Autumnal Awesomeness

What a difference a couple of weeks can make! Seems like yesterday we were bemoaning how hot and dry it was (and how low and clear our streams were) - then, BAM, we woke up to three inches of rain and nighttime lows in the 50s! Even during the past three years of drought, October always has turned the fishing around and this coming month looks like it will be no exception. For one, we got some heavy rain this past week and our stream levels are back up. Second, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has gotten their act together at the hatchery and will be stocking better-sized fish this year in our Delayed Harvest waters. And finally, experts are calling for this to be the best fall foliage season we've had in several years. It's time to get up to the mountains and catch some trout!

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind. We took six anglers on a killer destination trip to British Columbia in August, catching gobs of 17-plus-inch Westslope cutthroats on dry flies and floating through some of the prettiest country in the northern Rockies. Upon returning from B.C., we spent the latter half of August and September guiding on a variety of streams, including our North Fork private waters, the Davidson, the West Fork and a host of backcountry brook trout streams. The fishing ranged from stellar to just okay - every day was different. The Davidson got so low that it was like fishing in a wet parking lot, so we gave it a rest throughout most of August and early September. It's still not its ol' self, but we've had customer pull some beautiful browns out of the big 'D' in the last week and a half. Midge patterns such as a #24 Don King UV midge, a #22 black Pulsating Emerger and Barr's dun Micro Emerger in #20 have been our best producers, dropped off an olive Crawling Caddis or other dark-colored caddis larva. On the lower river, we've seen a bunch of winged ant swarms during the day, so always have a #18 Delektable Flying Ant handy, in black and cinnamon.

Our private waters continue to produce the best fishing we've experienced locally. The low water has podded up the fish in the deeper holes, which means you don't have to move as much for the same number of strikes. While our water is still dominated by rainbows, we've stocked some bigger browns and more wild browns have shown up of late, since the spawn is almost upon us. We had one 15" brown come to net the other day that looked like a leopard, he was so spotted up. Drink some caffeine the morning of your trip, because the strikes are lightning fast when the water is moving slower, so you've got to be quick on the draw to hook these guys!

Our wild streams, including the South Mills and the West Fork French Broad, are fishing well and will likely get even better as the leaf fall colors up the water with tannic acid. October caddis are hatching in good numbers at night, so make sure and try an orange Stimulator or pumpkin-colored Elk Hair in the mornings, when the stragglers are around. A #12-#16 tan Fox's Caddis Poopah or Translucent Caddis Pupa is a great dropper during the afternoon hours - try swinging it or lifting slowly at the end of your drift if fish aren't eating it on the dead drift. Isonychia are also hatching in decent numbers, so give a #12 Parachute Adams a shot. We're still catching lots of fish on hoppers, especially our Headwaters Letort, though the inchworm bite seems to be over for the most part.

All our local Delayed Harvest streams will be stocked by the end of the first week of October and our guiding calendar is filling up quickly. Give us a call if you're coming to the area and want to experience a crisp, cool day on the water with one of our veteran guides.

Tight lines,
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