Is it July already? The summer is just flying by, but we're having fun introducing more people to our private waters on the North Fork and hiking people into the backcountry for brook trout trips. Water levels on the North Fork are holding their own, on par with last summer, but the action has slowed down some as our water temps have climbed in the afternoons. The Davidson produced some bigger fish for us in the last two weeks, but the water levels there are very low (thankfully, water temps are staying cool enough for now). On the tailwater front, I fished the South Holston a few times in the last couple of weeks and the sulphur hatch there is kickin' at low water, with good terrestrial and streamer fishing when TVA generates. Bring a 3-weight and long, fine leaders for fishing it in low water. If you want to float the Holston or the Watauga, we have two guides on our roster with lots of experience on those rivers. It involves a 3-hour drive to the river, but we can arrange for accomodations in Bluff City if you're interested in floating the Soho one day and the Watauga the next. Call 828-877-3106 for pricing.
We started the month hosting a bunch of trips on our private waters, most of them repeat clients who had fished with us in the past. Guide Freddie Raines and I took Billy W. from Alabama and three friends up to "The Farm" on June 5, and everybody landed some nice fish on a variety of small nymphs. Billy even brought a few to the surface with dry flies, including a Red-Legged Hopper and some beetle patterns. On June 6, guide Justin Howard took Chris H. from Raleigh to the Davidson and landed several big fish, mostly on midge patterns. Justin said the river fished better than he expected, considering how low and slow-moving it was. That day, I took Ed H. from coastal South Carolina up to the private waters. We had a good day of fishing, although it wasn't easy. We had to get the drift right in their feeding lane to get any eats, and even then they spit the fly instantly. We had a little easier time on June 8, when I took Payton C. from Alabama up to the farm. Payton put the wood to several fish over 18 inches, including one beautiful red-sided 'bow that looked like it belonged in Alaska. On the 11th, Justin took Terrell H. from Texas over to the big 'D' and they had a fabulous day trying to fool the fickle fish on the hatchery stretch. Jujubee midges, blood midges and WD-40s did the trick, but as usual it took multiple presentations to get strikes.
Mac and I got invited to a bachelor party of sorts on June 13. We hosted groom-to-be Paxton L. from Hendersonville, along with his father, future brother-in-law and future father-in-law. For the record, there were no strippers or alcoholic beverages involved, but everybody managed to hook up with some nice fish in the short time we were able to fish them. On the 15th, Freddie took Ellis B. and his wife from Florida up to the private waters and they managed to hook up with some beautiful trout, both wild and stocked, despite water temperatures that hovered close to 69 degrees thanks to a series of 90-degree days the week before. Guide Woody Platt found time in his busy schedule as a bluegrass pickin' star to guide Shannon W. on the private waters on June 16. Shannon was agog at the nice trout she caught, but I think she was more impressed with Woody's affable nature and stories of touring the country with his band, the Steep Canyon Rangers.
We've run some smallmouth bass float trips this month and the fish have been more cooperative, overall, than the trout. That doesn't mean that the fishing is always easy, though. I floated Richard O. and his son, James, down the French Broad on June 18. This father-son team has fished for muskies, peacock bass and big lake trout on the fly, so they were experienced fly fishermen who could cast accurately and far -- in other words, a guide's dream trip. Unfortunately, a constant 25 mph headwind, coupled with brutally low water levels, made for a difficult day of casting and rowing. James landed two really large bass that fought like tigers, and both anglers landed a bunch of smaller ones, but rowing into the wind all day and dragging the boat over shoals made for a long day on the water.
Although this summer may not offer non-stop action, it's still a great time to learn to fly fish. Compared to the high water flows of spring, the streams are easier to wade and there are plenty of smaller wild trout willing to pounce on a dry fly in faster water. Guide Sam Aiken took John R. and his wife from Orlando to the West Fork on June 24 for our All-Day School of Trout and they had a great time and caught a mess of fish, even though neither had ever cast a fly rod before.
We ended the month much like we began it, with warm daytime temperatures and low water levels. But for the persistent angler who wants to land a big trout or two, or lots of small wild trout, there are days when the fishing is still excellent. Mac took Mark and George H. from New York on a backcountry brook trout trip on June 28, and they slayed them on dry flies. I took Ralph B. from Tampa over to the Davidson on July 1 and the fishing gods were definitely smiling that day. Ralph landed two tanks, both taping out at 21 inches, and about 15 other smaller fish, including a nice 12-inch brookie on a dry fly. Meanwhile, that day Mac took Wes and Scott G. from Columbia up to the private waters and they landed several whopperjaws. Justin had equally good results two days later on the big 'D' with Mike K., a Texan who is considering relocating to the Brevard area. Some days are slower than others, of course, but if we continue to get afternoon thundershowers, we should be okay through August. We're happy to give you an up-to-date assessment of fishing conditions if you call the shop -- 828-877-3106.
Tight lines,
Than
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Heat Is On!
Well, May has come and gone and all we can say here at Headwaters is WHEW! We had a very busy last half of the month, so much so that I haven't been able to get away to fish much myself. I did fish the main stem of the French Broad one afternoon last week and landed a bunch of small wild rainbows, all on yellow sally nymphs. And I hit the Davidson a few times at dusk and managed to land some nice brownies on sulphurs and Cahills, but the water is brutally low again. A 3-weight and a 12-foot leader really helped, though I still put down more fish than I landed. As I write this, it's 90 degrees here at the shop (!!) , with no significant rain in sight until late this week. Water levels are holding above 2.05 feet on the French Broad, which is an improvement over last summer at this time. Still, it looks like we're in for another droughty summer, which definitely has its pluses and minuses.
On the plus side, lower water levels force trout to pod up in the deepest water available to them, which means where you find one trout, you'll probably find more. As the water warms, oxygen levels drop, so don't neglect the faster broken water (riffles, heads of pools, etc.) Surprisingly large rainbows, in particular, will hold in such places because there's more oxygen and plenty of food. On the negative side, you must play and release fish quickly to avoid stressing or killing them, especially once the water temperatures get in the upper 60s. Right now, temps on our most popular streams are still holding in the low 60s, but they're rising fast thanks to the hot weather. If we get a bunch of afternoon thunderstorms, that will certainly help keep water and oxygen levels where we need them well into July. I'm doing my rain dance every morning, believe me.
Water levels certainly weren't an issue when guide Freddie Raines and I took Tom P. from Atlanta and his two fishing buddies up to the private waters for a day of mountain trout fishing on the 15th. It rained lightly all day and the fishing really turned on as a result. Freddie and Tom fished to a gigantic brown they saw eating behind a drop-off, trying "everything but the kitchen sink." Eventually, the fish opened its gaping maw and snarfed a golden stonefly nymph, but spit it instantly. Tom landed numerous beautiful 'bows out of the same pool, however. After lunch, his friend Rick hooked a beast of a rainbow that went shooting downstream with me chasing after it with my net. The pic is on our "Wall of Fame" if you want to check it out.
On May 17, Steve M. from Milledgeville Georgia, and his son, Charles, booked a day on the private waters. Steve broke in a brand-new Scott E2 5-weight with style, landing several nice rainbows in the morning and a creel full of nice trout (metaphorically speaking) in the afternoon. Not to be outdone, Charles stood downstream of his dad and wore them out pretty well himself, even though he'd never picked up a fly rod before. It helped that Charles is a former pro baseball catcher, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. Talk about hand-eye coordination!
Over the next two days, I took Curt H. and Ed B. from Florida to the private waters, and they had a blast. We caught some fish on top, which is always fun, but most of the fish ate sulphur or yellow sally nymphs fished deep. On May 24, we hosted a group of 7 anglers headed up by angler extraordinaire Pam J. from Atlanta. This group all attended NC State together in the 1970s and it was so much fun hanging out with their Wolfpack. Pam and her friend Nancy fished with me on the private waters, and they took to nymphing like a hummingbird to nectar. I didn't count, but they landed more than their "limit" by threefold. The others split up on the East Fork with guides Freddie and Mac Marett (who manned up and took three people) and despite quitting early, everyone caught some fish and had fun. The group stayed in some of our cabins at our Adventure Village, which they enjoyed thoroughly.
Mac and Matt Canter ran two All-Day Schools on the 25th and 26th, teaching their clients how to choose the right flies, present them accurately, mend line, set the hook, and play their fish. The East Fork fished great for both guides, who did well on an assortment of dries and nymphs, including sulphur nymphs, partridge & yellows, and PTs. On the 27th, Freddie took Bud W. and his fishing buddy D.J. up to the private waters on a day that threatened with thunderstorms. They slayed them on Harrop's soft hackles, woolly boogers and a CDC sally imitation that Freddie ties. Freddie said the wild fish, which make up probably 50% of what we catch usually, were really amped up and jumped on any good drift. On the 28th, I took Harry H. and his fishing buddy Sam H. from Atlanta down the Tuckaseegee on a float trip. We lucked out with the generation in the morning, but the water soon dropped to run-of-river flows and we squeaked by the islands just in time. The fish were definitely looking up, despite very off-color water conditions. We got lots of strikes on Chernobyl ants, Hopperstones, and Streambank Hoppers, and more than a few eats on yellow sally and Copper Johns dropped off them. We fished some tiny terrestrials on 6X to a bunch of rainbows sipping in a filmy back eddy below Webster and got several of those guys to eat, as well. Best of all, the predicted thunderstorm never evolved, so we floated most of the day in cool-ish, overcast conditions.
We ended May with a slew of private and public water trips, including three days of fishing with Jim M. from Florida. Jim sampled the private waters with me on two days, breaking his biggest-ever fish record on Day 2 with a 19-inch rainbow, and on the East Fork with Mac in between, where he got to catch some nice brook trout on top using his spanking new Scott E2 4-weight. Guide Sam Aiken took Gary and Cathy G. from Naples, FL to the East Fork for an All-Day School. From the sounds of it, they learned a lot from Sam and had a great day of fishing in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Now that tourism season is here, it pays to book your guided trips at least a week in advance. We are already fully booked up for the Fourth of July weekend on the private waters, for instance. Another reminder: Delayed Harvest ends this Saturday (June 7), so prepare yourself for more challenging fishing conditions after that date. We've already run a few wild brook trout trips, and those streams will continue to provide plenty of great trout fishing through the dog days of August for those willing to hike off the beaten path.
Tight lines!
Than
On the plus side, lower water levels force trout to pod up in the deepest water available to them, which means where you find one trout, you'll probably find more. As the water warms, oxygen levels drop, so don't neglect the faster broken water (riffles, heads of pools, etc.) Surprisingly large rainbows, in particular, will hold in such places because there's more oxygen and plenty of food. On the negative side, you must play and release fish quickly to avoid stressing or killing them, especially once the water temperatures get in the upper 60s. Right now, temps on our most popular streams are still holding in the low 60s, but they're rising fast thanks to the hot weather. If we get a bunch of afternoon thunderstorms, that will certainly help keep water and oxygen levels where we need them well into July. I'm doing my rain dance every morning, believe me.
Water levels certainly weren't an issue when guide Freddie Raines and I took Tom P. from Atlanta and his two fishing buddies up to the private waters for a day of mountain trout fishing on the 15th. It rained lightly all day and the fishing really turned on as a result. Freddie and Tom fished to a gigantic brown they saw eating behind a drop-off, trying "everything but the kitchen sink." Eventually, the fish opened its gaping maw and snarfed a golden stonefly nymph, but spit it instantly. Tom landed numerous beautiful 'bows out of the same pool, however. After lunch, his friend Rick hooked a beast of a rainbow that went shooting downstream with me chasing after it with my net. The pic is on our "Wall of Fame" if you want to check it out.
On May 17, Steve M. from Milledgeville Georgia, and his son, Charles, booked a day on the private waters. Steve broke in a brand-new Scott E2 5-weight with style, landing several nice rainbows in the morning and a creel full of nice trout (metaphorically speaking) in the afternoon. Not to be outdone, Charles stood downstream of his dad and wore them out pretty well himself, even though he'd never picked up a fly rod before. It helped that Charles is a former pro baseball catcher, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. Talk about hand-eye coordination!
Over the next two days, I took Curt H. and Ed B. from Florida to the private waters, and they had a blast. We caught some fish on top, which is always fun, but most of the fish ate sulphur or yellow sally nymphs fished deep. On May 24, we hosted a group of 7 anglers headed up by angler extraordinaire Pam J. from Atlanta. This group all attended NC State together in the 1970s and it was so much fun hanging out with their Wolfpack. Pam and her friend Nancy fished with me on the private waters, and they took to nymphing like a hummingbird to nectar. I didn't count, but they landed more than their "limit" by threefold. The others split up on the East Fork with guides Freddie and Mac Marett (who manned up and took three people) and despite quitting early, everyone caught some fish and had fun. The group stayed in some of our cabins at our Adventure Village, which they enjoyed thoroughly.
Mac and Matt Canter ran two All-Day Schools on the 25th and 26th, teaching their clients how to choose the right flies, present them accurately, mend line, set the hook, and play their fish. The East Fork fished great for both guides, who did well on an assortment of dries and nymphs, including sulphur nymphs, partridge & yellows, and PTs. On the 27th, Freddie took Bud W. and his fishing buddy D.J. up to the private waters on a day that threatened with thunderstorms. They slayed them on Harrop's soft hackles, woolly boogers and a CDC sally imitation that Freddie ties. Freddie said the wild fish, which make up probably 50% of what we catch usually, were really amped up and jumped on any good drift. On the 28th, I took Harry H. and his fishing buddy Sam H. from Atlanta down the Tuckaseegee on a float trip. We lucked out with the generation in the morning, but the water soon dropped to run-of-river flows and we squeaked by the islands just in time. The fish were definitely looking up, despite very off-color water conditions. We got lots of strikes on Chernobyl ants, Hopperstones, and Streambank Hoppers, and more than a few eats on yellow sally and Copper Johns dropped off them. We fished some tiny terrestrials on 6X to a bunch of rainbows sipping in a filmy back eddy below Webster and got several of those guys to eat, as well. Best of all, the predicted thunderstorm never evolved, so we floated most of the day in cool-ish, overcast conditions.
We ended May with a slew of private and public water trips, including three days of fishing with Jim M. from Florida. Jim sampled the private waters with me on two days, breaking his biggest-ever fish record on Day 2 with a 19-inch rainbow, and on the East Fork with Mac in between, where he got to catch some nice brook trout on top using his spanking new Scott E2 4-weight. Guide Sam Aiken took Gary and Cathy G. from Naples, FL to the East Fork for an All-Day School. From the sounds of it, they learned a lot from Sam and had a great day of fishing in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Now that tourism season is here, it pays to book your guided trips at least a week in advance. We are already fully booked up for the Fourth of July weekend on the private waters, for instance. Another reminder: Delayed Harvest ends this Saturday (June 7), so prepare yourself for more challenging fishing conditions after that date. We've already run a few wild brook trout trips, and those streams will continue to provide plenty of great trout fishing through the dog days of August for those willing to hike off the beaten path.
Tight lines!
Than
Friday, May 16, 2008
Dry Fly Heaven!
If you like fishing on top, you'd better get on the water soon. The dry fly fishing has been sensational recently, with solid hatches of March Browns, sulphurs, gray-winged yellow quills, yellow sallies, and three species of caddis all keeping the fish looking up. Within a few weeks, we'll be into the Green Drakes, Yellow Drakes and Litobranchas, too.
Guide Mac Marett and I got into a nose-clogging hatch of E. dorothea sulphurs on the Davidson River last week, but we only got a few fish to eat before the hatch quickly shut down. The fish were really picky about fly selection, too, especially for this early in the hatch. But then on May 7, I fished the same lower section of the 'D' and landed more than 20 fish in an afternoon of fishing, mostly on #14 March Browns or a March Brown emerger of my own invention. There were MB shucks everywhere -- in the eddies, on my waders, on the rocks. Though the browns were definitely amped up, the biggest fish I landed was a 21-inch rainbow that ate the dry fly in about two inches of water. He ran down into some downed wood, but miraculously came out without hanging up. After awhile, I snipped off my dropper because the fish were eating the dry so well and there's a lot of algae on the rocks. The poor Davidson has not recovered from the drought as well as other local rivers. It still looks really low, but right now, the water temps and bug activity are still making for some great fishing.
Speaking of dry flies, we've been seeing some giant golden stoneflies hatching on the North Fork recently, which is a little early by my watch. They come off primarily at night, but the stragglers are keeping the fish looking up in the mornings, and nymphing with a big Karnopp's stone is working well, as our guides can attest. One of my recent clients on the private waters, Robert B. from Bloomfield, Michigan, is such a dry fly fan that he wanted to fish on top all day. Generally, our private stretch doesn't fish well with dry flies unless there is a major hatch on, so with some relunctance, I tied on a golden Hopperstone (a high-floating foam bodied stonefly) and added a Prince dropper. Damned if the first fish, a wild rainbow, didn't pound the dry! Sure, the dropper accounted for a small majority of the fish caught, but Bob kept throwing the dry -- even in the pouring rain, mind you -- and the fish kept eating it. His last fish of the day was an 18-inch rainbow that crushed the Hopperstone in fast water like it had been waiting for a substantial meal all day. Very cool.
Guide Freddie Raines stayed below the surface with clients Randy C. and Robert S. from Monroe, NC on April 26, which paid dividends for those two newcomers to the sport. Freddie's killer fly, "Fire & Ice," produced a bunch of nice fish from the private waters, everything from little wild rainbows to a couple monsters that pulled out and everything in between. Three days later, I took Jimmy L. from Florida back for his second visit to the private waters and we had a grand day of nymphing, catching fish on everything from tiny Harrop's soft hackles to my #14 March Brown emerger. Guide Woody Platt and I hosted a series of trips on the private water in early May, most of which fished very well in the afternoons, when a boatload of sulphurs poured off, along with some March Browns. A good ol' Sheepfly/Hare's Ear combo did the trick, along with some yellow sally and sulphur nymphs when the fish got jaded. On May 10, I had the pleasure of taking Bill F. from Atlanta up to the private waters. Bill and I fished together on the East Fork last year and did well, despite it being the opening day of Delayed Harvest (yikes!), but nothing like we did on the private stretch. Bill landed several big fish over 17 inches, including two big bows that ate his AP Nymph in pocket water and fought like rabid pitbulls. The coolest part of the day, at least for me, was seeing a 17-inch hellbender right at our feet. Hellbenders are the largest aquatic salamanders in North America, and the North Fork (as well as the Davidson and Looking Glass Creek) are some of the best breeding grounds for them in the country, a testament to the purity of our streams.
On May 12, one of my favorite repeat clients, Stan R. from Huntsville, AL, made a return visit to the private waters. The last time we fished together, almost every big fish we hooked came unglued just as they reached the net. This time, it was payback time and Stan did it with style. He put the smoker-doker to every big fish, and this time we landed the vast majority of those we hooked, plus a bunch of pretty wild trout that jumped like trained circus animals and made his drag sing. It's a great time to be on any trout water in Western North Carolina, but be sure to book a trip soon if you want a piece of dry fly nirvana, because the bugs are going to peak here in the next three-four weeks. Tight lines!
Guide Mac Marett and I got into a nose-clogging hatch of E. dorothea sulphurs on the Davidson River last week, but we only got a few fish to eat before the hatch quickly shut down. The fish were really picky about fly selection, too, especially for this early in the hatch. But then on May 7, I fished the same lower section of the 'D' and landed more than 20 fish in an afternoon of fishing, mostly on #14 March Browns or a March Brown emerger of my own invention. There were MB shucks everywhere -- in the eddies, on my waders, on the rocks. Though the browns were definitely amped up, the biggest fish I landed was a 21-inch rainbow that ate the dry fly in about two inches of water. He ran down into some downed wood, but miraculously came out without hanging up. After awhile, I snipped off my dropper because the fish were eating the dry so well and there's a lot of algae on the rocks. The poor Davidson has not recovered from the drought as well as other local rivers. It still looks really low, but right now, the water temps and bug activity are still making for some great fishing.
Speaking of dry flies, we've been seeing some giant golden stoneflies hatching on the North Fork recently, which is a little early by my watch. They come off primarily at night, but the stragglers are keeping the fish looking up in the mornings, and nymphing with a big Karnopp's stone is working well, as our guides can attest. One of my recent clients on the private waters, Robert B. from Bloomfield, Michigan, is such a dry fly fan that he wanted to fish on top all day. Generally, our private stretch doesn't fish well with dry flies unless there is a major hatch on, so with some relunctance, I tied on a golden Hopperstone (a high-floating foam bodied stonefly) and added a Prince dropper. Damned if the first fish, a wild rainbow, didn't pound the dry! Sure, the dropper accounted for a small majority of the fish caught, but Bob kept throwing the dry -- even in the pouring rain, mind you -- and the fish kept eating it. His last fish of the day was an 18-inch rainbow that crushed the Hopperstone in fast water like it had been waiting for a substantial meal all day. Very cool.
Guide Freddie Raines stayed below the surface with clients Randy C. and Robert S. from Monroe, NC on April 26, which paid dividends for those two newcomers to the sport. Freddie's killer fly, "Fire & Ice," produced a bunch of nice fish from the private waters, everything from little wild rainbows to a couple monsters that pulled out and everything in between. Three days later, I took Jimmy L. from Florida back for his second visit to the private waters and we had a grand day of nymphing, catching fish on everything from tiny Harrop's soft hackles to my #14 March Brown emerger. Guide Woody Platt and I hosted a series of trips on the private water in early May, most of which fished very well in the afternoons, when a boatload of sulphurs poured off, along with some March Browns. A good ol' Sheepfly/Hare's Ear combo did the trick, along with some yellow sally and sulphur nymphs when the fish got jaded. On May 10, I had the pleasure of taking Bill F. from Atlanta up to the private waters. Bill and I fished together on the East Fork last year and did well, despite it being the opening day of Delayed Harvest (yikes!), but nothing like we did on the private stretch. Bill landed several big fish over 17 inches, including two big bows that ate his AP Nymph in pocket water and fought like rabid pitbulls. The coolest part of the day, at least for me, was seeing a 17-inch hellbender right at our feet. Hellbenders are the largest aquatic salamanders in North America, and the North Fork (as well as the Davidson and Looking Glass Creek) are some of the best breeding grounds for them in the country, a testament to the purity of our streams.
On May 12, one of my favorite repeat clients, Stan R. from Huntsville, AL, made a return visit to the private waters. The last time we fished together, almost every big fish we hooked came unglued just as they reached the net. This time, it was payback time and Stan did it with style. He put the smoker-doker to every big fish, and this time we landed the vast majority of those we hooked, plus a bunch of pretty wild trout that jumped like trained circus animals and made his drag sing. It's a great time to be on any trout water in Western North Carolina, but be sure to book a trip soon if you want a piece of dry fly nirvana, because the bugs are going to peak here in the next three-four weeks. Tight lines!
Friday, April 25, 2008
April Showers & March Browns
With air temperatures consistently in the 70s and water temps in the high 50s, spring has officially arrived in the mountains here in the Brevard area. Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted, but we've been slammed with both fly fishing and canoeing clients and the shop has been bustling. The few days off I managed to carve out were too beautiful to sit behind a computer, that's for sure! My best day of personal fishing recently was on the Davidson, where a buddy and I stumbled upon a cinnamon caddis hatch of mythical proportions. There were large trout flashing, splashing and leaping everywhere. After netting a half-dozen fish up to 15 inches, I finally managed to get a bruiser brown over 20 inches to eat a dry fly, and my buddy got the whole thing on video. He broke off at the end, but the surface take and subsequent acrobatics are very cool to watch and re-watch (don't let anyone tell you that browns don't jump.) I'll try to post it soon, if I can figure out how to upload video files.
Meanwhile, we've had a couple of good weeks of fishing, despite dropping water levels. On the 18th, I took Ashton S. and his son-in-law up to the North Fork for their inaugural visit (we've fished the East Fork before), and they had a blast -- except for late in the day when someone who shall go unnamed took a plunge and immersed his camera in the drink!It was in the middle of a chaotic fight with a giant rainbow, who we haven't hooked in quite some time because he usually sits in some very frothy, fast current. On this day, Ashton managed to hook him and he jetted off down a sluice and into the pool below him. I scrambled downstream and we eventually tired him out enough to net him. He was 22 inches long and very brightly colored along his flanks, with bold leopard spots and white-tipped fins. The digital camera was inoperable at this point, but none of us will forget the image of that fish. Fortunately, both boys landed some nice fish earlier that made it onto the photo card before it got dunked, and nobody got hurt, thankfully.
On the 19th, Jimmy G. returned to fish the North Fork along with his fishing buddy, Butch. The forecast was less than desirable, with a cold front bringing in rain and a 60% chance of thunderstorms. But they toughed it out and, as is often the case, the extreme weather stalled long enough for us to fish in relative comfort (just a drizzle) for the entire day. Jimmy landed a bunch of "fat ol' silver bellies," as he dubs them, as well as the biggest hornyhead I've ever seen! Butch caught a few bigger fish, as well, with lots of wild fish thrown in the mix. The action wasn't as fast-paced as the last time we fished, probably because of the cold front, but it was still an enjoyable day of fine conversation, good humour and beautiful surroundings. We saw a bunch of birds that day, including a young Cooper's hawk teaching her young how to hunt. She flew over us and lighted in a dead tree, where she dropped a dead squirrel in a crook, presumably for the young to pick up. Bluebirds were in the apple blossoms, thrashers were scratching in the laurel and phoebes perched on roof of the old cabin. A few swallows dipped down over the water to grab the few March Browns that came off in the afternoon, but they were too scant to really turn the fish on much.
On the 20th, we were pleased to host Larry S. and his two grown sons, Jeff and Brad, on their annual father-and-son fishing trip. Guide Mac Marett and I switched off with Jeff and Brad, so they could each spend time fishing with their dad. Jeff and Mac landed a brace of wild trout in the a.m. and capped off the morning by landed a beast of a rainbow in a deep pool below some rhododendron. Meanwhile, Larry and Brad got into a nice caddis hatch on the upper stretch, each landing a handful of trout, including a couple of bigger rainbows, on Morrish's Hotwire Caddis Pupas and DSPs. After a nice deli sandwich lunch, Jeff and Larry followed me upstream, where Dad latched onto a huge rainbow and an equally huge brown that went boring downstream and pulled out. Undeterred, Larry climbed into some slippery pocket water and proceeded to land three nice rainbows -- boom, boom, boom. I almost killed myself wading out below him to net them! Jeff got a large fish to slash at his streamer, but it missed, then he landed four nice rainbows in the afternoon and a wild brown to boot. Meanwhile, Mac got Brad into a giant rainbow that ate his fly as it swung up on the end of his drift. They landed it on 6X! It was a great way to end the day.
The next day, April 21, I took Mike D. from Florida up to the North Fork for his first trip on the private waters. After fishing over them for three days, I wondered whether the trout would have lockjaw, but a fantastic March Brown hatch and lots of blue-winged olives kept the trout happy and active. Mike said it was the best day of trout fishing he'd ever had, and he has fished for big browns in Michigan, salmon in the Pacific Northwest and is a regular visitor to the Tennessee tailwaters. It helped that Mike is a good mender who sets the hook quickly, but not too hard, and he knows how to play big fish on light tippet. It was a memorable day, topped off by a big 19-inch rainbow at the end of the afternoon. I can't wait to fish with Mike again.
On the 24th, Mac, guide Sam Aiken and I got to host another annual fishing excursion, this one hosted by Watt G. and his wife Nancy, from Little Rock, Arkansas. Watt and Nancy and two other couples were staying in Black Mountain, so we met them on Hwy. 280 and headed over to fish the North Mills River. We started in the campground section, which was crowded for a Thursday and didn't fish well at all. We hooked into a few, but they weren't big. So after a tasty lunch and some red wine (for the clients, not us guides), all nine of us hiked in from the Trace Ridge Trailhead and began fishing three separate sections of the upper river. The upper river fished better than the campground, but wasn't exactly on fire. The water was low and the fish were spooky, even in the broken water. Everybody landed some fish, however, and there was no lack of visual stimulation: star chickweed, trillium, bloodroot, hooded warblers and a baby northern water snake that Nancy was brave enough to fish near! The hike out was arduous, but this was a tough group that has fished in Alaska, Montana and all over. Watt even smoked a cigar on the way out -- how cool is that?
Meanwhile, we've had a couple of good weeks of fishing, despite dropping water levels. On the 18th, I took Ashton S. and his son-in-law up to the North Fork for their inaugural visit (we've fished the East Fork before), and they had a blast -- except for late in the day when someone who shall go unnamed took a plunge and immersed his camera in the drink!It was in the middle of a chaotic fight with a giant rainbow, who we haven't hooked in quite some time because he usually sits in some very frothy, fast current. On this day, Ashton managed to hook him and he jetted off down a sluice and into the pool below him. I scrambled downstream and we eventually tired him out enough to net him. He was 22 inches long and very brightly colored along his flanks, with bold leopard spots and white-tipped fins. The digital camera was inoperable at this point, but none of us will forget the image of that fish. Fortunately, both boys landed some nice fish earlier that made it onto the photo card before it got dunked, and nobody got hurt, thankfully.
On the 19th, Jimmy G. returned to fish the North Fork along with his fishing buddy, Butch. The forecast was less than desirable, with a cold front bringing in rain and a 60% chance of thunderstorms. But they toughed it out and, as is often the case, the extreme weather stalled long enough for us to fish in relative comfort (just a drizzle) for the entire day. Jimmy landed a bunch of "fat ol' silver bellies," as he dubs them, as well as the biggest hornyhead I've ever seen! Butch caught a few bigger fish, as well, with lots of wild fish thrown in the mix. The action wasn't as fast-paced as the last time we fished, probably because of the cold front, but it was still an enjoyable day of fine conversation, good humour and beautiful surroundings. We saw a bunch of birds that day, including a young Cooper's hawk teaching her young how to hunt. She flew over us and lighted in a dead tree, where she dropped a dead squirrel in a crook, presumably for the young to pick up. Bluebirds were in the apple blossoms, thrashers were scratching in the laurel and phoebes perched on roof of the old cabin. A few swallows dipped down over the water to grab the few March Browns that came off in the afternoon, but they were too scant to really turn the fish on much.
On the 20th, we were pleased to host Larry S. and his two grown sons, Jeff and Brad, on their annual father-and-son fishing trip. Guide Mac Marett and I switched off with Jeff and Brad, so they could each spend time fishing with their dad. Jeff and Mac landed a brace of wild trout in the a.m. and capped off the morning by landed a beast of a rainbow in a deep pool below some rhododendron. Meanwhile, Larry and Brad got into a nice caddis hatch on the upper stretch, each landing a handful of trout, including a couple of bigger rainbows, on Morrish's Hotwire Caddis Pupas and DSPs. After a nice deli sandwich lunch, Jeff and Larry followed me upstream, where Dad latched onto a huge rainbow and an equally huge brown that went boring downstream and pulled out. Undeterred, Larry climbed into some slippery pocket water and proceeded to land three nice rainbows -- boom, boom, boom. I almost killed myself wading out below him to net them! Jeff got a large fish to slash at his streamer, but it missed, then he landed four nice rainbows in the afternoon and a wild brown to boot. Meanwhile, Mac got Brad into a giant rainbow that ate his fly as it swung up on the end of his drift. They landed it on 6X! It was a great way to end the day.
The next day, April 21, I took Mike D. from Florida up to the North Fork for his first trip on the private waters. After fishing over them for three days, I wondered whether the trout would have lockjaw, but a fantastic March Brown hatch and lots of blue-winged olives kept the trout happy and active. Mike said it was the best day of trout fishing he'd ever had, and he has fished for big browns in Michigan, salmon in the Pacific Northwest and is a regular visitor to the Tennessee tailwaters. It helped that Mike is a good mender who sets the hook quickly, but not too hard, and he knows how to play big fish on light tippet. It was a memorable day, topped off by a big 19-inch rainbow at the end of the afternoon. I can't wait to fish with Mike again.
On the 24th, Mac, guide Sam Aiken and I got to host another annual fishing excursion, this one hosted by Watt G. and his wife Nancy, from Little Rock, Arkansas. Watt and Nancy and two other couples were staying in Black Mountain, so we met them on Hwy. 280 and headed over to fish the North Mills River. We started in the campground section, which was crowded for a Thursday and didn't fish well at all. We hooked into a few, but they weren't big. So after a tasty lunch and some red wine (for the clients, not us guides), all nine of us hiked in from the Trace Ridge Trailhead and began fishing three separate sections of the upper river. The upper river fished better than the campground, but wasn't exactly on fire. The water was low and the fish were spooky, even in the broken water. Everybody landed some fish, however, and there was no lack of visual stimulation: star chickweed, trillium, bloodroot, hooded warblers and a baby northern water snake that Nancy was brave enough to fish near! The hike out was arduous, but this was a tough group that has fished in Alaska, Montana and all over. Watt even smoked a cigar on the way out -- how cool is that?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Wildflowers and Trout Galore!
Any savvy angler who has spent enough time in the woods knows that blooming wildflowers are a great indicator of trout fishing (and hatches.) This goes for all areas of the country. In Michigan, for instance, when the wild irises are in bloom, you can bet good money that the Brown Drakes are hatching. Here in the southern Appalachians, three of my favorite indicator species for good fishing are the trout lily, yellow mandarin, and trillium. I fished up the West Fork of the French Broad the other day with a good buddy of mine and all three herbs were on full display, along with star chickweed, wild strawberry, and foamflower. The fishing wasn't super hot, but we caught some nice trout over the course of the afternoon, ranging from some cookie-cutter 10" rainbows to a beautiful wild brown of 15 inches. We didn't see any rises at all, so everything was caught fishing nymphs deep, with lots of split shot. Saw my first yellow sallie of the year, but most of the bugs were black caddis and Quill Gordons.
We've had some fun on guide trips over the last week or so. On April 9, guide Woody Platt took Bill and Mary P. from West Virginia up to our private waters for a day of fly fishing. It was a gorgeous day in the 60s and the fish were really on. Most of the fish caught were 12"-15" rainbows, but Woody also netted a 5-pound brown for the lucky anglers. From the smiles on their faces at the end of the day, I think we'll see them again. The next day, I took John M. from Virginia up to the private waters for an all-day trip. John and I have fished together for years and he is always a pleasure to spend the day with. The morning was kind of slow, with just a fish here or there, and I was a little mystified. I just figured they were sore-mouthed from Woody's trip the previous morning, which didn't make a whole lot of sense. Then John and I walked up on a wet sandy spot where there were lots of fresh five-toed tracks and two long, brown turds with fish scales in them. River otters! No wonder the fish were so freaked out. We've had a pair of otters on the river for a year or so, but they've come and gone with little damage to the fishery. Indeed, by afternoon, the otter rampage was a distant memory and the trout started eating well again. We landed several nice ones, but as always happens when the water is up, broke off or lost some of the larger rainbows when they went airborne or wrenched the hook out in fast current.
On April 11th, I hosted two of my favorite repeat clients, Stan R. and Tommy G. from Alabama, on the private waters; the fishing and the company were both fantastic. Despite a weather forecast calling for severe thunderstorms in the afternoon, the rain held off until we were done fishing, which was a blessing. We hooked a ton of fish, but lots of them pulled out just at the last minute. Stan even asked, jokingly, if there wasn't a hinge on our hooks, it happened so much (with water temps in the mid-50s, the fish's metabolisms are really amped up right now.) In the afternoon, a bunch of cinnamon caddis started coming off and the fish went wild. I tied on a caddis pupa dropper to both men's rigs and they started hooking one trout after another. Landing them was another story! About 2-out-of-3 fish got within inches of my net and then pulled out, with the flies shooting up into a rhododendron. I went through a whole spool of Frog Hair re-rigging them, but it's hard to complain when the action is that hot. Fortunately, both guys landed a fat rainbow to cap off the day.
On April 12, I picked up John M. at his Adventure Village cabin and we headed over to the East Fork for some public water fishing. Just as pulled up to the Delayed Harvest section, there was the game warden on the side of the road with three guys with spinning rods and worm containers. Busted! But that just goes to show how severe the poaching problems has become over there, with people bait fishing on a Saturday morning right next to the road. Despite the poaching, John and I had an awesome time on the water, landing about 30 fish over the course of the day on a variety of nymphs and streamers. Brook trout are definitely king on the East Fork after the last stocking -- 70% of what we landed was a brookie, including two monsters of 18 inches. That night, we ate dinner together at the Squared Root and laughed ourselves silly -- it was a great way to end a week of great fishing.
We've had some fun on guide trips over the last week or so. On April 9, guide Woody Platt took Bill and Mary P. from West Virginia up to our private waters for a day of fly fishing. It was a gorgeous day in the 60s and the fish were really on. Most of the fish caught were 12"-15" rainbows, but Woody also netted a 5-pound brown for the lucky anglers. From the smiles on their faces at the end of the day, I think we'll see them again. The next day, I took John M. from Virginia up to the private waters for an all-day trip. John and I have fished together for years and he is always a pleasure to spend the day with. The morning was kind of slow, with just a fish here or there, and I was a little mystified. I just figured they were sore-mouthed from Woody's trip the previous morning, which didn't make a whole lot of sense. Then John and I walked up on a wet sandy spot where there were lots of fresh five-toed tracks and two long, brown turds with fish scales in them. River otters! No wonder the fish were so freaked out. We've had a pair of otters on the river for a year or so, but they've come and gone with little damage to the fishery. Indeed, by afternoon, the otter rampage was a distant memory and the trout started eating well again. We landed several nice ones, but as always happens when the water is up, broke off or lost some of the larger rainbows when they went airborne or wrenched the hook out in fast current.
On April 11th, I hosted two of my favorite repeat clients, Stan R. and Tommy G. from Alabama, on the private waters; the fishing and the company were both fantastic. Despite a weather forecast calling for severe thunderstorms in the afternoon, the rain held off until we were done fishing, which was a blessing. We hooked a ton of fish, but lots of them pulled out just at the last minute. Stan even asked, jokingly, if there wasn't a hinge on our hooks, it happened so much (with water temps in the mid-50s, the fish's metabolisms are really amped up right now.) In the afternoon, a bunch of cinnamon caddis started coming off and the fish went wild. I tied on a caddis pupa dropper to both men's rigs and they started hooking one trout after another. Landing them was another story! About 2-out-of-3 fish got within inches of my net and then pulled out, with the flies shooting up into a rhododendron. I went through a whole spool of Frog Hair re-rigging them, but it's hard to complain when the action is that hot. Fortunately, both guys landed a fat rainbow to cap off the day.
On April 12, I picked up John M. at his Adventure Village cabin and we headed over to the East Fork for some public water fishing. Just as pulled up to the Delayed Harvest section, there was the game warden on the side of the road with three guys with spinning rods and worm containers. Busted! But that just goes to show how severe the poaching problems has become over there, with people bait fishing on a Saturday morning right next to the road. Despite the poaching, John and I had an awesome time on the water, landing about 30 fish over the course of the day on a variety of nymphs and streamers. Brook trout are definitely king on the East Fork after the last stocking -- 70% of what we landed was a brookie, including two monsters of 18 inches. That night, we ate dinner together at the Squared Root and laughed ourselves silly -- it was a great way to end a week of great fishing.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
March/April Guide Trips
Our water levels are hovering right where they should be for this time of year, a further sign that the worst of the drought is behind us. All the rainfall of late has been good for fishing, both on public streams such as the Davidson and on our private leased water. Quill Gordons, Blue Quills, BWOs, black caddis and midges are all hatching in good numbers, though I haven't experienced a "blanket hatch" of any species in the last two weeks, perhaps because of the record flooding we had on March 19. We had to postpone a bunch of trips thanks to the high water, which reached 1,000 cfs on the French Broad in Rosman!
Once the water had receded enough to fish it, I took Jimmy L. from Panama City FL up to the private waters for a full-day trip on March 27. Jimmy, who was one of the first people I ever floated down the Tuckasegee years ago, put more fish in the net than just about anyone thus far this season. I won't brag on him too much, but Jimmy didn't go more than 20 minutes without a fish on, including several large rainbows. I think he's spoiled now! We even got four fish to come up and eat a Quill Gordon dry after lunch. But most of the fish fell to nymphs, everything from Caddis Poopahs to a #18 Killer Mayfly Nymph, either dropped off a Thunderhead or fished under an indicator. Jimmy just back from an awesome trip to Chile, so he's had quite a month of fishing.
On March 28, we hosted a father-son getaway for Justin C. and Mark S. and their two sons, Parker and Chandler. I took the dads up to our private waters for a full-day of fishing, while guide Sam Aiken coached the two boys during a 3-Hour School of Trout. Parker and Chandler learned to cast like a couple of pros, and even got a chance to tie their own stonefly nymphs under Sam's tutelage. Then they took their newfound skills over to a pond, where they caught some trout for dinner. Meanwhile, their dads learned how to nymph, Southern Appalachian style, and caught about 15 fish apiece over the course of the day. We lost a few bruisers, but everyone landed a trout over 17 inches. The next day, Justin and Mark took the boys on a canoe trip down to Hannah Ford. I'm sure the whole adventure will provide fond memories for the parents and kids for years to come.
April arrived with still more rain, but that wasn't about to stop Tom L. from Tallahassee from going fishing on the 3rd. I took Tom over to the East Fork, where we did some casting instruction and flipped a bunch of rocks while we discussed "matching the hatch." We found some pretty cool bugs, including a giant Pteronarcys stonefly nymph that was as long as my ring finger! Tom hooked and landed three trout on his first five casts, so I had a feeling it was going to be a good day. It turned out better than just good - it was sheer trout-catching anarchy. In one pool, Tom landed 10 brook trout on 10 drifts. We tried it all -- dead-drifting, swinging flies, stripping streamers -- and it all worked. The dry fly fishing wasn't great, because the constant rain kept knocking our flies underwater, but the nymph fishing was sensational. I'm not a fish counter, but suffice it to say that if the regulations weren't catch-and-release, Tom could have fed a small Third World family with what he landed.
On April 4, I had the pleasure of taking out two of my favorite repeat clients, William M. and Art D. from Birmingham, AL to the private waters. These fellas are hilarious and had me in stitches the whole trip! Things started off promising, with both guys landing a handful of 12-15" rainbows on a variety of nymphs and attractor patterns. There were Quill Gordons coming off (they were #16s, which is pretty small for that species) and a few Blue Quills; the fish were definitely looking for them. When we moved upstream, where the current was rushing through narrow sluices and runs, the fishing got increasingly difficult. Both men landed some nice trout, but it took lots of good drifts to get strikes. We lunched on the porch of the old cabin, safe from the pelting rain, and talked about Alabama politics, golf, fishing gear and former bosses. When we returned to the river, it was definitely running higher and slightly dirtier. We landed another 4 or 5 fish apiece, had quite a few fish come unbuttoned, and ended the day after the rushing flow became too difficult to fish. Besides, it was time for everyone to dry out and have a cold beer.
This month should continue to provide good-to-excellent fishing, as the water temperatures are hovering in the mid-50s, which is the ideal feeding range for trout. Moreover, some of our best hatches, including the March Browns and Hendricksons, are about to start. If you're interested in a guided trip, either on our private waters or one of the fantastic public streams in our area, give us a call at 828-877-3106.
Once the water had receded enough to fish it, I took Jimmy L. from Panama City FL up to the private waters for a full-day trip on March 27. Jimmy, who was one of the first people I ever floated down the Tuckasegee years ago, put more fish in the net than just about anyone thus far this season. I won't brag on him too much, but Jimmy didn't go more than 20 minutes without a fish on, including several large rainbows. I think he's spoiled now! We even got four fish to come up and eat a Quill Gordon dry after lunch. But most of the fish fell to nymphs, everything from Caddis Poopahs to a #18 Killer Mayfly Nymph, either dropped off a Thunderhead or fished under an indicator. Jimmy just back from an awesome trip to Chile, so he's had quite a month of fishing.
On March 28, we hosted a father-son getaway for Justin C. and Mark S. and their two sons, Parker and Chandler. I took the dads up to our private waters for a full-day of fishing, while guide Sam Aiken coached the two boys during a 3-Hour School of Trout. Parker and Chandler learned to cast like a couple of pros, and even got a chance to tie their own stonefly nymphs under Sam's tutelage. Then they took their newfound skills over to a pond, where they caught some trout for dinner. Meanwhile, their dads learned how to nymph, Southern Appalachian style, and caught about 15 fish apiece over the course of the day. We lost a few bruisers, but everyone landed a trout over 17 inches. The next day, Justin and Mark took the boys on a canoe trip down to Hannah Ford. I'm sure the whole adventure will provide fond memories for the parents and kids for years to come.
April arrived with still more rain, but that wasn't about to stop Tom L. from Tallahassee from going fishing on the 3rd. I took Tom over to the East Fork, where we did some casting instruction and flipped a bunch of rocks while we discussed "matching the hatch." We found some pretty cool bugs, including a giant Pteronarcys stonefly nymph that was as long as my ring finger! Tom hooked and landed three trout on his first five casts, so I had a feeling it was going to be a good day. It turned out better than just good - it was sheer trout-catching anarchy. In one pool, Tom landed 10 brook trout on 10 drifts. We tried it all -- dead-drifting, swinging flies, stripping streamers -- and it all worked. The dry fly fishing wasn't great, because the constant rain kept knocking our flies underwater, but the nymph fishing was sensational. I'm not a fish counter, but suffice it to say that if the regulations weren't catch-and-release, Tom could have fed a small Third World family with what he landed.
On April 4, I had the pleasure of taking out two of my favorite repeat clients, William M. and Art D. from Birmingham, AL to the private waters. These fellas are hilarious and had me in stitches the whole trip! Things started off promising, with both guys landing a handful of 12-15" rainbows on a variety of nymphs and attractor patterns. There were Quill Gordons coming off (they were #16s, which is pretty small for that species) and a few Blue Quills; the fish were definitely looking for them. When we moved upstream, where the current was rushing through narrow sluices and runs, the fishing got increasingly difficult. Both men landed some nice trout, but it took lots of good drifts to get strikes. We lunched on the porch of the old cabin, safe from the pelting rain, and talked about Alabama politics, golf, fishing gear and former bosses. When we returned to the river, it was definitely running higher and slightly dirtier. We landed another 4 or 5 fish apiece, had quite a few fish come unbuttoned, and ended the day after the rushing flow became too difficult to fish. Besides, it was time for everyone to dry out and have a cold beer.
This month should continue to provide good-to-excellent fishing, as the water temperatures are hovering in the mid-50s, which is the ideal feeding range for trout. Moreover, some of our best hatches, including the March Browns and Hendricksons, are about to start. If you're interested in a guided trip, either on our private waters or one of the fantastic public streams in our area, give us a call at 828-877-3106.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Spring (and Rain) Is Here!
It was only a few months ago we were bemoaning our drought conditions, but how quickly things change! According to state rainfall records, the southern mountains of NC have seen 1.26 inches more precip than normal over the last month, though we're still 13 inches down for the year. Fortunately, NOAA's "U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook" for March through May predicts that "drought is likely to improve, impacts ease" throughout the Appalachians. It's pouring here at the shop as I write this, and the French Broad and Davidson Rivers have not dropped below their normal (median) flows in weeks. All good news for trout anglers, especially heading into the height of our best spring fishing.
We've enjoyed the fruits of all this rain during our guide trips thus far in March. On the 6th, I took Dickie B. from Louisiana out to a local Delayed Harvest stream and we pretty much caught fish at will all day, except for a few places where we got in directly behind someone. It was a beautiful spring day in the high 50s and the fish really turned on in the afternoon, when the water temperatures climbed a few degrees. The water was cranking thanks to a major flood event the day before that brought the French Broad mainstem in Rosman up to 4,000 c.f.s.! But the river dropped quickly, and the high waters scoured out a lot of the sand and sediment that had built up in some of the bigger pools. We lengthened our leaders, crimped on a ton a splitshot and just kept casting. Dickie landed a huge brook trout with a vibrant orange belly at our first stop, and consistently landed 10-12" rainbows throughout the day. A Morrish Hotwire Caddis was the fly du jour, although we caught fish on black beaded Princes, PTs and Mercer's Trigger nymphs, too. Dickie owns several restaurants back home and I was pleased that he thought my homemade turkey sandwiches were up to snuff.
On the 8th, I went fishing with Darrell B. from Highlands/Atlanta on the Davidson. The water level was the best it's looked in a long time and the rocks had that freshly scoured look that they get after a big flood event. Darrell landed about a dozen fish, including a 20-inch brown, on a variety of midge patterns, and broke off at least that many on 6X. Not bad for a guy who has fly fished only three times. We even got to fish some dries late in the day, when a bunch of BWOs starting drifting downstream. With the water as high as it was, the drifts were difficult, but Darrell eventually got the hang of mending and stuck a few fish on Hi-Vis Baetis parachutes and Comparaduns before we had to call it a day. I fished the D on my own several times since the water came up and it has done me right each time. I got into a killer Quill Gordon hatch on the 9th, where the fish would only eat nymphs and emergers but never really came up to eat a dry. But I landed four fish over 17 inches that day, and a handful of 12-15 inchers. None of these came from the hatchery stretch, by the way, where I've witnessed some truly unethical fishing practices in the last few months. There's one guy who spends hours doing the San Juan Shuffle and fishing straight downstream to fish eating the midge larva and other bugs he kicks up, often hooking fish right at his feet. If you did that kind of thing on the San Juan or the Frying Pan in Colorado, you'd be tarred and feathered by fellow anglers, but somehow the local hatchery crowd seems to tolerate such cheating. What ever happened to the concept of "fair chase?" On a happier note, the flood waters blew out some trees and log jams on the D, opening up some new water.
Rain was in the forecast yet again as guide Freddie Raines took Chris F. from Chicago over to the East Fork on the 15th. Chris works for a company that has offices in Charlotte, so he made a long weekend out of his business trip and drove on up. He and Freddie got about four hours on the river before lightning started zig-zagging and thunder boomed. They high-tailed it back to the shop and hung out next to the woodstove, while Freddie showed him how to tie some knots. Unfortunately, the rain and thunder only got worse, so that was it for fishing. But Chris had a great time and caught a bunch of nice trout, including a chunky rainbow that broke him off and then ate another of Freddie's nymphs several drifts later! There's nothing a guide loves more than retrieving lost flies.
We had to cancel or postpone a few trips on the 16th due to still more heavy rain, but David and Martha M. from Florida were able to re-schedule their trip on our private waters for the 17th, when the day dawned sunny and temps climbed into the upper 50s. This was David's second trip to our leased water, but Marty's first time and she gave the fish up there a run for their money! She landed the first fish of the day, a 12" wild rainbow that jumped twice, on a PT nymph, and then hooked a tank that sat on the bottom like a rock and refused to budge. When it finally succumbed to rod pressure, the fish took off downstream and wrench the hook out. Bummer! David hooked (and eventually lost) three monsters at the first pool we fished, including a 19-inch beast of a rainbow that used the fast-flowing current to pull out, but we netted two good rainbows in the 15-inch class. At the next pool, David and Marty both landed a nice rainbow and David hauled in a beautiful wild brown of 12" on a Hogan's S&M nymph. BWOs, brown stones, and the occasional Quill Gordon were starting to fly at this point, but the water was cooking and we had to get our drifts just perfect to get strikes. Several fish tore downstream into whitewater and pulled off, but that's the price you pay for fishing in high water, I guess. We broke for lunch and then returned to one of my favorite spots on the private waters, where Marty jumped a huge rainbow that spit the fly and then successfully landed two more. Meanwhile, David netted a pink-flanked 17-inch bow and numerous smaller fish that fought like twice their size. This trip was a birthday present from Marty and from the grin on his face at day's end, he had an excellent B-day!
On the 18th, Dan and George H. from Nashville enrolled in our 3-Hour School of Trout, and despite a 30% rain chance and predictions of 59 degree temps, we ended up casting in drizzling rain and 43 degrees. (Are you seeing a trend here?) Anyhow, they were troopers, especially George, a 5th grader on spring break who was suffering from a cold. We got to fish a stocked pond towards the end of the school and George landed three 12-inch rainbows, besting his Dad's two trout. We lunched together on some delicious hot chili with cornbread and then learned some knots by the warmth of the fire. All in all, not a bad way to spend a chilly, rainy day in the mountains of North Carolina.
We've enjoyed the fruits of all this rain during our guide trips thus far in March. On the 6th, I took Dickie B. from Louisiana out to a local Delayed Harvest stream and we pretty much caught fish at will all day, except for a few places where we got in directly behind someone. It was a beautiful spring day in the high 50s and the fish really turned on in the afternoon, when the water temperatures climbed a few degrees. The water was cranking thanks to a major flood event the day before that brought the French Broad mainstem in Rosman up to 4,000 c.f.s.! But the river dropped quickly, and the high waters scoured out a lot of the sand and sediment that had built up in some of the bigger pools. We lengthened our leaders, crimped on a ton a splitshot and just kept casting. Dickie landed a huge brook trout with a vibrant orange belly at our first stop, and consistently landed 10-12" rainbows throughout the day. A Morrish Hotwire Caddis was the fly du jour, although we caught fish on black beaded Princes, PTs and Mercer's Trigger nymphs, too. Dickie owns several restaurants back home and I was pleased that he thought my homemade turkey sandwiches were up to snuff.
On the 8th, I went fishing with Darrell B. from Highlands/Atlanta on the Davidson. The water level was the best it's looked in a long time and the rocks had that freshly scoured look that they get after a big flood event. Darrell landed about a dozen fish, including a 20-inch brown, on a variety of midge patterns, and broke off at least that many on 6X. Not bad for a guy who has fly fished only three times. We even got to fish some dries late in the day, when a bunch of BWOs starting drifting downstream. With the water as high as it was, the drifts were difficult, but Darrell eventually got the hang of mending and stuck a few fish on Hi-Vis Baetis parachutes and Comparaduns before we had to call it a day. I fished the D on my own several times since the water came up and it has done me right each time. I got into a killer Quill Gordon hatch on the 9th, where the fish would only eat nymphs and emergers but never really came up to eat a dry. But I landed four fish over 17 inches that day, and a handful of 12-15 inchers. None of these came from the hatchery stretch, by the way, where I've witnessed some truly unethical fishing practices in the last few months. There's one guy who spends hours doing the San Juan Shuffle and fishing straight downstream to fish eating the midge larva and other bugs he kicks up, often hooking fish right at his feet. If you did that kind of thing on the San Juan or the Frying Pan in Colorado, you'd be tarred and feathered by fellow anglers, but somehow the local hatchery crowd seems to tolerate such cheating. What ever happened to the concept of "fair chase?" On a happier note, the flood waters blew out some trees and log jams on the D, opening up some new water.
Rain was in the forecast yet again as guide Freddie Raines took Chris F. from Chicago over to the East Fork on the 15th. Chris works for a company that has offices in Charlotte, so he made a long weekend out of his business trip and drove on up. He and Freddie got about four hours on the river before lightning started zig-zagging and thunder boomed. They high-tailed it back to the shop and hung out next to the woodstove, while Freddie showed him how to tie some knots. Unfortunately, the rain and thunder only got worse, so that was it for fishing. But Chris had a great time and caught a bunch of nice trout, including a chunky rainbow that broke him off and then ate another of Freddie's nymphs several drifts later! There's nothing a guide loves more than retrieving lost flies.
We had to cancel or postpone a few trips on the 16th due to still more heavy rain, but David and Martha M. from Florida were able to re-schedule their trip on our private waters for the 17th, when the day dawned sunny and temps climbed into the upper 50s. This was David's second trip to our leased water, but Marty's first time and she gave the fish up there a run for their money! She landed the first fish of the day, a 12" wild rainbow that jumped twice, on a PT nymph, and then hooked a tank that sat on the bottom like a rock and refused to budge. When it finally succumbed to rod pressure, the fish took off downstream and wrench the hook out. Bummer! David hooked (and eventually lost) three monsters at the first pool we fished, including a 19-inch beast of a rainbow that used the fast-flowing current to pull out, but we netted two good rainbows in the 15-inch class. At the next pool, David and Marty both landed a nice rainbow and David hauled in a beautiful wild brown of 12" on a Hogan's S&M nymph. BWOs, brown stones, and the occasional Quill Gordon were starting to fly at this point, but the water was cooking and we had to get our drifts just perfect to get strikes. Several fish tore downstream into whitewater and pulled off, but that's the price you pay for fishing in high water, I guess. We broke for lunch and then returned to one of my favorite spots on the private waters, where Marty jumped a huge rainbow that spit the fly and then successfully landed two more. Meanwhile, David netted a pink-flanked 17-inch bow and numerous smaller fish that fought like twice their size. This trip was a birthday present from Marty and from the grin on his face at day's end, he had an excellent B-day!
On the 18th, Dan and George H. from Nashville enrolled in our 3-Hour School of Trout, and despite a 30% rain chance and predictions of 59 degree temps, we ended up casting in drizzling rain and 43 degrees. (Are you seeing a trend here?) Anyhow, they were troopers, especially George, a 5th grader on spring break who was suffering from a cold. We got to fish a stocked pond towards the end of the school and George landed three 12-inch rainbows, besting his Dad's two trout. We lunched together on some delicious hot chili with cornbread and then learned some knots by the warmth of the fire. All in all, not a bad way to spend a chilly, rainy day in the mountains of North Carolina.
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Mikey likes it!
Even photographers occasionally get to fish, as Michael Justus proved with this scrappy rainbow
