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Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Fly Fish America - September 2007 Issue - Index

the middle of the river and appeared to be waiting for his dinner to swim by. We cast to the brute, but our prey wouldn't budge.?
BEAU BEASLEY PHOTOS
The morning fog eventually lifted as I
floated down the river, and I began catching
fish within sight of the boat launch.
Jacob landed some nice bass by casting
poppers beneath the branches of nearby
trees that were leaning over the riverbank,
and I followed suit. I managed to land a
few nice smallies and a dozen or so redeye
(rock bass, to some). I also caught some
rather nice bluegill, but couldn't get two
huge tailing carp to hit my patterns.
With plenty of sunshine and a light
breeze, the day was a welcome respite
from the oppressive heat and humidity of
Northern Virginia-yet another benefit
of mountain living.
"Look at that,? Jacob said, calling my
attention to a massive smallie lurking beneath
a submerged log. He had stationed
himself off a set of islands in the middle
of the river and appeared to be waiting
for his dinner to swim by. These islands,
strewn throughout the Greenbrier, are
entirely manmade. Today they are covered
with small trees and tall grass, but beneath
all of this growth you may still make out
large wooden beams stacked Lincoln-logstyle
atop one another. These rough-hewn
foundations are vestiges of a bygone era
during which Italian immigrant laborers
tirelessly laid the beams to form a rough
canal to more efficiently move timber
down the Greenbrier River to sawmills.
Though ignorant of the islands' origins,
the smallies in the river appeared
to covet the structure nonetheless. Jacob
and I both cast to the brute that he had
spotted, but our prey wouldn't budge. In
the course of the day Jacob and I found
three more 18- to 22-inch smallies patrolling
the river like submarines, but too
wise to be taken in by our patterns.
Gearing Up
Although the Greenbrier does have
some very deep sections, a weightforward
floating line is generally all an
angler needs to fish here. When you
do enter a deeper part of the river, a
weighted fly and a few split shot added
to your tippet will do the job.
A 7-weight rod will fit the bill in
most cases. Jacob and I cast Walt's poppers
beneath trees and along the banks,
which proved effective until later in the
day when we went subsurface with size-
6 Clouser minnows and CK baitfish up
to size 2. Give your white size-6 woolly
buggers a try, too. And you'll need a
fairly stout tippet: Nothing less than an
8-foot, 3x leader will do.
Do I wish that I had landed one of
the Greenbrier's monster smallies? Sure.
But the fact that they escaped me just
means that I have an excuse to return
to this quiet river in the woods. Maybe
next time I'll bring the whole family; my
wife can indulge in a much-needed spa
treatment at The Greenbrier while the
kids and I enjoy the woods, the water,
the fishing, and maybe a horseback ride
and the occasional passing train.
Troubled Waters:
West Virginia's Elk River
Earlier this season I floated the
Greenbrier with Gil Willis, an Orvisendorsed
outfitter and owner of the
four-season Elk River Touring Center
in nearby Slatyfork (www.ertc.com).
My smallmouth fishing excursion on
the Greenbrier with Gil proved memorable-and
I'm not even referring to
the rainbow trout I caught. (Apparently
many of the Greenbrier's feeder streams
hold trout that occasionally get washed
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