Summertime & the Fishing Ain't Easy

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,
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