Foscoe Fishing Company Guide - Pace Cooper
Pace was born in Atlanta, Georgia where, believe it or not, he caught any fish within a 2 mile radius. At 7 years old, he attended a week long fishing camp on Lake Seminole in southern Georgia where he first used a fly rod. Bass and bream were his primary targets with a few Georgia shell-crackers to spice things up.
Pace attended the University of Georgia and studied zoology. He moved to Boone in 1993 so he could be closer to his passions like rock climbing and mountain biking. He loved the High Country so much, he stayed and attended graduate school at Appalachian State for several years studying saw-whet owls.
In 1998, Pace began guiding for Foscoe Fishing Company and worked full time until 2005 when he became a teacher. Currenty, he teaches middle school science at Mabel Elementary. He still loves guiding and works with Foscoe Fishing Company most of the summer and on weekends throughout the school year.
He really enjoys sharing these mountain streams with our clients. Whether scrambling down a bank to get to one of our many little gems around the High Country, or splashing terrestrials along Beetle Bend on the Water River, he loves sharing his knowledge about the natural world. Plants, animals, stream ecology, trout biology, Appalachian Folklore, and good ole' lies are bound to be discussed on a trip!
Pace's Fly Fishing Tales
Follow along with Pace as he shares his flyfishing adventures in the freshwater streams of North Carolina and Tennessee. Pace posts to this blog regularly so be sure to check back often or subsribe to our newsletter for digest updates.
Bluelining (Using maps to find trout streams)
I see trout!
When looking for new places to fish one of the best ways is scouting (also called bluelining because of the little blue lines on the map). Scouting is simply getting some good maps that show streams and then checking out the creeks. A good map will show you the elevation where the stream starts.
If you are wanting to catch wild brook trout, look for where the streams start and fish the headwaters. If you are looking for larger water, look for a stretch downstream and give it a try.
One important thing to remember is that the Wildlife Resources Commission does not designate every stream. Even if a stream is not designated, give it a try. Most of the area streams hold some trout.
Wading the South Holston Tailwater
This past weekend I waded the South Holston tailwater. Fishing was good and we even had the pleasure of casting some dry flys to rising fish.
They were eating sparsely tied craneflies and size 18 Sulphurs. Midges were all over, and we caught most of our fish on subsurface midge patterns dropped behind brassies and micro mayflies. The browns look like they are staging for the spawn.
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