The continuous, but oh so familiar evening thunderstorms and muggy atmosphere has given it away. It seems as if spring went on vacation and summer has taken the proverbial baton a little too early. Lack of rain hasn't been a problem around here. In fact, lawns haven't had time to dry out completely between rain. Localized flash flooding has been confined mainly to Piedmont locations. Looking at the USGS stream  flows, most rivers and streams are hovering right around normal. The mountains have not received nearly as much rain as areas to the east. With that being said, most rivers across WNC have seen enough rain to keep the water levels at a decent level: not too high, not to low. Evening thunderstorms are going to be your biggest concern. Lately, they have been extremely slow movers, dumping inches of rain in only a few hours. Most of these storms are forming and dissipating generally in the same spot. Not very good if you're on a river fishing. If you get caught in a storm, water levels may rise rapidly. A thunderstorm miles upstream in the same watershed will eventually send water downstream.

With water levels right where they should be, fishing is fantastic. Water temperatures are mainly in the 60's, which isn't bad at all. Wet wading is going to be comfortable and a refreshing way to beat the heat and humidity. As usual, mornings and evenings are the prime periods to fish (mid day is still not bad, but usually relatively slow). In the morning, try a nymph. A Pheasant Tail, Prince, Lightning Bug, Copper John, Hare's Ear, or your favorite go-to nymph will work. Drop that nymph below a big dry fly to double your chances. Then, by about lunch time try a terrestrial pattern. Tie on an inchworm, caterpillar, ant, beetle, or hopper and toss it under overhanging rhododendron. Hungry trout are looking for them! Then, as the day progresses, you'll start to see the evening hatches. The bulk of the bugs hatching from 6 "ish" until dusk. Yellow Sallies, Light Cahills, a few remaining Green Drakes, Caddis, Sulphurs, and a few surprises are showing up. A prime example of a six-legged surprise (rare, but a surprise nonetheless), is a Salmonfly. The same huge Pteronarcys stoneflies that are about to cause a ruckus amongst trout and anglers alike out in Montana over the next few weeks. Here's a few pictures of a definite salmonfly in the Cherokee Nat'l Forest over on the Little River Outfitters Forum. Scroll down a bit to see them. Again pretty rare to see these guys around here due to pollution and depleting oxygen levels.