A River Never Sleeps

Searching for natives is always an adventure. It means up at daylight and returning after dark. You see, natives aren't found near the road. Many years of exploring and studying topographic maps pays dividends of success. Word in these mountains spreads like wildfire, but not a word is spoken as to locations of mushroom patches, ginseng slopes or brook trout waters. These special places are passed from generation to generation or by accompanying a very close friend who has discovered nature's secrets. Most of the cold water streams at the turn of the century once held natives in huge numbers. Today only the most remote and rugged locations hide the most beautiful fish on earth.

The highest mountain in West Virginia is Spruce Knob - elevation 4,860 feet. From its summit flows small streams in every direction. Its snowy slopes provide ample cold water for brook trout. Spruce Knob and all the mountains in the region are some of West Virginia's most rugged and beautiful. These mountains are covered with American Beech, Hemlock, Black and Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple, Cherry, Poplar, and many species of Oak. Red Spruce crowns the higher elevations above 3,500 feet. To the untrained eye, this expansive forest may look as if it had never been touched, but it is almost all second growth. This entire area was completely harvested between 1890 and 1920. As you walk the mountain streams there is evidence of the past logging boom.

There was no machinery used to cut and remove the logs from the mountains. The sweat of rugged people and hand crosscut saws brought the timber down. As shown in the picture to the left, the stumps of those huge American Chestnut still stand today. Many of these areas still bear the names of those logging camps. This is Horse Camp Run. Logging trails were cleared and large rocks moved by hand in order to facilitate the skidding of logs down the steep mountain slopes.These trails are still evident today. Horses were the power to move the logs to a staging area then most often logs were loaded onto a small train that was pulled by a narrow gauge Shay engine. The Shay then transported the logs down narrow valleys to the sawmills.

Many of the broad valleys had sawmills and the remnants are still there today. They can be found miles from any road and hidden by the forest growing up around them. This old wooden wheel which ran the mill was powered by steam. As I search for natives, my eyes see and my mind dreams of what those days must have been like.

There are also many interesting plants "where natives live". One of the most interesting and part of mountain culture is the ramp. Now this plant gets plenty of attention during early
spring. Mountain people visit their favorite ramp patch during the months of March and April. The prize of the day may be a bushel of ramps. Ramps are a member of the leek family. They grow on the most fertile soils of the North and East facing slopes. They have a reputation of leaving their garlic like smell to ooze from the body of those that partake. Years ago school kids would be sent home from school due to their ranky odor; however, if cooked the effect is diminished.

Once located, ramps are dug and kept cool with ice found around huge rock ledges. These deep woods haunts keep their ice until mid April. Many people eat only the onion like bulb of the ramp, but most eat the entire plant. Ramps are very tasty and some people, including myself, feel that they keep you healthy. All the mountain communities have ramp festivals. Served mixed with potatoes, eggs, in salads, pickled and plain raw; ramps are truly a mountain tradition.
Digging ramps is always part of the day while fishing for natives.

Of course native brook trout are the common thread that leads one to the mountains and all their hidden secrets. Outsmarting the beautiful natives only adds to the mountains visit. Stalking natives is what the journey is all about. I mean stalking! Many times on hands and knees. Fully dressed in camouflage for those that take native fishing seriously. If mountain brookies sense the heavy footsteps or shadows of an approaching angler-they're gone. Light rods and 6x tippet are a must. Early season (February-March) requires nymphs. Some of the best are Gold Bead Hares Ear, Pheasant Tail Nymph, Soft Hackles and the Little Black Stonefly. After the hatch begins ( April- Late Summer) dry flies are the preferred fly. Humpies, Stimulators, CDC/ Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Wulff, The Usual and Blue Winged Olives are some of the favorites. Natives should be fished from a downstrean location and with a soft touch.

One needs time on the water and some practice making a cast in tight quarters to truly be consistently successful. Perfecting the roll cast really helps.

Getting to the natives is perhaps the biggest challenge. The trip I took to get these pictures found me in great pain and somewhat foolish. I had bone spurs on both heels of my feet and after four miles of hiking, I was in bad shape. Being physically fit really does add to the enjoyment of fully soaking in the territory "where natives live". The reward for your effort is truly breath taking. These wild native brook trout can get in your blood. I don't know if it's the fish or where they live that excites me most, but I surely do look forward to spring and venturing after these little critters. They range in size from three inches and up. The average size is about eight inches, but I have
caught a few that would measure twelve to thirteen inches.

The largest that I recall being caught was by Roy Rexrode of Franklin. The person responsible for my love of the fly rod. He caught a brookie that measured eighteen inches. They don't get much larger than that.