Smokey's

[Taxman]

I got my workout the last couple of days in the park. Day one, I broke my Sage again after just getting it back on Friday. Hiked 5.5 miles out and borrowed a rod from Tuck fly shop and hiked back up. I didn't catch a lot of fish but I caught my 3 biggest ever! Trying to land 17 or 18' browns on a 3 weight rod is quite the chore in those creeks!!!! So tired after one of them, I hung another and fought him for a few and would have had to swim across a pool to get him from under a submerged rock. I was glad he got off!!! One of them got below me and I had to chase him through the middle of creek for 75 yards.

First time I didn't take a spare rod because I thought I would just switch spools and fish for dry's with that rod. Didn't even put another in the trunk of car. 23 miles of hiking!! I hate hiking. lol

I did get some quick pictures of the fish. They were very stressed after the fights and the warmer water so I released as fast as I could, I didn't even make it up to my favorite spots. With the rain every evening up there, I was afraid to be 1/4 of a mile from trail access with fast water rising.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

How'd you break your rod?

 

[Taxman]

On the first Brown, Fly shop said it was possible I didn't have the ferrel seated properly. Never broken a rod before. That ESN has broken twice. Sage offered to overnight me a 10' 4wt overnight and that was kind of them. I may switch to a 4wt. Im 56 and chasing big fish through those streams with a 3wt is for a younger man!! Really was exciting though.

 

[Taxman]

 

[Taxman]

My shoe is 13" long. There are 2 pics of the same beautiful golden Brown. I caught 2 of them on a green " Tungsten bead squirminator".

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Very nice!

 

[trout maharishi]

Nice fish, interesting colors.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Beautiful big browns, @Taxman ! Sounds like a great trip except for the rod. I hear a lot of people talking about breaking Sage rods for some reason.
Was that a squirminator with the fuzz at the front, or just the squirmy?

 

[Taxman]

Just a tungsten bead head with a slick squirmy trailer.

In all fairness to the rod, it is a very lightweight specialty rod.
The times that the 3 wt has broken have been
operator error. Once on a fall that left an indentation
that later broke and the last time when I failed
to seat one of the connections. I have never broken another rod
under similar circumstances though. Sage offered to overnight me
another ESN but I declined. I told the rep I was too tired to have to
hike another 10 miles and I would just use my Recon until theirs was
repaired again.