Mountain trout and smallmouth fishing are “really good now,” according to a western North Carolina-based fly-fishing guide.
“A lot of sulphur (hatches) are going off, and trout also are being caught with terrestrials (insects) such as grasshoppers and ants (fly patterns),” said David Pressly of Appalachian Angler (828-963-5050) at Boone.
For best smallmouth fishing, drift and canoe trips on the New and Watauga rivers are excellent.
“Fish are in the delayed harvest time and the harvest is up, so it’s pretty challenging to fish around our shop (in Boone),” he said.
However, anglers willing to put in some time searching the upper reaches of small feeder streams can have good luck.
“People should go to the upper Watauga, and in the Pisgah area they should try Wilson’s Creek,” Pressly said. “The hatchery supported section fishing is good, along with Grag Prong in the Pisgah Ranger district near Edgemont. Grag Prong is part of the Wilson’s Creek drainage.
“Little Lost Cove has a pretty waterfall where anglers can try for browns and rainbows and smallmouths below the waterfall and, if they go higher, they can find wild brook trout.”
Standard dry-fly patterns include Parachute Adams, Elk Hair caddis flies and Sulphur bugs when the hatch occurs.
Good nymph flies include beadheads, Hare’s ears, stone flies, pheasant tails, copper John’s and Prince nymphs.
“The smaller creeks will have wild trout running 6 to 8 inches while you can get into 14- to 15-inch fish on Wilson’s Creek,” Pressly said. “Wilson’s also has a lot of brook trout.”
Appalachian Fly Anglers offers float trips on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers as well into the eastern edge of Tennessee.
“You stand a good chance of landing a 20- to 25-inch brown or rainbow on either one of those rivers,” he said.
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