By Tammy Millsaps
The two best times to fish are when it’s raining and when it ain’t.” That has become the Swaingler motto for the last month. After cancelling one trip due to a week’s worth of rain making the creek to high and muddy, and then a two hour delay at school due to icy conditions, we decided we would fish rain or shine! At least this time it hadn’t rained all week, just overnight and the day of our trip. Over two dozen anglers invaded Deep Creek with fly rods and a variety of poles and lures as a steady rain beaded down and the temperature was in the upper forties. The favorite of the fish that morning was single hook spinnerbaits. We weren’t allowed to use live bait, scented lures or treble hooks.
The fish were “hungry” and the students were willing to feed them. Freshman, Trevor Jones reeled in a nice brown trout on a gray, silver blade rooster tail. Ninth grader, Kinley Biggs tricked a pretty rainbow on a grey, gold blade rooster tail. I was so impressed with all the students that braved the weather. A few stayed at school because it was raining, but my “die hards” toughed it out. I have to admit, it was one of the best trips we’ve had. So I have to give a shout out to Jacob Bell, Kinley Biggs, Nick Bishop, Hunter Cochran, Levi Fowls, Ben Franklin, Travis Franklin, Campbell Fuller, Donald Johns, Trevor Jones, John Nations, Austin Pyles, Naven Sherrill, Seth Shuler and Wyett Hampton, bus driver Pat Smiley and co-sponsor Samantha McFalls for braving the elements! We may have arrived back to school soaking wet and a little muddy, but we all had smiles on our faces!
Tammy Millsaps is the Leader of The Swainglers fishing club at Swain County High School in Bryson City, North Carolina. They fish once a month of the school year during club time. Contact her at tmillsaps@swainmail.org for more information or to support this popular club.