Foscoe Fishing Company Blog - Fishing Tales
Disclaimer: All fishing tales related herein may be whoppers. Telling the classic “tall tale” when it comes to fishing is an art and we are proud of being good story tellers. We reserve the right to add an inch or two to measurements of caught fish using advanced, hard to catch photo software enhancements. All customers who attend classes or guided trips will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement stating they will not make truthful statements about the 12″ fish we caught when it was really only 6″. Thank you for your cooperation, and come back to see us again soon!
October Success on the River
October has been a great month for fishing in the High Country. The onset of the month brought floats down the Nolichucky for smallmouth and the return of Delayed Harvest regulations on local trout streams. What were probably the last smallie floats of the season produced good numbers of fish up to two pounds as well as some feisty wild rainbows in the 15-17” range.
Delayed harvest has been fishing well, providing an opportunity for me to guide a 12-year-old boy to his first trout on the fly and giving more seasoned anglers a shot at some true hogs. As November nears, anglers should layer appropriately and seize the opportunity for some of the best trout fishing all year. Tight lines and I hope to see ya’ll on the water.
Floating on Watauga Tailwater
Sunday I floated the lower section of the Watauga tailwater where it ran into Boone Lake. Most of the day was spent fishing double fly rigs right on the bottom.
The fish seemed to like little BWO nymphs in size 20-24 and some larger caddis larvae size 14-16. Towards the end of the float in the slow, slick water, there was an awesome BWO hatch and the biggest fish of the day was caught on a size 18 BWO emerger. It was a nice change of scenery as well as an awesome day on the water.
Wading the South Holston Tailwater
This past weekend I waded the South Holston tailwater. Fishing was good and we even had the pleasure of casting some dry flys to rising fish.
They were eating sparsely tied craneflies and size 18 Sulphurs. Midges were all over, and we caught most of our fish on subsurface midge patterns dropped behind brassies and micro mayflies. The browns look like they are staging for the spawn.
Fishing in Delayed Harvest Waters
Friday’s weather didn’t seem too promising after seeing the forecast the day before, but besides the overcast conditions, the day turned out to be perfect! I started out fishing the new delayed harvest waters of Wilson’s Creek.
The gin clear water and the smell of fall told me the fishing was going to be good. I found a nice run tumbling out of a medium sized pool and made a cast with a dropper nymph rig and wham, fish on! This led to more nice fish during the day and with three miles of water the secret won’t be out for long.
The next day the conditions weren’t as favorable but the fishing was much the same! There is nothing like walking up a wild trout stream in October. You take in so much more when fishing. Once again the nymph fishing seemed most productive but stealth was the real key to success.
This day provided many fish in the ten to twelve inch range with one brown that measured fifteen! The following day was spent on the Watauga River in Boone. If you are looking for big fish and lots of fish, you want to be on the Watauga!
After a few casts in a likely run, the strike indicator went under. I wasn’t prepared for what had taken the fly. After five minutes of fighting the fish and help from my buddy, I landed a twenty three inch rainbow! The Watauga offers great access and great fishing! Don’t let the colder weather scare you away!
Small Stream Fishing Tips
The fall is a great time to fish small wild streams, a good bit of the shrubs have died back from the frosts and you can get to areas you could’t normally in the summer.
The fish in these areas are typically very healthy and willing to eat just about any fluffy dry fly that comes their way. They are spooky so light tippet (6X or 7X) and light presentations are important.
You can expect 6 to 9 inch fish with the possibility of a 10 inch plus so a 2 or 3 weight 6 to 7 foot rod is my weapon of choice. Remeber these are fragile fisheries so be overly delicate handling the fish and ALWAYS RELEASE! Good Fishing!
