Motorcycle Fly Fishing Trip

[Hoosier93]

Just got back from my trip I've been planning for the last several months so here comes the story. I'll break it up into several posts to make it easier to type up on my phone.

Day 1: We traveled to Clifty Falls State Park here in Indiana (just a place to sleep)

Day 2: We road from Clifty Falls to Red River Gorge in Kentucky, this wasn't a stop that we intended to fish hard but they do stock several streams in the park with rainbows along with a native brook trout population. So I bought a one day license and fished some of Swift Creek Camp, all I caught was a little creek chub.

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[Hoosier93]

Day 3: We road from Red River to South Houlston Resivoir in Tennessee, unfortunately the fly shop there closed at noon on Sunday and we got into a torrential downpour so we ended up staying in a hotel at bristol.

Day 4: Road back to the South Houlston Fly Shop, really great guys they were very knowledgeable on the area and very helpful on where we should go fish and camp. Because of the rain the SoHo was big so they recommend we go up in the mountains and fish Beaver Damn Creek up toward Damascus, Virginia but still advised us to expect higher than normal water.
We didn't have any luck there but it was beautiful and still enjoyed my time on the river there. Somehow I managed to break my rod tip during the day but a little McGyver ingenuity, a piece of river cane and some electrical tape and I made it serviceable for the rest of the trip.
I highly recommend the SoHo Fly Shop and intend on going back next year and doing a wade or float trip with them.

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[mcnerney]

That looks like an awesome trip! Boy that water is high and off color.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip report, bummer about breaking your rod, but at least you were able to still fish.

 

[Hoosier93]

Day 5: We road from Damascus to Wilson Creek in the Pisgah Game Land just outside of Mortimer, NC. We fished a little that evening but more so just scouted everything out for the next day.

Day 6: Fished hard all morning and all of a sudden it was like somebody flipped the fish switch on and I caught two rainbows back to back then just as fast as it turned on it turned back off and I never caught another fish there despite my best effort.

Wilson Creek is a beautiful river and I'd love to go back sometime and fish it again.

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[Hoosier93]

Day 7: We were originally planning on heading to Tellico Plains but last minute decided to go check out Bryson City, NC. Showed up and went into the Tuckaseegee Fly Shop and they recommended we go camp and fish at Deep Creek. I got a mess of rises and short strikes at inch worm patterns and sulphur patterns but couldn't ever get anything to hook up. Even had fish striking at my indicator when I was throwing nymphs! That evening we had a fine meal at the Nantahala Brewing Company and some good craft beers.

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[Hoosier93]

Day 8: Fished all morning and had a mess more action just couldn't get the trout to commit no matter what I threw. Went into town, got lunch and checked out some of the tourist stuff. They have a fly fishing museum that had some really cool stuff in it, that evening the trout were still being picky and uninterested in my flys.

Day 9: I wanted to fish one more time before we made our way back home and after a couple hours of not even a rise my buddies were ready to go eat and I told them to go on ahead because I wasn't leaving the river till eleven on the dot and it payed off. Caught one more fish before the end of the trip and left on a high note.

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[Hoosier93]

Day 9 (continued): So we left out of Bryson City with the intent of riding to Lexington, KY, but after a long serious of tinkering on my buddies bike on top of a mountain in a torrential downpour. A lot of coasting down hill, a group of very helpful strangers with a truck. We wound up defeated in a autozone parking lot in Pigeon Forge, TN and we called a buddy to come rescue him with a truck and trailer and got a hotel room for the night.

Day 10: Since there was a lot of rain heading this way we ended up loading up all the bikes, driving straight to Indianapolis, IN from Pigeon Forge, then another 2 hours back to my buddy and my hometown here in Southern Indiana.

All in all it was a really great trip and I had a blast, can't wait for the next one!

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[mcnerney]

Sure looks like a fun trip despite the rain and lack of fish, but kudos to you for hanging in there for that last fish!

 

[mtnjefro]

I go to Bryson City for work about every other week and have always wondered about the fly fishing museum. It looks really cool in there, I will have to check it out! Sometimes even a trip with few fish can be a fun trip just hanging with your buddies.

 

[spm]

Looks like a great trip, hoosier93. And what an awesome trip report! Great photos and narrative. Love the way you MacGyvered your way to continue fishing.
And I am really interested in that museum.

Thanks for posting,
steve