Featured Photo: Streamer Eater on the Clinch

Featured Photo: Streamer Eater on the Clinch

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Fall On Little River



Fall break has arrived and with it I now have time to go fishing. Yesterday I kicked off the break with a trip to Little River to chase the browns. The water was up just enough to get the bugs hatching and the fish feeding.

I was not as interested in hatches of BWOs and Yellow Quills though. My main objective was big brown trout and with that in mind, I promised myself that I would give streamers a fair chance before changing my rig.

The sun was just rising as I arrived and rigged up. My first choice was a small streamer that has been effective on small stream smallmouth the last couple of years. After thoroughly working the first pool, I was just about to try another spot when I made one last cast. Immediately a little brown nailed it and the day was off and running.



For the next few hours, I caught several browns up to around 12 inches. The big ones eluded me though and in fact, I never really spotted any true giants. The largest fish I definitely saw was around 17-18 inches at most.  Sometimes it seems the river is devoid of large trout, and then you go another time and you spot big fish everywhere.  That's just part of the game.  Putting in your time on the water is the surest way to start finding these elusive fish and maybe even catching one.




Despite the lack of big trout, it was still a perfect day to be out, and I took full advantage of the overcast skies and feeding trout. The rainbows were on the feed as well, and when I changed to a double nymph rig later in the day, my catch quickly diversified.  A beautiful 12 inch rainbow came out of water where I was honestly expecting a large brown.  I can't complain though because a twelve in rainbow in the Park is not too common.

 
This time of year is my favorite, and not just for the fishing. The colors were awesome, and I took a few pictures to remind myself later of how beautiful the day was.  Once winter arrives with its grey skies and dreary days, I will look back and remember these perfect fall days and the great fishing they provided. 









6 comments:

  1. Where is this river located? Is it actually called Little River?

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  2. Little River is the actual name. It is on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains...

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  3. I am quite jealous David, but glad that you had a great trip. I really need to work on my small stream technique again. Also hate that you can't make the SoHo camping trip, I will let you know how it goes afterward.

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  4. Looks like a great spot. Thanks for the post. Nice fish photos.

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  5. David
    The Smokies is a special place in the fall not only for the colors but the trout too. thanks for sharing

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  6. This post makes me miss the Smokies in autumn.

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