August 28, 2017

We are in need of some rain but the cooler weather is a welcome sight.  Fishing for wild fish is still pretty good but you really need to be on your A-game.  I was able to take some pretty good trout last week in the GSMNP on dries and a few Frenchies.

Watch your drifts pretty close and try to avoid spooking the fish and your chances will go up.  Any false move or a kicked stone could make a good hole non-productive.  Hey it is fishing!  I was able to sneak up on a few Brook trout and they were eager to take Messer's Smoky Mountain Caddis #12.  The one to the right was very energetic leaping and pulling like a much larger trout.  This guy was caught and release at about 3100 feet.

Rainbows got in on the action as well.  I took them on the Caddis as well as a #16 Frenchies with an Olive Brown collar.  The strike was very subtle so I was setting hook at any slight line stoppage.  The Browns were not interested that day but others took some good browns.  I also observed some tiny stones on the rocks and also we are starting to see some cased caddis form on the boulders. 


Inch worms were hanging and we are seeing some woolly worms in the area.  The mornings are a bit cooler and the fishing for me got good between 11 and 2 this particular day.  Watch leader and tippet sizes and maintain a good drag fee drift as this should increase your chances for a strike.

I did make sure to get the trout released very quickly so no harm was done while taking photos.  Watch the death grips since you are squeezing the vital organs of the trout.

Tight Lines!

August 22, 2017

The eclipse has come and went and what a spectacular event it was!  Downtown Sylva was full of wonderful people from all over the USA and we had a chance to meet many of them.  Our town staff, department of transportation, law enforcement, emergency management, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, TDA, and all of the volunteers did a wonderful job.  In fact many of the visitors talked about coming back to the area in the future.

We was pretty busy guiding almost everyday last week.  The small mouth bite was good as well as the wild trout.  Good numbers and a few larger Rainbows and Browns were landed by clients in the local area.  Trout were taken on dry flies and some were taken on nymphs. 

Oconaluftee Stonefly

Stoneflies were everywhere on the Oconaluftee River Friday and Saturday.  I found this guy Friday morning while guiding and you can see this one is becoming an adult.  The rocks were littered with numerous casings ranging from 3/4 of an inch to 2 inches in length Friday and Saturday.  We had good success throwing larger dry flies and nymphs in this area of the water.

Yellow Sallies worked well Sunday as we came across a hatch of these little beauties.  If you keep a keen eye mother nature will tell you what to use.  Cased caddis are stating to cover the rocks in many locations and ants and beetles are still working well.

Try downsizing fly size and tippet size if you are experiencing short strikes.  Really focus on trout holding and feeding lanes to increase your number of fish catching opportunities.

Tight Lines!

August 16, 2017

I have been away for a bit traveling and doing some speaking engagements last week but I did get sometime to fish and also look at some new Orvis gear that will hitting the market in the future.

I spoke to the Buckeye United Fly Fishers in Cincinnati Ohio last week about our wonderful waters.  Several of the club members fish the Tuckasegee but I wanted them to know that we have so much more to offer.  We had a great meal and the crowd was great.  The fellowship was top notch and they have a portable library where you can check out books and such.  New members are given some nice items as they welcome them to the club.

I was impressed with the amount of volunteer work that this group of women and men do.  They help with many organizations as well as children.  They was coordinating a river cleanup when I was up on the Little Miami River.  Check out their website, http://www.buckeyeflyfishers.com/index.asp for more information about this great group.

I also had a chance to cast the new Helios 3 or H3 for short in the 9'5wt.  The H3F is designed for cast 60' and in which covers most of our fishing.  The H3D is for distance and power and this rod surprised me.  I think that I would have to use this one here.

Orvis also has a new Ultralight wading system that was tops at ICAST.  The waders are super functional and the boots are very similar to a trail hiker that you might wear while hiking Palmer Creek Trail.

I will do a blog post about all the new gear on our website soon.

The fishing has been good despite the rainfall that we have gotten.  Water levels are good and the temperatures are holding steady.  Dry fly action has been good with patterns like Messer's Mountain Caddis, Stimulators in Orange and yellow, and the favorite Palmer ties.  I could have limited out in about 15 minutes the other day, but I released since we was not eating any that evening.  I also kept the trout in my net submerged in the water so the fish are not stressed.  I am seeing so many grip and grin photos and honestly that is alarming to me.

Tight Lines!

August 12, 2017

Rain, rain, and more rain has pounded us the past few days making water levels high and dingy. The rain is a welcome site but a break so water levels can level out would be great.  I was talking to a friend who has been in Big Creek and he was saying that some of the river was not fishable due to water levels.  The tail waters are flowing very high so it looks like it may be a washout today.

I just got back form Cincinnati and let me tell you, they come a long ways to fish our waters!  The Buckeye United Fly Fishers Club was very welcoming to Blackrock Outdoor Company and Orvis Fly Shop.  We had a great evening of discussion and fellowship and we are looking forward to seeing them here real soon.

Tight Lines!

August 7, 2017

The rain has made its way into the North Carolina mountains and it looks like it will be here most of the week.  We are in need of some rain and I am not expecting huge downpours so the stream levels should be fishable if you gear up properly.

I have to admit fishing was a bit slow yesterday as I only landed two trout.  The trout landed was a nice Brook and the other a good healthy Brown so you could say I was after quality.  I got several short strikes and I changed everything except for my rod.  We did have the front coming in and I did not get on the water at first light so that was probably the issue.

Orange has still produced trout most of last week.  I would certainly stick with an Orange Stimulator or Orange Palmer.  I did see a few orange flies last evening as well as a few Yellow Stones.  I am also seeing some large hoppers so don't forget the terrestrials.

All in all I think that after this rain moves out the fishing will be pretty good.  It will certainly help water levels and cool the water off a bit.

Tight Lines!