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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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Thursday, January 13, 2011
The snow (well, more along the lines of 6" of solid ice) is slowly melting away. Slowly is the key word. We've already exceeded our average snowfall for the year. The cold has been relentless as well. According to one of the meteorologists in Charlotte, we're heading down the road towards the coldest winter in 69 years. For skiers, this is great news. Beech Mountain is already at 101.2" of snow for the season. Average for an entire season is 80" up there. They could easily triple the annual averages easily. For anglers, these are uninviting stats. Rivers are frozen, wild streams are described as very hit and miss, and overall the fishing is pretty lousy. Still, judging by the forecast, this weekend should host somewhat better fishing. Temps will flirt with the 50 degree mark in the southern WNC mountains (Asheville area) making for more enjoyable fishing conditions. The water temps will be very cold, so the fish will still be lethargic and down deep. It will take a week of warm temps in the 60s with full sunshine to warm the water up considerably. As of now, that likely won't happen anytime soon. DH waters are fishing well, as they always do in the midst of winter. Stockers don't mind the cold, unlike their wild counterparts currently encased in ice. Well known DH waters such as Stone Mountain, Wilson Creek, South Mountains, Mitchell River, and the Tuck, are going to be your best choice. There a plenty of fish to be caught and there are some rather large fish as well. Especially on Wilson Creek, the Nantahala, and the Tuck, which tend to hold some of the largest fish. Those fish are going to be down in deep, slow moving pools, so your best bet would be dredging nymphs on the bottom of the river. A perfect setup would be a #10 Woolly Bugger with a #16 Copper John, Pheasant Tail Nymph, Prince, or a small nymph of your choice. These fish shouldn't be too fickle, but of course they've been exposed to hundreds of flies and hundreds of tactics thus far, so trying a new pattern or a different technique can improve your catch rate. You can find a more comprehensive list of flies at the top of the blog. Hover your mouse over "Fly Fishing WNC". A drop down menu will appear. Click on "Recommended Flies" and you'll see a list of recommended patterns for the western NC mountains. It's not a complete list, but it's structured to point anglers in the right direction. During the winter, that list doesn't change much. #18-24 BWOs and #18-30 midges are a common theme. With that being said, the list explodes in March and April. By May, the list is overwhelming.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait until spring and summer gets here. Until then, enjoy an excellent short film by fellow wild trout enthusiast Parker Smith below. Click on "A Workweek's Requiem" to view the video in HD. Here's to an early spring!


A Workweek's Requiem from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

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