On the smaller mountain creeks the water has been crystal clear so midge imitations under a dry has been best. This is our best fishery from November to the end of May. The brook trout directly above is a stocked fish. The water temperature on the French Broad is 57 degrees. Learn about our partnerships working to protect water supply in our communities. The state record rainbow trout in North Carolina weighed over 20 pounds and was caught out of a stream 60 miles from Asheville. The river flows into northern South Carolina, passing Rock Hill, through Fishing Creek Reservoir near Great Falls, and into the Lake Wateree reservoir, approximately 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Columbia. God has given us the passion for fly fishing, and if we can use that as an outlet to become a friend to fatherless children then that is a beautiful thing. The upper mile of this fishery is stocked during the spring and The Delayed Harvest stretches on Curtis Creek and the Catawba have been fishing really well. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. We are currently booking in August so please dont hesitate booking. One way to catch more fish in an unfamiliar river system is to find out what forage is in the river whether it be bugs, minnows, or crayfish and start there. The lake is a shallow coastal lake which is home to largemouth bass. If float fishing isnt your thing then we got some excellent wade fishing opportunities chasing stocked and wild trout. Check out the three pictures below of the same fish. The wild trout fishing will be good till July when water temperatures get over 70 degrees. The best fishing during the month of May will be floating the rivers for smallmouth and trout. Pop Em: Normally the best time to pop poppers is early morning and late evening when the sun is low. Brown trout are native to Europe, but were introduced in the 1920s in alot of the streams in North Carolina. We offer alot of trips and cater to beginners and the most experienced anglers. Remember these things when you know the water is going to be up. Those fish on the Tailrace have seen enough black to last them a lifetime so it never hurts to think outside the box. The most important thing he picked up quickly was the mend. We managed close to 20 fish to the net. Ive been on the Catawba Tailrace all week and the fishing has been lights out. The fish measured 19.5 inches and weighed right at 3.4lbs. Trail Uses Locations Huntersville (NC), Mount Holly (NC) Length 6.1 miles, One Way Difficulty Easy Motorized Vehicles The Catawba Angler was voted the best fishing guide service in McDowell County for 2019 and 2020. He has never picked up a fly rod before, but was able to get on about 20 fish on a short 3 hour float. The rainbow trout gets confused with the brook trout, but rainbows have a long lateral line on their sides that are pink or red. The Catawba Angler keeps a continual pulse on the Catawba Tailrace to be able to offer successful fly fishing trips on this tailwater. Catawba River Tailrace: I now do float trips to fish this great brown trou These fish are prevalent in the 34 creeks and rivers that get stocked across the mountain region of NC. The fish are coming up eating dries in the morning then droppers midday to early afternoon. We had a great day fishing a one unit release. In the deeper areas of the river, youll be able to fish during warmer months without much issue. If you want to chase these bigger fish using large nymphs and streamers then this trip is for you. Springtime dry fly fishing in western North Carolina! The fishing is great from the time we put on to the end and there is always potential to catch a trophy brown trout. All praise and glory goes to God because all good things come from his goodness, grace, mercy, and unfailing love. Official websites use .gov Upper Catawba River Paddle. We've been picking fish up in the deeper runs on nymphs and streamers in the riffles. Another notable bass fishing lake in the coastal plain region is Lake Waccamaw. CATAWBA RIVER BL LAKE WYLIE DAM FEWELL ISLAND, SC. Kirk and his son Houston had a great day on the water. There is nothing better than catching one of these native fish using a fly rod. Add some weight because a sinker can save the day. The water is unusually low on the Nolichucky so weve been spending the most time on the French Broad. When you decided to pick up fly fishing you knew you were at a disadvantage compared to using a spinning rod. We were able to hit a local wild trout fishery early morning last week because the smallmouth rivers were blown out. We provide everything but a valid NC fishing license. I couldnt do it without her support. Give the trout a break this summer and book a trip with us to catch some river smallmouth. Chasing these fish will make you a better angler. The Yadkin River boasts a small population of smallmouth bass and a variety of other species. The best fishing is below Waterville dam and into East Tennessee. This healthy brown trout took a stonefly during no generation. After the spawn is over the water temperatures start to warm and the fish start chasing baitfish. $24 King Palm | Flavor Mini Size | 20 Pack | Natural Slow Burning Pr Health Household Household Supplies Tobacco-Related Products Here you wont find the crowds like you do on the tailwaters in East Tennessee or the Tuck. If you are looking to float a tailwater without the boat traffic give the Catawba Tailrace a try sometime between November and June. The North Carolina mountains boasts plenty of fisheries that contain wild and stocked trout. Smallmouth fishing has just begun on the river and we will be fishing for them now until November. Mends are vital to your success when drifting poppers. Sinkers: If you are fishing a deep run and arent catching fish its probably because your flies arent getting down fast enough. Lakes and dams provide benefits that are balanced among the individual needs of several communities. Bigger isnt always better. Current conditions of DISCHARGE, GAGE HEIGHT, and STREAM WATER LEVEL ELEVATION ABOVE NAVD 1988 are available. The cold water discharges from the dam create a habitat for brown trout that the NCWRC stocks every year. Weve been chasing river smallmouth on the French Broad, Toe, and Catawba Rivers all summer long. In order to fish the bottom of the river well you got to be willing to fish slowly. Weve had a lot of fun catching prespawn smallmouth, but their is nothing better than the post spawn smallmouth fishing in May. The lake is home to many different fish species but the largemouth bass is most sought after. The lakes that make up the Catawba River Chain are Lake James, Lake Rhodiss, Lake Hickory, Lookout Shoals Lake, Lake Norman, and Lake Wylie. Wild trout fishing will only get better as the temps warm and we will fish the wild trout streams well into June. Dont miss out on some beautiful scenery and some good fishing in the mountains of NC! We look forward to seeing you on the water. then its best to move to the next plunge pool. This will test an anglers/guide patience but its vital to ones success. This section is a tailwater that provides cold water year round that creates the perfect habitat for aquatic life. We have had clear water on the French Broad River so I have been out there every day chasing those big smallmouths that have some big appetites this time of year. There are always some big fish that hang out in those holes. It only takes a few years for the stocked fish to become classified as trophy fish. S2O Design is an engineering firm specializing in innovative river engineering, restoration, and community-focused whitewater park design. Ive booked trips on the Tailrace all the way out to the fish of June because we should have suitable water temps until mid june. We offer half and full day trips for wild brown trout, rainbow trout, and brook trout. Thats the key when fishing crawfish patterns. Our tailwater trips have been super productive and we are starting to venture to the high country for wild trout. We offer different kayak types and river tubes to use on the scenic & historic Catawba River, South Fork River, or one of the area lakes! Brian and I hit a local delayed harvest stretch after a heavy rainfall the night before and it was tough fishing to say the least, but Brian stuck with it and netted some good fish towards the end of the trip. Enjoy some smallmouth pictures below of some September 2022 smallmouth. Lake Mattamuskeet is the most well known lake in North Carolina since its the largest natural lake in the state. This is trophy hunting using the fly rod because these fish will range anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds. There are alot of fish in the river right now so let us take you to them and show you how to be a better angler. There is a healthy population of wild brown trout in the Davidson River so that is a good start for most anglers looking to catch one. The main focus is getting the kids hooked on having a good time on the water. Fly fishing the upper Catawba River in North Carolina. Give us a call to experience the best trout fishing of the year in western NC. If you arent fishing the nymphs about 6-8 feet deep your not in the target zone. The Catawba Tailrace is slowly starting to fish better and better. These guys put a lot of time on the water which is the best teacher of all. Twitch Em: In deep slow slack water I like to twitch the poppers because sometimes just a little movement on the legs can draw a strike. The takeout ramp in Glen Alpine is currently under construction so this section of river will be shut down for two months. We are thirty days away from the end of summer (September 22). Rainbow trout are native to the Pacific region, but were introduced to North Carolina around the 1900s. Its flat out hunting for big bass on the fly. The best fishing during the winter is going to be throughout the Delayed Harvest Stretch. Consider visiting during the week to avoid weekenders if youre coming from out of town. For more information, visit S2ODesign.com. Challenge: In order to catch these fish you must get good presentations with drag free drifts. We are targeting fish using dry droppers and single drys. Ready to go? To provide the safest possible passage to the Long Bypass Reach at higher flows, S2O Design created the Recreation Bypass Channel that will have much less drop over a longer distance. You can purchase a North Carolina state fishing license and learn about the most current regulations through the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the The weather is perfect this time of year with the later start times so give us a call to book your fishing adventure in the mountains of NC. The bass will let you know if you can pop aggressively or every ten or so seconds. We threw a lot of smaller black streamers to mimic the stoneflies and hellgramites in the river so Lisa did a good job of slowly fishing the streamers. These fish lack the beauty of the native brook trout but are still pretty fish nonetheless. There arent many striper in the Tailrace, but if you are looking to grind and catch your first striper on the fly then we welcome you. The Catawba Angler was voted the best fishing guide service in McDowell County for 2019 and 2020. Most of the time Im using weighted lines for streamers or adding weight to get the nymphs down. We catch river smallmouth on a variety of baits in May since the smallmouth are feeding aggressively on baitfish and crayfish. The Catawba River in western North Carolina is a diverse trout fishery that includes wild brook trout in its headwaters to trophy brown trout in the tailwater below Lake James. We did hook into a nice holdover brown on the lower end of the float, but it got off at the boat. We guide on the best smallmouth rivers in western North Carolina. I knew it was going to be a good time to fish because for the last three years the Catawba Tailrace has been excellent from the beginning of March to the end of May. Below is a fish we caught dead drifting a popper right off the bank by a fallen down tree. Its important to check the water temperatures on the wild trout streams because catching wild trout in water temperatures above 70 degrees can be fatal to the trout. Just minutes from I-40 and easily accessed from Hendersonville and Asheville, this river is a prime spot for a day trip or a weekend getaway. If the bigger chubby is scaring fish when it lands on the water then put on some sort of parachute adams or caddis. The Catawba Angler offers family friendly fishing trips. We received our last stocking of trout the first week of May so the Delayed Harvest stretches have been fishing well. When fishing midges I wouldnt use any tippet under 5x. Ever since Ive been guiding Ive kept a log of notes from every day Ive fished. If you want to become a better angler and want to test your casting skills then go after some wild fish. The logging operations at the turn of the century almost depleted the native brook trout populations so thats when non-native trout were introduced in NC to help bring back trout populations. Both species are very active right now and I cant think of a better time to be on the water! If you have never experienced the smallmouth fishing or trout fishing in October then give us a call. This is especially effective when using nymphs tied with cdc feathers. There isnt a better time than now to get out on the water and learn the sport of fly fishing. The elk hair caddis is my personal favorite fly. Fly fishing for smallmouth is not an easy task, but I couldnt think of anything more rewarding when that 3 pound smallmouth takes a topwater bug drifting parallel to the bank. Below we will go through what each of these methods mean. The caddis are out and about, but we still havent 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. We were able to take kids fishing on a private lake and show them the sport of fishing. Below are some recent pictures from our most recent outings. This is some of the most exciting fishing the Tailrace has to offer besides streamer fishing. Most likely the fins were rubbed off during the time this fish was in the holding walls of the hatchery. If a wild fish comes up and eats your fly and you set the hook and miss. The River offers miles of fishing, but the tailwater below Lake James is managed to create a trophy brown trout fishery where you will find some of the most impressive browns in the state. If you dont get an immediate response we will respond as soon as we get off the water so please bear with us. The Spring offers some tremendous fly fishing opportunities across the mountain region for trout. I good way to fish these smaller midges is to use a size 14 chubby chernobyl as the indicator. Normally if the crowds are bad you can bounce up to Newberry Creek or the wild water of Curtis Creek and do well throwing dries. Our guides are well versed in the fisheries of western North Carolina which helps them cater to a clients specific needs. After an intense fight we netted the fish and it was nothing but smiles the rest of the day. I enjoy taking clients to these areas because of the 3 reasons below: Wild Fish: These fish are born in the stream instead of being raised in the hatchery. Fishing has been consistent on the French Broad and Nolichucky Rivers. It's BROWN TROUT galore!! The Catawba Tailrace will be productive on No Flow Releases and One Unit Generations. 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