The 2011 Southeast Regional Fly Fishing Tournament was held this past weekend in the Nantahala National Forest. DRO Guide Bill Strickland finished 6th over all and will be the #2 seated angler to represtent the Southeast in the National Flyfishing Championships  which will be held in Cherokee, North Carolina.  This tournament is scheduled for  May 19th through May 22nd and will host the top 30 anglers in North America.  Stay tuned for more information.

2011 Southeast Regional Top 10

1. Randy Hanner          Team USA

2. Anthony Naranja          Team USA

3. Kurt Finlayson        Team USA

4. Josh Stephens          Team USA

5. Chris Lee          North Carolina

6. Bill Strickland          North Carolina

7. Cory Roberts          Georgia

8. Brian Katzenmair        North Carolina

9. Paul Bourcq          North Carolina

10. Kevin Lowe         Tennessee

How to tie the Improved Yaller Hammer from Bill Strickland on Vimeo.

Come joing us November 6th & 7th for the Western North Carolina Flyfishing Expo. See new products for 2011, discounts on 2010 gear, fly tying demonstrations, fly casting, and more.

http://www.wncflyfishingexpo.com/index.php

DRO Spokesman Walter Parrott has his clients displaying their trophy smallmouth for the camera. Warm temperatures and lack of rain have made the smallmouth bite as strong as ever.  Walter has reported several fish being caught over 5 lbs on top water and various baitfish patterns. 

If interested in more information on fly or spin smallmouth floats contact Walter Parrott and Walker@davidsonflyfishing.com

Hot temperatures have been consistent over much of Western North Carolina over the past 4 weeks making trout fishing very unpredictable. Fortunately for DRO Guide Bill Strickland he can still entice a big fish to  eat despite the unfavorable conditions. Fish early and stay on top with terrestrails or super small mayfly patterns. Once the clock reaches 9AM, its time to go home !

When the water gets low or warm, or you have a bright blue jay day, trout tend to get very weary and spooky. Making it more difficult, sometimes impossible, to catch fish. Here are some helpful tips for catching and approaching these spooky fish.

1. Watch your wading. Sloppy and rough wading have saved more trout than any regulation written by man. When the water is low they are even more tuned into sloppy wading. Try to wade like the Great Blue Heron, lift one foot up place it gently back on the stream bed then move the other foot in the same manner.
2. Stay out of the water. Stay as far out of the water as you can. The more waves that run over the fish the more they spook. So stay as close to the bank as possible.
3. Make every cast count. The more casts that splash down on a trout’s head or the more times you rip your line off of the surface of the water, the more fish you are spooking. So make your first cast the best one. Try to mend your cast in the air so that you are not making the mend on top of the fish in shallow water. If you have a heavy current and a lot of white water the disturbance of picking up and mending or recasting does not matter as much.
4. Watch your shadow. In low water the trout are more likely to be scooped up by large birds, Heron’s, Eagle’s and Osprey’s. They are very aware of any shadow that may come across them and dart for cover often spooking the other fish in the hole.
5. Try to fish in lower light conditions. Fishing early and late will help you in several factors; the fish feel safer and lie in slightly more open areas because they are not as visible to other predators. Also you do not have to worry about your shadow and your movements are not as accentuated by the bright sun.