I picked up Robert Sparks around 11:45 this morning and we headed up to XXXXXXXXX XXXX on the Duck River to try our luck after a miserable day on the Elk River.
First the trip to the Elk.
They had stocked the Elk on Friday so the fishing should have been good by Monday. Robert and I arrived at Tim's Ford Dam around 1pm (as you will learn we are not "Crack O Dawn" fishermen!
The parking lot was almost full, a bad sign right off the bat! Fly Fishers were in the majority, a good sign! Well it was all down hill from there, nothing, nada. nil. I fellow had hooked 4 in 5 hours, I saw another roll one on a midge, Robert foul hooked a nice 14 inch 'bow, I never got a hit! I figured that the fly fishers present had put in some 40 total hours with only 5 fish brought to hand! The only thing most of had to show for it was a sunburn, it was in the high 70's and sunny.
Back to Tuesday and the Duck River. We arrived at XXXXXXXXX XXXX around noon suited up walked across the river and hiked about a 1/4 mile down stream before getting back in. Keep in mind that here are a couple of senior citizens humping through bush and bramble to get to the secret spot!
Robert opted to go a bit down stream, Sunday he'd hooked 14 in the hole I wanted to fish, a true gentleman there. Now I was confronted with the fly fishers quandry! A tail out into a large pool that always holds fish as does the tailout. What to do, what to do? Hit the deep pool and be assured of a fish or start short in the tailout and work my way in?!
Ok dummy lets do it like is says in all those books you've read, those guys should know what they are talking about. Right!?
Now I am fishing a 5' fluorcarbon furled leader (is there anything else?) with about 6' of 4# fluorocarbon tippet. I flip out about 7' of fly line placing my fly perfectly into the foam line (Yep!) and I have a fish on! After 3 more I flip out 10' and capture 3 more fisty 8 - 10 inch 'bows.
Hey, this is working just like the books say!! So I just kept working further and further into the tailout and after 20 it was time to rest it and move down to where this pool tails out.
This is a very fast water tailout, if you want to cross it better have a wading staff or you may get wet!!
At this time Robert had c&r'd about 5 or 6 and was about 100 yards down stream sucking them one after another out of a deep run under a foam line. I think he took 8 or 10 there.
I hooked up the first one in the fast water with about 7' of line out! It just became a repeat of the earlier lesson learned and I hooked up 10 more! I now had 30 on the same fly and it was the only one I had left so I retired it to save for a pattern.
I saw that Robert was working his way back up stream and decided it was time for a break so I plunked my butt down, had a snack, rest the pool and waited to Robert to report in.
Well he had 20 and I had 30, not a bad day for a couple of wannabes!
About 3:45 we went back at it. I figured the first pool had rested long enough and proceded to pull in 17 more while Robert did hook up 3 more. I sort of hogged the good spots as I wanted and 50 day!
All in all it was a 70 fish day for 2 very young "Oldsters" sharing a day on the river! And a great pay back for a bad day on the Elk!!
