Dead Drifting the Nymph

As I made my way down the steep steel steps and long ramp of access six I notice the leaves are already turning. By the way, it's easier going down than going back up. The dog days of summer are here and Fall will soon follow. As I get older the seasons seem to appear quicker now, causing me to squeeze in as much fishing time as I can. Wednesday was my squeeze day, to wade the crystal clear waters near access six on the Sip.

What I like about access six and seven aside from landing the trout there is the amount of shade both areas have on into the morning hours. Shade is the ally of the fly fisherman whether it's fishing warm water lakes or cold water streams.

First connect after experimenting with different flies and techniques. No surface activity at all which cause me to work nymphs the three hours I was there. A fly Alan at Small Streams Reflections tied for me got the attention of this injured rainbow. I don't know what caused the cut on its gill plate but it didn't affect his fight.

After the bite slowed with the indicator nymph, I switch to the dead drifting technique. I fish nymphs this way sometimes on this tailrace and the Caney in Tennessee. It's a simple way to present the fly giving the angler an advantage of adjusting the depth of the fly without using an indicator.

I was making long cast across the water column so I could work the nymph slowly letting it drift in the current. Watching the end of the fly line for the slightest movement let me know to set the hook. Sometimes the take can occur after the fly has drifted a short distance or as you retrieve it back as the fly line forms a half-moon sharp on the swing. Today I had a number of takes on the short distance drifts and as the fly approached the swing pattern and even as I retrieve the fly slowly back to me. Don't give up on your cast until you've worked the fly back to you within the length of the leader. I've had trout to take the nymph within eight or nine feet. There is mistaking the hit as you work it back against current. The dead drift is a fun way to fish most any nymph without the aid of an indicator. This rainbow nailed the nymph working it back against the current within ten feet of where I was standing. It was determined to have its way with the 3 weight, but after a number of runs it landed in the net.

 I ended today's trip where I started in the shade of access six and thinking how lucky I am to have another day to land trout below the dam of beautiful Smith Lake.

A Learning Curve---Plus Jason Landing Rainbow

My phone alarm went off at 5 AM and I was up and ready by 5:45 for my next fishing class on the Caney Fork. That’s what my trips are like every time I wet a fly on this beautiful tailrace now. I arrived at 7:30 suited up and made my way to some new areas on the river that I’ve not fished before. As usual, the fog was present with no surface activity at all. With expectations of landing stocker trout again today, I decided I would use my 3 wt. 9 ft. Streamflex.    

Any of you guys think the brown is more of a fighter than the rainbow and brook?

How I wish I could get my grass in my front yard to look this green----a trout supermarket for sure.

I’m still trying to break the 14” mark here and so far those size trout have eluded me. Fishing the Caney is going to take much more work on my part to equal the success I had on the Sipsey in Jasper Alabama.

Thought I would share some images of my son Jason who lives in Sacramento fishing from his new Hobie Kayak. Fuller Lake north of Sacramento is one of the mountain lakes he fishes there.

 One of the colorful rainbow he landed for the afternoon fishing Lake Fuller!!

Exploring Another New Lake

The Shellcracker Lake near Columbia was my target lake this past Tuesday to explore. One drawback to this lake is no grass area to slide the Pelican into the water. Lots of concrete including the launch ramp; lucky for me there were a lot of fishermen there to help me get it launched. The polyurethane material this boat is made of will not take concrete slides often.

This is a 75-acre lake nestled in a deep wide valley with a huge dam holding back a flood of water. After getting on the water I counted 16 other boats scattered around the banks. I found out really quick that the majority of fishermen were fishing for the spawning bluegill. The big difference between me and them was the fishing technique. Again I was the only one using the fly rod, while the rest were using the crickets and worms. The live bait fishermen were landing lots of bluegill and catfish. I did manage to find one small spawning group of gills located near the base of some small maple trees that were willing to give the 3 weight a workout. Bluegill will sometimes spawn in very unlikely places and this group was located under the overhanging branches of the trees; presenting a bait of any kind was a challenge for any angler. Using a low side cast help me connect with the fish. I counted four orange corks tangled in the branches that didn’t make the connection.

I landed a couple of small bass holding in the back of this nook. Other boats were waiting in the wings to give the area a try.

Blooming dogwoods signals crappie season in the south!

I worked hard to land this bluegill from under the maple branches. In fact, I was impressed with my placement of the popper to attract a strike. Time after time the Bar Nunn popper hit its mark to hook up with this group of spawning bluegills. This is a good bull bluegill, but I’m still looking for the really big gills. I hope I can land a few before the spawning season is over.