Sunday, August 23, 2009

Fishing Report: Jackson River



Last weekend, a bunch of us took a trip up to the Jackson and stayed the night there just above the Hidden Valley campground. For some reason, our trip there took a little longer than we expected so we weren't able to hit up the water before it got dark. As we set up camp next to the water, we were able to check out the water and saw some fish rising so we expected there to be some good fishing the next morning.

Unfortunately, after a very early morning breakfast, we soon found out that the rising fish were just a bunch of chubs. There is nothing more unsatisfying than being in a perfect location with water that should hold some great native trout, only to discover that the chubs have taken over.

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Since we had no intentions of fishing for chubs all day, we set off to the Hidden Valley "artificials only" section in hopes of finding some trout. After a beautiful 1.2 mile hike in to the section and an hour of fishing. We only pulled in more chubs. The section of the water was beautiful, however, I and suspect that during the spring months, the fishing is much better. We did, unfortunately, see several empty worm cans lying along the shoreline. Evidence that people either can't read signs or clearly have no respect for the law. Either way, seeing trash like that in such a beautiful area really spoils the moment.

After an awkward run in with a family that was skinny dipping in the shallow waters beneath the swing bridge, we headed back to the cars for one more trip father south to the tailwater section below the Gathright Dam.

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I wish we had fished this section the whole day. Wading into the water just below the dam, the water was noticeably colder and much more suited for trout. Within 10 minutes, I started to spot trout sipping flies off the surface so Scottie and I pulled out some size 16 parachute adams and immediately started having luck. The rainbow trout were in the 6-12 inch range and were extremely healthy. Having already worn ourselves out fishing for chubs the whole morning, we didn't stay long. But at least we now know where to fish on the Jackson.

Final line: The upper sections of the Jackson could be awesome in the springtime, but the summer months really cause the water temperatures to rise too much. The lower section beneath Gathright Dam, however, appears to be able to hold trout throughout the year. When you are there though, be cognizant of the fact that landowners in the area are very serious when they say no trespassing on their land.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Fishing Report: James River at Joshua Falls

On my way home from visiting family in Charlotte, NC, I made a quick stop off on the James River just off of route 29. It was about 4 pm when I parked at the Joshua Falls access point and couldn't find a good path on which to walk upstream or downstream from the access point so I just hopped in right in front of the parking lot.

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Right off the bat I started having luck with a white CK baitfish catching decent sized smallmouth near the shoreline. But then I started to notice the action that was going on throughout the rest of the river... There were smallies jumping literally everywhere! They were seriously jumping at least two feet out of the water as they chased after some large dragonflies. So I quickly changed my tactic and put on a large glitterbug and started wading out into the middle of the river. Thankfully, the water wasn't moving too fast and wasn't too high for me to do so.

Within the next hour, I pulled in about 20 smallmouth, most of which were significantly larger than the rest that I've caught all summer. Right after I'd return a big guy back safely into the water, I'd spot another one about 30 feet away jump. In the hour I was there, I caught plenty of fish and yet I didn't even move more than 20 yards downstream from the access point.

I don't know if I had gotten there at just the right time of the day/month/year, but I definitely think that this section of the James was the best piece of water for smallmouth I've seen all summer... and I've seen a lot of water.