It was my last day for fishing. I went back to the nantahala and started the day off with an olive wollybugger. At the first hole I quickly caught two fat rainbows and one big brook trout. I switched to a San Juan worm and moved down stream to a hole that had been productive earlier in the week. I caught five more rainbows and a couple of Brooks on the worm. I then switched to a nymph and caught another nice brook. It was a beautiful sunny day and there was a good fly hatch in progress so I decided to move upstream to a slow moving shallow section of the river to cast a dry fly. I put on a caddis fly and went to work. I had two brookies rise and caught both to end my day and headed in early to spend the day with the family. It was a wonderful and relaxing vacation. I can't wait to get back up there.
The gentleman that owns the trout pond we took the kids to told me about a creek in Bryson city that he had been catching fish at recently. He gave me directions and I decided to give it a shot. Bryson is about an hour away so I woke up early to make my trip. I got on a road they call "the road to nowhere." I was told to go till the road dead ends at a tunnel, park and hike to my desired fishing spot. The man had told me about walking through the tunnel and encountering a bear at the other end the last time he was there. I assumed that meant the fishing spots were on the other end of the tunnel. I had passed over the creek about a half mile south of where the road ended but figured it must continue on up the trail. I could still here the creek at the parking spot but could not see it. The tunnel is very long, vey dark, and very creepy. I could only see the hole at the other end and a small amount of light on walls. I did not have a light and could not see the floor or my feet. While walking through I stepped on a few unknown dark and damp objects. The only sounds were the loud echoes of my footsteps and the drip of water from the ceiling. I do not scare easily but if anyone else was in the tunnel with me I am glad they did not make themselves known because I would have freaked out. I was glad when I walked out 200 yards later into the light. On the other side I could no longer hear the creek. I hiked in about a mile and a half listening for water at every turn. I decided I must have misunderstood the directions and turned back. When I got to the car I looked around for a way down to the creek but could not find one. I was beginning to think this was really a road to nowhere. I drove down to where I had crossed over the creek and found a trail. I fished under the bridge with no luck and then hiked down river about a mile. I tried several holes and runs with still no luck. The only things I caught where a couple of trees and rocks. It was still nice to get out and explore a new area. It was 10:30 and I decided I still had time to get to the nantahala and salvage the day. When I got to the river it was crowded and most of my usual spots were taken. I worked a new hole with a San Juan worm and caught a nice rainbow and brook. I then drove several miles upstream and found a large hole that was crystal clear and full of brook trout. I worked an olive wollybugger and caught 20 plus small brookies. It still amazes me that no matter how clear the water is the fish still seem to appear out of nowhere.
The kids have been begging to do some fishing. River fishing is not ideal for small children. It can be dangerous and hard to fish with few results. We took them to a small stocked trout pond called tumbling waters. The folks there are very hospitable and fair priced. They provide all the equipment and bait and clean the fish for you. It is $4 a pound. The fish were very willing to bite and the kids had a blast. We took the fish home and fried them up for dinner. We spent $19 for a great time and dinner. Not too shabby. check them out at http://www.tumblingwaters.com/
Day three we all went into Franklin to spend the day. After walking around downtown and eating a wonderful lunch at the motor city grill we went to the tuckaseegee river for a little fly fishing. I was not very successful but Johnny caught a brown trout finishing off all three trout species in the area. The camera was still drying out so there are no pictures.
Day four was Johnnys last day of fishing so we went back to the nantahala. We fished the same stretch from day two. On Johnny's last day of fishing I took first fish honors, a good size brook. At the next small hole I caught a rainbow, a brown, and five Brooks. There was a submerged rock ledge that I was sure held a fish but I had cast it many times with no luck. I finally changed positions for a slower drift. On the first cast a large brook trout rose and took my fly. He pulled drag and took me down river. I let him run and fought him for several mins. When I got him to the net he barely fit in. He was a very dark and beautiful trout. He measured out at 16 and half inches. Definitely the highlight of my trip. I got one more rainbow. Johnny landed two more nice rainbows to end his trip. We left early so he and Destiny could start their long trip back to Florida.
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