From Tightline to Tempest: Trout Fishing Prior to Hurricane Helene
Dear guys and Dani,
On Sunday, September 22, a friend and I went trout fishing in eastern TN, focusing on the Watauga and South Holston Rivers. This was planned months ago. As all duck hunters know, when you plan a destination trip far ahead of time, you take what you get with the weather.
We began fishing on Monday, September 23. On this trip, we moved from traditional flyfishing to euronymphing, which does not use a fly line, but a leader recipe that allows for “tight-line nymphing.” Borrowing from a guy in Pennsylvania who has a great series of videos on euronymphing, my leader “recipe” was 35’ of 20lb Maxima, 2’ of 12 lb Maxima, 12” of 12 lb red Amnesia, and 12” of 10lb gold Stren, tied to a tippet ring. From the tiny tippet ring, 4’ of 4x fluorocarbon tippet finishes the rig. That sounds like a strange, complex system, but due to the tippet ring, all you end up changing throughout a day or trip, is the last 4’ of tippet.
Like a standard fly leader, this leader rig has a progression from heavier to lightest which allows for you to both cast like a standard fly line, but also keep a tight line as you drift through a run. Weighted flies allow you to drift a fly without a bow in the line created by a standard fly line. A tight line is the key difference between traditional fly fishing and euronymphing. It allows for more sensitivity to the slight nudges that indicate a bite. Most of the actual fishing is done closer than traditional fly fishing: often no more than 10-15’ from where you are standing. Because you don’t have to back cast like a traditional fly line, you can fish with trees and brush behind you, which is a big bonus on smaller streams.
Since this rig uses leader and not a fly line some people look down their noses at this different technique as “not true fly fishing.” Perhaps they are right.
The flies used in euronymphing are also different: a weighted fly is tied on a light jig hook that then rides with the hook up instead of down, which makes for fewer snags drifting along the bottom. Additionally, a type of fly called “Perdigon” has also been developed. Perdigon flies have a UV resin on their body that allows them to sink quickly even in stiff current.
Here is a photo of a few Perdigon flies and a jig streamer used in euronymphing:
After a period of adjustment, we enjoyed fishing in this style. We caught some wild browns and some stocked rainbows, but nothing to write home about. The jig streamer was particularly effective.
Here’s a photo of my friend Ron on a favorite run:
And here’s a pic of me:
Before the weather hit, our biggest disappointment was we couldn’t believe how crowded the Watauga was in late September. The Watauga and South Holston have been widely written up in the last 10-15 years as two great tail water rivers in the southeast. They are about 15 miles apart. Because they are tail waters, they are year-round fisheries with a constant water temperature around 55 degrees. Rainbows are stocked; browns reproduce naturally and are thus wild.
For some reason, the normal flow of the South Holston is so low that drift boats have trouble floating. When the dam is generating a higher flow, the South Holston becomes a great river to float but too fast and deep to wade. Hence, we have seen more and more drift boat and fishing traffic on the Watauga where the normal flow is high enough to float but not so high to be dangerous wading.
On Tuesday, we literally could not find a parking place at a favorite spot due to all the drift boats that were putting in or had put in. Thinking back at what became of the weather later in the week, it may be that the local guides told their clients, “get here early in the week or not at all.” I suppose the other reason is in part due to the very device that I am using to write you: the Internet. I fear that many of the secluded spaces in our country, for fishing, hunting, or just exploring are being overrun and overused because the “news” gets out. An example would be the Driftless Region in Wisconsin and Iowa. Once a relatively unknown destination, the Driftless is now crowded with fishermen from many states outside the region. Sad, but it is what it is.
On Wednesday, looking at the weather forecast, I realized that staying till Friday would be foolish. I told my buddy to go home that afternoon to Richmond and I would leave the following morning for Raleigh. On Wednesday night, as the heavy rain began, I decided that going back home through the mountains and Boone, NC might also be dangerous. Early Thursday, I headed north and came home through Virginia. That proved to be a wise decision.
You now know what happened in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Creeks became rivers and rivers became wild demons of destruction. The river where I fished on Wednesday morning by Friday became a 10-15’ torrent of raging death. From tightline to tempest.
Looking at the videos, photos and interviews with residents who lost either loved ones or property or both, trout fishing now becomes unimportant at this time. The time will come again to enjoy such pleasure, but now is the time for response.
We are used to seeing, unfortunately, the Gulf and Atlantic coasts blasted by storms. We are not used to seeing the overwhelming destruction in the beautiful towns and small places of the North Carolina mountains. Some people and places have not been reached as I write this.
Here are a few true stories from the storm:
If you are going to pray for the person, then tell them so. Whether you pray or not, I encourage you to find a concrete way to lift up your broken neighbors in the mountains or the coasts, even if you live several hundred miles away. Do what you can, small as it may be. Standing by and doing nothing because it didn’t affect you is a sure way to be alone when your time comes to experience such a tempest.
As most of you know, I am a retired Lutheran pastor. Like many denominations we have a disaster ministry that responds with food, water, chain saws, muck out crews and spiritual support after a disaster. If you have no other means of donating or pitching in, here is an easy way to donate in which your funds will enable food, water, cleanup supplies and chain saw crews to be present where help is needed most.
May you and your family be kept safe until and during the next storm to come.
Peace to you all,
Larry Eckart
https://lutheranservantsforchrist.org/Donate/
Dear guys and Dani,
On Sunday, September 22, a friend and I went trout fishing in eastern TN, focusing on the Watauga and South Holston Rivers. This was planned months ago. As all duck hunters know, when you plan a destination trip far ahead of time, you take what you get with the weather.
We began fishing on Monday, September 23. On this trip, we moved from traditional flyfishing to euronymphing, which does not use a fly line, but a leader recipe that allows for “tight-line nymphing.” Borrowing from a guy in Pennsylvania who has a great series of videos on euronymphing, my leader “recipe” was 35’ of 20lb Maxima, 2’ of 12 lb Maxima, 12” of 12 lb red Amnesia, and 12” of 10lb gold Stren, tied to a tippet ring. From the tiny tippet ring, 4’ of 4x fluorocarbon tippet finishes the rig. That sounds like a strange, complex system, but due to the tippet ring, all you end up changing throughout a day or trip, is the last 4’ of tippet.
Like a standard fly leader, this leader rig has a progression from heavier to lightest which allows for you to both cast like a standard fly line, but also keep a tight line as you drift through a run. Weighted flies allow you to drift a fly without a bow in the line created by a standard fly line. A tight line is the key difference between traditional fly fishing and euronymphing. It allows for more sensitivity to the slight nudges that indicate a bite. Most of the actual fishing is done closer than traditional fly fishing: often no more than 10-15’ from where you are standing. Because you don’t have to back cast like a traditional fly line, you can fish with trees and brush behind you, which is a big bonus on smaller streams.
Since this rig uses leader and not a fly line some people look down their noses at this different technique as “not true fly fishing.” Perhaps they are right.
The flies used in euronymphing are also different: a weighted fly is tied on a light jig hook that then rides with the hook up instead of down, which makes for fewer snags drifting along the bottom. Additionally, a type of fly called “Perdigon” has also been developed. Perdigon flies have a UV resin on their body that allows them to sink quickly even in stiff current.
Here is a photo of a few Perdigon flies and a jig streamer used in euronymphing:
After a period of adjustment, we enjoyed fishing in this style. We caught some wild browns and some stocked rainbows, but nothing to write home about. The jig streamer was particularly effective.
Here’s a photo of my friend Ron on a favorite run:
And here’s a pic of me:
Before the weather hit, our biggest disappointment was we couldn’t believe how crowded the Watauga was in late September. The Watauga and South Holston have been widely written up in the last 10-15 years as two great tail water rivers in the southeast. They are about 15 miles apart. Because they are tail waters, they are year-round fisheries with a constant water temperature around 55 degrees. Rainbows are stocked; browns reproduce naturally and are thus wild.
For some reason, the normal flow of the South Holston is so low that drift boats have trouble floating. When the dam is generating a higher flow, the South Holston becomes a great river to float but too fast and deep to wade. Hence, we have seen more and more drift boat and fishing traffic on the Watauga where the normal flow is high enough to float but not so high to be dangerous wading.
On Tuesday, we literally could not find a parking place at a favorite spot due to all the drift boats that were putting in or had put in. Thinking back at what became of the weather later in the week, it may be that the local guides told their clients, “get here early in the week or not at all.” I suppose the other reason is in part due to the very device that I am using to write you: the Internet. I fear that many of the secluded spaces in our country, for fishing, hunting, or just exploring are being overrun and overused because the “news” gets out. An example would be the Driftless Region in Wisconsin and Iowa. Once a relatively unknown destination, the Driftless is now crowded with fishermen from many states outside the region. Sad, but it is what it is.
On Wednesday, looking at the weather forecast, I realized that staying till Friday would be foolish. I told my buddy to go home that afternoon to Richmond and I would leave the following morning for Raleigh. On Wednesday night, as the heavy rain began, I decided that going back home through the mountains and Boone, NC might also be dangerous. Early Thursday, I headed north and came home through Virginia. That proved to be a wise decision.
You now know what happened in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Creeks became rivers and rivers became wild demons of destruction. The river where I fished on Wednesday morning by Friday became a 10-15’ torrent of raging death. From tightline to tempest.
Looking at the videos, photos and interviews with residents who lost either loved ones or property or both, trout fishing now becomes unimportant at this time. The time will come again to enjoy such pleasure, but now is the time for response.
We are used to seeing, unfortunately, the Gulf and Atlantic coasts blasted by storms. We are not used to seeing the overwhelming destruction in the beautiful towns and small places of the North Carolina mountains. Some people and places have not been reached as I write this.
Here are a few true stories from the storm:
- One family survived the storm and their house was OK, but in the morning, found their neighbor dead, washed up on their front lawn
- One man survived the storm but when he saw his home destroyed committed suicide
- Near West Jefferson, one family survived the storm with house unharmed. Across the street, however, the homes of three neighbors were destroyed and the people inside found dead.
If you are going to pray for the person, then tell them so. Whether you pray or not, I encourage you to find a concrete way to lift up your broken neighbors in the mountains or the coasts, even if you live several hundred miles away. Do what you can, small as it may be. Standing by and doing nothing because it didn’t affect you is a sure way to be alone when your time comes to experience such a tempest.
As most of you know, I am a retired Lutheran pastor. Like many denominations we have a disaster ministry that responds with food, water, chain saws, muck out crews and spiritual support after a disaster. If you have no other means of donating or pitching in, here is an easy way to donate in which your funds will enable food, water, cleanup supplies and chain saw crews to be present where help is needed most.
May you and your family be kept safe until and during the next storm to come.
Peace to you all,
Larry Eckart
https://lutheranservantsforchrist.org/Donate/
