Saturday was a trip I had been looking forward to for quite some time. It was my birthday and what better way to spend it than in the company of good friends, my wife, and the river. The fine folks at Unicoi helped make this a possibility and my gratitude is endless. The day was not unlike any other, the plan was to get everyone on fish. I have to admit my wife is not the best fly angler, but she follows directions well, and two newbies who are great friends of mine who had never been trout fishing came along as well. Quick casting lessons the night before and I felt they were adequate to present flies to fish. The day was not necessarlily about me catching fish as it was exposing my friends and my wife to the experience I so often yearn for, to let them feel and experience what I feel.
Well, within three casts my wife had hooked up on three fish and the thermometer had not broken 26 degrees. Start to a great day! She finally landed a nice fish and was ecstatic. Switched positions so my friend Neil Robinson could present a cast, and he missed three fish consectutively but finally connected after much frustration. A long fight and a fish to his feet, then she came unbuttoned…that’s fishing. He was just excited now that he felt one of these beasts on the fly rod and that he actually made the hookup happen. The day presented itself like this for much of the time, I untangled windknots, tied in tippet, selected flies etc…hmmm…was this a day off from Callaway? The next highlight of the day came when my wife picked the water to fish, presented the fly, set the hook, and landed a trout for the first time where she did EVERYTHING herself. That made my trip right there! Then right behind her, Neil Robinson connected and did the same. My other friend left with a skunk on his back, so we took him to Smith creek where he quickly learned and hooked into his first trout on the fly rod! A perfect end to a perfect trip!
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