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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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Monday, January 24, 2011


Click the picture for a larger view.

The mountains and foothills will likely see some pretty decent amounts of snow with a storm system moving late Tuesday into early Thursday. Looks like mostly a soaking rain here in the Piedmont with some snow towards the end not out of the question. This year, we've seen more snow than rain. Actually, here in Charlotte, we've seen almost all snow so far this winter. Not many rainstorms. February and March (maybe April in the mountains) will likely hold more snow. The more precipitation we can rack up now, the better off we are come spring, summer, and fall. Streams typically start getting low in June unless we see persistent rain. Snowmelt will keep the rivers in good shape for awhile, but after that we start relying on thunderstorms and showers for the most part to keep the rivers from drying up.

With the snow, rain, and cold conditions, fishing will be tough. Especially the wild streams. The Davidson, Tuck, Stone Mountain, Wilson Creek, Mitchell River, and the east Tennessee tailwaters (just to name a few) are fishing the best. Most DH waters are fishing the best. Stocked trout respond to cold temps much better than wild trout do. Tucker Horne and Paul Bourcq, both members of the NC Fly Fishing Team, posted over on the THFF Facebook page. Tucker said the South Holston (SoHo) in east TN was fishing well. Paul said the Nantahala and the SoHo are fishing well. He added that olive has been the color of choice for him lately.

Catching fish will be somewhat of a task. Unlike a trout's behavior in the summer, they are sluggish and will not move very far to grab a morsel of food (or your fly in this case). If you are not getting to the bottom (either hanging up every now and then, or catching fish), add another split shot on. I recently read an article written by WNC guide Than Axtell. In the article, he says this:

Years ago, I was creeping up the gorge on an overcast spring day when I looked over my shoulder and saw a camouflaged man fishing about three pools behind me. His rod was bent from the weight of a nice trout that somehow had eluded my presentations. I fished a couple more pools with little success, while camo guy continued to slay trout in the water I'd just fished. Finally, I stopped and waited for him to catch up. "Looks like you've got the magic fly," I yelled to him over the white water. "What are you fishing with?"

He looked at the stonefly dangling from my tippet. "Same thing as you," he said, grinning. "You know, sometimes the difference between an average fisherman and a great fisherman is just one split shot."

Sometimes we tend to think only certain flies work and trout will not have anything to do with other patterns. While this is true on heavily pressured waters, or during certain times of the year, trout are generally opportunistic feeders. If it looks edible and ultimately acts like food, they'll attempt to eat it. The key to catching fish is the presentation. It's like human food. If a sandwich is moldy and reeks with an unpleasant stench, most people would pass it up in an instant. If you can get that fly to look as natural as possible, you shouldn't have any problems catching fish. Generic patterns such as a Pheasant Tail Nymph, Hares Ear, or Prince, should catch plenty. Click on the "Fly Fishing NC" tab at the top. Click on "Recommended Flies". That list, while not complete, will give you a general idea. Again, as long as your presentation is ideal, fly selection becomes less important.

I'm hitting the tying bench! I've got some fly orders to fill and ship to Casters Fly Shop tomorrow. With the cold, rainy, and possibly snowy conditions approaching, I'll be at the bench constantly. If I produce a worth while fur ball, I'll post if over at CFT. If you've been out on the water, we would love to hear the report!


2 comments:

Feather Chucker said...

You know what they say about 4 letter words. I used to like winter.

Tyler Legg said...

Both 4 letter words (snow and cold) has been used WAY too much this winter.

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