Plenty of springtime fishing opportunities near Asheville and Black Mountain!
Spring is upon us here in the mountains of North Carolina and that means good trout and smallmouth fishing. Air temperatures are consistently in the 50-60 degree range, rarely drop below 40 degrees. Trout are rising to dry flies and the smallmouth are packing on weight before the spawn. We’ve been spending most of our time on the Catawba Tailrace chasing brown trout, but we were able to fish the French Broad River for smallmouth yesterday. Hooking that first smallmouth of the year is always a pleasure because pound for pound they fight better than any other fish in the river.
The Catawba Tailrace
The caddis hatch is in full effect on the tailrace. Fish are actively feeding on top even with 1 unit generating. In between throwing dries, the nymph bite has been fantastic so fishing has been consistent. The lower section of the tailrace is fishing slow so on our trips we have been focusing on the upper stretches below Muddy Creek. Fishing will stay consistent until mid May so now is the time to book your trip on our local tailwater. I’ve got this Wednesday (3/17) open if you want a mid-week break! Flows are good and fishing in front of the low pressure system coming in on Thursday is ideal. Below is a video from our most recent trips this past week. Enjoy!
Delayed Harvest Float Trips
The Delayed Harvest waters have seen more anglers the past two weeks than ever before. I read an article in the Citizen Times that said the number of fishing license sold in NC was up 20%. I welcome anyone willing to get outside and enjoy the natural resources here in the mountains, but that means pressured fish. The good news is that we are fishing every day and know the tactics needed to be successful on these stretches of water even with the influx of anglers. If you don’t want to bother with the crowds then we have plenty of wild trout waters to go explore. We rarely see any other anglers on our wild trout fishing trips. Check out some of our most recent float trip pictures.
Nice holdover trout in the Catawba River.
Browns were eating good after a small rain shower.
This big 18” rainbow took Jim for a good ride.
Mr. Salyer and his son had a great day of nymphing and streamer fishing.
Smallmouth fishing on the French Broad River
The time has come where we have broke out the spinning gear to target pre-spawn fish on the French Broad River in downtown Asheville. The water temperature was 54 degrees yesterday and we were able to catch a handful of fish. We focus on quality instead of number this time of year. The opportunity to catch a heavy smallmouth is possible because the fish are feeding aggressively on baitfish before the spawn. The most effective way to fish this time of year is to cover as much water as you can throwing baitfish lures. My favorite colors are lighter ones, but chartreuse crankbait can work well in higher, off colored water. Fish the lures with a slow retrieve and focus on the slow, deep holding areas in the middle of the river. The Catawba Angler offers guided smallmouth fishing trips on the French Broad River and Nolichucky River from late March to the end of October. Last year we had an excellent season with lots of big fish to the boat. If you want to get on our smallmouth calendar then please do not wait because weekends are filling up quickly. The two fisheries we guide on are some of the best in the Southeast. The potential to catch a 5 pound river smallmouth is always possible.
French Broad River Smallmouth 3/14/21
Other Springtime Smallmouth Catches
Lake James Fishing Report
If there was ever a time to fish Lake James it would be from now until the end of May. We’ve been catching fish on the main lake and the shallow areas near the creeks. This time of the year we are fishing for quality not quantity.
Local Guides. Local Knowledge.