Cold Water Fishing Reports > GSMNP

Time in the mountains....

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mrl0004:
Time in the mountains is one of the few things that allows me to truly reset and relax. There's been a lot going on lately, some good and some not so good. Sometimes the only cure is to get away, and unplug from the world. Somewhere that I can focus only on getting the right drift, or which stream to fish. So a good buddy and myself headed to the mountains last week. As soon as we arrived I wanted to hit a small stream that I don't fish very often, because it's so small, but it's been a few years since I last fished it, so it was time.

A brief walk through this....



And you find yourself here...



This place is like a hidden gem. It's very difficult to fish due to all the overgrown rhodo. But because of that, you'll rarely encounter another fisherman.





However, with some stealthiness, technical casting and covering enough ground, you can fool one of the smoky's greatest treasures.



Truth be known, the scenery alone is worth the effort.





Almost every other visit to this stream, I am rewarded with a larger than average specimen for this small flow. I'm glad this was one of those trips!



After that, we rode around and did the touristy thing for a while.

mrl0004:
Then it was time to set up camp and enjoy some adult beverages before time to cook dinner.











My buddy must have thought we were in grizzly country. Spray and pray...



The next morning we woke up before daylight to ensure that we would be the first ones on the stream of probably my favorite brook trout stream in the park. Unfortunately more people fish it now than a few years ago. I fear it will only get worse. But I digress....

mrl0004:
The stream was just as beautiful as I remembered.



If the increase in fisherman weren't problem enough, the cockroaches have moved up farther than usual...



However, once climbing a few high waterfalls, I found what I came for.



Then another.




Almost every pool I cast a fly in held a beautiful brook trout.

mrl0004:
It probably helped that these guys were hatching all over the place...





There was also some other trout food buzzing around...



This will give you an idea of how much elevation change you will encounter on this stream...



I found a fly buried deep in a rhodo branch. Since I donated several myself, I thought it was ok to take this one.

mrl0004:
I came to this hole that didn't look exceptional, and with that fallen limb there presented quite the casting obstacle. I surprised myself and put the fly exactly where I wanted to and saw the fish slowly rise and take the fly from about 4ft away. This might be a new personal best brookie for me and by far one of the most colorful.

















What a rush. I am amazed at how colorful these fish can be. After a short photo session, I sent him back on his way...

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