Fishing

Last week I went fly fishing on Mills River, which is just outside of Asheville, NC in the Pisgah National Forest. North Mills River campground is&bsp; rustic with the Mills River running through it. It was only about 25 degrees out when I got there at 2 p.m.,&bsp; the campground only cost $3.25 a night with an Access or Golden Age Pass and there was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground. The next morning when I got up, it was only 17 degrees and was still snowing, just a light dusting. I got my waders on, rigged my fly pole, and tied my fly on the leader. I went down to the stream got into the water about waist deep. When I started fishing, I made half a dozen casts and then my reel and guides froze solid. My hands, legs and feet were getting real cold, so I decided to quit fishing for the day and until warmer weather arrives.

This weekend on January 16, 2010, MSC Individual Tournament Spinners Resort at Lake Murray, 7:00 a.m.: Lines In – 3 p.m.: Lines Out Scales Open at 3:30 p.m. Weigh Big Fish 1st 3 Fish Creel Per Angler. For more information, go to&bsp; http://midlandsstriperclub.homestead.com/MSCTourn.html.

I did find a great indoor activity coming up. The Fly Fishing and Wing Shooting Show in Charlotte on January 29 and 30. It is being held at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart. Included in the admission price is some great seminars. Next week, I will tell you more.

Bicycling

Each week, I will be featuring a different mountain bike trail for you to ride, most of which I have personally ridden. This weeks trail is The Flatwoods Difficult. This ride takes in the all best the Flatwoods has to offer. Short, but tough climbs, whoops on the downhills, a waterfall, smooth single track, and a sprinkling of technical sections. Theres an old cemetery to explore and in winter you can soak in some pretty good views. Beware of the sand and look out for horses. The ride surface is 7.9 miles of double/single track. As with any sport, cycling is dangerous, trails contains wet rocks, logs, loose sand and other things that could be harmful. Always wear a helmet and other protected gear. This information came from http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=BGD005-060.

The directions for the DuPont State Forest are turn right to take ramp onto I-26 W toward US-74; go 12.8 miles. Take Exit #54/US-25 S/US-176/NC-225 onto US-25; go 5.8 miles. Take Exit #3/SR 1106/GREEN RIVER RD; go 0.3 miles. Turn Right on GREEN RIVER RD; go 10.1 miles. Continue on REASONOVER RD for about 3.9 miles. Turn Left on CASCADE LAKES RD; go &t; 0.1 mile. Turn Left on GREENVILLE HWY(US-276); go about 2 miles.~ Great Outdoors written by Gary Clark