Smokies Report July 18, 2011

[Bran]

Originally Posted by ijsouth

I'm heading out west, to the San Juans, in a couple of days...out there, the brookies are pests, and they have liberal limits for the smaller ones...it's interesting to see the other side of the coin.

Man it's good to hear from you, I even searched your posts a couple weeks ago to see if I had just happened to have missed you!
That's an interesting point there, one I had never considered, that our prized native fish could be someone else's trash fish. I've been out west but I've never fished out there before, at least not for Trout so I didn't realize that.
On a side note I was reading Vic Weals book again the other night and had to stop and examine that picture of the man with the 24" Bow caught at Elkmont in the 1930's. Monster!

[NDuncan]

Originally Posted by Green Weenie

Best. Post. Ever.

[muskrat]

I don't care what you say that's some funny stuff!!

[ijsouth]

Thanks Bran! I didn't think anyone would remember me - it's been so long since I've posted...I read the fishing report every day, but other than that, I'm just so busy I just don't have much time to post. Plus, I haven't had much to post this year - my twins and I went up after Easter to the Smokies and did real well. Unfortunately, it looks like my girls don't have much interest in chasing fish up the streams - it's that age they're at, I guess. I made a deal with them - I took them to Panama City last week, so they could play at the beach - not my pick of a trip, but we all had fun. In return, I get my trip out west, starting tomorrow evening. I'm going to try to not be such a stranger...

[ijsouth]

Gotta love the mock Dos Equis ad...the thing is, in places it is shockingly accurate. Up in Shenandoah NP, the rules are any Brown Trout caught cannot be returned to the water. I asked someone up there exactly what that meant; it means that, if legal length in VA, you could keep it (up to the possession limit), but that all others were to be pitched up in the woods for the bears and raccoons. The reasoning is, the park wants to keep the streams totally cleared of Browns, but at the same time staying "legal" with the VA trout regs. It was the dumbest thing I've heard - I've never caught a brown in SNP, but if I do, and it has to be killed, I'll be ****ed if I waste it...that's a crime.

[Bran]

You're right, that's crazy! Good luck on your trip, and hope above all you have a safe one.