chutejumper

Sorry for the delay to post my report, had to leave a day early for an emergency back home. Got on the water around 2:00 pm on monday the 12th, very warm out, some wind but very little water flow. Went up to lookout, not many people there, started at the end nearest the dam using a black zebra midge size 16, with #7 tippet, set shallow about 18 inches, got a strike on the second cast, and hooked up with a 15 inch rainbow on the 3rd, very aggressive strike and put up a good fight. continued on for about an hour very little result, and occasional strike but no hookups. Went to a red zebra fished the same and the strikes stopped. I noticed a number of larger fish down stream from me on the bottom feeding from my movement. I switched to a dark grey and red sowbug size 18, and fished it deep about 4 feet, things started to improve and I landed 2 more rainbow, in the 14 inch range. At around 4:00 pm noticed the midge hatch, and that the fish would occasionally hit my strike indicator on the surface. went back to the zebra in black, shallow but a size 18, landed 2 more rainbow straight away, then they stopped. gave it up at around 5:00 and headed back to Lilleys. Tuesday the 13th, headed back up to lookout at about 10:30 am, the day started out very well! I had just tied on a silver beadhead gray sowbug size 16, dropped it in the water and started to strip out some line, as I stared to cast it appeared that the fly might have been trapped in the rocks under the indicator, but to my amazement it took off down stream, worked the fish for about 5 minutes and got him in the net, a very nice fat 18 inch rainbow had taken the sowbug as soon as it hit the water. I fished the sowbug till around 12:30 with varing success, catching 6 more rainbows in the 14 to 16 inch range. The sun was in and out, and I would catch fish when it was cloudy with some chop on the water, but when it would go clear and the surface would smooth things would get slow. Went up to MDC ramp, and fished from there down to KOA with a dark brown #20 scud under a black beadhead zebra dropper #16 with little success for the next couple of hours, only landing 2 more fish a small rainbow and a 15 inch brown. Decided to try lookout again on my way back, started stripping a black wooley in the shallows and started catching fish, no large fish around 14 to 15 inch but very aggressive strikes and putting up a good fight, this was very productive for about an hour than it slowed. Went back to drifting a beadhead sowbug in grey #16, fished at around 36 inches and stared to catch a few rainbows again. Stayed on the sowbug until 5:00 and called it a day. All in all caught 17 fish that day, stripping wooleys being the most productive with drifting the sowbug a close second when it was cloudy. The colors were good in the trees and it was not crowded which made up for the fishing being a little slow. I believe if it gets colder, they run some water and some overcast the fishing would be very good.

Got on the water early on the 15th about 6:30, water was a little higher than I expected and was moving at a fair pace. I had parked at the MDC ramp so I made my way down to just above the old KOA location. Started with a size 14 red zebra midge with silver wire, not much action out in the deep fast water, so I pulled back to the shallows back from the running current, reset at about 18 inches with a strike indicator. Landed 5 rainbows in the next hour and a half, fair fish 15 to 16 inchers, with a lot of fight. Noticed the water was slowly rising and increasing in speed so I moved back up to the stairs below the MDC ramp, and worked the slower water there for another 45 minutes. landed 2 more small rainbows there with the Zebra set deeper at about 36 inches. Changed to a size 16 gray scud, a couple of light strikes but no takers. Water got faster so I gave it up for the day. Back on the water early the 16th around 7:00 am just at day light, worked the shallow slower water from the MDC ramp down to Clay banks. Hit a couple of pockets just above the chute at KOA where I landed several smaller rainbows one after another, nothing big around stocker size but put up a very good fight. Caught these on a size 16 black zebra with gold bead and wire, set shallow at about 18 inches. Tried several different flies from scud bugs thru egg patterns but it got very slow, ended back on the Black zebra as I worked my way back to the MDC ramp, fished for about 2 hours, landed 9 rainbows and broke off 1. all in all had a great time weather was good, caught trout, water was just a little faster than I usually fish.

Hits very close to home! Taught my son to fly fish several years ago and we always wade, Many times I told him we should be on the water very early before the sun comes up! He always ask why, and I was always short on explanation for a reason. Than late in the fall a couple of years ago we were down at the the dam at around 5:30 am, and waided out just above the chute a KOA. The air was very cool, clear and crisp, almost dead silence except for the sound of the water running, the riffles, calling and the occasional trout breaking the water. The fog setteled in slowly over the water, and moved like some huge being awakening from a deep sleep, as we cast the water flow speed was perfect! and we started hitting trout on every cast, nothing huge but some very nice fish with good color and great fight. I watched my son land 11 in a row on 11 casts, as the fog settled slowly down to the surface, you could see the colors on the horizon, and in the trees as the sun begain to offer light, I looked at my son with this huge smile on his face as he enjoyed the colors of the coming day, than he looked at me and said, "now I understand" I feel very privilaged to have shared that moment with him. Hope this sport brings the same to you as well.

In my opinion it should be Illegal. Part of the art of fly fishing is the ability, to read the water, read feeding trends, create effective flies, master presentation, and to single out a certain type, size, or species. If we are going to support shuffling we lower standards of the art, and as unfortunately in society today lower the skills and knowledge required to pursue this sport. We don't need fly fishing for dummies.

Fishing report Dec 12, 2005 Got on the water at about 12:30 boated up to lookout and decided to wade at the top of the island, No generation but started to get a fair chop on the water from the wind, and occasional clouds, started with a zebra, black # 16 set about 20 inches below the indicator caught 2 Raindows on the first 3 casts, nothing huge but around 12 inches. For the first hour or so I tied on a tried several different flies, Zebra, Scud, Midge, etc. in all colors and sizes, they all caught fish, I than went to a # 16 silver bead head sow bug in light grey, and the fishing really started to pick up. I was getting a strike on every cast for some time, fished until 5:00 than headed in. I had caught 36 Trout during the afternoon, and had missed as many strikes as I landed, had several Rainbows at about 15 to 17 inches with great color and very strong, it was difficult to judge the fish size in the water, as they put on such a good fight. No Browns and it was all catch and release. Dec 13, 2005 Went back to lookout same location, worked well the day before though I would try my luck again, got there at about 11:00 and went back to the sowbug, this time I tried something different, I had tied some sowbugs with the fur combed from our pet Pomeranian Maxx, kind of a tan or light orange, # 16 with a bead head, they were great! Landed 11 Rainbow in the first hour, finally broke them all off, and had to go to the light grey from the day before, I noticed that with no generation that the depth was very important, after I would loose a fly, I would need to reset the strike indicator several times to get back into the fish. also if I moved location where it was deeper or shallower I would need to reset again. Fishing was very good until about 2:00 wind stopped, it was cloudy no generation, and the water got very smooth, it was slow for a while, noticed another fellow there you was still catching fish, he was stripping something. So I went to stripping woolies, landed a few on black, but they were much more aggressive on the white, and pink. They sounded the horn at about 4:00 so I went back to sowbugs until dark. Another great day! didn't keep count after the first ones caught on the Maxx sowbugs, but landed many fish, some very nice size in the 18 + inch range, broke off 9, lost many flies, half a dozen strike indicators, and had a great day! not many people on the water, very few boats, temp was not bad at all, It is a great time on year to be on Taney!