I'd be lying if I said my last fishing trip wasn't some what disappointing. I had caught what I thought was my first wild NC Brookie only to learn later that it wasn't the case. I tried another stream yesterday that was rumored to hold a good population of fish. I went with low expectations.
The first pool looked great but didn't relinquish any fish. It was the first spot right off the trail. I would have been surprised if I did catch something. I tried several other pools and on my 3rd I actually had a nice rise. The fish hit right at the end of the run just as the fly was about to go over a spillway. The fish was on for a few seconds then came off.
Each pool had a similar scenario. I'd cast and a fish would hit within seconds they'd come off. I wasn't sure if the fly was too big or if I was just doing something wrong. I tried to not think about things so much and enjoyed the view.
Fish continued to hit my fly without getting hooked. Eventually after what seemed like infinite missed strikes a fish was hooked.
Finally! A real NC brookie. The color was so much different than the other fish I caught. Comparing the two there is no question which fish is truly a wild brookie.
With the pressure off the fish seemed to come easier. I was catching more and missing less.
Towards the end of the day in a deep cool I caught my biggest fish. Can you guess which fly I used?
