Chasing Blue Lines In 95deg

I decided the other day to brave the sweltering 95 degree heat and go chase a few new blue lines up in the mountains of SC.  I really shouldn't have gone but the draw of fishing was just to much to handle and I left early to explore this new water.

The first fish was a nice little rainbow caught deep on a Tenkara rod with a typical Tenkara fly.  It was down deep in a big 80 deg bend on this small stream way back in the mountains.  At this point it was a pleasant 90 degrees and I figured that this little guy was the only trout I was to catch that day.  After all, It was only going to get warmer and with the way the temps have been lately, I suspected that the trout were going to shut down as the temps rose.

My suspicions about the trout were soon confirmed when I caught this shiner.  I have hooked a few of these guys while fishing my favorite trout streams, and while I don't know their true names I figure they are the reason why the trout go after my Black Nose Dace streamers with so much enthusiasm.  This guy was the biggest one of its kind I have hooked.

Next on the list, I hooked into a pool of sunfish with the brightest yellows and reddest eyes I have seen.  There is always something about mountain streams and their effect on the colors of the fish that inhabit them.

 I hooked a lot of these guys on a big black stone or (as seen from picture on the left) a haggard Black Nose.  Bluegills and sunfish are such a fun fish to catch and doing it on a stream where both brown and rainbow trout are known to live is not really a letdown when you see how brilliant their colors are.

As noon approached and the temps reached into the mid 90's I started to make my way back to the car.  I figured that the fish were done and the snaked would soon control the waters edge and I do not like battling with snakes for a stream side spot.  As I waded the stream back I saw a few rises in front of me.  suspecting a sunfish was the culprit I tossed a fly in his direction and got a hit.  Imagine my surprise when in the next jump from the hooked fish, I noticed that a nice Brown trout had made an appearance.  In sun drenched 95 deg temps and in less than a foot of rushing water, a brown trout was actively feeding on the surface.  Amazing!  No pic because as I reached for the fish, he leaped into the air, gave a wave of the fin and broke free.  I hooked two more in the next five minutes, both of which where released in relativity the same manner.  I guess it goes to show that you never know what to expect while chasing those blue lines.
A few minutes later a large snake crossed the stream a few feet from me and gave me the eye.  I took his suggestion and headed for the car.  I cant wait to see what the stream gives me when the temps begin to cool down.

Also For those of you that are wanting a Tenkara Shirt, I have decided to offer the shirt in all THREE colors. They are only $17 plus Shipping (5.40) and can be purchased with Paypal or any major credit card HERE.  The shirts will be printed on the tenth and shipped out as soon as possible.