These fish are selective and are not afraid to eat big flies. His smile says it all. Another notable bass fishing lake in close proximity to Falls and Jordan is Shearon Harris Lake. The bigger bugs such as caddis, cahills, hendricksons, quill gordons, stoneflies, and sulphurs begin to make their arrival in the spring so there are plenty of insects for the trout to eat. Below are some pictures from the Catawba Tailrace this May. July and August is excellent for catching smallmouth on topwater! The wild trout streams in North Carolina are fishing excellent right now. October is when the big ones come out to play. The cold water discharges from the dam create a habitat for brown trout that the NCWRC stocks every year. Area fly shops, guides and websites that can provide a Catawba River fly fishing report and update on current conditions are listed below: The state of North Carolina requires that all people who are 16 years of age and older have a valid fishing license. This is some of the most exciting fishing the Tailrace has to offer besides streamer fishing. . We thank everyone who has trusted us over the years for making this passion a career. We provide fly fishing and spin fishing trips for trout and smallmouth bass close to downtown Asheville. See you on the water. The spring is also popular when aquatic insect hatches kick into gear, although March is off-limits in several areas of the river due to stocking. Trout fishing has been fantastic this month and will continue to be good the entire month of May! Visitors can find some lodging in the area, especially along the I-40 corridor. This is the pinnacle of fly fishing in the mountains of North Carolina. This is trophy hunting using the fly rod because these fish will range anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds. Remember these things when you know the water is going to be up. The closest fishing to Asheville is the French Broad River. This healthy brown trout took a stonefly during no generation. The most important thing he picked up quickly was the mend. Check out the three pictures below of the same fish. Weve been having great success on the higher rivers this time of year with stonefly patterns, prince nymphs, and eggs. Learn about our partnerships working to protect water supply in our communities. 21 inch brown trout caught by Allen Locke. Its versatile. In the winter time Im using 6-7x tippet. Thanks for reading. Use heavier tippet: The potential to catch a big fish is always a possibility in high water so its a good idea to bump up in tippet size to give you that extra assurance to land the big one. Get directions to access points, boat ramps, and real-time USGS stream flow data. Chartreuse on the sunny days and black on the overcast days. These trout are not stocked and naturally reproduce in the cold water coming off the highest mountain peaks in the east. You wont be able to put-in or takeout there so just a heads up. Black is always a solid choice, but dont be afraid to mix it up. Below are just a few pictures from the DH stretches in May. If you want to experience some exciting, visual fly fishing for river smallmouth contact us today. I look forward to seeing you on the water. The biggest fish was a 18 brook trout that was almost as fat as it was long. The colder days are more challenging than the warmer ones but downsizing your flies on the colder days have been vital to our success. Its good to see at least one brown in that stretch. If you werent within a foot of the bank you were catching fish. Pop Em: Normally the best time to pop poppers is early morning and late evening when the sun is low. The days we have been on the French Broad have been tough, but not impossible. Our guides passion is sharing the local fisheries that we have grown to love and appreciate with clients from across the United States. Locked padlock Throw bigger/heavier flies: One advantage to fishing high water is that anglers can throw larger than normal flies with great success. Long, accurate drifts without drag can entice big smallmouth to come up from the depths to eat. There are some excellent wild brown trout fisheries in North Carolina, but much like the native brook trout streams getting someone to tell you where they are will be hard to accomplish. The areas along I-40 are expanding with increased access and parking, so it is likely that we will update this information in the future with additional options for fishing locations on the Catawba River. We are on the water every day and we are doing our best getting back with clients as soon as possible. These fish lack the beauty of the native brook trout but are still pretty fish nonetheless. Below are some of the tips we used on the guide trip and had some really good success. We spent the day together on a local smallmouth river and had a blast catching the fish on a variety of methods. This 1,075 long passage features nine drop structures to control the rate and intensity of flows in the channel, a recovery pool and island with gradually sloped sides, and portage trails for boaters to exit the channel if needed. I love fly fishing with game changer flies. Stoneflies. 828-460-2390. A 9-foot 4-wt fly rod with floating line is perfect for fishing dry flies and small nymphs on the Catawba River. If you want to become a better angler and want to test your casting skills then go after some wild fish. Anyways back to our recent float. Weve been fishing dark colors in water with less than a foot of clarity. The lakes that make up the Catawba River Chain are Lake James, Lake Rhodiss, Lake Hickory, Lookout Shoals Lake, Lake Norman, and Lake Wylie. The lakes in the mountain and Piedmont regions are the result of dammed rivers. After spawning these fish need to replenish their calories to obtain the weight they lost during the spawn. To accommodate these flows, the design incorporates three innovative multi-stage drop structures that help control flows through the channel at various levels without creating dangerous recirculating hydraulics common in lowhead dams. There is nothing better than catching one of these native fish using a fly rod. Lock They are a cross between a brown trout and a brook trout. 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. Give us a call to experience the best trout fishing of the year in western NC. Information about scheduled releases and the impact on downstream flow on the Mountain Island Lake section of the Catawba River is available on the Duke Energy website or by calling 800-829-5253. The fall trout fishing in western North Carolina is something every fly angler should experience. The French Broad River is hands down the best smallmouth river in North Carolina. The graph below shows the stream flow (discharge) for the past 7-days. Water levels in the mountains of North Carolina are currently low which makes fishing more challenging that years past. Its the best river smallmouth fishing in North Carolina and The Catawba Angler guides on it from March to November. Most likely the fins were rubbed off during the time this fish was in the holding walls of the hatchery. The Catawba Angler offers guided fly fishing trips in Asheville, North Carolina. The second stocking of trout on our local Delayed Harvest waters happens next week so that is exciting as well. We are currently booking smallmouth float trips now until the end of October. The water temperatures are still below 50 on the higher elevation creeks, but any warm front will bump those temperatures up to a desirable range. One of the coolest things I get to witness guiding the same rivers year after year is seeing the smallmouth bass in the French Broad sipping mayflies. I knew it was going to be a good time to fish because for the last three years the Catawba Tailrace has been excellent from the beginning of March to the end of May. The USGS stream gauge below Lake James provides is the best for monitoring dam releases and current conditions in the tailrace. Read about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing process for hydroelectric projects we operate. The float is 8 miles so its a full day of fishing. Normally I always have a few dry flies in the box during this time, but anytime you see a sipping smallmouth they will be eager to take a popping bug. Below we will go through what each of these methods mean. A weighted wooly bugger will catch fish. North Carolina is a fly fishing destination itself, but this river is one of the most popular choices. These waters get the most pressure, but if you are willing to think outside the box a little bit then you can catch fish. Spring provides some of the best dry fly fishing of the year on our local creeks and rivers. The bass will let you know if you can pop aggressively or every ten or so seconds. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Trying throwing some smaller profile flies to match the hatch. Lakes and dams provide benefits that are balanced among the individual needs of several communities. These fish are beautiful and live in some of the coolest areas in the state. 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. Our favorite streamer to fish is a black peanut envy designed by Kelly Galloup. Our tailwater trips have been super productive and we are starting to venture to the high country for wild trout. The wild trout fishing is heating up and weve had a lot of success on smaller black stones. In creating this solution, S2O Design engineers and hydrologists completed conceptual designs, 1D and 2D computer modeling, construction documents, and construction visualization renderings. Catawba Kayak Co. We are a kayak rental company and will meet you at one of our pre mapped-out drop-off points. 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 sun directly over the water makes it tough to sneak up on fish. The brown trout that are placed in this fishery grow at a very fast rate. The USGS stream gauge at Pleasant Gardens, NC provide a good indication of current conditions in the upper Catawba River. Below are some pictures of some recent catches. We look forward to seeing you on the water! Tiger trout rarely exceed 8 inches, but what they look in size they make up for with their beauty. These feathers are naturally buoyant so they help mimic bugs emerging to the surface on the swing. The topwater bite for the fly fisherman has been excellent some days and mediocre others. The upper Catawba River near Old Fort is a different ball game. Falls Lake also known as Falls of the Neuse & Jordan Reservoir are on the border of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain region and are some of the best largemouth lakes in North Carolina. Weve brought a bunch of good quality fish to the net this year and the outlook for summer fishing is great. 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