This is our best fishery from November to the end of May. What a wonderful summer it has been! Weve been getting just enough rain to keep the rivers higher than years past, but still fishable. None: Lake Rhodhiss: 98.0: 97: 94: 100: ND . Smallmouth bass have always been overlooked by trout anglers, but I hope I can convince you to start targeting them if you havent already. Jerrod and his grandfather booked a trip with me on the Catawba Tailrace on March 22nd. As that temp drops the fishing will continue to get better and better. The Catawba Angler offers half day and full day bass charters on the lakes and rivers of western North Carolina. I look forward to fishing with everyone who has already scheduled a trip this season and I welcome new clients to get on our calendar. Below are some clients chasing wild fish this past month. Brown trout are at the top of every anglers list. We managed close to 20 fish to the net. I had the pleasure of taking my best friend fly fishing for the first time and we had an excellent day dry fly fishing and running nymphs under an indicator. A weighted wooly bugger will catch fish. The second stocking of trout on our local Delayed Harvest waters happens next week so that is exciting as well. Its hard to beat catching smallmouth on top water bugs. They stock some big brown, brook, and rainbow trout in Curtis so a lot of clients that we take fishing normally catch their personal best here. Ken is an avid fisherman of 40+ years who loves to explore and find new places to fish. We had a great day of fishing on the Nolichucky River and Bennett reeled in a true trophy river smallmouth. We look forward to fishing with you. Pop Em: Normally the best time to pop poppers is early morning and late evening when the sun is low. Below is a resource for some of the lakes and rivers in the state that holds bass in them. Sinkers: If you are fishing a deep run and arent catching fish its probably because your flies arent getting down fast enough. As long as the French Broad stays clear we will be on it. More than 100 years ago, the Great Falls-Dearborn Diversion Dam was built on the Catawba River for a hydroelectric plant, which created the Great Falls Dearborn Reservoir but also de-watered the 2.25-mile Long Bypass Reach below the dam. The Catawba River is a destination for many anglers who enjoy fly fishing. The smallmouth fishing around western North Carolina has been excellent since the beginning of May and will continue to be good all summer. Hatchery Supported waters opens up this Saturday so this provides some more opportunities on our float trips and wade fishing trips to catch some bigger stocked trout. These dry flies float well and you can fish multiple nymphs under them. We are currently booking smallmouth float trips now until the end of October. Catawba River Tailrace: I now do float trips to fish this great brown trou Wild trout fishing will only get better as the temps warm and we will fish the wild trout streams well into June. There is no better way to beat the heat of summer than spending a day on the water chasing smallmouth bass. The trout on the Delayed Harvest waters get extremely picky after the first two weeks after seeing a million flies and lures so its vital to downsize tippet and fish smaller flies. These fish have been in our creeks since God created the world. We throw a bunch of cinnamon ants, beetles, and grasshoppers. Towards the end of September all the way into November the smallmouth will leave their summer territories and find the deeper water again where they will stay all winter. Once the water temperature drops below 45 degrees we will solely focus on trout until the smallmouth bite picks back up in March. Here you wont find the crowds like you do on the tailwaters in East Tennessee or the Tuck. If you are looking to float a tailwater without the boat traffic give the Catawba Tailrace a try sometime between November and June. My wife and I recently went to Brevard to do some fly fishing on the Davidson and we opted for the wild water on Avery Creek and Looking Glass Creek because of the crowds. The Catawba Tailrace is fishing well and will remain consistent till early June. Catawba River Canoe Map The Catawba River begins in the foothills of North Carolina and flows for more than 200 miles through the Piedmont of North Carolina. There were lots of laughs and good times had on the lake. The best fishing has been early morning because its been abnormally hot since weve had some 90 degree days. There are a lot of June bugs out so weve been having some good luck using smaller bugs on the Toe River. While guided fishing trips are plentiful, anglers can bring their own boat or rent one if they want to fish this area. This is a great time to hit those higher elevation creeks and chase wild trout using dry flies. The delayed harvest fish on the smaller mountain creeks wont entertain trash flies so be sure to have some natural patterns readily available. Always fish the conditions. Those looking to fish the Yadkin for smallmouth bass should check out Burch Station and Yadkin Shore public fishing areas. These trips are fun because we can post up on fish and use different tactics to catch them. August is normally our hottest month here in the mountains, but weve seen some cooler temperatures as of late that has kept the smallmouth and trout bite consistent. Seasonally, North Carolina is fairly temperate. With over 15 miles of trout water and very little public access float fishing is your best bet. There might not be a lot of fish biting in the summer because of the warmer temps and the lower water levels, but throughout the rest of the year, people have pretty good luck. The USGS stream gauge at Pleasant Gardens, NC provide a good indication of current conditions in the upper Catawba River. Rainbow trout are native to the Pacific region, but were introduced to North Carolina around the 1900s. The best fishing will continue to be early morning to midday. Our water temperature is mid 70s and we are finally seeing some great topwater action. October is usually the month we see our biggest smallmouth hit our nets. The days we have been on the French Broad have been tough, but not impossible. The Catawba Angler offers family friendly fishing trips. As we head towards April think about booking a wild trout wading trip with us because the trips take place in beautiful settings and catching fish is just a bonus to the scenery. Dam Modification Spawning New Whitewater Park on the Catawba River. Tiger trout rarely exceed 8 inches, but what they look in size they make up for with their beauty. The best midge colors have been black, brown, and olive. On our trips you will be paired with an experienced guide that will do everything in their power to make sure you have a successful day on the water. Beginning in 1904, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed to harness the power of the river to provide electricity for the region. Give us a call to experience the best trout fishing of the year in western NC. After the first weekend of June fishing wont be great on the Delayed Harvest stretches because on June 4th anglers can harvest the fish. Lake James is the best bass fishing lake on the Catawba River chain and is home to both smallmouth and largemouth bass. We guide on the best smallmouth rivers in western North Carolina. The river has the quantity and the quality every bass fisherman is looking for. Smallmouth start chasing during this time and there is no better time to throw moving baits. In the winter time Im using 6-7x tippet. The state also stocks the first week of each of these months so there are a lot of fish to target in the creek. Trout fishing has been fantastic this month and will continue to be good the entire month of May! Lakes and dams provide benefits that are balanced among the individual needs of several communities. This report is going to be a little different in the sense that I am going to report on each trip and then give you the outlook for that fishery over the next month. 21 inch brown trout caught by Allen Locke. Check out the two fish below we caught in January of 2021. Our wade fishing trips take clients deep into the heart of the Pisgah National Forest. You wont be disappointed. The bigger smallmouth that call the lake home will run up the two rivers certain times of the year so its not uncommon to catch 3 to 4 pound fish in the rivers. Thanks for reading. The Pisgah National Forest surrounds Asheville and lies in 14 surrounding North Carolina counties. Hatches of Giant Stoneflies and caddis are predominant. Watch a. Be sure to check the stream conditions before heading out to fish the Catawba River. Fish over 10 pounds have been caught in Jordan Reservoir. Shallow areas and wade-in access usually mean the water gets too warm, so consider that, as well. There is nothing better than sight casting to a feeding fish with a dry fly and landing it. There was one day where the water got up to 84 degrees and we threw everything but the kitchen sink at the bass and they just werent responding. A trophy smallmouth out of the river is anything over 18. Smallmouth can be picky throughout the season that runs from March to November, but we bounce around from three different rivers to put clients in the best water to catch fish. If the bigger chubby is scaring fish when it lands on the water then put on some sort of parachute adams or caddis. Streamer fishing can be very exciting on the tailrace because you can turn and catch some very large fish. When guiding clients in the spring if you catch a smallmouth then chances will be high that there are more fish to be caught in the general area. Normally anything over a half of inch will muddy the fishery due to muddy creek. We had a great day fishing a one unit release. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. There are resident and non-resident sport fishing licenses available. Check out the fish we caught in October fly fishing Curtis Creek. After spawning these fish need to replenish their calories to obtain the weight they lost during the spawn. The brook trout directly above is a stocked fish. This was an innovative approach to a complex challenge, and our team, including the project Owner and HDR Engineering, has done an outstanding job of navigating the engineering, construction, environmental, and regulatory variables with this project, said Scott Shipley, S2O Design president and former kayak Olympian. S2O Design & Engineering heads Great Falls-Dearborn Diversion Bypass Project, design solution will open the Catawbas Long Bypass Reach for boating for the first time in over 100 years. However, in the first few hundred yards of clear water, Muddy Creek was living up to its name. There are always some big fish that hang out in those holes. The delayed harvest creeks and rivers are full of trout and will receive their second stocking the first week of April so there are plenty of great wade fishing opportunities to seek out. (West to East) All three regions boasts some excellent bass fishing in the lakes and rivers. The leaves are changing colors, the weather is ideal, and the water temperatures have dropped to a suitable level after a long summer. Be sure to check local fishing regulations before you go so that youre not fishing in a restricted area. Bennett made a beautiful cast in the deep, slack water and the fish took off with the jig. For fly fishers its hard to beat squirmy worms, mops flies, and eggs. This is when we head to the hills to chase wild fish where the water temperatures are lower and there isnt a ton of fishing pressure. If a wild fish comes up and eats your fly and you set the hook and miss. Once this happens the bite turns on. He created DIY Fly Fishing to help you do the same. The takeout ramp in Glen Alpine is currently under construction so this section of river will be shut down for two months. There is a healthy population of wild brown trout in the Davidson River so that is a good start for most anglers looking to catch one. We will go into more details about that when the time is right. Anytime you can bring a 19inch fish to the boat its a good day. The best fishing has been on the minimal flow release, but weve had great action using heavy nymphs on one or two unit generations. The French Broad River consistently produces 4 pound smallmouth year after year on our guided bass fishing trips. Fly fishing for smallmouth bass can be the most rewarding thing you can do with the long rod from Spring to Fall. Check out the three pictures below of the same fish. As mentioned above, there are several different areas that provide access in this river, including the smaller Upper area that offers wade-in access. The best method has been using dry dropper rigs using 5-6x tippet. From backcountry experiences to roadside pull offs there are plenty of trout fishing opportunities for the curious angler in North Carolina. Overall I think this July has been more productive than Ive seen in years past. Summertime is terrestrial season. There are plenty of wade fishing and float fishing opportunities available on one of the many delayed harvest streams in NC. The water temperature on the French Broad is 57 degrees. Below is a picture of my buddies Samis first trout on the fly. Our smallmouth float fishing trips take you down the river in our comfortable rafts enabling us to access areas they you cannot by foot. Spring is my favorite time to fish Curtis Creek because we get some excellent caddis, March brown, and Hendrickson hatches throughout March, April, and May. Less is more when it comes to retrieving smallmouth flies during the summer time. The brown trout that are placed in this fishery grow at a very fast rate. Dead drifting these big bugs is very similar to drifting flies to tailwater trout. Please select a lake to view more details. Spring trout fishing means higher water flows which can offer some excellent streamer fishing opportunities on the bigger tailwaters in North Carolina. The brown trout that are placed in this fishery grow at a very fast rate. The QW data at this station are operated seasonally (April 01 through November 30). Electro-shocking, a method for assessing the fish population by sending a mild electrical current through the water, reveals a significant level of natural reproduction of the trout stocked. 22 inch brown trout caught by Jim Muse. Normally a half of inch of rain in an isolated area is going to cause the creeks and rivers to present high water conditions. There is excellent dry fly fishing in the spring. Fall fishing is special because you are likely to experience some excellent dry fly fishing, nymphing, and streamer fishing all in the same day. Weve been averaging over fifty fish on every float using a variety of different methods to put fish in the net. Gage height, feet. 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