One October morning more than fifteen years ago, I was wading alone in the Chattooga River north of Burrell's Ford along the Georgia/South Carolina border. Though this old river is more famous for the movie “Deliverance”, it is probably just as well-known to expert anglers for the great fall-run of big, spawning brown trout.

As I started picking my way carefully upstream from the bridge over the dirt road just above the old ford, the surrounding beauty, the rushing water, and the anticipation of catching a huge "brownie" gave me "goose bumps". Since the water was low and very clear, I had chosen an ultra-light spinning outfit with 2-pound test line and a tiny 1/32 ounce Panther Martin spinner.

During the first 200 yards of careful stalking and casting upstream, my results were phenomenal. Though I hadn't caught a brown, six nice rainbows had fallen for the Panther Martin, including two that were more than 14 inches in length. Each of these became indelible pictures in my mind and were lovingly released.

As I slowly approached the tail section of a big, deep pool, I saw a flash in the clear water. I knew that it had to be a big trout, so I slowed every movement to a crawl and inched my way closer. When I came to within an easy cast of the tail of the pool, the big fish made another swipe at something that was less than ten feet from where I stood.

With the aid of my Polaroid glasses, I had a clear view of a brown trout that would easily exceed 30 inches in length. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and I broke into a cold sweat!

After regaining my composure, my shaking hands carefully manipulated the reel and cast the tiny spinner to a spot just above where the big brown had been feeding. He wasn't a bit interested, so after several unsuccessful attempts, I started trying different lures. During the next half hour, I went through most of the offerings in my tackle box, but the big trout paid no attention. Nevertheless, he continued to make feeding runs near the back of the pool.

Though I couldn't see what he was eating, I finally started to use my head. His actions indicated a chase, and that probably meant small fish or minnows of some type, so I reached back into the tiny tackle box and tied on the smallest Little Cleo spoon I could find. It proved to be a smart move!

No sooner had the Little Cleo hit the water than the big brown engulfed it. Instead of taking off to parts unknown, however, this huge fish had other ideas. He simply went to the deepest part of the pool and refused to budge.

With a great hook-set in the largest trout of my lifetime, he wasn't playing fair. Upon feeling the hook, fish are supposed to fight for their lives, but this one was not intimidated by my "sewing thread" line and flimsy fishing rod.

The next thirty minutes were agonizing. I put as much pressure as I could on the big trout, but he would just move over a little. Finally, I started picking up rocks and throwing them toward his approximate position, but the pool was more than 10 feet deep and they had no effect.

Eventually, my continual tugging on the line resulted in the lure becoming dislodged from the trout's mouth. After that, I just sat down by a big rock for awhile and reflected, but realized that I had done my best.

I never saw that big brown again, but the very next fall, I landed one from that same stretch of water that was 26 inches long. That one, however, made the mistake of running from the safety of the pool.

With the coming of civilization to the areas near the Chattooga River, chances of catching my dream trout have faded with the times. Nevertheless, big browns still go upstream to spawn during the fall of each year, and one can always become fortunate by being at the right place during the prime time!

Bill Vanderford has won numerous awards for his writing and photography, and has been inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Guide. He can be reached at 770-289-1543, at [email protected], or at his web site: www.fishinglanier.com