Dan:
Tight Lines in Alaska
Nick
On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 7:29 AM, <tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com> wrote:
- BEER TIE this MONDAY!!! - 1 Update
- The Gauntlet. - 3 Updates
- Rose River Farm Trip - 3 Updates
Daniel Davala <daniel.davala@gmail.com>: Sep 03 06:14AM -0400
This is an early announcement to all that the next TPFR BEER TIE is this
coming Monday from 7PM-9PM at Whitlow's. Details and directions can be
found on our events page: http://www.tpfr.org/events.htm
I will be out of town for this one, so I'll let Rob and Jim chime in about
learning table, etc. (Guys, if one of you can coordinate picking up and
dropping off the cart that would be awesome).
Dalton Terrell will be the TPFR officer in attendance, so please find him
for any TPFR related issues during the tie.
Have an awesome time, see you all at the next one!
Dan Davala
Remick <flytimesdc@gmail.com>: Sep 02 07:46AM -0700
Hell of an attempt Misha! Gorgeous brookie and nice chunk of butter. Solid
bass too. Nothing like fishing a couple different stretches of water in a
weekend.
Rob - sweet gurgle frog.
Well, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell y'all what went down....this
*gauntlet...*it changes people....
I now can throw a tomahawk....
With an early dismissal from work on Friday, I hit the road from Baltimore
to pick up my fly brotha Connor in Bluemont, VA that afternoon. After
strategizing all week, we decided that our best bet to get a jump on *The
Gauntlet* was to fish the fabled Hex Hatch at Mossy on Friday evening, camp
at nearby Hoane Quarry campground, and hit the road at 4:30am to get to the
country store for a permit to fish Beaver Creek. If we caught the Brown
that evening, we wouldn't have to fish Beaver and could instead, hop over
to the Dry River for the brookie and then to the Shenandoah to try and
track down an afternoon smallie and carp. Easier said than done, right?
The fish gods don't care about *your damn plans, man*.
We arrived in Brigewater around 6pm and strung up the sticks as we waited
for the sun to get low and bugs to show. While tying our leaders and
getting the GoPro set up, another car pulled up. In these situations, it's
very easy to give the stink eye, puff out your chest, and let the intruder
know that this is YOUR stretch of river. But Connor and I don't really roll
like that and as the stranger got to rigging up his set-up, we popped a few
brews to commemorate the start of the long weekend and started up some
casual fish talk. We had plenty of time before the hatch started.
Rick, our new friend, turned out to be a very passionate fly fishermen, a
veteran of Mossy, and a man in tune with an appreciate for the simple
things. We told fish stories for a while, lamenting the ass-kickings that
Mossy had bestowed upon us over the years and celebrating those rare
instances when everything lined up and the creek provideth. Then it came up
that Rick had survived a terrible car accident which almost left him in a
vegetative state a few years back. Heavy stuff. Not too surprisingly,
Rick's recovery was fueled by his desire to return to nature and do what he
loved -fish. Naturally we got along just fine. We talked with him for a
good 45 minutes before the sun started getting low and we journeyed
downstream to set up shop for the evening's fireworks. I gave him a
star**** pattern before we left, both Connor and I truly appreciative for
the encounter with such a genuine and amicable individual.
After setting up shop on an open stretch of stream in a somewhat wooded
area - we sat and waited for the fireworks to begin. But alas, we didn't
see a single hex plop down or fish rise. Lots of moths. No hexegenia. We
waited until 9pm or so before heading off to set up camp with 20 hours of
eligible fishing time left to get the job done. Mossy once again proved to
be a fickle and mysterious beast. That night we cowboy camped under the
stars and practiced our tomahawk throws.
The next morning we got a late start on the road and ended up arriving at
the general store at 6am to 12 disgruntled fishermen in the parking lot who
had obviously gotten the all-too-familiar denial from the Ottobine Country
Store. Very fun stream, very tough to get access as us DC folks have a 2hr
disadvantage on the locals. Oh well - early bird gets the worm and we
weren't early enough. So is life. From what I've heard - it fished
spectacularly this past weekend....
With Beaver out of the equation - it eliminated the Dry River/Shenandoah
combo - as we now needed to find another stream with big trout close to
smallmouth/carp water. Connor and I knew of a stretch of water about an
hour and a half away near Petersburg, WV that had 4/5 species- so we hit
the road into the rising darkness of the mountains. As the sun got up, I
noticed a pink piece of paper on the windshield of my car. Fearing we had
gotten a ticket, I pulled over to remove the note and I couldn't help but
smile. Rick had left us a note. He thanked us for the fly and for taking
the time to talk to a complete stranger. It had meant a lot to him - just
as it had to us. Moments like that are where you really come to appreciate
that this sport is about so, so much more than just catching fish.
After passing the note Connor's way - we agreed we had some good mo-jo
going into the day. Thanks, Rick!
Arriving to a popular stocked water on Labor Day weekend is equivalent to
the scene in *The Perfect Storm *where George Clooney attempts to drive
head on into the mac-daddy of all waves. Sure, you may get out of it
unscathed and find some fish- but bro, that's a really big wave - you can't
really avoid it. All I can say is thank god for Mountaineer football on
Saturdays and Rick's note. Arriving at the C&R section, we found the place
to ourselves. We had somehow done what Clooney could not and through sheer
luck/coincidence/NCAA scheduling committee-fuled miracle - navigated around
the wave of weekend warriors and meat fishermen to find a pristine mountain
trout water with no human occupants.
We strung up just as the sun was starting to get on the water. It having
been a somewhat fun night, I left my phone in the car for survival purposes
that morning, fearing a sloppy wet-wading slip may leave me out of
communique for a few days. My camera's battery was dead and the only GoPro
was with Connor (who took some epic shots throughout the weekend). With all
methods for documenting the moment incapacitated - we were primed for a
Hawg Johnson sighting the minute Connor went upstream to fish ahead of me.
Lo and behold, 10 minutes after Connor disappeared around the bend, a well
placed size-8 fat albert long a cliff wall resulted in a monstrous splash
and the fish I had been chasing for the better part of a year and a half
erupted from the pool in a full on somersault. With the water low and
crystal clear, I had a perfect view of the beast as it made three
blistering runs to the head of the pool before coming to the net in a few
minutes. Careful to not stress this beautiful specimen of a rainbow trout,
I kept her in the net as I removed the hook, and made a quick tape measure.
24" on the dot. I'd have to guess 4-5lbs on her. Great fish. Still jacked
up about it. I gave her a kiss and revived her for a minute, releasing her
to chill between my size 14 wader boots before moving on back to her hole
in the cliff wall. Special moment. Special fish.
That morning, the fish were looking up -HARD. Each run produced a few
rises/refusals/takes as the browns and rainbows on this stretch of water
aggressively attacked whatever plopped their way. Fat alberts, chernobyls,
and other large terrestrials were the ticket for me - Connor crushed em on
nymphs. From the hours of 7:30-10:30am Connor and I had caught around 25
fish - all between 14-24". Mostly rainbows with a few browns mixed in and
one big brookie that refused the fat albert at the last moment. I also got
to witness Connor join the 20" gauntlet rainbow club - good stuff!
With 7 hours left to fish and compelled by our early morning success, we
foolishly stayed on the C&R section for the rare brookie instead of
checking out the stretch below that is prime smallmouth and carp water. As
the sun got high, the fish disappeared. They stopped rising, eating off the
bottom, etc. For a good while, we didn't even see a trout. We had a few
shots at the LARGE smallmouth that frequent this section, but alas no
takers. The one time I got a fish to react to a well placed star**** - a
16" rainbow came out of nowhere to steal it. Can't, won't, ever complain
about that. We didn't see a carp.
Despite our best efforts, we ended the day achieving 1/5 - both us catching
20+" rainbows while striking out on the brookie, smallie, and carp - and
enjoying every last second of our quest for *The Gauntlet. *
Sweetwater, sweet fish, and fly times.
The challenge is still out there, folks.
We're not done yet by any means.
Stay fly.
On Thursday, August 28, 2014 5:03:31 PM UTC-4, Remick wrote:
Jeffrey Silvan <jeffreysilvan@gmail.com>: Sep 02 10:59AM -0400
Nice attempt. I got the carp part, but never made an attempt at a trout. I
really didn't make any legitimate attempt at a 20" smallie either, but
funny enough, a 14 incher stole my fly from a big ole carp that was about
to eat.
Misha Gill <misha4455@gmail.com>: Sep 02 08:42AM -0700
Certainly a nice attempt Remick! Sounds like you guys had a good game plan,
and made it work even when that was shattered. Being flexible and open
minded is a crucial aspect of being a good fisherman.
Mossy is a fickle beast with whom I am not well enough acquainted...
Brad <brad@gentnergroup.com>: Sep 02 04:53AM -0700
Don't go without black and tan woolie buggers. Also bring small midges,
both nymphs and drys. And San Juan worms. Green caddis nymphs are something
i would have too.
As far as eats in the area, the options are fairly limited. Graves Mountain
Lodge is right up the road. They have great apples and a restaurant that
serves down home Southern food. I've never eaten there. People love it or
hate it.
If you run into Madison there are a couple of options - The Pig and Steak
and a sandwich shop whose name I can't recall but it has good sandwiches. I
can't personally vouch for the Pig and Steak. I've heard mixed things.
Sandwich shop is excellent. Beyond that you either have to drive to
Charlottesville or up to Sperryville. Thornton River Grill in Sperryville
can be excellent. I haven't eaten there in a couple of years so YMMV.
Frankly, I recommend grabbing an armload of groceries and self catering.
His kitchens are very well equipped and who would want to leave!
On Monday, September 1, 2014 3:18:39 PM UTC-3, Rob Snowhite wrote:
HeaveToo <cpd032@hotmail.com>: Sep 02 06:00AM -0700
That is a beautiful place. I have fished it a few times and it fishes
well. I had a lot of luck with a streamer that I tied. I also lived in
that area for several years and I was a trooper assigned to that area.
As far as eats, there are a ton of places if you don't mind a few minute
drive.
On Route 29 in the southern part of Madison County there is a restaurant
called the "Bavarian Chef." That is a pretty good place.
In the Town of Culpeper you can find anything you want. There are two
restaurants on East Davis Street worth mentioning. The first is called
"It's About Thyme." The next is "Fotis." Not sure if I spelled that right
but it was opened by a chef that worked at President Madison Inn (well
known place to eat).
Not far from Rose River farms you can catch the Rapidan River in the
national park and fish for natives. You are not too far from the middle
stretches of the Rapidan River and there is good Smallmouth Fishing in the
area. If you are able to fish it, the dam in the Town of Rapidan use to
hold nice smallmouth (my biggest landed smallmouth came from there).
You will find a Grocery Store in the Town of Maidson off of Route 29,
across from the Highschool. It is a Food Lion.
There are a few things to do in the area. Graves Mountain Lodge is a nice
place to visit. There is good hiking right down the road at White Oak
Canyon Falls.
Josh Cohn <joshccohn404@gmail.com>: Sep 02 07:16AM -0700
Read the report Doug posts on his website where you booked the Cabins, I've
been several times and only brought what he listed.
Caught more than my fair share of trout, but I'm sure all your classic
eastern trout patterns should work great.
You received this digest because you're subscribed to updates for this group. You can change your settings on the group membership page.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
--
Nick Hinko
| "No problem is so big or so complicated that it can't be run away from!" Linus Van Pelt | |
|
|
http://www.tpfr.org
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/CAKYaT8BFH2AkVx3p0tM9koarc%3Dg7%3D2zQAgGEQuDWry0UbWObJQ%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment