I'll admit it, a very busy schedule has left me no time to blog, fish, or ultimately have a life. Now that things are starting to calm down a bit, I'm hoping to post (and fish) more.

Judging by all of the reports I've been seeing on social media and numerous blogs, fishing is red hot right now. There's a whole list of bugs that are hatching, temperatures are perfect, and the fish know it. Get out and enjoy if you can!

Wild streams

If you want to get away from the crowds, try fishing a nearby wild stream. They're fishing well right now and as long as the drought doesn't get too bad, they'll continue to fish well. Take a small box of dries (maybe a Green Weenie or Tellico Nymph on the side) and start counting fish. Try a yellow Stimulator, Yellow Para Adams, Yellow Elk Hair Caddis, PMX, Trude, or a Turk's Tarantula. Yellow seems to be the color of choice right now.

DH waters

The DH waters were recently stocked and should contain plenty of fish. Most generic patterns will serve you well. Try a #12-14 yellow Stimulator, #16 Elk Hair Caddis, #14-16 Yellow Para Adams, #14-18 Copper John, #14-18 Pheasant Tail Nymph, Green Weenie, Squirmie Wormie, etc.

Send in your NC fish pics and I'll slap them on the THFF Fish Wall!

-Tyler

It's not Photoshopped folks. 17 year old Tyler Shields was expecting a leisurely afternoon out on Hiwassee Lake with a couple of buddies, but that leisurely afternoon on the water turned into something I'm sure he'll never forget. On 10 pound test and an open face reel, Shields reeled in a state record 66 pound striper, that shattered the old NC record of 54 pounds set back in 1991. The most impressive thing is the fact that the fish was less than 2 pounds shy of the world record freshwater striper. Read the story here. Awesome job Tyler!

Jose Wejebe, host of the popular Outdoor Channel TV show Spanish Fly, died in a plane crash in Everglades City, FL earlier today. Horrible news. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Read the story here---> http://bit.ly/HfGJzT

Cyclist is injured when he runs into a "booby trap". That booby trap was later found to be the fly line of an angler. Read the story here----> http://noconow.co/HoLwNw

Tom Rosenbauer on "Should I stay or Should I Go?" A podcast episode discussing whether or not anglers should stay put or move on to their next potential target. Listen here----> http://bit.ly/HtAtXL

Watershed Movie trailer directed and narrated by Robert Redford. Watch here----> http://bit.ly/GEtYAX

It seems as if I've been tweeting about everything BUT fishing on my personal twitter page. To fix that, I've created a separate Twitter account dedicated to fly fishing in the Tar Heel State. I'll do my best to tweet daily tips (might not be every single day though at times), along with fishing info, pics, and more. If you'd rather see all fishing tweets, @CarolinaAngler is what you want to follow.

-Tyler
 

Almost feels like summer out there. Almost. Heat, followed by afternoon storms makes you question the time of the year. Thankfully, the humidity has been relatively low lately, though it's beginning to creep up (52% humidity in Asheville with a temperature of 65° at the 11am observation). The temperatures—which are well above average—are making things feel more like early summer. No wet wading just yet (that water is still going to be chilly) but sooner or later, waders will be overkill and wet wading will be the way to go. Of course the temperatures will be the deciding factor. So far, so good. Temps will fluctuate as they normally do in the spring as warm air ahead of the cold fronts is replaced by dry, cooler air behind. Regardless, the weather is absolutely spectacular!


Excellent weather makes for some excellent fishing. You simply can't beat the conditions right now. DH waters are stocked and ready to be fished. Wilson Creek, Stone Mountain, and the North Mills, would be my top 3 DH waters. If DH fishing isn't what you're after, check out the Nantahala tailwater or the C&R section of the Davidson River. I'm confident this weekend will be crowded on most rivers given the warm weather. I'd get there early if possible. Wild waters will eliminate the crowds, so if you don't mind catching a ton of 7" vibrantly colored wild fish, small streams should treat you very well. 


As far as flies go, nymphs in the morning and dries in the afternoon will be the ticket. Quill Gordons, Blue Quills, and caddis are all hatching right now. Try an emerger when you notice the first bugs starting to come off of the water. Fish will usually pick them off first before gorging on the adults. Eventually, once the hatch is well underway, switch to a dry and watch the fish rise to meet it!


With all of this being said, the best advice I can give you is this: GO FISH!