The virus has had a negative impact on many small business owners in the area especially fly shops and independent guides. Independent guides and shops rely on a constant cash flow to keep them afloat during the guide season. When trips are cancelled or rescheduled, cash flow comes to a halt which is bad for businesses that owe rent or have outstanding debt on equipment. Once this chaos ends be sure to support your favorite local businesses first.
I am still guiding currently, but am assessing each client and case closely as well as following local and state regulations. The “6 foot rule” is in full effect on all wade fishing trips and proper sanitation on all equipment is performed before and immediately after each trip. If you want to get out on the water I would encourage you to look at our wade trip options because we can abide by the 6 foot rule better than if we are in the boat.
As of late, dry fly fishing on our backcountry creeks has been fantastic. This is a trip where you will be casting dry flies to wild trout in a backcountry setting away from people. Half day trips are $250. Enjoy some of our photos from recent outings.
Wild brown taken on a dry fly.
Wild rainbow caught on a tributary of a local creek. The royal wulf is one of my all time favorite flies this time of year.
Fish are starting to look up for these tasty bugs this time of year!
Don Pittman caught this wild trout on a Caddis on a local McDowell County creek.
I am hopeful that things in the world return to normal at the end of April. The good news is that these backcountry creeks will be fishing good all the way through the summer if you are hesitant to book in April due to the current pandemic.
Dry fly fishing for wild trout in a backcountry experience is one of my favorite trips because you get to see the trout explode on well presented dry flies. We use 7’6 three weight rods to target these fish so the fight is much more enjoyable. Most fish range anywhere from 8-10 inches but the opportunities to catch the bigger fish in the 14-18 inch range is not uncommon.
Rescheduling Trips
I am advising all clients who have had to cancel their fishing trip to reschedule at a later date. We are rescheduling a lot of trout trips in April to late fall, but I want to inform people about our smallmouth float trips which will ramp up the end of April and continue all the way into late September. These float trips for smallmouth is a great option and will get you on the water sooner than waiting till the fall trout bite.
Smallmouth Float Trips
Western NC provides some of the best river smallmouth fishing in the Southeast! I have wrote an article on the two rivers we guide on for smallmouth. If you are interested in how we target them and where we go to fish for them then go back my homepage and click on Western North Carolina Smallmouth.
The smallmouth action is starting to heat up. We have caught a few smallmouth on our recent float trips for trout down the Catawba River. The fishing is only getting better, so book your trip today to get in on the smallmouth action. There will be an influx of trip bookings at the end of April once this virus settles down. Book now so we can reserve your spot!
Kurt Bush with a nice Catawba River smallmouth.
Catawba River Smallmouth.
Smallmouth caught on March 11th on the Catawba.
Surprise catch on the Catawba Tailrace.
March float trips were awesome!
Our float trips down the Catawba River were awesome during the month of March. I took complete beginners and advanced anglers down the river and every trip was successful. I consider trips successful if the clients personally tell me they enjoyed the fishing. I received great feedback from all the clients and couldn’t have been more happy for them. As a full time guide, I strive to give each client the best fishing experience on and off the water. I want every angler to walk away more knowledgeable and confident in their angling ability after a guided trip with The Catawba Angler. My goal is to set them up for success when they go fishing on their own in our area. Check out our pics from the float trips in March.
Catawba River Brown Trout.
Tony Atkins with a big brown trout.
Holdover brown trout from the lower end of the Catawba River.
Jackson Dowdle put some great fish in the net in some tough fishing conditions.
Bald eagle checking out our fishing spot.
Fly fishing from a raft is one of the best adventures in western NC.
A lot of nice brown trout came to the net in March.
Lake James Fishing Charters
Lake James is a tough lake to fish, but our guides have been fishing it their entire lives. Let us show you some of the local knowledge needed to be successful out there. If you are interested in a trip contact us today.
3 lb. Lake James Smallmouth.
Good bag of bass caught at the lake.
In closing, I’d like to thank all the first responders and healthcare workers on the front lines helping combat this virus. We will all walk away stronger from this and hopefully I will see you on the river in the near future. Remember to support your local businesses during and after all this smoke from the virus clears. I appreciate all of you because I wouldn’t be able to pursue a career in the fishing industry if it wasn’t for you.
Stay Fishy,
Matt