The Catawba Angler specializes in fly fishing for smallmouth bass. There are plenty of wade fishing and float fishing opportunities available on one of the many delayed harvest streams in NC. Trout fishing has been fantastic this month and will continue to be good the entire month of May! Head to the high country: The higher elevation creeks are going to clear up first so start there. There arent many striper in the Tailrace, but if you are looking to grind and catch your first striper on the fly then we welcome you. Smallmouth bass are the hardest fighting fish we have around the mountains of North Carolina. This pattern floats well and can easily be skated across the surface for some explosive strikes on the Catawba Tailrace in March and April. Its been a wonderful summer full of some really good fishing. The Catawba Angler was voted the best fishing guide service in McDowell County for 2019 and 2020. The leaves are changing colors, the weather is ideal, and the water temperatures have dropped to a suitable level after a long summer. The current water temperature coming out the dam is 67 degrees. Both species are very active right now and I cant think of a better time to be on the water! Its hard to beat catching smallmouth on top water bugs. Chartreuse on the sunny days and black on the overcast days. There might not be a lot of fish biting in the summer because of the warmer temps and the lower water levels, but throughout the rest of the year, people have pretty good luck. The fish are spooky after seeing a lot of pressure on the weekends. The trailrace is best fished from a boat. We threw a lot of smaller black streamers to mimic the stoneflies and hellgramites in the river so Lisa did a good job of slowly fishing the streamers. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Its always a pleasure fishing with Jim Sitts. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Most smallmouth flies are designed with legs, hairs, or fur that provides lifelike movement in the water. Its not impossible to catch fish in muddy water but its not ideal. After the spawn is over the water temperatures start to warm and the fish start chasing baitfish. The Bridgewater Tailrace Brown Trout Fishery December 2018 The Catawba River below Lake James in Burke and McDowell counties, known as the Bridgewater Tailrace, has been managed for many years by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) as a tailwater trout fishery. There are different ways to fish a popper: Dead Drift Em, Pop Em, Twitch Em. We welcome younger kids as long as they are accompanied by an adult. The 400 long Main Channel will take most of the flow down the eight feet of drop from the reservoir to the bottom pool, providing continuous connectivity between the reservoir and the river. The areas along I-40 are expanding with increased access and parking, so it is likely that we will update this information in the future with additional options for fishing locations on the Catawba River. I look forward to seeing you on the water. (West to East) All three regions boasts some excellent bass fishing in the lakes and rivers. You will leave feeing like youve just spent the day with an old friend. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Lock When guiding clients in the spring if you catch a smallmouth then chances will be high that there are more fish to be caught in the general area. Information about scheduled releases and the impact on downstream flow on the Mountain Island Lake section of the Catawba River is available on the Duke Energy website or by calling 800-829-5253. Normally a half of inch of rain in an isolated area is going to cause the creeks and rivers to present high water conditions. The water temperature here during the winter is 50-55 degrees which is alot warmer than the freestone streams in the mountains. During this season its time to break out the bigger flies and target the biggest smallmouth in the river. The trout fishing will be excellent on the delayed harvest stretches on the Catawba, Curtis, Mill, and the Toe Rivers. The majority of smallmouth in our stretches of water will be in just a few holes. The lakes in the mountain and Piedmont regions are the result of dammed rivers. We were able to take kids fishing on a private lake and show them the sport of fishing. Focus your attention on the slack seam lines to the right or left of the fast water. The biggest smallmouth weve ever guided a client into has come from the Nolichucky. Always be willing to might slight changes especially when it comes to getting your flies down in the water column. We had a great day of fishing on the Nolichucky River and Bennett reeled in a true trophy river smallmouth. The Catawba River tailrace below Lake James is about an hour from Charlotte and is an incredible brown trout fishery. I made one cast and caught a 21 inch rainbow which was the third time Ive caught this fish in the last four months. Pressure is light and the fish are eager to hit big bugs and streamers. Water data back to 2018 are available online. Ever since Ive been guiding Ive kept a log of notes from every day Ive fished. Streamer fishing can be very exciting on the tailrace because you can turn and catch some very large fish. This giant stonefly was crawling across the asphalt before a recent float trip so guess what we threw the entire day? Normally I always have a few dry flies in the box during this time, but anytime you see a sipping smallmouth they will be eager to take a popping bug. Kirk and his son Houston had a great day on the water. The Catawba Angler was voted the best fishing guide service in McDowell County for 2019 and 2020. She is currently competing for Angler of the Year for IWFA so it was good to help her knock off a couples of species that can only be caught in western NC. September has come to an end but it was definitely a month to remember. Check out the fish we caught in October fly fishing Curtis Creek. Below are some of the biggest fish weve caught out of the Tailrace. Weve been fishing dark colors in water with less than a foot of clarity. The logging operations at the turn of the century almost depleted the native brook trout populations so thats when non-native trout were introduced in NC to help bring back trout populations. The lake has a good population of smaller striped bass, but its not uncommon to catch 20 pound fish. Successful anglers recognize how fish behavior changes during different weather conditions and adapt their fly selection and presentation. I think its going to be a dry month so finding creeks and rivers with the most water in it will be key. After a couple of fish to the boat Sami wanted me to try a drift through a productive run. This requires anglers to make longer casts and get flawless drifts over the fish to get eats. Summertime is terrestrial season. You want to look for moving water with white bubbles close to structure. I couldnt do it without her support. Its stonefly season! Weve been having to run very light tippet and downsize our flies this year due to low flows and spooky fish. The rainbow trout above was caught out of a delayed harvest stretch north of Asheville. If you have a trip booked in July be prepared to start early. Electro-shocking, a method for assessing the fish population by sending a mild electrical current through the water, reveals a significant level of natural reproduction of the trout stocked. April 2021 The Catawba Tailrace is a hidden gem in the foothills of North Carolina. We offer half and full day trips for wild brown trout, rainbow trout, and brook trout. The crowds are nonexistent this time of year so come enjoy the river to yourself. While guided fishing trips are plentiful, anglers can bring their own boat or rent one if they want to fish this area. Fish are actively feeding and preparing themselves for the spawn which is a good time to cast crayfish, hellgrammite, and baitfish patterns. Fall time anywhere from the second week of September to the end of October is when you can plan on catching your trophy smallmouth out of the river. Its good to see at least one brown in that stretch. The lake draws many anglers from the Piedmont and coastal plain region looking to catch both smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. One way to catch more fish in an unfamiliar river system is to find out what forage is in the river whether it be bugs, minnows, or crayfish and start there. If its dragging its lagging. The Catawba Angler offers dry fly fishing trips on our mountain creeks for wild trout in the the Spring. Dont forget the Catawba Tailrace will be cranking back up in November so we will have some good tailwater trout fishing down there all winter long. The QW data at this station are operated seasonally (April 01 through November 30). If you like brown trout you will love the Catawba! We should be drying out here in the mountains over the next month and the fishing on the French Broad should be excellent. The best bite has been when we get a cold front come through and the water temps get around 75 degrees again. Fish your smallest flies and make sure they are getting down to the strike zone. Springtime dry fly fishing in western North Carolina! 20 inch brown trout caught by Chris Snyder. A lock ( The fishing is great from the time we put on to the end and there is always potential to catch a trophy brown trout. I had a good trip on the Catawba Tailrace with Jay and Drew. After the first weekend of June fishing wont be great on the Delayed Harvest stretches because on June 4th anglers can harvest the fish. Monitoring location 02145910 is associated with a STREAM in YORK COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. Water data back to 1895 are available online. Check out our interactive map of over 30,000 of the best places to fly fish in the US. We look forward to fishing with you. In the winter time Im using 6-7x tippet. Beginning in 1904, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed to harness the power of the river to provide electricity for the region. I look forward to fishing with everyone who has already scheduled a trip this season and I welcome new clients to get on our calendar. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Smaller topwater flies dominate throughout the summer because youve got cicadas, beetles, grasshoppers, damselflies, and dragonflies. The Catawba Angler offers half day and full day bass charters on the lakes and rivers of western North Carolina. Official websites use .gov It is exciting when the fish blow these baits up right at the bank. This was an innovative approach to a complex challenge, and our team, including the project Owner and HDR Engineering, has done an outstanding job of navigating the engineering, construction, environmental, and regulatory variables with this project, said Scott Shipley, S2O Design president and former kayak Olympian. The Catawba River is a destination for many anglers who enjoy fly fishing. Check out our DIY Guide to the Best Fly Fishing Gear for recommendations. The Delayed Harvest stretches on Curtis Creek and the Catawba have been fishing really well. All youll have to do is kick back, relax, and wet a line because weve done the hard work for you. Its also gotten bigger since we first caught it in December. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The Spring offers some tremendous fly fishing opportunities across the mountain region for trout. The Catawba Angler was one of the first bass fishing guides in North Carolina to guide on Lake James. Another river worth mentioning when talking about bass fishing in North Carolina is the Nolichucky River. We managed close to 20 fish to the net. The last river that is worthy of mentioning in the bass fishing guide in North Carolina is the Pigeon River. Smallmouth start chasing during this time and there is no better time to throw moving baits. If you are interested in this mission and know of a kid who could benefit from Mended Fly Fishing then please reach out to Patrick Hayes (Founder) or myself. Once the bass school up it creates competition for food so you will find more than one fish chasing your streamer back to the boat. The Catawba Tailrace is a unique tailwater fishery below Bridgewater Dam in Morganton, North Carolina. Stoneflies. This report is going to be a little different in the sense that I am going to report on each trip and then give you the outlook for that fishery over the next month. Ive got a few dates left in October so dont hesitate to book or they will be gone. If you are interested in hearing more about our bass fishing trips then please give us a call. The smallmouth have been heavily feeding on a variety of baits but weve had the most success on baitfish imitations. After an intense fight we netted the fish and it was nothing but smiles the rest of the day. These fish are less pressured and more willing to eat during this time. Id like to highlight the four trout species that are available in our public waters. Whenever you can catch the water clear on the Tailrace from November to May you need to be on it. You wont be disappointed. The tailrace, perfect for drifting and float fishing, is really where the majority of the action can be found. If you are new to fly fishing and want to have a fun day of learning and catching a bunch of fish then now is the best time to go. The Catawba Tailrace and Tuckaseegee River systems offers some great streamer fishing in March, April, and May. The brown trout above is a stocked fish. Copyright 2023 DIY Fly Fishing, all rights reserved. These fish give you one chance. The cold water discharges from the dam create a habitat for brown trout that the NCWRC stocks every year. Give us a call to experience the best trout fishing of the year in western NC. The smallmouth bite is good all summer. S2O Design & Engineering, the worlds premier river engineering and whitewater design company, was tapped to devise a solution to allow flows through the diversion dam in a controlled manner and to provide safe bypass for paddlers who wish to traverse past the Diversion Dam into the beautiful corridor of class II-III whitewater. None: Lake Rhodhiss: 98.0: 97: 94: 100: ND . We are on the water every day and we are doing our best getting back with clients as soon as possible. In Chester County, S.C. near the North and South Carolina borderan hours drive south of the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NCan engineering project is taking shape that will similarly attract paddlers and river enthusiasts throughout the region. Be sure to check local fishing regulations before you go so that youre not fishing in a restricted area. Normally if we get a good cold front to come through that cools the water off then clients can be more aggressive on popping and the twitching of the bugs. When youre fishing the one unit the first arent in the normal holding areas when its a no flow release. The Catawba Angler offers float trips and wade fishing trips for trout in the spring here in North Carolina. If you are a bass fishing Angler then the Nolichucky should be on your bucket list. 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