Epic Fishing Everywhere!

O.k., so you know how fishing writers (and fly shop stream reports) tend towards hyperbole. "The river is on fire!" (Really? Is it the Cuyahoga?) "We're having 60-fish days without even trying!" (If that includes suckers and warpaint shiners...) And my all-time favorite, "The fishing has been epic!" (Which means they've been catching some fish, or they have a guide named Homer.)

Well, the fishing hasn't been exactly epic, but it's been so good that I might get a little gushy writing about it. April started out with some great hatches, and they've gotten better and better, but also spottier and spottier during mid-day. Now, the best dry fly fishing has shifted to a summer-like pattern, with Cahills, yellow sallies, and sulphurs coming off best towards dusk. There are some gray-winged yellow quills popping during the day, along with the odd March Brown, lots of cream midges, giant craneflies, cinnamon caddis and yellow sallies here and there. We got into a little burst of March Brown activity around the Caddis Riffle on the North Fork the other day and it was a blast, with 10-12" browns pounding MB dries that even Mr. Magoo could see. But the Davidson has offered the most consistent dry fly fishing of late, so stake out a spot early and prepare for some company. Parachute Cahills in #16, #14-#18 Sulphur Comparaduns, and Lowe's Little Yellow Sallies have been the best producers at the witching hour.

There's not a small stream we've fished in the last month that isn't producing well right now: Looking Glass, Avery, Courthouse, the Big East Fork, the upper West Fork of the Pigeon, they're all "on fire!" Lime Humpies, yellow Turk's Tarantulas in #14 & #16 and Puterbaugh's Foam Caddises all will produce on top, while a #16-#18 tungsten Prince or SHPT is all you need down below. If you don't own a 3-weight for this blueline fishing, we've got a sweet Thomas & Thomas on sale for $368.

This is the first time in about three years that our Delayed Harvest waters held so many fish late into March and April. Whether that's due to more rain/water or better enforcement by Wildlife Resources, I don't know, but it's working to our benefit. Mac and I both ran trips on the East Fork this week and it fished great despite a lot of angling pressure. Medium-sized brook trout still dominate, with the occasional brood stock beast and even some better-sized browns this month. The Little River can't compete as far as numbers are concerned, but it got stocked with a few 20-inch browns, which have definitely gotten harder to catch as the month has worn on. We took a couple over to the West Fork of the Pigeon, across the divide, last week and the area around the Iron Bridge was brimming with stockers, so its poaching problem must have abated, too.

Our North Fork private waters have been stupendous recently, so great in fact that we're having trouble getting fish to the net some trips. They're going ballistic, streaking off like a steelhead, going airborne, thrashing around on the surface. Mac endured a torrential downpour up there last Saturday with a father-daughter pair, but the subsequent bump in water just turned the fish on even more. I've guided up there a bunch this month and people are always awed by the scenery, the quiet and the great fishing. We haven't seen conditions this good on "The Farm" since we first leased it three years ago. BTW, a gift card for a private waters trip makes a fantastic birthday/anniversary/graduation gift.

And if trout aren't your thing, the smallie and muskie fishing are heating up as well. Michael Sprouse says he's been catching some quality bass in the French Broad despite stained water. He landed 15 or 20 in a couple of hours yesterday and one went 3 pounds. Float with Michael in his Hog Island drift boat soon if you want to get in on the action. And if you've crossed permit off your life list and want the ultimate challenge of catching a muskie on the fly, Mac has a new johnboat/motor that's custom-made for the "Muskie Mile" special regulations waters. He stuck a 35-incher two weeks ago that flared its gills so hard it could probably be seen on Google Earth. EPIC!

Tight lines,
Than