CAST & BLAST

2008 has been a fantastic year hunting, and fishing. Since it's coming to a close my brother, and I wanted to get in one more (Pretty Adventurous) trip. When you put these things together you never know what you're going to get. It's like the Pennslvania Lotto's motto was (at least when I was a kid) "You Have to Play to Win". Today was an epic day. We floated about 7 miles of lets just call it River X. We managed 3 Geese, 1 Crow, and around 8-9 Smallmouth. I missed a Hen Mallard, and we missed a few Crows as well. The Digital caller helped to fill in some down time on the slow stetches. I'll get some pictures on our next Crow Hunt. We have around 5, or 6 in the past couple months, but didn't take pictures. River X is normally our go to Summer Smallmouth River, but this time of year it was obviously very hard fishing as should be expected. I brought my 8 weight, but never even got it out. If you aren't catching them on spinning tackle with regularity what is the point. It just ends up being casting practice. In one of the pics is the dam where the water is released from. We had full generation first thing in the morning, and they cut it off around 11, or 12. The takeout as you can see has some good 4 letter words, and racist rhetoric on the supports. It has been our experience that if you have at least one of those elements it's normally a good hunting, or fishing place. I highly recommend packing though.

If your curious the boats we are using are 14.5 Native Ultimates. They make them in North Carolina. Many of the rivers we fish are very rocky, and they take a beating. Also they have a Tunnel Hull style bottom, so as you can see you can stand up in them. Standing up makes fly casting infintely easier. This is our second year fishing these boats, and they are amazing.

Enjoy....
Chris

Poor Mans Bonefish

I'm going into my 14th year living in South Carolina. My bro, and I have probably enjoyed trying to find new places to hunt, and fish as much as anything. We started from scratch here without much more than some maps, and some occasional knowledge from locals. The first 10 years 98% of the time was fly fishing for trout in the Mountains. First South Carolina, then North Carolina, and finally Tennessee. Finding New Species, and New Water has become as routine as brushing your teeth. Countless phone calls about hey what do you think of how this place looks, and then figuring out how to fish it, and sometimes how to even get in there. We had my 1991 Honda Civic back in a place when I was in college that should have been in 4x4 journal. A couple years back Rick got it in his head that he wanted to catch a Carp on the flyrod. I had one on 5x, and a size 18 nymph in Tennessee a couple years earlier we estimated at 15#'s. We were up over our waists with no net, and after around 30-45 minutes it finally broke me. Rick was bass fishing in a lake we will call Lake X. He saw carp eating off the edge of the bank, and told his friend Don "let me throw this helgramite fly at them". It was FISH ON, and he saw quickly it could be done. Countless trips over the past couple years, and he has it down to a Science. He sent me enough pictures for me to tell him "OK it looks like you have it figured out" I'm ready to go. So, this past Summer Rick turned me into a full blown CARPAHOLIC. There is nothing like catching these fish on the fly rod. I started devouring every video, leader set-up, book I could get my hands on.
Here are some pics from this past summer of fish in the 7-9# class. Our kids are spoiled my son, and I were in my Clackacraft taking the picture of Rick with his kids after he landed that beauty.
2009 figures to be very very good. We already have several new spots scouted out that we didn't even get to fish last year. My son, and I spent a couple months on every Sunday night putting in some scouting. Enjoy!!!

Cobia Season 2008 "Baptismal by Salt"

In the Navy when you are the first crew on board a new ship after it is commisioned you are forever referred to as plankowners of that ship. Being that my first post wouldn't have been possible without three people they are the plankowners of my blog. The first is my Brother Rick. We have been hunting, or fishing for anything we could find since we began to walk. The second is Captain John Irwin of http://www.flyrightcharters.com/ based out of Charleston, or wherever the fishing is good at that time. The third is my Wife who as head of our house IT department actually set-up the blog. This was edited after she read my first post, and said "Not Possible Without Whom". Rick & John huh.
The background:
My brother calls me on a Friday morning, and says a friend of ours Gitou was unable to go on a trip my brother and him had been planning. He then asks if I would like to go try, and catch some Cobia on the fly with his friend John. This is at 7:30 in the morning the day of the trip. I'm a lucky man for sure. I have a great boss, and wife. After getting approved by both of them within 5 hours I meet my brother at my house to leave.
The Trip:
We arrive in Beaufort, South Carolina that evening, and I get to meet John for the first time. He is as gracious, accomodating, and as good of a fly fisherman as you would ever meet. John spends 4-6 weeks chasing the Cobia in Beaufort when they work up the coast, and had a house rented in a beautiful part of town. The Jasmine has the most unbelievable smell in May there. If you experience it once it is something you will never forget. I've had a fly rod in my hand every chance I could since I was around 7 years old. This was my first trip in the salt though. Day 1 was tough, and the water was choppy. I missed a shot at a redfish, and quickly realized this was a different game than anything I had ever done. Day 2 we were pushing out towards Hilton Head, and Rick spotted a Cobia blasting under the boat. It was a sign off what was about to happen. For around three hours it was Cobia everywhere. They were up on top, and life was good. I made a bunch of my worst casts of my life, but got to watch Rick land the nice 36# fish in one of the pics below. John made a sick cast with a bucktail & Spinning rod, and hooked into one. He handed me the rod, and I tried to decline (felt like when my dad would hook my fish as a kid then let me real them in) John insisted he didn't want to do battle with this fish. I was convinced remembering the picture of the 130# Tarpon pictures from the week before he showed us from a 10 day trip he had just come back from in Belize. I got it to the boat, and my nerves were now settled somewhat. The first fish I casted at earlier had me so jacked up I thought I was about to have the first anxiety attack of my life. My heels were jumping up, and down on the deck I was shaking so bad. We came up on a fish, and Rick pulled out his camcorder. I casted and started stripping as fast as I could while John said "Strip, Strip, Strip" ATE". Amazing i fumbled to deal with the line on the deck, and then it was game on. Look at that picture of the 12 weight bending below. It looks like I'm fighting a cinder block. I think John put it best instead of a 8# Redfish my first Saltwater fish on the fly was a 34# Cobia. What a great trip. Rick was able to get everything from the Cobia eating the fly to the release around 20 mintues later on video.
I will post that if we ever figure out how. Enjoy the pictures below, and if you want to experience a great day on the water I suggest you look up Captain John.