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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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Friday, November 12, 2010
A spectacular weekend is unfolding in western North Carolina. Highs tomorrow will climb up into the 60's with sunny skies and a light breeze. Sunday will feature much of the same, with some clouds and maybe a few widely scattered showers in sporadic spots. All in all a great weekend.

With the great weather we're seeing, you can expect fishing to be fantastic. The Delayed Harvest waters, from Stone Mountain to the Nantahala are on fire. I've been seeing a lot of successful reports from folks. Big fish are being caught too. Lance Milks over at the Trailmarker blog caught this pig on a DH stream a few days ago. Brown trout aren't nearly as common as brookies and bows on DH waters here in NC. The state doesn't stock as many browns. So, when you catch a 24", 5 pound brown, it's definitely a sight to behold on DH waters. A 24" 5 pound brown caught anywhere is a sight to behold come to think of it. These hogs can be fooled (most of the time) by using Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Princes, San Juan Worms, Lightning Bugs, Stonefly Nymphs, large midge patterns (#14-16), parachute Adams/BWOs (#16-20), BWO Nymphs (#16-20), and most other relatively generic patterns. Check the "Recommended Flies" tab above for a more comprehensive list of suggested flies. As far as leaders go, it all depends on what water you're fishing. A 9ft 5x or 6x leader will be fine on most DH waters. A 12ft 6x-7x leader is best on the Davidson River due to the smart fish and the low, gin clear water. If you want to explore some wild water this weekend, a 9 ft 6x-7x leader (depending on size of the stream) should be fine. Stealth must be used to get close to wild fish. They are unbelievably spooky with the low water. Practice your bow and arrow and side arm casts. If obstructions behind you allow, try to stay as far away from the pool as you can and make a forward cast, delivering the fly from a distance. If you can see the fish, they probably already saw you and are diving under a rock. Allowing the fly to lightly land on the surface of the water with little to no fly line floating over the fish is the key to success. It takes some practice, but it should greatly improve your catch rate. If you are fishing calm, slack water, be extra cautious. Wild brookies or "specks" prefer calm, slack water, so they are extremely spooky.  Wild fishing is tough right now! Hang in there, spring usually brings with it higher water and better wild stream fishing.

If you head out this weekend have fun! Report back!

4 comments:

Feather Chucker said...

It's been awhile since I've visited your blog. You've got a ton of info here. Great stuff. That brown that guy caught is amazing. Only thing is I wish he never said where exactly he caught it.

Tyler Legg said...

Kev,

Thanks for the kind words! You don't come across browns like that on DH waters very often!

Lance Milks said...

Hey Tyler,
In the spirit of keeping all things fly fishing secret I have deleted teh post in which I give away the name of the stream. I figure the hard core guys will know the dam anyhow.

Tyler Legg said...

Lance,

I probably shouldn't have asked you which DH stream you fished! Completely my fault. Sorry about that.

Tyler

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