Discovering Cutthroat and A Little More

August 14, 2019 Jillian Rash

If you drive around in the mountains a bit from our house, follow a Forest Service road for a few miles, you end up in a canyon with a perfect little river flowing through it. It's mostly become our 'go-to' escape, given its closeness and exceptional beauty. But, who am I kidding, almost everything here is perfectly splendid.

We decided on a quick trip in the middle of the day right when the temperature had gotten too hot to work anymore, and a little extra elevation was necessary. We hit the river just as the afternoon rainstorm did it is monsoon season after all.

If you've been a follower of this little blog of ours, you've probably noticed that I've misplaced my enthusiasm for it. Maybe it's the adjustment to a new place, lack of motivation, too many rod bags, too little adventure, or perhaps basic laziness. I'm still trying to figure it out.

The Messy Parts

December 3, 2018 Jillian Rash

Lately, I've been spending a good bit of time minimizing. Shifting through the overpacked closet and stuffed drawers, sorting through books, papers and files, and, most importantly the junk drawer(s). I started with one of my office drawers, though organized, at the very bottom I felt something peculiar. After sticking my finger, uttering a four letter word (or two), I pulled out a fly patch. A fly patch, in my office drawer. Note: I do not tie flies, organize boxes, or clean out waders, packs, etc... in my office, it is strictly for sewing and writing. Pushing a few files out of the way, I retrieved two full pucks of flies and a lonely mop fly, all tangled and messy.

This led into a day of crazily searching all of my drawers. Sock drawer, t-shirt drawer, junk drawer, kitchen utensil drawer, you get the idea. Once I had exhausted every single drawer in the house, I was now the proud owner of enough flies to fill a box, everything from streamers to eggs.

These discoveries ultimately led to a deeper examination of my life, as all things fishing related usually do.

Weekend Warrior

June 23, 2018 Jillian Rash

Jillian Schuller Photography - Fly Fishing

You've been waiting all week for this.

Every email answered, every drive to work, every minute spent in a cubicle was all for this. It's not a big adventure, not a trip to Argentina or New Zeland, just a drive down the road, in your own backyard.

You've sat through Friday evening traffic only to come home and pack up the car. You hit the road before dark, but by the time you get to the site, nothing is visible. The stars and moon shine bright, but your headlamp makes putting up the tent a little easier. You eat your freeze-dried food to the sounds of bugs, owls, and maybe even a fox scurrying around in the distance. You stare up through the top of your tent at all the lightning bugs performing their show.

Double Dry Flies

March 1, 2018 Jillian Rash

The air is damp and cold and there's a thick fog settled over everything. I wondered to myself why I even bothered with blow drying my hair this morning, the mist has dampened it already. Despite a silent protest I've pulled on my waders. Wild water is not the place for waders, they're bulky and get in the way. But, spring has just arrived and the water is still cold. It's been a long, cold winter spent away from these waters and I've been waiting to get back to them. Little mountain streams, high up, filled with ambitious brook trout have been calling to me for months.

I always linger a bit behind on the hike to the river. I let the guys dash ahead. I know this trail and this stream, I don't need anyone to guide me. There's a mist coming off the wet, moss covered rocks, or maybe that's just the fog, I can't be sure. Everything is starting to turn green again, the death of winter is starting to fade away, strangled out by new life.

Surviving on Hot Coffee and Tiny Trout

November 14, 2017 Jillian Rash

The morning light is filtered and grey and ominous. The kind that reaches out and covers everything, from the tops of the mountains to the bottom of the valleys.

The air is heavy and wet, not quite raining, but nowhere near dry either. It's not that cold out, but the dampness makes it almost unbearable. Layers upon layers are applied. You fill up your travel mug with the hottest coffee you can stand.

You question your sanity.

Golden Days on The River

November 2, 2017 Jillian Rash

It's that magical time of year here in Western North Carolina when everything transforms to gold. The river is no exception.