So I’ve been fly fishing tiny flies on the South Holston River in Tennessee a lot lately. Why? Well, that’s what’s been hatching most of the time. Tiny midges. And yes, I’ve been catching lots of trout. A few bigger ones, too. Incidentally, I’ve been doing well enough that some of the other fly fishermen near me have been asking: “What are you using?”
Or: “What kind of fly do you have on?”
To which I reply: “The fish are feeding on midges. Probably the black fly. So use any tiny fly in sizes 24 to 32.”
To which they inevitably reply: “Size 24? I can’t see it.”
To which I say to myself:
“Yes, but the trout can see it. And they eat those micro midges by the hundreds. The thousands, all throughout their lives.”
And in my heart, I believe that most guys can see it. And most guys aren’t that blind.
But they just have to be willing to open their eyes to see the truth. Of fly fishing tiny micro flies.
You see, I have, in fact, written a whole blog post, dedicated to the subject of fly fishing tiny flies. And in it, I explain just exactly how one might go about rigging up a micro fly, so you can, indeed, see it on the drift. And you can read my article on fly fishing small flies right here.
So now can you see it? Those micro trout flies.
I should be a little clearer here. I wear glasses. I’ve had eye surgery on both eyes. So, how’s it possible that a guy like me, whose eyesight is suspect, can see midge flies on the drift? But almost all of the other fly fishermen that I’ve ever met claim that they can’t see them.
I can’t see it.
You know, I wonder have you ever really tried to see it? Or have you actually never sincerely tried to fly fish those micro flies?
Once, a long time ago…
I was like you. I was blind. And I could not see.
Those tiny flies. And I thought. No, I won’t fly fish with tiny flies.
Well, guess what?
Once I tried in earnest to fly fish small flies for a WHOLE day, or even TWO. Maybe even a whole week. I found that I could, indeed, see a tiny fly, after all. And more importantly, that the trout could most certainly see those micro flies. And I know that for a fact, because I’ve caught lots of trout in my life fly fishing tiny flies. Moreover, when I’ve been fly fishing the South Holston recently this Spring, using micro flies, I’ve had great success. A lot better than a lot of the guys around me. In fact, here’s a few of the trout that I’ve caught recently on the South Holston, using size 24 to 30 micro trout fly patterns.
Meanwhile, as I write this, I can just hear a lot of fly fishermen still saying, “I can’t see it!”
No eyes will open unless they really want to see.
And do you? Do you wish to see?
Fly Fishing Tiny Flies on the South Holston River for the First Time:
Did you know that the very first time that I ever fly fished the South Holston that I used a tiny fly? That was some 20 years ago. Long before I ever moved to Johnson City, TN, when I was still trapped in a cubicle cage. Before I retired early. Yes, I was still stuck on the hamster wheel. The corporate chicken coop in those days.
That said, back then, I also had a wedding to attend in the Smokies. A friend’s. So being the enthusiastic beginner fly fisherman that I was, I made it a point to take a few extra days off work. So my girlfriend and I could stop a few places to fly fish on our way to the wedding.
And when we arrived at the parking area at the South Holston to fly fish. An unfamiliar fly fisherman walked over and told us to use micro flies. But I protested, arguing that I wanted to use a woolly bugger, size 8.
Don’t, he advised. And when he peered inside my fly box, he immediately pointed to a size 24 black zebra midge that I’d never used before. And proclaimed, “Try that!”
Then remarked with great foresight, as he departed, “Catch fish you will, if tiny flies you will try.”
And so, I did. But back then, I was just happy if I could catch any trout at all. Especially on a new river, like the South Holston, which I was totally unfamiliar with. Moreover, I was really just a brook trout fisherman back then. With lots of experience, casting size 12 to 18 patterns to brookies on small streams in Shenandoah National Park. While I hid behind trees, boulders, and greenery.
So I didn’t even know how to fly fish tiny flies on the South Holston. Nevertheless, I just tied that micro black zebra midge to the end of my line.
And cast it into the subtle currents. Let it drift downstream.
Eventually, I got a nibble. Missed it. Then, a bona fide strike. So I set the hook and landed my very first trout ever on the South Holston River, using a tiny fly!
No, I did not know at the time. I had no idea that I’d someday make this outdoorsy area my home. After getting to know the Appalachian South a little bit as a whitewater raft guide.
But still, I hear you guys saying. I can’t see it.
Neither could I. For years…
So the girl I was dating back then. Before me, she divorced her husband. Went to the courts. Got a $60,000.00 pay out. And it’d be cheap, at that. No doubt, he had it coming to him. Just like the rest of us men with “toxic masculinity.”
Then she told me one day. That I’d better tie the weak and failure prone fishing knot with her. Or I was out the door. And so I went.
And how did it work out for my good friend? Whose wedding I attended all those years ago after I’d caught my first South Holston trout, ever, using a tiny fly.
Well, the wife cheated on him for years. A real carousel rider she was. No, he could not see it. But would you?
Then, his wife initiated a unilateral decoupling, of course. Got the kids, cars, support. Alimony. All for being a unfaithful garden utensil… Sound fair?
But no, it would never happen to you. Or me. Why?
Cause, she loves you.
You know, when I fly fish tiny flies on the South Holston. I know it’s a lie. A total sham.
In so far as the fish is concerned. I mean, it’s just a small hook, wrapped with some black thread and shiny wire with a black beadhead placed on top. Moreover, it’s all just fake up and make up to make the hook look so desirable. So irresistable.
So no wonder the trout continue to be deceived by those micro flies. And they keep chasing them down, too, with zeal. For the ultimate bait and switch. But no, it’s not worth it. Never. Not for them. The fish, men!
But they just can’t see it, either. The deception.
See that it’s just a tiny fake morsel they bite at. Something that’s hardly satisfying, most of the time. And an experience that lasts just a short time.
But the fish, men, they bite at the clever deception, the subterfuge, every time.
And when I catch them. When the fish get caught.
I see that A LOT of the “pretty fish” are, in fact, all beat up, busted out. Sometimes, their jaws and other orifices are coming apart, literally hanging out. Cause they’ve been hooked up and landed so many times that some of them have open sores on their faces and insides. Diseases, too. You cannot see.
And sometimes, when I catch them, though, not often. I’ll decide to keep them. Then, I bash their skulls in with a blunt stick. Putting those fish out of their misery real quick. Oh, if it was only so easy for men.
Cause that might actually be a relief for us. Instead of having to pay a cold fish with open sores on the lips and shabby and chubby flanks for years and years.
Cause a life sentence is what they give you. And your life is what they will try to take from you.
And you thought you were the predator. El pescador. The one who pursues and chases the fish. But it turns out that you’re the one who got caught, and trapped. In an indefensible and unwinnable situation.
By another fish who has been hooked up and chucked back into the river so many times that they’ve lost count. And can’t even remember how many times that they’ve been rejected and cast to the side. By the Chad.. I mean, shad fish.
But it’s you who’s landed the trophy, the prized fish? To be cherished forever and ever?
Nah man, that prized fish that you hold in your hands has surely been caught and let go so many times that it’ll make your head spin.
Just as it’s spinning now, wondering how many were before me?
And people wonder why I never …
Why I never …
Should you play a game of cards when you know that the deck is already stacked against you?
If a game of cards is being played and you don’t know who the patsy is. Well, guess what?
It’s you!
Should you parachute from an airplane, if you know the parachute fails AT LEAST 50% of the time?
Pay exorbitantly to see a movie that about 90% of the people end up disliking, or downright hating, in their notorious reviews? Especially when you know that the theater is located in a bad part of town, where it’s known that the male moviegoers often get beat up and robbed at gunpoint by an unscrupulous gang when they’re forced to leave the premises.
In investing, a front-end load fee is what you pay to enter into an investment. But what you really gotta watch out for is any investment with a back-end load, that’s not even an investment. Rather, it’s a liability, and an extremely debt-burdened entity, masquerading as an investment. Cause those back-end loads will really destroy you. Pound you hard in the back-end, if you know what I mean.
Do I have to spell it out for you, young men?
Gentlemen, it’s the biggest scam and swindle ever perpetuated on mankind, almost exclusively, since the divine right of kings, fiat, or central banking.
I can’t see it, though.
No, I can’t see that all those pathetic morsels and sad crumbs that come your way really aren’t worth biting, striking at. And no, the fish shouldn’t chase them down, pursue ‘em with zest, vigor, and glee.
And it’ll cost them everything they own, sometimes, if they do. They’ll pay dearly for the one moment that they let their guards down. Yes, those fish will pay so dearly for biting at the smallest of flies. The tiniest of morsels. That’s hardly ever satisfying.
No, I can’t see it.
But can you?
So sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But awareness in this world is everything. And the path to freedom.
And I am, after all, the renegade fly fisherman on the South Holston, who fly fishes tiny dry flies. El pescador libre. Who tells it like I see it.
And I do declare.
That no. That the game of chasing pretty fish just ain’t worth it in the modern-day age.
No, the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.
So do you see?
If not, well, it’s you who gets caught and will probably end up paying, exorbitantly. For the rest of your life maybe. Yeah, there’s another word for a lifetime of labor with only responsibility and obligation–and NO RESPECT or AUTHORITY. None. But I won’t say it. However, do I even need to when it’s so stunningly clear?
But I do pray that you open your eyes, young men.
And save your own lives.
By not getting caught. On the fake hook.
Lest you end up holding onto a g.. I mean, a cold fish with sores all over its face and shabby and chubby flanks, which has been hooked up and chucked back time and time again. And again and again.
But suddenly knows its worth, and wants to be cherished, kept, and supported by a nice guy–a fisherman, who gets caught.
Anyway, that’s about all that I have to say about fly fishing tiny flies on the South Holston River in Northeast Tennessee. Just don’t get yourself caught, then filleted and cooked up for dinner, men. Cause, you thought it was such a nice dish; but, it’s really you who’ll be fried in the pan and feasted upon as the main course, of course. In the quartz [homonym], that is.
Subscribe:
Thank you for reading my post about Fly Fishing Tiny Flies on the South Holston River in Northeast TN. If you’ve enjoyed reading this, please subscribe so that I can send you notices about my future posts. Subscribing is FREE and I don’t spam or share your email. Also, please share this post with your friends, family members, and co-workers on the usual social networks. This will help support this blog and grow my audience.
Disclaimer:
Please note, as well, that this post contains affiliate links, meaning, I recommended products and services I’ve used or know well and I may receive a commission if you purchase them too (at no additional cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Practice Catch And Release Fly Fishing:
Gary Alan
After a long career in the publishing industry, Gary Alan left his corporate job to pursue his next adventures in life as a blogger, writer, investor, fly fisherman, hiker, and traveler. He is the author of the adventure fiction book, 'Big Thunder-Hearted River'.