other items. Enjoy the natural beauty of the Southern Appalachia’s and catch some of our mountain gems, the brook trout, for yourself. Did I mention that if you support Troutfest and its cold water fishery preservation efforts, by simply attending, the trout will love you?






THE TRoUT BARn

When we first took conscious notice of the barn could be nothing more

than enlightened conjecture. We were a group of spirited boys on motorcycles with fishing poles strapped to the back of our steeds-- heedless of little other than what might have caught our fancy at a moment’s notice. It certainly was not until many years later when the old barn was clearly headed to heapdom that we might have even had the

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presence of mind to see the old structure in some context to our trout fishing passion. However, I for one do not think any of us were so blessed even then. We all knew when the old barn finally did slip into utter demise, but it is only now, some years after the fact that what the trout barn meant has become clear. What’s a “trout barn” you might ask? Well hell, even I know there is no such thing as

a trout barn, any more than there is a worm barn. Sure there may be trout farms and worm farms where industrious rancher runs hundreds of thousands or even a million or two head of stock. But neither endeavor requires a barn, at least in the traditional sense which was what this trout barn was. Located in eastern Tennessee along I-40 between the Sevierville and Dandridge, the trout barn was viewed by us going to and from trout

BY Don KIRK

fishing trips to the streams of the Smokies and adjacent ridge system streams. Perched 75 yards above the highway it was an eye-catching structure with a prominent tongue-and-groove log base, planked mid-drift, and a split white oak shingled roof. This was in the 1960s prior to the current availability of log home kits. Heck, in those days half of the farm houses along the Nolichucky River in

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Greene Country were planked over, dovetail log houses. Hiding those logs became quite fashionable after World War II. The trout barn was not of any historical value. Its twisted, bowed beams seemed to exert pressure on the structure from every angle. We never as much as ever peeked inside the trout barn, but we always saw it as we came and went from stream to stream, season to season. Like all old country barns in eastern Tennessee, it was a utility beast conceived for confunction not beauty like those fieldstone barns that dot the edges Letort. Doubtless like other eastern Tennessee barns, the trout barn probably incubated at least a couple of nicotine addicts, and surely was where many father-and-son discussions sprouted. Heaven only knows how much amber-gold burley cured to perfection from its dusty rafter. It was after all, just a barn built on a hillside during the 1900s when wrestling a living from red clay was easier said than done in eastern Tennessee. Boy Meet Fly Light coming over the Smokies was orange and bright as it reflected off the trout barn as we raced by it my 1964 Rambler in the direction of the Tellico River. It was opening day. We knew the state stocking trucks’ route well enough could have driven then ourselves blindfolded. The car was crammed full of poles, worms,

canned corn, snacks and beer that none of us was old enough to buy. Vic drew first blood, landing a rainbow on his first cast that day. Tellico River was so crowded with fellow worm dunkers, his luck was not in casting but muscling his way into the current to get to cast. We were young men, and young men want to catch lots of fish as fast as they can. Stocked trout still groggy from being slipped from a concrete run to the strangeness of a river make a challenging quarry akin to professional New York City pickpocket removing my wallet. Later that day George lost a nice rainbow trout that flipped off the hooked as he attempted to land it. Frustrated, he looked up and saw the stocking truck approaching. Leaping before this magnificent chariot of ecstasy, George stopped the driver and told him what had happened. Blessed with keen persuasive talent, George convinced the stocking truck driver that he was entitled to a fish from the bile’s of his vehicle to make up for the one he lost. Later that summer we became infected with the fly fishing virus, a then relatively rare and seldom discussed malady that most families tried to hide from discovery by accepted social circles of the world of fishing in eastern Tennessee. We turned our focus on the streams of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where the trout are stream bred and worm dunkers are shot on sight by over-zealous rangers.




Collectively we must have been the most utterly unschooled fly rodders in the world. We got all of our tackle and flies from K-Mart, and were unsullened by the knowledge of Orvis or Hardy. We thrashed those creeks into froth, scaring hundreds of fish to everyone that was gullible enough to even rise to a fly we drifted. But we were stout and bore the pressure. The trout barn had caught our attention too. It was also stout and bearing the

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pressure time well enough although it was in dire need of attention. Serious Business It was until educated by one of my ex-wives that I understood the term, “obsessive compulsive behavior.” Until then I when asked if I like to fly fish for trout, my response was “does a woodchuck chuck?” During the 1970s the streams of the Smokies were closed from mid-October to April 15th. This

was Opening Day. The day before my ex had given birth to our second son. I was there during child birth and shortly thereafter. Clearly she was fine. The baby was fine. It was 5:24 AM. As luck would have it, my fly fishing gear just happened to be in my car which in lieu of all of the unexpected scurrying about the previous evening in a terrific thunderstorm. Well, as my ex slumbered I slipped away to Abrams Creek for a quickie around the Horseshoe. My logistical planning was off by about seven hours. I returned to the hospital late that afternoon proudly toting a plastic garbage bag containing a 21-inch brown trout--my largest capture to date. She was not impressed. My mom and dad, her mom and dad, and an assortment of other relatives were there. My dad just shook his head, hiding his face to conceal what had to have been a maddening desire to break into hysterical laughter. In retrospect my planning was unfortunate. It was odd too, that a bolt of lightning from the storm that night had clipped chunk out of the middle of the roof of the trout barn. No Choir Boys Here As we whizzed past the Trout Barn, collected raindrops glazed the remaining oak shingles, giving them a curious ebony luster. My “new second hand” 1965 Dodge Dart Sportster was an unknown luxury that sported the first radial tired I had ever pushed into a hard, fast turn in the Smokies. To me it was

a Porsche. Stu was snoozing. The previous afternoon we had captured several dozen grasshoppers that traveled with us. It was October 14, somewhere in the mid-1970s when Gerald Ford was de-boarding airplanes by tripping. We no longer tripped, but our lust for catching Ole Hardhead, a generic name applied to any trout over 20-inches that prowled the streams of the Smokies, was heady to the point that we were going use live bait in artificial only fishing waters. Yes, we were breaking the law. No, we did not think it was a big deal, although in retrospect I wish I had not done it. Early the previous day news broadcasts noted a lost hiker in the Townsend area. We knew every ranger and his cousins would be combing that area looking for the unlucky fellow, who was fortunate to be found wet and hungry the following afternoon. Our chances of being caught were slim, but to make sure if it occurred would not loose valuable fishing tackle, we were using only 14-feet long cane poles used in those days by bream fishermen. With our ‘hoppers secured in brown paper lunch pages, we parked right at the Sugarland Ranger Station. From there we walked up the West Prong. The drizzle had stopped, but the air was a crisp 60 degrees. The creek was in magnificent form. In fact I had never seen it better, nor have I since. After a quarter mile jaunt, we strung our poles and entered

the slightly roly waters of the West Prong. Only 6-feet of 12-pound test line tipped the cumbersome bamboo poles which proved to be a surprisingly challenge to negotiate around this not-so-big creek. Plucking a big brown hopper from the paper sack squirreled away inside my shirt, I spike the point of the hook through it thorax. Working my way back to the business end of my bamboo pole, I lifted the rig to swing my illicit offering over a pool I had often fish and seen a good trout flash gingerly at my flies. In a long swinging motion I lauved the 2-inch version of “prime rib” to a trout over the spot where a hardhead would be. As the twitching invertebrate neared its meeting with destiny, a dark form rose from the bile’s of the emerald pool. In the twinkle of an eye the iridescent flanks of a big trout left a hole in the water where the hapless hopper had been. The fight, if it could be called such was merely lifting the shocked leviathan from the water onto a gravel bar where after I traveled the 14-feet from my end of the pole. The biggest rainbow I ever caught from the Smokies, it weighed 7-pounds, 2-ounces. Despite its sullener capture, I felt I had accomplished something. But I had yet to learn good never comes from cheating. My Dart had a flat tire when we arrived. Two rangers who had helped look for the lost hiker helped us fix it, and bragged about the fish

as though it was their own. Providence also interceded by guiding me to a deranged taxidermist, who after a year of keeping my rainbow trout, called to say it was ready to pickup. Not only was it a comical 1920’s looking mount, he has painted it as a brown trout. When I complained, he said that was not a problem, which for him was entirely correct. A few weeks later I picked up a trout that resembled a rainbow with brown trout markings under its crimson slashed flanks. This oddity was sold in a yard sale, relieving me the last physical evidence of my single adventure as a serious poacher. Published At Last Somewhere in the mist of the 1980s my guide book on fishing for trout was published. It was a big deal for me, that is, figuring out to monetize by fishing without another divorce. Every time we drove past the old barn we commented that it was really becoming dilapidated. In our thirties now, we were on top of the game of fly fishing, referring to our tight circle of long rods as the “pros from Dover.” Looking back, I laugh to myself. We should have taken longer looks at the trout barn. Somewhere in the early 1990s during the kudzu and other veins engulfed most of the old trout barn. Its rusty roof was not only noticeably sagging, but missing a piece here there. With each succeeding winter the old structure looked more rickety than the

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season before. It had developed a pronounced lean to the south. As a group we were not fishing as often or as long as during the decades before. Still active, without saying so we acknowledged the demise of the barn, much the same as some of us were now bald, and those of us with hair found that it was getting more gray with every season. I moved to central Alabama in the mid-1990s. Whereas in years past I drove by the trout barn at least twice a month every year, now I saw it once or perhaps three times a year. Almost overnight it seemed that the barn was pretty much a collapsed shell of itself. The last time I drove by three summers ago, the spot where the trout barn had stood was cleared. A billboard advertising Dollywood stood in its place. Like a couple of members of the pros of Dover fly fishers, the barn is no more.

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Georgia -- Tennesssee -- North Carolina

Trout -- Bass -- Striped Bass -- Panfish

Tri-State

Region!

Fly-Fishin

g!

Spin-Fish

ing!



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RAY BALL: LAST oF THE MoUnTAIn MEnBY GREG WARD

Ifirst met Ray Ball in 1993 when I opened a fly shop and fishing store in Pigeon Forge,

Tennessee. A tall, lanky man wearing his trademark coveralls and an old floppy hat, Ray was looking for fly tying thread, and I had the best. Gudebrod thread started a friendship that has lasted for years. I soon learned that Ray Ball has mastered the outdoors. He is the only person I know who does it all. I have never spoken with Ray and not learned something new. Ray, who is 59 years old, is the son of a Baptist minister and has been married to his wife, Connie King, for 40 years. An accident with a

blasting cap cost him most of his left hand when he was only eight years old, but you would never know it. He runs heavy machinery, sings gospel music, farms, and owns several rental cabins in Sevier County, Tennessee. A couple of the cabins, built by Ray, have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Whether he is building a cabin, tying a fly, or casting a fly rod, Ray is poetry in motion. Ray took his first trip into the Smokies to fish in 1963, the year I was born. He fished Elkmont on that first trip and has steadfastly fly-fished the Smokies since I met him in 1993. He ties his own flies and, like me, prefers to dry fly-fish.

Neither Ray nor I are purists by any stretch of the imagination. We both enjoy the thrill of tricking wild trout to feed from the surface. Ray often begins a trip to the Smokies in his tack room gathering bridles, saddles, and packs to venture deep within the mountain on horseback. Once he has set up a base camp, he moves on to areas where few boot prints have ever marred the soil. He sometimes spends up to two weeks in the rough, covering more ground than I can cover in a season. Ray only keeps enough fish to make a good evening supper. A fresh mess of trout is the way to go, and a lot of Ray’s

day trips are purely catch and release. Thank God for that because Ray Ball could deplete an area of fish if he were not an ethical angler and woodsman. If you searched any of Ray’s campsites, you would find only a boot print or a horse print. Many old-timers ask Ray to bring them a mess of wild trout. Reverend Melvin Carr did just that last fall. I received a phone call from Ray - Ray: Greg, do you think the good Lord helps us to catch fish?Greg: Absolutely.Ray: Do you know Dr. Charles Stanley?Greg: I have a couple of his books and my mother goes and sees him when he is in town and watches him on TV.Ray: Well, last fall Preacher Carr asked me if I could catch Dr. Stanley a mess of fish while he was in town. I was too busy the first afternoon but went the second. I went to Little River after work and caught four rainbows and a brown that was all of 14 to 16 inches. They was all fat as a tick on a coon dog and I had ‘em clean and up to Melvin’s house in less than an hour. I’ll send you a picture on your phone.Greg: OK.Ray: See ya, bye. The picture I received a few minutes later shocked me. Five trout—four bows and a brown—that were all 14-to-16-inch fat fish. Ray’s Case XX knife was on the rock he had laid the fish on to take the picture. I would have to fish for a month to catch five quality fish like those which

he caught. Noteworthy too is the fact that Ray caught them on a dry in a mere thirty minutes. I can only hope that Melvin fed them to Dr. Stanley because a limit of fish like that is as rare as hen’s teeth. Ray fishes Sage and Orvis rods. If they ever wanted the USA to medal in the fly-fishing part of the Olympics, they need to send Ray Ball. Here’s another snippet of a conversation I had with Ray a few weeks ago. Greg: Hey, Ray. Where you been?Ray: I told you I’ve been up a campin’ in the mountains. I was wantin’ a mess of brook trout!Greg: Do you still have skillets hidden along the streams?Ray: No, the bears have been diggin’ ’em up. I used to just hang an iron skillet on a hemlock tree but the bears was gettin’ ’em. So I started puttin’ ’em in a plastic bag and buryin’ ’em. The bears is diggin’ ’em up though. I think they’re after the curin’ or they can smell the trout or taters and onions I fried in ’em. I take a stainless steel one in my backpack if I’m a goin’ for a short trip and aint’ got my horses or in a place you can’t take horses. Greg: How did you do?Ray: I caught the hound out of ’em. I was a wantin’ brook trout so I went where they ain’t no trails but the creek. I was up close to the Appalachy Trail. They must of been a big flood or mudslide cuz the river changed. Greg: What do you mean?Ray: The river wasn’t where it was supposed to be. It was

gone for about a half a mile. They was a mudslide that made a dam about 30 feet high full of big trees, and the creek went off another holler and made a new 60-foot-high falls and come back around were it was suppose to be. They weren’t no fish above that slide. I guess it warshed ’em over when it went. I figured I’m gonna have to get on up outta here.Greg: How many did you catch?Ray: A hundred and sixty.Greg: In one day?Ray: No, I stayed overnight in the mountains. They is an overhangin’ rock you can get up in under if it starts to rain or you’re a needin’ a place to shelter up there. I got me one of those one burner stoves to carry in my back pack. The brook trout was everywhere. They had black backs like a rainbow does in a deep pool. I’ll send you a picture when we hang up.Greg: How many rainbows did you catch?Ray: Five or six both days. It was mainly brook trout and they was nice ones. You reckon they got sun burnt with black backs?Greg: I have caught largemouth in Florida that don’t look anything like ours. They’re black. I think it’s got something to do with the acidity of the water. Ray: Well, they was real good eatin’. Greg: Anything is when you’re up in the mountains like that.Ray: See ya, bye.

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GREAT FLIES oF vIRGInIABY BEAU BEASLEY

Each season fly anglers across the Old Dominion sort through their

fly boxes to decide which patterns they’ll put to good use in the upcoming season and which won’t make the cut. Harry Murray’s Mr. Rapidan and Jim Finn’s Golden Retriever lead the pack as perhaps the best known Virginia patterns, and both are terrific. But did you know that great Virginia fly patterns abound? Let’s take a moment to check out a few of these home-grown patterns, learn why they were created, and find out how to put them to good use. Jim Hickey, a longtime

Shenandoah River guide who now lives and guides in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, regularly guided clients in Patagonia, Chile, “land of the condor,” during the off-season in Virginia. While in Chile, Hickey noticed that the resident trout went nuts for what looked like damselflies. Back at camp, Hickey experimented at his vice until he came up with a respectable imitation of the trouts’ favorite fly. His pattern was a hit in Patagonia; Hickey’s Condor was born. Hickey brought the Condor home with him, noting the striking resemblance between his fly and the Virginia damselflies around him. Sure enough, his pattern was a hit

with the fish here, too. I have fished Hickey’s Condor with tremendous success for several years; on my best day, I landed 22 smallies in a single afternoon without changing flies. Though originally tied for South American trout, Virginia fish take the Condor without a second thought. Hickey’s Condor comes in chartreuse, brown, black, orange, and blue in sizes 6-12. Brothers Brian and Colby Trow own Mossy Creek Fly Fishing in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They also guide clients for trout and smallmouth bass in several rivers across the state, so they needed a versatile pattern. Enter Trow’s Minnow,

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which has a great profile and mimics such things as baitfish, eels, sculpins, and even hellgrammites. Though created specifically to entice Mossy Creek’s big brown trout, bass and other warmwater fish seem to like it as well. In fact, Trow’s Minnow now comes in sizes 6-2/0 in a wide variety of colors so that it can be used for saltwater species as well. Walt Cary, Virginia’s Popping Bug King, has been tying his classic Walt’s Poppers for 50 years. Cary calls them “workhorses for the everyday angler”—an apt description indeed because day in and day out, these flies will take a tremendous amount of abuse. Both popper and slider are painted seven times, rendering them nearly bulletproof. Walt’s Poppers feel like throwbacks to the days when an angler would

go into his local hardware store to pick up his fishing supplies. You won’t find them in hardware stores today—but you will find them in nearly every fly shop in the state. Walt’s Poppers come in a huge variety of colors and in sizes 2-12. And don’t be surprised if these flies last longer on the river than you do. Probably the best-known fly fishing guide on the James River, Chuck Kraft’s years of experience have taught him one thing for certain: “A lot of people just throw patterns that are too darn small. If you want big fish, you have to stop thinking about casting tiny trout flies and give ‘em something to bite into.” Kraft’s answer to the problem? The CK Baitfish, a minnow imitation that seems to swim as one draws in line and that is best fished with

a strip-and-wait approach. Sometimes the fish will attack the CK Baitfish as it moves, but more often than not I’ve found this pattern is hit while it sits suspended in the water. Do yourself a favor and pick up a handful of Kraft’s flies. This is a pattern no Virginia fly angler should be without. The CK Baitfish is available in white, chartreuse, and black in size 1. Dover England has been fly angling for over 60 years, so it goes without saying that he has spent a lifetime on the water pursuing just about everything with a fly rod. He created Dover’s Peach Fly a few years ago primarily for tight-lipped trout. “I was fishing on Beaver Dam Falls when I noticed a school of trout nosing around in the bottom of the river. I threw every pattern I had, but I couldn’t get those trout to even give my patterns a second look. After watching them for a while, I was so intrigued that I scooped up a handful of silt from where they were feeding. It appeared to have some type of worm in it. Sometime later I asked Steve Hyder, an entomology professor at Virginia Tech, just what the worm was, and he identified it as crane fly larva.” After five years of experimentation with numerous different materials to try to mimic what those finicky trout were feasting on, Dover’s Peach Fly was the result. But I’ll share a secret with you: Though England tied the fly for trout,

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Hickey’s Condor




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it’s effective with a variety of freshwater species. Fly shops in the western section of the state order this pattern by the tens of dozens at a time, so if your local shop doesn’t carry them, call a fly shop out there. Dover’s Peach Fly comes in sizes 6-10 and is easily identified by its peach body. One of the natural wonders of the aquatic world, crayfish inhabit nearly every stream in Virginia. These small crustaceans—which look like miniature lobsters to many of us—may comprise 40 percent of the diet of an adult bass. Guide and fly tyer Chuck Kraft has struck again with the Claw-Dad, which mimics this favorite food source. Fish the Claw-Dad anywhere you expect to find a decent-sized bass. And if

you think that trout won’t be interested in this pattern, think again. The Claw-Dad is a killer on waters like Mossy Creek, the South Fork of the Holston River, and the Jackson River. The Claw-Dad is available in olive, tan, black and blue/black in sizes 6-2. Yes, the great Commonwealth State is blessed with an abundance of fish—and, fortunately, a host of talented fly tyers whose creations can give you the edge you need when you head streamside this year. Did I miss your favorite local pattern in this list? By all means, send it along to me, and I’ll get to researching it right away. Putting these local patterns through their paces is tough work, but hey—someone’s got to do it.


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Georgia-North Carolina-TennesseeGuided fly-fishing and conventional fishing for

bass, trout, stripers, panfish and more across thewaters of the southern Appalachian Mountains

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SMoKIES In THE SPRInGBY IAn RUTTER

I always fish in a hurry this time of year. Our early spring hatches of Blue Quills and – with a

little luck- their larger cousins, the Quill Gordons, send me nearly running up and down my favorite pools on eastern Tennessee’s Little River. After a couple of weeks of good hatches and good fishing, my winter longing satisfied with an exceptional fish or two, I’ll settle down. My mind begins to wonder to Deep Creek, the Oconaluftee River, Abrams Creek, or maybe the springtime trip to Hazel Creek I’ve been promising to take for several years. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has more than

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700 miles of trout stream for the adventure angler to explore, all with wild, streambred fish. Rainbows are the main fare; browns are present in most of the larger streams. Both species average six to eight inches. The occasional rainbow reaches a foot long, with a few browns exceeding that size with ease. Brookies here are the distinct southern Appalachian strain, pure natives, found exclusively in small headwater streams above 3,000 feet in elevation. Many of these creeks have been closed to fishing since the 1970’s although recent restoration efforts by the National Park Service give hope that these tumbling waters will someday reopen

for fly fishing.

Some of my most treasured angling memories are of chilly March days with only the slightest hint of spring in the air. In my favorite Appalachian streams, the small Blue Quills, easily the most overlooked hatch of the year, keep fish looking to the surface. Now and then a large, clumsy Quill Gordon will float down the river, causing an alert trout to lose all caution. I didn’t even know what a Quill Gordon was one wintry day in early spring when my #12 Thunderhead disappeared in a boil. A large brown trout cut a wake up the shallow run of water; my leader snapped.




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Several years later I did know what a Quill Gordon was as a few fluttered past. By then I also knew enough to burn a trail to a pool where I had seen a large brown the previous December. This trout was greedy enough to pass up numerous Blue Quills and concentrate his efforts on the large, clumsy Quill Gordons drifting his way. His rise was slow and easy; he measured exactly 19 inches.

Let’s step into Berry’s winter The season’s first real insect activity will usually be triggered by water temperatures rising to and remaining in the 50 degree range for the better part of a week. This can happen as early as late February – normally by the middle of March. Blue Quills tend to precede the Gordons by a few days and are more reliable. Blues begin hatching by 11 AM or so and continue through the afternoon. Careful attention should be paid, however, not to let the Gordons slip by without your noticing. Rarely does a significant hatch last more

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than an hour. Emergences are more often sporadic and occur in different stretches of water as conditions become optimum. Wet flies and nymphs produce well at this time of year but dry fly fishing is what I’ve waited for all winter long.

The Blue Quills are small and best fished in a #18 or #20. Quill Gordons, on the contrary, are rather large. Some are #14; most are #12. Sometimes a #10 is more than a trout can stand. The classic Catskill ties are effective but I’ve found that Comparadun style imitations work extremely well. Attractor patterns such as Wulffs take their share of fish, particularly in swift or turbulent water. These hatches linger into April. By late March or April there are enough assorted mayflies, caddis-flies, and stoneflies hatching that a variety of dry fly and nymph patterns will take fish.

Hatches are rarely thick so a fly of average size and color

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is your best choice. Adams and Elk Hair Caddis floaters, and Pheasant Tail and Hare’s Ear nymph patterns – all in a #14 – are about as average as trout flies get. Hendricksons, Light Cahills, and Little Yellow Stoneflies all hatch by the middle of April. Don’t reel in too soon: All of these hatches are best late in the day, often peaking during the last hour of full light.

As the season progresses into full-leaf spring, I see more of my friends on the Little River. Stan will be haunting the water just above Metcalf Bottoms where a yellow lady’s slipper orchid always blooms just downstream. Jack will be in a handful of pools, watching for signs of good fish rising to March Browns. One spring

he finally found one of the truly large ones rising to mayflies. He tied on the fly he had dressed just so at his vise, circled downstream so as no to disturb the water, and stalked his way carefully into position…. just as a pod of noisy kayakers paddled through the pool. Ian is equally comfortable guiding on the streams of the Smoky Mountains and the large tailwaters of East Tennesse and Western North Carolina. He wrote Great Smoky Mountains National Park Angler’s Companion, Tennessee Trout Waters: Blue Ribbon Guide, and Rise Rings and Rhododendron: Fly Fishing the Mountain Streams and Tailwaters of Southern Appalachia.




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LITTLE RED SERvED UP CoLD“IGnoRE THE WEATHERMAn WHEn YoU MAKE WInTER AnD LATE SPRInG

TRIPS To THIS ARKAnSAS HoT SPoT.”

BY LARRY REA

The day started overcast with a slight northerly breeze and Mid-South fly fishing

legendary instructor and guide Dan Berry and I drove across the Hernando DeSoto Bridge out of Memphis on our way to the Little Red River near Heber Springs, Arkansas.

There was a “slight” chance of snow, but when the trout are biting on the Little Red River who cares, right? Heck, it’s winter here, and there’s no telling what the weather might be in this part of the U.S. Thunderstorms one day; snow, the next.

Anyway, if it did snow – and it did – we’d at least make a few casts, catch a few fish and take a few photos, all of which we did . . . within about 30 minutes. That’s about how long it took for some of the biggest snowflakes I’d ever seen to start falling. It took us the usual 2 1/2 to 3 hours to make the trip through rural East Arkansas into the foothills of the Ozarks. Getting home was another story . . . but we’ll save that for the end of this story.

“This, my friend, is the way trout fishing was meant to be,” Berry said, wiping the snow from his face. “This is an awesome experience. It’s like something you see in a travel book . . . except you’re a part of the picture.”

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Let’s step into Berry’s winter wonderland, where trophy-size rainbow and brown trout might be just a cast away.

First, there’s the river itself.Invigorating in the summer when over-heated anglers bask in its cold-water breezes and majestic in the fall when the area’s foliage bursts into myriad colors, the Little Red may be at its absolute best in the late winter through the first hints of spring. There is solitude on the river in cold weather, because only the most avid anglers are there to test its icy waters.

The river’s many shoals offer excellent opportunities to hook a hefty trout on a

variety of fly patterns. This is especially true during low water periods from October through February and even much of March.

At low water, the river is a meandering system of placid, wide pools that suddenly transform into whitewater chutes near shoal areas. It is these shallow-water stretches that Berry and other fly-fishermen seek.

“I fish basically the same places in the river in the winter that I do in the summer,” said Berry, who along with his brother, John, operates the Berry Brothers Guide Service, based out of Memphis, where Dan lives, and Cotter, Ark., where John lives.


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“I cover the same holes. About the only thing different is that I tend to fish slower in the winter . . . covering as much water as possible.”

The trout fishing stretch of the Little Red begins at the base of Greers Ferry Lake Dam and ends a few miles beyond Pangburn at the Ramsey Access Area. For the first few miles the river is boulder-strewn. Beyond the shoal area the river breaks into a long stretch of deep water where many lunker trout have been caught.

On this day, Berry is casting for lunkers within sight of the Arkansas 110 bridge that crosses the river adjacent to the Swinging Bridge Resort. By the time he and I waded into the water, snow flurries that had been forecast were escalating into a three-inch snowstorm.

Despite sub-freezing temperatures and the thick snowfall, four other anglers had already staked out fishing locations, their heavily-bundled frames silhouetted against the gray sky.

“Great day, isn’t it?” said one of the anglers, an insurance agent from Oklahoma City who said he took time out from a business trip to Little Rock to spend a few hours fly-fishing on the Little Red. “Right before you guys got here, we were catching fish every third cast. But then they (the Corps of Engineers at Greers Ferry Lake Dam) cut loose some water and the fishing slowed down.”

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Slowed, but not stopped.Within seconds of the angler’s remark, Berry’s 7-foot fly-rod began to twitch, signaling a rainbow trout was interesting in his No. 8 wooly-booger lure.

“When the fishing’s hot, who cares what the temperature is?” Berry said as he reeled in the 8-inch rainbow trout.

On truly cold winter days, the water temperature of the Little Red (42-45 degrees) actually is warmer than the air temperature. But it is a good idea to bring along several pairs of wool or neoprene gloves, Berry said. Gloves with fingers cut out work best.

There is a dangerous side to winter fishing on the Little Red.“In the summer, a person can fall in the river, holler a little bit about being cold and start fishing again,” Berry said. “In the winter, one slip

and by the time you spell hypothermia (subnormal body temperature) you’ll be in trouble. . . . Always stress safety.”

As for the return trip home, to make a long (real long) story short, it took us about five hours to get back to Memphis due to snow-packed road conditions. Actually, it gave us more time to talk cold weather trout fishing on the Little Red River.

For additional information go to www.berrybrothersguides.com or email at [email protected].

ToCCoA RIvER: GEoRGIA’S oTHER TAILWATER

The tailwaters of the Toccoa River downstream of Blue Ridge Lake in Fannin

County, Georgia could best be described as the Peach State’s “other tailwater.” The designation has nothing to do with the quality of the fishing, but just that the Chattahoochee River, which is nearer to Atlanta, gets all the publicity. Yet, the 16 miles of trout water from Blue Ridge Dam to the Tennessee border at the twin towns of McCaysville, Georgia. and Copperhill, Tennessee constitute a great fishery. In fact, the river can lay claim to some of the best dry-fly action found in Georgia. HISTORY The Tennessee Valley Authority built Blue Ridge Dam on the river in 1930, creating a 120-foot-deep reservoir. Water released from the depths of Blue Ridge Lake keep the river downstream cold enough to

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support trout year-round, all the way to the state border. For years the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division stocked the stream on a put-and-take basis, with very little management. Low oxygen levels in the river caused frequent fish kills in the fall and carryover of trout was quite sporadic. Then in the mid 1990s things began to change. A baffle generator was installed at the dam, supplying year-

round oxygenation. Afterward, trout of 16-inches and larger became common. Unfortunately, in 2010, the TVA had to lower the lake to 60 feet below summer pool levels for dam repairs. The warm water coming downstream virtually wiped out the rainbow trout population. Some of the bigger browns, however, retreated into feeder streams and weathered this man-made storm. The Toccoa tailwater has now been restocked and is headed back toward its former greatness. Anglers doing float trips or wading during low water are reporting steady catches of fish up to 14 inches, with some bigger browns showing up. FISHING Most of Georgia’s mountain trout waters are small, fairly infertile streams, where the fish attack anything that floats past, then spit it out if it’s not to their liking. The Toccoa tailwaters defy that stereotype.

BY JIMMY JACoBS



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The dependable cold water and lack of major scouring by water released (except for the area immediately downstream of the dam) are ideal for supporting insect life. Hatches can be large and mostly predictable, thus the trout in the Toccoa can be a bit more selective. During the late winter on into early spring the dry flies to put on the water are Black Caddis, black or cream midges, Hendricksons or March Browns. When rings start appearing on the surface, the fish are likely targeting on one of those.. As the spring wears into early summer, expect to switch off to Sulfurs and Light Cahills. Still later in the summer Grey

Caddis patterns and cream midges become important. ACCESS Access to the water is the biggest problem for anglers on the Toccoa River tailwater. The entire length of the river is private property, with the exception of three public access points. For that reason a lot of the action is float fishing using canoes, pontoons, drift boats or johnboats. The two possible floats are 7.2- and 6-mile drifts, which are a bit long for float tubes. Tammen Park is a county facility maintained just upstream of the Georgia Highway 515 bridge. The 1/2-mile of water from the dam down to the park is mostly

wadable when releases are minimal. The next access point is at Curtis Switch. Wadable stretches are found from the bridge on Curtis Switch Road downstream to a small TVA park and canoe landing. The final access is at Horseshoe Bend Park at McCaysville. The entire 1/2-mile stretch of water through this county park can be waded and is heavily stocked. Be aware it is also quite popular with anglers and, during warm weather, swimmers or tubers. DETAILS Being a tailwater, safety is of utmost concern when fishing the Toccoa River below Blue

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Ridge Lake. When the dam releases water, the river rises quickly. Always be aware of your surroundings, watching for increased debris floating downstream, the water clouding or the sound of the shoals changing. All of these are heralds of rising water. For release schedules call the TVA at 1-800-238-2264 and follow the prompts for Blue Ridge Dam. The information is also available online at tva.com. Click the link for Reservoir Information and follow the prompts for Blue Ridge Lake. For a map and floating details visit unicoioutfitters.com/toccoa-river-tailwater.shtml.


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noRTH CARoLInA’S BEST KEPT SECRET

When most anglers think of fly fishing, the more famous trout streams of

the Northeastern and Western United States immediately spring to mind because those are the streams that authors most often write about. However, if remote backcountry access, wary wild trout, and picturesque scenery are your passion, then North Carolina has probably been keeping an important secret from you. Here in western North Carolina, we have the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains which are a sub-chain of the Appalachian Mountains (the oldest mountains in the world) and some areas here get as much as sixty to eighty inches of rainfall per year! Consequently, this excessive rainfall produces a jungle-like hardwood forest of towering Oak, Maple, and Poplar trees along with many species of understory trees. In addition, the granite bed

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rock that forms the spine of the Blue Ridge mountains is riddled with large deposits of limestone which dissolve over time to create a vast, mineral-rich, aquifer which gives rise to a countless number of cold, crystal clear, springs which then combine to form some of the most beautiful Spring Creeks the U.S. has to offer. However, due to their somewhat steep gradient, our local Spring Creeks differ greatly from the Freestone Streams of the western United States or

the more famous Limestone Streams of Pennsylvania in they are often located in deep gorges and flow over gnarled and fractured beds of exposed granite bedrock and huge boulders thus creating deep runs and swift riffles leading to numerous waterfalls that often end in dark, secretive, pools. In addition, these creeks pass through a fairytale setting of intensely green Temperate Rainforest that cradles and protects both the streams and their accompanying fisheries. Plus, the large deposits of limestone combined with other dissolved minerals create a base for an exceptionally rich food chain of aquatic plants and aquatic insects which in turn support large populations of trout as well as other animals that depend on the stream for sustenance such as Beaver, Mink, Martin, and numerous bird species. In turn, these apex populations are supported by many different species of Caddis Fly larvae and May Fly nymphs, as well as Stone Fly nymphs, Dobson Fly nymphs (commonly called Hellgrammites but


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known locally as “Grampers”), and Damsel Fly nymphs that inhabit western North Carolina streams year round and although their hatches are sporadic, they can be very prolific. In fact, I have a friend who once caught a trout on Upper Creek while false-casting over a pod of Rainbows that had congregated at the head of a long, slim, pool and were rising to a May Fly hatch. As I recall, he was on his fourth false-cast in the process of extending his line far enough to reach the fish when a juvenile trout about four inches long leaped out of the water, seized his fly and, since my friend had already started his back-cast, the poor trout was suddenly and violently jerked backward at a high rate of speed and my friend actually had to duck quickly to the left in order to keep the fish from landing in his face! Thus, dry fly fishing here can sometimes be very exciting. In addition, there are four different species of wild trout that inhabit our western North Carolina streams consisting of Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout as well

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as a genetic variant of the Brook Trout called a Speckled Trout (known locally as a Speck) which is both endemic and unique to the southern Appalachians. So, while the trout here may be considered small by some standards with twelve inches qualifying as a large fish and sixteen inches qualifying as a trophy, they are so numerous that a fly angler will rarely experience a dull moment during a day of fly fishing these streams. In fact, it is not uncommon for an angler to land ten to twenty trout in a day depending on their skill level and the mood of the fish. However,

because the trout are wild, they are also very wary and catching them can sometimes be very challenging. Thus, any angler who hooks and lands a wild trout on one of our backcountry streams should feel proud of their accomplishment since they have successfully pitted their skills against a worthy opponent. In addition, there are so many different streams here to choose from, ranging in size from “big water” to tiny brook trout streams, that an angler could literally spend a lifetime exploring them and yet only fish a small portion of what is available here. In fact, one of the greatest resources western North Carolina has to offer the fly fishing angler is the Pisgah National Forest which encompasses parts of 13 counties ranging as far west as Cherokee and Graham on the Tennessee/North Carolina boarder and as far east as Caldwell and Avery. Plus, located in the northwestern part Caldwell County, and as also part of the Pisgah National Forest, is Wilson Creek (which has

been designated as Wild and Scenic) and its many tributary streams such as Harper Creek, Lost Cove Creek, Gragg Prong Creek, Rockhouse Creek, and Anthony Creek with Upper Creek and Steels Creek located to the west just over the ridge. So, if you are one of those people who possesses an adventurous spirit and appreciates the challenge of a worthy adversary, then you should definitely consider western North Carolina for your next fly fishing adventure. Bill Bernhardt Guide & Instructor




InSIDER’S ADvICE FoR SHEnAnDoAH nATIonAL PARK FISHInG

The Shenandoah Valley is one of those few places remaining where you

can wander up a mountain stream and in quiet, tranquil surroundings cast your dry or nymph on a 2- or 3-weight line to native-strain brookies. Ninety percent of the trout in these streams are wild. In spring before the backpackers take to the hills, or in fall when schools are back in session, you can have these highland streams to yourself. Good Blue Ridge trout fishing often begins in March after the water sustains a temperature above 40

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degrees F. for several days. The most abundant hatches in Virginia occur during the months of April and May, and the probability of catching several brook trout over 10 inches is high. Fishing is best with 6 1/2 - to 7 1/2 -foot rods matched with 2- to 3-weight lines and 9-foot leaders tapered to 4X or 6X tippet. Because a good number of Blue Ridge rivers are canopied by bushes and trees, casting with shorter, lighter rods makes it easier to present small flies with delicate, accurate casts. Hughes River The Hughes River is one of the finest brook-trout rivers

in the Shenandoah National Park, with good fishing from late March through November. During a dry summer, the Hughes holds up better than other streams in the area, though the water levels may get extremely low. I especially appreciate the way Hughes River brook trout feed on the surface early in the season and are so willing to take dry flies. The Quill Gordon (Epeorus pleuralis) hatch is often in full swing by early April and I can catch many large brookies on a #14 Mr. Rapidan dry fly. In fact, this was one of the streams I had in mind when I designed this fly more than

20 years ago after some of my students requested a pattern that would float well, be highly visible, and match several of our best early hatches. A #14 March Brown and a #16 Murray’s Flying Beetle are also valuable patterns that will match early season hatches. Three streams make up the Hughes River drainage, and you can always find fishable water levels by going above these feeders if the stream is high and below them if it is low. Access the head of the Hughes River by parking at the Shaver Hollow parking area off Skyline Drive, just north of milepost 38. Follow the Corbin Cabin Cutoff Trail 1.4 miles down the mountain to the Nicholson Hollow Trail, a path that parallels the stream down to the bottom of the mountain. You can reach the lower reaches of the Hughes by taking Route 600 from Nethers. A half-mile past the bus parking for Old Rag Mountain is a small parking lot on the right and the Nicholson Hollow Trail. This leads you up the mountain to the best fishing. White Oak Canyon Run White Oak Canyon Run lies just south of the Hughes River and is one of the most popular streams in the Shenandoah National Park because of the 10-inch-plus brook trout that are distributed all the way up into its headwaters. Numerous waterfalls add a special flavor to an angler’s experience on this stream.

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Additionally, they help ensure good fishing during the summer when trout in lower-gradient streams become

wary in depleting water. These steep sections enable you to sneak in below pools without scaring the trout. And since some of the pools are deep in the head, they inspire a confidence in the trout that they don’t have in shallow water. Even after the hatches are over, they take any terrestrial insects that the current brings them. I’ve

had great fishing here with #16 and #18 McMurray Black Ants and #14 and #16 Flying Beetles. To reach the head of this stream, park at Limberlost on the east side of Skyline Drive and hike 0.1 mile down the Old Rag Fire Road to White Oak Canyon Trail. This trail follows the stream all the way to the bottom of the mountain and affords excellent access. To enter this stream’s lower reaches, take Route 643 north from Syria to Route 600. Follow this west to the parking lot beside the stream and follow White Oak Canyon Trail up the stream. Big Run Big Run is the most remote stream in the Shenandoah National Park. I’ve always felt it holds the largest brook trout, some pushing the twelve-inch mark. There are excellent hatches of Quill Gordons and March Browns (Stenonema vicarium) here in April and Sulphurs (Ephemerella dorothea) in May. Even though some of the pools are deep, the trout will move to shallow feeding stations to feed on both the duns and the spinners. When I first started identifying the aquatic hatches on the trout streams in Virginia in the 1960s, my friend Art Flick was a great help and inspiration. It always amazed him that Virginia trout would feed so well on the spinners because, he said, the trout in his favorite New York streams wou




Backpacking and spending the night is a great way to fish the remote sections of Big Run. This will often give you long stretches of the stream to yourself because most anglers leave in the early evening for the two- to three-hour hike back to their cars. It is also the only way to take advantage of the fine evening fishing. Otherwise you would be hiking back up the mountain in the dark, which is not wise in rattlesnake country. The easiest way to reach Big Run is to park at the Doyles River parking area on the east side of Skyline Drive, just south of milepost 81. Take the Big Run Loop Trail from the Big Run Overlook down the mountain 2.2 miles to the Big Run Portal Trail. Since the stream is small here I like to hike down the trail to the vicinity of where Rocky Mountain Run comes in from the north. North Fork of the Moormans River

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The North Fork of the Moormans River is a fine stream draining from the southeastern side of Shenandoah National Park. I’ve always liked the upper half of this stream best because the gradient, cover, and food supply is better here than in the lower section and there is a great brook trout population. My favorite time to fish these stretches is late in the fall when the stream is often low and brook trout as big as 12 inches cruise the pools

instead of holding on feeding stations. I like the challenge of sight-fishing to these wary, cruising fish. You can reach the lower section of the stream from Route 614. Park at the upper end of the reservoir and hike upstream. The top of the stream is accessible by parking at the Blackrock Gap parking lot just south of milepost 87 on Skyline Drive. Walk across the Drive and hike down the North Fork Moormans River Road until you cross the stream. The best water is the two-mile stretch downstream. Harry Murray is the author of Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park and Virginia Blue Ribbon Trout Streams and the owner of Murray’s Fly Shop in Edinburgh, Virginia.


http://www.davidsonflyfishing.com



I’d been fishing with Tommy for nearly a decade on that fateful night when we pulled

into one of the last available campsites in Cades Cove. We were there for a three day trout fishing trip that was over a year in the making. The smell of campfire smoke hung heavy and thick, like the buffet line at Ryan’s on a Saturday night. Tommy and I had fished all day and we were just getting our gear unpacked and our tents set up when it drove into view. It was about 25 feet long, brown and tan, and had more wheels than I had fly rods; and I had at least a dozen in all lengths and weights at the time. Every light on board was turned on and apparently the windows were down because we could hear the soothing sounds of three or four children screaming their lungs out as it passed us. But it didn’t pass us by much. No sir, it was our lucky night. That monstrosity of a motor home was just getting itself into position to back in to the spot right beside us! See, I told you we were lucky.

It only took them three hours to get it parked just right, so that they weren’t rubbing against the rhododendron on one side, or the railroad tie marking the parking spot on the other. Fortunately, the bumper of The Beast only stuck out a foot or so beyond the parking area, making it less than ideally suited for a hit and run should anyone want to do such a thing.

They finally took mercy on us and cut the engine after Tommy spooked some nearby deer yelling for me to please pass the hotdog buns. Don’t judge us! Just because we go all out and eat gourmet food and all that doesn’t mean we’re any better than you. We ate our fancy meat product on plain white bread thank you very much, and we enjoyed every bite. It was nice just eating our fancy dinner and listening to the sounds of our new neighbors Honda generator humming loudly 8 feet from our picnic table. Good times. But then, I guess that’s what brings me to the heart of the matter. You see, before we could eat those delicious, meaty, high-caloric treats, we had to have a fire. But we couldn’t just “build a fire.” Oh no. You have to understand that Tommy is a nut about trying new stuff. He likes to tinker, and that’s understandable because in his spare time he’s an engineer for a major motorcycle, jet-ski, boat engine company. On this trip, Tommy was wanting to try out a new firestarter

he’d read about in some outdoor magazine - probably Engineers Woodcrafting or Camping Mensa Style. At any rate, the new method wasn’t going so well. It was some sort of fuzz-balls covered in something greasy and he said the magazine just raved about it. On the 400th try, I suggested that maybe it was time to do the sensible thing and run back into town for a burger. The only problem was, it was about 10pm and Townsend, Tennessee all but rolls up the sidewalks around 8pm if no one’s lookin’. Tommy tried again. And again. And again. I let him try, even though I had a lighter and some newspaper in the truck. I didn’t want to spoil his fun and I happened to notice that the neighbors driving the Titanic on Wheels were getting quite a kick out of it, too. Well, if nothing else it was keeping the kids entertained and the lack of screaming, bickering and whining was just too good to ruin. Tommy tried again, and again and then he tried some more. Soon, he was holding the fuzz-balls up off the ground, apparently in the hopes that either the increased air flow would cause them to light, or that perhaps it would encourage the Almighty to send down a lightening bolt in our time of need. But nothing happened. No fire. No warm hotdogs. No heat. No dinner. “Lo, behold - I have the power of fire!” said a voice. OK, what the voice really said was “You

THE “REAL CAMPERS” oF CADES CovEowl’s perch

boys having trouble with your fire?” It was one of the owners of those three little screamers and I guess she’d had her fill of watching Tommy try to light his fire. “I can light your fire” she said. Tommy and I looked at each other and tried not to give any signs that would be considered inappropriate. You know, like giggling or stripping naked or jumping up and down - that sort of thing. “I’ll be right back...” she said. Tommy and I waited and tried to imagine what she was going to find. A blow-torch? Matches? Her own fuzz-ball-fire-starter balls? Perhaps an already lit BBQ grill from within the bowels of her Flying Fortress? In a few minutes, she returned with a giant lighter that could only have come from one of those warehouse discount stores and

a can of gasoline. Tommy and I both took a step back. “Watch this!” she said while she poured gasoline all over Tommy’s pile of sticks and perfectly salvageable fuzz-balls. We took another step back, looked at each other, saw the fear in each other’s eyes, and then took three more after that. By now she was all alone around our fire, pouring gas on Tommy’s fuzz-balls and smiling like a 15 year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. And then she turned toward us, still pouring gasoline out on the ground like it was hot maple syrup on a stack of flapjacks...and she laid some sage advice on us: “This is how REAL campers do it.” she said as she tossed a match toward the now soaked

pile of twigs. We both gasped and tried to yell for her to get back. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Plooof! Sizzzzzzzzle.... We had a fire, finally - and her well-plucked eyebrows were only a partially gone. We didn’t ask but I’m pretty sure somewhere in that rolling castle on wheels she had something for a little burn like that. In twenty minutes the kids were screaming again and she was back outside, spraying the air with bug spray like you’d water your lawn by hand with a garden hose. Why? We could only assume that that’s how real campers do it.

owl’s perch




Craig Haney, Editor-at-LargeCraig Haney has spent a lifetime chasing trout on the streams,

headwaters and tailwaters of the southern Appalachians and elsewhere. After graduating from Auburn University with an animal science degree, Craig has spent the majority of his

career in the outdoor industry as a manufacturers’ rep for fishing, boating, camping and hunting gear as well as operating partner

of Riverwoods Outfitters / Haney-Mullins Orvis for eight years. He has taught fly tying and fly casting at his shops and community

colleges. Additionally, he has written on fly fishing and other outdoor subjects for a variety on national and regional magazines.

Craig and his wife Lynn live on Shades Mountain in Hoover, AL in the southern Appalachian foothills.

Greg Ward, Tennessee EditorGreg Ward lives in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, where

he has been a full-time hunting and fishing guide since 1989. He owns and operates Rocky Top Outfitters, a hunting and fishing

guide service specializing in stream fly-fishing, spin fishing, and guided turkey and bear hunts. His articles have appeared in

numerous newspapers and outdoor magazines. He is the co-author of the Ultimate Fly Fishing Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains.

Greg has hosted several radio shows and has been a popular presenter at Pigeon Forge’s annual Wilderness Wildlife Week. He

lives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, with his wife and daughter.

contributors

Jimmy Jacobs, Georgia EditorJimmy Jacobs is with Game & Fish Magazines. He also is

the Outdoor Columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper and online Atlanta Outdoor Travel Writer for Examiner.

com. Jacobs has authored five guidebooks to fishing in the southeastern United States, including Trout Streams of Southern Appalachia; Trout Fishing in North Georgia; and Tailwater Trout in the South. His writing and photography have earned Excellence

In Craft awards from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and the

Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.

Bill BernhardtBill Bernhardt, 52, is the owner of and guide, instructor, and

custom rod builder for Harper Creek Fly Fishing Company (www.nc-flyfishing.com) located in Lenoir, North Carolina. In addition,

Bill is somewhat unusual in that he specialize in small streams, wild trout, and back county, remote access, walk/wade trips into

the Blue Ridge Mountains. Consequently, his freelance outdoor articles along with his nature photography focus specifically on the exceptional beauty and excellent trout fishing opportunities

available to fly fishermen in western North Carolina.

contributorsHarry MurrayHarry Murray was born, raised and still lives on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in the village of Edinburg, Virginia where he owns and has operated Murray’s Fly Shop for over 40 years. He has published eight books on fly fishing, including Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park; Virginia Blue Ribbon Streams; and Murray’s Fly Shop Exclusive Fly Patterns. His articles can be seen regularly in many national fly fishing magazines. Harry conducts “on the stream” fly fishing schools each spring and summer out of his fly shop. He has designed over 50 fly patterns and provides guide service in the Virginia area.

Larry Rea, Arkansas EditorLarry Rea is the seasoned, retired Outdoors Editor for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN, where he held that post between 1967 and 2001. Currently he is the host of Outdoors with Larry Rea on Sports 790-AM in Memphis; www.lroutdoors.com. He is also free-lance writer for The Commercial Appeal’s DeSoto Appeal (Sunday outdoors column). A master scribe, for five consecutive years he was a double award winner (first and second place) in Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association’s Excellence in Craft Broadcast category. He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Hall of Fame in 2010 where he is now an honored lifetime member. Larry also serves on the board of directors for Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (2010-present).

Dr. Todd Larson, ColumnistA dedicated fisherman and college history professor, Dr. Todd Larson writes and publishes everything related to the history of fishing, including the history of baits, (lures and flies), rods and reels, techniques, and people important to the history of fishing (Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, etc.) As an owner of Whitefish Press, Dr. Todd is dedicated to publishing a wide variety of works on fishing history and fishing tackle. Founded in 2006 by Dr. Todd, The impressive Whitefish catalog includes some of the finest in fishing history. He also writes and publishes a fine blog called Fishing for History: The history of fishing and fishing tackle. More recently, he acquired ownership of The Classic Fly Rod Forum.

Ian RutterAlong with wife, Charity, Ian Rutter is the owner of R&R Fly Fishing, which is based out of Townsend, Tennessee. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, he has guided fly fishers since 1995. He is on the pro staffs of Scott Fly Rods and Hyde Drift Boats. A prolific writers, Ian wrote Great Smoky Mountains National Park Angler’s Companion, Tennessee Trout Waters: Blue Ribbon Guide, and Rise Rings and Rhododendron: Fly Fishing the Mountain Streams and Tailwaters of Southern Appalachia. He has logged countless hours on the water in Tennessee and North Carolina he spends a good deal of time fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains every year.


http://www.nc-flyfishing.com

http://www.nc-flyfishing.com





William “Bo” Cash A native of Morganton, North Carolina, Bo Cash was taught trout fishing by his grandfather at the age of three in 1952. He earned

a B.S degree in biology with a concentration in ecology from Gardner-Webb University and began tying flies in 1970, rod

building in 1976, and opened a Table Top Angler fly shop in 1980. In 1998, he “retired” from building rods after having completed well over 500 and in 2001he retired from teaching high school biology. He is the owner of the Table Top Angler fly shop, a life

member in Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers, and as had articles published in sporting journals. His first book, Water Under the Bridge, was published in 2011. Bo is married Novah Wall,

who accompanies him on many of his trips.

Jeff “Owl” Jones, ColumnistFly Fishing Film Maker Owl Jones is a something of polarizing figure among the fly fishing community. He first came on the scene during the message-board craze of the mid-90s. Since

the late 90s, he has been banned from most of the larger forums due to his ability to ruffle the feathers of fellow anglers and state wildlife agencies alike. In late 2010 he started his own blog which

is now called “OwlJones.com,” where he has not yet been banned. Owl currently lives in Gainesville, Ga., with his lovely wife and their invisible dog “Snickers” who always does what he’s told and never

barks at night. His goal is to get famous, and to take over the fly fishing world.

Bob Borgwat, ColumnistBob Borgwat, 55, leads the team of Reel Angling Adventures at

ReelAnglingAdventures.com as owner, administrator, webmaster and guide. His freelance writing, editing, and photography covers

fishing across the US, but his daily piscatorial adventures take place with fly-rod in hand just outside his doorstep in the southern

reach of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. He is a former senior editor for Game & Fish

Magazines, Primedia and Intermedia Outdoors, and is an active member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association.

contributors

Beau Beasley, Virginia EditorBeau Beasley is a well-known name among readers of fly angling

magazines. His work has appeared in nearly every major fly fishing periodical in the country. He is the author of Fly Fishing

Virginia. Recently he won the Talbot-Denmade Memorial Award for Best Conservation Article from the Mason-Dixon Outdoor

Writers Association for his investigative piece“Where Have All The Menhaden Gone?”. He’s also the director of the Virginia Fly Fishing

Festival www.vaflyfishingfestival.org and lives with his wife and children in Warrenton, VA.


http://www.ReelAnglingAdventures.com

http://www.vaflyfishingfestival.org



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In Pigeon Forge, we are fi rm believers in the family vacation. It’s the perfect way for families to reconnect,

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Southern Trout Issue 1 May 2012