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We were so lucky that Ken and Michelle Tutalo of Baxter House River Outfitters in Roscoe NY put us together with Zach Anderson for our trips on the Delaware River.   Zach was everything you’d possibly want in a guide…. great knowledge of the river, patient, good teacher and most importantly, fun!  He told us he’d spent time picking out a new hat for the season and called it “The Sombrero”.

Fishing was great both times we went out with Zach.  I say both because both Barb and fishing buddy James Kelley got to fish with Zach.  We caught some big rainbows and browns on big March Brown dry flies.  We all had a blast and you will too as you watch this “guide talk” interview with Zach.  Enjoy!

Connecticut was brand new to Barb and I.  It did not disappoint.  We fished two rivers, the Farmington and the Housatonic and caught some beautiful fish.  We also sampled some great food and stumbled upon a great music venue, Infinity Hall in Norfolk CT.  More importantly, we were lucky enough to attend a concert there that featured local CT artists Kerri Powers, Black River Union and Atlas Gray.   They guys from Atlas Gray were gracious enough to let us use their music as the narration of our time in CT.  I hope you enjoy the video and especially the music by this amazing group of musicians.  We loved all of the Connecticut Color.

We spent an incredible day on the Housatonic River with Bert Ouellette of Housatonic River Outfitters in Cornwall Bridge, CT.  We’ve been blessed with great guides on our adventure and Bert was no exception.  He put us on some amazing fish (see pics embedded in video), knew the river incredibly well pointing out all the named holes, gave us some good spots to go back and wade fish and kept us high and dry in his “Fear No Rocks” Clakacraft drift boat.  He knew the history of the area and was able to point out various artifacts along the way including a gorgeous covered bridge.  We had an outstanding lunch on the river that kept us going all day and it was a full day of fishing…. and catching!

This is a gorgeous river that reminded us of many of the western streams we’d fished before.  Rather than me trying to describe the river and how its fished, take a listen to Bert’s interview.  We learned so much from him as I know you will.   Enjoy!

Ms. Carolina

By TB

Leaving North Carolina was incredibly difficult for us.  We fished in some incredibly beautiful streams.  Caught some spectacular trout including all three species (brown, rainbow and brook) on both the Nantahala and Tuckasegee and made some new friends from our awesome guides, to new musicians, to restaurant owners, fly shop gurus and more.

The video above is a recap of our time in NC.  Its set to the song “Ms. Carolina” by Asheville-based duo Bird in Hand.  Band members Bryan and Megan Thurman are a fantastic duo playing what they describe as Appalachian Thunder Folk.  We were so fortunate to hear them play at Evolution Wine Kitchen in Sylva, NC on April 1st.  Their tour starts soon and has many stops including at the 5 Spot in Nashville (4/22), at Westport Station in KC (4/29), Lions Lair in Denver (5/5) and Adair’s Saloon in
Dallas (5/11).  You can check out their entire tour on their Facebook page and their music on ReverbNation.  I promise you’ll love to hear them.  To all our friends and subscribers, go see them and please tell them Tom and Barb sent you!

J.E.B.

By TB

The Davidson River, like most of the rivers we’ve fished, is really many different rivers.  The various sections hold different fish and take different techniques to catch them.   We went out with J.E.B. Hall of Davidson River Outfitters in Brevard, NC.   We fished both the “trophy” section of the Davidson as well as the main branch of the river in several different spots.  J.E.B put us on fish in each spot.   I would highly recommend grabbing a copy of J.E.B.’s book, The Southern Appalachian Fly Guide.  Its got a wealth of information that we will be putting to good use when we come back to this area to fish.  For now, enjoy this interview with J.E.B on fishing the Davidson River.

Miller Watson, our Tuckasegee guide from Hookers Fly Shop in Sylva, went to Western Carolina University and indicated he might have skipped a few classes to fish.  What makes the Tuck so special is the pristine water that feeds it.  Here you can find rainbows, browns and brook trout.   You will find stocked and wild browns and rainbows.  Also, stocked brookies.   The “grand slam” of the river is to net all three.  Biggest in boat for Miller was a 27” wild brown.

Trekking through what seemed like a rainforest filled with rhododendron,  we followed Harrison Beckwith, our guide from Brookings Cashiers Village Anglers, to the Chattooga River.  From shop rat to guide, Harrison Beckwith has been fishing in and around these area waters since he was 6.  He takes great pleasure in helping others have a successful day on the water.  His shop (and now Instagram) name, River Wizard, is so perfect!

Our time in North Georgia was filled with fishing, good food & drink, music, camping and more.  We fished 2 of the rivers on the Trout Unlimited (TU) Top 100 Trout Streams list, the Chattahoochee and the Toccoa.  We actually fished two different parts of the Chattahoochee River.  We fished the tailwater section near Atlanta with Chris Scalley of River Through Atlanta and then fished the Upper Chattahoochee with Chuck Head of Unicoi Outfitters in Helen.  We fished the Toccoa tailwater with Hunter Morris of Unicoi Outfitters and Fly Fishing North Georgia.  We also fished the Toccoa above the dam and had great fun catching these beautiful rainbows.  Their color was amazing.  I know getting to the mountains in North Georgia may be hard for some, but for all of you that fly in, out or through Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport…. you have no excuse not to call Chris Scalley and go fishing.  Just do it!   And take a few extra days to go see Unicoi Outfitters in Helen.  For now, click on “Read More” for highlights about this incredible special part of the world and watch the video highlighting our time in North Georgia.