This trail is great for paddle sports, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The fish are wild and beautiful. As part of the recent Catawba River Agreement and FERC re-licensing of the Catawba River for hydropower, a multi-million-dollar effort was launched to return water to the river for new recreational opportunities and to restore aquatic life and lowland habitat downstream of the dam. If you werent within a foot of the bank you were catching fish. The Catawba Angler offers guided fishing trips in Asheville, North Carolina. Wading has been great on the Delayed Harvest sections of the Catawba River, Curtis Creek, and Mill Creek. 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. Trail Uses Locations Huntersville (NC), Mount Holly (NC) Length 6.1 miles, One Way Difficulty Easy Motorized Vehicles 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. With this guide, you'll have all the information that you need to plan your own perfect getaway to the Catawba River. I am going to be optimistic about having desirable flows for throwing dry flies this year. The USGS stream gauge at Pleasant Gardens, NC provide a good indication of current conditions in the upper Catawba River. Of course, depending on when you go, you might not have as much competition. The Catawba Tailrace is about to get really good so dont hesitate to book a trip down there. Black is always a solid choice, but dont be afraid to mix it up. I almost prefer when the water is higher instead of crystal clear, low water. They are an aggressive species which makes them a perfect fish to chase using the fly rod. Ive been on the Catawba Tailrace all week and the fishing has been lights out. This fishery should be on everyones list to fish in North Carolina. These fish are prevalent in the 34 creeks and rivers that get stocked across the mountain region of NC. We all hope for the days when the smallmouth hit on top and top and his son got just that. We offer multiple float trips on our local fisheries so if you are interested in getting in the boat with your significant other, best friend, or child then let us know. Watch a. The smallmouth bite has been lights out all summer long and we have consistently been catching quality fish on every trip. Get directions to access points, boat ramps, and real-time USGS stream flow data. We are currently booking smallmouth float trips now until the end of October. The weather in the spring can be unpredictable so I tell clients we fish conditions not dates on a calendar. I hit a local favorite of mine yesterday and those fish were willing to chase down small streamers and were also chomping on a variety of eggs. As water temperature goes up so does the smallmouths metabolism. Sinkers: If you are fishing a deep run and arent catching fish its probably because your flies arent getting down fast enough. The Bridgewater Tailrace Brown Trout Fishery December 2018 The Catawba River below Lake James in Burke and McDowell counties, known as the Bridgewater Tailrace, has been managed for many years by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) as a tailwater trout fishery. September has come to an end but it was definitely a month to remember. Fish in the morning. There are a lot of bugs hatching this time of year so when drifting nymphs always allow them to swing at the end of your drift. The key to having a successful day is finding somewhat clear water. Check out our DIY Guide to the Best Fly Fishing Gear for recommendations. You wont be able to put-in or takeout there so just a heads up. In creating this solution, S2O Design engineers and hydrologists completed conceptual designs, 1D and 2D computer modeling, construction documents, and construction visualization renderings. Fishing trips are fun for beginners and experienced anglers. The Prachyls wanted to fish a smaller smallmouth river so we did just that and had a great day targeting smallmouth using spinning tackle. The wild trout streams are in great shape with a lot of water in them currently which will set us up for some good fishing early summer. Throwing dry flies to rising brown trout is hard to beat! Be sure to check the stream conditions before heading out to fish the Catawba River. I want to thank him for my wife for getting up at the crack of dawn with me before heading to the river. The fishing is slower in the summertime because they open the creek up for harvest on June 4th, but there are always some bigger, smarter fish that will make throughout the summer so this time of year is perfect for stalking big fish. If you dont get an immediate response we will respond as soon as we get off the water so please bear with us. Caddis & stoneflies are the name of the game right now. We've been picking fish up in the deeper runs on nymphs and streamers in the riffles. Mends are vital to your success when drifting poppers. If its two units stay at the house. Its the thought of catching the biggest brown trout of your life here that brings guides and anglers back every year. S2O Designs solution to accomplish the multiple objectives features the creation of two release points or notches in the dam for recreational release flows and boaters to navigate into the Long Bypass Reach a Main Channel that will convey water continuously into the reach, and a Recreation Bypass Channel that will provide a safe route for boaters during recreational releases. This is exciting fishing because its all visual. Ive got a feeling rainbow trout streamer patterns are going to catch some big fish over the next few years down there. Its hard to beat catching smallmouth on top water bugs. For more information, visit S2ODesign.com. Smallmouth bass are the hardest fighting fish we have around the mountains of North Carolina. North Carolina brown trout can get very large and attracts anglers all over the country to try to tango with one. The Catawba Angler, 750 Ebenezer Church Road, Old Fort, NC, 28762, United States. Visitors can find some lodging in the area, especially along the I-40 corridor. I think its going to be a dry month so finding creeks and rivers with the most water in it will be key. This is the pinnacle in fly fishing. Once the water temperature drops below 45 degrees we will solely focus on trout until the smallmouth bite picks back up in March. A crayfish pattern isnt supposed to be fished fast and a fleeing minnow isnt supposed to be fished slow so Im big on informing my clients how fast you need to retrieve certain flies. This section is a tailwater that provides cold water year round that creates the perfect habitat for aquatic life. The state also stocks the first week of each of these months so there are a lot of fish to target in the creek. Less is more when it comes to retrieving smallmouth flies during the summer time. We did hook into a nice holdover brown on the lower end of the float, but it got off at the boat. We should be drying out here in the mountains over the next month and the fishing on the French Broad should be excellent. We value your time as much as ours and will do everything in our power to make sure you have an enjoyable experience on the water. There are a lot of hatches going on throughout the day and it makes for some good dry fly fishing. Chasing these fish will make you a better angler. Numbers of fish can be high and there are opportunities at some very large holdover brown trout. The Catawba Angler offers family friendly fishing trips. There is nothing better than sight fishing to rising trout from our NRS rafts. There are some excellent wild brown trout fisheries in North Carolina, but much like the native brook trout streams getting someone to tell you where they are will be hard to accomplish. The temperature reading on my truck this morning said it was 57 degrees outside. This fishery is 50 miles from downtown Asheville and offers excellent trout fishing from a raft or drift boat. The best fishing of the year is upon us so dont hesitate to contact us. Current conditions of DISCHARGE, GAGE HEIGHT, and STREAM WATER LEVEL ELEVATION ABOVE NAVD . Hatchery Supported waters opens up this Saturday so this provides some more opportunities on our float trips and wade fishing trips to catch some bigger stocked trout. The good news about hiring one of our guides is that we know where these big fish hold year after year so we can place clients in these areas giving them the best chances at catching a trophy smallmouth bass. 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 one unit release is around 1600 cfs which is a good flow. Smallmouth can be picky throughout the season that runs from March to November, but we bounce around from three different rivers to put clients in the best water to catch fish. Below we will go through what each of these methods mean. When youre fishing the one unit the first arent in the normal holding areas when its a no flow release. I know the bigger browns are still there, but these fish are few and far between right now. There are a ton of wild trout streams around the mountains of North Carolina. CATAWBA RIVER BL LAKE WYLIE DAM FEWELL ISLAND, SC, GNSS2 - Level 2 Quality Survey Grade Global Navigation Satellite System. Below are some of the smallmouth bass weve caught this spring. Wild trout fishing will only get better as the temps warm and we will fish the wild trout streams well into June. Another river worth mentioning when talking about bass fishing in North Carolina is the Nolichucky River. We have a really good caddis hatch in early March which allows us to sight fish for some large brown trout. Seclusion: We rarely see anyone else on the wild trout streams. Thanks for reading. If I could predict when the smallmouth turn on to topwater Id be a rich man. One of the best holes on the creek is going to be the handicap holes right off the main road. Let's explore the local lakes and rivers. Anyways back to our recent float. Its been a wonderful summer full of some really good fishing. Give the trout a break this summer and book a trip with us to catch some river smallmouth. If you have never experienced the smallmouth fishing or trout fishing in October then give us a call. We were fishing in front of rainstorm which dropped about an inch of rain down in the foothills. Its been a colder spring so this sets us up good for the later half of spring with colder water out of muddy creek and the dam. The Catawba Tailrace offers some of the best brown trout fishing in North Carolina. The colder days are more challenging than the warmer ones but downsizing your flies on the colder days have been vital to our success. We wont be fishing the Catawba Tailrace until the fall unless you have an interest in chasing striper on the fly in August & September. 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. The wild fish are more challenging to catch but we trick a bunch into eating dry flies. Some of the best fly fishing is within a short drive of Asheville, North Carolina. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the The tailrace, perfect for drifting and float fishing, is really where the majority of the action can be found. Long, accurate drifts without drag can entice big smallmouth to come up from the depths to eat. 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