Had a great outing with friends yesterday.
We hit the New River and it was one of the most enjoyable trips I've had in a long time. The water was perfect for wading. Not too deep or fast and the clarity was amazing.
Even with the kayak hatches every now and then the fishing was still good.
It was a rare day. Didn't lose any flies, no regrets for not trying a certain fly and I experimented many different types of ways to fish. The results paid off.
This fish I caught right next to where we parked the car. The section had a ton of traffic from people tubing and kayaking. It was making it hard to cast and I just got tired of it. I walked back to the car and noticed a fish right near the bank. It took a few casts but the fish eventually couldn't resist. It ended up being my biggest fish of the day. This trip couldn't have gone much better.
Kevin
ReplyDeleteGorgeous river, was that a smallmouth or largemouth? Love the shot with the gravel bottom. Glad you guys had a great day. Thanks for sharing
It's a small mouth, they are every where but not large. It is a beautiful river. I didn't blame ask the kayakers and tubers for taking advantage of it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to fish the Spring River in Arkansas I avoided holiday weekends because all the people floating down the river. I had always figured that all the traffic on the river would make the fish not bite as much. Then one 4th of July I had a relative visiting that wanted to fish so we went even with all the floaters. Surprisingly, it didn't matter what we threw that day the trout ate it up. While I believed the extra traffic would scare away fish it did just the opposite; the floaters stirred up the water so much it created a feeding frenzy. I found the best places were just below where the floaters put in or anywhere they had to go through vegetation. After that I never avoided holiday weekend again and it never failed that I caught more fish at those times. The more people on the river the more the fish would bite.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that was the case Adam. People getting in and out of the water, getting stuck and having get out totally disturbed the rocks on the bottom. I'm sure it stirs up insects and makes a buffet line downstream. I never saw a feeding frenzy but the fish never seemed to move much when the people floated by.
DeleteThe New looks like a beautiful place to fly fish, but those kayakers would drive me berserk after a while. Glad you had a fine experience, and thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. The New is a special place. It's a crazy river. One of the few that flow north and it's one of the oldest rivers in the region.
DeleteIt was a great trip! We've also been to other sections of the New River on different trips that were not just up river of a campground/put-in for the tubers/yakers so we had it all to ourselves. About the only good thing with that hatch is they offered me beers as the passed by. I didn't want to get dehydrated so... :-)
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to remember that for next time. Maybe bring a little cooler we can drag along. Just ask people for beer and throw them in there. There were so many people we could probably be picky on which beers we wanted. lol
DeleteDon't you love when everything comes together despite the traffic. Great looking water for sure Kevin.
ReplyDeleteNice pics.
ReplyDeleteI fished the New up around Blacksburg, VA once. I smallies were small, but plentiful. Planning a fall muskie trip up that way, now. Great pics, beatiful area.
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