Those Slow Winter Months

I know this time of the year is when the fishing kind of slows down for some of us and we become involved in other things that will occupy us until spring. As most of you know I am a big movie buff, whether it is your traditional movie or documentaries concerning history or the outdoors. I also get a lot of enjoyment from watching fly fishing videos. While viewing a fly fishing video the other day involving fishing the Mayfly I discover a gold mine of information from the website On Stream Guide. Be prepared to spend some time on this site covering a lot of fly fishing information.

Another pastime of mine is watching good documentaries from the History and National Geographic channels. A few of my favorites are:

The Civil War ---150^th Edition----The documentary traces the causes, courses as well as the major events and personalities of the American Civil War. Between 1861 and 1865, this epic American story of struggle and survival was written in blood, and in this series is told mostly from first-hand accounts and in the spoken words of the participants themselves, through their diaries, letters, and memoirs. The series concludes with Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House and the surrender of the western Confederate Army to Sherman in North Carolina in the spring of 1865. It then explores the legacy of slavery and the consequences and meaning of a war that transformed the country forever. 

America Before Columbus---History books traditionally depict the pre-Columbus Americas as a pristine wilderness where small native villages lived in harmony with nature. But scientific evidence tells a very different story: When Columbus stepped ashore in 1492, millions of people were already living there. America wasn't exactly a "New World," but a very old one whose inhabitants had built a vast infrastructure of cities, orchards, canals, and causeways. But after Columbus set foot in the Americas, an endless wave of explorers, conquistadors, and settlers arrived, and with each of their ships came a Noah's Ark of plants, animals—and disease. In the first 100 years of contact, entire civilizations were wiped out and the landscape was changed forever.

Trail of Tears---President Andrew Jackson enacted the Indian Removal Act which forced the Cherokee Nation to leave their homeland and relocate into unchartered territory. Many of these forced settlers suffered from exposure, disease and starvation and upon arriving in Indian Territory, they arrived with no past and no future.

First Landing---The Voyage from England to Jamestown

First Landing unearths the untold story of Robert Hunt's incredible sacrifice as expedition chaplain of the Virginia Company's awe-inspiring voyage to the New World - a groundbreaking trip that would result in America's first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. The story follows Hunt's struggle to leave his young family in order to make the arduous journey by sea in 1606. While most men looked to their own needs, Hunt brought much-needed unity to the frail outpost on the James River that would in time become the United States of America.

The Oregon Trail Find out what it was like for the pioneers who made the daring journey across the Rocky Mountains to settle the Oregon Territory. Hear their stories of bravery, excitement, tragedy, and sorrow from their actual letters and diary entries. Why were they going? What did they bring? What did they have to leave behind? Travel The Oregon Trail as they did across the plains, through the mountains and into a brand new world.

As I get older I find myself watching less and less commercial television. Programs that interest me fifteen years ago or more just doesn’t whole my attention anymore.

 

Deciphering a Midge Hatch

When I fish the Sipsey Tailrace I usually notice a midge hatch. The best hatches usually occur in the afternoon. Seeing a hatch on the Sipsey doesn’t always mean one will be successful landing trout fishing the hatch. As most of us know landing trout during a hatch depends on matching the hatch and how you present the pattern to the trout, and sometimes that doesn’t work. I know all of us have been there; where you are watching trout feeding heavy on a midge hatch and we cast everything in the fly box at the feeding frenzy and come up empty.

As most you know I just can’t let this hatch mystery go without doing a little research that hopefully will help all of us out on our next hatch adventure. The following image and explanation below are some of the best examples of hatch feeding I found. Keep in mind the bugs mentioned here are mayflies, caddis flies, emergers and a midge, but the surface action trout image below could be the same regardless of the insects.

Watching trout rise from a vantage point at the water's edge will tell you where to cast. But by taking an even closer look and noting how those trout are rising, you can also see exactly what type of fly to throw at them—especially when there are different insects flying in the air. Here’s what to look for.
1 - The Sip
What you see: A very subtle dimple in the water, and only the nose of the trout appear.
What that means: The fish are either sipping midges or eating spent mayfly spinners.
What to fish: A Rusty Spinner—but no bigger than a size 18.
2 - The Slurp
What you see: More pronounced “beaks,” eating on the surface.
What that means: The fish are dialed in on a hatch—likely mayfly duns.
What to fish: A size 18 Parachute Adams. When the fish are really chopping, try a cripple variation.
3 - The Splash
What you see: A sudden, explosive pop with some splash.
What that means: Trout are on moving targets, like skittering caddisflies.
What to fish: Tie on a caddis pattern, such as a size 16 Lawson’s Caddis, and don’t be afraid to give it a twitch.
4 - The Boil
What you see: Disturbed water but no faces—only a dorsal fin and maybe a tail.
What that means: They’re eating emergers before they reach the surface.
What to fish: A size 20 Flashback Barr Emerger just beneath the film.
The following illustration came from a Field and Stream publication

I stocked up on some hatch patterns on my recent visit to the new Cabala’s in Huntsville Alabama this past Thursday. This store had the largest selection of flies I have seen in any fly shop ever!!! I would also say that Cabala’s has a leg up on the Bass Pro fly shops when it comes to quality fly fishing equipment and accessories.

I’m curious what fly size and pattern would you select to get a hit using images 1, 2, 3 or 4?
   

Hope all you guys have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!!!

Going Back After Better Trout

Today’s post is the second installment of the Logjam post from last week. I knew last Tuesday when I kept losing all those better trout on the Sipsey I would be making another trip to try to redeem myself. I am one of those fishermen who dissect every trip I make. I left the tailrace Tuesday wondering why I lost more trout than I landed. I surmised it came down to fly rods. My 3 weight just didn’t have the backbone needed to really set the hook as opposed to using a heavier fly rod such as my 4 weight.

 I thought I was completely prepared for today’s outing. I wanted to film some of the action today, so I brought along my Contour Video camera. My first rainbow of the afternoon inhaling my nymph right after I stepped off the metal steps into the waters; camera-ready so I reach up on top of my helmet to flip the switch on. Nothing was happening, after repeated tries, reached in my front pocket and used my camera to record the last part of the action. I need to remember to charge the Contour camera even when it is not in use. The uncharged camera was the only downer for today’s trip.

I discovered these small plants scattered all over the tailrace. All the plants were less than 10 inches tall. They were covered with tiny lavender buds, with leaves similar to a rubber plant. It is a hardy plant because when the generators are running all are covered with the frigid 57-degree water for hours. I am thinking of digging one up and transplanting it in our yard at home.

I like to think this is one of the better rainbows that I lost on Tuesday. Dropping a nymph at least 3 feet deep in fast water got his attention. The colors on this trout were more vivid than most I land.

I continue to be amazed that I am landing trout like this in the Deep South, especially in Alabama!!



Landing Rainbow in Logjams on the Sipsey

I finally made it back to the Sipsey Tuesday to connect with the new stockers that were released in the tailrace a couple of weeks ago. I was met this morning with a slight mist and cooler temperatures in the high 40’s, which is a drastic contrast from the hot humid weather I face here in the summer.

As I was suiting up I was wondering if I should wait to tie on a fly before seeing if there was any type of hatch occurring. I do love to land trout here on top and lately that hasn’t been the case, but that little voice kept telling me to suit up, and fish the nymph. My last outing here had me fishing high water and today was supposed to be different with no generating and the guys at the dam held true to their word, generators off all day.

I begin casting today at a set of logjams that span 30 to 40 yards in fairly deep water up the gorge. The water was super clear making it easy to see my prey with my polarized glasses. This area is not fished heavy, simply because most like to fish in shallower water here. This area has depths of 5 to 6 ft. The trout like to use the logs as cover and dart out and nail a fly pattern as it passes over.

Dead drifting nymphs over the logjams and letting it drop produced this dark-colored rainbow.

A deep cut on the gill plate of this trout tells me that there is more than trout swimming in this tailrace.

 I wish I had been using my video camera for this particular rainbow; lots of air jumps. No way was this trout going to let me whole it for the picture, but it did manage to stay still long enough for me to get this water image shot before it swims away to freedom. I landed a number of trout today, but what really frustrated me was losing so many fish on this outing. I guess it may be time to change from my 3 weight and go with my 4 weight on my next trip.  

Fishing High Water on The Sipsey

Fishing a tailrace can always be an adventure especially if you fish one that has unpredictable generation. Tuesday was that day, where I thought I had the generation time exact, but upon arriving at the waters edge I discovered otherwise. I should have known when I drove up to the parking lot and no one was there that something wasn’t right. I never fish this place alone; but this morning I would have the Sipsey all to myself. The water was higher than I have ever fished the Sipsey. No turning back for me today, I was determined to fish and fish I did. 

The road to the first access point was just about covered with the leaves from some of the tress lining the road. It is so beautiful this time of year around the tailrace. We had a light rain the night before and I could still smell the wet leaves.

The food plots along the road are in full growth now and the deer have already started to graze on the clover. I was hoping one would be near the plot but all I saw were some butterflies feeding on the clover blooms.

As I stepped off the last step at access 6 I encountered a foot of water. All the rocks you see in this image are always void of water when the generators are off. The area I was going to fish was the deep channel off the edge of the rocks. There was a fairly fast current in all the rock areas that I waded through to get to all the spots I wanted to fish. No rises, at all so dries were not the option.

If there is a plus for me fishing high water on the Sipsey; it has to be its beauty with the fast ripples, swift current and super clear water. I remember a time last year fishing high water here, and my selection of flies then were nymphs and soft hackles. With the water moving fast I knew I wanted to fish a pattern that would get the attention of the trout quickly, so color was the first choice, forget hatch nothing there on the surface or in the air.

This little gem would be my first choice in a bright orange. I haven’t fished a scud in a while here so today was my chance to see if this bright color could attract. I knew the trout would have only a few seconds to see the fly before it was swept down stream from view. The water in the channel where I was going to fish was actually 5 to 6 feet deep, so I was hoping the trout was closer to the top, than down on the bottom. To drop the fly a little deeper I added a weight 6” above the scud.

My first rainbow of the morning, after endless casting in the fast moving water; this rainbow inhaled the scud and decided to leave the deep channel and head to the shallows. I decided not to use an indicator and just let the fly swing through the current with a slow retrieve. This would be my lone trout this morning, with my new found scud friend. I'm not complaining when one can fish a beautiful place like the Sipsey on a early fall morning. I’m planning on spending a lot of time on the Sipsey in the coming months; I hope you guys don’t get bored with my repeated trips.



Fishing Against the Odds

Never think you have this great sport of trout fishing figured out. That is what I find out every time I set foot on the waters of the Sipsey Tailrace. The trout may be wiling to take a certain pattern one day and the next it could be something completely different. I know the holidays always bring out a lot of fishermen either on the lake or on the tailrace. The tailrace was covered on Labor Day with fly fishermen from all over the state, not a good day for a retiree to fish anywhere near the place. Neither is the day right after the holiday, but Tuesday was the only day I had to fish this week, so I gave it a try this morning. I did the walked up to access seven, which is right at the dam to set up for my first cast around 9 AM. I knew I was fishing against the odds today. No activity at all  as I approached the waters edge so I started with a size 18 Zebra Midge, which produced a couple of rainbow early. I like to use smaller flies on days when no activity is present. After landing the two rainbow the drought set in and didn’t let up until right before I left at twelve.  

As I made my way back to access five to leave, I saw this nice rainbow moving in some pocket water right below where I was standing. I started casting my nymph trying to get a decent drift to entice a take; but the rainbow was having nothing to do with the indicator nymph combo. Time to change patterns and method of presentation. I decided to tight line my nymph down and across the pocket which allowed the nymph to pass through the pocket with less time for the trout to inspect the fly. On my second cast I saw the rainbow slam the nymph in the super clear water. The take was savage, and the fight was a stretch for my 3 wt. One of the fly fishermen near me was kind enough to take the shot of this beauty. This fish was one of my better trout from the Sipsey this year. Seeing this nice rainbow take my nymph was an awesome experience and a fitting way to end my morning outing.

 

Speaking of pocket, I will be out of pocket for the next couple of weeks; Cathey and I will be making a trip out west starting tomorrow; so no post for a while. I will be carrying my fly rod and hope to wet a fly especially in Yellowstone.

 

Fishing The Soft Hackle During a Feeding Frenzy

A quick Saturday morning trip to the Sipsey proved to be productive using the soft hackle. I was not in any big hurry to get on the tailrace this Saturday, because the humidity and fog were heavy. I forgot to mention the crowds. Generators were scheduled to be running at 1 PM so the 2 hours I had needed to be spent wisely. My plan was to spend all my time in two areas right above the pump station. Both spots always have trout and today were no exception. As usual, the trout were in a subsurface feeding mode and feeding on tiny brown midge flies. As I stood there and watched the feeding frenzy I notice other anglers casting above and below me. My little area only covered roughly 100 ft. so I staked the area out and stayed put. Needless to say there were a lot of anglers on the Sipsey today.

I got somewhat irritated with the canoes, kayaks, and even an aluminum boat floating in all the areas that everyone was trying to fish. I’ve never seen any watercraft during the weekdays, I guess that tells me something???

I always get pumped when I can get some action on the dries, so with the size 18 Gnat I gave the dries their due, but to no avail. My first strange-looking wide-body trout of the morning, in fact, I thought I had landed a small skipjack.

The real reason for this Saturday morning trip was to fish some of the soft hackles Alan tied for me a couple of weeks ago. I know I could have waited until the weekdays with less traffic, but I was like a kid with a new toy I just had to play. Even a Geezer can still be a kid at heart!!!

  Structure slowed the midge drift down and that was the area where the heavy feeding was occurring.

Another rainbow which couldn’t resist the silver hackle; this morning the trout was taking the hackle a little different as opposed to previous trips. No drift takes today, all the hits occurred as I was working the soft hackle back across the feeding area. No indicator, just a slow retrieve tight lining. Numerous rainbows landed today using the 3 weight.

One beat up fly pattern after a mornings work. As I’ve said many times the Sipsey is pressured every day with lots of fly fishermen especially on weekends; so when one finds a pattern that will produce they better guard it. I found that pattern this morning in Alan’s soft hackle

 

Filling my Bucket List

This past Friday my buddy Charles and I fished the Elk River near Winchester Tennessee with David Perry our guide. It was a stellar day to say the least. We had perfect weather with hardy any humidity and very little sunlight keeping the temps in the low eighties all day. We started the drift boat trip at the dam and 9 miles later we took out at Turkey Launch. Neither of us had ever fished the Elk and was so impressed with its beauty and the amount of trout in the river. It is stocked every month with rainbow and browns, which thrive in the nutrient rich waters.
I have fished numerous times with David over the past years and have come to realize when one fishes with him; they can expect to land lots of trout. Well Friday was no exception, Charles and I landed an insane number of browns and rainbow during our 8 to 9 hour excursion.   



You can see the dam in the background. We shoved the drift boat off from the gravel flats and spent the next 8 to 9 hours getting out trout fix!

One of many healthy rainbows that inhaled our nymphs throughout the day.

  This brown was the largest trout Charles ever landed—talk about excitement!!

Landing my best brown of the day, using my 9 ft. 5 weight; I loss numerous trout at the beginning of the float, because I was using my 4 weight, which didn’t have the backbone to handle the better trout. My catch ratio improved after I starting casting my 5 weight.

 The end result!!

Nymphing Swirling Pocket Water



I was back on the Sipsey today trying to improve on my skunk trip this past week. The first half hour had me thinking that I was in for another non fish trip.

I decided I would start today’s outing at access 7 which is the last access located at the mouth of the dam. One can get a good work out walking from where your truck is parked at access 5 to 7. As I walked down the long metal walk way and approached the bottom of gouge I notice that Brandon owner of the Riverside Fly shop had a guide trip under way. They were in the area where I was going to start fishing, so after spending less than half hour in the shallow runs above them fishing my nymph with no success, I moved on down the gouge.

 While moving down the gouge I decided to tight line the nymph in some pocket water located in the faster section of the tailrace some distance below where I first encountered the guide trip. I haven’t work the pocket water this season as much as last year, so today I would give it a try. I had to do some careful wading using my wading staff (I never go on the water now without my wading staff) to get to my first spot because of all the moss covered rocks. Once there I used my 9 ft. Streamflex rod to high stick the first swirling pocket. I felt I could detect the take much better if I was in direct contact with the trout through tight lining as oppose to using the indicator. I was letting the nymph drift into the deep area of the pocket where it was only visible for a few seconds, to the trout before it was rushed on down stream. A few seconds is all it took to connect with my first rainbow of the morning. As luck would have it this one little hole was stacked with trout to the tune of 5 landed and that many lost for me in a very short time spent in this area.

Numerous trout landed for the morning using the high sticking method. I loss more trout than I landed today, mainly because I was late setting the hook.

My 3 weight Greys Streamflex paired with my Orvis 2/3 weight reel got quite a work out today. This combo works well here with the indicator/nymph combo and the dry, but could be a little light for the high stick method. I feel if I had been using my 9 ft. 4 weight the catch ratio would have increased. My next outing will include the 4 weight.

 

A Big Reality Check!!!

An early morning walk along the road running parallel to the tailrace had me anticipating numerous hookups with the recently stocked rainbow a few weeks ago. In fact, I was so confident that had tied on my favorite nymph I usually fish early in the morning here with great success. Low humidity and a slight breeze made it seem a little like the approaching fall, which is some months away, but it doesn’t hurt to wish.

As I approached the water's edge I stopped to survey the area and notice as usual there was no surface activity to have me wishing I had tied on a dry. I begin working my usual spots with no success, so time to start experimenting with other patterns. I don’t know about you guys but after about 15 to 20 minutes of one pattern with no success, I change flies and tactics. It is now 9:30 and no takes after over an hour of fishing numerous patterns. I continue to work my way up the gouge, fishing some familiar places and some I haven’t tried this season. I kept noticing a few rainbows every 15 to 20 minutes breaking the surface but not actually feeding on top. I had seen this before here and knew that the nymph and dry were not the flies I needed to use to make a connection. So what next, I am now well into my second hour with no trout landed and still trying to beat the skunk. I knew I had to go with a pattern that would just break the surface and at the same time stay up high in the water column. My logical choice was a red soft hackle fly size 12. I don’t know the exact name of the pattern, but I had fished it in similar situations here before and had success. It is getting close to lunch and with more confidence and my new red hackle fly, I begin casting upstream and letting the fly slowly drift back over trout I continue to see feed subsurface. A few missed takes made me work even harder to touch my first trout. Some of you may see where this is going, and say he found the magic fly that finally proved to be the charmer, not so. I gave the fly it’s more than fair share of making a connection but to no avail. I’m one to never give up on solving the lockjaw problem of fish on certain days, so I had one last thing I wanted to try before the generations were turned on and I had to call it a morning.

 With an occasional trout still feeding subsurface, I decided I would tie on another soft hackle pattern size 18 brown color.  I started working the fly but was having trouble getting the fly to touch the water in a delicate mode, so I changed tippets to a 7X which gave me a much better presentation. Not to panic, but a glance at my watch showed me I only had roughly 20 minutes left before the generators would start gushing walls of water down the gouge. With the generation time schedule on my mind, I begin working the little brown hackle above a couple of trout that was still in subsurface mode. I figured if I was lucky enough to land my elusive trout today I had at least 250 yards of space between me and the huge wall of water that might take me under.  As time ticked away I kept trying to land my one trout that would keep the skunk off my back for the first time on the Sipsey. With ten minutes left I saw another trout come up and barely break the surface. I had to move a little downstream to make a cast that would give me a decent drift that hopefully would get its attention. I made a long cast that sent the fly across the tailrace waters. As the fly drifted over the area where the trout had broken the surface total silence from the trout below. A few more cast left I assumed before the horn sounded; surely one more cast would get me my lone trout for the trip. It was not to be, the horn sounded and sent me moving out of the water and to safety up the bank.

 Today was my first skunk day on the Sipsey, and I’m sure a few of you guys have experienced the same type of trip. As I walked back to my truck I kept wondering what I could have done differently to land just one trout. So I thought I would put the question to you guys, what pattern would you have used on a day with subsurface feeding, clear blue skies, and a slight wind coming from all directions at times?

The Contour Video Camera Filming Landing Rainbow

Today I was determined to get film footage of some of the trout I’ve been landing on the Sipsey. The heat and humidity was on even at 8AM and wearing a camera helmet made it even hotter. I found myself splashing cold water on my face frequently most of the morning. I only got to fish a couple of hours because the generators came on at 10AM instead of the 2PM schedule time; so I was glad I made the most of the time I was given.

Sorry no trout images for today, but a brief description of how both videos played out: The first footage took place in shallow water 12 to16”, using the nymph with a stick on indicator. I knew the trout were holding in a narrow seam about 30ft. from me. I made numerous cast before I connected with a quality rainbow, which put up quite a fight for my 3 weight. I was using a 6X tippet, in the super clear water, which has worked much better lately for me as opposed to a heavier tippet. These trout are pressured on a daily basis so the less visible line worked better. As always on the Sipsey the drift is critical and today was no exception.

The next footage takes place on the opposite bank across the tailrace. I seldom wade out into the middle of the tailrace but I knew trout is always hanging out in this fast current seam next to the bank there. You will notice there is a large boulder I am standing by to film this segment. I was using a nymph swing casting up current and letting the nymph dead drift through the seam and at the very end of the drift I would swing the nymph across the seam; as I was working the nymph back across is when the attack would occur. There is no mistaking the hit when it happens. Again numerous cast were made before I got the hook up, and of course when I did the camera switch came on.   
 

Making up for Lost Time

I was back on the Sipsey today using a different tactic while fishing the ¾ mile stretch from the dam to the pump station. I wanted to fish the faster water that is about a foot deep above the pump station. At times it is difficult to see the trout in these areas, but trust me they are there. In fact I landed a 15” rainbow about a month ago in gin clear water about a foot deep here. I never saw the fish take the fly.

It seems lately I just can’t get enough of this place which is a good thing for me, because every time I set foot in these cold waters here I feel I am learning yet another valuable lesson in fly fishing. In other words this place is the training grounds for bigger things to come for me before the year is out; another post in the future. I started fishing here 8 years ago and I have loved every minute I have spent on its waters. My only regret, I have told you guys this before, is not fly fishing the Sipsey when trout were first introduced here in 1974. So now I’m in catch up mode to recover some of that lost fly fishing time.

What a great way to spend the morning!!!!

Trout is not the only fish species swimming in these waters 

Stocked Trout the Life Blood of any Tailrace

 



 

 

 

 



I know I’ve shared with you guys on numerous occasions about the trout that is stocked in our Sipsey Tailrace here; but I’ve never really shown you the exact way the trout get released into the tailrace.

First stop after they are loaded into the refrigerated tanks for transfer to a tailrace or lake, in this case the Sipsey Tailrace at the base of Smith Lake Dam. All the trout that are released into the Sipsey are either from Dale Hollow Hatchery in Tennessee or from the Steelville Hatchery in Missouri. The best stocked trout come from Steelville, simply because of the size and health of the fish once they arrive at the Sipsey. The Dale Hollow hatchery delivers the same numbers, but a bit smaller than the Steelville Hatchery. The number of trout released vary from month to month; the most could be 3000 and the least could be as few as 1500. 

After being released from the tanks the trout travel over a 100 feet down through a 10” pvc pipe to drop 40 plus feet into the cold waters of the tailrace. You would think that this ordeal would kill most of them, but 99% survive. The water temps in the heat of the summer never get above 60 degrees and in the winter in the low fifties. Stocking occurs every month, so there is always an abundance of trout for the angler to land. A lot of trout reach the 18” mark which is considers a prize. My largest taken on the Sipsey has been a 16” who knows I may reach that 18” mark one day.

The following clip shows you the size trout that comes from the Steelville Hatchery in Missouri.   

This clip shows the size trout from the Dale Hollow Hatchery in Tennessee. This truck was going to deliver 3000 trout to the Sipsey Tailrace the following week. The clip shows the Dale Hollow Hatchery truck releasing trout at the dam at Center Hill Lake. My son-in-law filmed this segment while we were waiting on our guide to join us in his drift boat to fish the Caney that morning. This tailrace is fantastic to fish because it is stocked with browns, rainbow and brook trout. I try to fish this place at least three to four times a year.   

  



The Trout like Variety This Morning

My plan today was to be at the tailrace at 7 AM, but that just didn’t happen. I sit up the night before and watched the Cowboys, a 1972 John Wayne movie that didn’t end until 12:30. I could have recorded it but it was just too good to stop watching for the second time. I finally made it to the waters edge at 9:30 the next morning.

The humidity had already kicked in even at 9 AM, causing a haze of fog to cover the water surface. If one is on the tailrace early the fog is the main obstacle you have to contend with in the heat of summer. At times it makes it really difficult to see your indicator or dry fly. So the 9:30 arrival was kind of blessing in disguise.

The water today was extremely low with a slow flow most of the way up the channel. The generators had been turned off at 4 AM so the water had settled down quite nicely. I really like to fish this place when its low like today, because it give me a chance to fish areas on the other side of the channel that I never get fish.

My first trout of the morning on a beadhead nymph, which I thought was going to be my pattern for the morning; not the case. The trout today were into a smorgasbord of food choices. I must admit I’m not up on my Entomology aside from recognizing a midge, mayfly and possibly a gnat, but trust me none of those were on the menu. After the bead head went dead, experiment time set in.

Super clear water made it easy to see trout moving from deep pockets to current seams. The seams are where I had the most success. Feeding would decrease as the sun broke through the cloud cover. I am not a fan of fly fishing in the sun!!!

This rainbow was a little camera shy after a size 14 soft hackle was removed from his mouth.

I had plenty of company around me all morning. Some fishermen would leave and others would show up to try their hand at landing some rainbow. I talk to fly fishermen from Tennessee, and numerous cities all over the state. One guy traveled from the Alabama Gulf Coast just to fish the Sipsey.

Sorry for the bad camera work, which doesn’t do the colors on this trout justice? Most all the stock trout on the tailrace have very little color, this one was an exception. The size 20 renegade got its attention. Numerous trout were brought to hand today on various patterns throughout the morning which proved to me if the bite is slow keep experimenting.