Summer Arrives With A Bang

Summer has arrived with a bang, marshalling in unseasonably warm temperatures and high humidity. We've already hit the 90-degree mark here, which we usually don't reach until late July or August. So we've been wet-wading (just neoprene socks and felt-soled boots) for two weeks already, even on higher elevation streams like those in the Shining Rock Wilderness. The heat seems to have put a damper on mid-day hatches of bugs like Light Cahills and yellow sallies, which have slid back until close to dusk. Nymph fishing remains good, though, especially early and late in the day.

However, that doesn't mean you can't coax fish to eat a dry when the sun is high in the sky. Attractor dries like Lime Humpies (#12-#16), Hopper Stones (#10-#12), Thunderheads (#12-#14) and Mr. Rapidans (#10-#16) will draw fish up if they're well-presented, with no drag, particularly in pocket water and faster runs. This is going to be a banner summer for terrestrials, too. We have more hoppers in the field next to our private water than we've seen in five seasons there. Also, if you live in the South, you've probably heard about the gigantic numbers of cicadas that are awakening from their 13-year slumber underground. They emerge when soil temps reach 64 degrees. Get ready for trout to start slurping these inch-long monster bugs! This has also been a prodigious year for inchworms, which seem to dangle from every tree.

Meanwhile, if you get on the water an hour before dark, there are a lot of aquatic insects coming off at dusk, including sulphurs, yellow sallies, and even some Yellow and Green Drakes on the siltier stretches of the Davidson, West Fork and North Fork. A parachute dry fly in cream or yellow, or a rubber-legged yellow Stimulator, in a #12-#14 will cover multiple bases. We are happy to accomodate folks who want to fish these early evening hatches by starting our guide trips later (typically around noon) and thereby finish up right around dusk, when the best hatches are coming off. Keep in mind that afternoon thundershowers can put a damper on any topwater action late in the date. However, they also cool things down and a decent amount of rain usually ramps up the nymph fishing success, so it's often worth it even if the hatch doesn't come off as planned.

Although the early heat isn't great news, so far it hasn't hampered the fishing much, especially on our private waters and smaller wild streams at higher elevations. Now that Delayed Harvest is officially over until fall, it pays to focus on the wild, unstocked waters if you want to avoid the crowds. The West Fork has been producing lots of 9 to 12-inch wild rainbows and browns. Avery Creek, Looking Glass and Courthouse have all been fishing well, so when things get too hot or crowded on the Big 'D', slide over to a small stream with your 3-weight and you'll have a blast. And don't forget smallmouth fishing! Michael Sprouse tells me that the smallie action on the French Broad is heating up nicely, as long as afternoon thundershowers don't muddy it up.

Tight lines,
Than