Re: Suppose...


"Conan The Librarian" wrote ...

Daniel-San wrote:

"Conan The Librarian" wrote ...

[Lttle River above Elkmont]

That stretch is also relatively open water for the Smokies, meaning
you
don't have to crouch and flip/bow-and-arrow/rollcast around overhanging
branches the whole time. You'll actually be able to make some longer
casts if the situation calls for it.

March '03 was a hike up Forney Creek, and then down thru Andrew's Bald.
(Trip report, if you're desperate for some bad writing:
http://forums.backpacker.com/message.jspa?messageID=152946)

Hey, that was a fun read. I even got my map out to follow your
trip.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like to go back and re-read my TRs when I can. It
serves two purposes for me -- to relive the trip, of course, and also to see
just how much my writing has(n't) improved. I do the academic stuff OK, it's
the fun writing where I fail (well, more obviously, anyway....)


The whole trip,
my friend and I were kicking ourselves for not having brought and fishing
gear. I'd like to do the trip again -- with the appropriate
rod/flyz/etc --
but I don't think we're gonna have time to do a full blown BP trip.

Yeah, you *should* have been kicking yourselves. :-)

Amen. We talk about that oversight often. Ryan and I are (were? He's got a
kid due in a few months.) more into the BP aspect of things when we took
this trip. Yeah, we fished a lot, but we hadn't really tried to combine the
two addicti...er..habi...er..sports. Shoulda, woulda, and coulda.


IIRC, Ken F. has done the Forney Creek trail, but mentioned that
it's probably not worth the effort given some of the other
possibilities in the area.

IIRC, he and I had a brief conversation about that a while ago. Even if
there is better fishing more easily attained elsewhere, I'd still like to
re-do the trip, maybe with a couple extra days built in just for fishing.
Perfect world and all, dontcha know.


Just to whet your appetite, here's a couple of shots I took last
year:

http://uweb.txstate.edu/~cv01/little01.jpg

http://uweb.txstate.edu/~cv01/little02.jpg

I thought your wife was the photog, and you were the super-mo-dell? Nice
shots.

Thanks. She is the artist among the two of us, but I've been
shooting "documentary" shots for much longer than she's even had a
camera (more than a "point-and-shoot").

And yes, I am the super-mo-dell. :-)

That *was* a great shot she won that contest with....


Oh yeah ... if you don't have it, you might want to look into the
National Geographic trails map of the Smokies
(http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2EF3285D). It's printed on a coated
paper
that's waterproof. I carried mine with me all the time.

Yeppers. Same one. I have TI maps for places I've only contemplated
visiting. Great maps, and with some bit of skill at reading topos, you
can
sort of take the trip without going. Well...only if you're a map geek.
Not
that there's anything wrong with that.

Hey, I got mine out this afternoon, and I was reminded of how much I
"saw" before I had even driven to the area. :-)

Er, if you're like me, it will be several books, the Delorme for NC,
plus a few topo maps. :-}

Yep.... I take full advantage of the REI map section. I have a collection
of
various guides to various activities for various areas. I'm a various
guy, I
guess...

Yah, and I'm a librarian ... at least that's *my* excuse. :-)


Soon-to-be history grad student. I think I'd die without librarians. You
need a Ph.D. in astrophysics to understand the sorting system.

Dewey was easy....

<<ducking and running>>


But some people think I overdo my prep for these trips. :-)

Not possible. For a BP trip, I've been known to pack, unpack, and repack
multiple times to get the gear load 'just right', culling and adding as
appropriate.

Hey, I do that with just a fishing vest. :-)

Yep. My wife thinks I'm insane. She's probably right. I do all I can to
confirm it for her. For instance, she has an odd habit of coming home during
the semi-annual "Wife's Not Home, So Let's Put The Rain Gear On And Test It
In The Shower" event. She's always wondering exactly why a reasonably
intelligent man would be standing in the shower, clad from head to ankle in
waterproof (and breathable) nylon. I try to explain that I have to be sure
the coatings haven't worn off, etc., but I don't think she's buying it.


[snip of shots from my trip last year]

Very nice pics. One of these days, I'll have to scan the negs from my
trip
and post them somewhere. I'm no pro, but some of those shots are nice.
(Everyone gets lucky, eh?)

Scan them and post them if you've got them.

I fully believe that it's hard to take a bad pic in the Smokies.

I have a feeling that if I scanned them all, I just might prove you wrong.
But OK, next rainy day project will be scanning negatives. Something I've
been meaning to do, anyway.


Chuck Vance (oh, and take a 3-wt. rod if you've got one; about a
7'6" one will do nicely)

I have a 6'9" and a 7'0", both 4wts. Actually, the 7 footer is a
3/4...hmmm....maybe time to pick up some 3wt WF line.

I used my newish TFO "Finesse" 4-wt. 7'9" on my last trip, and it
does quite nicely there. It's a nice slow-action rod that responds
well to a short line/rollcasting, etc.

I woudn't hesitate to use it again.


Chuck Vance (but if I had to choose *one* rod for the streams
there it would probably be a 3-wt. of about 7'6" ... of course, I'm
throwing almost nothing but small dries)


All (OK, most) things being equal, I agree....the small fly is more fun.

Thanks again for the info. Dave (brother in Nashville) has reconnoiter duty
amongst the locals. Hope the trip comes together. If it does, it should be
fun.

Dan


.

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