Foscoe Fishing Company Guide - Tyler Almond
Tyler is a native of High Point, NC. He attended Lees McRae College and Appalachian State University and has been an avid fisherman since the age of two. He has extensive fly fishing experience in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alaska and Montana and has completed formal training in fly casting, fly tying and rod building.
Tyler has also completed US Coast Guard training for passenger guide boating in Alaska and fly fishing guide school in Montana. His experience also includes inshore and offshore salt water fishing. Tyler enjoys sharing his knowledge and love of fishing with others.
Tyler's Fly Fishing Tales
Follow along with Tyler as he shares his flyfishing adventures in the freshwater streams of North Carolina and Tennessee. Tyler posts to this blog regularly so be sure to check back often or subsribe to our newsletter for digest updates.
Wednesday 25 2010
Fished some small streams last Wednesday and had great conditions on a half day trip. Water levels have been good due to recent rainfall and cool nights have also helped cool the water. We started fishing a good looking run in the morning catching some small but beautiful wild trout and then spotted a nice fish holding on the bottom of the run.
We fished to this fish for a while with no luck and changed flies three or four times. Finally, I decided to go small and put on a size 22 midge and boom, fish on! This fish was a nice rainbow around 18″. We continued to catch wild fish the rest half of the day. Its a great time to take advantage of some good fishing so call us to book a trip today!
August 23 2010 Fishing Report
After such a hot, dry spell, the high country has received a noticeable amount of rainfall and much cooler temperatures. This combination has made for some productive fishing! Good numbers of fish have been caught locally on various small streams. The preferred method of fishing when water levels are high and off colored is to nymph with the standard two fly dropper nymph rig. Its not a bad idea to go a few sizes larger during these conditions. Also, a smaller “dead drifted” woolly bugger can trigger some awesome strikes! Come take advantage of some great fishing opportunities in the high country today!
8/4/10 Fishing Report
Local fishing has been pretty good despite the heat. Recent rainfall and cooler weather has improved stream conditions on both the wild and stocked waters. Dry and dropper rigs have been producing fish along with standard indicator nymph rigs. Also, terrestrial patterns are consistently catching fish. Look for sporadic yellow stonefly, caddis, and dun variant hatches.
On the Holston, look for a steady sulphur hatch. This hatch has been bringing some large browns to the surface. If the surface action slows down, try nymphing with emerger and midge patterns.
The Watauga tailrace has also been producing consistent catches. Nymphing has been the best way to bring fish to the net. Small mayfly nymph patterns along with midges have been the go to rigs. Also, some large fish have been caught on beetles and other various terrestrials. Call us to book a trip today! 828-963-6556
Handling Fish properly
Our practices of catch and release are very important in sustaining local trout populations and proper handling of fish (trout in particular) is the best way to ensure that they survive. Warmer summer months create warm water conditions. When paired with a long, tiring fight, these fish have a tough time recovering. Always use the heaviest tippet you can get by with. This will help shorten the fight. Also, forceps for removing hooks and nets, preferebly rubber mesh, will help keep stress to a minimum. Lastly, if handling the fish is necessary, always start with wet hands. This will reduce the amount of slime taken off the fish and will help protect against disease. With these practices, we can help keep out fisheries productive for years to come!
July Fishing Report
Despite lower local water levels, the fishing has been great! Browns and Rainbows have been caught on dry and dropper rigs using a vareity of diferent drys and smaller buggy nymphs. Terrestrial patterns such as beetles and ants work great for a top fly as they are always abundant this time of year. Dropper nymph rigs have also been productive when fishing fast deeper water.
On the Tennesse tailwaters, fishing has also been great. On the South Holston, the sulphur hatch has been excellent! The dry fly fishing during generation has been amazing and large fish have been caught! Also, beetles and other terrestrials have been bringing up large fish here and on the Watauga. As always midges, small caddis, and craneflies are always present.
June Fishing Report
You’ll find great fishing right now if you’re on the South Holston or Watauga rivers! On the Holston, look for good midge and sulphur hatches during the day with sulphur spinner falls in the evening. On the Watauga, There have been sporadic caddis hatches and fish have been taking emerging patterns fairly well. Also look for the usual midge hatch as well as sulphurs. Look for sulphur spinner falls in the evening until dark.
Delayed Harvest waters have now changed over to a catch and keep fishery so fishing pressure will make for tough fishing. With that being said, fish can still be found in less likely areas such as along undercut banks and shallow riffles. Nymphing with mayfly and caddis patterns should produce fish. Good hatches of caddis flies have been hatching mid morning along with midges. Also, sulphur mayflies are starting to show up along with small yellow stoneflies. Don’t forget to look for terrestrials such as beetles and ants this time of year. They provide a ton of food for trout during the summer months!
Knot Tying
Knots are one of the most important aspects of fly fishing. There are books amoung books written about the many different knots but only a few are needed on a regular basis. The clinch knot is one of the best knots for tying the fly to the leader. It involves passing the tippett end through the eye of the hook then around the standing part of the leader six of seven times then back through the loop created at the eye. I find that it is useful for any fishing situation and one that every angler should know!
Giant Koi in the Watauga?
Last week I found myself fishing on the Watuaga river. The day started just like any other day of fishing with Nice catches of wild rainbows and browns. I worked runs and pools with nymph rigs and finally decided to walk downstream to a favorite hole I had left behind. When I got there, same thing, browns and rainbows but wait, whats that huge orange and black thing swimming in the shadows? I suddenly realized that the trout in this pool were not alone! I only saw the monster fish once before it vanished. If I had to guess I would say that the giant fish was a Koi that escaped from a pond nearby. I know one thing, I’ll be back to find out!
TN Tailwater and NC Delayed Harvest Fishing Report
You’ll find great fishing right now if your on the South Holston or Watauaga rivers! On the Holston, look for good midge hatches throughout the day and Sulphur hatches in the evening. On the Watuaga, a few sporadic caddis hatches have been productive times to fish. Also Look for large hatches of Sulphurs in the evening until dark. As usual, midges are always present along with a few craneflies.
The Delayed Harvest fishing on the Watauga in NC has also been productive. Good hatches of caddis flies have been hatching mid morning along with midges. Also, sulphur mayflies are starting to show up along with small yellow stoneflies. Dont forget to look for terrestrials such as beetles and ants this time of year!
Weight and Nymphing
Nymphing is one of the greatest techniques for catching trout. It has been a tried and true method for many years.
One reason it is so effective is that trout eat most of their diet under water. This being said, nymphing can still be tricky if the depth isn’t controlled properly. We can control depth by minimizing or adding weight! Split shot is the most widely used and comes in many different styles and sizes. It is often good to carry various sizes so that depth can be adjusted according to stream or river conditions. Remember, your effectiveness with nymphing decreases if your fly isn’t getting to the fish!
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