A lot of people look at the summertime as a time to play and in tube in the rivers of western North Carolina. Not realizing what a great fishing opportunity they are missing. While the great hatches of May have given way to hot humid days of June, the fishing is still great, if you fish at the right time of day with the right flies.

The best trout fishing in the summertime occurs in early morning and late afternoon. Stoneflies will emerge most of the summer in the late evenings through the night. Anglers wanting to cash in on large trout actively looking for food need to fish from first light to about 11 am with stonefly imitations like a Kevin’s Stonefly, Bill’s Provider or Superfly. What most anglers do not realize is that a stonefly inhabits the deep clear runs and then crawls out on the surrounding rocks and hatches from its case and flies off. So true stone flies are only available to trout as a nymph or as a dry that gets blown back into the stream. Yet I see countless fishermen using dry stonefly imitations and wondering why the fish are not taking them. The trick to being successful with your stonefly imitations is to fish them on the bottom of the river. If you are not bouncing on the bottom then you are not in the zone where the trout are looking for stoneflies.

If you have to fish in the middle of the day, then terrestrials are the fly of choice. Ants, beetles, and worms are mainstay of a trout’s diet in the summertime. These patterns can be exceptionally effective after a light afternoon thunderstorm when the rain tends to knock a lot of ants and inchworms into the river. Anglers wanting to capitalize on this should cast there flies up under the overhanging limbs and bushes where the trout will be waiting on any morsel to drop into there feeding lane. The best flies are furry foam inchworms, green leaf hoppers, The Hot Creek Special, Texas Piss Ant and Kevin’s Caterpillar.

If you get caught fishing after a large storm and the water is high and muddy. Remember that trout have difficulty seeing your fly in the water so they have to find it by feeling it. Large black or other dark colored flies, with large rubber legs or flies tied out of marabou or rabbit strips are the most effective. The best flies are size 2-4 bunny leeches or bitch creek nymphs. The most common mistake I hear of in muddy water situations is that people try and fish 5-6x tippet. With muddy water trout cannot see your tippet, if you switch to 10-12 pound test fluorocarbon this will save a lot of heartache when you hook that monster trout.

In low clear summertime water trout are especially spooky, anglers should watch their wading being certain not to kick rocks, or run waves through calm holes of water. These vibrations will spook trout well in advance of the angler.

Good Fishing

By Kevin Howell

Owner and Guide Davidson River Outfitters

How to Tie the Near Nuff from Bill Strickland on Vimeo.

Early spring brings a lot of life to the streams of WNC, not only fishermen but insects and increased metabolism in the trout. Here are some helpful tips to make the most of your next early spring trip.

1. While the fish are far more active than they have been in the last couple of weeks the water is still really cool (ok almost cold). Fish are still lethargic in the morning and evening hours. So fish slow and do not be in a big hurry.
2. Rising fish (or what we perceive to be rising fish) are often eating emerger’s just under the surface of the water rather than duns. Before casting to the rise with a dry fly look to see if the fishes head is breaking the surface or if it is his back. I was fishing with Dave Hughes last week when we encountered rising fish we switched flies to a dry and no takers about 5 minutes later we switched to a soft hackle pheasant tail with no shot and fished just below the surface and caught a lot of nice fish.
3. Mid day is still more productive than early morning and late evening. For at least the next couple of weeks the fish will still prefer to feed in the middle part of the day when the water is at its warmest. Once the water reaches 52 and stays there overnight then the fishing will be good in the early morning.
4. For at least the next couple of weeks dark colored flies will out produce light colored flies. Typically I fish a lot of Parachutes Adam’s, Pheasant Tail’s, Kevin’s Stoneflies, and dark colored caddis or small black stimulators.
5. Fish larger tippets, and land more fish. In the spring the fish have had the winter off and the water flows are generally higher. SO fish have to make an immediate decision eat the bug or watch it go by. I have always fished higher tippet sizes in the spring because of this, usually 4-5x. With the advances that have been made in fluorocarbon tippets I can even do a larger size. Last year I never fished any tippet smaller than 5x fluorocarbon and have found my self fishing 3-4x fluorocarbon and catching more fish because I am not breaking fish off as much as I did with the lighter tippets.

The Gary Loomis Story Part 1, complete from Sam Root on Vimeo.

Well, winter has finally arrived in the mountains; the fishing however is still decent. But you can get into real trouble, if you are not dressed properly. Here are some things that I do for winter fishing that will help you stay warm and safe.

1. Dress in layers. this way you can take layers off as the day gets warmer and you will still be warm in the am.
2. Wear fleece or wool. that way if you get wet they will retain your warmth.
3. Always carry matches or a device to start a fire. I typically carry a railroad flare, even when wet it can start a fire. If you fall in the winter you have roughly half as long as the water temperature before hypothermia sets in. So if you or your fishing partner falls in, get out on the bank, start a fire to stay warm, and dry your clothes.
4. Keep you head and hands warm. Most of the body’s heat is lost through the head, so wear a toboggan, watch cap, or Elmer Fudd Hat (bombers hat). Use fleece or wool gloves with only the fingers that you need to use cut out. Most people leave the stream because their hands are cold, a little preventative measure will enable you to fish that much longer!
5. Keep your feet warm. wear heavy wool or fleece socks under neoprene boots, but be sure that they wick moisture away from your feet. If not, the moisture will make your feet cold. Also be sure to wear loose fitting boots, boots that are too tight will cut off the circulation to your feet resulting in cold feet.

The decision to hire a guide is sometimes a hard one, but it is also a great way to learn new water or methods. It is also a way to safely navigate new water. However, if you have ever hired many guides I am sure that you have had, what I commonly call, “the trip from Hell, with said guide at the helm. Here are five things that you should look for to ensure a quality guide. In the next edition, I will address five things that you need to do for your guide to ensure that you have a good trip.

1. Does your guide have a reputation? The fly fishing industry is a very small place and you are only a couple of introductions away from anyone that you want to know. Find out if any of your buddies have ever fished with the guide, or has ever heard of him. Chances are if he or she is a good guide then someone you know has fished with them or at least heard of the business they are with.
2. Book your guide well in advance. I am not talking about a week, I am talking about 6 months, it is not uncommon for Walker or I to have clients scheduled anywhere from 6 months to one year in advance. The best guides go first, the longer you wait the less the chance that you are going to get the guide that you want.
3. Never book the cheapest guide in the area. Usually there are several guides in a given area, most of which are close colleagues. Therefore their prices will be similar, the guy with the lowest price, (you know the one with the low ball bid) is probably a fly by night operation. Or is trying to book trips with no thought of long term stability or you returning as a client. It is just like the car dealer with the cheapest parts – you are going to get what you pay for.
4. When looking to book trips in foreign countries find out if you guide speaks English or if you need to have a basic understanding of their language. There is nothing worse than blowing a large fish because you could not communicate with your guide. Some of the best guides in Central America speak little English, but they are the guy’s you want to fish with – so be sure you can speak a little Spanish.
5. If you are going to be fishing in the big blue pond then be sure that the guide’s boat is appropriate for the conditions that you are going out in. For instance a Panga is a great boat for Central America, but I do not want to fish out of Panga off of Hatteras in November for Stripers.

Don’t forget to check out the Davidson River Outfitters booth at the Charlotte, NC Flyfishing & Wing shooting Show January 29 & 30th. We are going to have all kinds of great deals on gear, flies, DRO rods, and Kevin Howell’s Southern Appalachian Flies. We will also have a raffle for a free unguided trip on our Private Water located on the Davidson River. For more information check the link below.

Look forward to seeing you there!

http://www.flyfishingshow.com/Charlotte__NC.html

Limay Minnow from Bill Strickland on Vimeo.