Collecting fly tying materials - the fun way

10" beard, 1" spurs, and double beard

My buddy Mike and I decided to hunt down some turkey feathers.   Neither of us are serious turkey hunters but we do enjoy it on occasion.  Normally, Spring weekends find me on a river or stream somewhere with a fly rod in hand but this particular morning the generation schedule on the Caney Fork wasn't friendly to fly fishing or at least certainly not wading.  So we dusted off the shotguns, pulled out the camo and hit the woods on a family friends farm about 30 min from the house.  We saw and heard a number of birds.  Called... called some more.  Then called again.  Set up the decoys, then called again.  We tromped all over the hillside chasing these birds.  Finally we heard a hot gobbler and a couple jakes across a creek on the neighbors property... and they were coming our way.  We quickly set up with Mike closer to the decoys.  I wanted him to get the first shot since last time we hunted turkeys he called and I shot the bird.  Well, things don't always go as planned.  He still did most of the calling since he is a much better caller than I but the birds circled wide and didn't give him a shot.  The big tom circled way wide and didn't give either of us a shot.  He went around the other side of the knoll we were on and out of sight.  The jakes were out in front of me but I held off shooting; for one thing they were just a little farther than I felt comfortable (remember I don't turkey hunt much) and I really thought they were going to start working back over towards the decoys and right in front of Mike.  Instead they stayed out in front of me for a short while and then headed back over the creek and away from us.  About that time the big gobbler came back around.  This time I think he saw the decoys and started towards them.  But at about 40 yards out in front of me he started to get nervous and looking my way. I knew he wasn't going to make it over to give Mike a shot.  It was now or never... so I took the shot.  He went down immediately. 

Mike took the primary wing feathers to use for fletchings on his arrows.  He shoots selfbows and wood or rivercane shafts.  And I took the rest of feathers for some of our favorite flies.  We split that delicious turkey meat!

Thanks again Mike!

Greenbriar rainbows and bamboo - April 2009

Back this past April my good buddy and guide Jeff Barrett and I went over the the Smokies to be river helpers for the CFR event. We left a day early to do a little fishing ourselves. Neither of us had ever fished Greenbriar so we decided it was about time. Weather was nice. A few bugs hatched - mostly small stoneflies - and the fish were taking dries. I fished my AJ Thramer 7 1/2' 4 wt DX taper.  I've come to love this rod for small stream fishing.  It can throw a dry/dropper combo without any problem and is just just a joy to cast. 

It was a great day. All we caught were rainbows but no complaints.  We never got up high enough to get into brookie water.  We saved that for next time.

Jeff working some pocket water

A colorful rainbow tricked with a parachute Adams