Hank Patterson Episode 3

I have to admit I have had this same frustration of tying small flies on the stream many times.  Hank's advice is pretty sound.

Pressure

It's crazy how one word can have so many different meanings when it comes to fishing.  Tonight I was listending to Under Pressure by Queen.  Then I thought about how barometric pressure affects fishing.  After that I thought about fishing pressure and how that affects things.  Then last I was pondering how much pressure you put on your line can effect whether you land a fish or not.

I'll Take It

A string of bad luck has made me yearn for a trip to the mountains in the worst way. I recently was in an accident and my car was in the shop. I bought a new used car yesterday and I figured what better way to test it out than a long drive. I woke up early and gathered my things. I had asked friends to come along but no one was game. I was disappointed but happy at the same time. Going solo you don't have to worry about others agendas. The morning had a nice chill to it and there was a fog that lingered just a few feet off the ground. It would clear as I went up a hill only to devour my car again as I went into a valley. I listened intently for anything strange going on with the car. Finally I decided to relax and let the powers at be take over. I haven't had a working CD player in years. It was a blessing and nice company on the ride up. When I hit the stream there were no other cars in site.  Strange, because it was no secret the delayed harvest streams were recently stocked. I rigged up my gear quickly thinking cars would be surrounding me any time. I choked down a granola bar and water then secured the car and prepared to venture off. Still no cars were seen. I moved down to a spot that was good in the spring and surveyed the water for awhile. I couldn't see anything at first. It always takes me awhile to get my trout vision back. I actually didn't see any fish until I made my first cast and saw several silhouettes move beneath the surface. Yep, the fish were there. They weren't really feeling safe yet. They were following my white wooly bugger but never trying to hit the fly. I switched up with a bead headed soft hackle and a hares ear. About my third cast I saw my indicator move.  I don't know how many strikes I missed. I'm not exaggerating when I say 20 before I caught my first fish. I was really rusty and the first fish I had on shook themselves loose. To make it worse I didn't bring a net.  It has been awhile since I've landed a fish merely by just using my hand.  Especially fish 12-13inches. 

A couple of times the fish would take the above fly and while trying to unhook it the fish would slip take off and embed the dropper in my hand. I just kept thinking I wish I had my net. Even with several hook punctures, missed strikes and short distance releases I was having a blast. I still hadn't seen another fisherman. Then after about an hour one shows up.  I hook a fish almost exactly as the person asks how I'm doing.  It was obvious how we were all going to do today. The fish were here and if you had any previous experience at all you were going to catch them.

I moved down methodically and worked water slowly. I decided to switch it up and try a san juan worm and a bead head soft hackle. I know this run pretty well and it always holds fish. A few casts upstream and working the currents yielded nothing. Then on the swing right before I lifted the rod to recast, my indicator goes under. I lift the rod smoothly thinking maybe it's another leaf. The rod bobs and bows hard.  This is no leaf. Further confirmed by a flash shooting up stream and pealing off line.  The fish was big and at first I thought I for sure hooked a carp or large sucker fish. Then the fish launched out of the water and showed its burgundy stripe. A monster rainbow. One of the biggest I had ever hooked. The fish ran all over the pool and I had to pressure the fish with all my rod had to keep it from going down stream and over a spillway. It probably took 5min to land the fish but it seemed like half an hour. I wish I brought my net. I finally got the fish in hand and got a good view of the beast.

   Damn, foul hooked! 

I'll still take it. Watching a fish this size jump was amazing and the power gives you a real appreciation for catching a fish this big. The day went on and I caught fish in almost all the places I expected them to be. The weather and scenery couldn't have been better. The trees were showing some color and giving glimpses of what's to come. If the wind blew just right you would walk through a curtain of leaves. It's something that can't really be explained but everyone should experience at least once. I probably only landed about 5 fish and had too many long and short distance releases to count. I realized I'm not that great of a fisherman. I just know where to go and what to use. Even with that knowledge I have to hook the fish just right and be on my game. This day definitely wasn't one of my best fishing days but I'll take it.

Representing NC

There are great fly fishing blogs but there aren't that many about fishing around North Carolina.  Or at least that I have found recently.  I'd like to list the ones I've found so far in case anyone else is searching for the same thing.

North Carolina River Fishing And Conoeing with Mack has a title that pretty much sums it up.  Mack has an extensive knowledge of fishing around the Triangle.  There are plenty of great posts and pictures on his blog and he also enjoys hunting.  The passion for these sports is obvious and it's also easy to see he loves sharing his adventures with his son.

Fish Whisperer is another great blog about fishing in the Raleigh area.  The author hooks up with some big fish.  I've been trying to hook up a time to fish with Mack and the Author of this blog for a day on the river.

Mike's Gone Fishin'... Again is a very popular blog.  The pictures and posts are great and the writing has a lot of depth.  Mike is a fellow member of the Triangle Fly Fishers.  He is a great guy and we both hunt bass on the same local river.  He's a lot better at it than I am.

Fly Fishin' Blues is written by another local angler and TFF member.  The blog is just getting started.  Hopefully the writing will be as entertaining has this character is in person.

Copin' With  A Fly Rod is a new blog about fly fishing the local waters of the triangle.  I think maybe though this blog was inspired by Copes son who recently started a blog of his own Fly Rod Therapy.  It's a new blog and this kid is a good writer and fly fisherman.  It will be interesting to see what kind of posts come out of this.

Seven Bridges Rd is a new blog I was turned on to by a fellow angler.  It's pretty good from what I've read so far.  The posts are mainly about chasing trout in the Appalachians.

The Trailmarker is written by Lance Milks.  Lance came and gave a presentation at one of our TFF meetings.  I had some time to sit down and talk to him afterwards.  He's not only an accomplished fisherman but also guides backpacking trips and is starting a Tenkara fishing guiding service.
Those are the only local blogs I can think of for now.  If anyone has some others they'd like to share about fishing in the NC area please put them in the comments section.

This blog probably has more fly fishing report info than any other blog I have found.  It's is called Tar Heel Fly Fishing.  The author goes over predictions, what flies are hot and what waters are prooving to be the best to fish.  Definitely a blog to check out before you plan your next nc trout fishing trip.

Anyone Else Hate This?

I love reading blogs and it's also nice to leave comments now and then.  There is a common trend which has an understandable logic but the process is horrible.  At least for me.  There's a function blogger uses to deter spammers that makes you type in a code then a number before commenting.  No big deal right?  It shouldn't be except for the fact that either the numbers or the letters you have to type are almost impossible to decipher.  Here's an example.

I can kind of make out the letters but WTF is the number?  Who can read that?  Is that a 4, 1, or a pixelated 11?  I'm trying to leave a comment not decode a forensic image.  The problem with this is I usually have to do a few tries before I'm able to leave a comment.  Many times when I first see this page I just sigh and I have to admit it almost makes me not leave a comment.  Now I'm sure some reading this feel my pain and I'm sure others could care less.  If you have this an haven't had that many comments left by me don't take it personally.  It was probably due to the fact I couldn't read the alien language or blurred image that doesn't resemble anything close to a number or symbol.
I also just wanted to point out I don't have this set up and I have had anonymous spammers try to post things to my blog.   Blogger is catching those and preventing them from showing.  So please take my post as a desperate attempt to make you stop using this so I can leave comments then circle back and see if you've responded to my comment so my narcissism can continue.

Dealing with Loss

Last night I received a call that my father had passed away. My father has been having health problems but I still wasn't prepared for it. The relationship with my dad and I has never been very close. My parents were divorced when I was 7. Growing up I learned what it was to be a man by seeing others and taking traits that I liked and incorporated them into my own personality. I used to struggle all the time wondering why I didn't have a father like other kids. I eventually came to the conclusion that god was using my father as an example of what not to be like with my kids. Last summer my father was in the hospital and no one was too sure if he was going to make it. I flew out to CA to see him and when I left the hospital I had a feeling it was going to be the last time I'd see him. I think I said my goodbyes then. So when I received the call last night I was sad but not totally distraught. 

I stayed home from work today and wondered if I was in shock and maybe a bunch of feelings would come rushing back to me. Honestly I would get these feelings when talking to family members calling to see how I was. I laid in bed and tried to figure out how I was supposed to act. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to lie in bed all day or look at old pictures reminiscing. I finally decided to go fishing. On the water I always have time to think and reflect on things. The top water bite was on fire the first hour I was there. It was exactly what I needed. I'm still a little confused on exactly how I feel. I'm pretty sure my dad would have wanted me to enjoy myself than sit around and mope all day.

Artists

I have always been amazed at the ability of artists.  It seems almost like a super power to pull something from imagination and paint it with expert precision.  There was a recent Artspark festival in Raleigh.  One of the exhibits was graffiti artists.  I came across a guy painting a Land Rover.  He was painting a log using a spray paint can.

The detail on the reeds and grass was amazing. It looked almost like a hi-def photograph of grass. The brown log looked pretty good too. I found out later that was just the beginning. The brown was just the base of the log. 30min later the logs looked like this.

My brain had a hard time interpreting how this was even possible. Especially how it was done in such a short time frame. The talent of artists like this blow me away. The streets seemed to be oozing talent wherever you looked there was amazing works of art.

20min later.

There were street artists showcasing their talents as well.

All I could really say after is WOW. Some of the street painting were just getting started so I think we're going back again tomorrow to see the paintings finished. Sorry about the lack of fishing posts lately. Work has been super busy and my weekends have been spent doing family activities. Hopefully I can find time on the water soon. An exhibit today had a insect sample from a local river. There were nymphs that I didn't think lived in this part of the state. Stonefly, mayfly and helgramites were all found. I need to re-think how I fish certain rivers.