This was my first fishing trip since
I was anxious to try my new Orvis Battenkill II reel my son gave me for Christmas. I paired it up with my Hardy Streamflex 3 weight. What impressed me about this reel was the narrow spool to reduce line stacking and of course the lightness.
l put the combo to work
within five minutes of wading into position in one of my favorite holes on the
tailrace. This beautiful rainbow nailed the Copper John as it was drifting down one
of the many runs located on the lower end of the tailrace; a lot of fun on the
3 weight.
The tailrace was higher
then I like to fish it, but I didn’t care; I was back on my home waters and
that was all that matter to me.
My wading staff was my
best friend today as I maneuvered through all the rocks on the floor of the gorge.
I saw one guy take a spill on the slippery rocks; luckily he didn’t damage his
wrist and knee.
Faster water was the turn
on for all the trout I landed during the four-hour trip. This bow was taken as
my nymph floated over a few submerged logs. I lost a couple other trout in the
run due to breaking off in the logs. I questioned myself for using the 3 weight
after losing two quality trout in this run, but again being here today
was more important than the loss of a few trout. I know I’ll have many more
trips to redeem myself.
Welcome back! Water has a way of healing all wounds. :)
ReplyDeleteBill, this is the best post I've read in a long time. You're home! There's nothing like those old familiar home waters to get the blood pumping. Looking forward to more of this.
ReplyDeleteBill it's great to see you back at it. The feeling must have been awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe 3wt set up should do you well, your not under gunned.
Ralph
ReplyDeleteThe best therapy there is-----thanks for the comment
Howard
ReplyDeleteI would have happy even if I hadn't landed a single trout; just to be in the gorge again would have been enough for me that day. Thanks for your comment
They say you can't go home again. You just proved them wrong. Good to have you back on home waters. Also glad to see you using the "third leg". Hooyah...........
ReplyDeleteMark
ReplyDeleteSo true---to make the trip even better was a 66 degree day. It will be a while before I make another trip due to extremely cold. Thanks for the comment
Alan
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a better way to spend the day----thanks for the comment
Nice going Bill! Nice to see you are getting back to fishing
ReplyDeleteVery glad to hear this, Bill. I wish you many happy outings on the home river this year.
ReplyDeleteWalt
ReplyDeleteI hope my back will allow me to make many more trips on the Sipsey. Thanks for the comment
Mark
ReplyDeleteI've been watching the weather for about a week to make the trip; the fishing Gods gave me a terrific day--thanks for the comment
Lester
ReplyDeleteAs you know back problems can devastating, with all the pain it brings, thankful your surgery was successful; hopefully watching the amount of weight I pick up will help me avoid back surgery in the future.
The three weight is my go to fly rod on the Sipsey, simply because of the size of the trout there, sure one might tie into a holdover occasionally which a 3 wt. will handle if one has the patience to land the trout; individuals using 5 and 6 weights fly rods on this tailrace is a bit overkill! Thanks for the comment
You shoulda let me know you were back in AL. I would've loved to have joined you. It's been a long time.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see that you're back out there fishing, again. Like you said, you'll have more opportunities to get out there and lose more fish. :)
ReplyDelete