The trout fishing has been excellent and will stay consistent till mid June. Stoneflies and caddis imitations are still the name of the game on most fisheries in western North Carolina. On the smaller mountain creeks the water has been crystal clear so midge imitations under a dry has been best. The best midge colors have been black, brown, and olive. If you’ve got those colors you will catch fish. When fishing midges I wouldn’t use any tippet under 5x. If you can stand it use 6.5x or 7x. I good way to fish these smaller midges is to use a size 14 chubby chernobyl as the indicator. These dry flies float well and you can fish multiple nymphs under them. If the bigger chubby is scaring fish when it lands on the water then put on some sort of parachute adams or caddis. Leaders should as least be 10 foot in length. There are a lot of bugs hatching this time of year so when drifting nymphs always allow them to swing at the end of your drift. This is especially effective when using nymphs tied with cdc feathers. These feathers are naturally buoyant so they help mimic bugs emerging to the surface on the swing. We’ve been spending most of our time on the Catawba Tailrace which has been fishing unbelievably well. We’ve been averaging over fifty fish on every float using a variety of different methods to put fish in the net. The best fishing has been on the minimal flow release, but we’ve had great action using heavy nymphs on one or two unit generations. The caddis are out and about, but we still haven’t gotten the blanket hatches we always anticipate so if you are still interested in experiencing some of the best dry fly fishing of the year then give us a call. The weather over the next two weeks looks great so if you want to fish this March Madness Hatch then it’s best to get on our calendar very soon.
Wading has been great on the Delayed Harvest sections of the Catawba River, Curtis Creek, and Mill Creek. These waters get the most pressure, but if you are willing to think outside the box a little bit then you can catch fish. These fish are no longer responding to the trash flies so leave them at the house. Fish your smallest flies and make sure they are getting down to the strike zone. Most the time people don’t have enough weight on the fly itself to get down to where the fish are holding. If you don’t have enough weight then you will drift over the fish without any bites. Always be willing to might slight changes especially when it comes to getting your flies down in the water column.
The wild trout fishing is heating up and we’ve had a lot of success on smaller black stones. The water temperatures are still below 50 on the higher elevation creeks, but any warm front will bump those temperatures up to a desirable range. We recently took a client into a wild trout stream and the water temperature was 42 degrees which is uncommon for this time of year, but the fishing was great. Don’t let the cold, wind, or rain stop you from getting out there and fishing because there are always fish to be had. Always fish the conditions. As we head towards April think about booking a wild trout wading trip with us because the trips take place in beautiful settings and catching fish is just a bonus to the scenery.
Outlook for the rest of March, April, and May
Trout fishing will be excellent now until mid June. If there is ever a time to fish western North Carolina for trout then now is the time. We will be kicking our 2022 smallmouth season next week so if you want to get out and catch some prespawn river smallmouth then don’t hesitate to contact us. This time of the year is an excellent time to catch your personal best river smallmouth before they start to spawn. Smallmouth fishing has just begun on the river and we will be fishing for them now until November. The best trout fishing is hands down the Catawba Tailrace if you enjoy throwing bigger nymphs and streamers. The delayed harvest creeks and rivers are full of trout and will receive their second stocking the first week of April so there are plenty of great wade fishing opportunities to seek out. Wild trout fishing will only get better as the temps warm and we will fish the wild trout streams well into June. We offer alot of trips and cater to beginners and the most experienced anglers. Contact us today to book your fishing adventure here in the mountains of North Carolina. Check out some of our best catches below from March, April, and May.
