I thought Al said the earth was warming. At this rate, we'll be turning nomadic, constructing igloos, and hunting caribou before you know it. This winter has been harsh in western NC. The winter was harsh last year. It was harsh two winters ago as well. The mountains, while they receive decent amounts of snow from late fall into early spring, have been the big winners thus far. If I'm not mistaken, snow started falling in late October in the higher elevations along the NC/TN border. By late November, snow was relatively wide spread in the high country. Upslope snow has been tremendous this year. With that being said, a welcome, but temporary relief has arrived for today. Especially outside of the mountains. Here in the Piedmont, we're sitting in the mid 50s. Most mountain communities have been in the mid to upper 40s. Not bad given the persistent cold we've experienced over the past 3 months. Not interior Alaska cold, but cold enough. If it makes you feel any better, Fairbanks, AK is sitting at a toasty -33°F. No fly fishing up there right now! Enjoy the weather right now. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a significant icestorm is on the horizon early next week for the Piedmont of NC. The meteorologists are already mentioning it. Nowhere near a lock, but that would certainly hamper any plans of getting out to fish if it were to happen. Snow is much easier to drive on. Ice is everything but easy to drive on. Keep an eye on the forecast. It very well could come to fruition. It could also disappear and we see sunshine. Let's hope for the latter.

Fishing is still slow, despite the sudden rise in air temperatures. It will take a prolonged period of warm temps to bring the water temps up. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon. If cabin fever is really setting in, try fishing DH waters. Wilson Creek, Stone Mountain, Mitchell River, Nantahala, the Tuck, and the rest of the popular DH waters are fishing much better than the wild streams are. In order to catch fish, make sure you're nymph gets down to the bottom of the river. Trout are responding to the cold water by staying down deep and moving slowly. A larger nymph or streamer with a smaller nymph such as a soft hackle, Copper John, or Pheasant Tail Nymph is an ideal setup right now. The heavier nymph, or the point fly, will get the smaller nymph, or the lead fly, down to the bottom. The larger fly will usually attracts the fish. A lot of times the fish will settle for the smaller fly instead. Dries are of very little use right now. Nymphs are outfishing them by a wide margin. In the winter, trout that are hunkered down in a deep pool don't want to rocket to the surface, expending a sizable amount of energy. It's simply not worth doing so just to sip a small adult insect (or dry fly), when there are plenty of nymphs close to the river bottom.

Hang in there, spring is not too far away - okay, spring is more than 2 months away, but doesn't it make you feel better knowing spring has to come? Eventually? I recommend writing "Spring is not too far away" 1,000 times. Heals cabin fever.  All jokes aside, there's a better way to get through the long winter. Currently, Outdoor Blogger Network and Montana Fly Company have teamed up to present fly tyers a rare opportunity. It's likely a once in a lifetime opportunity. How does becoming the next paid fly designer for MFC sound? Yeah, sounds pretty sweet. If you've created a bug that is the talk of the town under the water's surface, this contest might be for you. Check out the qualifications and info here. If you do enter the contest, good luck! I'm planning on participating. Should be a lot of fun.

Fellow blogger Owl Jones is creative as all get out. I'm still laughing over his hilarious list of 6 Ways to Catch More Trout. Check it out!

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.