Hiwassee-Interesting Day

[Shaggy]

I decided to fish the Hiwassee yesterday so I got up early to get some time in on the river before they released the water at 11 am. I headed to the Big Bend area and waded and rock jumped my way out to my favorite run. I managed about 6 fish here, 5 bows and 1 small brown. As I was getting back to my car to move upstream I heard something moving thru the woods very fast towards me. I have to admit that this made me a little nervous. Out of the woods jumped a good sized buck, he headed across the parking lot towards the river. I grabbed my camera and got this pic......http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh66/7797chapman/P6210099.jpg


After this I headed upstream to try my luck using an olive wooly bugger that I had tied the night before in the fast moving water under the 2 generators. I had never fished with a bugger before, but will certainly do it more often. I caught a couple of nice 12-13" bows. As I was getting out of the water, this fella was there to greet me...http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh66/7797chapman/P6080093.jpg


Now I am not a snake expert, in fact, I see very few snakes while fishing, but I figured this guy for a harmless watersnake, was I correct? Just in case, I did keep my distance and found an alternative route out of the water.

Also, TWRA was out checking creels and licenses. I had my license checked for the FIRST time ever! They were writing alot of tickets. Some did not have proper licenses, but mostly for creel violations. I have to admit that I did not know that Hiwassee Brown Trout had to be 14" to keep. I rarely keep fish, but never browns on the Hiwassee. Apparently alot of other people were unaware of the size limit as well. It was good to see the rules enforced on the Hi. I hope they do it more often.

MikeC

[Petey]

Way to get an action shot of the Buck crossing the stream.

I was on the Hiwassee about 4 or 5 years ago with a friend of mine. We were positioned just above Colonel's Island, that is the Island just below Powerhouse boat ramp. We heard dogs up on the ridge above the parking lot, when we spotted a big old buck enter the water and swim across to the island. It was foggy, and view of him emerging from the fog in the woods to swim accross the water as it started to rise was intense. It was absolutely beautiful.

As far as your snake, from what I can tell in the picture it is a non-venomous banded water snake. I don't know its true name, but if it were a copper head, its head would be much more square. It would be wide and thick at the jaws.

It has a look like a copper head, part of it defense mechanism so other animals or people don't mess with it. They are all over the Hiwassee.

Petey :)

P.S. - Glad to hear TWRA was out enforcing the laws. Nothing tears me up more than to see people stock coolers with trout and keep more than their legal limit. The brown trout reg has been in place for going on a little more than a year. It goes from Reliance, where the trophy section starts and ends at the powerhouse. The latest shockings and studies reveal that the new brown trout reg is having a good effect on the brown trout fishery. Each study reveals it is getting better and better. Changing the thinking and the ideas of a people is a process by which the results are obtained by using baby steps. Now if we could just get TVA to give us a consistent flow to help with our aquatic life I really think we would be onto something. Baby steps.

[Petey]

This site has a pretty good description on Copperheads and water snakes in general found in Tennessee. If you scroll down you will see your snake, or what I think your snake is, on the far right hand side of the three pictures of non-venomous water snakes.


http://www.esd.ornl.gov/facilities/nerp/copperhead.pdf

Petey

[waterwolf]

Nice pics. and the snake is a water snake, they changed the names a few years ago, but I do Petey is right with banded. However, I would rather fight with copperheads then those things they have a bad attitude.

[WP Kittrell]

Never done it...thinking about a 1/2 day float tomorrow...thoughts? advice?

[bcunnin1]

Last time I was on the Hi I had a snake bump into me as I was waded mid stream. I didn't get his name but I can tell you I did not wait to find out what he was I just started hovering across the water..