Water release improves fishing

I fished today with friend and fellow guide Brian Grady at the spillway where the Neuse River begins below Falls Lake.  Despite the river being high at 2530 cfs, the fishing was great at times with catches of Crappie, White Bass, White Perch, Bluegill and Channel Catfish.  Brian has fished the Neuse River for over 20 years and says that this season has been especially good for Crappie.  We both caught many large Crappie and some white bass over 12" with one White Bass over 16" a personal best for me fishing in the Neuse.  Brian fished a 1/32 oz eyed jig and white Marabou flies while I fished white woolly bugger and Olive Rabbit strip a streamer with a gold bullet head.  The river was high so weighted flies, sink tip fly lines or small jig heads will help you in the target zone.  Be comfortable with loosing some flies its going to happen if you are in the bite zone.  We concentrated our fishing to current seams, foam lines and eddies where the river water would circulate in the opposite direction of the main current.  Waders will help position you into the best fishing areas.  Be careful because the river is dangerous at this level.  I wish I had more pictures but my phone battery failed me!

Cat on a clouser

 Fly Tackle: Mystic Au Sable 8' 3" 4 wt fly rods and Ross Fly Start # 2 reels, 9 ft tapered leader to 4x tippet 
Streamers: Olive Zonker Strip w/ Gold Bullet head, Clouser, Wooly Bugger in white Size 6- 10

Spin Tackle: Ultralight spinning rod and reel rigged with 6 lb test line.
Berkly Power Bait Pre Rigged Atomic Tubes in white, green and pearl.
1/32 oz Jigheads with realistic eyes white twister or paddle tail
Johnson Beetle Spin, Phoebe, Mepps, Panther Martin, Rooster Tail

Fish Species(caught today):  bluegill, white bass, white perch, big crappie, channel catfish

Conditions: USGS Water data says the Neuse was flowing 2530cfs today at the spillway in Wakefield. It was sunny,  high of 53 degrees.  Chest waders needed be careful!

Wildlife: whitewater kayakers having a blast in the high fast water release, illegal poachers fishing and netting.  If you see activity of people netting fish and keeping them say something and call NC Fish and Game that you are witnessing a violation.