[Bigtrout]

Nice report! Sounds like you had a really good trip! I wish I could get just a little dialed in closer to this! I started thinking you had line issues after the second loss on Wolf. I hate losing those Rapalas, they aren't cheap! Good fish story too. I guess we all have stories of the one that got away. Those are the ones I sometimes think of over the course of years during quiet times like while lying in bed at night, or long drives, or in deer stands, always second guessing myself if there was something I could have/should have done differently. Regardless, you'll relive that fond memory from now on.
And I believe you, even IF you don't have pictures to prove it...I guess...maybe...(wink)
I believe I remember reading in one of these threads Trout girl has told us there are some monster Browns in there.
I thought of doing a last of the year one-day trip up to Cheoah this weekend but decided to wait on a deer instead. It paid off. I got a mature 8 pointer after passing up a mature 6 on T'giving and a smaller 6 two days later. I do have pictures

One last thing. It's an absurdity( maybe even breaks some cosmic law) for a fisherman to go 11 months without fishing. Life's short man!
Thanks again for the good read!

 

[Bigtrout]

Glad we played a small part in it.
We stay at Fontana Village and basically fish Calderwood--11 miles away and Cheoah 1.5 miles away. This is year 3.
Coach

The last overnight trip I stayed in Robbinsville at that little mom & pop motel. After loading up I drove all the way down to the head of Calderwood and then back up to Cheoah, up, down, around those curvy steep roads...with the tailgate down on my Tundra pickup. Tackle bags, cooler, PFD's and assorted other gear just inside the tailgate. Didn't realize it obviously, until I got to the ramp. Amazingly, everything stayed in, didn't lose a thing!
With a couple of exceptions which was years ago I haven't stayed at Fontana Village but for sure it would be convenient to any of the lakes there. The little motel in Robbinsville is dated but clean and friendly, and reasonably priced. Hope to get back some weekend in January.

 

[Bigtrout]

I stayed at Fontana Village maybe 16-18 years ago in one of the cabins with a couple kayaking friends. I believe it was the weekend we paddled Calderwood and through the old tunnel. It was pretty run down but we didn't care. Previously we stayed at the campground behind the dam. Then my wife and I took our daughter up when she was maybe two and stayed in the hotel. That would have been almost 14 years ago and I don't really remember much about the hotel.
Is it reasonably priced? And D, where do you usually stay? Not exactly a large selection of accommodations up that way...and I'm cheap!

 

[Bigtrout]

Okay now, I hadn’t thought of transferring crawlers to worm bedding. Good idea! I’m a bit OC (without the D) about my boat and hate spilling that worm dirt. Once through C’Mas I’m tracking down a container and bedding. I think they have it locally at Dunham’s.

 

[Bigtrout]

I've been "planning" on going up the last three weekends and it has snowed every weekend. We still have snow around my house from 3 weeks ago here in H'ville. I'm thinking of going up this weekend. We've had a whole lot of rain the last two days with flood watches up there. I don't think that would matter since they are all dam controlled and actually if there was some swollen creeks there may be trout near the mouths feeding on what has been flushed down the creeks.
Only thing holding me back is deciding if I want to go up with a slight chance of overnight snow and spend the day on the water with temps in the 20's most of the day. Must be getting old(-ish)