Hello everyone. This is my first post. I've been living vicariously though some of your post for a few months now. What a joy it was to actually get out and do a little fishing last week. Oh, there have been some near misses this summer. The most memorable being a family trip to the smokies. This is where I stood in a mountain stream with sunlight filtering through the trees and blooming mountain laurel covering the banks. While the scene itself was remarkable, it was watching the rising Brookies without a fly rod in hand that was just too much. After postponing a trip to the Kern and scratching off some locals, all more or less due to rain or flows, I finally hit-up my fourth option. Turned out to be a blast and cant wait to get back. Enjoy the photos (hopefully) and yes, I'll work on using something other than the iphone next time.
locals:
trip to the kern:
over the hill and into my first golden:
last spot of the day. I had a bit of an experience here. I hiked about a mile in and arrived at the river at dusk. I was surprised to see the river more closely resemble a spring creek than a freestone river. Flat, glassy water with trout sipping the surface. Now this was nothing like silver creek or the fall river - but I was a bit concerned about the 6' 3wt I held in my hand. Of course my 9' 4wt was in the truck. First cast.... bushes on the back cast. Second cast found the water, a gentle mend, and wham! I yanked the fly right out of the mouth of a heavy fish. I stepped away, ate a granola bar and took in the near dark surroundings. A few minutes later I approached the same spot to find fish rising again, albeit less frequently. Cast.... same result. This fish was not quite as heavy - but I yanked the fly right out. Of all the experiences and places I saw last week, I cant wait to get back to that spot at dusk!
Tight lines -
Tom Greek (with posting help from Daughter, Milla
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