Fly Fishing For Rainbow Trout In The Pisgah National Forest, video taken from a recent fly fishing trip I took in the Pisgah National Forest near Asheville, NC.
Despite the rain last week I managed to get out on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I woke up and check the USGS stream flow data and was a bit disappointed that many of the streams looked as if they would be blown out. I decided to head over to the smokies and fish up high. After driving out there and ariving at the trail head I realized that I had left my knee brace at home. The stream I had planned to fish was 3 miles in one way. I reluctantly decided that I should make other plans not having the brace. I probably could have done it but didn't want to risk it being solo, nor was I looking forward to the pain I would have been in with out the brace. I went with plan B, it was still a remote section of the park and required some hiking but nothing to the degree of my first option. To be honest with you it just felt great to get out. The stream was expectedly high and fishing proved difficult. I caught a few rainbows but the water was tough fishing. I kept moving upstream and eventually approached water that was running high but clear. I ended up catching a fair number of rainbows, two brookies and an unexpected brown. The following day I went hiking with the family. I wish I had brought some rods, but it was good to get out and revisit a watershed and trail I haven't been on in a while.
Location: Great Smokey Mountain National Park Blue Line
Date:09/20/2009
Stream Details: Secluded 3 plus mile hike in, water very high and stained.
Weather: Raining
I probably should have gone fishing the day before but at the time that weather forecast predicted more rain for Saturday with it looking better for Sunday. As it turned out there was barely any rain on Saturday and when I woke up Sunday morning and checked the radar pretty much all of the western part of the state was under some shade of green. I picked a spot that looked like it would have the least amount of rain for the day. I can't say if I made the right or not in regards to rain but I think I made the right decession.
The spot I picked was actually a place I had never fished before but one that I have had my eye on for many years. I figured that even if the rain had washed out the creek, it would still be a good time to scout it out for future trips. I gathered up my rain gear, a 2wt fiberglass rod, the usual fishing essentials and headed towards my destination.
