July Options and Tactics

I’m a day late and a dollar short on this blog. I hope everyone is doing well this Summer, and looking forward to seeing everyone soon. Let’s get down to business. It’s starting to blaze out here in and around the Pisgah, Greenville and East Tennesee. The temps this past week are really starting to show what is come for the next month and a half. Sun-block and water is a must when angling during months like July and August. The water is low, and fish are spooky right now. Approach is everything when it comes to catching these critters. Slowly fish because these things can hear everything, and see you regardless of how stealthy we have approached the hole. We’ve been having success from 6-10 am on our Freestones. The morning bite has been good, but if your fishing in high sun for WILD TROUT check your thermometers. Some people don’t know that mid day fishing warm water is unethical, but lets not act like we don’t either. The terrestrial bite on the freestones is at its peak in my opinion right now. Beetles, Ants, Inch Worms is the name of the game. These need to be finessed towards the banks in a sloppy manner. Fishing terrestrials is a big bite game. Whatever eats it will hammer it like there’s no tomorrow, and heavier tippet is necessary right now with a quick release if possible. We shouldn’t take pictures of every fish we catch to prove to ourselves and the gram that we can catch them. Catch and Release fishing is what we do, but this time of year fish can die due to lack of oxygen and build up of lactic acid due to stress. I had a client hook and land a rainbow in a reasonable amount of time(30 seconds) early morning with “safe” water temps. Well, that 14inch bow died soon as we released it. It wasn’t a photo fish and never came out of the water, but shit happens and we just need to realize we are playing with a fine line when trout fishing in the heat. Brook trout fishing is a great alternative this time of year due to the higher elevation they reside. Covering water is the best advice I can give anyone, because once you spook a hole its done this time of year. Don’t torcher yourself for another 30 minutes because that same hole will be there tomorrow. Let’s remember the water is low and warm, and we should be barley handling WILD FISH when it gets like this. Photography is cool and all, but a few seconds for a photo and roll on. We have all Fall and Winter to fish harder and longer days. The Tail Waters have been prime for sight fishing Brown Trout. The flows are low and the fish are spooky, but its a fun game we enjoy to play with them. Quite a few dawgs hit the net this past month, and some lost. Midges with the occasional Sulpher hatch have fish munching during certain times of the day. This water continues to stay cooler even on the hottest of days. If hunting fish is something you want to do. Click the Book Now Button. Bassing is and has been in full swing, and will continue to do so for a while. The days are hot, the water bottles are cold, the sunscreen is thick, and the fish are fired up. We haven’t had a consistent top water bite, but we are getting a few takers here and there. Streamer fishing for them has been the most consistent, but this will all change in the near future. Besides a couple months ago we were fishing poppers to bass during the Brood X. Fall will be here before we know it so lets gets you on the schedule to come chase these Wild Things. Hare’s Ear Fly Fishing is becoming exactly what I’ve wanted it to be since we started.I am forever grateful to my regulars, and ones to come eventually. Wild Trout has been a term I am hearing more and more as of recent, and I think is a great thing for people to come together on in the future to protect them as a whole. A few years ago I feel half of the South East couldn’t tell a difference between the two, but now some people have become aware of the special fish we love to chase. Chasing Wilds is a tough game most of the time, but the learning and knowledge gained every time on the water is irreplaceable.Working for it is how we learn as anglers, but some people just want to catch. Time on the water is what really catches fish. Caching is awesome when its easy, but learning to catch when its hard is the ticket in my opinion. Just know once Wild Fish become a thing of the past so will Hare’s Ear Fly Fishing.

Friend of Hare’s Ear wrangling a biggen