Keeping Cool in the Off Season

[Mills Morrison]

It is too hot around here to shoot much. We just got back from our annual vacation in the mountains and got some fly fishing in. I am a novice, but had a guide for part of the time and caught a bunch of trout. Something about mountain streams . . . Hope these photos help you all cool off. All of these are in and around Brevard, NC.

Guide service was through Davidson River Outfitters and I highly recommend them.

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[Marc Retallack]

Mills,

Beautiful waters. The smaller creeks and streams are my favorites to fish.

Not that it makes a difference in the enjoyment you had, but were you high enough in elevation to be fishing for native brook trout or were these stocked browns and rainbows you caught?

If you're new to fly-fishing, stick with it. It may take some time but one day it will just "click" for you. And keep that little guy at it. I wish someone had introduced me to fly-fishing 20 years before I came to it.

Marcus

[Mills Morrison]

When I caught fish, they were the stocked variety. That was with the guide. I am still very new to fly fishing but really enjoy it so far. The guide helped a lot as far as showing me the basic techniques.

I would say most of the streams were around 3,000 feet, except 1 that was closer to 4,000 feet.

[Dean Romig]

There is easily as much to learn about fly-fishing - the fish, the habitat, the insect life they feed on - both larval and adult - the Latin names of both the fish as well as the prey, the history, the technique, the equipment, the countless forms of presentation and how to execute each..... as there is to learn about collecting Parker shotguns. Stick with it - it is a lifetime of happy and sometimes frustrating days astream.

[Mills Morrison]

I am. Right now it is making Parkers look easy. It is very relaxing and a great way to spend time in the mountains.

[Dean Romig]

Mills, I used to be a fanatic on all of those things - the Latin names, the specialized equipment, total immersion into all the technica of fly-fishing.

These days I enjoy myself more by knowing what to bring astream and how to use it. Gone are most of the streamside implementia that I used to think were the necessities of the true fly-fisher - the specialized clothing, all the stuff hanging from my vest, etc., etc., ad nauseum. Now you'll find me in a set of lightweight stockingfoot waders, wading shoes, a T-shirt, vest with the bare essentials, a flybox with only the flies I will need for the stream I'm on at a particular time of day and season, my rod & reel, a ball cap and magnifyers so I can tie on a tippet or fly in poor light.

But paring down to these bare essentials is the result of decades of real-life experience on the stream..... there's no substitute for that!

[Mills Morrison]

I am resisting the temptation to buy fancy stuff until I know what I am doing. We don't get up to the mountains but about once a year, so there is little time to practice.

[Dean Romig]

Like a nice Parker, you can't spend too much on a quality rod, reel, and line - but the other stuff is often unnecessary.

[Mills Morrison]

I am currently using a $40 Bass Pro rod, but it is working well enough while I get the hang of it. Would not mind a Parker Hawes vintage rod once I get the hang of it.

[Mills Morrison]

To tell you how good Davidson River Outfitters is, I showed them my equipment and asked if it was adequate fully expecting them to say I needed better (more expensive) equipment. They said what I had was fine and the equipment mattered less than how it was used. Most guide services/fly shops I have been in love to push high end stuff on you, but not here. Brevard is just a nice area with nice people and it is always hard for us to come home.

[Dean Romig]

I have always longed for the classic, parabolic action of a cane rod but I don't think I would be comfortable using one - it's like being afraid of falling and damaging a precious 28 gauge CHE with 30" barrels. I am quite happy with my graphite Thomas & Thomas rods and my Winstons.... and they come with a guarantee - not so with a Parker Hawes.

[Dean Romig]

As long as your line and rod are matched (balanced for each other) they will become an an extension of your body... an instrument of art, so to speak.

[Mills Morrison]

I have always longed for the classic, parabolic action of a cane rod but I don't think I would be comfortable using one - it's like being afraid of falling and damaging a precious 28 gauge CHE with 30" barrels. I am quite happy with my graphite Thomas & Thomas rods and my Winstons.... and they come with a guarantee - not so with a Parker Hawes.

Very true. I already broke one rod this season too.

[Mills Morrison]

My ace in the hole is a friend who now lives down here but lived in Brevard for about 10 years and fished a lot. He knows all the secret places and is not afraid to reveal them. My guide asked where I was going the rest of the week and when I told him, he got shocked and said "shhh not so loud"

[Dean Romig]

He's right... secret trout streams are as precious as our favorite woodcock coverts. :nono:

[Marc Retallack]

Go ahead and buy all that fancy stuff. If you don't look like you belong on the cover of a fly-fishing rag, you're not really fly-fishing.:banghead:

IMHO. learning to make an accurate 20'-25' cast that doesn't smack your leader/tippet/fly on the water is the most important thing you can do starting out. Learn that and most everything else will come along with time spent on the water.

The stream I fish most often here in SC PA is a great place to take newbies. The water is Gin clear which allows you to see how the fish react to how different flies are presented along with being able to see them as they feed on natural sources of food. It's been a great aid to me over the years.

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks for all the advice. I like buying quality gear.

[Fred Verry]

Mills and Dean, despite great improvements in graphite rod action and technology, for the size streams Mills pictured he was fishing bamboo is by far the ultimate material for rod construction, followed by quality epoxy glass. Graphite continues to close the gap but is still in third place. Give it a try, you will never go back to plastic for small streams. Add a balanced reel and silk line and you may find you never want to let the fly actually land on the water where one of those pesky fish would waste some of your valuable casting time.:)