# Nice Morning Spec Trip



## flyrod444

I had yesterday off so I wanted to fish my favorite little spec stream. I started so early that I had trouble seeing to tie my fly on and the fish were not real interested in the dry fly so I dropped a small little inch worm pattern off my dry and it was on. In two hours fishing I caught in the neighbor hood of 40 specs with most being 6 inches or better with several 8 inches or just over. Not in spawning colors yet. Used my oldest rod which I've had four over 30 years and it is still one of the best small stream rods I've ever cast.


----------



## NCHillbilly

Good stuff!  Spent the morning chasing specks myself, you just can't beat it.


----------



## deerhuntingdawg

Nice specs!!


----------



## cjones

Nice!  I'm definitely jealous!  Haven't been on skinny water (or any water for that matter) in over a month now. 

Nice pics!


----------



## flyrod444

Thanks guys, I'm very lucky to live where I can fish for wild trout within minutes of my house. 
Jack


----------



## deerhuntingdawg

It's a three hours drive for me. I love it so much, that I get up at 4:30am drive up to the mountains. Then come home the same day


----------



## trad bow

Beautiful fish. Thanks for posting.
Jeff


----------



## Dialer

Specs????   I thought those were sucker fish!  I finally caught one of those little boogers after he kept taking my bait.  Don't understand the attraction.... (I'm just a dumb city boy)


----------



## Killer Kyle

The attraction is that the fish are beautiful, especially in spawning colors. They most often live above waterfalls here in the southeast, and in beautiful mountain scenery.  Fishing for them is also hiking along a beautiful mountain stream. In the summer when Atlanta is sweltering hot, I can wake up while camped along a speck stream in July and see my breath in the cool mountain air along the creek. It will be 95 degrees in ATL and 76 degrees at mid day along a speck stream. 
The attraction is seeing a six inch fish that thinks it is a killer whale voraciously crushing a fly at the surface. The attraction is their taste. They are the best eating cold water fish in our trout streams, especially their fried fins "tater chips from heaven". The attraction is their history. They are a char, not a trout. They are the only native salmanoid in the Eastern water and were here thousands, if not millions of years long before browns or rainbows (creek roaches) were ever put in our waters here. They are the only salmonoid meant to be  here. They're survivors, and survived the rape and pillage of the logging operations of the 1800's and 1900's that decimated their habitat and almost set them into ruin. Their attraction is that they can interbreed with browns and produce the exotic tiger trout. Their attraction is that they live in peaceful places. You can fish the Buford dam and Jones bridge stretches, the Tallulah, Cooper's Creek, the upper Hooch which are literally CRAWLING with people beating the river to death where dumb, colorless, easily caught hatchery stocked trout abide, and lay in the runs with ripped lips and sitting sideways in the stream because they are scared to death.  I can fish for skittish, wild, voracious, dry fly smashing bespeckled jewels for an entire day on a speck stream and never see nor hear another human being. The attraction is the simplicity. No need for tippet spools, giant nets, Simms waders, neck buff, trout bum hat, Costa shades, expensive rods, a five section euro leader, a go pro, a wading staff, a chest pack. Just a simple rod and floating line, cheap leader and a single spool of tippet. A fly box the size of a deck of cards in the shorts pocket and your old gardening shoes. And fish a plenty. It isn't just the attraction  to the fish, but everything surrounding it. Go fish dry flies on some fresh stockers and report back on how well you do. Everyone values different things differently, and seeks different fishing experiences  for different reasons, but I think I could write a book on the attraction of the Brook trout and Brook trout fishing.


----------



## ddd-shooter

Killer Kyle said:


> The attraction is that the fish are beautiful, especially in spawning colors. They most often live above waterfalls here in the southeast, and in beautiful mountain scenery.  Fishing for them is also hiking along a beautiful mountain stream. In the summer when Atlanta is sweltering hot, I can wake up while camped along a speck stream in July and see my breath in the cool mountain air along the creek. It will be 95 degrees in ATL and 76 degrees at mid day along a speck stream.
> The attraction is seeing a six inch fish that thinks it is a killer whale voraciously crushing a fly at the surface. The attraction is their taste. They are the best eating cold water fish in out trout streams, especially their fried fins "tater chips from heaven". The attraction is their history. They are a char, not a trout. They are the only native salmanoid in the Eastern water and were here thousands, if not millions of years long before browns or rainbows (creek roaches) were ever put in our waters here. They are the only salmonoid meant to be  here. They're survivors, and survived the rape and pillage of the logging operations of the 1800's and 1900's that decimated their habitat and almost set them into ruin. Their attraction is that they can interbreed with browns and produce the exotic tiger trout. Their attraction is that they live in peaceful places. While the Buford dam and Jones bridge stretches, the Tallulah, Cooper's Creek, the upper Hooch are literally CRAWLING with people beating the river to death where dumb, colorless, easily caught hatchery stocked trout abide, and sit in the runs with ripped lips and sitting sideways in the stream because they are scared to death,  I can fish for skittish, wild, voracious, dry fly smashing bespeckled jewels for an entire day on a speck stream and never see nor hear another human being. The attraction is the simplicity. No need for tippet spools, giant nets, Simms waders, neck buff, trout bum hat, Costa shades, expensive rods, a five section euro leader, a go pro, a wading staff, a chest pack. Just a simple rod and floating line, cheap leader and a single spool of tippet. A fly box the size of a deck of cards in the shorts pocket and your old gardening shoes. And fish a plenty. Every person values different things differently, but I think I could write a book on the attraction of the Brook trout.


Ditto. Lol


----------



## GLS

Nicely written, KK.  Gil


----------



## deerhuntingdawg

Killer Kyle said:


> The attraction is that the fish are beautiful, especially in spawning colors. They most often live above waterfalls here in the southeast, and in beautiful mountain scenery.  Fishing for them is also hiking along a beautiful mountain stream. In the summer when Atlanta is sweltering hot, I can wake up while camped along a speck stream in July and see my breath in the cool mountain air along the creek. It will be 95 degrees in ATL and 76 degrees at mid day along a speck stream.
> The attraction is seeing a six inch fish that thinks it is a killer whale voraciously crushing a fly at the surface. The attraction is their taste. They are the best eating cold water fish in our trout streams, especially their fried fins "tater chips from heaven". The attraction is their history. They are a char, not a trout. They are the only native salmanoid in the Eastern water and were here thousands, if not millions of years long before browns or rainbows (creek roaches) were ever put in our waters here. They are the only salmonoid meant to be  here. They're survivors, and survived the rape and pillage of the logging operations of the 1800's and 1900's that decimated their habitat and almost set them into ruin. Their attraction is that they can interbreed with browns and produce the exotic tiger trout. Their attraction is that they live in peaceful places. You can fish the Buford dam and Jones bridge stretches, the Tallulah, Cooper's Creek, the upper Hooch which are literally CRAWLING with people beating the river to death where dumb, colorless, easily caught hatchery stocked trout abide, and lay in the runs with ripped lips and sitting sideways in the stream because they are scared to death.  I can fish for skittish, wild, voracious, dry fly smashing bespeckled jewels for an entire day on a speck stream and never see nor hear another human being. The attraction is the simplicity. No need for tippet spools, giant nets, Simms waders, neck buff, trout bum hat, Costa shades, expensive rods, a five section euro leader, a go pro, a wading staff, a chest pack. Just a simple rod and floating line, cheap leader and a single spool of tippet. A fly box the size of a deck of cards in the shorts pocket and your old gardening shoes. And fish a plenty. It isn't just the attraction  to the fish, but everything surrounding it. Go fish dry flies on some fresh stockers and report back on how well you do. Everyone values different things differently, and seeks different fishing experiences  for different reasons, but I think I could write a book on the attraction of the Brook trout and Brook trout fishing.



Great write up Kyle!!


----------



## Killer Kyle

deerhuntingdawg said:


> Great write up Kyle!!



Dawg, this year you, Buckman, and I had better be able to team up and smash some specks. I'll bring my camp cook kit and we can split some streamside. I am aching for a good Lake Russell WMA speck trip. Haven't wore them out there in a while. It'd be nice to get out there after them again, especially after those bigguns y'all netted last year!!!


----------



## jigman29

I would rather chase those little guys than any other fish out there. I speck fished myself today and the water was pretty high so a dry was out. I do have a little secret weapon I like to call "Bubba" and true to form he wore them out. Had a ball as always.


----------



## Killer Kyle

jigman29 said:


> I would rather chase those little guys than any other fish out there. I speck fished myself today and the water was pretty high so a dry was out. I do have a little secret weapon I like to call "Bubba" and true to form he wore them out. Had a ball as always.



Pray tell, what is a "bubba"? During high water when drys are a no-go, I fish a bead head mohair leech. I used to tie them on a #8 streamer hook with 4mm tumg bead (which ripplips calls "olive" but really is chartereuse) Marabou tail (olive), and Olive mohair yarn. I tie them in black with the same "olive" bead. Caugjt many big specs on that fly in high, fast water, bit it is a huge fly for them. But I bought a new vise recently and went on a leech tying tangent, and tied up about 70 specifically for Brook trout.they are on a #14 streamer hooks. Same marabou tail, but a 2mm bead and lead wrap with leech yarn. These things are heavy, standard leech patterns, but are barely over 1" long. They are going to murder some specks in the coming months. These will be Brook trout crack. I cannot wait to try them out! I'll post a pic of them soon!


----------



## Buckman18

Killer Kyle said:


> Dawg, this year you, Buckman, and I had better be able to team up and smash some specks. I'll bring my camp cook kit and we can split some streamside. I am aching for a good Lake Russell WMA speck trip. Haven't wore them out there in a while. It'd be nice to get out there after them again, especially after those bigguns y'all netted last year!!!



We will do it! I tend to like those lower elevation speck streams because they're not covered in rhodo quite as bad. Also, I want to show you one that has specks near the head of NF Broad in CNF, not far from the WMA.


----------



## deerhuntingdawg

Russell WMA specks grow big too!! Let's do it!!


----------



## jigman29

Killer Kyle said:


> Pray tell, what is a "bubba"? During high water when drys are a no-go, I fish a bead head mohair leech. I used to tie them on a #8 streamer hook with 4mm tumg bead (which ripplips calls "olive" but really is chartereuse) Marabou tail (olive), and Olive mohair yarn. I tie them in black with the same "olive" bead. Caugjt many big specs on that fly in high, fast water, bit it is a huge fly for them. But I bought a new vise recently and went on a leech tying tangent, and tied up about 70 specifically for Brook trout.they are on a #14 streamer hooks. Same marabou tail, but a 2mm bead and lead wrap with leech yarn. These things are heavy, standard leech patterns, but are barely over 1" long. They are going to murder some specks in the coming months. These will be Brook trout crack. I cannot wait to try them out! I'll post a pic of them soon!



"Bubba" is a super secret lure that has the potential to make specks jump in your pocket at an alarming rate. In the wrong hands it could be detrimental to the well being of steams across the country lol. I have been friends with deerhuntingdawg for a few years and shared a fair amount of fishing water with him. I just shared "bubba" with him our last trip. I only bring him out of days when a dry just isn't happening. No challenge to catching fish with ole bubba lol.


----------



## Killer Kyle

I'm wondering if we are using the same skunk breakers! Me, Buckman, and I'm sure DHD use a super secret "subsurface" fly when the going gets tough, and it works wonders. We might be thinking alike, you and I.


----------



## NCHillbilly

Dialer said:


> Specs????   I thought those were sucker fish!  I finally caught one of those little boogers after he kept taking my bait.  Don't understand the attraction.... (I'm just a dumb city boy)



Kyle summed it up pretty nicely. 

I suspect you're trolling, but if not: if you have to ask, you can't be made to understand. Nothing like holding a little bejeweled relic of the Pleistocene in your hand. That fish's 100x great-grandpa watched a mastodon drink out of his home pool.


----------



## Killer Kyle

NCHillbilly said:


> Kyle summed it up pretty nicely.
> 
> I suspect you're trolling, but if not: if you have to ask, you can't be made to understand. Nothing like holding a little bejeweled relic of the Pleistocene in your hand. That fish's 100x great-grandpa watched a mastodon drink out of his home pool.



Haha, he is indeed trolling. I realized that after I spent all that time typing that response! Sometimes I'm not too quick on the draw. It was still worth saying though, I guess! This post got my wheels turning. Think I'm going to head out for some specks within the next few days. Been far too long!


----------



## jigman29

NCHillbilly said:


> Kyle summed it up pretty nicely.
> 
> I suspect you're trolling, but if not: if you have to ask, you can't be made to understand. Nothing like holding a little bejeweled relic of the Pleistocene in your hand. That fish's 100x great-grandpa watched a mastodon drink out of his home pool.



Unless you have the bug for them you'll never understand. How we bust through thickets and climb mountains for a fish that hardly gets past 6 inches. It's in our blood for sure and I hope I never get away from it.


----------



## flyrod444

This post coming up again has me wanting to go after them again soon. It is in my blood.


----------



## deerhuntingdawg

Amen my speck brothers!! Whenever I caught my first speck in a beautiful little mountain stream, I knew I was hooked for life. And have made some great friends to boot!!


----------

