Here Comes Rock-tober!

After another long summer of low rainfall and steamy temperatures, we have been looking forward to autumn for some time. Fall brings cooler temps, of course, but the fishing perks up for other reasons, too. For one, all of our Delayed Harvest streams (including the East Fork, Tuckasegee, Little River and North Mills) get stocked with fresh fish in the first week of October. Then there is another stocking by the state in early November, and the fishing doesn't suffer much even as late as Thanksgiving.
Another reason we welcome the Autumnal Equinox is that it kicks off a fresh round of hatches. We already have seen October caddis buzzing around in the mornings on our North Fork private waters. An orange Stimulator (#14-#10) may bring fish up to the surface, but it's the pupae that really seem to turn them on. Cinnamon-colored Deep Sparkle Pupas, Fox's Poopahs or even a simple Partridge-and-Orange are the best choices for dredging and swinging down-and-across. Early morning and late in the day are best, since these pumpkin-colored caddis emerge mostly at night.
We saw a ton of tiny blue-winged olives (likely Acentrellas) on the Davidson the other day while guiding. Any decent drift with a #22-#24 olive RS-2 or a Pheasant Tail nymph brought a strike, though they were lightning quick to spit it, as usual. But we can expect to see continued hatches of BWOs throughout the fall, especially on cloudy days. Isonychia mayflies, commonly known as Leadwinged Coachmans, are also coming off right now, along with a few remnant Tricos. Don't neglect the terrestrials, either. Beetle and ant imitations are still hot, even as the hopper/inchworm hatch winds down for the season after the first frost.
Probably the biggest single reason our guides look forward to fall, however, is the bump in water. We have suffered through three or four summers of below-average rainfall and at times, it was sheer torture to get fish to eat in August. Now, thanks to Hurricane Irene and the latest dump this week, our rivers are getting back in good shape again. More tropical moisture is predicted to come our way in the coming week, which is great news for our streams and those who love them.
Brook trout are on the beds up high, so we'll be putting aside the 2-weights for awhile to let them rest and reproduce without harassment. Smallmouth bass, particularly the larger fish, are moving into deeper troughs and holes as the water cools down, so our float trips will mostly shift to the Tuck or the Watauga for trout. The brown trout spawn is nearly upon us, which always produces a few whopper-jaws in October and November. Fishing streamers out of a drift boat allows you cover more water and increases your chance of hooking a trophy-class brown.
So put aside college football games for a weekend and forget about deer season for a minute, because the best trout fishing of the year is about to arrive. The tulip poplars and sourwoods are already turning here in the French Broad River valley and the best of the fall foliage season is still ahead of us. The private waters is booking up quickly for October, so don't wait until the last minute to get in on the autumnal action. This winter is predicted to be a cold, snowy one, so it may be the last opportunity to get your trout on until spring!

Tight lines,
Than