March 18, 2017

March Madness is well underway and the weather thinks it is a 16 seed trying to knock off a 1 seed this week when it comes to the weather.  The fishing is matching the excitement of the NCAA Men's Tournament right now with clients and local anglers landing some great fish!

It started raining about 10 PM Friday evening and it is still raining this morning but it looks like it should subside in the early afternoon.  What a welcome site the rain is and it will go along way in helping stream levels in our beautiful mountains.  A friend of mine fished some smaller headwaters last week and he was expressing grave concerns about how low water levels are compared to years past.

The Tuckasegee River in Jackson County is running at 48 cfs at 7 AM but Duke is scheduled to release flow from the East Fork starting at 8 AM.  That flow increase should not reach South River Road until lunch time.  If the water is a bit off colored the browns should be active and I would strip some larger streamers.  Many other nymphs should work as the trout seem to have been feeding nicely all week.

Remember that Hatchery Supported Waters are closed until the first Saturday in April and those streams are marked with a white diamond shaped sign with a green stripe in the center.  You can find a complete stream listing at www.ncwildlife.org under the fishing links.  Remember to report violations.

Always feel free to call the shop or stop by.  We have received lots of nice new tying materials and threads to aid in tying that special pattern.

Tight Lines!

****The following is a statement from Duke Energy concerning a repair at Bear Lake****

01-MAR-17 To facilitate an unplanned outage at the Bear Creek Hydro Station, Duke Energy plans to lower Bear Creek Lake to 75 ft., beginning Friday, March 3, 2017. It will take approximately one week to lower the lake and another week to complete the maintenance work. Duke Energy should begin re-filling the lake on Monday, March 27, 2017. The time necessary to refill the lake is based on the weather and precipitation. Updated lake levels are available any time at http://www.duke-energy.com/lakes/levels.asp and at 800-829-5253.