Barb-Free: TroutLegend took over Harman's

As I woke last Friday to embark on a journey to my first competitive fly fishing competition I had many emotions. Excitement being most predominate, yet other feelings stirred. When Doug and Bryson arrived at my house we set off towards Cabins, West Virginia. After a five hour trek we arrived. We then headed towards Seneca Rock to wet our lines and see what flies would be the most productive. The cold was relentless and leaders soon transformed into popsicles, but Doug managed to catch one fish. When we arrived at Harman's luxury log cabins, we began to unpack and settle in. We were delighted to find that our cabin was situated only 40 yards from the river! Soon after we moved to a different cabin to select our beats. This was also a great time to meet people and discuss the upcoming fishing. After a good nights sleep we prepared and headed to the water. I was nervous, yet excited to partake in my first comp.

Everyone was anxious to begin searching for the schools of freshly stocked trout. The comp began and competitors plunged into chilled water. The fishing was tough for some but others that had found a pod of fish succeeded in catching. At the end of the day I ended up with two fish, Doug with three, and Bryson caught one. Most fish were caught on "standard" flies for stocked fished such as flash-back hares ear nymphs, sexy walts worm, and Squirmy Wormies. As for tactics, tightline nymphing was the most used, although streamers also were able to entice many. The sun soon faded and the moon rose over the Blue Ridge Mountains. The next day had a similar theme, finding pods of fish. The rain started to fall in the early afternoon which made hands cold and fishing more difficult but we prevailed. Doug even succeeded in capturing the elusive "golden trout".

We left Cabins directly after the last session in an attempt to beat the storm as it followed its northbound track. As we drove I realized what a great experience I had just been a part of. Unlike many types of competitive events I realized that every single person was kind, respectable, and friendly. This camaraderie is hard to find. Overall this was a great time and I encourage any person who is interested in competitive fly fishing to come out and see what it's about! The final scores can be found at www.troutlegend.com. Also information about the cabins can be found at http://www.wvlogcabins.com/.