This is hilarious!! So true, every bit of it!

Float Trip,Watauga River,TN 8-16-12

I had the pleasure of fishing with Ollie Smith of Blue Ridge Anglers on this trip. This was a very emotional trip for me. Ollie was my father in laws favorite fishing guide and also very close friend. This trip was Christmas gift to me from my father in law two Christmas's ago and I was of course supposed to go on the trip with him. Sadly, he passed away in November of last year. So, I instead went on the trip with his friend King of 48 years as that was as close to going fishing with my dad in law as I could get.

I'm the big guy on the left,Ollie center, and King right.

                                                                                      

Guide

Ollie Smith-Blue Ridge Anglers

Ollie is an amazing guide! Very professional, and has a wealth of knowledge about the area's  entomology,trout locations,feeding habits, and what flies worked and what wouldn't.  He handled his Hyde low profile drift boat like a pro always positioning us for the perfect cast, and he knows the Watauga like the back of his hand. Mid-day he served up a great shore lunch of homemade fried chicken,various chips,pimento cheese, and a ton of other items. He just kept pulling and pulling food out of the compartments in that boat. Which was good,because King and I can eat!  

Ollie offers half day and full day trips on some of North Carolina and Tennessee's most scenic rivers. He tailors each trip to meet his clients' desires and skill levels. Blue Ridge Anglers also offers cabins for rent at The Watauga River Lodge located right on the bank of the Watauga. You can see rates and pictures by clicking on the hyperlink to The Lodge above. 

I've never gone fishing with a guide and not learned a lot, and Ollie was no exception. He knows more about trout behavior and feeding habits than anyone I have ever encountered. Although I've fly fished for years, Ollie noticed some bad mechanics that I had let creep into my casting. He helped me correct them, and I was casting better right away. I think that is one of the most valuable things about fishing with a good guide that people often don't think about. Just like Major League hitters have a hitting coach there to let them know when they start to make mistakes or have bad mechanics with their swing. I think it's a good idea to have someone who really knows a lot about casting to look at your cast every now and then. Don't let your ego get in the way of fishing better.

     

 How did we do?

We put the drift boat in at 8:30 in the morning and took it out a little after 4 in the afternoon. The trout weren't biting that well. Due to it being late in the summer and they have been fished hard for months. However, we still had a great time. We started out stripping size 14 olive and white bead head Wooly Buggers from the bank and started getting takes right away. Later Ollie switched us to a Stimulator size 12 with a Quasimodo bead head pheasant tail #22 dropper that we caught several more on. We also saw some  action on a pink Salmon egg pattern. Altogether caught around 30 Rainbows like this guy here.

Which wasn't a great day on the Watauga. Ollie said a good day earlier in the season is around 60-70 trout. King pissed me off by catching the biggest of the lot!

   

If you've never seen a trout's stomach pumped. Here are a few pictures of Ollie doing it below. Didn't help us much, as whatever this little guy had eaten was already too digested to figure out what it was. 

My one that got away story is on video below. I was high sticking a San Juan worm in fast moving water and hooked a HUGE slob brown. I played him for five minutes before King started filming this video. I made the mistake of thinking he was through fighting just as he went on another run and broke the tippet. I wasn't giving him my full attention and that big brown made me pay! He lulled me to sleep, and yes I'm still kicking myself! You can hear Ollie coaching me on the video.

It was great day still. I plan on taking another trip with Ollie next year much earlier in the year like around May, and have one of those 70 trout days! 

Hope you enjoyed reading!

Tight Lines!

Shawn

  

Who is this guy anyway?

Hi, and welcome to Cast Your Cares Away! My name's Shawn Boswell. I've been fly fishing since about mid-1999.  I've fished(and caught trout at) the Lower Mountain Fork River in Southeastern Oklahoma, the Little Red River in northern Arkansas,the Elk River in western North Carolina,the Watauga River in eastern Tennessee, and the Brazos River area behind the dam at Possum Kingdom Lake in TX.

My fly fishing experience isn't just limited to trout however. I've caught Guadalupe Bass from the Llano River in Texas, largemouth bass from the Brazos river, and caught tons of panfish,sand bass, and largemouth bass using flies on different lakes and other still waters over the years.  I haven't tried saltwater fly fishing yet....,but it's on my bucket list to get sooner rather than later. 

I created this blog because I love fly fishing, fly tying, and talking about everything to do with both! My goal is to become a guide one day. Although seeing that I'm almost 40 now that may have to be my part time job in retirement! Tough to make a dramatic career change while you have kids to put though school! Speaking of that, I have four fantastic kids ranging in age from 21 down to 13. The two oldest  I call my "bonus daughters" because we don't like the word "step" at our house. The younger two are athletes, my daughter 15, is a basketball player, and my son, 13 is an all star baseball player.  Before you ask no, none of them fly fish! My beautiful wife on the other hand is just beginning to  learn, and is super excited about it! I ask God everyday how I could be so lucky to have found a super hot, smart, and funny girl that wants to fly fish too?!        

I hope you enjoy reading and following me on my adventures. If you have anything to add, feel free! I'm always looking to learn whenever I can. Show me someone that says they "know it all" about fly fishing, and I'll show you a liar!

Tight lines!

Shawn