Fishing Status: Good (warm, but periodically rainy throughout the week.)

1.) Today is the last day of March, which is still leaving me dumbfounded. April 1st is tomorrow folks...Where did the time go? Ready or not (I know I am) the summer fishing season is just around the corner. All of the flies anglers have tied over the long, cold winter will soon be put to the test from June until September. With the ongoing storms ringing in healthy amounts of rain, along with several snowstorms, this summer may shape up to be a lot better than last year's conditions. "Abnormally dry" is the status from roughly I77 east, and then from approximately the Pee Dee River east the drought has been contained. (areas adjacent to the coast are in an abnormally dry state...). Also, the hot temperatures NC has experienced in the summer has really affected the fisheries in the state. Basically, when the water temp rises to 70 or above, trout start dying. Without the rhododendron overhanging the streams, a lot of the trout simply would never make it through a summer. Rhododendron aren't just fly nappers, they keep those trout alive in the heat of the summers by providing shade.

2.) Fishing report~ Water levels are looking great if you plan on heading out to your favorite trout stream over the next few days. On warm days, the trout will be looking up. Dry flies to use include Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, Quill Gordons (wet and dry), Blue Quills, Adams, Para Adams and most attractor dries (Trudes, Wulffs, etc). Nymphs~ Copper Johns, Lightning Bugs, Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Red Fox Squirrel Nymphs, and even Y2K's and Pat's Rubber Legs. If you are still not catching any fish on these patterns, pull out a Fat Albert or something along the lines of a Fat Albert. Most fish have not seen these types of patterns since last Summer/early fall, so they may be willing to investigate the fly.

3.) Thankyou for stopping by and reading. Everyone have a good week and tight lines.

1.) Finally Friday has come...Slowly, but it's here. What a Friday it's been...rainy, warm and overcast. BWO's anyone? Severe storms are looking plausible tomorrow afternoon across the Carolinas. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a NOAA weather radio especially at night. Tomorrow may have the potential for a few "porch-pounders". Tornadoes are also possible....isolated, but possible. Sunday will mark the beginning of the clearing out process, and the sun will finally come out. We have seen a heck of a lot of rain this year. Still not quite enough to stop the drought, but we'll take what we can get. I hope this fishing season isn't as bad as last year. Last summer brought hot temperatures (upper 90's in late May and early June), and not to mention the PROLONGED drought across the state...Especially the mountains. Spring and Fall are the prime fly fishing seasons for NC anglers.

2.) Fishing will be great once the rain and storms are gone by Sunday. Water levels are high, but after a few days fishing will be exceptional. Most fish can be caught on large streamers as of now, due to the high water. Zonkers, Buggers, Galloup's Zoo Cougar's, Sculpzillas, Slumpbusters, etc should catch plenty. BWO's may also work, as the rain, warm air, and overcast skies tend to bring them out. Black Caddis are still out as well as Quill Gordons, Blue Quills, and a few brown stoneflies. If you can, try to stay on the bank and out of the water. This will minimalize the fish spooking from seeing you.

Here's a few selected stream flows:

• Davidson River @ Brevard...452 cfs (average is 192)
• Nantahala River @ Rainbow Springs...496 cfs (average is 317)
• Oconoluftee River @ Birdtown...916 cfs (average is 859)
• Watauga River @ Sugar Grove...173 cfs (average is 270)
• South Toe River @ Celo...477 cfs (average is 226)
• Mitchell River @ State Road...103 (average is 159)
• Tuckasegee River @ Bryson City...2,550 cfs (average is 2,810 cfs)
• Cataloochee Creek @ Cataloochee...153 cfs (average is 216)

All in all, most of the streams are looking good in terms of water levels.

3.) Thankyou for stopping by and reading. Everyone have a good weekend and tight lines.

1.) It has been a great day weather wise across the entire state. Most folks Piedmont wide, saw temps hit the 70 degree mark today. Tomorrow will be a few degrees cooler, with mid to upper 60's, but come Wednesday, the temperatures will take a nose dive and upper 40's and low 50's are making the day on Wednesday look dreary, as well as rainy. As we progress into Thursday, a cold front that is producing severe storms and sporadic tornadoes over the upper mid west will roll through the area, with it bringing storms, some of which could be on the strong side...We are getting to that time of year where a NOAA weather radio is almost an absolute necessity. Especially when we have the threat of super cell thunderstorms during the night time hours that spawn uncommon, but very real threats....tornadoes.




Although rare, tornadoes do occasionally occur in the Tar Heel State.

Well, we took off for Stone Mountain to fish the East Prong of the Roaring River and it was GREAT to say the least. I started ot at the old church in the park and within the next hour and a half I had about 8 fish on the board. All of them where rainbows and brookies.


Nice 10" brook trout from the East Prong


Following the church stretch of the river, we tried a spot I have always caught good numbers of fish, and after tying on 5x tippet and a San Juan Worm, I managed to entice this hefty 'bow into grabbing my offering. He put on quite a show, as he jumped out of the water and then hugged the bottom for the remainder of the fight.


The fish of the day...A 15" rainbow



Fishing the "Old church stretch" (Willow Creek Baptist Church)

All in all one of the best trips I've had in a while. Plenty of fish, nice weather, and the crowds where not that bad.

1.) It has been a great day across the Carolinas with the weekend shaping up to be nice, but a little on the cool side...Upper 50's and lower 60s across the state. A little last minute planning and as of now, I may be heading up into the mountains to fish Stone Mountain State Park. The Davidson River was a little to long for a trip tomorrow, so I'm settling for Stone Mountain, as I've heard that the recent stockings have helped to really re-populate the East Fork of the Roaring River. All three species have been stocked into all of the rivers/streams in the park, so it's been fairly decent up that way.

2.) PT nymphs, Lightning Bugs, BWO nymphs, stonefly nymphs, San Juan Worms, as well as any attractor dry/wet/nymph pattern have been working.

3.) If I do go tomorrow, I will post a report.

4.) Thankyou for taking the time to stop by and read...tight lines to all.

1.) Where did all the rain go? The ongoing classic NC wedge has now eroded as well as the moisture transport that allowed for continuous rain showers since late last week. It's now in the lower 60's across most Piedmont locations. According to the ten-day, we will gradually warm up and then gradually cool down and then once again warm up and so on...The ups and downs in weather never fail...especially from late Fall through mid Spring. We have had record breaking temps in the teens as early as the middle of November while surprise early Spring snowstorms have occurred in late March. Welcome to the Tar Heel State. Home of wild weather.
(Lead and possibly a black BH are needed)

1.) The hatches are occurring as I type, not exactly in huge numbers, but more sporadic in nature. Most of the bugs that are hatching are Blue Quills with a few Quill Gordons mixed in. A few anglers have even reported seeing a few small black caddis and a couple of brown stoneflies. Again, we are still anticipating the "monster hatch", which so far has eluded us for the most part. The south is about to get a wake-up call starting tomorrow, and then dropping like a rock on Friday with highs struggling to make it out of the 30's for highs across the Piedmont with significantly cooler temps in the mountains. It was in the lower 80's today...By Friday, we will cut the 80 in half, in return for 40 degree readings. With the cold air, rain may be an ongoing sight through Wednesday of next week. A 60% chance Friday, a 40% chance Saturday-Tuesday, and a 30% chance next Wednesday prior to warming back up into the upper 50's and low 60's by Wednesday and beyond. Keep in mind that albeit the air temps will start to become chilly again, the water temps will still somewhat retain the warmth for a day or two after it starts getting cold...In other words, good fishing can still be had as we progress through this late winter "cold spell".

2.) From what I I've seen as well as past experiences, Green Weenies are working well right now, as well as Quill Gordon nymphs/wets (maybe a dry). Isonychia Bicolors (Anglers use the Adams fly to imitate these) are sporadically hatching in a few spots across the mountains. Sticking with a nymph, be it a stonefly nymph, Lightning Bug, or PT nymph, you will likely have more success rather than presenting dries. Unless we see a good number of bugs hatching at one time and the trout enter a frenzy and become selective, nymphs are probably better to use.

1.) I talked to a few fellow anglers over on the Southeast Fly Fishing Forum who said they were positive they saw Quill Gordons hatching on the Chattooga River today. So now we have reports that indicate, yes, there are Quill Gordons hatching out right now. I've heard that the Blue Quills are starting to hatch as well as a few March Browns. For Quill Gordons, #12-14 have proved to be the most reliable sizes to use. The trout are looking up for any bugs on the top folks so have at it and enjoy, it's gonna be a GREAT weekend for fishing. I may walk down to our local stream and get my waders wet (do a dare say wet wade?) Have a good one folks. Tight lines and catch a bunch.