Equipment

[Gerry Romer]

I think my age is beginning to show. Next time I'm at LRO I'm gonna look for an anglers checklist... one that I can mount on the dash - right next to the ignition switch. And, Byron, if you don't have one, you might wanna look into them.

I've posted elsewhere on this board about being somewhat anal about my gear... cleaning my waders and boots, drying and organizing my flies/boxes, rebuilding leaders and so on after every trip to the waters of East TN. And my son has got me using a 14 gal. tote for storing and hauling my gear to and from the car.

So this past Sunday morning, I'm up at about 4:45 getting my stuff together for a trip to the Hiwassee, hoping to meet up with Hans and whoever else is headed there. Pick up my son, make the mandatory stop at Hardee's, and head down 411. We pull into the Big Bend parking area at about 6:45 and find Hans' truck and David's Camry but no David and no Hans. We decide to gear up and wade out hoping to find them since there's nobody else around. I pull out my tote and before I even get my waders on I realize I don't have my rod.:eek:

On my way out the door, in my haste, I grabbed an old Wal-Mart special 9' SA rod and threw it in the back of the Rodeo thinking that I already had my TFO in the car! I thought that since I was planning on spending the day on the water, I might want to try some Czech nymphing and that old SA rod would be a good one to try that with. It casts like an old straw broom handle! But for high-sticking, hey... why not? Fortunately I had (in my trusty tote) my BBS II loaded with a RIO 5 wt. pocket water and a BlueSky ultralight furled leader - told you I was anal. After about a half hour on the water I was able to figure out how to cast that monster. It's definitely not a finesse rod, but I figured the only thing between me and the fish was a few feet of line and a whole bunch of trial and error. (This is the lemons from lemonade part.) All was not lost and my son and I had a fairly good day on the HI. A couple pics...


Rainbow in a Ghost
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l233/gwrom/EPSN1262.jpg

Hiwassee bow on a blue quill dry
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l233/gwrom/DSC00354.jpg


Brett's brown on a blue quill wet dropped under a parachute adams
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l233/gwrom/DSC00346.jpg


Brett's first brown of the day.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l233/gwrom/EPSN1244.jpg

All in all not a bad day. We did eventually meet up with Hans and PA and met Trevor. So, okay, I made some lemonade and in a strange way I kinda like that old SA.

Along comes Wednesday and I've gotten off work a few hours early and I decide to run up to the park (yeah, eat your hearts out... I live close enough to do that). Call up Brett to see if he wants to go and he's all for it. No particular place in mind... just someplace on the East Prong. Head up toward the sinks and spy a pretty little run about 3, maybe 3 1/2 miles from the Y, pull off, scope it out and decide to give it a shot. Pull out my tote and begin to gear up - yeah, I made sure to grab BOTH my TFO and my St. Croix. Pulled out the waders, debating whether or not to go wet wading since the water had warmed up quite a bit and I've been anxious to go wet wading again. In fact, before leaving the house I stopped to dig out my Chota wading socks (thank you again, Daniel)... just in case. I get my waders started and realize I forgot my boots.

Now do you see why I want that angler's checklist? Right by the ignition switch??

Can't let a little thing like boots keep an anxious wet-wader from his fish... Right??

No way I was going back home for them. Right. I live in Maryville (eat your hearts out??) but at 6:15, with only about 2 hours of sunlight left I just couldn't see giving up one of those hours to driving. What's that old saying... necessity is the mother of invention...

I put on my knee-length wading socks, grabbed my Chota wading boots and crammed my feet back into my Crocs! I wouldn't recommend Crocs for most mountain streams or tailwaters for that matter, but for shallow runs of small rock and gravel bottoms they're not too bad . First wet wade of the season! Yay!!

Oh, yeah... that other old saying about the proof being in the pudding?

4/25/07 East Prong Brown - 10 1/2"
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l233/gwrom/DSC00372.jpg


4/25/07 Colorful little guy
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l233/gwrom/DSC00371.jpg

So, Byron, next time you're at the tackle and gear shows, keep your eye out for a dash-mounted angler's checklist. I bet you could sell a few. I know I'd buy at least 2.

Gerry:rolleyes:

[tennswede]

That was hilarious, sorry we didn't get to fish together. I probably will make another trek down to the HI in May. The rest of the year I will be in the park. I'm sure we will bumb into each other some place in the future.

[DryFly1]

Hey Gerry,

Nice post and great pics. I'm very much on the OCD side when it comes to my fishing trips. I use a list for my back country excursions but for local trips I will stand and view my loaded gear and do a "mental checkoff" before ever thinking about hitting the road. To this day,I have never forgotten anything even after all these years! I usually load all my gear the night before and this affords me the opportunity to check my gear twice..

BTW- Croc's are a hiker and fisherman's best friend. They are light weight and I usually keep them attached to the back of my pack with a beaner when going into the BC! They are great camp shoes and I EVEN hike in them at times.

Mark...

[Gerry Romer]

Yeah, but you ain't lived a near-death experience 'til you've tried wet-wading in 'em:eek:

[Paula Begley]

Gerry

Don't feel bad, buddy. I did that very same thing one time. I was headed into the park to fish with a bunch of girl friends...got there...nope, boots were not in my fishing basket! I just put on my waders and pulled my teva's on over the stocking foot! It was hazardous...but I was fishing!

Ran into a bunch of people that day...I just kept imagining people asking themselves why a fly shop owner did not have wading boots! :biggrin:

Paula

[Kingstonian]

That kind of absentmindedness is just a sign of getting older. The next thing that happens is you start repeating yourself. You might consider just buying a utility trailer and keeping all your stuff in it so all you have to do is hook up and go.

But then, that kind of absentmindedness is just a sign of getting older. The next thing that happens is you start repeating yourself. Maybe if you had a utility trailer, you could keep all your stuff in it and just hook it up and tow it along so you have everything with you.

Of course, that kind of absentmindness is just a sign of getting older.

[scflyfisher]

Gerry,

Don't feel too bad, I write this on a piece of paper before every trip I take:

- Rod
- Reel
- Vest
- Net
- Waders, wading socks, boots and wading belt
- Back-up rod & reel
- Camera (not sure why lately)
- Sunglasses
- Buz-off hat


I do this every time and I am only 26 years old. Not long after I got into this game, I got a sage 3wt and ross colorado 0 as my college graduation present. I got it about 2 days before a trip I had planned to Townsend to break in the new rod, and man was I excited about it. Got to Townsend and started going through my gear and realized I left the reel at home, only 3 1/2 hours away. Had to buy a "cost-efficient" reel at LRO that weekend b/c there was no way I was not fishing. I had never fly-fished the park, ansd had no idea what I was doing. I caught one fish, about a 12 inch brown. I was casting a parachute adams almost directly downstream, had a bad drift and this fish ate it for me. Had to be the dumbest fish in the park looking back, but it made that entire trip for me.

After that experience I always right out my list before I go and I have never had a problem since.

Matt

[Paula Begley]

That kind of absentmindedness is just a sign of getting older. The next thing that happens is you start repeating yourself. You might consider just buying a utility trailer and keeping all your stuff in it so all you have to do is hook up and go.

But then, that kind of absentmindedness is just a sign of getting older. The next thing that happens is you start repeating yourself. Maybe if you had a utility trailer, you could keep all your stuff in it and just hook it up and tow it along so you have everything with you.

Of course, that kind of absentmindness is just a sign of getting older.


HAHAHA!!! ROFL!

HAHAHA!!! ROFL! ;)

Paula

[David Knapp]

Done that a few times myself. I started for the Caney one time and got clear down to Cookeville before I remembered my boots. I had to drive back to Crossville, get the boots and of course still had to go fishing so drove back to the river...

Forgot my vest once also on a Smokies trip...thankfully all I needed was some tippet and Kevin (redc4man) was kind enough to provide some.

Now, everytime I go fishing, I always run down the list in my head as I'm getting in my car. Rod, check...reel, check...vest, boots, waders, check....:rolleyes:

Nice pictures btw...I especially like that wild brown from the Smokies...

[Troutman]

Left early before daylight once, heading to the S. Holston, thinking only of being the first on the water. After driving for about an hour, I realized that after all the checking and double checking my gear to make sure I had way more than I needed, I had left my wallet and fishing license at home.:frown:
I've added that to my checkoff list ever since.

[Gerry Romer]

Okay, so now there's at least six of us that need a dashboard mounted checklist. Byron, this is called pre-selling...

Gerry

[Jswitow]

The check-list is a good idea! Make a tablet of them so you could check it off and throw it away each time and have to actually do the check list each time. I forgot my boots back in March. Turned around and ran back to LRO to buy a pair. They said "you don't really need new boots right now do you?"
I said; no. They loaned me a pair for the day. One more reason to be good to your local world class fly shop!
I would forget alot more gear if I didn't promptly throw it back in the old Wagoneer (my son calls it the rolling turd! He may laugh now, one day it will be his, then who'll be laughing! Of course he will hit me up for gas money, then I'll be crying.) once it is dried out. What were we talking about?
Anyway tight lines,
John

[Paula Begley]

Turned around and ran back to LRO to buy a pair. They said "you don't really need new boots right now do you?"
I said; no. They loaned me a pair for the day.

big mouth! :rolleyes:

:biggrin:

Paula

[TroutDude]

I loved this post. I've forgotten things so many times I can't remember how many times I've done it. Luckily the worst I've done so far is forgetting my wading boots on a stream about a hour away, yep I ended up fishing in a pair of leather top-siders with no socks. Lets just say they are the most stable on slick rocks. And blisters.... my oh my. I'm just thankful I did remember my wading staff.

I currently have 2 checklists that I try to use. One is for local trips and the second is for travel. Needless to say, the travel is a bit more important. I have also bought doubles of most of the tools/accessories that I commonly use. One set stays hanging on a lanyard around my waders. The other in a chestpack that I travel with. I've also gone to using SA waterproof fly boxes with inserts, and I keep doubles of the flies I uses the most in multiple boxes.

Al this... and I'm only how old?

By the way... I work as a caretaker of a historic home and I live on property. I can't tell you how many times I run home at some time during the day and end up locking my keys inside. Anyway.

Have a good one.

Dude

[billyspey]

i have an old friend who i use to fish with ,in fact he taught me flyfishing. years ago we took afew trips to montana he was very organised he would give me a list of everthing that i would need for our trip weeks in advance. on 1 of or trips to cameron mt., madison river cabins {at that time you could rent a cabin on the madison for $25. a night} he forgot his underware . .its was a long way to find underware from cameron mt. i never let him live it down. fished 1 morning on the madison, ran rest of the day searching for his drawers. this guy is so straight lace. had a great time with him ,good fisherman never fished with him that he didn't catch fish once on the clinch before weir dam days he caught one of the largest bows that i had seen on the clinch with an adams sunk.

[MTN_TRT]

Ive never forgotten anything...or atleast, not that I remember..

[billyspey]

well i have to confess went fishing today, forgot my net at home, lost a 26" rainbow at the boat!!!! i bet i remember next time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gerry Romer]

**it happens. We deal with it because (c'mon let's all say it together...) We're addicted!

Gerry