[headgear]

On Saturday I fished a new and unknown section of a stream that I have been exploring for the past two years. Unfortunately I could only fish during non-prime time, 12-4, because of family responsibilites. You know the deal, if momma ain't happy....

Water levels were excellent with a hint of tinge. Just the way I like it. It was more of a quality than a quantity day which is always fine with me. Fish were in the shade in or near the fast water. This is a hatchery suppported mid-size stream and my 7 1/2 foot was perfect. #14 Peacock PMX floated well and was easy to see. A few slurped the top fly but the vast majority ate a #16 SHPT on a Togen emerger hook. No visible hatches occured.

I was able to score a slam but in a wierd way. Here are the three types of finned creatures from yesterday:

Rainbow:




Brown:





AND....




Broookie? NOT! Nevertheless a nice, handsome specimen and maybe a new state record for 5X tippet. It was interesting to see a number of small green #20 and smaller nymphs in the mouth of the chub.

Here's how I completed the slam. I did find a red nylon stringer, the kind w the metal ring on one end and the metal needle on the other end. Attached was a 10" brookie. The fish was free swimming trailing the stringer from its mouth and gills. Even though I had seen some fresh boot prints along the stream I saw no one the whole time. I looked around where I found the fish but there was no sign of anyone anywhere. Wierd! I figure that the fish got away from its captor and was unrecoverable at the time of loss. As carefully as I could I took the fish off the stringer. The released fish swam away seemingly no less worse for the wear.

It would be very unlikey that the brookie was anything other than a hatchery fish. I have never caught a native in this water. Only one time have I caught a brook on this stream.

Now I am ready to go back to this stream, explore some other new sections and hopefully be able to fish during prime times.

[Henson25]

That last fish reminds me of a funny story.

One day after work, I told my girlfriend I was gonna head up into the mountains for an afternoon of catching some brooks. Later on in the day she sent me a message that her and her daughter were going to go fishing as well in what is now known as the catch and release stretch in Cherokee. So, I'm off doing my fishing and I get another text asking me what the minimum length of a fish is to keep. I'm thinking to myself how cool it is for her to be catching fish without my help since she was fairly new to fishing for trout.

So later on in the evening, she calls and tells me how many she caught and that they were in the sink at her mother's house. Then she tells me she didn't know that trout had bumps on their nose. Of course, I reply that they don't have bumps on their nose. She gets her mom to walk into the kitchen to look at the trout in the sink. Laughing ensued as her mom informed her that those weren't trout she had brought home, they were hogsuckers!!! She thought they were "baby trout".

[headgear]

Originally Posted by Henson25

That last fish reminds me of a funny story.

She gets her mom to walk into the kitchen to look at the trout in the sink. Laughing ensued as her mom informed her that those weren't trout she had brought home, they were hogsuckers!!! She thought they were "baby trout".

THAT"S TOO FUNNY
btw, I really don't think that is a sucker...I think it is a chub...check out the colors...can anyone out there ID the fish?

When my children were little we lived on a creek in GA. A big thrill for them was to go down to the creek to fish for hornyhead suckers. My best discipline tool at the time was to take away their fising privileges...not much has changed. I still remember them yelling: "Daddy. I got a hornyhead!!!!" Miiss those days...

[FLYp.r.]

well i have heard them called everything hornyheads, chumbs, suckers, and i have heard them called a squeek because they squeek when u grab them so i have no idea i just call them hornyheads...

[benflyfishn]

Sweet fishies there! When are we going to hit that secret stream of yours.....

Did you catch any Warpaint Daces? I caught some large ones this weekend.

[gqualls]

Beautiful fish! A brookie on a stringer .... what timing! I especially like the little green fish, the squeeler. Reminds me of a movie.