March and April provides some excellent spring fishing for trout and smallmouth around the Asheville area.

Springtime is here in western North Carolina.

Springtime fishing in western North Carolina is a wonderful thing! Bugs are hatching, plants and trees are blooming, and the fish are biting! The first day of Spring is March 20th and ends June 20th. For this report we will highlight some great fishing opportunities March through the end of April. We will discuss what clients can expect in May as well.

Delayed Harvest Waters in March, April, & May

The delayed harvest waters have been fishing excellent and will continue to fish well until the end of May. We have been catching a lot of fish and some good quality fish on both our wade trips and float trips. The NCWRC puts big rainbow, brown, and brook trout in these fisheries and we get to reap the benefits of it. The most successful tactic has been nymphing under and indicator, but streamers have brought in the bigger fish. Check out our recent catches from the delayed harvest waters.

First timer Wesley Lawson caught this 20” rainbow trout on an outing with his sons.

Joe Kinney tricked this 19” brown trout into eating a black streamer.

Dick from South Carolina caught two 20” rainbows on a recent float trip. Great fight on a 4 weight rod.

22” rainbow trout caught while we were doing some smallmouth fishing! This was Chris Turner’s personal best trout.

Ted Judy with a nice brook trout! The brook trout is a freshwater favorite in North Carolina.

Copper was all smiles after landing his first trout on a fly rod!

McDowell County creeks and rivers will receive its 3rd trout stocking this year on May 5th. Fishing will continue to be good on these creeks and rivers until the end of May so if you want to get in on some good trout fishing keep this in mind.

Catawba Tailrace

The caddis hatch was great this year on the tailrace, but it has come to an end. The warmer weather we had in early March caused the bugs to come and go sooner than year’s past. The good news is that fishing on the tailrace has been consistent since late November and will continue to fish well into early June. This fishery has proven itself year after year for some excellent tailwater fishing for brown trout. This fishery is a short drive from Raleigh, Winston Salem, and Charlotte so give us a call to get on the water. It’s cool showing other anglers who can appreciate this fishery as much as us. It has its challenges with the unpredictable flows and the water clarity from Muddy Creek but it is one of the best brown trout fisheries in the state. We’ve been catching some really good numbers of fish. Check out our most recent catches.

Rick with a nice brown from the lower section of the Tailrace.

Once in a blue moon we catch some nice smallmouth on stonefly patterns.

Wild Trout Fishing Trips

The wild trout water in North Carolina is a dry fly fishing paradise in the Spring. These wild trout will hit a well presented dry fly all day long which is always a blast. This is the most authentic North Carolina fly fishing experience we offer. Chasing wild trout on the fly never gets old. Our wild trout trips are great because clients get to hike and fish in beautiful areas that most people don’t venture to.

The Tao’s took advantage of a warm spring day on a wild trout stream here in Old Fort.

Colder than normal day in April, but the fish didn’t mind.

Fishing dry flies on a wild trout stream in the Pisgah National Forest.

Steve from Texas loved the wild trout fishing here in the mountains.

Rare tiger trout caught on one of our wild trout trips.

Mike fooled this wild rainbow with a well placed dry fly.

Springtime smallmouth fishing in North Carolina

The river smallmouth are becoming more and more active as the days get warmer and longer. Fish are starting to enter their spawning areas this time of year so it’s best to leave them alone to ensure a successful spawn. We have caught some smallmouth on some of our recent trout float trips, but quickly landing and releasing them in the same area that they are caught is important. The best fishing on the river is before or after the spawn. With that being said, we are now booking river smallmouth trips for the 2021 season. Please book 3-4 weeks in advance to ensure the date you want is available. Last minute bookings are accepted, but not ideal. We run smallmouth trips from late April to early November.

Early Spring smallmouth fishing on the French Broad River. March 14, 2021.

Nice prespawn smallmouth bass from a recent float trip.

Healthy smallmouth from the French Broad River.

Lake James Bass Fishing

Lake James is fishing well and the bass are in spawning mode. The lake really turned about a week ago and fishing will remain consistent through May. Here are some recent catches from our guided charters on Lake James.

4.8 pound mean mouth bass hammered a jerk bait.

Nice largemouth caught on one of our recent outings.

Two nice bass caught with guide Kelsey Minish.

Catfish made an appearance on a recent trip.

Outlook for May

May is a wonderful time to be on the water in western North Carolina. The delayed harvest waters will be fishing well, and the river smallmouth will be fired up. The bass at Lake James will be in post spawn mode which means they will be hungry. We appreciate everyone who has trusted us to take them fishing over the last 4 years and look forward to seeing you on the water! Check out some guided trip pictures from May 2020.

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