Trout In The Mist

   I finally got a chance to drive up the mountain and do a little more trout fishing on the Chattooga river the other day.  It has been too long since my last outing and I was eager to get out so after dropping the kids off at school, I set the cruise, grabbed a coffee, and headed out.
   Some of you might remember that my artwork is now being sold as the Chattooga River Flyshop in the town of Mountain Rest South Carolina.  Well, in less than a week after being displayed in their shop they sold four of my paintings.  Never one to miss an opportunity, I used my trip to pick up the check to also get in some much needed fishing.  I also dropped off four more paintings to fill the holes left on their walls.

Abel Fly Reel  

    Karen and Karl, owner operators of the Chattooga River Flyshop, are two of the most genuine people I have done business with.  It is a real encouragement to an artist to have their work welcomed into a store but when I watch them admire my paintings, it really makes me want to paint more.
   I encourage any of you that ever find yourself fishing in Northern Georgia or South Carolina to hit up the small fly shop in Mountain rest.  Not only will you get to see a few of my paintings in person, but you will also be blessed with good deals and local fishing knowledge.

   Now onto the fishing.  After the stop at the flyshop I rushed over to the river to get a few gills on my line.  I was met with a full parking lot and a dense fog rolling through the valley.  Perfect fishing weather.

   Right out of the box I hooked into a large shouldered brook trout right from the fish hatchery.  For a stocky it was a pretty good fighter, even giving a few good leaps before giving up the fight and allowing me to bring it in.  The thing about stockies for me is always the color.  Give a stocky a few months to slim down and recover in the cool clean river and they will regain some of that vibrant colors but right from the hatchery they all look rather dull.  that being said, it doesn't take much from the fun of catching them even if the photos aren't that stunning.

  For this trip I once again strung up the Fall River Bamboo and Abel Fly Reel.  Fishing this combo has been rewarding and fantastic setup. The two were made for each other in terms of weight and performance but when you admire them from an artistic point of view, the combination is fantastic.  Add a rolling fog into a valley greened up my a falling mist, a few hold over rainbows that were as bright as a painting and you have a scene that deserved to be filmed for the next Fly Fishing Film Festival.

  Of course there were some some stocky rainbows to hook into but the trip was food for the soul.  I headed home with a smile on my face, a few more bucks in my wallet from selling a few paintings, and ready to tackle the rest of the week.

  And as an added bonus, before I got into my driveway, I got an email from the Chattooga River Flyshop that yet another painting sold.  Looks like I have another excuse to go do a little fishing.