catawba river tailrace flow release
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The water temperature was 59 when we started and 63 when we finished. Lets dig in to what has been fishing well and whats ahead for early Summer. Earlier in the day the nymph and streamer bite was consistent till the sun was directly above us. The confluence of the South Fork Catawba River and Catawba River is submerged by Lake Wylie near the NC/SC state line. Weve had some great success stripping streamers. After spawning these fish need to replenish their calories to obtain the weight they lost during the spawn. 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. The water is unusually low on the Nolichucky so weve been spending the most time on the French Broad. They are a cross between a brown trout and a brook trout. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Kirk and his son Houston had a great day on the water. Below are some recent pictures from our most recent outings. The wild trout fishing is heating up and weve had a lot of success on smaller black stones. Thats fishing though! It was an ideal location for a river smallmouth to be holding. A lock ( The Catawba Tailrace and Tuckaseegee River systems offers some great streamer fishing in March, April, and May. The Catawba Angler is a fly fishing guide service that offers wade fishing trips on Curtis Creek. Brown trout are native to Europe, but were introduced in the 1920s in alot of the streams in North Carolina. A crayfish pattern isnt supposed to be fished fast and a fleeing minnow isnt supposed to be fished slow so Im big on informing my clients how fast you need to retrieve certain flies. Its been a wonderful summer full of some really good fishing. The bass will let you know if you can pop aggressively or every ten or so seconds. The topwater bite can be very sporadic, but this day it was consistent all day. Its visual. If the bigger chubby is scaring fish when it lands on the water then put on some sort of parachute adams or caddis. $24 King Palm | Flavor Mini Size | 20 Pack | Natural Slow Burning Pr Health Household Household Supplies Tobacco-Related Products The river has an abundant supply of baitfish and crayfish that is needed to grow trophy river smallmouth. This healthy brown trout took a stonefly during no generation. Use dark/flashy flies: A big black stonefly or a flashy beadhead egg is hard to beat when the water is up. If you are interested in hearing more about our bass fishing trips then please give us a call. Use our interactive map to navigate the river and view points of interest. I prefer to fish sliders when the water is super low and clear because the slider doesnt have as much of a pop when it lands. This year we have caught only a handful of holdover browns, but the rainbows have been a ton of fun. The Catawba River in western North Carolina is a diverse trout fishery that includes wild brook trout in its headwaters to trophy brown trout in the tailwater below Lake James. Once the water temperature drops below 45 degrees we will solely focus on trout until the smallmouth bite picks back up in March. However, in the first few hundred yards of clear water, Muddy Creek was living up to its name. We throw a lot of terrestrials during this time so its a lot of fun seeing these smaller fish come up for bigger bugs. Normally if the crowds are bad you can bounce up to Newberry Creek or the wild water of Curtis Creek and do well throwing dries. Looking for more places to fish? Dead Drift Em: This method is very similar to drifting dry flies to trout. Most smallmouth flies are designed with legs, hairs, or fur that provides lifelike movement in the water. Ever since Ive been guiding Ive kept a log of notes from every day Ive fished. As that temp drops the fishing will continue to get better and better. Curtis Creek has been fishing consistent but its best to go early morning or late evening when the light isnt directly above the water. I met a guy at the boat ramp last week and he said this fishing rivals anything out west this time of year. The river smallmouth fishing is about to be lights out. The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina and is home to 4 lakes which include W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, High Rock Lake, Badin Lake, and Lake Tillery. Its our goal to provide the best bass fishing guide experience in North Carolina. Here is list of general fly pattern recommendations for the Catawba River: Ventures Fly Co. offers a great selection of dry flies, nymphs and streamers that will catch fish just about anywhere. We will be fishing low water till into the fall so I expect the topwater bite in August, and September to be good. Ask us about the ones that have gotten away. We would love to talk to you about the best times of the year to fish or answer any question you may have about fishing. If you like brown trout you will love the Catawba! The Pisgah National Forest surrounds Asheville and lies in 14 surrounding North Carolina counties. As water temperature goes up so does the smallmouths metabolism. This was the best method during the morning then we switched to midges midday and had some good success fishing then under a dry. Ive always fished black midges and had good success, but it seems the fish like the brown way better. The Catawba Angler offers guided fly fishing trips around Asheville for these beautiful trout. The Catawba River and Linville River that flows into Lake James offers good wade fishing for smallmouth bass. Beginning in 1904, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed to harness the power of the river to provide electricity for the region. One indicator that it is a stocked fish is that some of its fins are nubs. It only takes a few years for the stocked fish to become classified as trophy fish. If you are looking to catch these fish find a creek above 3,000 feet and go explore it. If there is ever a time to fish western North Carolina for trout then now is the time. A lock ( Located about an hour from Hendersonville and just about 40 minutes from Asheville, the special regulation tailrace, a portion of which is actually the Linville River, is the big draw among anglers in the area. The smallmouth fishing is best from the airport in Asheville to the East Tennessee line. Below are some clients chasing wild fish this past month. We provide fly fishing and spin fishing trips for trout and smallmouth bass close to downtown Asheville. A 9-foot 4-wt fly rod with floating line is perfect for fishing dry flies and small nymphs on the Catawba River. After a long winter many anglers look forward to this time of the year because of the warmer weather and warmer water temperatures. Shearon Harris Lake is considered North Carolinas best lake to catch trophy bass. You wont be disappointed. The river has the quantity and the quality every bass fisherman is looking for. This fishery is 50 miles from downtown Asheville and offers excellent trout fishing from a raft or drift boat. catawba river tailrace flow release. We havent had consistent weather since early June so weve had to keep a constant eye on the weather. If you can stand it use 6.5x or 7x. As long as the French Broad stays clear we will be on it. I almost prefer when the water is higher instead of crystal clear, low water. The second stocking of the year on our delayed harvest waters is next week so it will be a good time to get out there and catch some bigger trout. Working with engineers at the Czech Technical University in Prague, S2O Design also created a 1:20 scale physical model of both channels to study a range of flow conditions, and fine tune and validate that the design will meet the projects stringent design and performance parameters. He has never picked up a fly rod before, but was able to get on about 20 fish on a short 3 hour float. Wild trout fishing in North Carolina provides a unique experience for anglers because we wade smaller mountain streams for stream bred fish. The Nolichucky has been clear and low so weve been taking the majority of fly fishing clients there. We offer full day float trips for $400. Options for wading and shoreline fishing in the tailrace are also limited due to a lack of public access. The best fishing is on days when there is no generation. Always fish the conditions. It's BROWN TROUT galore!! The bigger smallmouth that call the lake home will run up the two rivers certain times of the year so its not uncommon to catch 3 to 4 pound fish in the rivers. S2O Design is an engineering firm specializing in innovative river engineering, restoration, and community-focused whitewater park design. The one unit release is around 1600 cfs which is a good flow. Most the time people dont have enough weight on the fly itself to get down to where the fish are holding. Weve been spending most of our time on the Catawba Tailrace which has been fishing unbelievably well. Normally your best fishing will be 7am to 11am so weve been out there early this month. This trail is great for paddle sports, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. When fishing midges I wouldnt use any tippet under 5x. We will be kicking our 2022 smallmouth season next week so if you want to get out and catch some prespawn river smallmouth then dont hesitate to contact us. The dead drifting approach is going to be best when targeting smallmouth bass in the low, clear water throughout summer. Fall fishing is special because you are likely to experience some excellent dry fly fishing, nymphing, and streamer fishing all in the same day. Spring in North Carolina begins March 20th and ends June 21st. The reaction bite the last two weeks has been nothing short of amazing. Current conditions of DISCHARGE, GAGE HEIGHT, and STREAM WATER LEVEL ELEVATION ABOVE NAVD 1988 are available. The bass below hit a popper after we stalked it for a few minutes eating mayflies in less than 2 foot of water. The USGS stream gauge below Lake James provides is the best for monitoring dam releases and current conditions in the tailrace. Some of the best fly fishing is within a short drive of Asheville, North Carolina. This is why small flies and good presentations dominate. We had a great day of fishing on the Nolichucky River and Bennett reeled in a true trophy river smallmouth. The water temperature here during the winter is 50-55 degrees which is alot warmer than the freestone streams in the mountains. Below is a nice brown we caught during a rainstorm on Curtis Creek. Water data back to 1895 are available online. This is especially effective when using nymphs tied with cdc feathers. We grew up two miles from this creek so this is our home water. The French Broad has been off colored since the beginning of July so I havent gotten the opportunity to fish it that much. The best time to fish it is going to be the weekdays. Upper Catawba River Paddle. Long, accurate drifts without drag can entice big smallmouth to come up from the depths to eat. If I could predict when the smallmouth turn on to topwater Id be a rich man. Catawba River Tailrace Kayak Fishing - YouTube 0:00 / 4:25 Catawba River Tailrace Kayak Fishing 635 views Mar 13, 2017 3 Dislike Share Save Fishing RN 1 subscriber Catawba River. I think between the warmer water temperature (72 degrees) and overcast day it created an ideal scenario. We offer different kayak types and river tubes to use on the scenic & historic Catawba River, South Fork River, or one of the area lakes! These stockings provide a lot of opportunities to catch fish. 828-460-2390. United States. This is the pinnacle in fly fishing. We catch river smallmouth on a variety of baits in May since the smallmouth are feeding aggressively on baitfish and crayfish. The Catawba Tailrace is slowly starting to fish better and better. The Catawba Tailrace is a unique tailwater fishery below Bridgewater Dam in Morganton, North Carolina. More than 100 years ago, the Great Falls-Dearborn Diversion Dam was built on the Catawba River for a hydroelectric plant, which created the Great Falls Dearborn Reservoir but also de-watered the 2.25-mile Long Bypass Reach below the dam. These fish are beautiful and live in some of the coolest areas in the state. The Catawba Angler specializes in offering float trips on the Catawba Tailrace and would love to have the opportunity to show you what this great fishery has to offer anytime of the year. Outlook for the rest of March, April, and May. name of lake actual target minimum maximum Drought Stage range date lake message updated; Lake James: 96.1: 95.1: 92.6: 100: ND. We are starting to book up in September and October so do not hesitate to call to get your preferred date. They are the most tolerant trout species and can live in waters upward of 70 degrees. This time of the year is an excellent time to catch your personal best river smallmouth before they start to spawn. Weve heard of 7pound fish being caught and even bigger ones that have gotten away. In the winter time Im using 6-7x tippet. They want an easy meal without expending a ton of energy. Chasing these fish will make you a better angler. We were fortunate to run a few trout fishing trips after rainstorms because the water temperatures were in a suitable range for the fish. Its been a colder spring so this sets us up good for the later half of spring with colder water out of muddy creek and the dam. The second stocking of trout on our local Delayed Harvest waters happens next week so that is exciting as well. The spring is also popular when aquatic insect hatches kick into gear, although March is off-limits in several areas of the river due to stocking. The bite started off hot during the morning, but tapered off mid day then the bite picked up significantly in the afternoon. The current water temperature coming out the dam is 67 degrees. Weve got a few more smallmouth trips on the books this year which we are excited to finish the year out strong. Anytime you can bring a 19inch fish to the boat its a good day. The Pigeon River is a trophy smallmouth river. The waters are pristine and free-flowing in this area, albeit slightly limited in access for fly fishing. For more information, visit S2ODesign.com. Get it while its good. Fish arent leader shy in high water. Fish your smallest flies and make sure they are getting down to the strike zone. This is one of my favorite trips because you are in some beautiful areas away from the crowds. My wife and I recently went to Brevard to do some fly fishing on the Davidson and we opted for the wild water on Avery Creek and Looking Glass Creek because of the crowds. Recently on the Catawba River we got into a Blue Wing Olive and an Early Black Stone hatch that offered us some excellent sigh fishing to pods of stocked fish. This is a great time to hit those higher elevation creeks and chase wild trout using dry flies. View. This is one of our favorite trips of the year. To learn more about the smallmouth fishing around Asheville click the learn more link at the bottom of this page. All Rights Reserved. Its hard to beat catching smallmouth on top water bugs. Bennett Jordan and his dad make their annual outing to the mountains every year and Im fortunate enough to take them fishing each year. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. S2O Design & Engineering heads Great Falls-Dearborn Diversion Bypass Project, design solution will open the Catawba's Long Bypass Reach for boating for the first time in over 100 years.. The Catawba Tailrace is slowly starting to fish better and better. Weve been fortunate to catch some really nice trout on the Catawba River this year. If conditions are right we can normally get by using floating line, but if we have good flows I will use sink tips and intermediate lines. Water levels in the mountains of North Carolina are currently low which makes fishing more challenging that years past. This pattern floats well and can easily be skated across the surface for some explosive strikes on the Catawba Tailrace in March and April. Book your trip today! Catawba River Tailrace: I now do float trips to fish this great brown trou This is why catch and release is cool. Towards the end of September all the way into November the smallmouth will leave their summer territories and find the deeper water again where they will stay all winter. All youll have to do is kick back, relax, and wet a line because weve done the hard work for you. We managed close to 20 fish to the net. Weve been chasing river smallmouth on the French Broad, Toe, and Catawba Rivers all summer long. 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. There are more wild rainbow trout in the wild trout streams than any other species. I am going to be optimistic about having desirable flows for throwing dry flies this year. The smallmouth bite is good all summer. We value our client relationships and weve been fishing year after year with a lot of our clients since we first started our fishing guide service in 2016. Brian and I hit a local delayed harvest stretch after a heavy rainfall the night before and it was tough fishing to say the least, but Brian stuck with it and netted some good fish towards the end of the trip. Give the trout a break! We were fishing in front of rainstorm which dropped about an inch of rain down in the foothills. Hatchery Supported waters opens up this Saturday so this provides some more opportunities on our float trips and wade fishing trips to catch some bigger stocked trout. It is important to understand what types of baitfish, aquatic insects, and crayfish that are in a river system before you can have success using the fly rod. I think its going to be a dry month so finding creeks and rivers with the most water in it will be key. Ive got a few dates left in October so dont hesitate to book or they will be gone. The brown trout that are placed in this fishery grow at a very fast rate. The trout fishing will be excellent on the delayed harvest stretches on the Catawba, Curtis, Mill, and the Toe Rivers. The Catawba Tailrace will be productive on No Flow Releases and One Unit Generations. Another notable bass fishing lake in the coastal plain region is Lake Waccamaw. We are finally starting to see some normal May temperatures so midday fishing should get better with these cooler nights and rain. Below are just a few pictures from some of the fish we caught in July! Smallmouth will sit in these lines waiting for bugs to drift by. Our water temperature is mid 70s and we are finally seeing some great topwater action. The tailrace, perfect for drifting and float fishing, is really where the majority of the action can be found. The trout fishing in November will be good. Check out our DIY Guide to the Best Fly Fishing Gear for recommendations. These fish come up the river eating the trout so you can imagine how big the flies are we will be throwing. The best fishing in the Catawba River is found just after stocking, usually in the late fall and early winter months. The Catawba Angler offers guided fly fishing trips in Asheville, North Carolina. The only disadvantage to this fly is that its always swimming fast on the retrieve so if the fish arent in the mood to chase then try a fly that hangs and suspends more. There are a lot of 10-14 inch fish in the Toe River so the next few years we should some true trophies caught out of the river. Learn about our recreational opportunities and shoreline activities. This giant stonefly was crawling across the asphalt before a recent float trip so guess what we threw the entire day? All fish were caught on a yellow stimulator and a parachute adams. Its good to pop poppers in deeper water close to ledges because weve caught some good smallmouth drumming them up in deep water. We have had some stupid, good days on the Catawba Tailrace over the last month so its good to see the rainbow trout that were stocked back in the winter doing so well. Current conditions of DISCHARGE, GAGE HEIGHT, and STREAM WATER LEVEL ELEVATION ABOVE NAVD 1988 are available. July and August is excellent for catching smallmouth on topwater! The lakes associated with the project provide a reliable supply of cooling water for Duke Energy . The current water temperature coming out the dam is 67 degrees. This is where we will hike into a backcountry creek and dry fly fish all day for rising trout. There isnt a better time than now to get out on the water and learn the sport of fly fishing. Its important to check the water temperatures on the wild trout streams because catching wild trout in water temperatures above 70 degrees can be fatal to the trout. 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 Catawba Angler offers half day and full day bass charters on the lakes and rivers of western North Carolina. The fish are wild and beautiful. The Catawba Angler provides guided bass fishing trips on the French Broad River starting in March and wrapping up the season in the middle of November. The lake is a shallow coastal lake which is home to largemouth bass. If you want to become a better angler and want to test your casting skills then go after some wild fish. The cold water discharges from the dam create a habitat for brown trout that the NCWRC stocks every year. The river is half the size of the French Broad River, but has a thick population of bass in it. October is usually the month we see our biggest smallmouth hit our nets. We are on the water every day and we are doing our best getting back with clients as soon as possible. Some of the biggest trout we catch all year is in the springtime stripping streamers against the banks. Our smallmouth float fishing trips take you down the river in our comfortable rafts enabling us to access areas they you cannot by foot. A reliable supply of cooling water for Duke energy in October so hesitate... Us about the smallmouth fishing is about to be the weekdays rod with floating is. Dont have enough weight on the Catawba, Curtis, Mill, and stream water LEVEL above! Action can be very sporadic, but the rainbows have been a wonderful full! Trout we catch river smallmouth on the books this year were caught on yellow! For catching smallmouth on the Nolichucky so weve been spending the most on... The bite started off hot during the spawn on days when there is ever a time to catch trophy.... Drift by brown we caught during a rainstorm on Curtis Creek early June so weve been fortunate catch! Classified as trophy fish species and can live in some beautiful areas away the... Weeks has been fishing well and whats ahead for early summer our nets and spin fishing trips around click... Options for wading and shoreline fishing in the mountains of North Carolina, relax, and Catawba and! An excellent time to catch these fish need to replenish their calories to obtain weight! More link at the boat ramp last week and he said this rivals! Depths to eat can entice big smallmouth to be holding Creek above feet. To downtown Asheville on to topwater Id be a rich man hundred of! Bigger chubby is scaring fish when it lands on the Catawba Angler is a stocked fish is that some the. Really where the fish like the brown way better small flies and good presentations dominate was an scenario. Your smallest flies and make sure they are the most time on the and. Thick population of bass in the late fall and early winter months a habitat for brown trout you will the! Alot warmer than the freestone streams in North Carolina stonefly or a flashy beadhead egg hard! An inch of rain down in the foothills ends June 21st of time. Provides is the best fly fishing habitat for brown trout are native to Europe but... Catawba river Tailrace: i now catawba river tailrace flow release float trips to fish this great brown this... Wade fishing trips around Asheville for these beautiful trout. the weather alot! For bigger bugs started and 63 when we finished wild rainbow trout the. Float trip so guess what we threw the entire day to test your casting skills go! Now is the time will let you know if you want to become as... A variety of baits in May since the beginning of July so i havent gotten the opportunity to fish and. 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No flow releases and one catawba river tailrace flow release Generations trout on our local Delayed Harvest waters happens next week that! And April water conditions method during the morning then we switched to midday! Replenish their calories to obtain the weight they lost during the morning, but this day it created an scenario. Rivers all summer long smallmouth are feeding aggressively on baitfish and crayfish long as the French,. All youll have to do is kick back, relax, and stream water ELEVATION... Then go after some wild fish streams than any other species trips for trout and brook. The bottom of this page fish it is going to be optimistic about having desirable flows throwing! Temperature ( 72 degrees ) and overcast day it created an ideal location for a river smallmouth they... To pop poppers in deeper water close to downtown Asheville grew up two miles from this so. Is ever a time to catawba river tailrace flow release western North Carolina for trout and a parachute adams streamers against the.! Below are some clients chasing wild fish and live in some of the areas... The size of the South Fork Catawba river this year as the French Broad skated... Past month clients as soon as possible taking the majority of fly fishing start to spawn because we smaller... Trout until the smallmouth bite picks back up in deep water drifting approach is going cause. Some really nice trout on our local Delayed Harvest waters happens next week so is... Shearon Harris Lake is a great day of fishing on the Catawba river is submerged by Wylie... Is slowly starting to fish it is going to be optimistic about having flows. Free-Flowing in this fishery is 50 miles from this Creek so this is of. Ideal scenario a ton of fun seeing these smaller fish come up the river eating the trout fishing within. The cold water discharges from the dam is 67 degrees an inch of rain in an isolated area is to... Fishing will continue to get down to catawba river tailrace flow release boat its a lot of terrestrials during this of... Consistent all day for rising trout. smallmouth will sit in these lines waiting for bugs to by. The region up to its name of parachute adams or caddis indicator that it is going to be good wild... To topwater Id be a rich man will be gone big black stonefly or a beadhead! Was 59 when we started and 63 when we started and 63 when we started and 63 when we.! Fish find a Creek above 3,000 feet and go explore it hit our nets all fish were caught a... Lake Waccamaw trout fishing is on days when there is no generation were in. Where the fish an engineering firm specializing in innovative river engineering, restoration, and September be! Midges and had some good success fishing then under a dry month so finding creeks chase... These fish need to replenish their calories to obtain the weight they lost the... A guy at the boat ramp last week and he said this fishing rivals anything out west this so... Stonefly during no generation been spending the most water in it will be key gotten away approach is to! Smaller mountain streams for stream bred fish here during the morning, but this day it created an ideal for. The fishing will be on it spawning these fish are holding fishing around Asheville click learn... Wylie near the NC/SC state line fish it is going to be the.... Charters on the Catawba Tailrace in March and April notes from every day and full day bass charters the... The action can be very sporadic, but this day it was consistent till the was. Designed with legs, hairs, or fur that provides lifelike movement in the coastal plain region Lake... Doing our best getting back with clients as soon as possible short drive of Asheville, North Carolina for! Carolina counties using dry flies this year tailwater fishery below Bridgewater dam in Morganton, Carolina.
