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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
It was mid April on the famed Davidson River. The Quill Gordons have been in full gear and the first hints of March Browns were beginning to flutter about. Accompanied by the sounds of rising trout and the ambient noises of the surrounding cove hardwood forest, the river was gurgling and churning as it should this time of the year. Spring has sprung. Trout and anglers alike know it.
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| Big Creek, GSMNP in mid May. |
Fly fishing during the Spring time months can be spectacular. Still, it has its challenges. With gradual warming temperatures, trout begin to move around. After a long and cold winter, fish are ready to start filling up on larger and more plentiful insects that are rarely available in the winter months. Here in the southeast, particularly North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and north Georgia, early March marks the emergence of the first major hatches of the year. The Quill Gordons and the Blue Quills being the major hatches. Generically speaking, a trout stream needs to reach 50 degrees for at least several days before the Quill Gordons start to really make a move to the surface. 50 seems to be the magical number. The Quill Gordons have been hatching for quite some time now here in WNC. During a hatch, the insects are swimming from the bottom of the stream, riding with the current, while propelling themselves to the surface. Trout will take these helpless bugs with reckless abandon. When you start seeing Quill Gordons on the water, tie on a Quill Gordon wet, let it sink to the bottom, and slowly inch it up to the surface when it nears your targeted fish. This sometimes results in vicious strikes, so hang on.
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| Mid May Davidson River bow. |
If there isn't a hatch occurring, the best thing to do is tie on a nymph such as a Pheasant Tail or a March Brown Nymph. The absence of a hatch doesn't necessarily mean that a hungry trout won't tackle a lone dry fly, it just simply means that you will have more consistency catching fish nymphing.
A few helpful tips for fly fishing in the spring...
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| Mid April Mitchell River brookie. |
1) Be aware of water levels. This time of year yields more rain, thus more water. Spring time in NC means severe thunderstorms. If you hear thunder or see lightning, stop fishing and wait for the storm to pass. Often, thunderstorms that occur well upstream will send water downstream in a hurry.
2) Fish the seams (where moving water meets slack water.) Trout are often found waiting in seams for passing food. They tend to sit in the calm, slack water, adjacent to the faster water, where food concentrations are higher. When a food item passes, they dart out into the faster water to grab the morsel before it gets away.
3) If the water is stained or muddy, use heavier tippet (2-5x depending on clarity of water).
4) 90% of a trout's diet consists of what they find below the water's surface,. You are more likely to catch a trout on a nymph/wet vs. a dry in most situations. There are times when a dry fly works better, such as during a hatch.
5) Try a new fly that the fish have not likely seen yet. Also, try a smaller fly. If a #14 Parachute Adams doesn't work, switch to a #16 or #18.
6) In high, stained water during and after spring rains, use big #4 Zonkers, Woolly Buggers, and Zoo Cougars, large stonefly nymphs, etc. A bright red or pink San Juan Worm works as an excellent dropper in high water situations.
7) Most rainbow trout spawn in the early Spring, so try using an egg pattern.
Spring in NC can be spectacular to say the least. Fishing is usually excellent with abundant hatches, warm temperatures, and plenty of hungry fish. Take advantage of the optimum weather conditions spring commonly offers!
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4 comments:
Good article! Now we just gotta get out of work and go fishing....
Yeah, that's the only problem. Good thing it's been 49 and raining for the past few days!
Here in Oregon the rivers tend to get "blown out" a lot during the spring rains. I appreciated your article and all of the information about different flies to use. I have been wanting to try a San Juan Worm for a long time, but have never got around to it.
Nimrod,
We can sympathized with you guys on the west coast! Spring is usually our rainy season over here as well. Rivers are rising as I type.
You simply can't beat a San Juan Worm after heavy rains. Worms are being flushed into the river and the trout feast on them. Highly effective fly!
Tyler