The new THFF.com is here! Still trying work out some details and fix a few things, but overall the whole template is in place. Feedback is very much appreciated! Leave a comment below or shoot me an email. Contact me ASAP if something isn't working. I'll do my best to fix it.

Looking to upgrade the blog. Purchased a web design program called Artisteer that's kept me busy on this cold, wintry day (in which the snow and ice has yet to melt). Still ironing out the little problems I've been coming across, so hoping to get it up and running sooner or later. If the blog is jumbled up, doesn't load at all, or is acting weird, I'm experimenting! We'll see if I can upload the new template without any problems.

This winter was suppose to be warmer and less snowier than average here in the Carolinas. Far from that this go around. I think we made Old Man Winter mad. He struck again with heavy snow and bitterly cold temperatures. The Christmas snowstorm was big, but this one is bigger. Especially for the southern mountains, folks along and near the TN/NC border, and the southern Piedmont of NC. Charlotte was walloped, with reports of over a half a foot in southern parts and 8" in some places. I've been shoveling for a portion of today. Counties to our west were in on the snow as well. There were some pretty high numbers in the mountains. Rosman, just south of Brevard, received 6" and Robbinsville received 9" according to the NWS. Here's an interactive storm report map for anyone interested in snow totals. Click on a snowflake and it will tell you the snow totals.

If cabin fever is eating you alive, good luck out on the streams. Slow fishing would be an understatement. Check road conditions before heading out. The northern Piedmont and Foothills should be fine. Roads are going to be slick in a lot of places though.

DH waters will be fishing fairly well, as they always do during cold and snow. Stockers tend to shake off the cold and snow as opposed to their wild counterparts. Most wild waters are going to be frozen solid. This week will be cold. Very cold.As long as you can bare the cold, ice, and snow, you should get into some fish at Stone Mountain, Wilson Creek, Mills River, and the rest of the DH waters. Prince Nymphs, Hares Ears, small #16-18 Black Stonefly Nymphs, Pheasant Tail Nymphs, and most other generic nymphs should work. The key is to get that fly down on the bottom whether you have extra weight on your fly, or by adding split shot. Fish are going to be down deep and they move far to grab a passing fly.

Fly tying, rigging reels, tying knots, cleaning gear, and mapping out new locations are going to be the better options. I love the snow and cold, but I'm ready for a break for a week. The snow isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's going to stick around until the weekend. Be safe!

Posted more pictures and detailed recipes for the realistic patterns over at Carolina Fly Tying. Included the most recent pattern, a Golden Stonefly Adult. Stay tuned for more!

I received some realistic fly tying materials from the fly shop and finally got around to using them. A more in depth post, complete with recipes and more pictures will be posted over on Carolina Fly Tying soon. Here's the results:

Realistic Stonefly Nymph

Cranefly Larvae

Cabin fever had me urging to get on the water. Whether or not the streams were frozen over, I took off on Wednesday. My initial plan was to head up to the Parkway and fish a wild brookie stream I frequent that sits about 5,000 ft ASL. The Parkway wasn't bad. Snow from last weekend's snowstorm was shoved to the side of the road. Other than some sporadic ice that stubbornly sits on the roads well after the storm hits, conditions were looking good. I expected some snow on the side road that led down to the stream, but didn't expect it to be completely impassable. I was wrong. A foot or more of snow with drifts of more greeted me. 4x4 wouldn't stand a chance. Any wrong turn or slip would send the truck tumbling down the side of the mountain. The trip up the mountain wasn't a complete disappointment though. I managed to snap some photos of the surrounding Black Mountains covered in snow. Now, I wasn't fully expecting to catch fish on this trip. I had some hope, but conditions were not in my favor. The bulk of the South Toe was covered in thick sheets of ice and the fish were pretty much non existent. Didn't see a single fish. An ice auger and snow shoes were almost as important as a fly rod and a box of flies. This was the same section that I caught this wild and vibrantly colored brown trout. Looking forward to consistently warmer weather for sure. Below are a few pictures from the trip. No fish pictures this time.