Fishing in January and February can be very rewarding to those who brave the colder weather.
Paul Atkins fishing a wild water stretch in McDowell County during the snow.
January and February brings some of the coldest weather of the year in North Carolina, but fishing is still great. The key to fishing in these colder months is to layer up. I try and tell people that it’s better to have more on than not enough. You can always take clothes off if you get too warm.
We brought excellent numbers and some good sized fish to the net in January. Fishing tends to be best midday or late afternoon when air and water temps are highest so we meet clients around 9:30 or 10am. Water temperature was below 50 degrees most days in January which required us to go with smaller flies. Clients did well on midges, pheasant tail jigs, and eggs.
One fascinating thing is that we didn’t see anyone else on the creeks and rivers during the month of January. If solitude is what your after on the trout streams then I would recommend going this time of year.
Nice brown caught in the Pisgah National Forest in January.
Floating the Catawba River in January is a great option for catching a lot of trout and staying dry by fishing from our raft. (This picture was actually taken after a rainstorm)
Fishing from our NRS raft keeps clients warmer than if they were wading in the water during January because they stay dry. I encourage clients to wear waders on our float trips in the winter for that extra layer of protection against the rain and snow.
Wild trout caught on a stonefly. (January 30, 2020)
Perdigon flies are excellent to fish on wild trout streams in the winter months.
February was one for the books!
People always ask what’s your favorite time to fish and it’s hard not to say February. February is one of those months where you can have 60 degree days or 20 degree days. No matter the temperature it always seems the fish are willing to eat as long as you present the flies correctly. I have found that the trout tend to hover around the bottom of the creeks and rivers during February because the water is still below 50 degrees. The key to catching good numbers is to get your flies to where the fish are lying. This requires heavier flies with tungsten bead heads or simply adding split shot. There are some people that don’t believe in adding split shot, but it can make turn a good day into a great day.
A good friend and I floated the main river here in McDowell County and we had one of the best days of fishing we have ever had. We fished for 4 hours and caught 67 trout. This wasn’t all luck. We were getting our flies down to where the fish were and the fish cooperated. Normally on float trips I’ll fish indicators or use dry dropper combos. These certain techniques are effective but the nymphs only cover one section of the water column. Daniel and I tight lined nymphs from the boat and this ended up being something I’ll be applying on all future guide trips because of how effective it is. The waters we guide on range anywhere from 2 to 15 feet in depth which further justifies why “tight lining” is so effective because we can adjust the depth our nymphs cover by simply raising or lowering the rod tips.
We caught 67 trout in a 4 hour float.
Michael Hill and his son Matt enjoying a warmer February day.
Second Chances
I took Mr. Hill and his son Matt on a half day wade trip to teach them Euro Nymphing on a wild trout stream in McDowell County. We had an excellent day in the higher water. I prefer to fish this particular section during higher water because the bigger wild trout tend to move out of their normal hiding spots making them more vulnerable to catch. We netted some good fish early that morning, but Matt ended up hooking one of the biggest wild trout I have seen on this stretch.
Solid fish Matt caught earlier in the day on our half day wade trip.
I was upstream retying flies for Micheal when I looked back and seen Matt’s rod bent over. He yelled out and said I’ll need some help netting this one. I quickly go back downstream and get in position to net this fish. I remained calm and so did Matt, but we both realized what was on the other end of the line. The fish was peeling drag using the higher water to its advantage. Matt played the fish perfectly and we ended up getting the fish over to still water. Just as I was about to go in for the net job the 5x tippet broke and we both let out sighs of disappointment, but still happy for what just took place. Matt and Micheal went on to catch more fish, but we all wondered what that fish would have measured and would have loved to document it.
The Catawba Angler only guides on public water and we will always keep it that way because I appreciate taking anglers to creeks and rivers they can return to.
I had a feeling Matt and Micheal would go back for that fish we broke off at a later date, but wasn’t expecting them to catch the same fish. Two days later Matt and his dad went back to the stretch I guided them on and caught the same exact fish we broke off on! When he sent me the picture of the fish I was so excited for him because a public water fish like that is a fish of a lifetime.
Matt’s fish he caught two days after being broke off on our guide trip.
Second look at Matt’s catch. 19” wild rainbow.
Upgrade!!
I am excited to announce we have upgraded our fishing raft to create a more enjoyable fishing experience for clients on float trips. We have now added fishing platforms to the front and back of the raft so it’s just like fishing from a drift boat! This was a long time coming and i appreciate all the business from our clients because without your support we couldn’t have done it. See the upgrades below.
The casting platforms provides anglers the chance to now stand and fish from the raft just like you would from a drift boat.
Enjoy these other pics from January and February!
Courtney’s first fish using a euro nymphing set up!
The Catawba Angler provides guide trips in western NC year round! Cold months provide great fishing and solitude.
First timer with a nice wild rainbow trout.
Streamer fishing in the winter can turn some good sized fish especially brown trout.