Brookie Bash

[FishNHunt]

On Friday April 22 I slipped away for a while and headed to the park. I stopped at LRO for some leaders and a couple flies and spoke with Ethan about putting me on some brookies. Not only did he put me on them but, it was incredible and at some points rediculas at the amount of fish I was catching. I hiked in only a short piece and began to fished rather fast because of another engaugement that I had but, on the way out I timed myself and it took me 1 hour and 35 minutes of FAST hiking to get back to the truck and then make it to where I needed to be on time. I wet my line for a total of 4 hours and without a doubt caught 50 brookies or more. Most were in the 8-9 inch range and I lost a super nice fish that would have pushed 10 1/2 MAYBE 11 while trying to hold the line and grab the fish at the same time. I had two amazing experiences on this trip that I will forever remember. The first one I had to cast my fly in a 2 foot gap between two tree limbs hanging over the water and when I did my fly just hung their in mid air 3-4 inches above the water. There was a spider web that was invisible to me that was connecting the two limbs. When I was about to snatch the fly back for another cast a 6 inch brookie lept from the water and took the fly out of the air .... and I landed him to boot. The other I had fished out a rather deep pool and caught around 8 or so from it (as fast as you could take one off and get the fly back in the water) when I sat down to eat a snack and have a drink of water. While I was doing this I dusted up my fly and for some reason I flipped it off into the water. As I was about to pick up the rod to get the fly out of the water I watched a brookie come from the bottom, mouth wide open and engulf the fly. What actually caught my eye was the out of place black coming at me, which was the inside of the brookies mouth. Here are a few pictures from my trip.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/blountboy/2011_0423feb30009.jpg

I almost captured the take.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/blountboy/2011_0423feb30013.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/blountboy/2011_0423feb30014.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/blountboy/2011_0423feb30018.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/blountboy/2011_0423feb30021.jpg

Jack-in-the-pul-pit

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/blountboy/2011_0423feb30029.jpg

[Stonefly]

That 3rd photo is just a beaut. Big rocks too, I bet!

Steve

[duckypaddler]

Sweet Stuff! Glad to see more reports out there.

Most in the 8-9 inch range? Are you sure?

The fish definately look bigger this year.

[FishNHunt]

Allow me to rephrase that... most of the better fish were in the 8-9 inch range. There were the run of the mill 6 inchers and some finger links of course but, the better fish (to me) were 8-9 inchs. The fish in the 3rd picture was actually a dandy that I kick my tail for not having a reference beside to show it's actual size.

[Crockett]

Did you have to hike farther up that creek to find those big ones or were there some lower down near the bottom?

[ifish4wildtrout]

Very nice.

[duckypaddler]

Allow me to rephrase that... most of the better fish were in the 8-9 inch range. There were the run of the mill 6 inchers and some finger links of course but, the better fish (to me) were 8-9 inchs. The fish in the 3rd picture was actually a dandy that I kick my tail for not having a reference beside to show it's actual size.

Sorry didn't mean to be a smart a$# ;)

I bet that one in the 3rd pic was pushing 9 :smile:

[Stonefly]

I kick my tail for not having a reference beside to show it's actual size.

Just say that roundish rock above the dorsal was as wide as your hand. That'll give it some scale!

Steve

[spotlight]

Sweet fish! Very nice post....I love catching brooks it's never a matter of how large the fish are, but how fun they are to catch....just imagine the day when those were the only fish in the park....that must have been pretty cool and very peaceful fishing I am sure.

[FishNHunt]

What I enjoy is the solitude of the places that a brookie calls home. In those places I can begin to imagine what it must have been like when Sam Hunniecutt or Uncle Mark Cathy waded the streams of the Smokies. The fishing may not be the same or the trees virgin timber but, the enjoyment must have been one in the same.

[whitefeather]

FishNHunt,

Excellent! Nice post and pics! Thanks for sharing!