I made a trip to Greenville for a wedding 2 weeks ago and being so close to the mountains, I dedicated Saturday morning to the pursuit of trout on the Green River.
Dawson Jordan and I left his apartment before sunrise and drove to the mountains. The weather channel called for rain, and we had our jackets. After picking up coffee and sausage biscuits at a gas station, we made the drive to the mountains.
The fog was thick, but we rose above it when the road turned up the mountain.
Reaching the Green River Gorge, we came across an overlook where there were no trees beside the road and we could see for miles. We could see the mountains on both sides of the gorge jutting through the clouds which blanketed the valley.
I pulled over to take a picture and we drove down the steep, three-mile trail to the river. We reached the parking lot and walked to observe the river conditions. To our dismay, the river was muddy brown and rushing too swiftly to walk through.
Emergers have been Dawson’s fly of choice for the season so far. This fly is meant to represent a young fly whose wings had not yet developed. The water was too muddy and we tried fishing streamers.
We came across a guy that we had met before on the same river, and he hooked a fish on the first cast. Dawson and I were puzzled and asked for some pointers. He was glad to show that he was using dark nymphs. Dawson and I re-rigged and managed to catch seven fish together.
The conditions were tough, and we decided to move to the Pacolet River, small stream of wild trout (never stocked).
Dawson and I got back in the car and drove back above the clouds and onto a dirt road. Dawson pointed at a gully near the road saying, “See that ditch? That’s our river.” I was a bit disappointed that Dawson would bring me to a stream that you can stand on with a foot on each side. I asked,”how are we going to catch anything? It’s only a few inches deep.”
We pulled over and climbed through the brush to the river. The Pacolet River is a perfect scene and feels good to look at. The stream runs through the rocks at a steep incline down the mountain. The river is bordered on both sides by rhododendrons with a canopy of oaks and other hardwoods above. The water was crystal clear and we tied on the emerger fly. Sure enough, a small rainbow rose to the surface and struck the fly with the fury of a bass. The fish was no larger than the palm of my hand yet it had the most remarkable colors. He was healthy for his size and had apparently eaten well. I released the fish and continued to catch more.
The small stream and tight vegetation was not friendly to our nine-foot fly rods and we used the arrow technique to place our flies.
I would hold the hook and pull to bed the rod tip. I would then point at the place where I want the fly to land and release. This cast is flawless at close quarters.
Dawson and I took turns fishing each section of the river. Dawson had a bite and realized that it was more than an average trout. A large wild rainbow sprung out from under a rock, and Dawson netted the fish. I couldn’t believe that such a fish could come out of this stream, much less that it could hide as it did. He released the fish, and we decided that the time had come to call the day.
This trip goes to remind me that I cannot judge how fishable a stream is based on the amount of water flowing through.
This spot is definitely worth a visit if you are ever driving I26 west past Spartanburg.