1.) Once again the temps were on the chilly side here in the Piedmont of NC. The mercury read 53 this morning at 7:00. It did not feel like 53. I think the high winds and gusts up to 30 mph made the wind chill drop. With a temperature of 53 degrees, the trout are living a dream. Brook trout are comfortable living in a stream that ranges from 40-68 degrees. 68 is a high, but tolerable temp for a brook trout, and the magical number us fly fisherman hate the most is the 70 degree mark. A temp of 70 brings trout from their normal feeding lanes, to the deep, dark recesses of the stream..... which in the Summer, these "recesses" turn to puddles leaving the trout with nowhere to go. I feel as if we are living on the Beaverhead in Montana, where irrigation demands bring the rivers down to a trickle. When I was out in Montana this past June, ALL of the rivers were flowing very high, due to runoff from the snow up in the mountains (man was I jealous.) We just had to resort to the alpine lakes like Axolotl and Sureshot. The scenery was extraordinary. Here you have a glacially formed lake, packed with cutthroat trout and arctic grayling, with Bald Eagles soaring above you. I didn't even think about fishing down in the valley.

2.) On with the report. Fishing is still great right now, due to cooler water temps and a little bit of a boost in stream levels. I should add that Blue Wing Olive mayflies may make their appearance on the cool, damp, and cloudy days. Terrestrials should be coming to a close in within about 2 weeks, with the upcoming first frost. With the cooler days and exceptionally cooler nights, they are slow, and not as active without the heat of the day. Really, BH BWO nymphs in sizes ranging from #18-22 will work great. The key this time of year is to use small nymphs and small tippet sizes. Midges may also be prevalent, especially on the Davidson River, so be ready. Experiment with your favorite nymph patterns, and have at it.