Shack Nasties Thread

[dudley]

It's that time of year when we're all getting a little wacky, so it might be time to pull this out again.
It will give everyone a chance to do a little daydreaming

Most of us have a spot that we think of as "home water" and we might ever consider ourselves "experts" on our own little corner of the world (truth optional)
How about you tell us something about the area where you live and a little about the spot you consider your "home water".

[Wild One]

My home water is the Lower Provo river about 40 minutes south of Salt Lake City. I used to live less than 5 minutes from the river and moved to OH this past fall. I was there almost everyday this past summer, until my son was born, then I had to cut back to only twice a week (wife's orders). The lower Provo is second in the state to the Green (IMO)for big browns and the occasional fat rainbow. Most of this stretch of the river is nearly shoulder to shoulder at 9am on a Tuesday. Its always packed and nearly impossible to get into on the weekends. I had my own little stretch that I fished that was never busy. It was toward the bottom of the canyon, lower than the famous stretches on the river. While most guys were fighting eachother more than the trout, I was at peace in the solitude of a very overlooked stretch of water. I saw 3 other anglers on it all summer long. I knew where every fish would hold on this 1/4 mile stretch and caught each of them at least once (I think anyway). It was so exciting to see what the fish would select with so many variables: time of month, time of day, time of year,the weather, the hatches, etc. I learned more about fly fishing in general, in one summer than the other 9 years of my ffing experience combined. I felt like I almost knew each fish by name (yeah it sounds weird), and could recognize when one had moved to a new whole.
One afternoon I hooked into a large rainbow on a foam bodied hopper. After wrestingling him in, I noticed he had a permanantley ripped lip, scarred body and a gimpy fin. Clearly a survivor of a predominant brown trout, heavily fished river; it was the largest rainbow I'd landed on the river and measured 19" in length and shaped like a football. I went back the next week to catch him again. As I was casting under the overgrowth, aiming for the deeply undercut bank, a shirtless, wormslinger sporting a mullett and a stringer full of healthy browns stumbled down the stream. He told me he'd caught a 3 lb rainbow out of the same hole the day before. He didn't need to say it, I knew my scarred friend was now collecting frost in this looser's freezer, and would end up being thrown away sometime next spring with a major case of freezerburn. I honestly felt like I'd been told my dog had been killed. Maybe I am a little too obssessed with this sport and these animals, but there it was anyhow. I've fishing that stretch of the lower Provo almost every night since I moved and have yet to find any body of water here that even comes close.

Sorry for the extensive post, just feeling a little nostalgic. Thanks for starting the thread dudley, lets hear some more!

[dudley]

That's what I'm talking about!
Who's next?

[hazmat]

I'm still learning about my home waters. The two places I've spent the most time on have been Stony Creek and Clark's Creek. I'm still exploring both of these areas, but there is a certain place on each that I've had wonderful days, catching fish or not, and look forward to getting back out this spring so I can apply and experiment with the things I've learned fighting the shack nasties. I'm also looking forward to broadening my knowledge of my home waters.. a POS vehicle hindered me for quite a while from going too far away from "civilization", but I've remedied that and with dependable wheels, the sky's the limit!

[dudley]

The smallmouth thread on the WW board got me started thinking about this..

I live the area of Connecticut commonly known as the quite corner, part of what's known as the last green valley
http://www.thelastgreenvalley.org/
There are an abundance of rivers and streams in the area and I love them all.
In the late 1600s when other areas of Connecticut and Rhode Island were becoming thickly settled, this was wilderness, indian country. In fact a not-so famous battle occured in a field right where I spend many hours trout fishing.

A peaceful band of Nipmucs ran into a band of the war-like Narragansetts on the shore of the Quinebaug River at the "fishing spot" just below what is now know as the Five Mile river. Rather than fight over fishing rights, the Nipmucs set out a feast for the feared Narragansetts.
There were many courses the last of which was smoked eel. When the eel was served with the skin on the Narragansets were incessed. This was an insult in their eyes. A fight broke out and the Narragansetss were murdered.
All in the area covered by my backcast.

At the dawn of the industrial revolution the rivers here became the home of many mills and factories.
Most rivers were damed and many later polluted. The rivers are coming back now, but few are known outside the area for quality fishing.

While others fish the Farmington, the Housy and other more famous rivers, I stick to my home waters.
The more I learn the better I like them

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

My home waters are the numerous small high mountain lakes near here. A couple have large rainbows to 10lbs these are spring fed C&R trophy lakes.I have studied extensively the lake bottom springs, their locations and the types of feed associated with them. I am able so far to never be skunked because what works near those springs (17 feet deep ) works all year long. I don't have to worry about what the hatch is. I regard those two lakes as my honey holes. Another lake I consider one of my go-to lakes is over a really rough road but when you get there you almost have to hide behind the trees to tie your fly on.

You also asked do you consider yourself and expert at your favorite spot.

I do consider myself an "Expert" knowing full well the definition of and Expert is:

X is the unknown quantity and spurt is just a drip under pressure.
and that fits me to a Tee.

Good thread by the way.

[darrell]

My home waters ...... yup - got one .... has been my fave since I was a young kid. First fishing outings was there - and now favorite fishing outings are there again.
I love the waters so much, I'm writing articles for a buddy's local website (watersidemb.ca).
Anyhow - its the Assiniboine River, mostly in and about the Baie St. Paul bridge just west of Winnipeg. It was a 12 minute drive growing up. And now - that I've grown up (physically and chronologically) - I find myself again, a 12 minute drive from that same spot (now from the east, instead of the north-east). Back in the days, there were freshwater drum, carp, sauger, walleye, channel cats, brown bullheads ..... here and there. A sunk obstacle was there - still is ... and still holds a critter or 2 from the current. The drainage that joins the river still holds spawning pike in the spring, and in sunmmer is a great place to practice your skills on rooting carp.
The big difference in the fishing between then and now - is now I'm fly fishing. However, the fish still hold in the same places - still act and react the same to the various fishing pressures, weather changes, and what-not. But, I can still carouse that cat from the troughs that were there before (similar locations). The drum are still a blast to jimmy into from the rock piles. Haven't yet tagged into a brown bullhead on the fly ..... have yet to figgure that one out.
The best thing - right now the river runs 1/2 mile from my house. So when I get the urge ........

[DG]

What are these "shack nasties"? It was in the 60s today, beautiful sun, and the fish were actually eating dries for a change. *G*

Now LAST winter...

My current home water... is too popular by far already. No need to hype it and make it more so. Sorry. But when summer rolls around I have half a million acres still to explore and fish.

DG

[Marco]

What I consider my "home waters" are 1400 miles away . These are the waters that I associate with fond memories of my youth, college at UW and my introduction to fly fishing. Just outside Laramie toward Centennial Wyoming on the Little Laramie River there is an abandoned railroad trestle where I fooled my first Brown Trout. My annual trek Westward, of sentimental necessity, includes this spot.I may or may not fool another Brown there but it doesn't seem to matter. My youth flashes before my eyes and I am again complete. We journey on Northwestward to Yellowstone and Grand Teton but that railroad trestle lingers on in memory. Till next year, God willing.

[DShock]

My HOME waters are nothing special, but the Firehole River IS special to me. No other place had such a impact on me. The smell of bubbling hot water.
The FIRST selective trout I'd encountered. What was going on here?? At my HOME waters I was in control, but not on the Firehole.
Then there was the HORSE FLIES! I had never encountered a insect with this bad of a attitude!
It was a timing thing! Make a cast, take off hat and WACK!!!! YESSSS! I killed the nasty fly!
It was almost as good as catching a trout!
One particular section is in my thoughts constantly.
Maybe it is how I think of Heaven.
Also the FIRST time I visited West Yellowstone, it was like going to a flyfisher's DISNEYLAND!
How are you supposed to do any fishing when there are THAT many Fly Shops to visit?
The amount of lies and bs that float around that town during fishing season must be amazing!
Doug