Fishing with Marcus

Photos of a few happy customers from this season...

2011-06-04T11:38:00.004-04:00

New posts coming...

2010-12-23T10:49:00.002-05:00

I have been very slack with posting new content on this site over the last year! I am planning on a renewed commitment to getting new fishing posts up over the next few months so hopefully there will be some interesting information for everyone appearing in the near future.

Some terrific afternoon action resulted in some nice rainbows...

2010-04-04T23:11:00.000-04:00

Spring is here...

2010-04-04T22:50:00.000-04:00

That special time of the year when Winter finally fades away is officially here. With temperatures rising, insects hatching, and trout becoming increasingly active, the Spring season is a special time for fishermen on the Chattooga River. On the last few trips to the river, there has been some terrific dry fly action, with many of the fish locked in on a variety of hatching caddis and mayflies.

Over the next few weeks there will be some important hatches to look for and keep in mind when fishing the Chattooga. Here are the must know bugs for April...

1. Caddisflies... The majority of these this time of year will be tan, grey, or cream colored. Often times they will be seen hovering, skipping, or skirting along the water which drives the fish nuts. A deadly tactic when you see keyed in on this hatch is to "skitter" a size 14 or 16 Elk Hair Caddis across the potential holding area. This can draw explosive strikes on the surface, and is often times more effective than a dead drifted version.

2. Mayflies... The two predominent species that will be on the water throughout April can include Quill Gordon's, Blue Quill's, and March Browns. The majority of these hatch during the warmest part of the day, typically from about noon until mid afternoon. Try to match the hatch and dead drift the cooresponding adult version with a nymph or emerger dropper.

Big Brook Trout

2009-12-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest highlights of fishing the stocked sections of the Chattooga River is the opportunity to catch brook trout. Every year the river is stocked with a healthy number of brookies, along with a handful of true bruisers. Many of these bigger fish are in the 15-17" range while some push close to 20" and can come close to state record status.

This year has provided anglers with a fair share of larger than average brookies from the Chattooga. Below are a couple of prime examples of trophy fish taken out of the Chattooga River...

Something a little different...

2009-04-01T00:52:00.004-04:00

Everyone has to diversify from time to time, right? Well, I figured to build some anticipation for the next blog post, I should mix it up a little bit with a subject other than the Chattooga River.

Since one of my favorite types of fishing is chasing after wild brookies in small creeks, I decided to put together a short film on the subject. The video is shot in high definition so make sure to select the "HD on" option for the full effect.

It can be viewed here... http://www.vimeo.com/3934332

Hope everyone enjoys it! Let me know what you think...

Birthday Luck!

2009-03-19T15:33:00.000-04:00

For whatever reason, I had not intended on doing much of anything on my birthday. My plan was limited to sleeping in, watching basketball, and basically lounging around in general. Luckily as I awoke that morning, I accepted that there was not anything I would rather be doing than fishing on the Chattooga River.

On the drive up, like usual, I began to let my mind wander in anticipation of the day ahead. I thought about all the areas I wanted to try, the possible scenarios I would encounter, and everything else that fills the minds of the common psycho fly fisherman. The daydreaming had made the car ride a quick one, and I came upon the trailhead just before first light.

The way in which I fumbled to gather my gear in the dark probably looked more like a comedy routine than anything else, and as I started down the old trail I am sure that the anticipation made me move at an entirely unnecessary pace. After spending far too much time away from my favorite trout stream, I was finally ready to descend into those familiar waters that I call home.

I decided to take my long 2wt rod, partially because I had planned on doing a lot of dry fly fishing, but primarily because it is simply a hell of a lot of fun to fight a fish with. After getting into a rhythm with the considerably smaller outfit, and gaining some confidence in the fly at the end of my line, I began to pick up a few fish here and there.

After casting to rising fish from a small shoal in the middle of the river, I began to move towards an area that looked to have potential. It was one of those typical “fishy” looking spots; distinguished by a deeply undercut bank and shaded by a fallen tree protruding out into the water. As I carefully waded into position something out of the ordinary caught my eye.

At first, considering the inconspicuous location in the river and the size of the fish, I was sure it was a big sucker. The fish was laying up on the edge of a rock shoal in very shallow water, making it very visible from my vantage point. The fish was within twenty feet of me, and after a closer examination, my mouth dropped and I froze in place when I saw the tell-tale features of a massive brown trout.

I quickly clipped away my 6x tippet and puny elk hair caddis and retied with heavier line and a gaudy streamer as I intently watched the fish, simply praying that he would not dart away. With the setup ready to go, I began to draw out the necessary line for a water load as to not spook the fish with a sloppy false cast. I took a long deep breath and focused on the target as the line shot forward and turned over the streamer better than I could have ever imagined.

The fly fluttered in the water as it approached the big brown at what seemed like a snail’s pace. I anxiously gripped the cork of the rod with one hand as I used the other to give my fly line the first and only twitch to entice a strike. It was as if I could literally feel the rush of adrenaline through my body as the monster brown surged forward with reckless abandon to obliterate the streamer at the end of my line.

After such a violent strike, I swiftly lifted my little 2wt to set the hook and just as quickly watched it double over entirely as if the fish gave it no respect at all. The underpowered rod appeared to be ready to splinter at any moment from the tremendous stress of the powerful fish on the end of line, but one thing was for certain…the battle was on.

The first moment of the fight consisted of some of the most violent head shakes and thrashing imaginable, just before the extended madness ensued. After burying down and shooting across the river, I proceed to watch all the fly line burn off my reel to the backing as the drag screams at me to give chase. Before I even know what happened, I am sprinting downstream trying to regain line and catch the runaway fish.

As I moved to catch up with the fish a few hundred feet downstream, I hopelessly realized that I literally could not move the fish in the swift current with my little rod. Just then, the big brown peels off on another blistering run downstream and my attempts to turn the fish fail miserably as I give chase once more. Just as the fish reached a long flat, he headed toward the stream bank looking to bury down in the roots and brush jutting out from shore. With limited real estate in the shallow water, the momentum had swung in my favor.

Following a few more minutes of brute force on the end of my line, and two failed attempts to land the fish, I finally slip the net under the weight of the fish as the head and tail protruded out on both ends. The features that immediately distinguished this fish from others were its intimidating kype jaw, powerful tail, and immense shoulders making it a truly memorable catch beyond the size alone.

After snapping a few photographs and reviving the fish, the big brown regained his strength and headed back into the water in great condition to fight another day. Subsequently; all I could think to do was to take the weight off my feet and catch my breath. I sat there with a smile from ear to ear, and realized how at that moment in time, everything in life was just fine.

Short Video

Dear February, Please Bring Spring

2009-02-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

The glimpse of spring weather we saw on the Chattooga this month could best be characterized as enjoyable but short lived. The weather in the area has been described as unseasonably cold and just as Punxsutawney Phil predicted, the winter temperatures have cloaked the upstate this year for a little longer than usual.

The month began with dreary days, frigid temperatures, and sluggish fish. Under these conditions, large ice sheets clogged the slow water and frozen equipment was a constant battle. On one such instance, the prime feeding lane in the stretch I was fishing happened to be just underneath an extended sheet of ice. Needless to say the drifts were difficult, the hook-ups were infrequent, and landing fish was near impossible. Under these adverse conditions one must take full advantage of the limited chances available to get a strike.

A couple of days thereafter, one would honestly think that spring in full swing. The water temperatures were rising, the fish were active, and the first mayflies of the year were spotted. Needless to say, life was good! The dry fly action was fast and furious and it seemed that just about everything on the end of the line was getting attacked.

And of course as quickly as it came, it was gone again. More cold, more ice, and with it the fish slowed down once more. With incessant dreams of caddis and mayflies littering the air over the Chattooga, the anticipation of spring is at a peak for this angler. With my fingers crossed and my eyes locked on the long-term weather forecast, the warming trend can not come soon enough.

Until then…be sure to enjoy the solitude, the cold crisp air, and consistently fishable water levels.

New Camera

2009-01-21T15:30:00.000-05:00

Thought I would share a couple of shots and a short video with the new camera...

The video can be viewed here... http://www.vimeo.com/2722098

And a few pictures....

January

2009-01-20T15:47:00.000-05:00

Talk about a warm spell! I knew the weather today was going to be magnificent, with air temperatures in the high 50's, so what better to do then chase after some trout?

It was a late start, but made it to the river around noon. Chatted with a couple of frustrated people on the way to the river, but we agreed that no one could complain on such a nice day. I got my things together, geared up, and quickly headed down the trail eager to get to the river. I was suprised to find some snow still lingering in the shady areas.

There were quite a few people out on the water so as usual I started off in an inconspicous areas, one that most people would overlook. After a few swings with no strikes on a streamer I switched up to a double nymph rig.

Second drift through... Wham! My line immediatly goes taut and I feel that tell-tale tug on the end of my line. I knew right away that it was a good fish... no darting, no runs, no acrobatics, just brute force toward swift current.

After a few moments of worry I got it under control and brought another nice brookie to hand. If you have been luck enough to catch one of these bruiser brook trout then you know what I mean. These big brood brookies look like footballs!

Things slowed down for the next hour or so picking up an occasional fish here and there, mainly rainbows. They seemed to be keying in on the little dropper off the back bounced along the bottom with some split shot. Best pattern was sort of weird... a size 18 tellico nymph. I assume these fish are getting educated and keying in on different looks.

With the sun shining down and the temperature starting to rise I was anticipating a nice hatch, and thankfully my expectations were answered. From about 1:30 -3:00, I witnessed the most prolific stonefly hatch I have ever seen on the Chattooga River. At one point I looked down and had five or six crawiling around on me.

Threw a size 14 brown stimulator the rest of the afternoon and had a blast. It was the first honest dry fly action this year and it was a ball. Strangely, an inordinate number of fish were chunky browns that were keyed in on the stones.

I ended up really wearing them out on gaudy dry flies which is always fun to watch. Hope that you guys made it out to enjoy the warm weather.

Cold Weather Fish

2008-12-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

Most people consider the dead of winter to be less than prime time for trout fishing on our local streams and rivers. The weather is usually less than optimal, the fish are sometimes pretty lethargic, and more often than not fishing season and winter just seem not to coincide. With postseason football and hunting opportunities, why would someone want to pursue trout under these conditions?

Most importantly, waters this time of year are void of the anglers found each year in the seasons of spring and fall. The limited fishing pressure certainly helps the fish feel more comfortable and can often times increase catch rates. More often than not, fishing this time of year will be in solitude and it can be outstanding.

In the trips I have taken this year, I experienced varying conditions typical to winter weather in South Carolina. While seemingly cold weather should be expected, keep an eye out for those spurts of unseasonably warm conditions that really turn the fish on.

Always keep in mind that these differing conditions will require different strategies to successfully catch fish. The techniques I have been using recently are simple and effective. The most important thing to keep in mind is to fish deep, really deep.Make sure that you can feel the weight “tick” along the bottom. If the fly is not getting snagged every once and a while then it is not getting deep enough.

This time of year the fish are mostly found in slow water, primarily in the deep pools and tailouts. Be sure to cover every spot carefully, making sure to drift past all possible holding areas. The strikes will almost certainly be subtle so be sure to set the hook on anything out of the ordinary.

Lastly, remember that the difficult conditions this time of year are often times negated by the limited fishing pressure.