The recovery is on for Central North Carolina's Deer Herd..... Threeletters EHD.

My apologies for the ridiculously long break in posts.  So much to discuss. Lets start with one near and dear…. The 2014 travesty that was the North Carolina Deer season.  Epizootio Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).  This is a viral disease, spread by gnats, which causes internal bleeding and is extremely devastating in areas where the deer density is high.  My hunting time was also limited last year so I sat in areas that were known to be high deer traffic areas.  In years past these were gimmees for does.  My goal was meat harvest.  I used 5 vacation days to hunt sun up- down and weekends.  Not only did I not harvest a deer I saw whopping 4 deer, period.  That includes a buck swimming across a lake, a lone doe running along side the road and road kill! Generally, I would see that many per day in front of my neighborhood.  The first sign of bad things to come was the fam across from my office.  Typically we would see herds of 10+ at various times grazing in the corn stalks.  Sometimes as many as 40 deer could be counted.  Last year ZERO.  Not one.  At first I thought it were development pushing deer to new areas, perhaps me… bad wind, timing, perhaps too warm for good movement.  Then gun season began…. A slight up tick but still guys hunting over bait, running dogs  were also coiming up empty  that is when I knew… this would not be good. 

How bad was it? Lets look at number sform some of the numbers comparing the 2013 harvest to the released 2014 harvest.  For camparison we will look at the North-Central counties which have traditionally had some really strong harvests. More importantly, these areas are heavily hunted with hounds, bait and rifles.  I metion this only to say the “great mast” theory does not hold water in this region.  So lets take a look:

County	2013 Harvest	2014 Harvest	Difference in total deer harvested (2014  vs. 2013)	% harvest decline  vs. 2013
Franklin	3,554	1,608	-1,946	-55%
Granville	3,103	1,691	-1,412	-45%
Halifax	5,533	3,921	-1,612	-29%
Vance	2,592	866	-1,726	-67%
Wake	3,279	1867	-1412	-43%
Warren	3,010	1624	-1386	-46%

 That was the past.  2015 I think will be a "good" year.  Early fall into late October provided some great opportunities. Folks were reporting sightings and harvests, I saw more bucks than ever and harvested one with my bow.  One observation, most of the deer look young.  It will be interesting to see how the year finishes with 3 weeks left in the deer season.  Hopefully we'll see more like this one harvested by my frat brother from a stand near Rougmount, NC.

 

An experiment to answer a couple of bow hunting questions

What causes a deer to "jump the string"? It happens within standard hunting ranges (20 to 30 yards),  but I often wonder, why?  Is it the sound of the string snapping upon release? Perhaps the deer sees the arrow in flight or better yet hears the arrow approaching. This weekend I conducted a simulation, an experiment of sorts. From a distance of 33 yards, I shot six arrows at a 5 inch target approximately 6 inches above my iPhone.  Of the six arrows, five were in the 5 inch circle and the outlier was about three quarters of an inch high and to the left.

The recording may not capture the audio as well as being there in person, but from this distance you can clearly hear my feet on the deck and the bow on the table.  You cannot hear the string snap or the arrow's release, but you can definitely hear a whisper just before impact.

This video makes me wonder: is the deer responding to the sound of the shot? This video raises another question: perhaps they're not responding to the sound at all, but instead they are catching movement associated with the process of shooting a bow and the arrows release.  Deer are acutely attuned to any movement. This may explain why shorter shots tend to have more"string  jumping" then longer shots.

http://youtu.be/bucfxIpj090

Based upon the video what is your opinion?

A fishing trip, bike ride and all around fun day with my boys

So this weekend the boys and I decided to take a little bike ride (14 miles round trip) along the Neuse River and do a little fishing. The water was very high.  We tried a few spots and had a couple of short strikes but nothing was landed. We did enjoy a few wildlife sightings on a very mild late spring day. The high light was probably this black rat snake.  He was was about 6 or 6.5 feet long (the gravel easment is just over 3 feet from path to grass and he had another foot in there). Really beautiful snake solid black because a garden hose.

The fishing may have been slow but it was a productive weekend for herping.  While downtown looking at some gardens, I happened to notice what I consider to be a rather unusual site in the upper North Carolina peidmont, let alone downtown Raleigh. In a small walkway between bushes I looked as a way to catch a glimpse of a small green anole.  Warmed an active I watched him chase small bugs and flies for minute or two.

All in all it was a fun adventure.

The Saga of the Honey Hole, My Walden

The honey hole is quickly becoming my go to place.  It is not the best place.  It is not the most remote.  The deer are not guaranteed to move through.  I have only seen two bucks there in three years. The deer are ridiculously skittish and prone to go nocturnal.  But it is convenient to my home, less than a quarter mile away, isolated and there are deer, coyote, squirrels, and raccoons.   Public hunting land is nearby, but the proximity to the honey hole often wins out.  It's my Walden.

Last November, I logged my third and final deer of the season. Despite three hunts in front of hounds and several trips to the "big woods", fittingly my last deer was a doe from the honey hole.  A last minute hunt, during the middle of the day.

The season is over, but she will be there.  Each afternoon, I will walk my dog along the edge of my suburban oasis and invariably there will be whitetail deer to wave, "good bye".  Perhaps tomorrow I'll visit again, bow in hand and sons in tow to hunt squirrels and rabbits in the fresh snow.

Now, I turn to the flyrod and bassbugs; spinning reels and floats, baitcasters and cranks.  Standing in a stream, waders on, and "waving a stick"..... my favorite way to hunt.

First Deer of 2013 - Archery Hunt

I had a few days off and got in some great public land hunts.

Day 1: Temperatures dropped into the low 30's overnight. The high temperature for the following day was expected to be in the mid 50's.  After weeks of warm temperatures in the 70’s and 60’s, deer should be on the move.  I intended to hunt an archery zone where buck or doe harvest was legal.  So, after dropping the kids off at school I, met up with my hunting partner and headed out to the woods.  The lunar calendar said it was a great day with prime activity between 10am and 1pm.  A pre-hunt inspection of my bow revealed a serving that was coming apart.  We had time so I went back to the house grabbed a shot gun and hit a different piece of public land open to firearms.  About 11:15am I caught a glimpse of a large mature buck crossing a shooting lane about 60 yards off.  I watched as he followed a ridgeline headed my way.  I lost him in the trees.  About 15 minutes later I am surprised by the sound of shots fired behind me, I turned and between me and my partner stood a 6 pointer.  I got off one shot at 16 yards and missed. 

Day 2: After doing some cleaning around the house I decided to do an afternoon hunt.  After all, the trusty calendar said the prime time for today was 2:40pm - 4:10pm.  I prepared to go out with the shot gun when the phone rings..... My bow is ready!  I ran out figuring I could pick it up about noon, sight it in at the shop and hit the woods by 2pm.

With bow in hand, I slipped in downwind of an established travel corridor.  In the past, I have seen rubs along the ridge, lots of deer passing through and one or two mature bucks.  This corridor is a deer favorite because it provides access to the entire property without crossing any open areas and all wind is funneled through.  They can smell and hear anyone the moment they step into the woods.  However, if you make your way within 30-40 yards of the ridgeline, there is a prevalent cross wind that carries your scent away from the corridor. A perfect ambush site.

I reach my tree and climb up about 25 feet with a Lone Wolf hand climber. I tie off my life line, notch an arrow and take a seat. Less than 5 minutes into the hunt, to my right, I see a large doe making her way out cautiously testing the wind.  Immediately I know her, the Nanny Goat.  I and this ole girl have been going at it for a few seasons. She is a very large and mature doe.  Almost every time I hunt this area, I lock wits with the Ol’ Nanny. Her markings are very distinct. I have watched her lead the herd in this heavily travelled corridor of public land for at least 3 seasons.  She is the first one to appear and the guardian who stomps, snorts and blows to warn everyone else.  Smart and wily, I have been busted by her more times than not. In fact, she got wind of me a week earlier.  I only saw her, but she stomped and it sounded like a cavalry scattering in the forest around me.

She appeared about 60 yards out surveying the tree line.  I could see several more does about 20 yards beyond her eating.  She was on sentinel duty, as usual, apart from the group.  She gradually began to forage and wandered out of sight into the trees. I know this game.  She wanders away out of sight, but keeps an eye on whatever in the tree line got her attention. While foraging, she will constantly circle the area to catch wind of anything untoward and peak into the canopy for anything unusual, movement. I did not move and barely breathed for fear of giving off enough scent to blow my cover.  If she picked me off again, it would be same story…. I draw at a deer, she stomps, snorts and everyone runs.  

Like a ghost she re-appeared just beyond a tree about 40 yards out from me, head down, eating mushrooms. She was unaware of my presence and totally relaxed.   I had no intention of taking a shot that far.  I practice out to 50 yards, but 30 yards is about where I draw the line for hunting.  I had a narrow shooting lane and figured she would stay in that position until she finished the mushrooms off.  The canopy hid my silhouette. I could draw smoothly, set a good anchor, aim and hold it for as long as needed. I decided to give it a go; waited for the wind to settle; aimed small and released the arrow.  The shot was true.  I was able to trace the flight and heard a solid thud. She jumped turned and trotted off about 75 yards, made a hard right turn and disappeared over a hill.  I stayed in the stand focused on the last spot I saw her. Trying to memorized everything about that last positive sighting just in case there was no trail to track.  In the distance I heard rustling in the leaves.  I knew then she was down, I was certain that I finally got the Nanny Goat.

She was much bigger than I expected. No camera tricks, her body is as large as it looks below. She has some very distinct markings on her that allowed me to identify her.  This, to me, is the equivalent of a trophy buck, an OLD doe. The smartest deer I have ever hunted.

Surprise smallmouth fishing trip on the New River

Long time since I've posted about flyfishing or spent time on the water. This week, a surprise team building event lead to an  opportunity on the New River with Tangent Outfitters in Montgomery / Giles counties. 

Flycasting form and accuracy came back quickly, but I missed a couple of hits. Fly fishing was a little slow but I managed to boat 2, one over 15". Earlier, we landed one about 18" on spinning gear. 

The fish on the fly...... Made up for a year's absence! 

Thankfully, I will be getting more time in the field and on the water now!!!!!! Also learned some new tricks!!!! 

Oh there was an alleged Muskie encounter by the other fly fisherman.

Time to catch up!!!

Wow, January 14^th was my last post.  This has been an extremely busy summer. Aside from the usual (family, life, and obligations) I committed to forging a new career path and as such, I have had to sacrifice “recreational time” for long-term reward… delayed gratification I guess. I have a lot to catch up on a short period of time so I’ll be posting quite frequently before discussing my annual hunting objectives and gear about a week or two before the September 7^th opener. New gear to show and strategies to employ for 2013.

We did make it out for our annual turkey bow hunt, but without success.  Not even a gobble this year.  We had a larger blind, better decoys, but no turkeys decided to visit.

 

We left with expectations to return, but it didn’t happen as I traveled out of the country for a couple of weeks and returned to a rainy and cool North Carolina. The start of a trend we never saw coming.  On the positive side we found lots of deer sign and this incredible rub? I don’t know what to make of it and would welcome any opinions. 

 

 

The rub extended from about just above level ground to I’d estimate close to 6’ and went around the circumference of the tree.  This picture was taken in early April and the tree was probably about 8” - 9” in diameter.  Several people have suggested bear.  I am not saying it is impossible, but they are not recognized as resident in the area.  Regardless, there were deer sign all over and one even paid a visit to the blind.

As always, I like to finish with some wildlife pictures and a story.  I was waiting inthe parking lot for my son's science fair to begin.  It was a warm late spring day and a brief rain shower did little more than wet the asphalt.  I got out of the truck for what I figured would be a really cool picture of condensation rising from the hot asphalt.  Little did I know that on the other side of my truck was a large strikingly colored copperhead.  These snakes are incredibly beautiful and the wet asphalt only highlighted it.

 

 

 

Not much for scale here but he was about 3 feet +/- a little.  Longer than most, but not as thick as expected for the length.   Generally, copperheads are pretty docile and the larger specimens even more so.  I decided to take a few pictures and move him out of the way.  This guy was warming himself on the hot asphalt and was at about an 8 on the activity scale to start and quickly went off the chart! He probably didn’t like me hovering over him taking pictures either.

 

I knew that if he stayed here, as parents arrived for the science fair, he would be killed.   Not that I would argue with it as he posed a real threat to young children. I got the stiff butt end of a fishing rod, placed him in a sack and a moved him to the safety of a set aside/creek a fair distance from the school with access to a non residential wooded area.  

 

He left me a few parting gifts on the cork of my rod to show his gratitude for moving him to safety.  These snakes are not endangered and I chose to move him becuase he was not a threat to anyone at that time and there really wasn't any reason to dispatch him.  As a sportsman and outdoorsman I understand that everything has its place.   Please do not take this blog entry as an endorsement of interacting with a venomous snake or any unidentifiable species.  Any wild animal is a danger when it feels threatened.

Review: Cabela's Cahill Combo (5wt)

As posted last week, I recently picked up a pair of "entry" level Cabela's Cahill combo's (5wt & 8wt) specifically for fishing some the local rivers and streams.  The late week warm up allowed me to take the 5 wt out for a test drive and I decided to post a quick review as I didn't find any extensive Cahill combo  reviews outside of the Cabela's site.  So let's start with the finish.  Not a bad looking rod, the coating was even, no drips, waves, exposed blanks or sharp edges at the base of any guides. The corks felt solid, no residual dust.  Once locked in, I worked the rod for about an hour and when I returned home, the reel was still locked in the seat.  So all in all, I would have to say the rod looked and felt like a rod that cost significantly more than $40.00.



The reel was surprisingly better than I expected.  It had an adjustable disc drag, not a click and prawl, but quite honestly I wasn't expecting much as this will be a warm water/panfish rod and I prefer palming most anything that pulls significant drag.  Again, better than expected.



The reel is sold ready to fish: spooled with backing, WF-5 floating line and a leader attached.  Out of the box, no practice the, rod did not cast well, but after laying the line on water a few times it began to perform flawlessly.  In all fairness this rod was literally out of the box.  I unboxed/wrapped it in the parking lot and headed out the water!  So, I suspect the initial difficulties were due to casting an unconditioned (cleaned/lubed) line and partly to my rust as well.  That being said, I was able to cast size 6/8 beadhead buggers, clousers and nymphs.  After I warmed up I tried a few double hauls and the rod performed well.  Cabelas refers to the rod as "mid flex" but I would say it is more mid-tip flex (moderate-fast).  I am also going to try overlining with a 6 wt Clouser line.  I have a feeling that it was slightly underlined out of the box.  That being said, this combo exceeded my expectations for a $40.00 outift!  I would definitely reccomend it.  In fact I can pretty much guarantee this rod will see more action than my fast action rod which are more suited to long casts ......... Even at the regular price of $59.00, I am going to grab a pair to teach my sons.   One con:  It does not come with a rod sock or storage tube.  But really, would you complain at this price?

 

In January?!?!?

On a very unseasonably warm Sunday (74F in Raleigh, NC!!!!), I intended to meet up with Feather Chucker for some winter fishing and try out a new 5 wt Cabela's Cahill combo that arrived last week. Unfortunately, a long "honey-do" list and three children left me about 30 minutes late and I couldn't find him.  I decided I'd better fish the next good spot then head home to walk the dog and help another friend retreive a tree stand, before dark. I practiced casting, presenting and worked out my my new rod for a review to be posted. Just before leaving the water, I asked a lady riding by if she would take a series of pictures for my rod review.

She did, but as she left she jumped and had a startled look (I have that effect on people!) before riding off. A moment later, I exited the water where she stood and I ciaught a very brief glance of what appeared to be the tail of a fleeing Kingsnake. A quick flash of a black and yellow so I wasn't 100% sure of what I saw and being JANUARY, I probably had the same kind of startled look trying to make sense of what I thought I saw. About 2 miles or so from the parking lot, I see a couple with a dog pointing at something on the bike trail. I glance as I pass and it's this:

Yes!!!!!!! In the middle of January I am staring at a 2-2.5' specimen of Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, the infamous northern copperhead sometimes referred to as a moccasin or upland moccasin. I am guessing this is a northern based upon the spots in the cross bands, but many specimens between central Va and central NC are intergrades with Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix, the southern copperhead to some extent so it is hard to discern in the field. Regardless, a copperhead in early January has to make for an unbelievable observation and what a way to start the season?!?!

 

Look what came today........

Quick post about a little something that came via UPS today………

Just after Christmas, I found an offer I could not refuse and with the incredibly warm temps we are expecting, this package arrived just in time!!! I’m really excited about this……………….

Cabela’s had their Cahill Fly-Fishing outfits (4pc. 9’ graphite rod, reel, line and backing) on sale for just under $40. I could not resist. I ordered a five weight outfit for pan fish and an eight weight for largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass. So why am I so excited about these “low-end” beginner’s outfits?  It’s all about the action and purpose.

These are probably the bottom of the Cabelas’ line.  However, I really like their mid-flex action for warm water fishing. Unlike saltwater fishing where super stiff extra fast rods enable you to fling 60 feet of line into the wind with a single haul, fishing medium sized rivers,  small streams and ponds generally involves short casts.  Accuracy and placement are paramount.  The moderate action allows for very precise placement and the stiff butt provides power for casting large terrestrials, bass bugs, streamers, weighted nymphs, and Clouser’s.  Those are flies typically for largemouth smallmouth bass and panfish. More importantly unlike the higher in rods they really take a beating in the brush, trunk, closet and if you lose one… you won't miss it as much as a $600.00 Sage. So, that is why I'm really excited about what came in the mail today and hopefully a warm Monday through Friday will make for an exciting mid-winter excursion Saturday.

Nearly 70 degrees in December and I have a day off from the office.  The kids will be in school until 3pm, what to do…… sit in the house, watch television?!?!?!  Nope, I’ve had buck fever since last night.   Today will probably my last time to hunt for more than say 2-3 hours at a clip.  In reality, I MIGHT get out maybe once or twice more during the Christmas break (weather permitting) and that will be it for the 2012 deer season.  Within an hour I was standing in the woods trying to decide where to hunt.  My usual spot would be the easiest to access, but I decided not to go there.  My instincts told me to take my climber and hunt a different location.  From my usual stand, I passed on many does and spikes for a mature buck.  The location was good but, I believe we are now late or early post-rut and the patterns have changed. 

I noticed that the does always came from the west, but one mature buck (and maybe a second) always came from the east.  I have long suspected they entered the corridor via a funnel bordered by a high ridge on one side, water on the other and scrub pines in the ravine.  I was certain they bedded there as well, because the wind is almost always perfect and renders the area almost unapproachable.  It was near perfect.   There is a catch; I noticed a strong cross wind.  If you were able to get close to the water on and about 50 yards from to entrance, the cross wind is consistent enough to carry your scent away from the funnel and out to the water.  So I got set up in a tree at the edge of the funnel above the cross wind and about 25 feet up to maximize the cross current scent cover.  Should those does return and approach from behind, I am good. 

About 5 minutes after I settled in, two nice mature does appeared like ghost at the entrance of the ravine where I expected the buck. I waited hoping for either the buck or a younger smaller doe (better eating) to follow them out into the clearing.  They were feeding beneath a tree I ranged at 45 yards.  I watched them for about 20-25 minutes and learned a lot about deer behavior and how sounds affect their behavior and level of alertness (the sounds of cars, horns, sirens, dogs, people talking even doors opening and closing carry much farther than I thought).  After getting caught up in observing the does, two things came to mind: this is a really good spot, they have been inside of 50 yards for almost 30 minutes and have yet to see, hear or wind me; secondly, his may be my last or one of my last outings for the season and I have not punched a single tag!!!! 

So I decided to take one of these does as it appeared there was nothing behind them.  I reached down (love the Lone Wolf platform’s bow/gun mount), grabbed my bow, flipped the seat up and slowly rose into position to stand for the shot.  The larger doe moved into a shooting lane and stood in front of a tree 30 yards out.  She looked down; I drew the bow, held the pin just behind her shoulder and let it go.  I saw the arrow nock light up and disappear.  She jumped, spun around and both does ran off together.  I watched them run side by side for about 75-100 yards then I only saw one tail waving over the hill.  From my stand, I could see the arrow nock.  It was still illuminated and I knew from the positioning it was a hit.

I waited about 15 minutes packed up my stand; threw it on to my back and headed over to the arrow.  Covered in pink slightly foamed blood and missing a vane.  Good and bad………. Good: probably a solid lung hit, she will fall inside 100 yards or so.  Bad: lung shots don’t provide much of a blood trail and worse, it is starting to drizzle.  I searched no blood, but I could see a trail of disturbed leaves in the direction they ran.  Not 100% sure she was down I backed out went home, ate left over pizza, answered email from the office and about 3 hours later grabbed my secret weapon…….. Jake, our trusty German short haired. 

No, not a trained hunting dog, but he points and tracks rabbits and anything else all over the yard.  Last month, he chased deer into the woods and was lost for about 4 hours.  I took him to the arrow; he sniffed it and on queue took off dragging me up the hill.  Without coaxing he was going exactly where the deer ran!!! I was excited but trying to keep from getting dragged on my face by a near 70 pound dog in full trot.  We went over the hill and I felt we were way past where I thought she was but I let him run.  He stopped and started back and forth until he got a scent and dragged me within 10 yards of her!!!  It finally hit me, he followed the scent of the first deer over the hill where I saw her, then doubled back to the down deer that was now dropping a little blood. He tracked her perfectly, they ran together and she doubled back to lie down… Jake did it!

Great fun on a last minute hunt. 

My EDC............. not what you think

Every Day Carry or "EDC".  For the unfamiliar, here is a youtube link to a typical EDC video by a well known poster. EDC uploads are extremely popular.  Why, I don't really know.  However, I can assure you that every hour or so it seems someone is uploading a new one.  So, i'm going to have some fun and post my "EDC" . This one is different.  No “Bug Out Bags”, Urban Survival Gear or Conceal Carry details.  My EDC evolves and refers to what I carry from season to season in order to take advantage of the 30 minutes here or an hour there I can squeeze in between commutes to lay a line or throw a lure.  My current summer/spring EDC is geared towards small streams, rivers and office park or municpal pond fishing.  It has taken years to refine my "EDC", but I think I have an efficient flyfishing set up and the ultimate urban (suburban) conventional gear set up.  So let’s go.

First off, fly fishing is my favorite way to enjoy the water. Typically, I keep a chest pack with what I consider a bantam batch of essential flies to cover all water and weather conditions:

As you can see, I favor streamers, buggers and terrestrials.  Poppers are fun to fish but streamers and terrestrials more efficient in smaller rivers and ponds.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be learning to tie my own.   For my conventional pack I generally keep a few 3/16-1/4 oz crankbaits running 1-3’.  The rebel wee-craw is a go to even at 1/8 oz.  In fact I caught my best bass ever, a 20.5” smallmouth on one!  The little micro hook locked in the corner and held.  Next up would be an assortment of senko worms and grubs.  Great thing about senko soft baits is that they have enough weight to cast unweighted in shallow water for a nice slow action.  The last thing to fill it out would be 1/8 safety pin spinnerbaits with chrome single Colorado blades (Strike King). 

For my hardware, I use an 8’ Cabalas Cahill 5wt 4 piece rod and reel.  A good moderate-fast action will load in the top 1/3^rd of the blank allowing it to handle large wind resistant flies; present accurate short-med casts and more importantly it will take a beating and hold together.  In contrast most high-end fast action rods tend to be rather brittle.  To be honest, the best rod for this purpose is probably a 6 wt with a fighting butt.  Often referred to as a “salt water 6-weight”.  I’ll be upgrading soon.  In my opinion a 6 wt makes sport of small bream but will throw larger streamers and bugs for bass. 

For my conventional rod I really like a 2-piece 6’ medium-light St. Croix Premier casting rod.  I used to have a Shimano 100B reel.  Great set up allowed me to throw tubes as light as 1/8 oz accurately without bird’s nests.   This reel lasted over 10 years but recently I actually “upgraded to” a Shimano Cardiff 100. Another great reel, I found one new and unused on eBay.  These two reels are the best (IMHO) for small stream bassin. 

The conventional setup generally gets the nod when I have less than an hour on the water.  Honorable mention goes to my spinning set up. A St. Croix reel on a 2-piece 6’6” med action rod.

Rounding out the EDC are a set of waders/belt, mesh carry bag, flash light, utility tool (Gerber Suspension), wading boots, phone and a hat.

The pay off........... a little trophy like this small bass (6 of 2012).  He's under a foot, but I caught him in a small stream you could step accross most days. 

 

Talk about a bad day....

Think you are having a tough day?  Earlier today during lunch, I passed a guy spreading caulk between plates in the sidewalk. When I returned,  I found this little ground skink in it!

He was not there half an hour ago.  I tried to free him but this stuff sticks to everything!  He probably died from exhaustion or perhaps was asphyxiated in the goo.  Just a reminder, no matter how tough things seem......... someone has it tougher.

A Rainy Day on the Neuse River

Earlier this evening, I noticed the rain tapering off and immediately a thought came to mind: A rainy day means no swimmers, dogs, kayakers...... a great time to fish.  It's only 3pm I can get in a couple hours.  So I hit the Neuse and this wonderful sight (an almost empty lot)  greeted me.

A short walk to the landing and sure enough, no boats, no dogs, no swimmers and believe it or not clear water!  Nothing against swimmers and boaters, they have every right to the water and I like dogs (except when they try to retrieve my lures/flies), but it's nice to have quiet water. 

I gladly went back to the truck, grabbed the 5-weight and got to work.  I fished up and down the main channel using an olive beadhead bugger, a black leech pattern, and finished with a chartreuse and white clouser.  Nothing.  I only planned on spending a couple of hours on the water, but just before heading back to the truck I saw a feeder stream that I could not resist.  I decided to tie on a small brown and tan clouser and work the mouth of this feeder stream before heading out.

Bang, hit!  Landed this nice bream (number 4 of 2012)

A few misses and I got number 5...........

As usual the fishing heats up as the clock winds down.  A quick in and out before dinner, but a wonderful way to finish off a late rainy Sunday.