Smallmouth season is in full swing!
The smallmouth fishing around Asheville, North Carolina is excellent during the month of June. The best days have been when the water is low and clear, and the more challenging days have been when the rivers muddy up after a hard rain. We have been fishing the French Broad the most this summer because water conditions have been favorable. Whenever the French Broad is low and somewhat clear you need to be fishing it. The Nolichucky can be more difficult to navigate when water levels get low, but where there is a will there is a way. The topwater bite hasn’t been very good this year, but minnow patterns and crawfish patterns have been the ticket. Our biggest fish of the year so far came on a soft plastic in early June. July is definitely a good time to catch a bunch of fish. Most fish will range from 8-12 inches, but you hope to fool a bigger one 16+ inches. Here are some of our best smallmouth catches from June 2021.
Trout Fishing in June
We have had a cooler than normal June and we’re able to sneak in some trout fishing trips on the Catawba Tailrace and the main stem of the Catawba. Fish are still eating stoneflies and egg patterns.
Lake James Fishing Report (June 2021)
Lake James has been tough, but the best fishing has been early morning. We’ve managed a couple of good fish on recent outings. If you want to get out on the lake this summer remember early morning is best.
Outlook for July 2021
We still have some availability the last two weeks in July, but they will be booking up soon. The fishing in July is good. Smallmouth is the name of the game during the month of July. The French Broad is usually low and fishing is consistent. We will start running trips earlier in July because the best fishing is usually before 2pm. July involves a more finesse fishing approach so throwing jigs is definitely the best technique. Fish will still be chasing in the early hours, but when the sun gets overhead we downsize and go natural. Trout fishing can be good around rainy days where the water temps drop to levels that are suitable to catch and release trout. All of our trout fishing trips in July is on higher elevation creeks. Check out some of our best catches from July 2020.
