Trophy Fishing TN Forum - Caney Fork Trout Fly Fishing - Caney Fork Trout Guide
Warm Water Fishing Reports => The TN Muskie Addiction => Topic started by: TWiles on September 27, 2010, 07:12:38 PM
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If you haven't been....you should go. If life ever gives me the opportunity, I hope to own property in this area---Here's why:
The Arrival:
Got the late start on Friday, one holdup after another, grocery stops, gas stops, drop off Fed Ex package....get to some water! Our original planned campsite was loaded with junky old clunker campers with no space for tents....20 miles out of our way, but we kept on rolling. Campsite #2, not bad, but not quite right. Campsite location #3 PERFECT! Boat lauch, river bank, and had it all to ourselves.
We're Home!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2859.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMAG0024.jpg)
Launched the boat...drifted to campsite, casting for muskie, ofcourse! Unbelievable water, clear as the SoHo-- you could see every stone and boulder in the 30 ft holes...freakin' awesome!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMAG0023.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMAG0022.jpg)
Crystal getting some R&R when I floated in:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMAG0025.jpg)
Made the firewood run..with the chainsaw--this is comfy campin'. About 4 miles up a dusty gravel road.....Here's what we saw:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2860.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2861.jpg)
We get back to the campsite, chucking big musky plugs and bucktails into the dark of night...no takes, but our hopes are high, and we are excited about the promise of tomorrow. The campfire was perfect, our steak dinner was awesome, and the Octoberfest beer topped it off. Best night's sleep I have had in a long time.
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Day Two
I awake early to the sounds of nature. Crystal wants to sleep in, so I'm off for topwater fishing. Boat's chained right at the bank, ready to roll, so I hop in and slip upstream with the trolling motor. Around the bend, I get to some shoals. All to myself...
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2862.jpg)
Standing on the logjam of the middle bridge pile on:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2866.jpg)
Upstream view, as I'm getting busts by smallies on topwater:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2869.jpg)
Caught several of these guys as I waded to the top shoal in the picture:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2868.jpg)
Bite was a little slower than years past, since the cool weather had not hit yet...but fishing was still great.
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The Float:
I drifted back to the campsite, got the fire going and the coffee started. The skillet potatoes and sausage got a little burned, but we didn't care....we were happy to feed our bellies with fishing fuel. We arranged for our shuttle, loaded the boat and locked down our gear. As we finished breakfast, two anglers in a small jon boat drift by and I can hear the commotion as they're shouting about the musky that just followed in their plug right in front of our campsite...It's going to be a great day!
We got launched and the day began.
The first hour was a bit slow. Letting the floatillas of kayakers pass by, we took our time to finish the evening as the last boat in line. It felt kinda like the Caney, but the river was so wide that no one ever really got in the way.
Out of a deep hole, looking off in the distance, Crystal starts yelling:
"Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! A F'n Musky!!!!!! A big boy had followed her bucktail right up to the boat. The clear water showed off his stripes and colors beautifully. He quietly drifted back down into the deep pool out of site. Several more casts later, no dice, but hearing her uncontrolled panicked profanity at that musky follow just warmed my heart ;D.
We floated on:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2871.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2870.jpg)
A rapid that almost swamped us:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2874.jpg)
A victory beer to calm our nerves:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2876.jpg)
Watching the carnage as the canoers kept getting stuck:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2873.jpg)
It felt kind of wrong passing by shoal after shoal of perfect smallie water to fish the long, deep pools. But we could already sense evening slippin in, and did not want to get stuck after dark on a 6 mile rocky float. We eased into a tempting deep stretch, and right off the bat, I spotted a fat musky glued to the bottom in 20 foot of water...Game time!!!!!!!
30 yards of frantic casting of my Giant Tinsel Bucktail....It happened!!!!!!I spotted the giant gator getting closer and closer as he charged the bait. His large white jaws gaping wide open he ripped a hole in the water. It was like an out of body experience where everything happens in slow motion. I saw the aggressive stalk unfold atleast 15 yards before he scarfed the bait and the subsurface head slashes began.
"AAAAAAggggghhhhh!" Screaming at the top of my lungs "Oh my God!!!!" I stuck a solid hookset. Now I just had to hang on. He circled around the small boat and then launched 2 feet out of the water. KAPLOOOSH! In the mist of the showered splash, my 4 oz bucktail got launched back at me, and you could hear the blades rattling in the air. I was a nervous wreck. I tried to keep my composure as my trembling hands untangled the slack line.
Then here goes Crystal..."AAAAAgggggghhhhhhh!!!! I saw him chase it in!!!!!" She's got a musky on her bucktail tethered to only 2 feet of line. Headshaking and splashing the water like crazy.
Flip the Bail , Flip the Bail I yell. I can't I have to sit down Poor Crystal is afraid she's going to fall in. I watch her fish churn the water to froth and head shake to freedom in about 10 seconds of chaos. Now she’s rattled and shaking. Unbelievable!
We float on to the next deep hole, and there’s a giant fish laying on the bottom. We cast several times, no dice. 20 yards later, Crystal’s yelling again...she’s got a mid 40's fish on the chase, but she freezes, and can’t figure 8. I watched the catchable fish calm back down...and I can’t get mad...but I keep on yelling, “Figure 8! Figure 8!”
Next deep hole, Crystal starts yelling...another take. A large boil and flash where her bait landed, but no hookup.
My God guys....we did not land any, but that was the most intense hour of fishing that I could have ever pictured.
There is no easy way to those fish, and we’ll just have to leave them for next time. Evening was sinking in heavy, and we still had several low light shoals to get done with our float.
A few more scenes:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2878.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2877.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2879-1.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2882.jpg)
We drifted back in the dark, making it back to our campsite still in time to eat at a small dive restaurant called the Palisades. This place was awesome. A great menu, later night hours, microbrews and brick oven pizzas.
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2885.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2887.jpg)
About a 2 mile drive, we’re back at camp. We drank a bottle of champagne to celebrate a truly blessed day. It was perfect. I woke up to rain on the tent. Launched the boat, and raised Crystal’s first muskie twice downstream, but no hookups this morning.
We packed up the gear , drove to a town up river and watched Sunday football at a great little wing joint/Sports Bar.
Cajun Asian and Garlic BBQ.
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMAG0026.jpg)
Drove home in the rain. Now back to real life.....and planning the soonest time we can return. If not this fall, definitely this winter.
Travis
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Awesome report- I feel like I was along for the ride!! ;D What a rush those monsters must put on you! Nice job, thanks for posting
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NICE!!
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Beautiful Trip Travis!
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Great report and thank you for sharing.
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Awesome Travis! Great report and beautiful photos. Set it up, we'll do a trip up there.
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Sounds like a blast... them musky sure have a way of spitting them hooks.
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Sounds like an awful fun trip, even without muskies to hand. That's a beautiful river, for sure.
Next time you're up that way you might want to detour over to Cuz's, off US19/460 between Claypool Hill and Tazwell for dinner. It's only a bit out of the way, especially if you're coming back on 460 from the portion of river near Bluestone -- well worth driving down to Abingdon rather than catching I-77 south... My wife and I were up that way earlier this summer chasing some fish for a research project, and we stumbled into this place a bit on the tired, wet and hungry side -- the waitstaff didn't seem to care about the puddles (sorry about that!) and the food was outstanding!
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Awesome report, you should have been a writer Travis. Great pictures too!
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Wow, that was great Travis!
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I miss home. Thanks for sharing the story.
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Thanks to John I got a chance to fish the New for the first time this weekend. I have been aware of this river since 1990 when I befriended Boog Meyers that lives in Pearisburg, VA. John and I camped in the same spot that Travis and Crystal. Boog came down and visited with his boys both nights we were there. It's was the first time I had seen him in 20 years.
We floated the same stretch that Travis and Crystal did. What a GORGEOUS river! The scenery alone is awe inspring! We raised around 8 musky, 3 of which came within the first few hundred yards from the put in at the campground. Most moved to flies but a couple, including the one I landed, came on large plugs. Thanks for inspiring us to to go you two!
(http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx334/mountainmajestic/NR102.jpg)
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nice!
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Nice fish buddy.
I'm glad you guys got to experience it. Sounds like the rains had water a bit more stained for you guys. I bet you would have seen several more follows if it was as clear as our trip. That's a great place to have a good buddy living...we might have to go and pay him another visit and pick his brain for new spots.
If all goes as planned, Crystal and I will be back up that way for another visit to float some different stretches this weekend. Gotta get away before new business ownership adds tons of new responsibilities.
Hope everyone has good fishing this weekend.
Travis
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Glad you all got out for a little fun & a lot of adrenaline!
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Great fish! :)
I got to try this river!
What is a good place to put in for a float trip?
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Radford VA is a great place to start. But seriously, anywhere from it's origin in North Carolina to West Virginia, this river is amazing. SO much water you'll never get to fish it all.
Here you go:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=163§ion=maps
I promise, if you go there once, you'll be hooked.
Travis
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Another weekend to chase muskies...Crystal and I were up for it. The Fall colors were starting to light up, and our hopes were high to chase some fish in the larger pools where we could put in and take out without having to float and shuttle long distances.
Unfortunately, the brisk wind got the best of us. 25 mph gusts that blew us upstream all day, made for some frustrating fishing. To top it off, Crystal was sick...but she hung in there, and an occaisional Octoberfest Beer kept our fishing fuel up.
A few scenes from the arrival on Friday, and the windy Bluebird Saturday:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2899.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2900.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2902.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2903.jpg)
Evening sank in, and we decided to launch from a deep bend in the river that I've been dreaming about fishing since I saw it 4 years ago. We launched in the steep canyon walls with the wind still gusting, but as the sun sank, the wind died down. In the first hour of fishing, I raised 2 smaller muskies to follow the bucktail, but they gave up after short chases both times...Still, this fired me up for more, as Crystal napped in the back of the boat.
With the light fading, I threw the fly for a bit, and watched a Nice musky chase my Purple Hang-Time in for 10 yards, nipping at the tail in the last few feet.
Now the glare of dusk made the whole river calm. I woke Crystal up, and we both cast to two more muskies spotted in the deep water. One of which chased my fly up to the trolling motor, but wouldn't eat on the 8.
DAMN! We finally found fish in the 11th hour, and now it's dark.
Last resort, I cast a Big Zara Spook as we neared the truck and had a huge boil and bust that I know was a musky. I reacted and ripped the bait out of the water, and could see the fish still waking. On the fast cast back, I snagged Crystals rod, and managed a horrible backlash that couldn't be untangled. GAME OVER! It's dark now, time to go. I'm so fired up now to return to a stretch where we spotted 8 fish in less than an hour's fishing!
Sunday Morning we had to head home to finish some chores, but I got to sneak to the river while Crystal rested, to sleep off her cold.
The river was so nice in the early mist. If it had been 2 weeks earlier, I'm certain the topwater bite would have been great. Still I did manage to hook a musky that made a Dog-Sized Boil in the river and gave me atleast 5 seconds of head shakes before he shook off.
Here's the bait he ate...Note the fields of weedlines...this hole is absolutely loaded with them:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2911.jpg)
Peaceful morning and sunrise:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2906.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2907.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2908.jpg)
The Mayhem of musky fever...I've got it bad boys...can't get these darn fish outof my head:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2910.jpg)
I'll have to take the pursuit back home...I found this stetch near the house last week...I know I'll get one here:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2896.jpg)
Travis
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Was that a coke snorting squirrel???
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How could you ever snag your line on anything? ;D
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r22/traviswiles/IMGP2910.jpg)
I'm up for it if you need a partner..I also have access to a crawdad.
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You, Me, and Kilday will have to do a float soon. I'm betting that after the leaves fall and the water clears, there will be some hungry Greene County muskies to chase your way.
I'm going to the UT/Alabama massacre this weekend, but it should free up as Nov approaches. Hope you and the boy had a great run on the MotoX trail this year!
As for the gear.....I think I am now worse than Maniac.. :-\ They could film an episode of "Hoarders" with me and my little boat!
Travis
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Nice essay...Im sure Eddie is happy to see the hat on your wife...