Streamer Mornings, Dry Fly Afternoons

As part of our School of Trout all-day class, we use a kick net to sein up bugs off the bottom of the river. I've done three classes this past week alone, and the samples we're taking tell an interesting story. Dump the sein contents into a white tray filled 1/8" deep with water, and what first catches your eye are all the Baetis nymphs, which undulate through the water by pumping their abdomens up and down. Next you notice all the clinger mayflies, which have flattened heads and thick biceps (not unlike Arnold Swarzenegger.) Some are Quill Gordons, which are coming off right now, and some are March Browns, which - despite their name - start emerging in April. Lots of stoneflies crawl through the debris, too, especially little brown ones.

All of these bugs are active right now, and the dry fly fishing is starting to get really, really good with each 60-degree day that passes. Fortunately, we've had a bunch of those recently and we are catching lots of fish on top. We fished the Davidson day before yesterday and there were fish rising steadily all day long, from the upper river above the spillway dam all the way down to the C&R boundary. A #16 black Elk Hair Caddis was the best producer, but at times when the Quill Gordons were flying, a #12 Quill Gordon dry was unbeatable. You had to get the drift absolutely perfect, though. Any drag was rejected and with so much water pushing through, a 10-foot leader was key in many places. On the East Fork, we caught numerous wild fish on 3/9 and 3/12 that were eating Blue Winged Olives on top. A #18-#20 Brooks Sprout Baetis did the trick.

Still, streamer fishing has been our bread-and-butter of late. Michael Sprouse, Freddie Raines and I all floated the Tuckaseegee River on Sunday, the 14th, our first major trip of the season down there. Despite temps in the mid-40s and a constant rain, we boated more than 60 fish and 95% of them ate a streamer. We fished Clousers, Woolly Boogers, Beldar Buggers and J.J. Specials, and all of them produced for us. Some really fine looking browns ended up in the net below Webster Bridge - they almost looked like wild fish, they were so colored up. If you want to fish from the comfort of a drift boat, anytime between now and late May is the time to book. Bring some band-aids for your stripping fingers!

Speaking of fishing streamers, our very own Michael Sprouse made it to the fishing finals of the Pisgah Fly Masters, a tournament to benefit the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. He came in fourth out of 17 or 18 professionals that competed in the casting competition, which meant he made it to the "Big Show," fishing against nine other anglers on Sunday. Fishing a top-secret streamer, he hooked and fought a 25"-plus fish for several minutes before the hook pulled out. Even his competition acknowledged it was the biggest fish hooked all morning. That's just the way it goes with fishing, competitive or not. You land some, you lose some. He'll get 'em next year! Meanwhile, he'll be oaring people down the French Broad and putting them on a bevy of smallies. Bass season is almost here and June and July weekends are already filling up.

If trout are more your thing, get up here quick. Late March/early April offer the most fishable hatches of the year. And unlike the past three years, we've got plenty of water to float a fly in!

Tight lines,
Than