Fall Fishing Should Be Great!

What a difference a couple of months can make! When last we blogged, all the region's meterologists were saying the three-year drought was officially over and regular rain was back in our forecast. Indeed, this spring and early summer, we had some of the best water levels (and temperatures) we've had in several years and the fishing was generally excellent. Then July's heat arrived and the afternoon thunderstorms we rely on to keep our rivers in good shape evaporated. We were back to the French Broad being about 20% of its normal flow and the Davidson was even worse. However, we muddled through the dog days and now things are once again looking up as we head into the fall season.
For one, our water temperatures are back into the 50s and 60s, depending on what elevation you fish. That's good news, because the fish are definitely happier than they were in August and early September. They're fighting longer, stronger and are putting on a more acrobatic show when hooked. They're also much less susceptible to being accidently killed by playing them too hard. Nonetheless, water levels are still substantially below where we'd like them to be and the water clarity is very clear because we haven't had any leaf fall yet (which tints things up a bit with tannic acid.) Fishing on our private waters has been tough. Almost everyone has hooked up with big fish, but landing them has been a struggle. We've put lots of the medium-sized and smaller fish in the net, though; they're just harder to fool because the water is so slow and clear. Small flies (Juju midges, small PTs and black caddis pupa in #18-#20) and ultra-light tippet (6X and 7X) seems to help a lot, but the real key - as usual - is a solid, realistic dead drift.
We've done okay on the big 'D' (we even had a 9-pound brown landed by a client on his birthday last month!) but the fishing is definitely slower than it was last year at this time, especially on the hatchery stretch. Most likely, it can be attributed to the massive amount of chow the hatchery is flushing out into the river. Apparently, the state bought some chow in bulk that the fish really don't like, because they're not eating it in the hatchery and lots of uneaten food is being deposited into the river. Fortunately, they begin to cut down on the amount of chow that's fed as the water cools, which should mean fewer "pellet hatches" as we get into fall.
Whether or not we get a big slug of tropical moisture in September, Delayed Harvest starts October 1, which means our trout fishing options open up tremendously. Hopefully the state will stock the Little River, East Fork and North Mills at normal levels this fall, rather than short-changing us like they did last year due to the drought.
Meanwhile, the early fall smallie fishing is on fire, according to drift boat guide Michael Sprouse, who had several 100-fish days around Ledges Park in early September. "The wading is great right now," Michael said. "If it is cloudy the clouser bite is amazing along with crease flies and wiggle minnows and when the sun comes out bottom bouncers are still catching them great. Anything in black, brown or olive on the bottom seems to work."