Stinging Lips on the Eno

Took the kids back to where it all started for me fly fishing in this area. I have plenty of posts about the Eno and I think this trip the kids are starting to realize why I like it so much. 

My daughter didn't care about fishing and spent most of her time using her hat as a seining net.

My son was eager to fish more than he's ever been. 

The Eno is a great place for beginners. The current is fairly mild and the water is knee deep in most places. The sunfish are always happy to hit flies.

It's also a great place to hike with old homestead features and bridges.

It was great to get away and forget about this virus stuff for at least a few hours. 

The distraction was welcomed and we look forward to more days like this.

Red Eye

Reports of people catching Roanoke Bass or often called "Red Eye" started popping up. I thought it was a little too soon in the year to start seeing them. Then I saw a report with pictures. This was enough incentive to get me out to the river this morning. The water was higher than normal but running clear. My gut told me to go with a crawfish pattern. I tried that for awhile and I didn't get much action. As I moved downstream I found some deep holes lined with rocks.

I just knew there had to be a Roanoke here. I worked the water and had a few hits. I noticed some fish right in front of me so I cast just beyond them and watched as my fly was hit about 10 times before going near the bottom. I cast out again to watch the fish behavior. As I was letting my fly dive it was hit instantly. The fish wasn't big but it didn't have the orange hue that gives a sunfish away. When the fish came out of the water I knew right away it was a red eye.

A fish with red eyes sounds spooky. You can see from this fish the ruby red eyes are beautiful. I have a real fondness for these fish. I guess because they are so difficult to catch. Especially a good size one. I worked the rocks some more and I noticed I would have more action from fish if I did nothing at all. Just let the fly dive down to the bottom. When you think about it that is the least threatening behavior of prey. I cast near a rock and let the fly dive down right in front of it. I saw a gaping mouth come up from under the fly and inhale it. When the fish turned I could tell instantly it was a Roanoke and the biggest I've hooked yet. I was fishing off a log jam and had to work the fish around some limbs.

The fish was only 8inches but a trophy in my eyes. I look forward to hunting these guys in the future.

Last White Bass Trip

With a new baby less than two weeks away I got out yesterday for probably my last white bass fishing trip. Recently I bought a Redington Red Fly 2 to replace the other one I broke. Figured this would be a great time to test it out. The conditions were perfect and we had some recent rains that knocked some trees down in the water and created new places for fish to hold. I figured the fishing was going to be on fire but it was a little strange. The fish were there but in every hole you'd catch one or two fish then the pool was turned off. The few fish I did catch in each section were decent size. In fact I caught my biggest white bass ever. It took me to my reel and stripped line. I thought my camcorder was recording but it wasn't. That was a major buzz kill but the day was amazing none the less. The river was pretty active. You could hear huge splashes here and there. Walking the banks I could see blue gill roaming the shallows. They hit my fly almost any time it came with in inches of the bank. It was my first Eno slam. Over the course of the day I had caught white bass, sunfish, yellow perch and a catfish. I've never caught a yellow perch before, they are neat looking fish. I wanted to get a picture of one but both fish I had on came off right as the fish came to hand. The camcorder was packed in hopes of getting footage of me and a friend wearing them out. It was difficult to find any spots like that. I did get some footage and I think it gives you a taste of the experience.

Great Day on the Eno

Today I hosted a fly fishing trip on the Eno. I don't know what I was more happy about the weather or the fact that everyone showed up on time. I hate waiting for people. There was 5 of us and the parking lot was loaded with cars. We debated going to another section of river. I'm glad we didn't. The best thing about fishing with other people is finding out what works quickly. There was a guy with us who never caught a White Bass before. I showed him a run that had been good to me yesterday. On his fourth cast he pulled out this fish.While he was unhooking the fish I cast out and had a fish on my first cast. This was definitely going to be a good day. The bite slowed down and we went downstream. There wasn't as many people along the banks as I thought. I'm not sure where everyone was but I was glad they weren't where we were going. A buddy slid in to a spot where he had cleaned up yesterday. He pointed out the best spots and we all kind of lined up. I caught a few fish but I noticed my buddy catching them fairly consistently. I started to watch him and I noticed he was moving the fly in really short quick strips. I was doing more of a 4 inch strip type retrieve. Once I changed the retrieval it was a different world. I had hit or fish on almost every cast. The fish ranged in all different sizes from small males to decent size females.After everyone got the retrieve down we were all catching fish. The bass seemed fond of smaller flies. Really small for what I was used too. I was throwing a size 8 wooly bugger and the fish really liked about a size 12. The fishing stayed hot and heavy for awhile. It was really nice to catch a few on one bank then do a 180 and catch a few fish on the opposite bank.When you get on a nice school of white bass it's unreal. They fight hard and they seem to be everywhere. The bite slowed down after about an hour. We tried various spots and caught a few here and there but nothing was as great as the first section we fished. All together we probably caught over 100 fish. It's hard to beat a day like that. These are the types of days that keep you coming back and tease you all winter until spring hits.

Prospecting

Even though we had our first snow of the year and probably one of the coldest weekends this year. I decided to try some nymphing on the Eno. I needed to get outside anyways. It's been a good two weeks since I was fishing last. The scenery at the trail head was picturesque to say the least.

I wasn't sure what to expect. When I saw the water I was amazed at how clear it was. It looked like a stream in the mtns. My friend and I jumped in the water and started working nymphs through any run that might hold a fish. When the sun came out the weather was really pleasant but once it went behind a cloud and a breeze hit it was tough. The water was very wadable with the exception of the dead moss on the rocks. It made some places more slippery than in the summer when algae is everywhere.I kept going upstream to a pool where there usually is big fish. I tried various nymphs and clousers. I didn't get even a nibble.I think it was just too cold and the recent snow put the fish down. The water wasn't that cold but the melting snow had to make the water temp drop pretty rapidly. After an hour I decided to call it a day. It was nice to get out and at least I tried.

A Couple of Firsts

The great thing about the Triangle Fly Fishers club is there are plenty of people to fish with. Recently I was contacted about fishing the Eno with a member who hadn't done well there. We talked the night before and I informed him that he is definitely going to catch sunfish. It's almost impossible not too. I could tell there was some doubt in his voice. It's amazing how much the river has changed in just a couple months. The brush is so high and thick the river and trails are hidden. It just started to rain literally as I was parking the car. We gathered are gear and scrambled down a steep bank into the river. It's not hard to find fish on the Eno. Cast towards any structure along the bank and you're sure to get some action.That was pretty much my only advice. It took longer than I thought but with in five min Greg had his first Eno sunfish on.The both of us continued to catch panfish while there was a light rain. When the rain stopped the fish became less aggressive. I noticed most of my casts had to be right against cover. If the fly didn't land with in 6inches of structure usually I didn't get a hit. Submerged roots and trees are common along the banks. These locations are full of fish. It was in one of these places where I caught a fish that looked a little strange to me. I've been trying to catch a Roanoke ever since I started fishing the Eno. The coloring of this fish didn't match a Roanokes but the body was stockier and a little different then the average bluegill and sunfish. I think this fish is a warmouth which would be the first one I've ever caught on the Eno. In one section I caught 3 of them. I didn't catch another one the rest of the day.

It was a normal Eno trip. 7-10 sunfish and always some surprise. That's what makes the Eno really fun. You never know what you're gonna get.

The Eno and Friends

After a stressful work week I couldn't think of anything better than to get some time on the water. The theme was gonna be easy. Simple wading, aggressive fish and scenic water. The Eno fit these requirements perfectly. I met up with some friends I hadn't fished with in awhile and we were on the water early. The water seemed cool for the air temperatures we've had lately. There hasn't been many days below 90 degrees in the last two months. There has been some rain lately and I can only assume that's what cooled the water. It seemed to be around 70degrees. The Eno is not only filled with sunfish but also these guys.They make you really look at where you are sticking your hand. This was one of the smallest snapping turtles I've seen. The first hole we tried was a place that is normally productive. There's submerged roots and overhanging branches with a run providing oxygenated water that riffles into a deep pool. It's one of those spots you couldn't have made any better if you designed it yourself. Even with all of those features the fishing was pretty slow.We worked various sections and there were strikes here and there but we didn't see the usual ferocious eruption strikes sunfish provide. There wasn't even many follows or denials. I did have a surprise fishing a olive wooly bugger pattern through a pool. I had a nice tug on the line and I thought maybe this was my first Roanoke Bass. It wasn't meant to be and as the fish came close to the surface I saw the whiskers that can only signify a catfish. The coloring of the fish was pretty vibrant.Catfish are funny creatures. Mostly they are caught by accident while fly fishing. There isn't much of a technique to catching them. I almost always catch them on a dead drift. They don't hit particularly hard but they bull dog and stay on the bottom after they are hooked. The fishing picked up soon after the catfish. Most of the fish were caught on poppers. I don't really think the Eno can be beat for top water popper fishing. It's pretty difficult to not catch a sunfish if you work the banks with over hanging branches and cover. I messed around with the waterproof camera some more on this trip. I love the quality of the underwater video that it takes. The downside is it doesn't take great photographs. You have to hold perfectly still to get anything clear. The video here is of an average sunfish you catch on the Eno.