<font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Met my Dad at 5 am on Sunday and off to Reliance we went. We arrived at the parking lot at the Big Bend section around 6 as the sun was coming up. The river glistened as the river fog hovered over the water in the valley and we waded in to the cold waters. The generation schedule was a typical summer pattern (7am to 8am: one generator, 8 to 10: zero generation, 10 to 11: back to one and 11 to 7pm: two or more). We use ultra light tackle and mostly roost tails and occasionally live bait (crickets and worms). Since we were starting out at the edge of the trophy section we began with roost tails (me a 1/16<sup>th</sup> black and Dad a 1/16th white). We navigated the slippery terrain of the river and eased around hitting many of the runs above and below the island at Big Bend. Around 7 am we had sort of separated and lost sight of one another due to the fog arising from the cold water.
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">We fish very slow and methodical, hitting every run or ripple we encounter. The fish we catch are rarely very big yet on a few occasions we find our self with a battle of a mere 14 or 15 inch fish (those days are few and far between). However the casting, splash of the lure hitting the water and the occasional deception and hooking of a Trout in the beautiful settings of the Hiwassee is a wonderful feeling that Dad and I have enjoyed off and on for many years. On this Fathers Day we would not have any big fish stories to go home and brag about but we indeed each caught several fish and enjoyed the time together. We used mainly the roost-tails till about 10:30 and then moved up above the trophy section and used worms. During the morning hours I did change colors a few times and even tried a small jerk bait as well as a small crank bait however the fish were not impressed with new baits thus I would always return to the rooster tail. I lost count of the total numbers but we both caught several small browns and a few rainbows on the rooster tails and many more of each on worms. I also managed a Small Mouth and each of us caught our share of those pesky horny heads. We waded out about 12:30 as the river was rolling at pull pool and the rafters began their decent.
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">On our way out we stopped at Reliance Fly and Tackle to get a Burger and talk with Jerry (the owner). To our surprise the store has changed owner ship and has reopened (we didn’t even know it had been shut down). We talked with the new owners and they were very friendly and said everything will remain the same (including the camping area). If your up that way stop in, eat a Burger or Sandwich and take a look around. They have a nice set-up and some pretty impressive pictures of Trout. I saw a few pictures (on the new owners cell phone) of Bill (one of the guides) with several nice Rock Fish.
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Was a great trip with Dad!
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</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">We fish very slow and methodical, hitting every run or ripple we encounter. The fish we catch are rarely very big yet on a few occasions we find our self with a battle of a mere 14 or 15 inch fish (those days are few and far between). However the casting, splash of the lure hitting the water and the occasional deception and hooking of a Trout in the beautiful settings of the Hiwassee is a wonderful feeling that Dad and I have enjoyed off and on for many years. On this Fathers Day we would not have any big fish stories to go home and brag about but we indeed each caught several fish and enjoyed the time together. We used mainly the roost-tails till about 10:30 and then moved up above the trophy section and used worms. During the morning hours I did change colors a few times and even tried a small jerk bait as well as a small crank bait however the fish were not impressed with new baits thus I would always return to the rooster tail. I lost count of the total numbers but we both caught several small browns and a few rainbows on the rooster tails and many more of each on worms. I also managed a Small Mouth and each of us caught our share of those pesky horny heads. We waded out about 12:30 as the river was rolling at pull pool and the rafters began their decent.
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">On our way out we stopped at Reliance Fly and Tackle to get a Burger and talk with Jerry (the owner). To our surprise the store has changed owner ship and has reopened (we didn’t even know it had been shut down). We talked with the new owners and they were very friendly and said everything will remain the same (including the camping area). If your up that way stop in, eat a Burger or Sandwich and take a look around. They have a nice set-up and some pretty impressive pictures of Trout. I saw a few pictures (on the new owners cell phone) of Bill (one of the guides) with several nice Rock Fish.
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Was a great trip with Dad!
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