Fishing Reports

4-21-08 It is unusual for me to have free time at the beginning of a week but I'm sitting out the semester at the college where I teach security related topics to graduate students who are preparing for jobs with governmental agencies or corporate America so decided to head for my "get-away" place which is less then a mile from the Smith River. Someone forgot to tell the weatherman I was coming because the weather was very unsettled with drizzle and showers most of the time I was there.

Monday I linked up with a Smith River TU member who seldom misses a chance to postpone whatever he has planned if an invitation to go fishing is offered. We met at the Mirror Factory at about 1:30pm and proceeded down the railroad tracks to the trestle pool.

We knew the water would be colored a bit from the recent rain but having experienced good action under such conditions in the past we hoped to be able to coach a few fish to hand. The water was a the color of creamed coffee and it had started to rain again on the way down the tracks. Things were not looking good. We were there, so decided to give it a try. I connected first - it was a 7-8 inch brown put the skunk behind me.

My fishing partner missed several takes at the head of the pool but finally connected with a brown of similar size.

Knowing the river upstream of Town Creek would be much clearer and therefore much more favorable for fishing we pulled out of what is normally a very good section of the river and returned up the railroad tracks to our vehicles. The upper river is a little narrower and not conductive to group fishing so we split up with my partner entering the river by the iron stairs and myself going in near the little camp with the steep steps. As expected the water was very clear. Folks not familiar with the Smith's clear water would have thought it was too clear - it certainly called for more stealth, longer leaders and more precise presentations. I had not gone very far before being rewarded with another Smith River "Jewel"

The upper Smith is also noted for being some of the trickiest wading around. Most of the gravel has been washed downstream and the bottom is slick ledge and bedrock. Small steps or what I like to refer to as "shuffling of feet" is the order of the day. A wadding staff also comes in handy.

I remained on my feet and added eight more browns to my tally. This section is hatchery supported but neither my partner, whom I linked back up with later on, nor I connected with a rainbow on this outing.

I had planned to fish on Tuesday but it had rained fairly steady most of the night and I knew the Spec Reg section and the lower river would be a mess. Although it drizzled most of the morning I worked on deer stands which is my other passion. I sometimes wonder if fishing is just something I do while waiting for deer season to roll around. Good question - I love them both! While driving around Tuesday afternoon it was apparent that the stock truck had just visited the Lower River because every bridge had 3-4 cars or trucks parked and double parked at the pull off's - The local fish market was open for business!

Wednesday morning I checked the color of the water at Stanelytown Bridge and found it fishable. I also saw fishermen already in the water. I headed up Riverside Drive looking for an opening but observed fishermen at all the access points. I ended up at the canoe access just downstream of the Hwy 666 Bridge and the lower end of the Special Regulation Section. No one was fishing the Spec Reg but one fellow with a stringer of fish almost ran over himself from the other side trying to beat me to the bridge. He pulled up short when he saw I was bypassing some promising looking riffles. We exchanged pleasantries and he said he needed one more to make his limit before heading off to work. I wished him luck and started fishing the flat water upsteam of the bridge.

The fish were there but I had a hard time figuring out what they were feeding on. My Allieworm fooled a few but there was some sort of emerger hatch coming off - lots of surface activity without visible insects. I tried several variations of small dry flies and soft hackles but only had one more hit. I could have probably pushed forward and caught a few more but I had a limited amount of time to devote to fishing as North Carolina was calling me. I decided to chalk this one up as a "win" for the fish.

The highlight of the morning was when I arrived back at the canoe access and saw a Conservation Police Officer vehicle parked along side several fisherman vehicles. As I pulled off my waders two CPO's came off the river with a gentleman in tow. When I finished putting my gear away and as they milled around the rear of the CPO vehicle I approached and one of them broke away to meet me. I expressed pleasure at seeing them. We talked for a few moments and then he excused himself so he could get back to the matter at hand. I am not sure what the situation was but as I entered my vehicle I heard one of the CPO's say. Mr. "x" you're lying to me again". I can only hope that Mr."x" let all his friends know that the Smith River is now being patrolled with increased vigor.

4-11-08 On Friday April 11, 2008 I linked up with a fellow from Pittsylvania County for an afternoon of fishing on my favorite Virginia trout stream. This fellow had not been fly fishing for several years but took to it like a fellow who had abstained from riding a bicycle since he was a kid - once he got the kinks worked out the old rhythm fell back into place and he did just fine.

We entered the water at the recently built canoe ramp at the downstream end of the Special Regulations Section and started working our lines out as soon as we passed under the Hwy 666 bridge. I did note the Special Regulations and Didymo signs I duct taped to the bridge abutments less then two weeks ago were once again missing. Torn edges of the tape were still visible on one abutment so it is doubtful they just peeled off due to weather conditions.

We were soon into fish. The first catch of the day was made by yours truly. It was a nine inch brown trout that has become typical of the Smith, well marked and very feisty, but lacking in size. Nevertheless they are still a delight to catch.

My fishing partner was soon catching fish as well. There had been a recent stocking and many of the rainbows had run up stream into the Special Regulation Section where they should be safe from harvest. These fish are not as colorful or as elusive as the browns but they do put a good bend in your rod and put a smile on the fisherman's face.

This section of the river is wide enough for two fisherman to walk side by side with one taking the left bank and the other casting to the right. Both share casts right up the middle. Folks that fish this section with me also hear about "Al's Rule" which states that once a fisherman catches two fish in a row it is time to switch sides. We switched sides fairly often this day.

We got into pods of small browns. I think we both caught 3-4 of these little rascals in a row at two separate locations.

About two thirds of our nearly 30 fish were rainbows - all looked healthy and were in the 10-12 inch range. Kudos to the VDGIF hatchery system for producing a fine bunch of fish this year.

You know the river is fishing well when we produced doubles on two fine looking brown trout.

Highlight of the afternoon came when I observed two young fellows wet wading and fishing with bait. As soon as I was certain of my facts I pulled out my cell phone which has the VDGIF Dispatch Center (804) 367-1258 on speed dial. I talked with the dispatcher who took the information, plus my name and telephone number. In less then five minutes my cell phone vibrated and I had a Conservation Police Officer on the other end. He asked for a description of the situation and said that although he was about an hour and a half away he would respond. By this time one of the violators had gone back to his house but I chatted up the other who told me he was fishing for supper. We skirted around him and avoided stepping on his night crawler container. Just before leaving the river at our predetermined "get out point" I called the CPO back and gave him a further description. The CPO said he was about 15 minutes from the scene. We saw the CPO vehicle turn into the road leading up by the houses as we were pulling off our wading gear. So there you have it - We all complain but you have to be willing to get involved. Was a time I would just shake my head and mutter under my breath or worse yet make a big vocal complaint to no one in particular - but no more. These folks are stealing from all of us.

The following day found me at the Friends of Philpott Environmental Expo where SRTU manned a table and talked up the river to folks who stopped by to watch what could be created with a little thread, feathers and yarn.

I fished a short section of the lower river after the Expo but did not do as well as the day before. No skunk, but the cold front which pushed through the area seemed to have them off their feed. I talked with a couple of friends who fished on Sunday who reported moderate success in the Special Regs Section. They also mentioned seeing a Conservation Police Officer in action as he ticketed several fellows fishing with bait and possessing fish under the 16 inch limit. Things are looking up!

3-21-08 I returned to the Smith River this past weekend after a almost six months hiatus which included a very successful deer season followed by a hectic schedule of fly fishing clinics at the NCWRC Pechmann Fishing Education Center where I am privileged to be known as the Volunteer Coordinator. Just suiting up in waders and stepping into cold flowing water was a treat.

My first choice for Good Friday afternoon was already occupied by another fisherman so I headed upstream from the Highway 666 bridge which marks the lower end of the Special Regulation area. The first thing I noticed at the bridge was the absence of the two Special Regulations signs I had duct-taped to the bridge abutments. Not to fear, I had another one in my truck. This time I placed a Spec Reg notice on one bridge abutment and a "Don't Spread Didymo" sign on the other. I will stop back in a couple weeks to see if they are still there.

This section of the river is usually good to me and I fully expected to catch a mixed bag rainbows and browns because those that are smart enough to head upstream should be safe from harvest. The water was fairly clear but my leader was long and my casting was good. I had on my old reliable "Smith River Allieworm". It was obvious my expectations were just wishful thinking because I fished up to the factory stairway without so much as one hit. Nor did I observe a rise or dimple on the surface.

If I continued upsteam I would have been forced to remain in the water without an opportunity to exit for a long way, so decided to retrace my steps in hopes of finding action in another section of the river. I recognized a couple of NC fishermen near my exit point and stopped to compare notes prior to heading elsewhere. Good to see old friends, both of whom are frequent visitors to the Smith. They were fishing a long riffle in the stocked section where some sort of unseen hatch was coming off. . One was having fair success with a very small nymph hung under a small dry used as indicator. The other was not doing as well but claimed "big fish" in a friendly contest between the two.

I stopped at a section known to some as the "hayfields" and fished for about an hour in a riffle that has in years past produced many, many fish. My fly of choice was placed in all the likely looking spots with only one take that ended up a "miss". As I work my way up through the riffle I observed the flashes of feeding fish but once again my nymph failed to produce. A quick change to a #20 Parachute Blue Wing Olive produced three 7-9 inch brown trout.

Yep, that is right. I caught them on top! I am stubborn when it comes to fishing a nymph but I'm not so dumb as to leave it on when fish are feeding all around me but ignoring my offering. I missed and LDR a few more before the unseen hatch abated. Got the skunk behind me and it was a nice afternoon on the water. Pulled out a little early and went for a walk in the woods near my cabin - did little scouting for next years deer season.

The following afternoon I fished downstream of Stanleytown Bridge. As usual my initial set up is an Allieworm hung about two feet below a yarn indicator. I was not disappointed because less then a half dozen casts into the afternoon a small brown inhaled the #14 nymph. That certainly restored my faith and placed a smile on my face.

After that I got into a pod of stocked rainbows who had found safety well downstream of the usual haunts of the bait fishermen who generally concentrate their efforts to within 100 yards of the nearest bridge.

A fish here, a dry spell there, it went like that most of the way back to the bridge. The wind was blowing right down the river into my face which added a challenge but there were enough tugs on the line to make things interesting. Double digits and all on my favorite nymph. The buds are starting to push through on the trees but it is still pretty bleak out there. Better days are coming but in the meantime I'll get out there fishing when the weather is favorable.

I am so blessed to be starting the 2008 fishing season on my favorite trout stream. Come on out and join me!

07-07-07 The Smith River has a reputation for being a tough river to fish, but lately folks who have accompanied me are smiling and thinking they may have just discovered a new "home water". I am quick to point out that each of the many fish caught are caught one at a time and none came during a "hatch" or feeding frenzy which is usually associated with exceptionally good fishing.

More then a small handful of fish brought to hand is a testament to the skills of the individual fisherman. In my opinion, those skills include better then average casting ability, knack or ability to "read the water" and careful wading coupled with the confidence to keep moving to find a fish that wants to feed. The past few times out I have been fortunate to team up with individuals who either possessed those skills or were quick to grasp the concepts that I was trying to teach them.

I fished with a gentleman on Saturday who wanted to polish his nymph fishing skills. Knowing a little about nymph fishing myself, we passed the introductions stage and headed to the lower end of the Special Regulations Section where we could fish up through the long riffle just off the end of Rosemont Road.

After showing him my basic nymph set up, i.e. an 8 1/2 foot, 5 weight rod, with an Orvis braided leader butt, 3-4 feet of 4x tippet topped off with 18 inches of 5x tippet. I also insert a small hunk of egg glow yarn just above where the 4x and 5x are surgeon knotted together. This egg glow yarn is tied in with a clove hitch and gunked up with floatant so that it will ride high and act as a strike indicator. Of course on the terminal end of the 5x we tied a size 14 beadhead Allieworm. I always start with the Allieworm but will change if it does not produce. The Allieworm has been a faithful producer over the years but in my opinion it is having the confidence in your method more then the fly that catches fish.

The first thing my new friend had to learn was that false casting looks good but does not catch fish. In fact, in my opinion, false casting is very seldom necessary and therefore a waste of effort and most definitely spooks fish when you're fishing in "gin clear" water such as the Smith. After a few words of counseling the false casting was soon behind us.

After a few misses where this young man learned that it is better to be a little late on the take then to be too early he soon had his first fish.

The fish started coming one at a time and before we reached our "get out point" he had a good appreciation of the nymph fishing techniques which have worked well for me on the Smith and many other streams.

The one thing which I stress with everyone that fishes with me is to keep moving forward. What we are looking for is a fish that is ready to feed. Just about every pool and riffle on the Smith holds several fish. I saw this when I participated in the VA Tech & VDGIF Study.

None of the fish were big ones, but they were all beautifully marked and give a fisherman a feeling of satisfaction when thay are able to momentarily touch one of Gods finer creations.

After lunch we finished out the day on a short section in the lower river south of Bassett. My friend had learned his lessons well. He quickly moved upstream without any prompting from me and was immediately into fish. He had produced double digits in the morning and repeated that all by himself in the afternoon. I followed along behind him and was able to coach a few to my Allieworm as well.

Sunday morning I went to the Mirror Factory and nailed up a few official Special Regulations signs which the VDGIF sent the Smith River TU so that we can post them along the fishermen's paths and in other prominent places. We still have a few more to go but they should all be up within the next two weeks. These signs are going up so that "I didn't know" will no longer be an excuse for those that bend or break the rules

I have personally talked with the local Conservation Police Officer (new name for VA Game Warden) and corresponded with the regional supervisor. They are aware of the rule breakers. They are currently experiencing personnel shortages but I am confident that we will start seeing more law enforcment presence on the Smith River. If you observe a violator or just want to talk with a CPO the best way to contact one in Henry County is to dial 911 which goes directly to the Henry County Sheriffs Office dispatch. They have a direct link to the CPO covering the Smith River. If a CPO is not readily available and it is a flagrant violation a HCSO deputy may be dispatched to take a report which will be forwarded to the CPO who will follow up with a possible citation.

06-30-07 Whenever I'm with a new client on the Smith River I like to start off with a demonstration of what works for me. On Saturday morning I confidently stepped into the lower end of the Special Regulation Section and promptly fell in a hole that had been washed out near a rock by the generation surge. I know that impressed the doctor from Winston Salem. Doctor D. is a frequent visitor to the Smith but heretofore he had confined himself to the upper end of the Special Regulation Section behind the Mirror Factory. He liked to think of the Smith as his "home water" but was frustrated at the way the river begrudgedly gave up its bounty. His wife thought that the perfect Fathers Day present would be a day of fishing with an opportunity to combine pleasure with a little learning.

After a quick recovery, I proceeded to demonstrate my method of fishing a nymph. There is probably no real secret to dead drift nymphing but I've found that most folks grasp a concept quicker if they see it rather then merely listen to it being described. I always carry my fly rod, but it stays tucked under my arm other then for demonstration purposes. I also find an extra rod comes in handy when the client breaks their fly off or tangles their leader. I just pass them my rod so that they can continue fishing while I repair the problem.

Once I got over my embarrassing fall we proceeded up through the riffle section off Rosemont Road. Things started off fairly slow but it was a delightful day to be on the water. The temperature was rapidly heading towards ninety but the water was cool with one of those summertime fogs hanging on the surface.

I have been doing this long enough that I can say the biggest complaint of guides is a client that even though you put them on fish

they can't make the cast. This was not the case with Doctor D., he had his casting down pat. He could lay out a fairly long line and did it without any false casting, which in my opinion wastes time and spooks fish. My job was to find some fish which were in a feeding mode.

They soon started to appear one at a time.

Some were bigger then others but even the little ones showed plenty of spunk and all were delightfully colored.

Once Doctor D. had the hang of it, the fish started to come with a fair regularity. We didn't keep track, but I estimate that he was into the middle double digits. He said it was certainly the most fish he had ever caught in a single outing on the Smith.

He caught 2-3 rainbows . The remainder were browns. A few were of respectable size. All put a smile on Doctor D's face.

In conclusion, despite an embarrassing slip by yours truly, we had a great day. The company was good, the fish cooperated and we topped it all off with a late, but delightful lunch prepared by Mrs. K back at our cabin. I was prepared to finish the day down in the stocked section near our cabin but Mrs. D. had told the good doctor to be home in time to clean up for a social engagement. Instead of fishing, we hopped in my pickup and I gave a tour of the river while the doctor made notes on a map which I provided. I expect I'll see his vehicle at some of those spots, but I don't mind. I love selling the Smith River.

06-26-07 Eight o'clock found me all by myself at the Mirror Factory parking lot where I hoped to get a little fun fishing in before the temperature made it into the 90s as it had for the past few days. It was projected to do so again on Tuesday. After pulling on breathable waders I worked up a sweat as I walked the railroad tracks to the trestle pool. I wondered how folks endured neoprene. Maybe that is why most folks stopped trout fishing by the time summer rolled around. But they had to suffer that neoprene once tailwater fishing came into vogue with it's daily flush of cool water.

Once I got on the water the temperature cooled down a bit and one of those fog banks that occur at this time of year gave testament to why I love fishing the Smith.

The trestle pool is usually a good spot to start, but I fished it all the way up to it's head riffle before getting the first hit. There was some sort of hatch going on with some flashy splashes at the riffle. I figured I was all set fortop water action because I'd recently sent away to one of those discount fly shops for some size 20-24 sulfurs, blue wing olives, yellow sally's and the sort. I quickly cut off my battle tested Allieworm, downsized the tippet and was casting miniature dry flies to those little splashes. I had a couple of takes but could not complete the connection. I tied the AW back on and got the skunk and a couple more behind me. They were not big but they all counted.

The fishing was steady but not that great. I began counseling myself and thinking I was fortunate to be "fun fishing" and not trying to show someone that I thought I knew what I was doing. I did luck into one nice rainbow which was the big fish for the day. Lord only knows how he got that far down into the Special Regulation Section.

The smallest fish of the day was this little brown trout. Makes one wonder what they are thinking when they try to take such a large mouth full.

Despite my pessimism, the fish continued to come one at a time and I soon had my goal of double digits. Most were of the 7-8 inch variety. A couple pushed the 9 inch mark. All displayed beautiful colors.

I rounded out the day by going to the lower end of the Special Regulation Section where I nailed a half dozen Special Regulation signs to trees in the area where flagrant poaching takes place. The VDGIF sent me these signs which I offered to post in conspicuous areas. More signs are on the way. Soon there will be no excuse for not knowing the rules. I am encouraged by this spirit of cooperation by the VDGIF and believe we will see more enforcement presence as soon as they resolve a personnel shortage.

06-16-07 Headed to the Bassett area on Friday in order to help prepare for the Smith River TU fishing event and picnic which was scheduled for the next day. I debated fishing at all on Friday as it was well into the afternoon and misting fairly steady by the time I was able to hit the water. Of course, once I slid down the bank and got into the water the mist changed to rain but by then I was already committed. I put in well downstream of Bassett because they started to generate at in the early afternoon. The section I fished consisted of mostly flat pools with the occasional riffle. It was all very wadeable.

I soon rolled a couple of rainbows. One remained on long enough to qualify for an LDR but none of them came to hand and therefore could not be counted. After a fashion I was able to remain connected to a small brown long enough to take his picture.

By the time I reached my "get out point" I had laid my hands on more then a dozen Smith River Brown Trout and a couple of stocked Rainbows. Not a bad take for a couple hours on the water. All were caught one at a time and all were fooled by the Allieworm.

The following day we had the SRTU fishing event. More then 20+ folks hit the water and all reported good success. Many did themselves and the Smith River proud by catching well up into the double digits.

After sending a couple of visitors up through the flat water at the bottom of the Special Regulation section I hopped back into my truck and drove to the Bassett Library were we had the recent Trout In the Classroom releases. I had heard there was good fishing to be had upstream of the library but had never fished it before. The rumor was correct because I once again rolled but failed to hook a couple of fish right were we released the TIC fingerlings. I settled down and soon placed my hands on a decent one a little way up from there.

It just kept getting better. The browns were coming with fair regularity. I had expected to catch a few Rainbows as this section is between two bridges were the stock truck visits, but it appeared that most of the "put & take" fish had already been taken.

I did come to one long hole which required me to hug the bank to avoid water going over my waders, but other then that it was easy wading all the way.

Just before I exited the stream (Less then 2 hours to fish this short section) I lucked on to two Rainbows, one of which was a very respectable size.

I felt pretty good about my count. It was a new section of stream to me but my method of nymphing was able to bring a respectable amount of fish to hand. I expect you will see my truck parked at that same location on a more frequent basis.

06-06-07 Awwww the joys of owning your own place back in the woods. In addition to having two lawns to mow, two places to maintain, two utility bills and two tax bills to pay, you also have to cope with the havoc that mother nature may throw your way.

I arrived at my "get-a-way" early in the week to find that a recent storm had toppled a big tree across the power line which runs for four or five poles back through the woods to my place. In addition to laying the primary wires on the ground it had broke a pole which was half way between the nearest road and no where. As you might guess, I was going to be without electricity for a little while. The telephone was also out. Here is a photo of my place during better times.

No need in crying over spilled milk, or downed power lines as the case may be. I whipped out my cell phone and called a buddy who owns a little place not too far from mine and secured permission to bunk there for a few days. My buddy's place even has a 6 acre pond filled with big bream and respectable size bass, so all was not lost.

On Wednesday, June 6th, after checking on the progress being made to restore my electricity, I figured there was nothing else to do but go fishing. I headed for the Smith River below the town of Bassett so as to be well down river when they started generation at one o'clock. It took me a while to hook and land my first fish, which was a small brown trout, but just the peace and tranquility was well worth it.

The day was a perfect one to be on the water. It was a warm but not too hot, there was a slight breeze blowing and the fish, although not in a feeding frenzy were hungry enough to make things interesting. The river still holds a few rainbows from the last stocking for the summer.

It was such a delightful day that I took a break from time to time and just sat on a rock in midstream and thought about the meaning of life.

By the time I reached my "get out point" the Allieworm had fooled enough stream spawned browns and stocked rainbows to push me well into the double digits.

What about the status of electricity at my cabin? Appalachian Electric Power (AEP) did a great job of getting me back in business by late Wednesday evening. They still have a "right of way crew" working to clear brush and overhanging trees so that the same thing, which has been happening with a degree of regularity will hopefully not reoccur.

05-25-07 My lovely wife and I made the 150 mile drive on Wednesday to our "get-away" cabin in Bassett VA in order to attend the Trout In the Classroom event on Thursday. Twenty plus schools were releasing the fish grown over the school year into the Smith River (More on that in a separate report).

After doing some cabin chores, i.e., pick up fallen branches and mow the lawn, I made a last minute check of the generation schedule and discovered there was a change which necessitated me moving well down stream if I wanted to fish on Wednesday afternoon. I can't emphasize enough the importance of checking the generation schedule (Call 276-629-2432) on the day you intend to fish. They always end their announcement with the caveat of "this schedule is subject to change without notice". The COE does a pretty good job of keeping it up to date. It does you little good if they make a change and you assume the schedule you heard on Friday is still good on Wednesday, but you fail to do your part by checking again Wednesday morning.

I found an area a little south of Hwy 220 and was soon into fish. This is stocked water and most of them were Rainbows. Kudos to the VDGIF hatchery system for producing and stocking some nice size fish this year.

This section also produced a few nice size Brown Trout. I never tire of snapping their picture and downloading it to see just how beautiful they come out in a photograph.

I ran down river to the Koehler area and tried my luck at the ripple which has been good to me in the past. This time lady luck was not with me. I caught enough fish to round my tally for the day out to an even dozen, but I paid for my smugness by slipping off a submerged rock and taking copious amounts of water inside my waders. Thankfully they had not generated for several days so the temperature, while refreshing, was not the normal bone chilling cold that produce those Smith River fog banks at this time of the year.

On Friday I was the first one at the Mirror Factory parking area and walked down the rail road tracks well past the Trestle Pool. It is a long hike and sliding down the bank to the water is not for the faint hearted. However because of all that, the fish do not get as much pressure in that area. My two artificial hips held up just fine and I was once again rewarded for my efforts by being into double digits before I lost sight of my start point.

With a couple of exceptions the fish were pretty small - less then 7 inches long. I ended up making a great number of Long Distance Releases (LDR) on these small fish. Some would come right out of the water when I set the hook but then fall off before I could gain control of my line. I am now using almost 100% barbless or "smashed" barb hooks and find that, particularly with small fish, that unless you keep a tight line you have a lot of LDR. LDR's do not count in my book - Some folks claim they don't count at all, but I do. The ones that get counted are the ones that get touched by my hand or my Ketchum Release. The only exception are ones that get off while I have them right in front of me and I'm fooling around trying to get them in position for a picture.

No matter where the "fish brought to hand" count ends up, it is always great to spend some time on my "home water".

The Smith River has a reputation for being a tough river to fish. It is also going through some difficult times right now with issues of Ditymo that has carpeted most of the bottom and low numbers of decent size Brown Trout. Despite all of this, it is still good trout water. The VDGIF does a good job with the Rainbow Trout stocking program and there are enough Brown Trout to make things interesting. It is the closest trout water to many from Virginia and to most from North Carolina. Pay your dues and you will be rewarded.

05-18-07 As most of the "Smith River Regulars" know, the Smith is noted for gin clear water which allows the fish to detect movement or shadows that could signal a predator such as a hawk, heron, mink , or fisherman. Once they scoot for cover it is very difficult to entice them to bite. However, the Smith continues to reward those that can cast a fairly long line and know how to read the water. This was very apparent at the end of last week.

On Thursday I arrived late in the morning to discover that the COE had revised the generation schedule so that it forced me to fish downstream beyond the Hwy 220 Bypass. (Call 276-629-2432 for the latest schedule) The day was nice, but breezy. You could tell that a change in weather was coming. It took me awhile to hook my first fish but they were soon coming to the Allieworm in regular fashion.

I reached double digits before arriving at a good "get out point". By this time the generation surge was about to descend on me so I drove further downstream to the Koehler area and made a few quick casts up through the well known riffle that runs in front of "Garfield's Chicken In The Basket". This particular riffle and surrounding area is sometimes tricky to wade because the bottom is constantly changing from the force of the generation flow which repositions the sand and sediment. Sometimes you only get wet up to your knees and other times you have to hug one side or the other and stand on your tiptoes.

The Kohler area is also a well known stocking truck stop. The last stocking of the lower river was about three weeks ago and it appeared that most of the easy fish were already gone. I did catch three Browns, one of which was the large fish of the day - about a foot long.

Early the following morning (Friday) I picked up a gentlemen who had stayed the night at one of the local motels and we headed for the lower end of the Special Regulation Section. Our intention was to fish up through the flat water to the Rosemont Rd parking area, arriving there before the early generation flow reached us.

It soon became apparent that casting ability was going to be an issue. The water was very clear and there was no way that any self respecting fish was going to commit suicide that close to the end of the rod tip.

We quickly regrouped and moved down river to some water with a good section of riffles which allow closer presentations because the fish can not see up through the broken water as easily as they can smooth water. While demonstrating techniques I hooked and landed a small handful of fish - this was encouraging because it showed the river really did hold fish and the Allieworm was capable of fooling them.

Try as we might, I could not get the gentleman to hook up with a fish. He turned a couple but could not close the deal. We finished the morning by working on his casting and showing him how to "read the water". In defense of all, I should report that a cold front had blown through during the night. It had rained for a couple hours just before dawn and the temperature had plunged to a cool 40 degrees at daybreak and did not reach a high of 55 all day. Not exactly conditions that bode for good fishing.

After a quick lunch we headed for a "no name stream" which is also called a "blueline" because is often shows up on a map as just that. This stream requires a good hike but it also contains at least one fish in every little hole or plunge pool. You usually get one shot at them. If you miss, you move on to the next pool.

My favorite set up for this stream is a long rod with a short leader. The reason I use a long rod is that in most cases I just dangle the leader off the end of my rod tip and dance a brace of flies through the fishy looking plunge pools. I tie a bushy dry fly on as an indicator and tie a small section of 5x or 6x tippet to the bend of the dry fly. I then tie a small nymph to the end as a dropper. In this case I tied on a #16 Ray Charles for my client and I used a nymph fashioned from some gray hair that came from my kitty cat.

We were soon into fish. They were not big ones but if you approached the pools correctly you could usually entice a vigorous strike. Smiles all the way around!!

Despite the slow start on the Smith, the day was a success. After several of these the fellow said, "I guess I'm a small stream kind of guy"!!!

We had fun, the client learned a few things and most important we wetted his appetite for more fishing. He remained at the hotel for a second night (Martinsville folks take note - two nights in hotel, meals, gas and who knows what else - just what the area needs). Early the following morning I received a call at my cabin asking about the generation flow rate. He said he was about to step into the Smith for some more fishing on his own at one of the locations I had shown him the day before. --- We might have another "Smith River Regular" in the making!

05-13-07 Other commitments have kept me away from the Smith River for the past few weeks. I finally returned to my "home waters" this past weekend and found she is fishing very well. I can not honestly say that we are at the peak of the season but the fish are certainly willing to cooperate if you show some persistence. If past years are any indication, things should steadily improve for the next couple of months.

I spent Friday afternoon fishing the riffle section that begins near the Rosemont Road parking area. This section has always been good to me and it did not disappoint on Friday. With a smile on my face and thoughts of many hook ups, I proceeded up through what is probably the longest section of riffles on the river.

I got the "skunk" behind me on the second cast at the big pool just down from the first fisherman's path.

It began to look like that first fish was a flunk because I went a long ways before catching three more in a row and even then had to struggle to meet my goal of double digits. The water was very clear and I could see fish scooting ahead of me. I even tried fishing a dropper off the end of my Allieworm but soon gave that up because I was spending more time untangling the two flies then fishing. Shortly after catching my tenth fish things began to pick up and I easily doubled that. I have no idea what changed, the water looked the same and I was fishing the same, but the fish were in a much more aggressive feeding mood.

Most of the fish on Friday were stream spawned Browns. I did catch five or six, foot long Rainbows which had swam up or downstream from the stocked sections of the river.

I spent a good part of Saturday afternoon in the lower river south of Bassett. As I am fond of saying, I do not have a favorite section of the river. The entire river is a good trout fishery. I try to pick sections that have reasonable access and which do not have other fisherman at the time. Put me on the water and I can usually find a fish or two.

The lower river had been stocked about two weeks ago and still contained a number of Rainbows. They were not overly aggressive or plentiful but if you placed your fly in the right spot you where soon rewarded. Once again I brought a good number of them to hand.

Sunday found me at the Hwy 666 bridge which marks the lower end of the Special Regulations section. This boundary is clearly marked with a sign that has been in place for as long as I have been fishing the river (15 or more years).

I looked over the bridge rail and observed a fisherman about 75 yards on the upstream side of the sign. As I watched he was placing a fish on a stringer that contained several other fish. I doubted that the fish had exceeded 16 inches and even if it had, he was certainly over his two fish limit. He saw me watching and immediately faced upstream with his back to me. After several shouts on my part, he turned around. I waved and asked, "how ya doing"? He meekly replied that he had caught a few and there were lots of fish right there in front of him.

I replied, "You know, you can't keep them on this side the bridge don't you"?. He replied with a sheepish grin, "No, I didn't know that". My response was, "You have two choices, you can get out of the river right now, or you can stand your ground and I will call the Game Warden".

With a mumble, he pulled in what looked to be worms or powerbait and proceeded to wade down stream and under the bridge. As he passed by I counted five good size fish on his stringer. I also pointed out the Special Regulations sign to him as he passed.

As you might guess, this encounter put a damper on what was otherwise a beautiful weekend. In hindsight I should have tried to call the Game Warden. I fished and did well, but could not keep from thinking about the rule breaker. This section of the river is full of the likes of him. The Smith River has many problems, some of them may be unfixable, but the proliferation of poachers and the lack of law enforcement should not be one of them.

04-05-07 Seems like every time I go fishing lately a cold front is passing through the area. This was certainly the case on Thursday, April 5, 2007 when I made the 150 mile drive to my "get-a-way" cabin in Bassett, VA. I went there in order to attend the Smith River Trout Unlimited (SRTU) meeting being held that evening at Rania's Restaurant.

Mrs. K. had strongly suggested that instead of wasting time on "catch and release", that some fresh fish would be a welcome change of diet. She had heard me talk about a recent stocking of the lower river and indicated that if I were the great fisherman that I professed to be, I should provide some fresh trout for the table. With that caustic challenge ringing in my ears, and despite a chill in the air and a gusty breeze bending the trees, I headed for the lower Smith River.

I entered the stream a short way downstream of the village of Bassett. There was still a fair amount of current but it rapidly dissipated as the generation surge passed and the river returned to normal. My entry point was a mid-waist deep spot and it was easy to see how just a little more current would make wading a dangerous proposition. I have started using a wading staff and found it a comfort on this occasion.

It was not long before the Allieworm fooled the first fish. It was a nice one and I eased my creel around to the front so as to be ready to furnish the first of what I hoped to be a nice mess of "put and take" trout for Mrs. K's fish fry.

As the fish came closer I saw the fish was not a stocked Rainbow, but instead, was a stream spawned Brown. I have never intentionally killed a Smith River Brown, therefore he got a photo for his trouble and immediately went back so that someone else can enjoy catching him.

I had hoped that I would be protected from the wind down in that section of the river which is lower then most of the land around it. Much to my dismay, the wind was blowing directly into my face as I waded upstream. The weather forecast had called for gusts of up to 35mph and they were not wrong. Even though I am a fairly good caster, my fly was often blow back to land in a big tangle of line directly in front of me.

I was soon hooked to another Smith River Brown. This one was the biggest of the day. None would go over nine inches but they are a joy to catch because they're strong, often give an aerial display and are very pretty.

With all the wind and bone chilling temperatures it was not a very nice day to be on the water, so waded faster then normal in order to get back to my vehicle which was parked a short distance upstream. Even with these trying conditions I still caught a decent handful of fish. With one exception, all the fish brought to hand were Brown Trout. So much for Mrs. K's fish fry.

03-29-07 On Thursday, March 29th I was honored to show one of Greensboro's premier criminal defense attorneys some of the secrets of the Smith River. He had fished the Smith on several occasions but had always limited himself to the section right behind the Mirror Factory and figured it was time to expand his horizons.

The weather was not the best on Thursday. We were coming off an abnormally warm period and experiencing a cold front with occasional drizzle. This sort of quick change in the weather tends to slow the bite down, however, we were committed, and as the saying goes "a bad day of fishing beats a good day in the office".

The generation schedule delayed our trip until noon, and even then we were only able to step into the water at the base of the dam. We tried that section long enough for me to see that my client was very competent with the long rod and all I had to do was put him on a few fish. He missed a couple of subtle takes while we were waiting for the generation surge to move down past the top of the Special Regulation section.

Once it was safe to wade down in that area we moved down to the trestle pool where he quickly caught 3-4 browns and missed a couple more.

None of the browns would have smashed the historical Smith River record of +17 pounds, but they were colorful and fun on a 4wt flyrod.

After a shore lunch prepared by yours truly we did some exploring and headed for the lower end of the Special Regulations area. As soon as we moved down to that section of town it was obvious by the amount of fishermen at every bridge the stocking truck had recently passed. Not wanting to stand shoulder to shoulder with the "follow the stock truck crowd" we moved a bit further downstream to a couple of areas that do not receive much pressure.

We did not "slay them" but my client was able to add one more to his tally and also discovered a few more options for when he returns to the Smith on his own.

All in all a good day on the Smith. We didn't rack up any great numbers, but we had fun and we also accomplished the clients mission of learning more about the river. For my part, I fished with a true gentleman who I would not hesitate to call a friend and who I hope to share the stream again when we can both work out our schedules for some fun fishing to clear the cobwebs out of our busy lives.

03-08-07 My friend David Jones and I made a date to do some fishing while I was up in Martinsville to attend the Philpott / Smith River 216 Study public meeting. David is the driving force behind the local Trout In the Classroom which started out as a Henry County project and has since expanded throughout the state and has even gone interstate under his sponsorship.

The generation schedule did not allow us to get on the water in the Special Regulation section before noontime and forced us off the water by 4pm. I guess that is not bad for a winter schedule because it allowed us to fish during the heat of the day. I figured this would be a good time to get the kinks out of the flyline after allowing the rod to sit idle while I indulged my other passion which is deer hunting.

As it turns out the flyline was not the only thing that had some kinks. We walked down the railroad tracks to the trestle pool and got on the water just as it fell to a fishable level. There were a few fish rising, as is often the case on falling water. I tied on my old reliable Allieworm and David decided to go with a #22 Adams dry fly.

We fished quite awhile before connecting. Or I should say, before David Connected. He took three or four on top in quick succession.They wasn't very big, but they sure were pretty.

I tied a Copper John on to the bend of the hook of my Allieworm and was able to dredge up a fairly decent brown but while I was doing that David added 2-3 more to his tally.

I finally couldn't stand it and tied on a small light colored dry fly and was able to add a 6 inch brown, which made me a grand total of two and David seven or eight. He spanked me good, and to add insult to injury, he did it with a dry fly.

But you know what? Being out with a good friend and on some good water is what it is all about. We had a good time. The 2007 season is just kicking off. I expect it will be a good one.

Now where did I put my dry fly box???

09-07-06 I was up in Bassett last week to attend the Smith River Trout Unlimited meeting and decided to take advantage of the occasion to do a little fun fishing Thursday morning before they started afternoon generation.

There had been a heavy rain a couple days before which put a lot of color in the water downstream of Town Creek. I have always been of the opinion that stained water was easier to fish then clear water. I have also thought that there is a limit to how much stain can be in the water before it goes from good to unfishable. I'm now beginning to think coffee colored water has more potential then previously thought.

I arrived at the Mirror Factory and found one other fishermen ahead of me. I was not sure where he had started fishing so walked the railroad tracks thinking I would probably go further downstream then most care to walk. As it turned out the other fellow was also a "walker". When I spied him, I immediately turned around and walked back up the tracks to the Trestle Pool. This put a good distance between us.

I was soon into fish and made my goal of double digits without hardly moving my feet. By taking my time and fishing all the likely spots I soon more then doubled that. I saw a few surface splashes and even had a couple of takes on my yarn strike indicator but stuck to what I know best which is dead drifting a nymph. I used a #12 Allieworm which is a little larger then I normally use but it works well when the water is severely stained.

My wife was waiting back at our "get away" cabin and my fishing permission slip was only for a limited amount of time so I hit the railroad tracks at the first fisherman path upstream of the Trestle Pool. No personal record set, but it was a very good morning on my favorite river.

08-19-06 Made a quick run up to my cabin in Bassett VA to do a little maintenance. Finished earlier then expected so used the spare time to do a little fishing.

Arrived at the Mirror Factory about 7:45am Saturday morning and found the parking lot full. Some were there for a special sales event going on at the Mirror Factory but I saw at least two guys heading down the railroad tracks with flyrod in hand and figured there might be others ahead of them. Having just come from a week of "combat fishing" for salmon in Alaska I was seeking more solitude then the upper end of the Special Regulation section appeared to offer. I quickly drove to the lower end of the Spec Reg and found the small parking area empty.

The water of the Smith River was as clear as gin which made for some challenging fishing. Careful wading and long casts were the order of the day. My first fish of the day was a small stocked rainbow. All fish after that were brown trout. I fish up through the riffle section and was able to bring a good solid double digits worth of fish to hand. They came one at a time. I thought to myself, "thankfully I am by myself, otherwise this would be a very long and frustrating day". I exited at the old field and knew that I had been thoroughly tested by one of the best trout streams in Virginia.

Just before heading for Alaska, less then 4 weeks ago, I easily set a personal record for Smith River trout caught in one outing. This past Saturday, I struggled to make double digits. In my opinion the big difference in those two days was the clarity of the water. Four weeks ago the water was stained to the point of losing sight of your nymph as soon as it hit the water. Saturday the was so clear you could see every detail of the bottom and your flyline was casting a deep shadow as it floated along.

Casting my 5wt with a WF floating line and #14 beadhead Allieworm was a pleasure after a week of muscling a 9wt with sinktip line and #1/0 salmon fly. The fish were a lot smaller but as one of the other "Smith River Regulars" is often heard saying, "There is something about those painted fish that just keep you coming back".

07-22-06 You're pretty sure the fishing is going to be good if you hook one on your first cast as your working the kinks out of your line. This positive indicator happened to me on both Friday and Saturday as I was doing some fun fishing on the Smith River in Bassett VA.

On Friday I arrived at about 11am and found the lower river the color of creamed coffee. Normally under these conditions I would fish upstream of Town Creek where the water is usually clear. However, on Friday the Philpott Powerhouse was scheduled to start running water through the turbines at two o'clock. This rush of high water would not allow much time for fishing that close to the dam. I checked the water at a couple of the bridges in Bassett, and although it was pretty stained I could see bottom in the shallower areas so decided to try fishing the loop behind the Bassett Chair Factory.

My first cast was rewarded with an honest measured sixteen inch rainbow. My camera had been forgotten back at the cabin so you will have to take my word that I have scribed true measurements on my rod all the way up to twenty inches. I continued on around the loop and soon had double digits, and then doubled that, plus a few more. The water was very dingy but the fish did not seem to mind.

I reached the lower end of the Special Regulation section just in time to meet a fellow coming downstream in a canoe. I hailed him and he stopped to talk and revealed that he had entered the river at Town Creek and was planning to pull out at one of the bridges in Bassett. He was using an ultra-lite spinning rod with a brown "Broken Back Woolyworm". He was practicing "catch and release" and had done real well up to that point. We had a good chat. I invited him to our next Trout Unlimited meeting.

Saturday morning I parked at the Mirror Factory and allowed my bionic hips to carry me well down the railroad tracks to the middle of the Special Regulation section. The water was clearer then the day before but it still had a good deal of tint to it. Once again my first cast produced a decent size rainbow. It just got better after that. Before I was out of sight of my starting point I had thirty fish. At that point I actually shed most of my gear and took a nap on one of the large rocks that protrudes out of the water in that section. I begin wondering if this would be a good day to attempt to break my personal record on the Smith. I decided to "go for it", and although the fishing tapered off from what it had been earlier in the morning, by 1:30pm I was able to hook my Allieworm into the rod keeper and exit the stream with a look of satisfaction. I was back at my truck, pulling off gear at 2 o'clock.

BTW, although my first cast both days produced rainbows, all the other fish were brown trout. Many were in the 4-6 inch range but most were larger and enough pushed the 10-12 inch mark to make it interesting.

06-25-06 A guide with a paying client tries to avoid being boxed in between other fishermen. I knew that all the past weekend rain would result in most of the Smith River fishermen being concentrated upstream of Town Creek where the water remains clear unless there is a prolonged torrential downpour. I checked the water at several bridges on my way to linking up with a client on Sunday morning and found a section near the lower end of the Special Regulations area that was stained but still clear enough to see the bottom. We suited up and entered the water hoping my intuition would pay off.

The fellow I fished with was from Wake Forest NC who had been fly fishing for about a year. He had previously attended an Orvis fly fishing school and could cast fairly well. We tied on my namesake fly, the Allieworm, and were soon watching the strike indicator disappear with regular consistency. They apparently didn't spend much time at the Orvis school teaching how to respond to a hit because my client missed several in a row.

There are several schools of thought on how to react to a strike. The method that works best for me is to make the cast and immediately get control of your slack line so that you have a direct line to the indicator without any extra loops or belly in the line. I watch the indicator and gently strip line in as it drifts toward me or work line out if it is drifting away from me. The key is to maintain a natural drift while keeping a fairly straight line to the indictor. If the indicator dips, skids sideways or goes down, pinch the line off in your left hand and raise the rod sharply with the rod hand. My strike sequence is much the same as I use in making my next cast - if it was a fish, the fight will be on. If it was false alarm or if you missed the fish, follow through with your cast and place it right back in the same spot. If you didn't put a hook in him or if he has a buddy, you may be rewarded with a second chance.

Once we did some remedial training on how to hook and play a fish, my clients hook-up ratio greatly improved. He was fishing with a Orvis Superfine rod that really took a pretty bend on the twenty odd fish he brought to hand before we arrived at a predetermined exit point.

Instead of the traditional shore lunch, we went to my "get away" cabin, back in the woods where "Chef Al" whipped up some sandwiches and potato salad and provided a peek at what life was like back in the early 1900's. (We think the place was built around 1910. The original structure was built from the logs they cut while clearing the land).

We finished out the day on the river below Bassett. Again the water was stained but fishable. A few more came to hand before we got blown off the water by a drenching downpour. No problem - it was warm and we had a good day. By the way, that drenching rain lasted most of the night and by the next morning the entire river, with the exception of the first half mile below the dam was basically unfishable.

06-16-06 It has been about a month since I have had the opportunity to do any serious Smith River fishing. From the reports I have been monitoring and also from talks with friends who live there and fish it regularly I had high expectations when I arrived at the Mirror Factory early Friday morning,June 16, 2006.

I entered the river near the railroad trestle and fished upstream to the lower end of the field. The water was crystal clear and I could observe lots of fish moving ahead of me and scooting out of the way in the long shallow pools that are prevalent in this stretch of the river. The light must have been just right because at times I could see pods of fish that would rival the pods seen in delayed harvest streams the day after stocking. Lots of fish but I did not see any feeding activity.

I caught several fish but had to really struggle to make it into double digits. The fish were all brown trout in the 7-10 inch range. About half fell to the Allieworm and the other half were caught on a #16 Copper John which I added about 6 inches below the bend of the hook on my Allieworm.

Highlight of the day was when a big bodied deer with a bunch of velvet poking above it's ears crossed the river in a shallow spot just upstream of where I was fishing. Shortly thereafter a doe crossed in the same spot going in the opposite direction. Second highlight of the day was when I stubbed my toe on a rock and took a full body belly flop in a shallow pool. Invigorating to say the least. No complaints - beautiful day to be on the water!

04-22-06 Friday afternoon brought intermittent light rain. I thought it had passed through so decided to give the lower section of the Smith River a try. As I was pulling on my waders it started raining again but I was dressed for it so headed down over the bank and into the water. The rain increased but I was committed so pressed on and caught an even dozen before arriving at a good "get out" point. The fish were about half rainbows and half brown trout. One of the browns was a half inch shy of 16 inches, a personal best for me so far this season. I fear for the longevity of that nice brown because he was in the stocked section of the river and the next fisherman who catches him will probably place him on a stinger.

Saturday morning I woke to the crash of thunder and the pitter patter of serious rain on my cabin's aluminum roof. After about an hour it passed and I headed for Papa's Pizza parking lot where I was to link up with a fellow coming from Charlotte NC to fish with me for the day. Due to adverse driving conditions he arrived a little late, but nevertheless, we were on the water of the Special Regulation section by 9:30. The water was a little stained but fishable. My friend from Charlotte was a very competent fly caster and soon adapted to my technique of nymph fishing. He had heard all the stories about how difficult the Smith can be to fish, but lady luck was with us this day. Between the two of us we tripled my count from the day before. Needless to say, he was pleased and plans many more return trips.

Fly of choice was the allieworm. Initially on Saturday morning we were in fairly deep water so hung the allieworm about 2 feet below a yarn strike indicator. As we progressed toward our predetermined exit point, the water became shallower so we changed the distance to about a foot to avoid hanging up on the Didymo Moss that covers the bottom in that area.

04-16-06 My wife and I spent a good portion of the Easter Weekend at our cabin in Bassett VA. I didn't dare push my luck by spending the entire weekend fishing, but was able to spend 2-3 hours on the water each day. They were very productive hours indeed. You have to work at it, but overall the Smith River is fishing very well.

I decided to take some of my own advice by fishing some of the stocked waters on two of my three short outings. Friday afternoon I fished south of the Stanleytown Bridge and caught well into the double digits. I knew the river was going to fish well when I caught a fairly nice brown on my first cast and caught his little brother about two casts later. I continued to catch fish in most of the likely looking spots until I had counted nine brought to hand. My goal on any outing is to catch ten. For some unknown reason I experienced a great many "rolled fish" and "long distance releases" before finally placing my hand on the tenth fish. After that things settled down. After several more fish, a glance at my watch revealed that I was not going to make it back to the bridge before my agreed on time for being back at the cabin. Not wanting to worry my wife, who is concerned due my recent hip replacements, I scrambled up the bank, leaving several hundred yards of prime trout water untouched.

Saturday afternoon found me on the river a little closer to the town of Bassett. Once again I caught a brown on the first cast. After that the stocked rainbows did themselves proud, with an occasional brown just to mix thing up a bit. I was well into double digits when I looked up and saw a canoe approaching. I moved to one side and we exchanged pleasantries as the lone individual floated past. He had a spinning rod and said he had seen a great many fish but had failed to catch a one. He shook his head in disbelief when I told him how many I had caught. In his defense, he was spending most of his time fending off rocks and pulling the canoe through shallow areas. We both agreed that the Smith left a lot to be desired when one thinks of a gentle and smooth canoe trip. I nearly tripled my count by the time I arrived at my predetermined "get out" point.

Sunday morning I decided to observe "sunrise service" at the lower end of the Special Regulations section. When I arrived I saw two other fishermen standing in my pew, so I headed up the rail road tracks to the overgrown field and fished upstream to the old fish shack. First cast luck was not with me. Perhaps it was Gods way of punishing me for not attending a real sunrise service. It took me quite awhile to catch the first fish. I must admit I was disappointed. I fished a section that regularly yields 15-30 fish and was barely able to eke out my goal of double digits. I did catch one brown that pushed the twelve inch mark. The rest were a mix of rainbows, which were refugees from the stocked areas, and several smaller browns. One reason for the lack of respectable size fish might have been a report from a fellow Smith River regular last week who saw a couple of kids walking the rail road tracks carrying stringers of fish http://www.brfff.com/forum/index.php?topic=1221.0 .I also observed several forked sticks and an empty corn can at the big pool by the fish camp. It does not take much of that sort of thing to clean out a section of the river which does not receive replenishment through stocking and is under stress from extreme temperature swings, lack of food and lack of good spawning areas.

Despite ending on a "down note" I can safely say that the Smith is fishing pretty good right now. The river has received at least four stockings so far this year and will probably receive one or two more before June. Fish that are not immediately caught near the bridges are quickly distributed throughout the river by the generation surge. Other then the two fellows I observed at the lower end of the Special Regulation section on Sunday, I did not see another fisherman in three days. One thing I did observe was lots of Didymo moss, aka, bubble bum, cotton candy and less endearing names. This moss has spread through out the river. Nymph fishermen need to forget about ticking the bottom with their offering. That method of presentation is deadly in most streams, however, on the Smith and other Didymo infested steams it soon makes for a big glob of moss on the end of your line. I was able to get around it by switching to a lighter beadhead (3/32 versus 1/8) and shortening the distance between my strike indicator and the fly. All my fish were caught on my signature fly the "Allieworm". I always start with the AW, but will readily switch if it does not produce. There was no need to switch this past weekend.

03-16-06 I got out on Thursday, Mach 16th for my first serious trout fishing trip of 2006. Many of you may recall that I was laid up for most of the 2005 fishing season with hip replacement surgery. I was able to get back on my feet in time to have a very good deer hunting season. Since the first of the year I've been pretty well tied up as the volunteer coordinator for the NCWRC fly fishing clinics. That is about behind me, so now I have more time for my own schedule.

I fished the middle of the lower Smith River just below Bassett VA and did very well right after the generation flow subsided. My catch was about evenly divided between stocked rainbows and stream spawned brown trout. It never ceases to fill me with awe and wonder when see I those beautiful brown trout. Their dark spots stand out so vividly on their sides and if your lucky enough to catch one in the +10 inch range their belly's show a distinct yellow tint. Another thing I like about the browns is there is no doubt when you have one on as opposed to the weaker pull of the "stock truck" rainbows. All of my catch on Thursday were fooled by the Allieworm, a #14 black beadhead nymph with orange butt.

I was only on the water for about 2 1/2 hours but it was a good test run for my new hips. The Smith and I have a lot of catching up to do.

05-05-05 Went on my first real wading trip since having hip replacement surgery 7 weeks ago. It went well - no problem with the robo hip, but the other one is starting to go and it makes entering and exiting the water a challenge. Will have that one taken care of on June 30th.

A buddy and I hit the Smith River in back of the Mirror Factory for about 2 hours Thursday afternoon and caught several fish. It was gratifying to see that they still like the Allieworm.

"Heads up" to all Smith River fishermen: The COE this past week are saying in their generation schedule recording (276) 629-2432 that due to a change in COE regulations they will be announcing the generation schedule daily and the announcement will be only for that particular day. Right now the trend appears to be generation starting at 6am and ending about noon but you should always check or you could make a long drive for naught.

Friday morning we walked a good ways back to a blue line where we both caught a handful of small rainbows. This particular blueline has done better in the past. The fish were there but we were not quick enough on the strike to hook them when they darted out for our offering and just as quickly headed back to their hidy hole.

09-17-04 This past week I had the opportunity to show a Washington DC based couple my favorite trout water, the Smith River. We linked up at Papa's Pizza early Wednesday morning where I was given the once over and it was decided that I would fish with one of them each day while the other relaxed back at their Fairy Stone State Park rental cabin and played the role of dog sitter. The lady opted to go first.

I have been doing this for a while and can pretty well tell if it is going to be a good day within the first half hour of fishing with someone. This lady was the client that all guides dream about. She was pleasant on the eyes, exhibited an outgoing personality and had a deep love of fly fishing. She was not a novice but readily admitted to needing to polish her techniques and expressed a sincere desire to learn new ones.

We started at the trestle pool and worked our way up to a good get out point just below the field behind the Mirror Factory. Her casting was acceptable but she had difficulty reacting in time or with sufficient force to set the hook. We worked on this a bit and she managed to catch a fair number of fish.

Our time on the river was cut short by a leak in her waders which filled her left leg with chilly Smith River water. Thankfully she had brought a chang