The Hog Johnson Conundrum

My friend and soon to be Yellowstone fishing buddy Steve had an excellent post on Sipping Emergers today.  He expounded on the issue of pellet fed private trout waters and just who holds the golden ticket to these locations.  He also touched on the potential to carry the hypocrite card when visiting these waters.

I would like to steal borrow the thought from Steve and carry it south for a few minutes.

So here's the deal.  I live roughly one hour and fifteen minutes or so from Cherokee, North Carolina.  A tribal town that thrives on tourism and gambling.  Running through this town is a river that would be virtually devoid of trout were it not for the tribal hatchery that insures the rainbows and browns are stacked in so tight you need a shoe horn to get them all in.  The even have some trout marked for cash prizes if you catch one...I guess this ties in nicely with the casino.

On the outskirts of town, right near the border of the National Park, in the land reserved for the reintroduced elk community is a stream called Ravens Fork.  Within this medium sized mountain stream, it is not unusual to catch a trout that would be a beast in Lake Michigan.  Browns, brooks, bows, and the unusual golden trout and stocked liberally....and all of them fall into the Hog Johnson category.  Huge.  Freakin beasts.

My buddy Brad with a mountain Hog Johnson at the infamous Nancy-n-Justin hole.

Now...don't let my prudish side fool you.  I have cast upon these waters as well, with just as much success.  I call this kind of fishing Bordello fishing.  If you have the money, the fish will be there.  It is not without challenge, but the game is gratuitous.  Big hungry fish will eat, just like employees at a bordello will....well....I think you get the picture.

So what is the fee for this spot?  Last I heard it was 25 bucks a day or 75 for the year.

Don't get me wrong.  I like catching big fish just as much as the next guy, and I probably catch much more than my fair share of stocked fish throughout the year- some of which are in the H.J. category, but to pay to play or to join a club just doesn't set well with me.  Personally, I would rather catch a bunch of real sized trout that I worked for than catch a bunch of overgrown brutes in water they could not survive in by throwing down my fee.  A hooker and pig farm fishing...if you've got the money...you can get what you want.

I just hope you can live with yourself the next morning..............

Here is a link to Steves post.....
http://www.sippingemergers.com/2012/06/pot-meet-kettle.html