Time on the Tuckaseegee before heading back to Iowa

A visit with my parents in North Carolina early last week granted me the opportunity to once again wet my feet and fly line in the Tuckaseegee River. The Tuck was suffering from the same drought that’s been plaguing the East, which made for a tough few hours of fishing on Monday. The mid-day heat and low water forced the trout into abnormal holding situations in the catch and release section. The majority of the larger fish were stacked up in the deeper holes, vying for position. I spent only a brief time on the river before I gave up and headed home.

Even more disappointing than the afternoon fishing was the fact that I watched a man kick a fully-grown sheep dog out of his truck and drive off. The animal wandered up and down the road before it disappeared in the countryside. How will the Lord judge our stewardship of his creation?

The next day I returned to the Tuck with my dad. This time we dropped in well above the catch and release section. It’s a spot I love to fish while the sun creeps behind the mountain and the mist begins to rise off the river. As expected, a small amount of light colored sulfurs were rising off the water, and the few Pale Morning Dunn imitations I was carrying did the trick. I netted a couple of rainbows before it became too dark to see the rises. The evening of fishing was a good end to a long summer of traveling.