Tellico Hatchery trout--Fighters!!

The Sipsey Tailrace is one of many tailraces that depend on trout hatcheries for a supply of trout year-round. The two main hatcheries that release trout into the Sipsey are Dale Hollow Hatchery and Tellico Hatchery both located in Tennessee. Most of the time the trout arrive in great condition considering the distance from the hatchery and the tailrace. Sometimes some can be lost due to the oxygen content in the tank they are transferred in. Of the two hatcheries mentioned Tellico releases the largest and healthiest trout. Dale Hollow's trout are smaller and not as healthy as the Tellico trout. I was lucky to fish the Sipsey this past Friday the day after Tellico released 1100 pounds in the Sipsey Thursday afternoon. All the trout released were quality trout a challenge for any fly fishermen using a fly rod.

I like to fish the tailrace when it's super clear because you can spot the trout you are targeting and know exactly where to place your fly. Friday was the last day of a three-day wind blitz we had been experiencing, so I was wondering if the wind would be a factor. To my surprise, the wind was a plus, because the ripples created by the wind made it difficult for the trout to see you up close in some of the holes I fished. This particular run was very good to me for the morning outing. 

Dana one of my blogging and fly fishing buddies from Huntsville met me at the tailrace around 8:30. He is a member of theTennessee Valley Fly Fishers Club in Huntsville Alabama. He is also the editor of their monthly newsletter. So between fly fishing and reporting news from the club he stays busy. He had his best day fishing the Sipsey Friday. We both agreed as we were leaving and walking up the banks of the gorge that the trout were active this morning. Thanks, Dana for joining me on a successful trip for both of us!

This fatty rainbow was my first to get the morning started for me fishing an area I like to fish in clear water. I saw this trout moving back and forth in a tight run feeding. I noticed he was rising some and would settle back into his comfort zone. I tried a couple of nymphs trying to get him to commit to a hit but no luck. At times he would turn and move toward the nymph but no take. So after changing flies 4 times I finally hit on the nymph he took. What is so cool about tight lining is seeing the take and knowing you have only seconds to set the hook, otherwise you miss the trout. I am getting better at detecting the take as shown with this beauty taken on my 10 ft. 3 wt.---colorful gill plate on this trout. He put the 3 wt. through an unbelievable fight before he was netted. Gotta love it when a plan comes together!!

Another healthy Tellico rainbow landed fishing pocket water near access six. Every trout I landed this morning engaged the drag. I would have lost some of the trout today if not for my drag. A 5X tippet can easily be broken when this size trout charges in and out of rock beds fraying a tippet line quickly. 

Sorry for the reflection in the background, but I was trying to get the photo before this trout jetting off.  This trout was more of a fighter than any I landed for the morning. He made numerous runs before I netted him. 

Another Tellico beauty landed as I was waiting for Dana to catch up with me at access five. By the way access, 5 is the best way to leave the tailrace if you are a senior. Access 6 and 7 are for those young bucks to climb all those stairs upward to leave the gorge, not us seasoned guys! 

What a great way to spend a morning doing something that both of us love to do, landing numerous rainbow trout fishing on our favorite tailrace!!----------------tightlines!!

Rare Saturday Morning Fishing on The Sipsey

 Guys I've been trying to fish the Sipsey for weeks. Well, this morning I made a rare visit on a Saturday. I didn't get lonesome I had plenty of company. I was fishing my 10 ft. 3 wt. this morning tight-lining in places where others were not fishing. Anytime one can land a few trout on a beautiful morning without rain, tornados, and cold fronts is always a plus.!! 

If you haven't given the 10 ft. 3 wt a try it is worth a look. This stocker trout was quite a workout for the 10 ft. Netting the trout takes some adjustment when dealing with an extra foot in length. 

You all know how proud Cathey and I are of our grandchildren, well we feel like our oldest one Bryson is growing up too fast. He will graduate from the elementary school next week. Just seems like yesterday we were rocking him to sleep when he was a baby----makes us wonder sometimes how times zooms by!

I can't mention Bryson without mentioning Cash our youngest grandson. He is the number one player on his tag football team. He has a lot of speed for 6 years old. Laylyn, Pops hasn't forgotten you I will feature some of your tennis skills soon. 

Another rainbow landed today fishing deep in unknown waters on the Sipsey. Look for the 10 wt. to make an appearance on Smith Lake soon fighting some of those bull bluegills. This trout was a hoot to land on the 3 wt. 

I'm a big fan of wild fern in wetlands and shaded wooded areas. To duplicate the sound of a small stream with wild fern around it like Alan's fishes I decided I would created a little wetland near our front door. Alan, I can't fish this place but it reminds me of all those small streams all you guys have the pleasure to fish .  Tightlines!!

The Spotted Bass a Worthy Opponent on the Fly Rod

 Jeff and I started our Smith Lake fishing season off with a bang Tuesday, fishing high water 10 ft. above full pool. Two generators were active during the morning but that didn't stop both of us from landing some nice Spotted Bass and a few quality bluegills.

Jeff landed this nice Spotted Bass in one of the nooks close to the launch, using what else the famed Boogle Bug popper. The male bass put up a tight fight!!

The size 10 Boogle Bullet was what got this Bass's attention. It is the smallest Boogle popper in the collection. Moving this popper will cause it to go subsurface and then float upward. The hit will usually occur when the popper is sitting still. This bass just couldn't resist inhaling the small popper. The two best colors in the small bullet collection are white and electric blue.

A few bluegills were taken using the White and Electric Blue bullet letting the popper rest motionless for a few seconds and then wait for the take. The really big bull bluegills haven't moved into the back of the nooks yet to get ready for the spawn. Water temps play a big part in the spawning process and the temps at 65 degrees in Smith at the present time are too cold for any active spawning. 

I thought I would update you guys on the progress made with the clean-up behind Jason's house and the rest of the houses on the street his house is on after the tornado hit. This is what the common area behind almost all the houses look like before the clean-up was finished last Saturday. 

This image is what the common area looks like now after the Church of the Highlands finished moving all the fallen trees, stumps, and huge limbs from the area. They even filled in all the huge root holes after all the big trees were removed. The Church of the Highlands is the largest in Alabama with a membership of well over 30,000 members. Their mission work is remarkable and many of the residents were so grateful for their assistance in the clean-up effort. Many residents of the subdivision also volunteered to help remove blown insulation, decking material, shingles, and household items that had been blown all over the subdivision. There is still a lot of debris to be moved but everyone felt we made huge progress with Saturday's work. 

Jeff recorded a video using his phone of me fighting a nice Spotted Bass but he missed filming the landing of the fish -- the link for the video is https://youtu.be/-vxwzJqI2vw  -----I was going to share it in this post but for some reason, the video link on blogger would not transfer it into this post because it was not found on Utube.  The only way to find it on Utube was by using the link. I will be filming more videos this season using my Contour video camera so you guys can see just how hard these Spotted Bass and huge Bluegills fight when hooked. 

Sorry, I couldn't be a little more professional with the video but sometimes technology can outwit you.