JaSkynyrd
Well-known member
Got out for our first overnight float trip this year on the Watauga River. We floated it late last September with fantastic fishing, so we went in with expectations high. Fishing wasn't a good as last year, because the current generation schedule of two generators running on and off threw the fish off for about half our time on the water. We still ended up with 50 fish between the three of us, no trophy sized fish, but most were better than the stocker size on the Hiwassee.</p>
We floated 17 miles from below Wilbur Dam to Highway 400, and stayed in a fantastic cabin at Meredith Valley Cabins for the second time, and had a great meal of chicken, green beans, and baked potatoes. Woke up for the last 7 miles and had a breakfast of eggs and fried potatoes.
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The caddis hatch the morning of the 16th was incredible. I've been in a few hatches before, but this was unreal. You would be blinded by bugs as you ran rapids. I matched the hatch okay, my colors were right on but my fly was a little small, I had a 14 and needed a 10 or 12. Over the weekend I caught a dozen on an elk hair caddis, and one on a zebra nymph dropper, and maybe 10 on various spinners.
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Weather was perfect, water was freezing cold as I found out the hard way. I was focused on a feeding frenzy I had been fishing for about 20 minutes, and had pulled my canoe up on some rocks in the middle of the river about 100 feet upstream of me, and my canoe was a couple inches above the water surface. I knew they were going to be generating, but figured I'd have plenty of time beforehand since I was 10 miles downriver. Well. I stopped fishing to tweak my fly and while I as working on it I happened to glance downstream and saw my canoe floating away about 150 feet downstream! I was standing on a rock ledge that ran about 100 yards down stream, so I hoofed it down river to make sure my canoe didn't go over the four foot ledge I was standing on. Thankfully it didn't, because it got caught in some brush on the opposite side of the river. so I had to jump in and swim in this freezing water for about 40 feel to get to it. I was cold the rest of the day.</p>
Here's the pics:</p>
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We floated 17 miles from below Wilbur Dam to Highway 400, and stayed in a fantastic cabin at Meredith Valley Cabins for the second time, and had a great meal of chicken, green beans, and baked potatoes. Woke up for the last 7 miles and had a breakfast of eggs and fried potatoes.
</p>
The caddis hatch the morning of the 16th was incredible. I've been in a few hatches before, but this was unreal. You would be blinded by bugs as you ran rapids. I matched the hatch okay, my colors were right on but my fly was a little small, I had a 14 and needed a 10 or 12. Over the weekend I caught a dozen on an elk hair caddis, and one on a zebra nymph dropper, and maybe 10 on various spinners.
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Weather was perfect, water was freezing cold as I found out the hard way. I was focused on a feeding frenzy I had been fishing for about 20 minutes, and had pulled my canoe up on some rocks in the middle of the river about 100 feet upstream of me, and my canoe was a couple inches above the water surface. I knew they were going to be generating, but figured I'd have plenty of time beforehand since I was 10 miles downriver. Well. I stopped fishing to tweak my fly and while I as working on it I happened to glance downstream and saw my canoe floating away about 150 feet downstream! I was standing on a rock ledge that ran about 100 yards down stream, so I hoofed it down river to make sure my canoe didn't go over the four foot ledge I was standing on. Thankfully it didn't, because it got caught in some brush on the opposite side of the river. so I had to jump in and swim in this freezing water for about 40 feel to get to it. I was cold the rest of the day.</p>
Here's the pics:</p>
