"Hooked Up"
It has been really nice getting out on the river with clients the past few days. Winter can certainly provide some excellent fishing but the amount of guided days on the water drops drastically compared to the spring, summer and fall months. It is not uncommon to be on the water for 20-30 days straight during those months and that is exactly where we like to be. We are even seeing some early hatches due to the warmer weather and warmer water temps. Quill Gordons are beginning to pop up on many area streams including the Smokies.
On Tuesday, I had a beginner trip with Sven from the Waynesville area. We started out the day at the fly shop talking about fly rods, reels, lines and other gear. We also did a bit of knot tying and insect identification. Around mid day we headed down to bridge park for some casting instruction. After an hour and a half of casting instruction we went out to the Tuckasegee Delayed Harvest and covered how to read the water and we even brought a few nice rainbows to the net. I look forward to seeing Sven again on Friday for another 3/4 day trip.
Floating the Tuck
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of guiding Jeff M. from New York on float trip on the Tuckasegee River. The day was fairly productive with 20-25 fish hooked with around 15 or more brought to the net. The hot flies of the day were a light olive with pink or orange hot spot Bottom Roller and a Hot Head Marvin setup. All of the fish were bows except for one small brook. It was a nice day on the water with no other anglers in sight.