Christmas Eve Hike

I am so blessed to have met a woman that enjoys the same things I do and that puts up with me. Most women would not even consider spending Christmas Eve hiking into a blue line speckled trout stream but that is exactly what me and Tammy did on Christmas eve. I would love to say that the fishing was fantastic and I caught fish till I was tired but that didn't happen, it was a two fish day and I had to work my butt off to get those. Although the fishing was slow, the company, scenery and experience could not have been better.

This stream is a tributary of one of NC's delayed harvest streams. The main stream will be stacked up with fishermen at the bridge holes and other large holes trying to get a very well educated stocked trout to take an egg pattern or squirmy wormy but if you take 10 steps up the trail you will have the entire stream to yourself and that was the case on Christmas Eve. Me and Tammy pulled up to the trailhead and there was several cars parked and several fisherman clustered around a bridge hole, we got geared up and started up the trail and were by ourselves for the rest of the day.

The stream was low and clear and the fishing was really tough. I caught one small brook trout on a size 16 frenchie and that was the only wild fish I saw all day. The scenery was second to none and it felt good to be out on the creek, fish or no fish. After all, if you go out just to catch fish then you might as well just stay down at the bridge and fight the crowds.

When we got back to the car I could not resist having a go at the stockers. I had been fishing a dry/dropper rig all day, I did not expect the dry to be productive at all except as an indicator but this perfect clone stocker actually took the olive comparadun I was using as an indicator.

The fishing may have been tough but we had a fantastic trip and I can't think of any way I would rather celebrate Christmas. See you on the Creek, Chris