Alright, it's too pretty outside...where is everyone wetting a line???

[QUOTE=eddie_m;404421]Get well soon, Rich, or at least before Guntersville!

Went to Otter Creek on Fort Knox today. Had a selection of tiny nymphs to throw but the trout were hitting the surface. About the time I was ready to switch to a topwater fly, a guy name Warren who is stationed at Ft. Knox passed through headed back to his car. I asked his advice on what to throw and we started talking. I ended up getting a half hour lesson and three flies he had tied. Honestly, he was generous -- I wasn't begging or anything! Phenomenal guy. The day ended with me catching my first trout ever on a fly (on one of the Adams he had given me). What a great day! The trout were hitting the surface (I guess that's called rising in troutspeak) eating almost microscopic midges. Great day for a new fly fisherman.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for wishing me well....I need it! Feeling a little better tonight. I think fishing on Barren tomorrow is just what the doctor ordered :D.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Your first trout on the fly.....you have popped your preverbial trout cherry! LOL! And on a dry fly...even funner! I tip my hat to the gentlemen that took time to give you some pointers and provide you with a hot fly.....we need more fishermen like that! Another great dry fly choice when you come upon a midge hatch is a Griffiths Gnat.....so simple to tie as well....hook, peacock hurl, and some grizzly hackle...done! I use sizes #20 and smaller plus as light of tippet as you can get away with. Just look at the size of the midges hatching and match your size to that.

-Rich

[QUOTE=eddie_m;404421]Get well soon, Rich, or at least before Guntersville!

Went to Otter Creek on Fort Knox today. Had a selection of tiny nymphs to throw but the trout were hitting the surface. About the time I was ready to switch to a topwater fly, a guy name Warren who is stationed at Ft. Knox passed through headed back to his car. I asked his advice on what to throw and we started talking. I ended up getting a half hour lesson and three flies he had tied. Honestly, he was generous -- I wasn't begging or anything! Phenomenal guy. The day ended with me catching my first trout ever on a fly (on one of the Adams he had given me). What a great day! The trout were hitting the surface (I guess that's called rising in troutspeak) eating almost microscopic midges. Great day for a new fly fisherman.[/QUOTE]

Congrats man. Kudos to "Warren" also. Thats what I love about the outdoors in general. Folks lovin, and lovin to share, the knowledge. Its great to run into someone that gets just as much joy from watching someone hang into one as catching themselves.
I'm going to catch one (trout) like that someday, lol.

Had been keeping my eye on the Dix River below lake herrington for the past week and it looked like Herrington had finally been dropped to winter pool and releases at the dam were minimal. My buddies got there on Sunday and did OK in the low flows with nymphs.

I got there Monday morning and KU was running at least 2 generators at the dam. The current was ridiculous. But there was 4 of us, so we got 2 boats up through the spillway rapids with a lot of elbow grease. Fished big streamers all day and caught four browns. It was very hard, required a lot of trolling motor and gas motor work to maneouver in that kind of flow.

Going back down through the spillway rapids manhandling the boats was very hard. I got a waders full of water twice and banged my knees up pretty bad on some of those boulders. But, thankfully it was 60 degrees instead of 30 degrees. Plus, first browns I've caught since October.

P.S. - Regarding flies at Otter Creek. I was there a week and a half ago and saw a TON of BWOs in some of the eddy sections and trout and chubs and all kinds of other fish were rising to them. They were big BWOs too. Might be something to try next time.

Question: what's a BWO?

[QUOTE=eddie_m;404859]Question: what's a BWO?[/QUOTE]

Blue Winged Olive

[QUOTE=bluegrasser;404855]Had been keeping my eye on the Dix River below lake herrington for the past week and it looked like Herrington had finally been dropped to winter pool and releases at the dam were minimal. My buddies got there on Sunday and did OK in the low flows with nymphs.

I got there Monday morning and KU was running at least 2 generators at the dam. The current was ridiculous. But there was 4 of us, so we got 2 boats up through the spillway rapids with a lot of elbow grease. Fished big streamers all day and caught four browns. It was very hard, required a lot of trolling motor and gas motor work to maneouver in that kind of flow.

Going back down through the spillway rapids manhandling the boats was very hard. I got a waders full of water twice and banged my knees up pretty bad on some of those boulders. But, thankfully it was 60 degrees instead of 30 degrees. Plus, first browns I've caught since October.

P.S. - Regarding flies at Otter Creek. I was there a week and a half ago and saw a TON of BWOs in some of the eddy sections and trout and chubs and all kinds of other fish were rising to them. They were big BWOs too. Might be something to try next time.[/QUOTE]

Way to fight for them fish! Never fished the Dix, but have heard some good things about it.

-Rich

Plan on fishing the Dix soon myself, never been though. Streamer recommendations anyone?

[QUOTE=colonelmeyer;404993]Plan on fishing the Dix soon myself, never been though. Streamer recommendations anyone?[/QUOTE]

Never been to the Dix, but a trout is a trout..........I've caughten my biggest fish throwing a Zonker. Just a great streamer pattern! Bunnies are also good. IMO.

-Rich

Couple things about the Dix. First, I love it - have been fishing it for 15+ years now. With that comes a lot of knowledge.

BUT, it is a fickle river. It is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Other than a short portion of rapids at the spillway, it requires a boat to fish.

The main thing is that the last several years have experienced really crazy water conditions there. One day the river is ridiculously low and trout are skittish; then we get a major storm and they're blowing out water for 3 months and you must become an expert on fishing high, fast water.

There were points on Monday when I wished I had just gone to Otter Creek, which would've been closer, easier, and probably yielded more fish.

But like I said, for some reason the Dix called to me.



* Anyhow, for streamers I throw really BIG sizes out there, because there are some browns here and there that tend to ignore smaller flies. A good beadhead/conehead black woolie bugger will work, but I've been experimenting with the monstrous streamers Kelly Galloup ties. Take a look at some of these bad boys: [url]http://www.slideinn.com/store/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=18945363a1b2965263a9227ec0fd8312[/url]

[QUOTE=bluegrasser;405076]Couple things about the Dix. First, I love it - have been fishing it for 15+ years now. With that comes a lot of knowledge.

BUT, it is a fickle river. It is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Other than a short portion of rapids at the spillway, it requires a boat to fish.

The main thing is that the last several years have experienced really crazy water conditions there. One day the river is ridiculously low and trout are skittish; then we get a major storm and they're blowing out water for 3 months and you must become an expert on fishing high, fast water.

There were points on Monday when I wished I had just gone to Otter Creek, which would've been closer, easier, and probably yielded more fish.

But like I said, for some reason the Dix called to me.



* Anyhow, for streamers I throw really BIG sizes out there, because there are some browns here and there that tend to ignore smaller flies. A good beadhead/conehead black woolie bugger will work, but I've been experimenting with the monstrous streamers Kelly Galloup ties. Take a look at some of these bad boys: [url]http://www.slideinn.com/store/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=18945363a1b2965263a9227ec0fd8312[/url][/QUOTE]


The large Hedge Hog in different colors Will do the trick !!! :D