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Week of May 12 Average Water Temperature : 50-60
Degrees Fahrenheit
With rain this past weekend, our streams will be running at the optimal levels for the fish and the bug activity should increase over the next few days. With warmer temperatures on the horizon, consider carrying your mayflies on the river with you. March Browns and Quill Gordons should begin appearing at the onset of the warmer temperatures. The fish will quickly take any of these bugs as they begin to hatch and may even ignore small nymphs that have worked well in the recent past. Blue winged olives and small black stoneflies have been great flies on nearly all of our streams and caddis patterns are fishing well too. Tippet should be set at 6-7X and flourocarbon should still be the choice of those fishing under the surface. Davidson River: The river is flowing full and the fish are certainly content with the level of water. When searching for fish, consider the low pressure areas like eddies, sides of fast runs, and the bottom of deep pools. Stonefly nymphs have been working well along with the standard mayfly nymphs and some midge larvae. Caddis larvae are in the water as well so be sure to give your favorite caddis pattern a try. We recommend fishing at least 6X tippet yet 7X tippet will likely yield more fish. If you have taken the winter off from fishing, now is the time to really make an effort to get back on the water. The best fishing will be in the middle of the day as the water temperature will be the warmest. As usual, Fish can be taken on the surface with #24 or #26 Tan or Gray Midges and #20 Parachute Adams are another set of options. Sub-surface try a small (#22 or smaller) olive or black midge larvae, small (#18 or smaller) caddis larvae, non-beaded pheasant tails and prince nymphs. It's very unlikely that you'll see any hatches but a few caddis may still be lingering for the rest of the month. If you're tired of fishing really tiny flies, consider a larger stonefly pattern (#8-12) in black or brown. These flies will work better in the lower river but there's no reason they shouldn't have a shot at the Hatchery. More often than not, the fish have seen your flies if they have drifted in front of them. Be sure to use fluorocarbon tippet in sizes from 5X - 8X. These fish see a lot of flies and they will not feed on heavy tippet. As for the lower river, Hatchery Supported stocking has begun and there are fish to be had there too. Sporadic mayfly hatches have been observed but mainly in the evenings. Consider fishing imitations of small Caddis, Black and Brown Stoneflies, and Blue Winged Olive patterns. Delayed Harvest Rivers: Delayed Harvest waters are fishing extremely well and stockings have occurred in all rivers. Our guide service has had numerous 20+ fish days and the shop has the fly patterns for success. Due to the popularity of these streams don't expect to be fishing by yourself and be courteous to your fellow anglers. Stocking quantity was a full load as the water levels and temperatures are more suitable for the fish. Small beadhead nymphs in sizes 16-22 will work on most of the fish. Use an attractor nymph like an egg or a san juan worm to get the fish's attention. Because of the water levels, fluorocarbon tippet down to 6x is a good idea as well. French Broad River: With an oustanding season, the bronzebacks have headed deep to their wintering holes. Look to find fish in the slowest and deepest water with a decent current. Reports have been coming in that the smallies are on the move from their winter spots to the riffles and runs looking to feed on any baitfish. Although spinfishing is outperforming flyfishing, baitfish streamer patterns and crayfish patterns have been turning more heads than any other flies we've tried. Backcountry: Small streams are currently fishing in the decent range however the fishing will improve as the air temperature increases. Look for days with a warmer than average night-time low and the fishing the next day should be memorable. Attractor dry fly patterns and dark stonefly nymphs are the flies of choice this time of year. Click here for NC Streamflow Levels Tuckaseegee River: The river has
received a full stocking and is fishing well. The river should yield good quantities
on both rainbow and brook trout however the brown's are always a
little more difficult to come by. Consider fishing an attractor nymph
(#10-#14) and then a more realistic and small mayfly or caddis pattern (#16-22).
Flies to consider taking with you are olive woolly buggers, eggs,
san juan worms, rubber leg large nymphs, small pheasant tails, small
prince nymphs, and some zebra midges as well. Click here for Tuckasegee Release Schedule South Holston River: Fishing good as usual. Only notable hatches are the BWO's and midges with a few early sulphurs. Black flies are also abundant, but midges and BWO's seem to be the preferred local fare. For flies, consider #20 gray or olive scuds, #22-24 black brook's sprout midge, #22 griffith's gnat, #22-26 black fly larvae. For The Sulphurs you'll need #16-20 comparaduns and CDC Biot Spinners, #20 tungsten pheasant tails, and #16 -20 Tungsten PMD split back nymphs. We're starting to see the BWO's begin their fall hatch and it'd be wise to carry both sulphurs and olives when you're on the water. Swing by the shop to find some of these patterns before your next trip to the greatest Southern trout stream. Make sure you check the generation schedule each evening after 5 p.m. for the following day for more up to date releases. Click here for South Holston Release Schedule Watauga River: The rainbows are feeding aggresively for their spawning runs so now is the time to have an excellent day in terms of both size and numbers. The trophy section is fishing great. Rainbows in the 14"-18" range are being caught with regularity. Consider throwing an attractor nymph rig with a big, bright point fly and the a more realistic and smaller baetis, caddis, or midge nymph beneath. Both BWO's and some caddis have been hatching in the afternoons but you'll need to catch the weather right to do well fishing on the surface - look for cloudy, rainy, or snowy days for the best dry fly fishing. Overall, the fishing has been quite exceptional as of late and some very nice fish have been caught on our trips. Not only are the average sizes of the fish on the rise, some days the numbers are equally astounding. Consider filling your box with Baetis / BWO (#18-24), midges (#18-24), eggs (#8-12), big attractor nymphs (#8-12), pheasant tails (#18-22), and caddis nymphs (#14-18). Click here for Watauga Release Schedule
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Weekly Stream Report |
