The Mitchell and East Prong Roaring River are both fishing great.  The Mitchell trout are hitting some dry flies, mostly Callebaetis and the occasional March Brown.  Dry a traditional dressed Adams or Wulff in a #12 or #14.  The cool spell has put most fish on nymphs and emergers though.  Chocolate hare's ears #14, delektable pheasant tails #16, and the best pattern seems to be Morrish's dirty bird #16, fished in 2-3' of water with little weight. 

Similar success at Stone Mtn except fish are a little more willing to hit dries.  Nymphs should be dressed a little lighter and weighted less.

Be sure to let us know if you need to stock up on flies, all patterns mentioned are kept in supply.  Cost is $1.75 each or a dozen for $18.00.

Answer the following question correctly and win a Scientific Anglers System X fly box.  Email your response to guide@wingflyco.com.  First correct answer wins and will be posted here.  FLY QUESTION:  The description "Royal" is common in dry flies and some wet flies, such as a Royal Coachmen or Royal Wulff.  What two materials are generally necessary to create a fly that can be called "Royal".

Two Winners- Brad Cox (Wake Forest) and Jim Smith (Burlington) answered correctly with:  red floss/silk and peacock herl.

Weather:  Mostly sunny skies with AM temps in the low 40's.  Quick temperature recovery and by early afternoon it reached the low 60's.  Winds out of the west around 10 mph

Stream Conditions:  Current still very swift from previous generation and river still a bit high making wading difficult.  Generation again at 1pm, forcing us off the river.

Fishing:  Several above average fish landed in the lower sections of the Smith River, mostly browns.  Given the stream conditions, bigger stonefly/hellgrammite patterns with weight were the order of the day.  Switched to a CH olive streamer and it produced more success, with hits being solid though infrequent.  As the day progressed, a good hatch of smaller caddisflies was observed and the fish responded well to  #16/18 caddis pupae and emergers.  Best places were in the wider runs with moderate depths of 4-5'.

Report by PW, edited by BLP

Weather:  Overcast skies with moderate temperatures in the low 60's prior to approaching cold front.  Light rain beginning in late morning with falling temperatures.  Rain increased throughout the day with increasing winds.

Stream Conditions:  Water was slightly stained in the morning and water clarity decreased throughout the day due to runoff from adjacent properties.  Upper section near Virginia remained fishable until mid-afternoon.  Entire DH section "blown-out" by 4 pm.  Water temperature averaged 54. 

Fishing:  Fishing generally slow in the morning with only a few fish caught in each run or pool.  Most popular flies were a modified BH soft hackle hares's ear #16 and a #14 delektable pheasant tail fished under an indicator just above stream bottom with a little weight.  Less interest in attractor patterns and little to no interest in san juan worms, green caddis pupae,  stoneflies.  No significant dry fly activity of any kind.  Experienced slightly better fishing as low pressure/rain arrived, though decreasing water clarity began to offset this improvement.  Many good runs seemed to be devoid of cooperative fish, most likely due to fish movement associated with flooding the previous week.  Most fish were average in size, though rainbows fought very well in the runs.  Several stream-born/wild rainbows caught with unique spotting and white-tipped fins. 

Report by BLP

Weather: Sunny with am temps in the upper 30's increasing to 56 in the afternoon.  Clear skies with light to moderate winds.

Stream Condition:  stable flows following a early-week washout.  Lightly stained water with slight warming trend.  Water temps around 48.

Fishing:  Fish generally hoding in moderate flow runs, often found near the top or below the larger pools/holes.  Trout concentrated in the morning and gradually dispersing into feeding positions as daytime temps improved.  Small, dark mayfly nymphs and green or cream caddis larvae in sizes 16-20 good producers, especially when fished on or near bottom using an indicator setup with weight. 

Afternoon BWO and midge hatches observed but little dry fly activity noticed as most fish preferred to take emergers.  Slightly oversizing imitations (16's) attracted more strikes due to the stained conditions.  Afternoon water clarity decreased and general fish "happiness" paralleled this occurence.  Several larger fish were hooked, mostly rainbows and brookies.

Report by PW, edited by BLP

It's not too late to book an upland bird trip, preserve season goes out on Wednesday, March 31st.  If you're interested, please don't waste time with email, call us.

3/13/10: Guided Laura Smith of Snow Camp, NC to her first trout on a fly.  Nearly cancelled the trip because of high water due to thunderstorms the night before.  Fish were concentrated in the deepest runs that had some structure to break the current.  A few #16 speckled caddis were seen midday and even fewer #16 BWO were hatching.  Stayed with the nymph rig and the best pattern was a #18 tunsten dark baetis pattern.  A few fish were interested in a crystal meth pattern.  The next most productive pattern was a #14 unweighted soft hackle caddis emerger. 

Cortland Brook Rods Available

If you're looking for a small stream rod for this spring/summer, look no further.  These rods come beautifully finished in several sizes, but the 7' 3wt seems to be the most popular.  All models break down to 4 pieces and have very nice maple reel seats with nickel hardware.  Blanks are finished with a gloss olive bronze color and have alignments dots.  Rods are backed with a lifetime warranty and come with a combination rod and reel case.

Preserve and Wild Quail Hunts

If you're waiting to book a wingshooting trip, don't wait much longer.  Wild bird season goes out on February 28th and the preserve season ends on March 31st.  Caution:  the winter weather has taken it's toll on holding cover, so wild coveys that are found are usually difficult to hunt once busted.  For corporate groups, there are still some Saturdays open for doing a pheasant drive.

Share-A-Guide Trip on March 6th

Most spots are still open for this semi-guided trip to Helton Creek.  We are about to send out an email blast to fill up the remaining openings, so if you're interested, let us know promptly.  If you're not on the newsletter list and would like to be included, either fill out the contact page or send us an email with your name and phone number.  Be sure to let us know what services/products you're interested in so we don't send you anything else.

Josh and I did some grouse scouting today (again).  It's really too bad that so much of the timber industry has suffered in the mountains, because the grouse have definitely declined accordingly.  The one bird that was flushed came from a brushy edge created when a landowner cut a small group of trees on the edge of a Christmas tree field.  Next time you drive past a fresh timber harvest, don't think about how it looks now, but imagine the wildlife habitat that will present a year from now.

Please brave the weather and come out to see our booth at the Fly Fishing and Wingshooting show in Charlotte.  If you need directions, please see the link posted on the calendar. 

As of 01/20/10, there were very few fish to be found in the DH section in Stone Mtn. State Park.  The Mitchell River was fishing okay, but don't expect the numbers as in previous winters.  Fish were taking #16-20 baetis nymphs and dark colored midges.

There are some decent Blue Wing olive hatches on the South Holston, despite the beautiful weather.  At the upper end, good fishing is still prevalent, but there are a lot of anglers up there, which will likely get exaggerated on weekends.  Head downstream toward Bluff City if you don' t like crowds.  Fishing a #20 BWO cdc emerger with a #22 gray thread midge pupa as a dropper (6x) is a good starting point, especially in riffles or slow runs.  Use small tungsten Baetis nymphs in the deeper runs.

Don't know how this didn't make the calendar....anyway, Paul Williams and I are giving a presentation to the Nat Greene Fly Fishers in Greensboro, NC on January 12th at 7pm.  Paul will be giving an overview of fishing the Smith and Dan Rivers, two very nice tailwaters in southern Virginia.  I will be talking about fishing with indicators and showcasing many of the newer versions currently out on the market.  All are welcome, there is no charge for attending.

Check out their website:  http://www.natgreeneflyfishers.org/

Brandon P.

Great news!  We just got in our 2010 order of Riverborn Flies.  So if you didn't get a boxful at Christmas, we can set you up.  With help of our favorite redfish guide, we are putting together a coastal Carolina selection of patterns so you don't have to worry about not having the right flies- these will be available in a quality saltwater box or a la carte.  We also have some hot new trout patterns for your cold weather nymphing.  Though it's tempting to stay in with a hot cup of coffee, January is always a great time to get in some great fishing without the crowds. 

Please plan to stop by our booth at two upcoming shows.  On January 22nd & 23rd, we'll be at the NC Bass and Saltwater Boat Expo in Greensboro.  Brandon will be doing a fly fishing seminar and either Tyler or Paul will be around to talk to you about fly recommendations or guided trips.  Hopefully, we'll have the new video for the Riverhawk B-72 Osprey and the 1786 Bayhawk.  The following weekend (29th and 30th) we'll be down in Charlotte at the Fly Fishing and Wingshooting Show. 

Had a great day hunting with Dave and his son Cole, from Benson, NC.  Cloudy skies kept temperatures from getting too warm and the birds were definitely feisty.  Started out hunting with my retriever Waylon and he managed to trap a quail in a thicket.  We soon found ourselves catching up to him as he scented two chukars in thin cover.  Though one was downed following the flush, the second bird had to be coerced from some milo stalks he had flown to.  After a few "short-points" and more good shooting, it was time to break out the brittany.  Danner didn't waste any time, pointing a group of three chukars in a farmed bottomland.  Birds seemed to go in all direction as I released Waylon, with Dave downing the bird going left and Cole making a long shot to the right.  Each dog soon came back with an addition to our vests- perfect!  We continued finding quail across the field, with a good mix of points and close flushes.  The most dramatic moment came when Danner trailed the earlier chukar that had escaped, soon stopping in a picture-perfect pose.  Only problem was that the bird was holding in a tree line along the state road.  I heeled Waylon and quickly found a way through the fence some distance back.  With Danner still on point, Waylon forced the bird into open skies and Cole brought him back to land.  After a short break, we made one more round through the middle of the field, finding only one bird.  Just when we thought the action was over, Danner went on point in a forested edge, and a quick shot over lots of briars made for a good finale.  Thank goodness for great retrieving skills!

Wingshooting:  Had to postphone all the trips last week due to the hurricane driven rains, but had a good hunt prior to all the wetness.  Released birds were flying great.  Hopefully, we'll have a good estimate of wild quail numbers for next report.  Don't forget late season dove hunting, opens in NC on the 23rd and goes out again on the 28th.

Warmwater:  Everyone knows that water temps have fallen alot the last few weeks.  Crappie fishing has been pretty good as fish are concentrated, but finding them is still the hard part.  Some bass are still being caught near the banks on warm days, but most are schooling around structure.

Mountain Trout NC:  Great fishing in the delayed harvest streams as multiple stockings have occurred.  Best success with nymph rigs combining a #16 pheasant tail/prince/soft hackle/egg pattern with a dropper fly (#18 PT, WD-40, hares ear).  Crazy fish are still hitting indicators and attractor dry flies.  Some small (#20/22) sulphur mayflys and BWO have been spotted on wild streams and decent dry fly fishing existed.

Southern VA:  The Smith River is fishing good, though rains have muddied the waters downstream again.  Lower sections, as usual, don't have the numbers, but generally have less educated fish who are less picky.  Brown trout seem to be spawned out, but please don't fish to the few who are still sitting on redds.  The upper section has a lot of fish, and they seem to be fond of #18-22 midge emergers, mayfly nymphs, and olive or tan scuds.

Saltwater:  No current report, will try to update soon.  Heard through the grapevine that alot of albacore were present out by Harkers over the weekend.

Trout:  Well, mountain trout fishing is good, assuming you're not in a flooded creek.  Recent rains have again sent torrents down the mountains, but they clear up within a day or two.  Bigger browns are starting to be seen along sandbars and tailouts, getting ready for spawn time.  Though big streamers will work, size 18 & 20 bead head nymphs produce more consistently.

Quail:  Fall colors have made for some gorgeous hunting conditions, especially early in the morning.  Daytime temps are still a little warm around midday, but our first frost in the piedmont is due anytime.  We have plenty of weekends open for a pheasant drive hunt, perfect for bigger groups.

Saltwater:  Every report we get confirms that the redfish are hungry.  This can be an awesome time to target bigger fish both inside the banks and against the shoreline.  False albacores are being caught consistently, though smaller and more sporadic than the peak days which are probably two weeks out.

Trout fishing:  We checked several delayed harvest streams in the last few weeks.  All had plenty of fish, mostly rainbows and brookies.  Fish were holding in pools and deep runs, often alongside fairly heavy current.  Dark beadhead nymphs in sizes #14-18 were producing well, especially prince nymphs.  Wild stream fishing has slowed down a bit due to the cool temperatures, but a dry-dropper system was still producing fish.  The good news is that most of the creeks showed very good flows and water levels, which should make for even better fishing next spring. 

Quail: Local stories report an average quail hatch this year.  Coupled with the good growing season, early scouting efforts should be difficult since there is food almost everywhere in good habitat.  Expect to see find birds closer to heavy brush, since recent weather has been on the cool side.

Saltwater:  Rains and noreasters have cooled things down all along the coast, especially for some species, but in other arenas, things are heating up.  False albacore are already being caught along jetties and dropoffs, but the main action is still to come.  Redfish are up to their typical autumn antics and it's a great time to try for bigger specimens along shallow surfs where bait is concentrated.