Stream Restoration is a Go...

1.) I'm getting deeper and deeper into the planning of the upcoming stream restoration project for one of my classes (read the previous post for specifics). I'm meeting with our Director of Public Works and the Storm Water Manager of Kannapolis Friday afternoon, to discuss the plan, the possibilities and the limitations that could stop certain jobs (such as extending the section of the stream into private property) from being carried out.

Here's some before pictures I snapped a few days ago of Roger's Lake Branch...





As you can see in these pictures there's a good amount of trash that needs to be picked up.

With it being fall, we are transitioning from warm temps to cold temps. This means that I just have to slide my waders on when it gets into the lower 20's in November. If I would have chosen a fall garden, it would have been very risky, since the class started after the preferred date to start a garden. Roger's Lake Branch, usually freezes over night when temps get into the teens during the winter, so this may be the only problem. Last year, I was fishing Roger's Lake in early January with 13 degree temps early in the morning. Between navigating through sheets of ice and deep pools, I managed to catch several half frozen bluegill.

Anyways, hope everything falls into place with the project and nothing turns for the worst...

Read more...

Found a thread/fishing report here on the Southeast Fly Fishing Forum that illustrates what the Davidson River looks like during 2,500 cfs flows...This is amazing...High water does make for some excellent streamer fishing. Leave the 6x in the car!! I need to get over there to try for a big one on 2x and a #4 streamer!!

Read more...

Tuesday...First Day of Fall

1.) I can't for the life of me remember what the sun is. It's been cloudy and dreary for the past week or so. There was some sun on Sunday (Sun on Sunday...what a coincidence). I'm looking out the window now and all I see is gray skies. It hasn't been raining in the Charlotte Metro area, most of the rain has stayed west of us. It's like were living in the Pacific Northwest. We need rain...Not cloudy skies without precipitation!! It looks like the sun will dominate the day next Monday, but until then, cloudy and dreary skies will prevail. On the positive side of things, today is the first day of Fall. 10:34 AM marked the turnover from Summer to Fall. Next week looks cooler, according to the 15 day forecast. upper 30's for lows and 60's for highs. The best time to fly fish here in the state (especially for streamer enthusiasts) is in the Autumn months.

2.) I was able to fix the blog difficulties yesterday. I needed to renew the domain which only last annually. Lance Milks (his blog is here) emailed me yesterday because the blog was down. I checked and sure enough, "Tar Heel Fly Fishing" was now a random webpage/advertisement. It came to me that the domain has probably expired. I renewed it and an hour later the blog was back up and running smoothly. It scared me for a second, as I didn't know if it could be fixed our not. Sorry for the hold up, I'm sure some folks are thinking Tar Heel Fly Fishing is gone...It's not!!

3.) I checked the water levels which are VERY high in Western NC. The Davidson River is blown out. Currently it has receded back down to 1,010 cfs (I know what you're thinking...Receded?!?! To 1,010?!?!). Folks, average for the "D" is a mere 83 cfs. The water levels spiked to nearly 6,000 cfs yesterday evening. For a brief hour or two, the NWS Flood Stage was reached on the Davidson. Has anyone ventured over that way during all of the heavy rain?

Read more...

Monday Evening....Checking In

1.) It's been pretty warm in the Carolina's today. Mid 80's prevailed across the Tar Heel State. It really wasn't bad weather wise, with relatively low humidity levels thanks to a dry air mass. The ten day suggests a pretty steady trend in the upper 70's and into the 80's. A wedge or two (cold air damming event) may disrupt consecutive 80's. If you're venturing out to the stream, river, or lake, low water will be a major problem. The Davidson River is flowing at 32 cfs, average to date is 89 cfs. 6x-7x tippet is almost a must in these conditions, so unfortunately 2x ain't gonna fly. Given the first frost hasn't "frosted" yet, terrestrials are still on the menu for most fish up in the high country.

2.) DH is starting back soon (October 1st). I'm ready for some delayed harvest fishing. A friend of mine said he went up to Stone Mountain to fish one of the wild streams (Forgot which one he told me). He said he caught several smallish wild rainbows on dries. He and I agreed DH needs to start soon!!

3.) It's almost the 1 year anniversary of Tar Heel Fly Fishing. I posted the first post on September 20th of last year. It's been a fun ride in the Blogging world. I hope to keep the blog up and running for years to come. I signed up with Sitemeter back in roughly early January. Sitemeter tracks and records visits from folks. 4,612 visits and 7,496 page views, with a combined 12,108 visits/views since January. It's all because of the support and my readers, who keep coming back. Thanks again folks for a great first year...I've received countless emails from folks that really enjoy reading the blog. These emails keep the drive going. Thanks again folks!

Read more...

I'm Still Alive...

1.) I've been on my toes the past few weeks. School has been taking away from the blogging world. Haven't had much of a chance to get away from it all. Projects and major assignments are now being assigned, which will take away even more blogging time. I've got an SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) project that's being planned out. I'm still not sure what to do, but, I'm thinking it will relate to fishing in some way, shape, or form. I've thought about heading back to the Smokies to help with the brook trout restoration project on Lynn Camp Prong. As long as the project pertains to wildlife, conservation or general agriculture it's accepted. Stream restoration on Irish Buffalo Creek which runs behind my house is another project. It's a real possibility, and would not be "just another science project". I would have to obtain permission through the county and the Soil and Water Department. I'll probably contact our local Trout Unlimited chapter here in Cabarrus County. If this becomes reality, I'll concentrate on restoring a section of Irish Buffalo, making it more suitable for the native bluegill and bass that inhabit it, and making not only the stream better, but the surrounding riverbanks and adjacent areas more suitable for other folks and for wildlife. Before and after pictures are a necessity for this project, which shows progress. So, I've got some work to begin in the coming days/weeks/months.

2.) College football's here!! I've seen/heard of some major blow-outs today. Here's a few final blow-out scores...




Florida/Charleston Southern....62-3. ~Florida

Notre Dame/Nevada.....35-0. ~ND

North Carolina/Citadel.....40-6. ~UNC

Vanderbilt/Western Carolina....45-0 ~Vanderbilt

Kentucky/Miami (OH).....42-0 ~Kentucky

Tennessee/W Kentucky....63-7 ~Tennessee

Boston College/Northeastern.....54-0 ~BC

Montana (GO GRIZ!!)/Western State....38-0 ~Montana



My grandad who is a graduate of Baylor University down in Waco, TX, had tickets to the Baylor-Wake Forest game, so we all were up in Winston Salem for that game. 24-21, Baylor...It started out gruesome if you're a Deacs fan, but eventually winded down to a 3 point difference, which is not bad at all. If it would have been 65-3 it would have been pretty horrible.

Read more...