tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32835299.post3292315979732387032..comments2023-12-19T10:31:06.839-06:00Comments on The Trout Zone: First Fish of 2014David Knapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480485571834164857noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32835299.post-55163213881285165192014-01-17T11:42:19.933-06:002014-01-17T11:42:19.933-06:00Clint, the browns will eat a variety of flies. An...Clint, the browns will eat a variety of flies. Another one that I really never fish but that is quite effective is the San Juan worm. Your comment about the pink trout worm reminded me of it. Really, this time of year, it all comes down to showing them a meal that is worth eating. They won't move much unless the payoff is significant. Obviously a 20 inch brown won't move much for a #20 midge but it would chase a 4 inch sculpin quite a ways...David Knapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12480485571834164857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32835299.post-64670061118908080432014-01-17T10:58:40.333-06:002014-01-17T10:58:40.333-06:00David,
Thanks for the prompt reply and the grea...David, <br /> Thanks for the prompt reply and the great ideas. Many of those I have never had suggested to me before. I look forward to trying those out. I actually caught the brown trout on a piece of a pink trout worm on a very small jighead using a spinning rod ! Thanks again, <br /><br />Clint HathcockSavezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02381717862084984523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32835299.post-15197147417818059812014-01-17T10:06:25.627-06:002014-01-17T10:06:25.627-06:00Savez, thank you for stopping by. A 13 inch brown...Savez, thank you for stopping by. A 13 inch brown is a great fish in the Park so it sounds like you already have some good ideas! The cold weather is definitely a challenge but it is also one of the better times to target the larger browns. The fish still have to eat of course and will take a variety of streamers and nymphs. I would recommend streamers such as Clouser Minnows, Bellyache Minnows, Zonkers, and any type of crawdad or sculpin pattern. Little River Outfitters sells a pattern called a Super Bugger that has big dumbbell eyes that is awesome. The streamer, crawdad, and sculpin patterns should either be fished weighted or with enough split shot to get them down. You can fish a lot of these patterns on spinning rods and I have been known to fish that way on occasion. Whatever you fish them on, don't use too light of line. I stick to a minimum of 8 pound test on a spinning rod and a minimum of 3x tippet on the fly rod (prefer 1x or 2x tippet). When it is extremely cold and the water is high, it is a lot safer than wading around with the fly rod. If you want to use the fly rod, stick to nymphing deep with lots of weight to keep the flies down. Focus on soft water and try some larger stoneflies (#6-#10), Pheasant Tail nymphs (#12-#16), and then some small midge or Blue-winged Olive nymph patterns (#18-#20). I like a tandem rig. Fish the big fly with the little fly dropped off the bend 18" or so. Oh, and when it is cold, slow is generally best with the streamers but vary your retrieve until you figure out what the fish want. David Knapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12480485571834164857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32835299.post-84053515300939339342014-01-17T08:18:39.512-06:002014-01-17T08:18:39.512-06:00My dad and I come up there every year around this ...My dad and I come up there every year around this time. We will be up next weekend. Its usually freezing cold but we have never been up without catching a few. Last year we were up there in during an ice storm. We caught 17 that day. 12 stocked and 5 up in the park. I caught a nice 13" brown, my first and only brown. We are complete novices to trout fishing. We fly fish occasionally but usually use a spinning rod. We are coming up next weekend and I am concerned because it has been so cold. Your blog post gave me a little hope. Can you reccomend any flies that might work out in the park this time of year? Thanks. I enjoy the blog. Savezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02381717862084984523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32835299.post-9643292658680041102014-01-14T19:15:53.011-06:002014-01-14T19:15:53.011-06:00Thanks Bill. The largest I have landed is 22"...Thanks Bill. The largest I have landed is 22". I wish you could see some of the monsters friends of mine have pulled out. The largest I've seen pictures of were 28". David Knapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12480485571834164857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32835299.post-82846057345540531812014-01-14T18:48:49.509-06:002014-01-14T18:48:49.509-06:00David
A 17" brown on the Middle Prong is outs...David<br />A 17" brown on the Middle Prong is outstanding; what is the largest trout you have landed up in the mountain streams in the park? Glad you made it back to Tennessee. Thanks for sharingBill Trussellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15351692272817692157noreply@blogger.com