Southeastern Anglers guide Mark Scarborough hooked and landed this behemoth of a brown trout on an NC public water tailrace earlier this month. Mark caught this beast on a day off from guiding.

I won't name the river, just as you wouldn't a secret blueline stream. Although, a lot of you guys probably know the river right off the bat. If you do, please don't name it!

Thanks to Mark Scarborough of Southeastern Anglers for allowing me to post the photo. Check out Southeastern Anglers on Facebook and be sure to visit their website.

Scott | behind the scenes from Scott Fly Rods on Vimeo.

Pretty decent fishing out there! Almost daily t'storms have kept most rivers and streams at normal levels. Rain has also kept the water temps down. We receive a short hiatus tomorrow from the heavy rain and lightning associated with these frequent afternoon/evening storms. The humidity looks to take a break tomorrow, but it will return. Looking at the forecast, t'storm chances will enter the picture once again on Sunday and stick around throughout next week. Temps look to be pretty comfortable, ranging from the mid 60s tomorrow on Mount Mitchell to the mid 80s in the valleys and lower elevations.

Trout are looking up for terrestrials. Try a foam beetle, Extended Body Inchworm, an ant dry, or a hopper. Cast under overhanging trees, but don't be afraid to work the middle of the river. Terrestrials generally fall out of the trees and vegetation along the bank, but currents will eventually force most into the middle of the river where a lot of times, a trout's stomach is the bug's last stop.

Top 5 fly choices right now would be:

1. An inchworm dry of some sort.
2. A #10-12 Green Weenie (which imitates a drowned inchworm).
3. A #14-22 black ant. A foam ant works well, as it stays afloat.
4. #14-16 Yellow Parachute Adams.
5. A hopper. Whether it be a foam hopper, Dave's Hopper, or one of your own creations.

If you head out the river, have fun! Tell us how you do!

Over the past few days I've been exploring some of the best fly fishing SW Virginia has to offer. My homewaters of western NC will always be my favorite, but man alive is there some good fishing up here. Whitetop Laurel Creek, which I fished on Tuesday reminded me of a mix between the South Toe and the Davidson. It's the best freestone trout stream in the state of Virginia. Wild trout, some of which were pushing 20", plenty of diversity, and a nutrient-rich stream all combine to make Whitetop Laurel number one on my list of best trout water in Southwest Virginia.

Throughout the week, I've had the camcorder at my side on every fishing trip. Every now and then, I was introduced to some great filming opportunities. The short film below includes those shots.
*If the video is slow, or lags, let it buffer or turn HD off. Click the outward pointing arrows to watch in full screen.


The Blue Ridge | HD from THFF Media on Vimeo.

The winner of the first THFF.com fly giveaway is..... Anonymous, with the comment "Great fishing this weekend. Could use these flies for all the ones I donated to the laurals and trees."

Anon, shoot me an email at wncflyfishing@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll send 2 Extended Body Inchworms, 2 Vinyl Rib Stones, 2 Nymph Skin Stones, and a couple of "surprise" flies that are proven winners here in the Tar Heel State!

We'll do another giveaway pretty soon.

Frank Smith, owner of Hunter Banks Co. Fly Shop in Asheville, grew tired of continuously seeing graffiti on his shop's exterior. “I was tired of all the graffiti and vandalism,” said Smith. Now, most folks would call the police. Frank took matters into his own hands though and hired 2 artists to create a huge 32-by-61-foot mural of an angler fighting a rainbow trout with the NC mountains in the background. “I started thinking about it and asked Scott and Jeremy to create a mural. It's like a giant billboard sign off I-240. The idea is to cut down on graffiti and be a show stopper.”

I think this is an excellent idea. It's a thing of beauty and will hopefully keep the vandalism at bay. Check out the article at Asheville's Citizen-Times. Looking forward to seeing the finished product, which is scheduled to be completed tomorrow.