Monday, October 25, 2010

Perfect Fall Day


Oct. 23, 2010 | Fly fishing the Little River

The weather here has been near perfect for the past couple of weeks. It reminds me of a Bob McLuskey song lyric, "Well, Fall is my favorite season, and Spring is my favorite color..." (listen to below). Fall in east TN is indeed a special thing.

Anyway, my friend David and I went to Elkmont (GSMNP) early Saturday morning, parked the car, and hiked a couple of miles up to enjoy a few hours of trout fishing. He followed "Fish Camp Gap", and I headed up the Little River. Three or so hours later, when we met back up, the only thing I had caught was a short nap on a rock, some numbish feet, and some phone-pics snapped as I fished my way upstream. I did fish, but no luck in troutville. David caught 10 or 12. Harumph. Fly fishing usually turns out this way for me. I think it's partly gear-related (my gear is from the mid 60's and I never seem to take what I really need), and partly because I get a bit lost in the moving water and open air around me. I tend to enjoy the act of going as much as the act of actually fishing. I couldn't find my waders for this trip, so I wound up fishing in my old Converse, and well, honestly I spent a bit of time fumbling around, feeling my way upstream. Fishing provides the reason to be there. The rest falls into place.

Why do you care? Well, all this to say ... take the time to get outside and enjoy this east TN weather. If you are reading this from another place, then by all means visit east TN in October. Any October. You won't regret it. And if you go fishing, don't worry so much about the fish, but look up from time to time, or at the least take a nice little nap on a warm rock.

Bob McCluskey | Stupid Things (Emergency Lunchbox, 1994)

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