Spring 17 Is Here!

Hello all welcome to spring.  It is a great time to be flyfishing right now. Fish are active on all rivers, creeks, lakes, and ponds and hitting an assortment of nymphs, dries, and streamers.  Fishing for bass, crappie, sunfish, has been great.  Rivers have been low all March in North Carolina.  During periods of low water to have success fishing in the rivers, I use longer leaders and concentrate on deeper, well oxygenated water.  When fishing on days when it hasn't rained in awhile, fish early and later in the day.  Be persistent be willing to move to another location or change flies if you are not hooking up.

• Neuse River below Falls Lake: Bluegill and crappie bite remain consistent.  Largemouth are starting to bite in log jams and eddies.  Nymphs have been producing solid catches and the streamer bite is starting to turn on.  Caddis have been consistent on the river if you choose to fish dries and any elk hair in size 14-16 will produce in slower tailouts for rising fish. The redhorse are starting to gather is schools and will spawn. They are easy to catch on nymphs in shallow riffle water close to the dam.  

@shawneheifert

• Neuse River below Milburnie Dam: Gizzard shad have moved in and are all around the pools below the Dam.  Fishing with weighted Shad Flies/ darts will produce.  Crappie can be found there too with an occasional white bass.  
• Haw River: Bass and Sunfish are hitting throughout the river.  Glencoe, and Saxpahaw sections of the river have plenty of fish taking streamer and nymphs. 
• Tar River at Battle Park: American and Hickory Shad are in the deeper water on current edges.  I have not caught shad there yet this season however recent reports from Orvis Raleigh, and NCWRC indicate more fish have moved in there.  Be careful out there the area is receiving heavy fishing pressure.  
• Falls Lake/ Shearon Harris: are producing some great pre spawn Largemouth Bass action this Spring.  Clouser minnow has been the ticket on rockpiles along bridges.  I had the chance to fish with Michael Talmarkes and David Goldstein who have mastered the technique of flyfishing these areas even in the roughest conditions.  These bass pros come equipped with stripping baskets, 8 weight flyrods with sinking line, and patience.  They false cast and snake roll cast like champs even in the wind. 

  

  @transylwader

  
  

  

  @thetriangler

  
  
• Eno River: White bass run is on and fish are being caught by both spin and fly anglers.  There are some big females especially downstream of Pennys Bend near the railroad bridge.  These fish will take a variety of different flies both jigged and stripped.  My favorite is the silver bullet cone head white or pink wooly bugger in size 4 or 6.  

• Ponds and Small Lakes: Fishing has been excellent for largemouth bass and bluegill.  Spawning bass will happen in April and these big mamas deserve you give them a break until they're done doing the lambada.  Small streamers like clouser and dumbell eyed wooly buggers have been great on prespawn fish near timber, under trees, under piers, bridges and rockpiles.  

Catawba River Tailrace:  I now do float trips to fish this great brown trout fishery 3 hours from Raleigh. The river is low but is fishing excellent right now.  Hatches of Giant Stoneflies and caddis are predominant.  Fishing nymphs in the riffles proved to be the most successful method of fishing the river during the low water conditions.  We also caught fish running black wooly bugger streamers.  Its great to have the opportunity to wade sections that are usually only fishable from the raft.

@shawneheifert

I am now proudly listed with Flymen Fishing Company as a Flyfishing Guide in North Carolina.  Their product line is on the frontier of fly tying innovation.  I am very excited about incorporating their caddis, mayfly, stone beads, as well as the fish skull and popper heads I purchased from them into my fly designs. Check them out they provide excellent customer service.

My guide service is offering a variety of different trips on local rivers and private largemouth bass water.  If you are looking to schedule a trip please feel free to contact me April is going to be great to wade or float!

 Cheers, EJ

Nymph-Head® Evolution™ Stonefly tungsten beadheads

Fly Tackle: Mystic Au Sable 8' 3" 4 wt rod, Orvis 4 weight Recon 8' 6" Rod, Hydros SLII Reel, Orvis Axis Rod 8'6"  Appalachian Furled Leader nymph/ big bug 3x- 5x size.  For large lake bass 8 Weight Helios II 9 ft Rod and an Appalachian Furled Leader Bass/ Saltwater.

Dry Fly: Size 14-16 Elk Haired Caddis in brown, grey, and tan on 9-12 leaders.

Streamers: Dumbell or bead chain eyed wooly buggers, zonkers, clousers and muddlers in white, black, chartreuse and olive with flash.  

Nymphs:  Stonefly nymphs, dragon fly larvae, jiggy nymphs, Caddis Pupa, Prince nymph, Copper John, Hare's Ear, Squirminator,  Squirmy Wormy, and dare I say the Mop Fly?

Spin Tackle: Medium light spinning rod and reel rigged with 6 or 8 lb test flourocarbon line. Spinnerbait is one of the best early season lures.  For the river Berkeley Power Bait Pre Rigged Atomic Tubes in white, green and pearl.1/16- 1/32 oz Jigheads with realistic eyes white twister or paddle tail.  VMC Paddletails.  Minnows will do well under a float!

Conditions: Neuse River is coming out of Falls Lake at 61 Degrees.  March was one of the driest months on record in North Carolina.  Prior to yesterday's welcomed rain every river in North Carolina was less than 10% capacity or lower.  Let's hope we get consistent rain this April throughout the state.  You can follow all the rivers flow data here https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/rt

Wildlife:   Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Turtles, beaver, muskrat, and mink.   

Proud to use products from: The Orvis Company, Mystic Outdoors, RIO, Redington, Columbia Sportswear, Marmot, and Flymen Fishing Co.