Falls Spillway

We have had a great month of fishing on the Neuse River near the spillway.  I have caught many crappie close to the dam this December and some of the largest fish I have seen in years.  The unfortunate thing is that many people are fishing near the dam and keeping the fish.  I saw one individual keep 2 large buckets of crappie over 40 fish!   This is overkill to say the least.  To conserve a fishery and sustain it for future generations fisherman need to only keep what they will use and need.  But anyway, I have been tying and fishing a variety of white zonkers and woolly buggers and catching crappie consistently.  Gone are many of the larger fish to the people keeping fish but you can still find small crappie fishing the lesser known lies further downstream from the spillway.  One trick that has produced well is adjusting the fly weight to achieve a good drift while bouncing bottom every once in a while.  If you are not feeling bottom snags or rocks every 25- 30 casts add a small micro shot.  In regards to snags be careful there are lures and lines littered everywhere near the dam right now.  I found at least 10 jigs snagged in the reeds last week.   With winter coming nymphs become the searching patterns make sure to have prince, copper john and hair's ear ready.  Seasons Greetings!  

Overlooked this time of year is the local neighborhood pond.  I had the chance to take my friend's son fishing for the first time last week.  We had a great 2 hours of fishing hot dogs in a pond and caught  a catfish, 2 large largemouth bass, and many fat bluegill and shellcracker.

  Fly Tackle: Mystic Au Sable 8' 3" 4 wt fly rods and Ross Fly Start # 2 reels, 9 ft tapered leader to 4x and 5x 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

Minnows!

Fish Species(caught today):  crappie, white perch, redbreasted sunfish

Conditions: USGS Water data says the Neuse was flowing low at 115 cfs today at the spillway in Wakefield. It was sunny,  high of 58 degrees the weather was very warm last week with 70s until rains came last Thursday.  Chest waders needed be careful!

Wildlife: 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.

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.

Guided trip with North Carolina Sportsman Editor Brian Cope

I had a chance to guide Brian Cope from North Carolina Sportsman yesterday on the Upper Neuse River in Wake Forest here is the article he published on their website!  http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=5451

Fishing in feeder creeks around Jordan Lake has been excellent for Crappie.   I have been using white zonkers and wooly buggers and catching 30 + fish in 2- 3 hours of fishing.  For the spin fisherman small white jigs, beetlespin and roadrunners are good bets. 

Transition to Fall

I fished the Neuse River in a few sections this week and fishing remains good for Bluegill, Redbreast and Largemouth Bass.  It seems the flyfishing with floating terrestrials is fading on the Neuse a bit and streamers and nymphs will be better to throw as it continues to cool.  The fish seem to be moving away from the shallows into deeper water on the edges of current seams and back eddies.  Slow and low will eventually be the way to go as the sunfish will not be as eager to chase flies for long distances.  We have been having some cool mornings and the Fishing has been better during the warmest part of the day when the sun has warmed the water for a few hours.  Don't be concerned about fishing early am or at dusk.  I have spotted some hatches recently on the river that were neat to see: various Caddis species, White Fly Mayfly, Tricos.

Overall the surface flies that are working better are smaller.  I did good fishing elk hair caddis patterns in 14-16. The river has cooled.  Today was tolerable to wade wet but I would have preferred waders.  This has been a long consistent water release from the spillway which has made wading real easy.  Enjoy the fall foliage it's getting near the time of year where I'm looking forward to running into some Crappie fishing soon.

I wanted to give a shoutout to Paddle Creek.  They are a kayak and canoe rental company in Wake Forest.  I picked up a take away rental tandem Kayak from them and used it on Wake Forest Reservoir and the Neuse River.   The process was easy and effective.  On the WF Reservoir I paddled around fishing the edges with a foam spider and caught some nice shellcracker and bluegill.  I had both of my sons on the tandem with me and we had a blast paddling around.  I fished while they threw elodea at each other.  If you fish there be aware that there is heavy elodea vegetation in the water.  Dial up your leader to pull the larger fish out of the lettuce.  Kayaking fishing is fun and I may be expanding on my experience with it soon with a kayak that is more designed for fishing.

Thanks to

Fly Tackle: Mystic Au Sable 8' 3" 4 wt fly rods and Ross Fly Start # 2 reels, 9 ft tapered leader to 4x tippet 
Dry flies: Cream or white Elk Hair Caddis, Humpies,  Ants, Beetles, Spiders 14- 16 for Brim
Terrestrials: Hoppers, Crickets,  6-10 for bigmouths
Nymphs: Beadhead caddis, Prince, Zug Bug, Estaz Stone flies 12- 16
Streamers: Muddler Minnow, Clouser, Wooly Bugger in black or white Size 6- 12

Spin Tackle: Ultralight rod and reel rigged with 6 lb test line.
Berkly Power Bait Pre Rigged Atomic Tubes in white, green and pearl.
Johnson Beetle Spin, Phoebe, Mepps, Panther Martin, Rooster Tail
Fish minnows! they are everywhere in the river right now.

Fish Species(I have caught): redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, white bass, white perch, crappie, yellow perch, chub, catfish

Conditions: USGS Water data says the Neuse was flowing 138 cfs today at the spillway in Wakefield. It was sunny,  high of 77 degrees.  The water was cool for wet wading no more for me waders here on out for 2015.

Wildlife: red shouldered hawk, turtles, great blue heron, water snake, kingfisher, suckers, a big white koi with black spots.

Neuse River Bedford

I fished the Bedford section of the Neuse River yesterday.  The river still remains low with not enough rain recently to get them to release more water.  It still fished well for bass and brim but was a bit more challenging with the need to make longer casts not to spook fish.  It seems once the larger bass see you it is tough to get them to hit.  Action was predominantly on top with some foam hoppers .  I also threw some streamers.  I threw at some carp that I cant seem to get to hit if someone can help me with that it would be great email me edwardstern51@gmail.com  .  We are experiencing great weather with warm days and cool nights.  I still wet waded a perfect morning the first step was cool, but I got use to it quick.

My terrestrial box: hoppers, dragon, damsel, spiders, ants and poppers(that I rarely use)

Large sunfish fishing was a bit slower in this stretch of water.  The Bedford section receives the most fishing pressure in the river because Paddle Creek customers mainly float this section.  Regardless, I like to fish it once the summer is ending and fall is beginning.  The bass seem to be in groups not solitary I am finding them with 2, 3, or 4 other fish with them.  Make long casts.  If you are walking downstream try to no send silt into the downstream area you plan to fish approach from the opposite bank.  Also, stay low to the water, minimize false casting, and try a longer leader.

2 year old largemouth on a hopper

Another point of advice, in some spots that you know consistently hold good size fish that spook easily, try staying out of the water and fish these areas from land.

Typical spot near the bank under an overhanging tree

Shellcracker on a small bead chain eye wooly buggerredear sunfish)

Largemouth on small Dahlberg Diver

My streamers: circus peanut, zoo cougar, muddler, small clouser, mick finn, and other uglies.

Thanks to www.mysticoutdoors.com and www.columbia.com

Fly Tackle: 3 or 4 weight fly rods,11 ft tapered leader to 4x tippet 
Dry flies: Elk Hair Caddis, Humpies,  Ants, Beetles 14- 16 for Brim
Terrestrials: Hoppers, Crickets 6-10 for bigmouths
Nymphs: Beadhead caddis, Prince, Zug Bug, Estaz Stone flies 12- 16
Streamers: Muddler Minnow, Clouser, Wooly Bugger in black or white Size 6- 12

Spin Tackle: Ultralight rod and reel rigged with 6 lb test line.
Berkly Power Bait Pre Rigged Atomic Tubes in white, green and pearl.
Gulp Cricket, Johnson Beetle Spin, Phoebe


Fish Species(I have caught): redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, white bass, white perch, crappie, yellow perch, chub, catfish

Conditions: USGS Water data says the Neuse was flowing 132 cfs today at the spillway in Wakefield. It was sunny,  high of 81degrees.  The water was perfect for wet wading only a couple more weeks til it gets to cold.

Wildlife: red shouldered hawk, kayakers, great blue heron,  beetles, spiders, Dragonflies, big green grasshoppers!

Lots going on lately

Hope all is well and you enjoyed your summer.  The fall is when the fishing gets better!  I'm not saying the river hasn't consistently produced fish, but less people on the river, shorter days, cooler weather and water, more species biting, all contribute to better fishing.  This has been a great year of bass fishing on the Neuse River in Wake Forest and Raleigh.  There seem to be more and larger fish in the river this year as compared to years past.  Last year it seemed the majority of the largemouth were around 9 inches. This year they are all around 12 or larger.

Largemouth on the new Mystic Au Sable 4 wt 

I am starting to guide on the Neuse River and other rivers in the Raleigh/ Durham area.  I have been approved for Pro Guide program from Mystic Rods.  They have sent me some great flyrods that are ideal for Brim and Bass fishing in the Raleigh area.  I got out on the Neuse this evening and it fished well.  With the good bass fishing we have been having I have been using some larger flies to focus on them.  Big hoppers and large streamers have been generating some aggressive strikes to say the least.  

The redbreasted sunfish and Bluegill fishing is good in the shallows along sunken timber, under trees, and below steep banks where food collects.  

 I have been spotting carp, catfish, and gar setting up in the same areas as past trips.  My son caught a Catfish on a Phoebe last week! I may attempt to target all 3 species in some future trips.  These fish can be quite large.

View downstream from Capital Boulevard on the Neuse River

 Last week I fished the Haw River near Mebane and it was excellent.  The same common fish as the Neuse River redbreast, bluegill and largemouth but larger and more frequent.  It made me wonder if they had seen a fly before.  I didn't have my camera but next report I'll definitely get some photos.

If you want a guided wading trip on the Neuse, Haw, Deep River, Cape Fear River or your local lake or pond please email me I will provide all flies, leaders, tippet, rods, and reels.  edwardstern51@gmail.com

Thanks to  

Fly Tackle: 3 or 4 weight fly rods, 9 ft tapered leader to 5x tippet
Dry flies: Elk Hair Caddis, Humpies,  Ants, Beetles 14- 16 for Brim
Terrestrials: Hoppers, Crickets 6-10 for bigmouths
Nymphs: Beadhead caddis, Prince, Zug Bug, Estaz Stone flies 12- 16
Streamers: Muddler Minnow, Clouser, Wooly Bugger in black or white Size 6- 12

Spin Tackle: Ultralight rod and reel rigged with 4 to 6 lb test line.
Berkly Power Bait Pre Rigged Atomic Tubes in white, green and pearl.
Gulp Cricket, Johnson Beetle Spin, Phoebe


Fish Species(I have caught): redbreast sunfish, bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, white bass, white perch, crappie, yellow perch, chub, catfish

Conditions: USGS Water data says the Neuse was flowing 125 cfs today at the spillway in Wakefield. It was cloudy,  high of 88 degrees.  The water was perfect for wet wading only a couple more weeks til it gets to cold.

Wildlife: tubers, kayakers, Kingfisher,  Dragonflies.

Upper Neuse River Wade

I had surgery in late June and it had been a while since I did some serious fishing on the Neuse River and was looking to get a tightline and an update on my blog.  I fished the Neuse River below 401 yesterday and the fishing was great.  Recent rains had gotten the river up and the bite was consistent.  At first I targeted the brim with a gold bead chain bugger size 10.  It immediately produced some nice Redbreast and Bluegill.  When I got to around the 10th fish I saw some black tails in the water spotting some largemouth bass.  I caught a small largemouth with his little brother chasing him when I was reeling him in.  I kept working my way up stream through some deep chest high water.   I'm 6' 4" so the water was deeper than normal in all of the shallow spots.  I cast the bugger at some surfacing Gar but no strikes.  That is when I heard a large fish erupt on the surface upstream.  I guessed it to be a largemouth hitting a dragonfly, or frog on the surface.  I tied on a big Yellow and Black hopper in size 6.  Walked with stealth toward the target and pounded the bank and it produced a healthy 3 lb largemouth.  I then had a huge hit on the same fly and it broke me off it was probably the large fish I was after.  So I switched it up and tried the Gurgler for a bit one good hit nothing else but liked the action and will probably use it in high water in the future.  Switched to the hopper and dropper to finish caught a some more brim on the dropper and a few more small bass.  A great day.  I learned long ago fishing with my dad some of the best summer fishing comes after the rains.  The fish are looking for easy meals that have been washed into the river because of runoff, wind, and higher water.  One last note, I tend to fish below 401 on weekends in the summer to avoid kayakers, partyers, etc.  just and FYI!  Cheers!
Shoutouts go to Columbia Sportswear, Costa Del Mar.

Fly Tackle: 3 or 4 weight fly rods, 9 ft tapered leader to 4x for largemouth bass
Dry flies: Elk Hair Caddis, Humpies 14- 16
Terrestrials: Hoppers, Ants, Beetles, Crickets 8- 14
White Gurlger(floating fish pattern)
Nymphs: Hot Wire Prince, Beadhead caddis, Prince, Zug Bug, Estaz Stone flies 12- 16
Streamers: Muddler Minnow, Wooly Bugger in black or white Size 6- 12

Spin Tackle: Ultralight rod and reel rigged with 4 to 6 lb test line.
Berkly Power Bait Pre Rigged Atomic Tubes in white, green and pearl.
Gulp Cricket
Johnson Beetle Spin
Small Popper
Cant go wrong with worms

Fish Species(I have caught): redbreast sunfish, bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, white bass, white perch, crappie, yellow perch, chub, catfish

Conditions: USGS Water data says the Neuse was flowing 149 cfs today at the spillway in Wakefield. It seemed higher than that downstream.  It was a sunny and high was 90 but not humid.  The water was a bit higher than normal.

Wildlife: Large Caterpillar(My boys and I had never seen one so large!), Kingfisher, Lots of Frogs in the reeds near the bank, Red Shouldered Hawk, Beetles, ants, Damselflies and Dragonflies.