Winter Fishing on the Tuck
23-24" Rainbow on the Tuckasegee Delayed Harvest
I decided to brave the cold this morning and head out to the Tuckasegee Delayed Harvest. I hit the water early, sometime around 7:45-8am, and the air temps were down to around 12-13 degrees. Most people would take one look at the thermometer and say there is no way I’m fishing today, but not me. In fact, I am very fond of winter fishing. Guiding tends to slow down in the winter, so we guides are able to log plenty of days on the water honing our skills. While the wild trout streams tend to slow down drastically in the winter, the tailwater streams always seem to produce nice fish and high catch rates all winter long. Today was no exception.
After arriving at the river, I rigged up a three fly rig that included a #18 Superflash Pheasant Tail, a #8 Tungsten Light Olive Bottom Roller tied with UV dub and UV Chewee Skin, and a #8 Dark Olive/Light Olive Hot Head Marvin. The Marvin and the Bottom Roller were the big producers. I landed several bows in the 10-12 inch range, and then I hooked into the monster bow pictured to the left. After a 6-7 min fight I was able to get him into the net. I ended the day with close to 20 fish in about 2.5 hours on the water.
Many anglers have the misconception that fishing in the winter is either unproductive or that the season is closed. We would like to hear what you all think. Please feel free to comment on this post if you have any feedback or stories you would like to share on Winter Fishing.
We still have trip availability for most days so email or call if you are interested in either a wade or float trip on the Tuckasegee or surrounding rivers and streams. Also, check out our specials page for trip booking specials. Make your next fly fishing trip a memorable one with some of the best guides in the area.