Tristan Caldwell with his first trout on a fly - a brookie from Campbell Creek.
My son-in-law Tristan Caldwell decided he wanted to try fly fishing a couple of months ago. We went to Maggie Valley, and he caught his first fish in Campbell Creek and several others in Jonathan Creek on dry flies. Since then, along with regular trips back to Maggie, we have fished Big Creek, West Fork Pigeon DH water, Richland Creek below the Lake Junaluska dam for bass and panfish, and Shawneehaw Creek in Banner Elk. He has caught trout on dries, nymphs, and streamers, and has caught all three species of trout in both the stocked and wild varieties. After a particularly good day on Jonathan Creek catching browns and rainbows, we went up to a headwater blue line so he could catch a spec and complete the "Smokies Slam." After a couple of outings to West Fork DH water, including a lesson on Euro-nymphing from Lawson Braun, he now has a "big fish that got away" story. At this point, he prefers fishing smaller creeks for wild trout.
Always good to have a younger fishing buddy.