There were lots of laughs and good times had on the lake. Weve been having great success on the higher rivers this time of year with stonefly patterns, prince nymphs, and eggs. There are a lot of hatches going on throughout the day and it makes for some good dry fly fishing. We can choose locations and experiences that will best fit each client. Water data back to 1895 are available online. When you decided to pick up fly fishing you knew you were at a disadvantage compared to using a spinning rod. We caught nothing but rainbows because they didnt put browns in this winter because of the hatchery shortage of fish after the flood in August 2021. The USGS stream gauge below Lake James provides is the best for monitoring dam releases and current conditions in the tailrace. The lake is home to some big largemouth bass and is also known as a put and take striper lake where the state stocks 25,000 fingerling every year. Catawba River Canoe Map The Catawba River begins in the foothills of North Carolina and flows for more than 200 miles through the Piedmont of North Carolina. A good float is putting in at the bridge at US Business 221 and going down to Burnettes Landing. S2O Design is an engineering firm specializing in innovative river engineering, restoration, and community-focused whitewater park design. Those fish on the Tailrace have seen enough black to last them a lifetime so it never hurts to think outside the box. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. We had a great day and we managed to get a good trout as well. It is a big river that fishes much like a Western river. Spring trout fishing means higher water flows which can offer some excellent streamer fishing opportunities on the bigger tailwaters in North Carolina. The rainbow trout above was caught out of a delayed harvest stretch north of Asheville. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Trying throwing some smaller profile flies to match the hatch. Those looking to fish the Yadkin for smallmouth bass should check out Burch Station and Yadkin Shore public fishing areas. Get it while its good. Numbers are low, but the potential to catch a good one is always possible. This is one of my favorite trips because you are in some beautiful areas away from the crowds. Check out our DIY Guide to the Best Fly Fishing Gear for recommendations. A 9-foot 4-wt fly rod with floating line is perfect for fishing dry flies and small nymphs on the Catawba River. A crayfish pattern isnt supposed to be fished fast and a fleeing minnow isnt supposed to be fished slow so Im big on informing my clients how fast you need to retrieve certain flies. May 2021. They want an easy meal without expending a ton of energy. Lake Mattamuskeet is the most well known lake in North Carolina since its the largest natural lake in the state. Its flat out hunting for big bass on the fly. Give us a call to experience the best trout fishing of the year in western NC. The lakes that make up the Catawba River Chain are Lake James, Lake Rhodiss, Lake Hickory, Lookout Shoals Lake, Lake Norman, and Lake Wylie. We threw a lot of smaller black streamers to mimic the stoneflies and hellgramites in the river so Lisa did a good job of slowly fishing the streamers. July is hot, but so is the fishing for river smallmouth. We ended up catching a bunch of 1 to 1.75 lb. From backcountry experiences to roadside pull offs there are plenty of trout fishing opportunities for the curious angler in North Carolina. All praise and glory goes to God because all good things come from his goodness, grace, mercy, and unfailing love. This was an amazing experience for everyone involved. The Catawba Angler offers dry fly fishing trips on our mountain creeks for wild trout in the the Spring. Fish slowly and throughly: Slow down and fish the areas where you know the fish are at because they might not bite on the first cast but the twentieth cast. Below are some highlights of some good fish we caught in August, 2022. Weve all heard of matching the hatch which is good and all, but I would go farther than that and say its even more important to match the movement of the forage you are mimicking. Weve been averaging over fifty fish on every float using a variety of different methods to put fish in the net. The Catawba Angler offers half day and full day bass charters on the lakes and rivers of western North Carolina. Below are some recent pictures from our most recent outings. Important Legacy real-time page. The water was clear coming out of muddy creek and we had a no release flow. If conditions are right we can normally get by using floating line, but if we have good flows I will use sink tips and intermediate lines. There might not be a lot of fish biting in the summer because of the warmer temps and the lower water levels, but throughout the rest of the year, people have pretty good luck. Catawba River Tailrace: I now do float trips to fish this great brown trou The brown trout above is a stocked fish. Earlier in the day the nymph and streamer bite was consistent till the sun was directly above us. Use heavier tippet: The potential to catch a big fish is always a possibility in high water so its a good idea to bump up in tippet size to give you that extra assurance to land the big one. Topwater will continue to be good the rest of the summer. View. Water data back to 1895 are available online. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The float is 8 miles so its a full day of fishing. The Catawba Angler was one of the first bass fishing guides in North Carolina to guide on Lake James. I had a good trip on the Catawba Tailrace with Jay and Drew. The trout fishing in November will be good. We are getting a lot of repeat clients in the fall that want to chase those big smallmouth on fly or spinning tackle. Jerrod and his grandfather netted around 65 fish in about a 6 hour time period. United States. Thanks for reading. The last river that is worthy of mentioning in the bass fishing guide in North Carolina is the Pigeon River. The rivers are stocked and will receive another stocking the first week of November. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the The USGS stream gauge at Pleasant Gardens, NC provide a good indication of current conditions in the upper Catawba River. Weve got a few more smallmouth trips on the books this year which we are excited to finish the year out strong. The French Broad has been off colored since the beginning of July so I havent gotten the opportunity to fish it that much. This is when we head to the hills to chase wild fish where the water temperatures are lower and there isnt a ton of fishing pressure. Copyright 2023 DIY Fly Fishing, all rights reserved. My favorite time to fly fish for smallmouth is the end of June to September. Its been a long cold winter so getting out there and doing away with the nymphs has been nice. The lakes in the mountain and Piedmont regions are the result of dammed rivers. Use our interactive map to navigate the river and view points of interest. 21 inch brown trout caught by Allen Locke. Springtime dry fly fishing in western North Carolina! Duke Energy Corporation. This is some of the most exciting fishing the Tailrace has to offer besides streamer fishing. ! We caught a lot of smallmouth on top using hardbaits and soft plastics. Early Spring which runs from March to the beginning of April is the pre-spawn period. Brown trout are elusive and considered one of the most difficult trout species to catch. Below is a nice brown we caught during a rainstorm on Curtis Creek. The most important thing he picked up quickly was the mend. We offer full day float trips for $400. In Chester County, S.C. near the North and South Carolina borderan hour's drive south of the U.S. National Whitewater Center in . S2O Design & Engineering heads Great Falls-Dearborn Diversion Bypass Project, design solution will open the Catawba's Long Bypass Reach for boating for the first time in over 100 years.. There is nothing better than clear water and smallmouth bass in the fall because fishing is great! Its been one of the best smallmouth seasons weve ever had so Im very thankful for that. Check out some of our best catches below from March, April, and May. The state stocks a lot of these fish in the Delayed Harvest streams in the fall and the spring. The Spring offers some tremendous fly fishing opportunities across the mountain region for trout. The Catawba Angler offers family friendly fishing trips. Fly Fishing in North Carolina is one of the best experiences to do when visiting the mountains. This was Bennetts personal best river smallmouth and the biggest smallmouth to hit my net this year. Below are just a few pictures from the DH stretches in May. We have a really good caddis hatch in early March which allows us to sight fish for some large brown trout. Below is a picture of my buddies Samis first trout on the fly. CATAWBA RIVER NEAR ROCK HILL, SC Important Legacy real-time page Monitoring location 02146000 is associated with a STREAM in YORK COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. With construction past the half-way point, both water and boaters will soon be flowing down the Long Reach of the Catawba for the first time since 1907, bringing life and voice back to the rolling granite waves that are the historic Great Falls of South Carolina. You wont be disappointed. Its also gotten bigger since we first caught it in December. Normally when they first stock the first will hit anything flashy in the color of pink and yellow. The Catawba Tailrace has an excellent caddis hatch beginning in early March that can last till mid April. Weve been spending most of our time on the Catawba Tailrace which has been fishing unbelievably well. Fish arent leader shy in high water. Its our goal to provide the best bass fishing guide experience in North Carolina. This is why small flies and good presentations dominate. There isnt a better time than now to get out on the water and learn the sport of fly fishing. The Catawba Angler offers guided fishing trips in Asheville, North Carolina. Water data back to 2018 are available online. Weve caught a lot of smallmouth in this stretch using the same nymphs that the trout hit. This is the pinnacle of fly fishing in the mountains of North Carolina. The water temperatures range anywhere from 45 degrees to 67 degrees which is prime trout feeding water temperatures. The best bite of the year is right around the corner. The Catawba Angler offers float trips and wade fishing trips for trout in the spring here in North Carolina. If you have a trip booked in July be prepared to start early. Options for wading and shoreline fishing in the tailrace are also limited due to a lack of public access. She is currently competing for Angler of the Year for IWFA so it was good to help her knock off a couples of species that can only be caught in western NC. We spent the day together on a local smallmouth river and had a blast catching the fish on a variety of methods. Flow Arrival and Recession Times; Current Lake Levels. Dont miss out on some beautiful scenery and some good fishing in the mountains of NC! As long as the French Broad stays clear we will be on it. Below are some pictures from the Catawba Tailrace this May. Its been a colder spring so this sets us up good for the later half of spring with colder water out of muddy creek and the dam. The QW data at this station are operated seasonally (April 01 through November 30). S2O Design is led by engineer, Olympian, and three-time World Cup Kayak Champion and Freestyle Kayak Champion Scott Shipley. Brown trout are native to Europe, but were introduced in the 1920s in alot of the streams in North Carolina. As always if you are interested in fishing another fishery that I dont list in this report please call me or text me. Shallow areas and wade-in access usually mean the water gets too warm, so consider that, as well. The weather in the spring can be unpredictable so I tell clients we fish conditions not dates on a calendar. If you can stand it use 6.5x or 7x. The Catawba Tailrace is slowly starting to fish better and better. This time of the year is an excellent time to catch your personal best river smallmouth before they start to spawn. By engineer, Olympian, and May Carolina since its the largest natural lake North! 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In North Carolina pinnacle of fly fishing above was caught out of a delayed harvest stretch North Asheville.
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