(piano intro) - Good shot!

Good Shot!

Good shot!

Let 'em take line.

- Alright.

- [Ollie] You got a big fish.

This is a good fish.

- [Robin] Okay don't say that; I hyperventilate.

- [Ollie] Remember to breathe.

(laughing) This is a good fish.

Now the disadvantage without the indicator, we can't tell which way the fish is going - Okay.

- So try to keep your eye on the green and the red.

That's gonna be your new indicator.

- Okay.

- See how he's pulling away?

Let him take a little bit.

- Let him take.

He can have a little bit.

- Okay, right now he's playing possum, so you don't have to do anything.

- Okay, but there is not any fast water.

- Let him take, let him take, let him take, let him take!

- Whooo!

- Good jump!

- Alright.

- [male announcer]: The Carolina Outdoor Journal is brought to you by: - [female announcer]: "Wildlife in North Carolina" magazine has been delivering stunning photography and informative articles for more than 80 years.

- [male announcer]: And by EZ Bait & Tackle.

Family owned and operated.

We fish from fresh to saltwater.

We provide fishing supplies and advice to every type of angler.

For all your fishing needs, EZ Bait & Tackle.

- And by contributions from PBS North Carolina viewers like you.

[light instrumental music] ♪ ♪ ♪ - Hello, welcome to the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

Well, today's program is gonna take us to the mountains of North Carolina, a little chilly on this particular fishing trip, and Joe, I got to admit, this whole day was new to me.

- Well it is.

You're gonna see a new form of fly fishing actually.

We're with Ollie Smith, who has been with us for a number of years and one of the better fly fishing guys we've got in the North Carolina mountains and he's gonna be with his wife, Robin, and they're gonna be fishing the stream this morning using a technique that he's developing and gonna add to his guide service: Tightline Nymph Fishing that he said is as productive a form of fishing as he's ever used, so get your pencil and paper ready.

He's gonna show you how to do it and they catch some fish.

- So what's your tellin' me when it comes to gear time, we're going to school today.

- Actually, we're gonna go to school here in a few minutes.

The whole show is a school, a lesson in how to do this.

He started doing this type of fishing a couple of years ago and he really says you know, it's not something you're gonna completely change to, but you'll add to your repertoire if you will fly fishing techniques that catch fish.

- And Donna's recipe today, it's about a dip.

- Yeah, she's got a really special dip recipe that goes with just about any seafood that you want to have it with.

- Alright, we goin' fishing and we goin' to school today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- Robin, here we are on a great North Carolina trout stream, early spring, getting ready to embark on a little bit of trout fishing.

Are you excited?

- I'm so excited.

This public school educator wants to go out and school some fish today.

- Well, I'm looking forward to taking you out.

The water temperature is a little cold, which means were gonna be nymph fishing today, but today, we're gonna deviate from traditional nymph fishing and try some European tightline nymphing which means longer rods than we traditionally use, much longer leaders, no strike indicators, and real heavy flies.

- Okay.

- You're gonna see it's a real efficient way to fish, it's a real effective way and with just a little practice, it's actually a real easy way to catch trout.

- Okay, I just hope I make the coach proud today.

- Well, lets give it a try.

- Alright.

- The first thing you're gonna notice, Robin this is a 10 foot rod.

Normally you're using an eight and a half to nine foot rod.

This helps us extend out to the fish without having to wade out there.

- Okay, so we don't spook them.

- Don't spook 'em and also, this gets real deep.

- Okay.

- Also you'll notice, look where the fly line is.

There is no fly line through the guides.

This is all leader.

This makes it a little harder to cast, but by keeping your finger on this monofilament, you're gonna be able to feel all the bites.

- Okay.

- So, harder to cast, but you'll get more dexterity out of it.

So here's how you're gonna cast it.

You're gonna lift your elbow up just like we do in a roll cast.

See the fly on the surface?

- Yep.

- Now, I'm just gonna extend my arm out there, quartering upstream, flip it, now you hold it up real high until you can see the green and the red.

That is not a strike indicator, that is actually called a sighter.

- Okay.

- When that thing stops or straightens out, we got a fish on it.

- Okay.

- And so, when it gets shallower, I just kind of lift it a little bit.

- Okay.

- And then when it gets deeper, I'm gonna lower it a little bit.

This is a distinct advantage over normal nymph fishing because with a fixed indicator, you would have to move it up or move it down according to the water depth.

Here we don't have to mess with it an indicator.

We're just gonna lift and hold the rod.

Got it?

- What kind of weight is on the end?

Will it drop back down quickly?

- This is a heavy bead, the heaviest bead I could find.

It's a four millimeter bead, so that thing, if you can see it, it sinks like a cinder block.

- Okay.

- So we don't need split shot.

- Okay, I can get back in a good spot.

- Oh yeah.

So, it's a little bit deeper here, so we're gonna drop it back down to the green.

- Okay.

- And then we get down here at the end, we're gonna lift it up so you can see the green and the red.

- Alright, let's trade.

- Get it up real high; come forward a couple more steps, then you kinda have to muscle it out there, just punch it.

Alright, good.

Hold it up high.

Keep your eye fixed on the green and red.

The rod tip keeps moving to the right.

Good, you got a good drift.

Good drift, good drift, good drift.

There you go, so you just hit bottom.

You just lift it a little bit.

- Alright.

- On the next cast, instead of going that far to the left, I'm working fish right where the sand meets the rocks, so your next cast, Robin, let's throw straight at.

Right on that color change.

- Let me get my glasses on so I can see the difference here.

- Okay, get it up on the surface, get the rod back about one o'clock, come back a little further, no, just mash it out there, that's it.

That's great, your right on the right line right there.

And just keep moving your rod to the right.

Alright, you should be coming into fish right here.

If that thing stops, wiggles, straightens out, set the hook straight up.

That's where those fish are right there.

- Now what kind of activity do I need to have with my-- - Right there!

You got a fish!

- Woohoo!

- Alright!

That's alright, you did it just right.

I want you to do your next cast and your hook set just like that.

- Is this far enough?

- Yep.

- That's a good sign; we got the right fly in.

With these heavy flies, Robin, because the bead is so heavy and the hook's wireless, when they shake their heads, a lot of them will fall out.

It's not operator error, the hook just fell out.

- Well, I did feel it though, so that was the good thing.

- So you felt it?

- Yeah.

- That's the beauty of not having a strike indicator on there.

- Okay.

- You got a straight connection to the fly.

- Okay.

- There's no interference with lead.

There's no interference with the indicator, so you are going to feel a lot of these bites.

- Okay.

- Okay, that's far enough.

Okay, we're gonna do one more cast, and then we'll walk to the right a little bit.

- Alright.

- Right there looks good.

- Is this new filament?

- Monofilament.

- Look right there!

Good shot, good shot, good shot!

Let him take line.

You got a big fish, this is a good fish.

(sighs) - Okay, don't say that; I hyperventilate.

- Remember to breathe.

(laughing) This is a good fish.

Now the disadvantage without the indicator, we can't tell which way the fish is going.

- Okay.

- So try to keep your eye on the green and the red.

That's gonna be your new indicator.

- Okay.

- So see how he's puling away?

Let him take a little bit.

- I'll let him take.

He can have a little bit.

- Okay, right now he's playing possum, but you don't have to do anything.

- Okay, but there's not any fast water-- - Let him take!

Let him take, let him take, let him take, let him take!

- Whooo.

- Good jump, good jump.

- Alright.

- Just keep the rod to the right.

There's got a few rocks over here, so lets keep him out here in the middle.

- Alright.

- And again, don't rush the tug.

- I'll try.

- It's gonna take a while to wear him down.

He's a good fish.

- Alright, should I just let him go?

- Yeah, just let him go.

- Let go of the line?

- This is really the only time you see the fly line.

- Alright, you just keep talking me through it, coach.

- You got it.

You got it, now don't do anything.

He's kinda tugging, just let him do his business.

- Alright little buddy.

- See, he's just making another walk around the park.

(laughing) Just go to the right; keep him off those rocks right there.

- Now do I move myself?

- No, I want you to keep your feet planted.

- Okay.

- If you start moving around and get happy feet, you're gonna fall down on those rocks.

- Let him run.

- Whooo!

He's gonna do tricks.

- Yep.

- We'll make it worth the price of admission today.

- Okay now, he's going to the right so lets kind of pull to the left a little bit and that's good, that's enough line.

- Alright.

- Now just slowly, ever so slowly lift the rod a little bit.

He's still a little bit wild.

Done!

- Woohoo!

Oh my god, he's beautiful!

- He's a great fish!

(laughing) - Oh yeah baby, I'm feeling a neat moment of-- - There you go.

- Oh, he's beautiful!

- Okay, you get to put him back.

- Alright.

- Switch.

- Man, he is just fabulous.

- Alright, you can do that; just dip the net.

- Bye bye, baby.

- Turn it that way.

- Thank you so much.

- There he goes.

- Bye, fella.

Whooo.

- Knuckles.

- Whooo.

- Good job.

- That was awesome.

- Let's do that again.

(relaxing music) - Normally this tightline method with the heavy flies is for fast water or really deep water.

It's not really designed for slow water, but I found out yesterday it actually did work in the slow water.

Since the water's so cold, some of these fish have moved into these flats 'cause they warm up quicker.

I didn't think it was gonna work yesterday, but it actually did.

So we're gonna walk right down here in this real smooth water that I would normally not associate with nymph fishing, but we're gonna try it.

Okay here he goes, here he goes.

Get him!

(Robin yelling) - You're hesitating-- you're just hesitating a little too long on it.

Are you seeing the fly disappear?

- Yeah and I think I'm so busy going "Oh, he's eating it."

- Get ready.

When it disappears, just set the hook.

- Alright.

(birds chirping) - Now, since my elbow's already up so high, when I set, I'm just gonna have to-- - Just go straight in the air.

Go far enough in these trees behind us where you just go straight in the air.

- Okay.

- Get ready.

Get him!

There we go.

- Woohoo!

- There we go.

Now we're on him.

Now brookies don't fight as good as the rainbow or the brown, so we can get a little more aggressive on this guy.

- Okay.

- Once his chin's up, you can ski him right over here and we'll get you another one.

- Alright, lets bring him in.

Come to mama!

Alright, so they're liking that pink fly.

Nice.

Go tell your friends.

Go on back.

- Good job.

- Alright.

- Let's catch his buddies home.

- Fish on, thank goodness.

- Good job, babe.

- Thank you, baby.

- See how he just disappeared that time?

- He's a little fighter, hold on.

Focus, eye on the prize.

- Alright, lift his chin and then just ski him right on over here.

- Aw these brookies are beautiful.

Look at his colors.

- And look at the ice leopard pattern on the back.

- Oh my gosh!

- And you got that little white border on the fins.

- He's beautiful.

- And blends in perfectly with the bottom.

Okay straight out again, there's a little group of 'em straight out from you.

Yep, right there.

You're ready, he almost ate it.

Get 'em!

Good job.

- Wow, are we in the brookie hotel?

- This is the brookie hot spot.

They like these little tail-outs where it goes from real deep to real shallow and this is warmer.

- Well, he seems to not be ready to come on in yet.

(Robin yelling) - Same spot.

(Robin yelling) A little late on that one.

Get him!

How 'bout that?

- How 'bout that.

- It's alright if you miss one 'cause your next cast is gonna get one.

(laughing) - I keep telling myself that.

You want me to ski him?

- Ski him on over.

Good job.

We have found a little niche with this cold weather.

We had to work a little bit to get to-- find the right formula.

- Oh wait.

I caught a big one that time.

- Okay, straight up.

There's a good group of them.

Keep it coming.

Right towards us.

Get 'em!

Good shot!

Good shot.

- Alright, alright, alright, - He's already on the surface.

Get him on in.

(laughing) - He showed us.

He showed us.

- That time, did you feel it or see or both?

- I felt it and saw it, so I guess that's both.

- Alright.

Thank you.

- Yeah, I love watching 'em bite; that's just fun.

- Good job.

Clear your rod to the right, let's get that knot out.

Robin, this river gets a lot of pressure.

Yesterday there were 30 anglers out here.

- Wow.

- Some of the easy access spots gets a lot of pressure.

What that means for us, the fish are a little harder to catch.

- Okay.

- So yesterday, I kinda got away from the bridges and the pull-offs, came up and saw the side channel, found this good group of fish right here.

They were very fresh, very happy.

- Okay.

- See 'em right under the tree?

- I see a lot of them.

- Now the casting's gonna be a little tighter, but we're gonna try this new group of fish and see if they're a little more receptive.

- Okay.

So I might catch a beautiful tree branch> - we're probably gonna catch a branch.

- But our hook's set right on it.

- Now they're facing that way, so we're gonna ease across and then just do a cross- stream cast to 'em.

- Alright.

- You ready?

- Yep.

- Alright.

So your target is just above that little tree right there.

Perfect.

Get ready.

(Ollie yelling) Ah, did you see the line come tight?

- No, I was looking at the tree.

To be perfectly honest.

- Hold it up high.

Get 'em!

- Yeah, he's heavier.

- Air.

- Don't go down there, fish.

Don't go down there.

- How much can I bossy him my way?

- I'll tell you when you got too much bossy on him.

Come on, buddy.

Come on.

Come on.

- He wants to run.

- Let him take a little bit.

Just keep the pressure this way.

- Okay.

- You're good, you're good, you're good.

That a girl!

- Whooo!

- Yes!

Good job!

Nice rainbow.

- Nice rainbow.

He put up a good fight.

- We had tight quarters, lots of structure.

Fast water.

- So many ways he could have gotten off.

- So many ways he could have gotten off.

- Thank you, Mr Fish.

- He's already good to go.

- Alright.

- Well done.

Good job.

- That was fun.

- Joe we had a good day, but it was kinda chilly up there.

- Well it was and actually it started the morning where we didn't know if the fish were gonna be real active, but as the sun got up, it actually did warm up a little bit and the fish were, as you saw, were quite active.

Ollie emphasizes this is not something that you're gonna change to and fish all the time with, but he likes to say you can add it to your lineup of things you like to do with trout, but he's found it to be very productive and easy to do and you know, you can see they caught some pretty fish today.

- Alright, if you're ready to take notes, it's time to go to Gear Time.

(relaxing music) - Robin, in the three years you've been fly fishing, you've tried dry fly fishing, dry and draper fishing, streamer fishing, traditional nymph fishing, and then today, the European tight line nymphing.

How was your European experience?

- I loved this; I really didn't know what to expect, but I love about it that I can feel it.

- Yes.

- And see it.

I didn't know how I was gonna adapt to not having a strike indicator, but watching that line tighten out, it just does the trick and I loved that I don't have to make a strong hero cast.

I can just kinda lob it in there.

- Yup.

- Get it where it's going and when I needed to adapt, going over rocks, the fact that I could just lift it up and drop it right back down.

In traditional nymph fishing, I wouldn't be able to do that so easily.

All and all, I had a great experience and I love, I usually don't fish with a rod this long and I love the longer rod, loved getting right up on those fish.

- Yup.

- It was awesome fun.

- And without the indicator, without the split-shot, without false casting, you don't get any tangles.

We didn't get a single tangle today.

- No tangles, not a single one which for me is rare.

So I liked that I can just, if it's a bad-- you know, if the drift is over and the cast wasn't great, just chunk it right back in.

- Chunk it right back up.

- Chunk 'er in.

- It's very efficient.

Now it doesn't solve all the world's problems, it's just one more little tactic that you need in your arsenal, but I really like this.

It's very efficient, you don't have to mess with indicators, you don't have to mess with lead.

The flies provide all the weight.

These are tight-on tactical hooks, gig hooks, with the heaviest beads I can find, four millimeter beads, no split shot, just pure, efficient fishing.

- They sink so well and so quick that I didn't, I didn't have 100% confidence something this small could sink that quickly but, proved me wrong.

- The fly line in the system, it is hard to throw, but you overcame it.

You made it look easy.

- It was fun; I just had a good teacher today.

Thank you so much.

- Well, you made it look good.

- The only bummer is-- - We gotta go back.

- We gotta go home.

- Yeah.

You wanna come out and do it again?

- Absolutely, like tomorrow.

- Maybe.

(laughing) If I'm not working.

You did good.

- It's fun, babe.

- Alright, great.

- Ollie and Robin, we thank you so much for that information.

There's the number on your screen if you'll give him a call, you'll have a great day of fishing.

Now, let's catch up with Donna.

She's got a recipe for a dip that's gonna go with just about any seafood that you might prepare.

(relaxing music) - Hi, today in the kitchen we're making a Capiscano dip.

It's a quick and easy dip, and it can be used in a lot of various ways, which is nice.

You can add or subtract ingredients as you like, which is kinda nice.

We're gonna start out with eight ounces of softened cream cheese, so just put it out on your counter and let it soften for about an hour just so we can go ahead and start mixing.

We're going to use three tablespoons of mayonnaise.

We're going to add some chopped and diced onion.

And you can add green peppers to this if you want it a little bit spicier and some color, you can add green peppers, you can add red peppers, you can add some poblano peppers if you like, just depending on what you like and how spicy you want it.

Then we're gonna add Anne's One Sauce, we're gonna add about three tablespoons to a fourth of a cup of this, depending on how spicy you like it.

This will add just some great flavor and you won't have to add in all the spices.

It's already in the mix, which is nice.

We're gonna turn our hand mixer on.

We're gonna give it a stir and you're gonna need to blend this with your hand mixer for a few minutes to get it nice and soft.

It's gonna ball up a little bit, but it will work itself out.

And then we're going to add in some lumped shredded crab to this, and if you don't want crab, or you don't have any crab, and you wanna use like baby shrimp is good in this.

You can also use pieces of fish if you'd like.

You have some extras, or you can use a combination, which is great too.

So it's kinda one of those that you can just kinda make it your own depending on what you have on hand and what your family likes.

So we're just gonna give that a good stir.

Then, we're gonna clean off our beaters.

You're gonna pour it into a container and put a lid on it.

Put it in your refrigerator and let it chill.

It'll taste better if you let it chill, and the longer you let it sit, actually the better flavors will mix and the better flavors you're gonna have.

Then you can place it into a serving bowl.

You can top it with additional lumped crab if you'd like.

You could also put some additional shrimp on the top.

It's just a great quick and easy dip that you can keep in your fridge for when you have company, or if you just want a nice snack at your desk and you want something quick and easy.

Just keep it in your fridge for a week or so and you'll be good to go.

So, we're gonna take a look and see what it looks like when it's finished.

So what I've done is served it on this cute little fish plate and I have my dip here, my little spreader.

You can serve it wit some great crunchy vegetables that your family likes.

It's great with peppers, and carrots, and celery.

You can serve it with some crackers if that's what you happen to have.

Hush puppies would be great with this.

Or you can also, I just served mine with some mini muffins that I made, some mini corn muffins.

I just thought those were cute and great.

You just split them open and put some of your dip on it and you're ready to go.

So I hope you enjoy this Capiscano dip, and I look forward to seeing you next time here on Simple Cooking.

- Thanks Donna, you always have something special for us from the kitchen there.

Joe, lets go back to the Mountains.

A good day of fishing and a new style of fishing.

- Yeah, one that Ollie is really excited about.

As you saw, we don't use a strike indicator.

It's all sight by the colors on the line.

You don't use a conventional casting, it's all-- you do a little cast, but not the traditional style that you think, roll cast or back cast, so it is a different style of catching trout, but he likes it and you know, it's not made for every string condition.

He wanted to emphasize that too as you saw.

But he's real excited about it.

He does a lot of different types of fly fishing in the Mountains and for trout and so he's just real excited about this as another form, but he's real excited about the fact that it's very productive.

It doesn't take a lot of getting used to, and he's just real excited about it and we appreciate him sharing it with us.

- Right, well Ollie and Robin, they did a good job for us today.

- They really did.

- Alright for Joe Albea, I'm John Moore.

We thank you for joining us today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- [male announcer]: Make sure to visit our website for more information.

- The Carolina Outdoor Journal is brought to you by: - [female announcer]: "Wildlife in North Carolina" magazine has been delivering stunning photography and informative articles for more than 80 years.

- [male announcer]: And by EZ Bait & Tackle.

Family owned and operated.

We fish from fresh to saltwater.

We provide fishing supplies and advice to every type of angler.

For all your fishing needs, EZ Bait & Tackle.

- And by contributions from PBS North Carolina viewers like you.

[light instrumental music] ♪ ♪ ♪