Fishing trips are no time to relax. I’ve got to finish this report, hit the store for backcountry supplies, and jam my poor, overstuffed backpack with even more gear.
Apparently, I won’t be the only thing on this trip that weighs too much.
Yesterday’s Holst0n float trip with Ian and Rich was fun; lots of caddis and a steady caddis bite throughout the day.
A Rich Margiotta rainbow — you can see Ian netting him below.
I’d give you a blow by blow description of the fishing except Rich Margiotta put on a clinic and easily outfished me, qualifying him for an online shunning.
Sorry Rich. Those are the rules.
So, Ian, myself and some nameless guy hooked quite a few hot rainbows (and a few browns), though we landed considerably fewer.
A couple of the fish gave the nameless guy’s Hardy a real workout, and I had two that put the hurt on my considerably newer Galvan model.
Rich’s biggest fish got well downriver of the boat, so Ian went after him with the net. The fish had other ideas, leading all of us on a chase of Keystone Cops proportions:
My best fish came late in the day; a nice rainbow that reached from Ian’s fingers to his elbow joint.
Like the rest of the trout we caught (at least those of any size), it was a hot fish.
In your face, Nameless Guy. I got me one…
The Holston is an interesting fishery; it’s not the first river that leaps to mind when you start thinking about killer trout rivers, but the fish were bigger than in previous years, though the caddis hatch paled a little.
The Holston is still bordered largely by ranches, though more development is creeping in.
I fished a Steffen 8.5′ 5wt fiberglass rod while the Nameless Guy threw a lovely line with an East Branch graphite rod (sadly, East Branch is no longer in business, and this despite building the nicest graphite rods I’ve ever cast).
Sadly, that’s all for today. There’s a lot to do and little time to do it.
The weather for the backcountry trip is looking a little ragged; 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms over the next three days.
Given the coffin-like dimensions of my tent, let’s hope the rain showers are brief.
Naturally, you won’t be hearing from me again until Sunday evening (at the earliest).
I’ll be back with a wad of pictures and (hopefully) some good stories. Until then, see you on the river, Tom Chandler.
[tags]fly fishing, fishing, tennessee, holsten river, rainbow trout, brown trout, caddis, ian rutter, nameless guy[/tags]
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Talked to TC yesterday morning just before he headed out on the backpack portion of his trip, said he would be back on line Sunday.
David
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Farms, Tom, Farms. They don’t have “ranches” in Tennessee or No’th Ca’olina. I’ll think of you when I’m sipping my Julep, watching the Derby, and collecting my winnings, while you’re out there humping a ruck that you’ve obviously overloaded.
Tight lines.
“Kentucky Jim”
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