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Tyler Legg
Charlotte, NC, United States
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Welcome to THFF.com! Kick your wading boots off and stick around for a while. You'll find content ranging from NC fishing reports, videos, pictures, fly fishing news from around the state/country/world, humor, and even some irrelevant, yet interesting posts.
Have a question, comment, fishing report, or a few suggestions regarding THFF or fly fishing in NC? Feel free to e-mail me at wncflyfishing@gmail.com
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Saturday, November 27, 2010
First off, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I just got back in town, after 3 days in Hillsville, VA. I apologize for the lack of posts over the past 7 days! I did get the opportunity to fish the pond I frequent before it freezes over though. Stayed for roughly 10 minutes. A stiff NW wind and falling temperatures made bass fishing almost impossible.

While not as cold as previously suggested by the forecasters, it's still a slap in the face given we were sitting in the upper 60's to low 70's in most places earlier in the week. The passing cold front has made for a cold and blustery day here in the Carolinas. Combine that with low water and you have some pretty tough fishing conditions. With that being said, it's still possible to have a successful day out on the water. You just have to change techniques. Check out the article in the last post for an in-depth look at fishing in in cold weather. Summer fishing and late fall/winter fishing are two completely different subjects. Winter fishing can

Right now, waiting for the water to warm up is a wise thing to do. Unlike in the summer, you don't have to be the early bird. Trout are less active around dawn right now, typically because the water is cold and the sun isn't strong enough to warm the water. From about 9AM on into the afternoon/evening hours, the fishing will be best. If a hatch occurs, likely to be midges or small BWOs, the fishing should noticeably pick up. Up until noon or so, nymphs will be more productive. A Pheasant Tail Nymph in about a #14-20, a Prince Nymph in about a #14-16, and most other generic nymphs should do the trick. If the fish are being fickle, switch to a smaller nymph. For example, if you're fishing a #14 Pheasant Tail Nymph (which can imitate a small brown stonefly nymph) and it's not bringing fish to your net, switch to a #16, 18, 20, 22, etc. Smaller sizes tend to force trout to "taste" or bump your fly in order to figure out what it is. Trout, especially rainbow trout, have an extraordinary sensory system, so that "taste" might be as small as a slight bump. Be ready to set your hook if your indicator or fly line makes any unnatural movements. As the day progresses, small dries, such as #16-22 Parachute Adams or #18-24 Para BWOs should work, but mainly in the afternoon. The Davidson River, which is about as technical as it gets here in North Carolina, will require the use of small midges (#22-30). A beadless red or black midge or small BWO pattern on a 12ft 6x-7x leader seems to work best. All in all, it's best to keep your flies small (or smaller than you would in the warmer months). Aquatic insects grow very slowly in the winter, due to the colder temperatures and usually less food as opposed to the summer. Stoneflies however can grow rather large. A #6-10 stonefly nymph will sometimes produce some nice fish this time of the year. Speaking of larger flies, streamers are still big producers. Make sure you have some Woolly Buggers, Zonkers, Clousers, and various other streamers on hand.

3 comments:

Ryan said...

Ya, that's not a good combination to catch a lot of fish, or any fish for that matter.

The Average Joe Fisherman

Bill Trussell said...

Tyler
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving---enjoyed this post you have given out some good info. for winter fishing. I too agree about the smaller flies in cold temps. My son-in-law and his family spent the holidays in the Smokies, and had some success on the trout magnet. It is fishing with a micro-light rod 7 1/2 ft. length. I will be doing a post about the trip on Tuesday. Again great post.

Tyler Legg said...

Bill,

I had a great Thanksgiving! Hope you did as well.

Small flies are the ticket right now! It's amazing how much the fishing can change after a switch to a slightly smaller fly.

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