Blue Ridge Area Fishing and Hatch Report September 5th, 2008
Our local streams are maintaining good water temperatures because of our mild summer. Insect activity is excellent with continued emphasis on terrestrial patterns. Beetles, fur ants, flying ants and grasshoppers are the go-to flies. A great pattern to use this time of year is a bright green inch worm. Any stream with over hanging trees will have fish that are keyed into this food source. Yellow sally stone flies early and late in the day are also good choices. An effective technique for catching fish in warm temperatures is working deep holes with a nymph rig. Copper johns, PTs , and Micro mayflies will work for this method. Slow down with this method and make sure to explore every corner of a deep pool before moving to the next. It is easier to take your time in the summer because you won’t be distracted by mid-day risers in the next pool.
The tailwaters in Tennessee continue to be challenging, offering excellent chances for good numbers of large trout. The Trophy section of the Watauga River is providing good numbers of crane flies, caddis emergers and a few blue-winged olives. Our guides are doing well with small nymph patterns in neutral colors, tied with little or no flash. Beetles fished close to the bank are an excellent choice but don’t forget small flying ants, small red fur ants and a black fur beadhead ant. Remember, if you fish the adult crane fly pattern, grease your leader for several feet up to about 8 inches before the fly. Try a cast down and across, raise your rodtip and skate the fly across the surface. At time, larger fish will respond to this technique.
The South Holston continues to be the South Holston. We are still seeing “sulfurs” in good amounts. On a trip this week from 10AM until 2PM when the water came up, there were good numbers of these yellow mayflies hatching in sizes 16 & 18 with orange-tinted bodies. Comparadun and emerger patterns are good choices. On this same trip this week, the larger fish were taking very,very small midge emergers. In several more weeks, increasing numbers of blue-winged olives will be found. The yellow mayflies will continue to hatch but in decreasing numbers. When floating on high water, stripping a streamer of olive-brown barred bunny strip off the bank can often pull old “Moss Jaws” off the bottom.
We have an excellent smallmouth fishery available to us that is producing great catches of good sized fish. Our rivers will continue to fish well through November. Remember that small mouth also live in many of our streams and rivers in the high country and the summer is a prime time to target this species with a fly rod. Top water patterns such as sliders and poppers can draw exciting strikes in the early morning and late evening. As the sun and temperatures rise a sub-surface pattern will be more effective than top water. Crawfish imitations, wiggle minnows, and the faithful ole wooly bugger will keep you catching smallies through out the day. The lower water levels also make for some great sight casting opportunities that are often overlooked. Also smallmouth will move into traditional trout waters in the warmer months so if you put a drift through your favorite trout run and almost get the rod pulled out of your hand, you better hold on because a smallmouth has shoulders. Hope you enjoy catching these fish as much as we do and feel free to come by the shop to pick up some smallmouth advice or book one of our premiere smallmouth trips.
Call our shop for any specifics 828-963-6556
