Well, I finally got some fishing in this weekend. I had sent out an email the night before, letting my fellow TVangler buddies know I was going to give the Flint a whirl. This time of year the early morning bite isn’t much different from the mid afternoon. In fact, the fishing seems to get better once the sun warms the water a bit. With that in mind, my goal was to be on the water around 8 or so. When there is something that I really want to do, my biological alarm clock never let’s me down. I woke up around 6:30, sluggishly arranged my gear, and was ready to head out around 7:15. I was too lazy to fix coffee, so I made time for a short pit stop at the Shell station.
The Flint River in spring.
When I arrived at the river, Jason was already there trying to get a few fish ahead of me. I wasn’t afraid, after all he was merely a disgruntled razorback faithful trying to pay me back from their loss to the crimson tide last season. Despite not being worried, I just had to ask….”Catch anything?” Whew, so far he had only managed a smallie. One fish down isn’t too bad I thought. After putting our waders on and comparing flies for a few minutes, we were ready for some fish action.
Insane fishing the first run.
If you recall, I bought a new camera a while back and have been scared to take it fishing. Although it may come as a shock to most, money isn’t something that I have a lot of. On the other hand, that’s what I bought it for though, so what the heck. With my luck, I just knew this decision would come back to haunt me. Jason gave me the go ahead to start casting. I handed my precious camera off to him as I made a few casts into the swift river edge. No bites, so I worked my way into the water hitting every spot at least twice.
Jason checking his fly.
Nothing! I motioned for Jason to give the lower run a try. I messed around with the camera a while he tried his magic. We fished downstream for the next hour or so without any luck. As always, there are those instances where you think you may have got a nibble or two, but as they say, “the proof is in the pudding.” To our defense, the water was a little high and running pretty fast as we had some rain the night before. It was also a little darker than it normally was, but not too dingy to fish.
Temple Fork fly rod.
Before long Jason said he had to go do some things around the house. Although we hadn’t caught a thing, we both agreed that it had been fun regardless. I decided that I would stay for a while since it was such a beautiful day. As I continued to work my way downstream, I began to think that there were no fish in the river. I don’t remember the last time I went without a bite for this long. Finally, I pulled a smallie from the head of a rather large run! It wasn’t much to brag on, but it was a fish nonetheless. The #10 olive wooly bugger released the fish before I had a good grip on it, so I wasn’t able to get a picture.
An adult buck in the spring.
As I made a few more casts into the pool, it sounded as if a horse were running through the water in my direction. I looked up just in time to see a good sized buck running down the middle of the river, straight towards me. I quickly grabbed my camera, and pulled the lens cap off to take a few pictures. I got the pictures, but my lens cap wasn’t so fortunate as it slipped out of my fingers into the raging water. There was no chance to save it as I helplessly watched it barrel downstream. Dangit!!! The comforting news was that I didn’t drop my camera.
Some fish feeding in the run.
I noticed quite a congregation of fish feeding in the run. It was really hard to tell what they were, but I know they weren’t bass. I managed to get a picture although not a very good one. They sure the heck weren’t looking for a wooly bugger, black or olive. Seeing that the fishing wasn’t going to get much better, I decided to head back. As I made my way back upstream, I found myself in some pretty fast water. After looking up, I saw what I thought was some sort of mammal trying being washed downstream straight towards me. It wouldn’t be long before I could identify the creature as it was moving at an extremely fast pace. By the time it was within 15 yards of me, I saw it was a snake and was ready to stab it with my fly rod. It was a narrow miss, but I was safe!
A nice Flint River Bluegill.
Once I made it back to the parking area, I decided to make a few casts under the bridge. On the second cast I hooked a nice size bluegill as it hammered my bugger. It was a short fight but fun anyhow. This one didn’t get a break like the smallie, so I quickly took his mug shot. I threw a few more casts with a few bites, but I think I had spooked the other fish in that area. I landed a fish though, now the day was complete. Two things came from this day. The first was that I caught more than Jason (just giving him a hard time), and lastly I got all the rust knocked off my fishing gear.
keep the hooks wet,
Insane
Hey, Im just glad you finally got a chance to wash that Hiwassee skunk off! how come no picture of the snake? You allready had the lens cap off LOL
Great report. Love the web site. The fish pictured are true redhorse. Nice shot of the deer too.
Make me want to go out and buy a new camera. Saw a few posts about your site on the alabama river fishing web site.
Best Regards,
~~~waders~~~
He was too busy soiling himself to take a picture. That’s what I’m telling everybody on the Internet anyway…
Jason,
It felt good to break free of the skunk! I was afraid that I would be 0 for 2 after this outing. While fishing, I was thinking about how much I could get for my fishing gear on Ebay….
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture the slithering monster on camera since I was inventing some new form of river dance.
Maybe I should purchase a new Image Stabilization lens for such an occasion.
Tom,
Soiling myself is no joke! In fact, the inside of my waders were a little damp when I took them off. I don’t recall them leaking, at least before this trip.
This is a very nice Blog! I liked very much what you did with those pictures, flies and the frames. It´s very good!!! Maybe in the future I will do the same and put it in the livingroom.
Regards.
I think you caught the same two fish I caught on the Flint last fall – a smallie and a sunfish by the dam.
Thanks for the info. I thought they were probably Redhorse after seeing the orange/redish color fins. They were immune to the bugger, but next time I will bring a full arsenal!!!
Thanks for checking out the site guys!
Eduardo,
Let’s make a deal. I’ll make you a photo-fly shadow box if you’ll take me fishing down there
hawgdaddy
HAHAHA!!! Ok, it´s a deal.
Is transportation included…?
Great! Now just to figure out how to get down there…how long do you think it would take me to bicycle that far?
hawgdaddy
Insane, I wish to include the transportation, but so far I only get a mule ride… It is very difficult to find a air ticket. I´m sorry!
Hawgdaddy, If you want to can came in bike, I tried once go to Canada in my mountain bike, but I desisted at 30 km away from my house. Maybe it easier to you because it´s all the way down here… I think you will be here in 6 months more or less. GOOD LUCK!!! you will need it.
Regards.
P.S.: see you in 6 months.
Insane,
Those redhorse are probably thinking spawning, so you won’t be catching any of them now – wait until they stop for a smoke and then drift a filter-tip past them.
That is a great looking bluegill. I get a good response from the river smallies in May from a yellow Marabou Muddler (with long wing) fished dry. Pull it under, and it pops to the surface – both trout and green trout like it.
Reed
Insane,
Just for reference, a snake is not a mammal…its a reptile in the Squamata family.
Reed,
Great advice. I bet a good cig stripped past post-spawn bass might produce excellent results as well.
Justin,
I thought the deer was the reptile? Sure looks like one to me. Insane says he saw that buck laying its eggs in a sun-washed clay bank before it entered back into the stream, betraying its amphibious heritage.
hawgdaddy
Eduardo,
I have an atv, I suppose that will be quicker than a bike. I hope to have caught all the fish before Hawgdaddy arrives!
Reed,
I will definitely give that a shot. Once Hawgdaddy gets done smoking his, then I will take what’s left and use that! The way it was looking, I might have to get a carton…
Hawgdaddy and J,
Actually, both of you are wrong…
Once the deer succesfully laid it’s eggs, it charged into the water after me. Realizing it could only trample but not kill me, it then molted into a venomous reptile. This will no doubt become a trend as global warming takes over and mammals will be desperately looking for ways to survive.
My only hope is that I can become a Redhorse, they have all the fun…
As long is it was not one of them rattle-headed-copper-moccasins, they are pissed at global warming and taking it out on mammals of all kind. I need to smoke now.
Insane,
I think this documentary regarding expected devolution will convince those skeptics — http://youtube.com/watch?v=Lc6U7_-BeGc
Reed
Reed,
Just got a chance to see the video. That’s good stuff!
In an attempt to set devolution in motion, I took a few shots of guiness ealier….nothing but a good buzz! Wonder what went wrong? Maybe I will try taking down a few 6-packs and see what happens…
Insane,
Saw your comments over on Reed’s Comtemplative Angler. Would love to hook up and do some artwork for you all if you ever need. What happened on the Hiwassee? I had my all time, greatest trout fishing day ever there last spring, but I never saw any skunks.
Eric,
Thanks for checking out the site! I always enjoy reading Reed’s articles, but it’s even more pleasurable with the addition of your illustrations. You do awesome work! We may be interested in working with you in the future….
Oh man….the Hiwassee….
To make a long story short, I have never even smelt a skunk around there until that horrible day. As a matter of fact, Hawgdaddy almost caught a glimpse of one during my first trip up there. Only five casts into the trip, I nearly landed my largest trout out of that river. Normally I don’t have a problem pulling a few fish from those waters, but the skunk sure enough found me this trip. That’s one of those times you come back to the phrase, “I just enjoyed being out there.”
Maybe I should watch you fish and see where I went wrong….
God Bless,
Insane
Eric,
Insane should watch someone who knows how to fish, because he needs it, and I’m not providing a good enough example.
You do great work! Garfield was always my favorite. I don’t think we have anything on here worthy of illustration. O, the horror if you illustrated my skinny dipping essay: http://www.tvangler.com/?page_id=106 ! The thought is too distressing to dwell upon for even a moment. Maybe you could illustrate Dewayne sucking his fly rod up into his vacuum cleaner, but no, that’s too trivial. I think you had best stick with the more literate members of fly fishing’s blogging sub-culture like Reed.
Take care and let us know if you ever want to hook up and show us how to fish the Hiwassee,
hawgdaddy
Hawgdaddy,
Didn’t you leave out the illustration of me getting pummeled by a vicious skunk on the bank of the Hiwassee…? Or perhaps the time J-dogg and I cannon balled naked into the pool right as you began to cast…..Not to mention my bathroom expedition on Deep Creek! LOL
I can’t even bear to entertain thoughts of your demented moonlight bathing, let alone have them illustrated!!! yuck!
Eric,
It’s true that you are better off with a more professional writer such as Reed, although he might not be as crazy as we are…or is he?
Hawgdaddy is right, he doesn’t quite cut it as a fly fishing role model….I am better off on my own.