North Carolina in August

[Bob Riggins]

I know some of you guys fish North Carolina. I’m going to be up there the first of August. Brenda has us a cabin on Spring Creek near Hot Spring, NC. From the pictures I’ve seen, I can cast from the porch and hit the creek. There looks to be about a 1/2 mile of private land I can fish on. It is indicated to be a stocked, delayed harvest stream.

Anyway, I’m sure that’s not the best time to fish, but I would like some ideas as to the type of flies and techniques to use that time of year.

[T. Wiles]

We’ve been getting some decent rain lately, so you’ll likely still have some active trout and decent flows in the rivers. Big Laurel creek is known for good trout, and has plenty of roadside access, and a nice hike in to the Fr Broad Gorge.

I grew up fishing nearby Paint Creek in TN, and it used to hold large browns for such a small drainage, but something changed….they’re mostly gone but there are always Big brood stocker rainbows that are fun, but not acclimated to the small stream…not challenging to locate them, and they’re beat up from the hatchery.

The shoals near the main Campground in Hotsprings have some nice wade-in smallie water. You have to work for them, but they’ll take wiggle minnows and crayfish patterns.

Be sure to hike the short lookout “Lover’s Leap” on the AT on the south side of the HotSprings bridge….it’s gorgeous up there and only about 1 mile to the lookout.

[Zach Matthews]

Bob that’s probably going to be similar to the Soque and other private streams. Those fisheries can cut two ways: they can be really easy or really, really hard. It depends on pressure. A river like Duke’s Creek in Georgia, which is managed like private water but open to the public, quickly produces super spooky fish.

Meanwhile there are plenty of places that have rules like never allowing tippet thinner than 3X (approximately 6 lb. test). That way the arms race against the fish is, at least in theory, arrested and they stay easier to catch.

Does this water have open grassy areas near by? If so I would fish hoppers. If it is in a rhodo jungle you probably want to inquire into the local hatches, but you’ll almost certainly be able to use sulphurs in about size 14 and 16 and blue winged olives in size 18.

I’d also bring some Zuddler minnows in white in case you want to dredge some pools, and some smallish stonefly nymphs (roughly size 14 or 16) to do some nymphing. A general nymph pattern like a Copper John in size 16 or size 18 will usually produce.

I know you’ve done some trout fishing but I’m not sure if you’ve tried much nymphing. Definitely plan to use a 9 foot leader with a couple feet of tippet tied to the end. Pinch on a small weight (size BB or smaller) ABOVE the knot so it won’t slide down and hug the fly. Then tie on your nymph. Last, pinch on a Palsa float or use a half hitch loop to string in some doped yard or a balloon/thingamabobber. The rule of thumb is 1.5X the depth of the bottom for the distance from FLY to INDICATOR. I’d look for an overall leader length of about 11-12′ but if you are in a tangled area or you have trouble dealing with the ball and chain effect, it’s fine to switch to a 7.5′ base leader and throw a couple feet on there for a 9′ total length of your setup. Your catch rate will probably go up with the longer setup if you can handle it. My default on new water is a tapered 9′ 5X leader with 2 feet of 5X fluoro carbon for tippet. You can totally use Berkeley Vanish or similar fluoro for tippet if you have some in 4 lb test.

Good luck Bob and feel free to shoot back some more questions. I know you love your trips to the frozen northern mountains. 😉

Zach

[Zach Matthews]

PS Lookin’ good Travis and Crystal!

[Bob Riggins]

Thanks for the tips guys. And thanks for the suggestion of the Lovers Leap hike and the pictures Travis. We will do the Lover’s Leap hike, but I think the French Broad Gorge hike may be more than Brenda’s knees can take.

I’ve fished nymphs before on small streams. Not my favorite type of fishing, but I can do it. I also have a load of copper johns and some strike indicators. The stream flows through a pasture just up stream from the cabin, then past the cabin into a wooded area, so I figure ants and hopper should work.

I’m really looking forward to this trip as far as the fishing is concerned. I usually have to squeeze some fishing in since Brenda is not an angler. With the stream just out the back door and other accessable streams within a few miles, I should be able to work a lot of fishing into the trip.

[Mike Tolbert]

T. Wiles wrote:

Big Laurel creek is known for good trout, and has plenty of roadside access

Travis, is this Big Laurel creek? Just wandering because that is only 2 hours away from me so I may want to give it a shot some day.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/35%C2%B011’32.9%22N+83%C2%B034’21.6%22W/@35.1924734,-83.572661,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

I already had a place just north from there marked on my google maps as a place to try out sometime. I guess it is still considered the Nantahala river at this point. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wayah+Rd,+Nantahala+National+Forest,+Topton,+NC+28781/@35.2470557,-83.6537698,20z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x885ecdbfcd5ed9e9:0xbb2901ad4b95f95b

Thanks,
Mike

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