sulphur magazine
DESCRIPTION
Summer Issue containing The Big Hatch pictorial, Interviews with Abbi Bagwell and Hank Patterson, Stories from Bob DeMott, Trailer Trash, and much more!!TRANSCRIPT
Sum
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5iss
ue#2 Sulphur
Fly Fishing Lifestyle Magazine
No Fishing Today
The Red Fog Came
Abbi Bagwell, The Next Generation
Trailer Trash
Big Hatch Issue!
Meet Hank Patterson
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Editor’s NotesWe all like catching the largest trout on the river. A monster Brownie slamming a streamer
that looks like a squirrel tail. That football shaped Rainbow sipping sulphurs and gets fooled
by one of your own ties. But the thing that gets my blood pumping (literally) is chasing Brook
Trout up a remote mountainside. A few of my fellow guides will take pokes at me, calling our
natives, brook chubs, but nothing gets the endorphins flowing like a solitude hike over rocks
and downed trees to bang out fifty to seventy-five of the most brightly colored fish in West
Virginia.
Getting to the right stream can be as much of the challenge as the hunt itself. I spend
hours looking at topo maps and Google Earth to plan the attack but there are times even well
done maps cannot see the terrain and the obstacles one must endure. The harder to get to the
better the stream seems to be. This hinderance will keep eaters and poachers on the bigger
rivers slamming stockers. Let’s face it folks, if you want pure, then brook trout are the purest
form of fly fishing in most of the East.
One of the best things is you don’t have to take tons of gear. A light rod with a short leader
and tippet, a small fly box with a few humpys, royals, hare’s ears and P-tails, and maybe some
of the more hip flies like trip savers and purple haze. Stimulators are always good too. Now I
know there are a hundred other choices but my point is it doesn’t take much to get going. Don’t
over think yourself.
Snowboarders say, when riding a long powder run they feel the real sense of freedom. Just you and the mountain. When I pull my jeep up a long dirt road and
hike in a mile and cross a river to get to the mouth of a Brookie Stream, that feeling starts to enter my soul. As I start climbing into a Cambodian looking forest
with no one but me for miles, that feeling settles in.
All else disappears.
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Looking up the mountainous stream you can’t help to wonder
what is above the next set of falls and shelves. Sometimes a deep
green pool. Sometimes nothing but a flat run, but always
freedom. As Chris Stevens once said, “It’s not what you are
flinging, it’s the fling itself ”. The same goes when chasing
Brooks. It’s not what you are chasing, it’s the chase itself. If you
don’t feel this when in the same environment, then you probably
think Michael Vic would make a good pet store owner.
So for those of you who would rather wade up a big river and
hunt those stockers, keep doing just that. That just means I won’t
be running into you on a mountain side when I am finding my
own peace.
-Hunter
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SULPHUR
Sulphur Productions
EDITORHUNTER MORRISON MACLEAN
STAFF WRITERSROBERT DEMOTTTRACY MCCLAINCOLTON GILMAN
PHOTOGRAPHERSTRACY MCCLAINED ELLIS COLTON GILMANPATRICK SKEEN
Fly Fishing Lifestyle Magazine
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Point Mountain Adventure
True Back Country Experience Brook Trout Wild Brown Trout RainbowTrout
West Virginia304-339-2999
www.wvanglersandguides.com
Broadwater Lodge On The Elk River
304-339-2859
Comfort When Not On The Water
To Advertise Call [email protected]
Trailer Trash
08CONTENT
03 EDITOR’S NOTES, SCARLET & GREENBACKSby- HUNTER MORRISON MACLEAN
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SULPHER Volume #1 Issue #2 Summer 2015
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SIT DOWN W/ HANK PATTERSONby- TRACY McCLAIN
65 NEIGHBORS
If you don’t feel this when in the
same environment, then you
probably think Michael Vic would
make a good pet store owner.
NO FISHING TODAY: AN EPISODEBY- BOB DEMOTT
THE RED FOG CAMEBY- TRACY McCLAIN
56 THE NEXT GENERATIONby- TRACY McCLAIN
BELLY UPBY- DAVE BREITMEIR
66 YELLOW TRILLIUM, BROWN TROUTRUSTY SPINNER,-BY-BOB DEMOTT
68 WHAT MAKES THE ELK FLOWBY-TRACY McCLAIN
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By- Bob DeMott
No Fishing Today: An EpisodeIt was a late May/early June (2013) weekend in the Poconos. I
had fished my way out from home in southeastern Ohio,
stopping for two days on Falling Spring Branch Creek in
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where the setting was serene,
the weather fine, and the spring creek fish cooperative. In
the Poconos I headed for Big Bushkill Creek, but hadn’t
gone far down the road from the Inn at Pocono Manor when
I got a call on my cell phone, from an area code and number
I did not recognize.
Two weeks earlier I had been an instructor at the West Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited’s annual fly
fishing school, held in Thornwood, on the East Fork of the Greenbrier River. On the last day of the
school I had been assigned one of the students, Charles Eugene Boyer, for a day astream, during which
we would attempt to coordinate all of the previous two days‘ instruction. Like me, Gene was a retired
college professor, though he had arrived at that occupation after years of working in the Pharmaceutical
industry (he earned his science PhD at Duke University). He had recently moved from North Carolina
to Elkins, West Virginia, where he was deeply involved in the old time mountain music scene, the
Augusta Heritage Center at Davis & Elkins College, and a band called the Elm Street Alley Cats, for
which he played bass. He was loving his active, post-academic life, and he looked and acted the part--fit,
energetic, personable, enthusiastic, and entertaining. He had dabbled in fly fishing 5 or 6 years earlier,
then gotten away from it; now because there is so much good trout water within 40 miles of his new
home in Elkins, he wanted to reconnect with the sport and that desire had led him to the TU school.
Augusta at Davis & Elkins College
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From Thornwood we drove over to Monterville, first to the Elk Springs Fly Shop so he could buy some
incidental equipment items, then headed to the Clay Bank Run of the Elk River’s Catch and Release
section. It’s a lengthy run with a variety of excellent pools and riffles, and over the next four hours we
worked it up and down with various set ups: a dry fly, a dry fly and a dropper, a tandem nymph rig, and a
streamer. In moving from the classroom to the river, Gene was a quick study. His casting, adept and fairly
accurate, showed he had a deft touch with the rod; in no time he got the hang of mending line and
extending his drift. The fish were uncooperative, however, and a 15-inch rainbow that he had on briefly
was our only aqueous excitement.
I can’t recall ever wanting to see someone land a trout more than Gene that day. He deserved to be
rewarded, if such a wish is possible. He took the highs and the lows with equal aplomb, and in that regard
he struck me as a true Southern gentleman--patient, considerate, soft-spoken. Both of us were born in
1943 and we found that we had many similar experiences and enthusiasms in common--graduate school,
life in academia, gourmet cooking, fishing, children (we each had one), grandchildren (two for him; one
for me), interest in the arts (he was on the Director’s Board of Randolph County’s Community Arts
Center)--and when we parted at the end of the afternoon, I told him it had been a pleasure to fish with
him, results notwithstanding. Our companionship was immediate and earlier in the day I had pointed out
a few other spots along the Elk where he could expect to encounter fish, and we concluded with a
handshake and the expressed hope that our paths would cross again there in the future.
***
The phone call came from Ellen, Gene’s woman friend, who was calling to tell me that two days
after our Elk River outing, Gene had died in his sleep. The news pole-axed me and in a paranoid mental
turn I thought she was going to accuse me of having hastened his death by making him fish beyond his
endurance (whatever that was) or that I had aggravated some long dormant pernicious ailment. In the
following moment’s silence I knew I would have no convincing comeback for such an accusation and I
began to sweat profusely, uncontrollably, while my stomach began turning over.
My fear was misplaced. Ellen had spoken with Gene the night he got home from the Elk and she
wanted me to know how much the trip had meant to him and how deeply he had enjoyed our day
together. “He had a fantastic time,” she reported. It had taken two weeks to do so, but she had tracked
me down from her home in North Carolina, and I can’t say what grabbed my attention more fully--news
of Gene’s unexpected death, or Ellen’s generosity and thoughtfulness in relaying the news.
After the Pocono outing I was supposed to drive to Riverdale, New Jersey, an hour or so away, to visit with my
daughter, Elizabeth, and grandson, Nicholas. In a heart beat, Ellen’s news changed everything, and I knew I was
no longer in the right frame of mind for angling that day, so I called Liz and told her I’d be right over. I couldn’t
imagine anything else more necessary than spending time with two of the people in my life who mean the most
to me. And in this I was not disappointed.
Later that same evening, I told this unusual little episode to the assembled group of anglers at the Inn. It
wasn’t a fishing story exactly, as I had not actually fished that day. It was rather, I suppose, a twist on the tale of
one that got away. I could not have conjured an audience more ably suited to hear that tale of loss, or an
audience more sympathetic with the fact that sometimes the most memorable fishing does not include catching
fish (a fact Gene Boyer certainly understood after our day on the Elk). Let’s face it, those unexpected moments
that intrude in our angling lives remind us not just how fast cataclysmic change occurs, but highlight what is
truly valuable in our mortal existence.
Note: This is a shortened version of an essay that appeared originally in volume 87 of The Anglers’ Club Bulletin
(Winter 2013/2014).
Sulphur
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2015 Dates• July 5–10: Cajun/Creole and Early Country Music Week
• July 12–17: Blues & Swing Week• July 19–24: Irish Week
• July 26–31: Bluegrass Week• August 2–9: Old-Time, Vocal, & American Vernacular
Dance Week• August 7-9: Festival Weekend
• Oct 18-25: Oct. Old-Time Week• Oct 23-25: Old-Time Fiddlers’ Reunion
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March Brown Dun
Hatch Season
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Sulphur Spinner
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March Brown Spinner
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menage a trois
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Fly Fishing Guide ServicesLargest Fly Shop in West Virginia
LodgingRestaurant
On the Banks of The Elk River1-877-ELK-SPRINGS
www.wvanglersandguides.com
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Get your Simms Products at www.wvanglersandguides.com
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Largest Selection in West VirginiaElk Springs Fly Shop
1-877-ELK-SPRINGS
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The Fishin’ Magician
Ed EllisWorld Class Slight
of Hand Magic
Now Bookingfor Events
330-316-1859
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The Red Fog Came The Sulphur hatch and spinner fall on The Elk River is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is short chronologically by comparison to hatches in other areas of the country. The spinner fall in May has become such an event that the crowds have become that of a Steel Head run off Lake Erie, but it seems everyone still catches fish. Many fly fishing “celebrities” will make yearly pilgrimages to be apart of the crowds that fill The Arena at The Mill Pool with many onlookers pointing, cheering and gasping at the quality of Rainbow and Brown Trout being fooled by rusty spinners, Copper Sulfate, and many other variations of Sulphur imitations. This is a magical time when grown men, some in their golden years will rediscover the innocents of youth. Faces light up as the water boils with Trout rising to the thousands of Sulphur spinners falling from the sky in the near by “Shoot”. Stories from past years as well as new ones made on that night will be told at the Old Mill Restaurant when night takes over the Elk River.
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Yellow egg sacks will cover the light poles in the morning after a spinner fall. Walking around the restaurant at Elk Springs Resort in the morning resembles a battlefield of dead and dying spinners in spider webs and on screens. The quantity of Sulphurs is mind boggling. Bring your headlamp. If you are not using a headlamp when you are leaving the river then you left too soon. Snout soup will be in full swing around eight forty-five and run into darkness. You do however have to get off the river at dark as it is the law in the catch and release sections of West Virginia. Then, as the Sulphurs are not enough, Slate Drakes, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallys and Gray Fox will be hatching at the same time making the nightly spinner falls a mixtures of sizes and color and keeping the Piscatorians guessing which fly to tie on.
Sulphurs will start the spinner dance around eight o’clock as a small swarm, and by eight forty-five the swarm will grow to a living fog of red and yellow. As the dance continues and the mayflies finish the mating ritual which last only one night, then death, their lifeless bodies falling to the surface and float to the hungry trout gorging themselves like Kirstie Alley at a Golden Coral.
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But when all else fails, tie on that Rusty Spinner and cast the edges of the ripples in the shoot. Just be sure to pull your Buff up over your mouth. The spinners will choke you as you try to breathe. Take a large net. That tablespoon size net you use in most rivers won’t do the job. The average fish in The Mill Pool is 16 inches and many in the 22-25 inch range will be caught and released each night through May. Don’t be surprised if while you are on The Mill Pool, you realize you are rubbing elbows with Joe Messinger, Bob DeMott, Larry Orr, or even Hank Patterson. Many fly fishing notables do turn out for this event which only runs through the month of May and early June. It truly is better than Christmas. -Hunter
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Sulphur
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On The Elk River
West Virginia
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Black Stonefly
Stenonema Vicarium Nymph
Hatc
h Se
ason
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Slat
e Dr
ake
Is
onyc
hia
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Slat
e Dr
ake
Is
onyc
hia
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Gold Stonefly
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Ephemerella Nymph
Isonychia Nymph
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www.snowshoemtn.com
www.ertc.com 304-572-3771
Lodging Near The Elk River
304-799-4409
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Green Drake / Coffin Fly
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Ed Ellis
Heath Perry on The Mill Pool
38 WWW.WVANGLERSANDGUIDES.COM
Sitting on the banks of the Elk River, you can enjoy your meal while watching fly fishermen on the
legendary Mill Pool. Fresh Rainbow Trout are caught daily and served
from our kitchen.
Ellie May’s Old Mill Restaurant
We stay open late during the Hatch
season to make sure all fly fishermen get a hot meal after a long day on the Elk River.
Open to the public seven days a week. 304-339-2999
14A Dry Branch RoadMonterville, W.V.
www.elkspringswv.com
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SULPHUR Magazine
Send us an email to subscribe [email protected]
www.sulphurlifestyle.com
Sulphur Productions All Rights Reserved
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Hexagenia
Paraleptophlebia
Gold Stonefly Nymph
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Quill Gordon
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Where’s Waldo?
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Travis Swartz Aka
Hank Patterson
Hank Patterson…… Self proclaimed survivalist, men’s department employee of the month, role model and high school graduate. Hank was born in a manger with Norman Maclean some forty something years ago with the name Travis Swartz. He and Reese Ferguison answered a call from an ad in The Drake magazine for a fly fishing video contest, and choosing comedy as the platform they have been on a roll since. After putting many of their comedy skits on www.youtube.com Travis and Reese put their minds together and have come up with a 75 minute full length movie, “Hank Patterson’s Reel Montana Adventures”. Recently Travis has been touring the country giving presentations and showings of his movie and I had the pleasure of sitting down with Travis at Elk Springs Fly Shop in Monterville West Virginia and asking him a few questions on “Hank” and fly fishing. From the time I picked Travis up from Yeager Airport in Charleston W.V. I knew he was just one of the guys. He jumped right into the conversations as though he had been hanging out with us for years. We all love to tell stories and Travis was no different.
Right from the start you could tell hewasn’t just a guy who played a character,but someone who really was a fly fisher.As soon as we reached the resort, Travis was ready to hit the Elk River and putsome trout in the net. So with threats of breaking his borrowed rod and coaxing with a cold PBR, I was able to get him to sit down and give me an informative interview.
So where did the name Hank Pattersoncome from and the start of his character?
Travis: My sister had a dog and wanted my Dad to watch it for a couple weeks. Well, the couple weeks turned into a couple years. The dog’s name was Hank. He was a springer spaniel that had epilepsy. I got to know Hank first by the trip taking him from my sister’s in Seattle to my Dad’s in Portland. Hank was a great dog and Dad fell in love with him. Loved the dog more than he ever loved me. So when I was thinking of a character name I thought of the dog and Hank was just one of those names
Interview & PhotosBy-Tracy McClain
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that sounded like an old school guy that related to fishing. The name Patterson, I looked through my friends on Facebook and saw my buddy Michael Patterson and the two names just fit. I called Reese and said, “Hank Patterson,” Reese was like,”That’s it!”After we chose the name I discovered there was another actor by that name. He was on Green Acres so it really made it fit even more. To my surprise the domain name wasn’t taken yet so I snatched up hankpatterson.com . This all happened while we were shooting documentary for Reel Recovery and we were producing it to donate so they could use it for proceeds. Well, I had to hire a crew and I was looking for a way to cover some expenses so when I saw The Drake magazine was having a contest to make a fly fishing video and one of the categories was comedy, I went to Reese and said we need to do this. It will be the first fly fishing comedy so the bar will be set low, so I wrote it and we shot what is now the first episode and sent it to The Drake. The editor had it in his hands for like an hour and he called me and said we had already won. We didn’t win any money but we did win a Go Pro camera which we use in production. The Drake put it out and after that I started a You Tube channel. I sent it to Phil at Orvis for the Friday film festival they put on their web site. By Tuesday Orvis had put it on it’s own page. The next morning Reese called me and said the video had been viewed like over 25,000 times. After that we started seeing it everywhere so we decided to make another. Soon after that we started to get free stuff in the mail so it was like, “Let’s keep doing it to see what we can get.” (Humor) Soon after Chris Wood fromTrout Unlimited called me and asked if I would speak at the annual board of trustees meeting in D.C. This was held across from the White house and was an almost black tie affair. Folks were looking at me like,”Get this homeless guy out of here,” they not knowing I was the key speaker. I was in a hoodie and jeans. After that I have had a great relationship with T.U. as they are my main sponsor along with Orvis.
I traveled a lot this past winter meeting with many Trout Unlimited groups and noticed there were not as many young people as I expected. It seems there is a void in newer generations coming into the group. What do you see is the direction needed for fly fishing as an industry?
Travis: We do need to bridge the gap between those who have been taking care of the sport for fifty years and those who will need to continue. The youth need to use the knowledge of the elder and the elder need to realize these young people are the future of Trout Unlimited. I am hoping I
How do you make a little money fly
fishing?
Start with a lot of money!!
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Hank Patterson with Anne Mitchell from Knapp’s Creek Trout Lodge
Hanging with the guides at Elk Springs
The Fishin’ Magician, Guide Ed Ellis showing off his banana to Hank
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can be a small part of bringing the two together. One thing I get a kick out of is when I am at a showing of the movie I will get young people wanting autographs which I expect, and then a sixty-five year old will want a picture with me. If the generations can see the common bond then we should be ok. I can’t do as much for T.U. as they have done for me, but if I can help bring younger people in, then I feel good about that.
Who taught you to Fish?
Travis: My Uncle Ray. My parents were divorced and lived in separate states so Uncle Ray kinda took over that duty. We were really close until I was a teen, then you know, when you are a teen you can’t be seen with your uncle. But now it’s great to get that back. My Dad wasn’t very outdoorsy but now I am teaching him to fly fish. Like reverse roles. He taught me to cheat in school and I teach him to fly fish. Now it was great to tell Mom I was going to be a fly fisherman. I decided to not be a doctor and would be borrowing money for the rest of my life. My Mom was always there and made me the man I am today. She would wipe away the tears and raised me, so last week I took her fly fishing……..Now she owes me. What is the best reaction you’ve gotten as Hank Patterson?
Travis: Reese and I were in the audience at The Simms Ice Out and there was this group of girls sitting in front of us. After a while one noticed us and nudged the girl beside her. Then finally she turned around and said they were there just to see us. She then said they had snuck in the back door and didn’t have tickets. They all had beer so they gave us some and we were all sitting there drinking beer. I signed her beer can. Then later that year I saw her at the showing in Bozeman and I remembered her. She was excited I remembered her. I don’t have so many fans that I wouldn’t remember a girl asking me to sign her beer can.
What is the worst reaction as Hank Patterson?
Travis: I had an officer at a fly fishing club meeting in my home town that refused to come to a fund raiser because I was there. He didn’t like what I portrayed or something. The thing that bothered me wasn’t that he didn’t like me but he put his self in front of the good of the group and the fund raiser. ***
After the interview I actually found out a lot more about the man known as Hank Patterson. Travis Swartz is very active with Reel Recovery. An organization for helping those with cancer. He has produced a documentary on the group which helps promote their cause and raise money as well as donating his movie for showings which all proceeds go to charitable groups. Travis has produced a documentary for ESPN on the Boise State University football team the year they went to the Fiesta Bowl.
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He really does drink PBR as well as loving Big Sky Brewing craft beers. His fly fishing is top notch and can cast in a low canopy in the woods of West Virginia while chasing brook trout. His main amazement with West Virginia was how many trees we have as Idaho I am figuring doesn’t have the hard woods. Travis hung out on the porch at Elk Springs Resort with his fans and other fishermen and really became a part of the Elk River family while he was here. As I said before, he is just one of the guys.
Fishing “Middle Earth” in West Virginia!!
Snap It!!
ww
w.h
ankp
atte
rson
.com
Sulphur
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Trailer Trash BY- HUNTER MORRISON MACLEAN
When we think of fly fishing the images of serene mountains and green streams conjure in one’s mind. Not too many fishermen will map out and plan their day off to go to a stream in a trailer park. West Virginia as many Appalachian states are dotted with these mobile abode compounds. Many sit at the base of a mountain or along a stream / river at the outskirts of town . Old tires and road trash litter the edges . Culverts keep the water flowing from one part of the park to another. These are definitely not places where a guide would plan trip with a client. I, myself, I don’t mind the views of broken down fabricated homes on wheels when the streams around can produce some of the best fishing a day could offer. I’m not saying I enjoy the aluminum vistas, as I feel most should be bulldozed and trees and grass planted in their absence, but I can deal with it long enough to net what is usually wild rainbows, browns, and brookies all in the same stream and sometimes in the same culvert pool. One thing to keep in mind though is if the park is heavily populated with young men with stickers on their trucks that read, “I support Catch and Eat” then you may want to move to the next zip code. I have discovered that a well placed Firestone will hold brown trout. Rainbows and brookies tend to relax in culvert pools or even hold up downstream behind the occasional washing machine.
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Now I have seen some decent hatches in these Appalachian Paradises but for the most part a good P-Tail or Hare’s Ear will be sufficient. Of course in the warmer months a fat Humpy in front always helps. You don’t have to go to college to find the hatch. These trout will grab pretty much whatever you throw at them. Now saying that, they do seem to be a bit spookier. The fish usually isn’t a stocker and have been reproducing wild for several generations making them less cordial. Sneaking up on them or hiding behind fallen trees or bed frame can be a stealthy way to attack. You can expect to loose some flies on snags. There tends to be a few out-of-nature type objects sunken, so watch your step as well. I wear an older set of waders and boots when I frequent the parks. I have also met some of the most interesting folks who come to the stream side to see what the crazy guy flailing his “feeshin' pole” around is up to. Most of the time it is curiosity of if there is any fish in “dar”. I can say I have never had any aggression aimed at me but definitely some colorful conversations with the local park population. I have been offered everything from Mama’s home cooking to a sip from the jar. So in any event, if you are looking for something different or just plain strange to do on your next trip to the Blue Line on the
map, go to the park. The Trailer Park.
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-Hunter
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Robert DeMott
Astream and Afield , both highly praised collections of essays, are now available in reasonably priced (under $15.00), illustrated paperback editions directly from Skyhorse Publishing (www.skyhorsepublishing.com), or from Amazon.com.
Sporting Clays Magazine called Afield “the most original and literate collection of sports writing to come out in years,” and Charles Gaines said with Afield “bird dogs have at last got the book they deserve. Buy two. Even if your dog doesn’t read.”
Gray’s Sporting Journal said Astream “explores the nature of angling, in the deepest sense, and vividly brings to life some telling aspect of the experience of angling in our time.”
Southwest Fly Fishing claimed “DeMott’s introduction, ‘Writers Fishing, Fishers Writing,’ is worth the price of the book.” Marshall Cutchin, publisher of MidCurrent, called Astream “a must-read for anyone who enjoys fine lines and fly fishing."
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#so
mes
trea
mer
chic
k Abbi Bagwell
I discovered Abbi while researching the Asheville, North Carolina area for places to go fishing in The Smokies. She is a part of a group of fly fishers who have created a culture of fly throwers who like to have fun and stay young. The slogan of the company she works for says it all, “The Next Generation”. Understanding that Flymen Fishing Company is talking about their innovated new products, but the slogan sums up the attitude you see in the area of Ashville, Brevard, Waynesville and The Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. While attending the F3T Fly Fishing Film Festival at Highland Brewing Company, the biggest thing that stood out to me was how all the shops, guides, product companies and even S.C.O.F. (Southern Culture On The Fly) Magazine come together to raise money for T.U. and to cross promote each other in the fly fishing business. They will gather at breweries and pubs to tie flies, play games, watch fishing videos, talk fish and drink beer. All in all, just making the fly fishing experience fun when not on the water. Abbi works for the before mentioned Flymen Fishing Company. Flymen has a line of fly tying products, most notable the tungsten bead heads called Nymph Head Evolution, which are shaped like the nymph you are imitating in your tie. Also they make Fish-Skull which makes streamers easy to tie. Another great product is the Fly Tester. The Fly Tester is a tank designed to do a swim test on flies. They also sell flies and other materials for tying. Abbi joined Flymen in 2012 after graduating Brevard College with a business organization leadership degree. She met the company founder and owner, Martin Bawden while he was looking for a fresh mind with a fishing background and as they say, “The rest is history”.
The Next Generation
By Tracy McClainPhoto by Joey Walraven
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Abbi was raised in Mooresville N.C. around the NASCAR population and grew up fishing Lake Norman for bass, brim and catching catfish on hotdogs. Her high school best friend was one of Nascar Greats, Michael Waltrip’s daughter, Caitlin Waltrip. After graduating high school she attended Brevard College in Brevard, N.C. and discovered the love of fly fishing. When she began working at Flymen, she was teamed with the young production and marketing mind of Caleb Welborn. Caleb saw the opportunity to exploit Abbi’s talent both in front of a camera and on the streams to create a video series #somestreamerchick. The videos are on youtube.com and Facebook and have become a hit to the young fly fishing culture in the eastern United States. Caleb has also produced videos to promote Flymen products and the business. Abbi is seen in the videos fishing the stream system of Western Carolina and the Smokies with her friends and family, and showing just how fun it is to be on a stream slinging flies and being in the mountains. She also promotes Flymen Fishing Company and their products as well as her sponsors. While we sat at The Jordan Street Cafe in Brevard, I asked her what her favorite waters were. She didn’t hesitate to say French Broad, Davidson and So Ho, but enjoys Courthouse Creek / North Fork of the French Broad the most.
Photo by Garrison Doctor
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Now Guys, if you find Abbi out on the water, don’t feel inclined to pamper her. She knows what she is doing. Don’t let her petite frame and smile fool you. She will probably show you a thing or two. Abbi hangs out with two other notable ladies fly fishermen, Jessica Merrill from Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman, N.C and Reba Brinkman from Hunter Banks Outfitters in Asheville N.C. This is a powerhouse of estrogen chargedgraphite and fiberglass. They together, along with the new generation of Fly Fishers in the Pisgah Forest area will take fly fishing to the next level. I don’t see them conforming to the old industry of felt hats and bamboo rods, but to take the industry to higher bar. New innovated products and styles of flies. Flat billed hats and tattoos. Catch and release with proper handling, and to never get stagnant, but growth in the sport by simplifying it. Some may call this Liberal thinking but is in reality an open minded approach to making Fly Fishing fun and not intimidating as it can be to so many outside the lifestyle wanting to get in.
www.facebook.com/abbi.bagwell www.flymenfishingcompany.orghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIeIyLD1-KP2wBn1EPeGdg Abbi, Jess, & Reba
Photo by Jessica Merrill
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#somestreamerchick
Photo by Alan Broyhill
60 Sulphur
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Belly Up To The Bench
With Dave Breitmeir
Elk River Little Black
Hook - 24-28 TMC 100Thread - Black 8/0 Uni ThreadDubbing - Adams Gray Fine & DryTuft - Natural Mallard CDC
Vise up the TMC 100 hook Base Thread the 8/0 Uni
Thread
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Tie on Natural Mallard CDC
Wrap the Adams Gray Fine & Dry
Dubbing
Bring Dubbing To A Cone Before Curve Of
The Hook
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Whip Finish
Elk River Little Black
Sulphur
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In 2009 my neighbors and my self started noticing a young bear hanging around the neighborhood. By neighborhood I mean a road about one mile long with four houses on it. The bear looked too young to be away from it's mother so we figured it was orphaned and would not survive long. None of the neighbors interacted with the bear by feeding it but it still seemed to like being around us. When I came home from work late the bear would step out of the woods into my yard as to greet me then turn and go back in the woods. I once woke up one morning to it sleeping on my back porch. Again I emphasize I never fed the bear anything. Being in the resort area most folks work in the food and beverage service so were off on Mondays. Mondays became the day we would meet at my house and play music on my porch. At any given time there could be up to ten musicians strumming guitars, picking banjos or rosining up their bows. The young bear took notice of our gathering and started to climb a tree just outside the perimeter of my yard and watch us play music. It got to where other folks would come over just to see the bear enjoy the music. I had several encounters with the young bear while fly fishing Big Springs near the house where the bear would sit on the bank and watch me throw flies. It never came too close and always stayed on the bank. That bear seemed to be just interested in fly fishing. One day it actually laid down and started to doze off. When I would start to go to the bank it would get up and go the opposite direction. Then one day it seemed to be gone. No One had seen it in several weeks. Then while fishing the stream in front of the house I found his body. It seemed to have been hit by a car on 219 and died by the stream. I went and got a shovel and buried him there beside the water and can say I was saddened by his death as the neighbors were too when the word got around of it's death.
Neighbors Living In The Hills
-Hunter
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YELLOW TRILLIUM
BROWN TROUT
RUSTY SPINNERBy-Bob DeMott
You know that time of year: hardly a murmur at first, no more than a stutter at best, that baseboard
hum and mumble carries on for a few weeks, loud then soft, back and forth, all the live leafy things
and their kin playing hide and seek, dawdling like slow pokes tying their laces, and even phoebes--
they of the thinnest flute music--skimping and saving their pennies for a nest to be plastered for
safety’s sake under abandoned barn eave or out-of-the way bridge abutment. You know it goes on
that way a long time near water courses, tall timber, and low hills--a stutter here, a shimmer there--
stasis reigns, monotony is king. Then one morning you wake at dawn to green fuse bursting in every
nook and cranny, every bird in Christendom trilling its feathered head off, and suddenly, without
asking your permission, the world in the small place you live jolts and jives too fast to be held back,.
though you--already backward looking--are lamenting the moment’s passing, the precise minute and
second hence when it all comes to an end in an eye blink, and the world takes another turn without
your consent. So it could have been wind-blown Montana, where light batters in from all sides
without mercy, or the south counties of England--Walton country--in its lush spring finery, with
monocled gents afoot on the close-mown berms, rods in hand, and not a hair out of place, but it
wasn’t.
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This was near home on a quick-footed river in Appalachia, where you have no choice before now
becomes then but to get with the speeding express, to put up or shut up, to fish or cut bait in this land of
root and bud essentials that nervy theoreticians say don’t exist. Earth, water, air: mayflies have been
hatching all week in obscene numbers, true ephemerals, candles in the wind, lit and snuffed in mere
hours, born without mouths and unable to taste, born only to fuck then to die. I was holding one, dead
as a stone, in my heart. It might have been a question, something like whether we ever see ourselves in
this picture, but I could be wrong. It was early May. I was supposed to be somewhere but forgot where,
supposed to be with someone but forgot who. Maybe it was home, maybe it was not, maybe it was you,
maybe it was not. I closed my eyes and tried to think of nothing beyond nothing. It was enough, I said,
to stand in water where trout rose freely to sex-crazed Pale Evening Duns, trillium tipped their hats in
profusion, and all around me stream side an audience of thousands watching the watcher.
Sulphur
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What Makes The Elk Flow By - Tracy McClain
The Elk is a key water way in West Virginia and has many characteristics. The Elk starts in the high elevations of
Pocahontas County as seven other main rivers do and runs northeast to the western border of
Randolph County. It then turns west through Webster County, north again through Braxton County
where it is dammed to form Sutton Lake. As The Elk spills from Sutton Lake, it will turn south
west, slow down and widen through Roane County and will finish the trip in Kanawha County,
pouring waters from snow, springs, runs, forks, creeks and lakes into the Kanawha River near
Charleston. The Elk has become famous over the years for it's fishing by fisherman for it's four
trout species in the high elevation of Pocahontas to Webster Counties, From Webster to Sutton
Lake, smallmouth bass, and muskies. As it flows southwest to the Kanawha River, largemouth bass,
panfish and catfish are plentiful. I am going to focus on the area of The Elk that is most relevant to
our area and to fly fishermen, Pocahontas and Randolph Counties to Webster County.
At the elevation of four thousand feet on the North side of Red Lick Mountain near the scenic
highway 150, a small trickle starts picking up water volume and size as it rushes down mountain
eastward into the valley along Route 219. Another stream known as Crooked Fork will be the first
main contributory to what is called Old Field Fork. Old Field is the waters that will become The Elk
River. Running through the farmland along Route 219 about nine miles, Mill Run will add water to
the race to Slatyfork. Old Field Fork will pass such landmarks as Gibson Graveyard, and Mine
Road to Sharp's Knob turning slightly north. As it enters the unincorporated borders of Slatyfork.
The rushing stream will meet it's next major contributory named the same as the town it runs
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Slaty Fork Run picks up speed as it flows from the elevation of 4313 feet from near Barlow Top,
named after Asa Barlow, and through the gorge between Buzzard Ridge and Slaty Ridge for 4.66
miles. The stream will fall to the elevation of 2296 feet over scenic falls and cascades until it meets
Old Field Fork near Elk River Touring Center. As it passes through the grounds of cabins and cross
country skiing Old Field will turn near due north behind Beckwith Lumber Mill and will join Big
Springs Fork. This is the point where the waters become Elk River.
Guide Colton Gilman with a Happy Client
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Big Springs Fork is an overlooked fishery by most "river" fishermen. It begins it's journey at about
3700 feet elevation from streams coming from Gibson Knob and Back Mountain's north side. Big
Springs Fork flows along Route 66 past Hawthorne Golf Course and Snowshoe Mountain Resort's
main entrance. The fork will pick up water from Cupp Run, and Hawthorne Run. It flows north
passing the village of Linwood to Route 219 and then turns southwest along Route 219. Passing
Slatyfork Farms, Elk River Snowboard Shop, and the McKinney farm then as it flows into the front
yard of Morning Glory Bed and Breakfast the fork approaches what is known as Split Rock. This is
a well known spot made popular first by the author W.E.R.Byrne in the 1930's book Tale of the Elk.
Split Rock is the first of two large springs which Big Springs Fork is named. A large limestone
ledge with a fracture cut through it from thousands of years by the spring boiling up through. The
spring forms a fifteen hundred foot pool not ten feet from Route 219. Just two hundred feet from the
pool the stream bed will go dry in the summer months, dropping into the limestone caverns which
litter the underworld of the Slatyfork area. During wet season, pools of deep clear water will form
holding brown, rainbow and brook trout.
Split Rock is the first of two large springs which Big Springs Fork is named. A large limestone
Ledge with a fracture cut through it from thousands of years by the spring boiling up through.
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As Big Springs works it's way toward The Elk another large spring is apparent. This one only a
half mile from the mouth to The Elk. A gristmill once owned by Colonel Gatewood once stood at
this spot in the 1800's. The stream continues through the "downtown" area of Slatyfork. Sharp's
country store, post office, and a covered bridge is "downtown."
Where Big Springs reaches The Elk, behind Beckwith Lumber Mill, an old train treacle from the
Western Maryland Railway still stands. This is a public access area.
This junction of Slaty Fork and Big Springs as before said is the start of The Elk River. This area is
catch and release. A little less than a half mile Laurel Run and Props Run enters from the right side
going down stream. One of the most popular biking trails follows Props Run starting at Elk River
Touring Center. The first notable pool is The Train Car Pool. Named after an old rail car left from
the railroad days when trains of West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company carried timber to Bergoo
from Natwick Lumber Company from the mouth of Big Run which brings us to our next
contributary coming from the right side of the river. Big Run starts at nearly 3450 feet elevation
dropping from Gauley Mountain near Sharp's Knob. Harmon Sharp Hole lies near here and the
waters begin to run swift soon after.
A mile and a quarter past Big Run The Elk passes several pools and ledges known for great trout
fishing until the waters begin to thin in the summer months near Black Hole Run. At this point of
the river the water will start to seep into the ground. In 1896 a fifteen foot hole opened up in the
riverbed near Black Hole Run. The river was swallowed into the limestone caverns. Over the years
the hole has filled in but the river still carries the characteristics of disappearing in the dry months.
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Joe Lewis
Mill Pool
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The Ledges
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The Meadows
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Prime Evil
There are two other rivers in West Virginia that do this disappearing act, The Sinks of Glady in
Randolph County and Lost River in Hardy County. The Friar's Hole Cave System in Pocahontas
County has the state's longest underground drainage system running forty five miles to the
Greenbrier River from Droop Mountain.
Black Hole Run falls from the southeast slope of Bradshaw Hill from an elevation of 4000 feet.
Dropping quickly to 2500 feet from the left side of The Elk going down stream and reaching the
river a half mile from the Randolph County line. Not far on the right side of the river Dry Branch
enters as a prehistoric dry riverbed only running wet when the snow melts off, heavy rains and
when the caverns flow full.
From this point to Elk Springs at a distant of nearly five miles, The Elk will run underground
except during the wet seasons of late fall to April or May. This is where the catch and release
section starts. About two miles upstream from Elk Springs a spring fed run does pool in the dry
riverbed as it cascades down the north slope of Bradshaw Hill. Chimney Rock Run is a pitcuresque
stream named from the rock formation at the top of Rocky Point. Legends and old stories of snow
pack and ice have been found in mid July on this mountain.
Two miles downriver from Chimney Rock is Elk Springs. Not a true spring, but where the
underground river is squeezed by the sloping rock formations and pushes the water back to the
world of light. The water reappears at a temperature of 54-59 degrees year round. As it is pushed
upward, the sand and gravel will appear to boil out of the ground and form a flowing river once
again. This spring immediately fills the well known Mill Pool which sits between the properties of
Elk Springs Resort. This pool is very popular with fly fishermen especially during May and June
when the sulfur mayfly begins it's annual mating gathering. Swarming in the thousands making a
red fog above the river. The mayfly will spend it's twenty four hours of maturity mating, laying
eggs and covering the river with their spent bodies.
Elk Springs Resort was once a hatchery bought ten years ago and has undergone a huge
transformation. New cabins for lodging have been built as well as a new restaurant and fly shop. A
pay pond where trout can be caught and bought for $4.50 per pound. The hatchery still operates,
mostly producing rainbow trout for the restaurant on site and restaurant around the state. The
famed Greenbrier Inn in White Sulfur Springs periodically plates their dishes with Elk Springs
Hatchery trout. Fly fishermen from around the country come to Elk Springs Resort to experience
The Elk River. After passing TheMill pool at Elk Springs there are several notable pools. Clay Bank, Ledges, and
the Tressel Pool. All of which are very popular with fishermen. The catch and release section will
end at WhitakerFalls at the Webster County line which also will ends our trip.
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Whitaker Falls is a locals hang-out for swimming and picnicking. On any given Sunday in the warm
months you will find folks enjoying The Elk with friends and family. The Elk River and surrounding areas offers many recreational options for you to enjoy. There is fishing,
fly fishing, swimming, trail hiking, mountain biking, picnicking and only a stones throw is skiing,
snowboarding and golf. Just a day of exploring the river can be rewarding as several books have been
written by adventurous authors including Upper River by Skip Johnson and Tales of the Elk by
W.E.R. Byrnes. These books are easily found at local libraries and online stores. So start your
adventure and visit The Elk. With many lodging options nearby like Elk Springs Resort, Elk River
Inn and Morning Glory Bed and Breakfast your day of adventure can end with a great meal and a
warm bed.
Sulphur
Check out the East's premier bike park. We have something for every ability level. New flowing machine groomed trails are waiting for those just starting out. Rocks, roots and drops await for intermediate
riders to the seasoned pro.
www.snowshoemtn.com
Light Cahill
Hexagenia
