I felt like a kid again...
 

Spent a week in western NC last week. First time trout fishing, second time fly. It had been 26 years since I last dropped a line in the water. Funny how all the various techniques start to come back to you.

Second night there, a few casts on wet fly and got my first hit. Pulled in the first - a modest 8" brown trout. I could not stop grinning.

I miss sitting on the side of the pond where I grew up drowning worms all day, all summer.

Where do you live, and what part of NC? I love fishing (mostly bass) but don't get out near as much as I'd like to...

Live in Ohio, we stayed about 15 miles out of Robbinsville. It's scary when you start stacking up the years and thinking about how long its been since I'd really done any fishing. Always seems to be something getting in the way. Amazing how relaxing it is.

Cheaper than therapy too. :D

Funny, Duke Zink and I tore through the Tail of the Dragon this past Friday and we were both smiling from ear to ear. Nothing like some car therapy on those roads around there.

Used to fly fish in Montana. Really miss it but no time these days...

Good for you Icemaster.... don't wait so long in between fishing trips next time...

got back in to fishing this year after a very long absensce.
cant figure for the life of me why i ever quite.
pussy i guess? same game really.

i miss the trout fishing i did when i was in Frederick, Md. once you get used to moving water ponds just don't have the appeal they used to. so cool to see the end of your line stop all of a sudden, give a slight lift/pull and bam!

tying was very good quiet time as well. i recall using a lot of lead wrapped bead heads. couldn't tie a really nice dry per the books so i did ants which worked quite well.

IIRC browns are canibals right? very cool to see a group in a lineup for feeding and watch the jostling for position that goes on.

Jim,

We hit 129 both ways, albeit probably a bit more sedately than you guys. Tough to get fancy in an Outback wagon with 2 kids in the car. Dramamine worked. I remember thinking of only 3 or 4 times on the stretch that I'd even get out of 3'rd if I was driving the targa.

The really weird part about the fishing was that I'd end up standing in the stream or on the bank and totally lose track of time. 3 hours went by with me thinking it had been maybe 30 minutes. Amazing how Zen one can become...

The browns were cagy little bastards. Get them on the line and they dive for shelter - zip behind a log, nearest rock, whatever. Then you're really fighting to get them out of the hole.

Gotta head back soon.

3rd gear is for when you're all finished. It's way more fun in second and hearing the sweet tunes.

Btw- I think Jim and I saw 20-30 trout fishermen while we were enjoying the roads. Where abouts in OH, I grew up in Wapakoneta.

I need to upload some vids STAT!!!

Off to Streetfire.........

Fishing is the thing I will always go back to. Fishing always revives memories that go back to my childhood, maybe because of the meditation and contact with nature. The only reason I do not do it much these days is because of the time I spend with my 2yr old daughter. But very soon, she will come fishing with me !

Aurel

If you were anywhere along Snowbird road mid-week near Robbinsville, I was one of them. You guys weren't in the white GT3 were you? :D

Ah, Wapakoneta. Home of Neil and his Air & Space museum. Been there a couple times. He still lives just north of town. I'm in Cincinnati. How long were you there?

Duke chasing me down the Devils Backbone:

http://px2.sfstatic.com/handlers/Get...d=172437&w=120Bill chasing Bill looking back

Jim that looks so nice in the video. So green!

How about you show me? I'll bring the beer...SmileWavy

Throw this into Google Earth, about 1 mile in either direction is where I spent most of the time. 35 15 45.63 N 83 56 13.25 W

I'm not religious, but East Tennessee/Western North Carolina is god's country...just living here is therapy...