Father & Son Spring Break in the Smokies - Fourth Annual Editon

After knocking the dust off my fishing gear at the beginning of the week, On Friday we headed south for a long weekend in the Smokies. This would be the fourth consecutive year my son and I have made this spring break adventure and this year (3 of 4 years) our close friend would be joining us.

Day 1

After a quick stop at Bass Pro in Sevierville and a check-in at our hotel, we were headed for the park. With a late start to the fishing day, we decided to stay low in the park on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon. the difference this year: Ross would be carrying his own fly rod for the first time - a 9' 4wt TFO. I would be carrying the 000wt alongside him.

The water was up a little bit, from rains earlier in the week, and cold from low 40-degree nights but it didn't take long to land that first fish, a nice wild rainbow.

We fished for a couple of hours, landed two wild rainbows, and quickly figured out that a 9' rod was too long for Ross. After removing flies from tree branches multiple times, Ross had enough, and it was time to clown around with our friend - who was still hard at it.

Day 2

That night the temperatures dropped to the low 40s again so we decided it was best no to get in a hurry to be on the water. We had a big breakfast, went to the outlet mall, then headed for the park about 10:00. We were headed to my favorite section of water in the entire park - a section high on the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon where I caught my first brook trout in the park.

It's a short mile (or so) uphill hike, but worth every step! Deep runs and plunge pools filled with brookies and wild rainbows! It is also a section of stream that was closed for 25 years to the affects of angling pressure on brook trout in the park.

We switched up Ross' rod this day and armed him with a 6' 4wt to help keep him out of the trees.

I would attempt to help Ross land his first trout of the trip while our partner started landing fish right away. Ross learned very quickly that he wanted the "fresh" water, he didn't want to fish behind anybody - I couldn't slow him down!

As he took off upstream...

...I picked up my first brookie of the trip.

After landing my first brookie, it was time to catch Ross. The problem with him fishing ahead of us is that he has no fear! I had to constantly remind him to not wade so deep or be careful as he scrambled over car-sized boulders to stay ahead of us.







Fishing beside him, I was able to pick up another nice brookie - first one on top.

We fished/boulder hopped upstream until we all decided it was time to head back down. There is no trail here, so we had to go out the same way we came in - boulder hopping.

I hated to leave this stream but we didn't pack lunch in and everyone was ready for food. I try to visit this section of water as often as I can.

Once back to where we could climb out to the trail, I couldn't get Ross to stop fishing. He wanted badly to catch his first trout of the trip!





I finally got him out of the water and we hiked back to the vehicle for lunch. After a quick bite to eat, we decided to try another stream in the area - Porter's Creek.

I decided to leave my rod in the vehicle and concentrate on getting Ross on a fish. Porter's Creek is a smaller creek, but just as rugged.

Ross and I concentrated our efforts on the large runs but with the sun quickly slipping behind the mountains, the light got low and the air grew cold. Ross was getting very frustrated because he hadn't landed a trout yet, time to call it a day!

Before we finished, Ross decided to get a little daring again with how deep he was wading...he makes me very nervous!

Once back at the vehicle, Ross and I had a very nice conversation about fishing and frustration. I explained to him that fishing is supposed to be relaxing. If you're getting frustrated it's time to put the rod down, sit down on a rock, and just listen to the water. We could still hear the stream from the vehicle and he agreed that the sound of the stream and the birds in the trees was actually very nice.

Day 3

The next day would start the same, a big breakfast while we waited on the air temperatures to recover from the 40-degree overnight low. We couldn't wait until 10:00 for the stream on the agenda for the day as the trailhead parking fills up quickly.

Another favorite stream of mine is Road Prong, a very rugged brookie stream high in the park. The trailhead is along the main road in the park and also a popular trail for day hikers headed for Chimney Tops.

It's a shorter hike than the day before but this trail has a few sections that are more like climbing stairs than hiking a trail. Regardless, we soon found ourselves at the fourth bridge on the trail and Ross was quickly looking for resident brookies.

Just like the previous day, Ross had to have the fresh water.

The difference this day: we would not be rock hopping, we would be scrambling in a very rugged section of stream. This may be one of the highest gradient streams in the park and I stayed very close to Ross.

I also happened to be with him when he landed his first trout of the trip. He landed a nice brook trout while high sticking a dry fly in a back eddy. He was so excited to land his first brookie of the trip that he released it before I could get a photo.

After he landed one, I asked him if dad could try to catch one. It didn't take me long!

After I landed a nice, little brookie it was back to Ross leading the way upstream.

We continued to slowly scramble upstream and when Ross and our partner decided to take a break, I slipped ahead of them and picked up my biggest brookie of the trip.













After I released him, he decided to hang out around my feet for a while, allowing me to take a few additional photos.

One of our traditions of these Smoky Mountain trips is a group photo at a different park entrance sign every year. This year we decided to take out group photo on Road Prong. I think it was a wise decision and maybe the beginning of a new tradition.



From this point we found a dry bed to climb back down, climbing back the way we came up would have been very difficult and dangerous. When we made it back to the trail, I told Ross how proud I was of him for scrambling in places that many adults could not go!

Once back at the bottom, we decided to quickly fish a couple of very nice runs we saw on the hike in. I picked up a nice wild bow in this section - hope they don't make it upstream with the brookies.

After another quick lunch at the vehicle we made the decision to head to the west side of the park and the Little River watershed. The scrambling must have worn Ross out because he slept as we drove across the park and when we arrived at the trailhead of Lynn Camp Prong and Sam's Creek, he decided he was done fishing.

The water was ripping in this watershed so I decided I was done fishing too, so Ross and I decided to just hike along Sam's Creek while our partner fished.

This is a new stream for me, which includes Thunderhead Prong (which I've always wanted to fish), so it was nice to just hike/relax and check out the stream.

Lower Sam's Creek

We hiked up the trail about a 1/2-mile or so, to where Thunderhead Prong and Sam's Creek join.

Upper Sam's Creek







Thunderhead Prong

Ross taking dad's advice and relaxing to enjoy the sound of the stream at the nice pool where Sam's and Thunderhead join.

After a quick moment of relaxation, we decided to head back down the trail to find our partner...we were also getting hungry! We were all getting psyched for our annual dinner at Huck Finns and an Easter dinner of catfish, frog legs, and gator tail.

Our partner was unsuccessful in the high water of Sam's Creek and was equally as eager to head toward our dinner destination. We made one last stop on Little River so our partner could fish for brown trout in the park. He successfully completed the Smoky Mountain slam when he landed this nice little brown - all the while Ross and I heckled him from the banks.

We had a very nice Easter dinner, knowing our next day would be our last.

Day 4

The next morning we would need to be on the road early, so it was another stream low in the park. We decided to drive the Roaring Fork motor trail - which I had never done.

When we made it to Roaring Fork, I decided I was done fishing and Ross made a couple of quick drifts before deciding it was too cold to enjoy the fishing. Our partner, however, decided to give it a try.

He was unsuccessful on Roaring, just as he was on Sam's, so it was time to put this trip in the books and make the long 6-hour drive home.

The fishing was difficult this year but Ross landed his first solo Smoky Mountain brookie. I added a couple more streams to the list for next year's trip - Sam's Creek, Thunderhead Prong, and Roaring Fork. We also decided next year we would wait until Ross finished school in June before we make this trip. In June the nights/streams should be warmer and we would probably be able to throw a tent down somewhere.

Here's to next year!

Chris







Father & Son Spring Break in the Smokies - Third Annual

This was the third annual father & son trip to the Smokies. In 2009 we were shut out due to high water and in 2010 we had our plans changed three times, in three days, due to road construction. What would the 2011 edition have in store for us? I had to wonder as we left severe storms in West Virginia and drove through multiple hail storms on the way to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

We left West Virginia, and the Elkhorn Clean-up, a day earlier than planned due to storms and high water but this would give us an additional half-day to fish the Smokies.

Day 1

We tried to fish this stream last year but a trailhead closed for construction changed our plans. I read about this stream in Jim Casada's book and had to fish it as it was one of a few streams he rated as "A". Most people will recognize the stream's confluence with Little River.

It is a short couple mile hike up and over the mountain to the stream, with the trail following and crossing the trail multiple times. My concerns of high water were quickly put to rest as the stream level and flow was perfect. We didn't find any brookies at the first crossing so we jumped on the trail and started again at the second crossing.

I picked up my first, little brookie just below the crossing while my friend worked the upstream section of the crossing.

After verifying their existence, it was time to focus on my son's first brookie of the trip. The next series of photos are of my friend assisting with the drift, the hook-up, and the landing of my son's first (of two) brookies on this stream.



We continued to pick up fish at nearly every access point, including one nice brookie caught by my friend (sorry no photos). We fished upstream to where it appeared to take a turn straight up - high gradient, my type of fishing!

Unfortunately, my son and friend decided it was time to head out. I tied on a small olive woolybugger and dredged one of the first, deep plunge pools while the others changed out of their waders (it was nearly 90 degrees by this time). I hooked a very nice brookie, in the 10-12" range, but I didn't get it to hand.

We stopped at one of the crossings on the way out so I could adjust my son's socks and wading boots. While I was adjusting my friend rose a brookie that he said "was as big as his boot". Why are the brookies in this stream so big? I believe it is because they are a transplanted northern strain of brook trout, planted in the early 70s.

We did have a slight mishap as we got within shouting distance of the trailhead. My son's boot laces got tangled and he went down on a sharp rock in the trail. It put a pretty good gash in his knee and covered his face in mud. When we got back to the vehicle, he was a trooper! He squeezed my hand and gritted his teeth while we cleaned and bandaged his knee. I think what really helped was the trip to Little River Outfitters. He picked up another lucky hat, a fly box, and some assorted flies to fill the box - he quickly forgot about his knee!

Following our quick stop in at the fly shop, it was over to Cade's Cove and Abrams Creek. My friend and I are a bad partnership, he likes to fish the big water and I like the little stuff. To be fair, I took him to Abrams but the water here was up and flowing pretty good, but it's always nice to make the drive around the Cove.

Day 2

Our second day in the Smokies would take us to the North Carolina side and another location we couldn't get to in 2010 due to closed roads. Our plans were to head to the Cataloochee area so my son and I could hike Boogerman trail while my partner fished Palmer Creek. I also wanted my son to see his first elk.

We dropped my partner off just downstream of the Palmer chapel and my son and I headed to the trailhead at the mouth of Calwell Fork.

Crossing the Cataloochee:

What 10-year-old doesn't want to hike the Boogerman Trail?

Boogerman Trail winds itself through some old-growth forest before meeting back up with Caldwell Fork nearly four miles later. I will (eventually) detail this hike in my other blog outlining my hikes across terra firma.

We passed an old homesite before meeting up with Snake Fork. You could step across Snake Fork but it just looked "fishy". A quick dap of an olive EHC and, yes, Snake Fork has brookies.

We eventually made it back to Caldwell Fork and the trail by the same name. We were getting pressed for time, we had almost three miles back to the trailhead, but we had time to fish at a couple (eight total) of the bridges. I expected rainbows but all we caught were more brookies - no complaints from me!

We made it back to the vehicle, loaded up, and went to meet our partner. We found him fishing Palmer along the road where my son wanted to give it a shot at the run he was fishing,

A quick debrief of my partner and I learned that all he caught were brookies, in both Palmer and Pretty Hollow. Good news but confusing, I thought all he would catch were rainbows with the possibility of a few browns.

With Boogerman and two new brookie streams under our belt, it was time to find the Cataloochee elk herd. It wasn't too difficult, and we even found another group of turkey - not that that is a difficult task in the Smokies.

We stopped on the Lower Cataloochee, just above where Little Cataloochee Creek dumps in, so my partner could try one more time for that elusive brown trout.

He struck out again but the quick stop wasn't a complete loss. I got to see my son decide he was going for a swim. It was in the upper 80s, but it was still April, and this is still a trout stream. I laugh every time I see his face when he hits that cold water.

We took the scenic route out of the Catalooche drainage, across Mt. Sterling gap to Big Creek and I-40. We made one last stop for the day, at the Cosby overlook on the Foothills Parkway.

 

 

Day 3

 

After low 90s on Sunday and upper 80s on Monday, Tuesday was much different. The temperature this day would not surpass 45 with a steady rain all day - even snow flurries and 37 at Newfound Gap.

 

The original plan or this day was Leconte Creek and a hike to Grotto Falls - another location we could not get to last year due to road closings. With the rain and the fact my son found out he is not as fit as this time last year, we decided to do some "road fishing" this day.

 

We decided to head up and over Newfound Gap, back to the North Carolina side, and the upper Oconaluftee River. I thought this might be another opportunity for my friend to pick up a brown.

 

The rain had the stream up, but fishable. It was cold, even I put on waders. We fished for a short period before my son wanted to get back in the vehicle to warm his hands. The first spot did not produce but the next stop at the Kephart Prong trailhead produced a couple of rainbows on a large stimulator stripped like a steamer at the tailout of a drift.

 

 

My partner struck out on his quest for browns (or anything for that matter) on "the luftee". We decided to head back to the Tennessee side so he could give the Little River a try at Metcalf Bottoms.

 

A good friend at the Elkhorn Clean-up told me he had caught little bows behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center in Fighting Creek. We had to go by there to get to Metcalf, so why not?

 

I caught this little guy under the nature trail bridge.

 

 

Little River was raging so he struck out there too. Even though my partner had gone fishless for the day, it was time to call it a day. We took another alternate route as I had never driven from Metcalf Bottom to Wear Valley. I had know idea it was that close! It had to have been nearly 30 minutes quicker than going to Townsend then back to Pigeon Forge.

 

Day 4

 

Day four would be our last and shortest day of the trip. It would be a quick stop at the Cosby entrance before heading back across the Foothills Parkway, then north to West Virginia.

 

Cosby Creek is a nice, little, roadside brookie stream. It is nice pocket water with a few small plunge pools mixed in. I'm not sure why the brookies didn't want to cooperate, they're in there, but I only picked up one brookie in the short time we fished.

 

After a quick hour, or so, of fishing it was time to pull the plug on the third annual father/son trip to the Smokies. We took our gear off and packed up, but before we headed north it was time for our gratuitous entrance photo.

 

We made the decision that every year we would take this photo at a different entrance sign.

 

As I took the time to go through all of the photos I realized that I did not take as many photos as I normally do. I blame it on rust from the long winter. I need to force myself to take more photos, particularly when I have my son with me!

 

He took a few photos on this leg of his spring break too:

 

It was another great father & son outing in the Smokies!

Chris

Shutout in the Smokies

…..Well, not really.

My son had done such an admirable job on our first outing this year, I decided to take him along on longer trip. I made the 4-day Easter weekend trip to Great Smoky Mountain National Park with a friend and my 8-year-old son. I had not been to the Smokies since 2005 and we were really looking forward to this trip.

Heavy rains passed through the area on Good Friday that caused the streams to raise (not off-color) and the flows were absolutely brutal. Our first step was to set up camp, what an adventure that was! My friend’s new tent had never been slept in and had only been assemble once.

After setting up camp it was off to Little River Outfitters, probably THE best fly shop I have been in anywhere in the United States. I let my son pick out his own flies, of those flies he selected a purple parachute Adams and a size 2 gray ghost. Who knows, under the right conditions they may have worked. The employees of the shop were great as usual and treated my son like he was king of the world.

The first stop I had planned was the Middle Prong of the Little River above Tremont, but after a brief conversation in LRO I was informed that section was closed to habitat enhancement. They did suggest, however, Sam’s Creek above the Middle Prong trailhead – so off we went.

I knew they had received some rainfall earlier in the day and I knew they were still experiencing runoff from the 8-10” of snowfall on Tuesday, but I did not expect water levels/flows that were present when we got to the trailhead. My last trip to this watershed was Memorial Day weekend in 2005 and I wet waded the Middle Prong that weekend. This trip, where I had previously wet waded, the first view of the stream was kayakers – it was absolutely raging! Regardless, we crossed the bridge on the Middle Prong and headed toward Sam’s Creek.

We ran into this guy where the Middle Prong and Sam’s Creek trails split. He was sunning himself on a fallen tree and he was pretty lethargic – April is still early for the reptiles.

With the skies darkening, we didn’t hike long before we decided try are luck in the raging waters. We didn’t fish long before we realized we should head back toward the vehicle. I did not catch a fish, but I did miss a fierce strike on the nymph dropper at the first bridge abutment.

With the rain beginning, I decided to take Ross to the Tremont visitor’s center – just missed them. While Ross picked flies from one of my boxes to stock up his new fly box, my friend decided to try his luck right behind the visitor’s center. He picked up a small rainbow against the bank while fishing downstream with a weighted woolybugger.

With the rain coming down even harder (even threats of tornadoes) we decided to stay in the car and take a tour of the Cade’s Cove area. This was a great decision as my son was able to see several gobblers and jakes spread throughout the fields. At one point they gobbled every time it thundered.




So with day one closing, I had yet to catch a fish but still a successful day for my son: new flies, new fly box, rat snake, and gobbling turkeys.

Day two started with lower than forecasted temperatures and a slight drizzle that was not in the forecast. Our decision was to go high toward Newfound Gap, in hopes of avoiding the raging waters we found in lower elevations the day prior.


We made a quick stop along Little River when we spotted this on the route toward Gatlinburg.


This tactic works in West Virginia but apparently not so well in Tennessee. After a hike of about a mile straight up, what we found up high were the same conditions. The conditions were much more treacherous due to the car size boulders we would have been fishing on and around, not to mention the fact that at 11:00 AM the visibility was still about 50 yards.


They call them the Smoky Mountains for a reason.

We fished for an hour or so, before making the decision to move back down in search of lower gradient water and hopefully easier traversing.

Our next stop was a roadside stream just west of the Sugarlands visitor center. The water in this small stream was in much better condition, but in our brief stay on this stream we moved only one small fish – I saw nothing.


The trout were elusive but the spring wild flowers were beginning to peak. These yellow trillium were everywhere.

After looking over the park map, we chose to explore larger water, so we made a short jump back into the Little River watershed and my first visit to Elkmont. We could not find a parking space at the Little River trailhead above Elkmont campground, so we made our way to the old logging community of Elkmont. We gave another attempt on the new waters of Jake’s Creek.

The water looked great, but the rhododendron-choked stream was impossible to fish from the bank and the current made it impossible to fish from the stream….another swing and a miss!

The little cabins of Elkmont were in fairly good condition but are closed to visitors, leaving only your imagination to wonder what the community would have been like during the peak of the logging industry.

Running late in the day, we chose to head back in the direction of camp. We decided to give the Middle Prong of the Little River another try, this time below Tremont in the lower gradient area. The stream was still too swift to wade but my friend was still able to pick up a couple of small bows – with the assistance of three splitshot.


On the route to Tremont, again along Little River, I found these columbine in bloom.

Ross and I decided to try our luck along one of the rock retaining walls. We did not move a fish, but we did bring one of the locals to hand. What we found was a black-lipped red salamander sunning himself on the water’s edge of the retaining wall.


After our day one encounter with the black rat snake, Ross picked up a Smoky Mountain guide to reptiles and amphibians. It came in handy, as I would have guessed Midland Mud salamander but Ross pointed out that it did have a black chin. I think Ross enjoyed seeing the local fauna more than he did the fishing – probably due to the lack of “catching”.

With time for one more stop for the day we chose another new stream, the West Prong of the Little River above Cade’s Cove Road. The water again looked very good, but again the fish did not cooperate.

And so day two ended without a fish to hand, but again it was a success for Ross. He was able to test his hiking abilities on the Chimney top trail and he discovered another “critter” in the beautiful little salamander.

Day three started early in the morning when I had to cover Ross with another blanket. The weather forecast was for lows in the mid-40’s, but what we awoke to was a chilling 31 degrees. In a tent and a zero-degree sleeping bag, Ross still got chilled.

With the chilly temperatures, we decided to do a little sight seeing while waiting on the temps to warm up. The sky was nearly crystal clear, so we decided it was a perfect time to hit Clingman’s Dome (the second highest peak east of the Mississippi) and it was early enough to beat the crowds.


The views from the parking lot were amazing! Looking down on the low elevation clouds on the North Carolina side of the park was incredible.


The Forney Creek watershed also looked very inviting…some other time!

When we got to the top, you could actually see the overlook. The first time I made this short trek, I could barely see the overlook from 50 yards away!

You could actually see Mt. LeConte and in the very distance you could make out Mt. Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Mississippi).

Mt. LeConte

Ross also took his first steps on the Appalachian Trail. Is it a sign of things to come in his future?

We also got an indication why the fishing was slow, in addition to the high water there was still residual snow from the 8-10" they received five days earlier.

With the trail getting crowded and daylight burning, we decided it had warmed enough to hit the water. We were headed back down off the mountain, through Gatlinburg, and to the Greenbrier entrance.

The plan was to hike into the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon on the Ramsay Cascade trail. Once we made it to the trailhead, our plans changed again as the water was raging as it had been everywhere else. This section of the stream is boulder hopping at its finest and with the water ripping I didn't think it was safe for Ross. We fished briefly from the top of a car-sized boulder before calling it quits at this locale.

On the way back to the vehicle, I spotted bloodroot. It was flowering yet, but the unique feature of this plant is the root.

We then decided to head to a little smaller, lower gradient stream in the area - Porter's Creek. This stream was very difficult for Ross to maneuver around due to the rhododendron choking the water. After fighting the brush, I decided to try something a little different.

Ross and I walked back to the car with a purpose, I wanted to see if he could manage to wear my waders and wading boots. Obviously they were quite large on him, but he wanted in that water past his rubber boots!

Now we have a means to get Ross off the bank, but the fish were not cooperating again, the water was still brutally cold.

We decided to try one last location on the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon. On the way in we had spotted a section of slower moving water, it was bigger water but it was out last resort.

Once on the water, I could notice a significant increase in the water temperature and there were sporadic risers...good news!

I helped Ross wade across the stream and we fished for a short while before he decided he wanted to give it a try.

Ross gave it a go for a while and then turned the rod back to me. I missed several short strikes on a trio of different patterns: EHC, BWO, and a small ant. Ross and I then decided to call it a day and thus ended our Smokies fishing trip. We did stop and walk around Gatlinburg and dined catfish, gator, and frog legs at Huck Finns restaurant in Pigeon Forge.

Day three ended without trout again, but again I would still call the day a success. Ross made it to the top of the second highest peak east of the Mississippi, wore waders & waded for the first time, and he ate alligator for the first time.

With temps dropping again we packed up camp that night and rented a hotel room before heading for home the next morning.

We traveled home through Kentucky with hopes of adding another state to my brook trout list, but that disaster does not even merit a write-up.

Ross and I will make it back to the Smokies again, and there will be trout involved next time....but no trout does not equal failure!

Chris