Update On Coming Out Of A Pandemic

COVID-19 still has the world upside down, but the entire month of April we have been able to find peace on the river. The river is where we all go to find peace and solitude especially in a time of chaos. With that being said the creeks and rivers have been busier than usual, but fishing has been outstanding.

I had more cancellations in the month of April than I did all of last year, but was fortunate to reschedule a few clients while adding some new ones in between. The trips we took this month were with people who had quarantined and were taking the virus just as serious as we were. I am excited about getting clients back on the water in May.

Dry fly fishing in April

One of my favorite times to guide is when the trout are looking up for dry flies in the Spring. We had some excellent dry fly fishing the entire month of April and this will continue into the summer on our wild water creeks. There were some clients this month that preferred to only fish dry flies and ones that wanted to experience dry fly fishing for the first time. As I have said many times before, there is nothing like tricking a fish into eating a dry fly off the surface. I personally would rather catch one on a dry than 10 on a nymph.

When guiding clients using dry flies we cover the following tips and tactics so we walk away successful.

A good presentation is more important than the choosing the right fly.
A drag free drift is key to enticing a trout to eating a dry fly.
Fly line management is key on short and long casts.
Longer casts increases the chances of drag problems so an emphasis is placed on shorter casts.
Have a methodical approach.
Many times anglers cast straight to the “prime” holding areas and spook nice fish holding in the areas often overlooked.
Don’t waste a cast.
Bad casts are going to happen. Fish it out and focus on making a better cast on your next attempt.

We have multiple locations that we take people to catch wild trout here in McDowell County.

Client with a nice wild rainbow trout caught on a royal wulff.

Wild rainbow trout tricked into eating a dry fly.

Nothing better than fishing a dry fly deep in the National Forest.

Scott is a long time client and friend of mine and we always have a good time “picking” apart trout water. He has improved tremendously as an angler over the last few years.

Our streams most prized catch is a wild brook trout. This public water trout was caught in a mountain creek here in Old Fort.

We take pride in only providing guided trips on public water.

Wild brown trout taken on a purple haze fly.

Exploring New Water

With more time on our hands we were able to explore some new fisheries around the county. Anytime you explore a new fishery it’s best to keep your expectations low in case the fishing isn’t what you expect it to be. The areas we explored by foot and raft were more than what we could have asked for. The scenery and fishing was superb.

We decided to raft a river that I had wade fished before, but never rafted. The river was low and I had to drag the raft across certain sections, but the fishing was excellent. We caught trout, smallmouth bass, red horse suckers, and sun perch.

Exploring new water is always an adventure and you always walk away satisfied because you accomplish something that most people wouldn’t consider doing.
I’d encourage everyone to get out and explore new areas that are hard to get to because a lot of times these areas are the ones that are most rewarding.

New fishery we explored yielded a great wild rainbow.

New fishery we rafted also yielded a couple of nice smallmouth!

Red horse suckers put up tremendous fights.

8 mile round trip in search of wild brook trout

Courtney and I decided to tackle a trip deep into the Pisgah National Forest to find some wild fish. The trip was a strenuous hike across a rugged mountain to get to the pristine water full of wild brook trout. We missed one of the largest wild brook trout I have ever seen in this area, but caught some really nice fish.

Wild Brook Trout. What they lack in size they make up for in beauty.

Biggest fish of the month

The biggest fish of the month was Kathy Webb’s brook trout caught on a pat’s rubber legs. The coolest part of this catch was that we ended up hooking and breaking off on a very large rainbow the day before so when we landed this fish it was a huge relief.

Seconds before the massive rainbow broke us off. These are the moments that bring us back for more.

Lake James was on fire!

We were fortunate to run a few lake trips this month with some clients that had been quarantining for over 14 days. We were able to keep our distance on our bass boats and get into some excellent largemouth and smallmouth bass. April and May are two of the best months to catch good numbers of bass at Lake James. We offer trips year round, but the Spring is hard to beat!

Lake James is hard to beat in the spring for big bass.

Guide Kelsey Minish with a nice bag of bass from Lake James.

My lovely fiancé with nice smallmouth caught on a fluke.

River Smallmouth Fishing

We have started fishing for river smallmouth and now is the time to start booking your trips. May through September is the best time to catch river smallmouth. These trips take you through some of the prettiest areas in western NC and these hard fighting smallmouth will make you quickly forget trout fishing. I have been dedicating the last month to smallmouth fishing and I’m excited for what May and the rest of the summer holds! Check out some of our catches from the river.

River smallmouth caught on a chatterbait.

Western NC is home to some of the best river smallmouth fishing in the South!

Here are some pictures from last years trips in the month of May:

May Fishing

The creeks and rivers are full of active fish. Whether you want to go after stocked or wild trout there are ample opportunities. Our smallmouth trips provides a new opportunity to chase a different species after a long winter and spring chasing trout. Lake James will continue to fish great throughout the summer.

We are a full time guide service and hope to see you on the water in May. Give us a call so we can cater to your fishing needs.

My Best Catch

On April 25th I asked the love of my life to marry me! Courtney means the world to me and is truly my best catch! I took her to one of our favorite spots where we often pray and reflect on how good God has been to the both of us. Enjoy some of the few photos we took that day.

In Closing

I want to thank all of our clients that believe in us and allow us the opportunity to share our passion with them. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy during these chaotic times. If you are wanting to get on the water then do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you all for the support!

Stay fishy!

Matt Evans