Am I a farmer?

[todd13]

My weekend at BB reminded me of the adage: you know what Indians call people who can't fish or hunt?  Farmers.   Well maybe I should be a farmer .   

I guess my question is this, if I only catch one on a busy holiday weekend, was it luck I caught one, because I was a bad a angler or great because there were so many people hammering the fish on an Easter weekend and I caught one in spite of the fishing pressure?  I did get there late Saturday and  I will ignore the likelihood I am a bad angler and choose to believe I did great considering the conditions!   The important thing is I had fun, enjoyed time with my wife and saw so much I have to share:

Best highlight: 
I thought I was the first to the Spillway on Sunday morning ( I rarely miss church, but it was a good weekend to skidaddle out of town with the extra day off ).  Unbeknownst to me, the Spillway was occupied!  After I got my line wet and made 2-3 casts, I heard a screech and thought of an awkward turkey call, but that did compute.  I looked up and saw atop a dead tree overlooking 'my area', a HUGE, mature bald eagle!  Wow.  He cried out again and flew downstream about 70 m and landed on the bank and hopped about.  He didn't have a fish.   Moments later, he took flight and flew overhead and upstream toward the dam, kinda scanning I imagine.  Shortly later he cruised back downstream and flew out of sight.  Judging by his full body and expansive wingspan, he was a good fisher!  Very majestic and beautiful sight.  

Second best:
I hiked half the Skyline trail with my wife and saw some great views and a wild bee hive in a tree.   Also hiked up the Spillway into the 'bluffs' I think they are called.  Also, breakfast at Burkes was really good.  

[golferjeff]

No comment on only catching one..... but you should have done better if you were getting flies deep enough. BB Lake has 2 pairs of nesting Bald eagles. They take flight down the streambed twice a day usually. They occasionally visit zone II as well. It is likely you saw the female 1/2 of the pair. If you want to be the first at spillway, plan on about 5:30 AM, or an hour before the sun comes up.

Try going up on a random Wednesday. Much better fishing and alone time. Skip breakfast and go fishing!

[hankinsfly]

Wouldn't hurt me to skip a few breakfasts

[jonbo]

Hi Todd. I live within pretty easy driving distance of BB. This allows me to make day trips. I mostly fish weekdays, taking several personal days during the fall-through-spring months. Even then it's sometimes a bit crowded. Myself, since "The Flood" altered Spillway Creek enormously, I have not figured out how to fish it at all and usually catch about one whenever I go there. I guess it's a matter of, as Jeff was saying, not getting my flies deep enough. I don't know. What's known as "The Evening Hole" down through "Hickory" (adjacent to Hickory Campground) is fairly straightforward fly-fishing. They can get pretty skittish what with all the pressure, but there are plenty of fish nearly all the time. "The Bluffs" spot is just above the Evening Hole, about 1/4 mile downstream of where the washed out bridge marks the end of Spillway Creek.

[dainw]

No shame in 1 fish, especially for a newbie. Saturday afternoon is height of the weekend pressure and that's when fish are at their most difficult to catch. Spillway, unless you really know what you're doing can be tough as well. Lots of good holding water but difficult to get the right presentation. There's a lot of little nuances to your fishing that can make the difference in 1 fish and 10 fish. So many variables to consider...flies, tippet, weight, depth etc and it takes a while to get that dialed in on a certain river. No substitute for on the water experience though. Just keep fishing

[todd13]

Thanks for all great tips. I was just sharing some humility and a great story about the majestic eagle experience. I accept ALL wonderful tips and suggestions. Don't worry, I am not quitting. My daughter and son in law took this up and I am 'hooked'. Plus my wife enjoys hanging out while I cast (or fish, on those days when I actually land a couple). Honestly, I had a great day of guide service/coaching from Cody out the Fly Shop on the Spillway and have caught a few up there on my own. Actually I have caught fish at the EH and one at the Bluffs (this weekend). I am not incompetent, just a Newb. Maybe an incompetent newb
I had a great experience this weekend when I hooked a fish on a dry fly, but I lost him moments later. I struggle with the hook set. I have lost a bunch setting the hook, but getting better. I did have a great catch also when I caught a beauty in the bluff area - he drove DEEP, taking my 9' leader 2' under the surface! I am sure it wasn't 11', but he was deep. We were patient and got him up. Gorgeous fish and we hiked a lot (my wife loves hiking).
I teach school, so I will target mid week after school lets out.
Question: is the summer fishing decent ? Should I avoid the EH in the summer? I have to guess that water is the warmest.

[golferjeff]

Summer will be pretty crowded every day of the week, but weekdays less so. Summer fishing is OK, especially in the early mornings and late evenings (Hex Hatch). The water temps don't get too bad unless the flows are reduced. They still stock every two weeks, so you can actually target a stock week to increase your chances of getting into fish. Great practice, too. Keep trying new stuff and learn what you enjoy most. Tossing a size 6 hex at dusk in upper EH and hearing the take more than seeing it is something to look forward to. Mice too (Go T.A.). Have fun!

[dainw]

My opinion on broken bow in the summer is to leave it to the bait chunkers and butt soakers. I don't like to compete with swimmers for fishing room. Plus if I drive 4 hours I want to fish the whole day, not an hour or two in the morning or evening. I also am of the opinion that while trout do holdover in the summertime, catching them during that time of year puts undue stress on them. I don't like to spend longer reviving a fish than I do fighting it. And in general, the trout fishing sucks from June-September.

I break my fishing into two seasons. November through about right now I'll pursue trout in this part of the country. Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas. This tends to be the best fishing and least amount of crowds. Once we hit may, I begin focusing on warm water species, smallmouth, largemouth, carp, stripers etc and might plan one big trip to Colorado or somewhere like that in the summer to get my trout fix. My advice Todd would be to not get locked into thinking that that you can only fish trout on the fly rod. You can catch just about anything that swims on a fly. Plus pursuing other species will make you a better trout fisherman. Fishing for smallmouth on rivers will teach you how to swing a fly and fish a streamer. Carp fishing will teach you how to sight fish. Plus the more time you spend with a fly rod in your hand the more natural everything becomes to you, casting, line control, etc.

[panchoandlefty]

todd, I've had my farmer days up there at Beavers Bend as well, but if I just went up there for the fishing, probably wouldn't go.

The peacefulness, beauty, wildlife, time with friends, hospitality of the Bristers & guides at the fly shop & even the "majority" of park employees keeps me going back about 4 times a year even though I live 5+ hours away in College Station Texas.

[schrederman]

Some days I seem to be a farmer.... but this last trip I averaged between 7 and 8 fish per day. So, I may have a farmer's tan, but, no... I don't feel like a farmer right now. When I get back up there in early October, I'll probably be looking to go ahead and hook up the plow.