March Madness

March has finally arrived even though Im a little late on this blog. I hope everyone is doing well. We are looking forward to getting on the water with you all this season. Higher temperatures have the “Spring Bug” process in full swing, and everyday has been different as far as hatches go. My buddy and I were talking about it today on how you can show up to the river, and end up fishing 5 different hatches in a single day. Some days we are throwing size 20 bugs, and some days we are throwing size 10. Spring is definitely here, but we have to keep are focus on what’s actually happening on the river at this moment as we make the transition into a stable weather pattern. Rains are beginning to move in, which is what we need in Western North Carolina for the trout fishing, and for the summer drought that we could see from past experiences. Fishing is getting real good, and should begin to get better and better as weeks go by. Public water has been busy, but we have plenty of tricks up our sleeves to get you away from crowds if it’s not your thing. We as anglers hot-spotting on social media need to realize that this will effect fishing in a negative way long term, but we will still be out there to make your experience genuine and rewarding. On another note it’s great to see more people getting active in the fishing world as a whole, but we cannot abuse the resources by bragging about when and where we caught are fish. This is a long-term sport that wouldn’t be lasting if everyone takes shortcuts to find water. My favorite excuse is “everyone knows about it already.” Thats fine and dandy, but make sure you are out there everyday when those crowds show up! Part of the fly fishing journey is exploring, and taking a gamble on what looks to be “fishy water.” The adventure part is one of the BEST parts this sport has to offer. Your truly missing out when you don’t go exploring new water. My buddies Ken and Ryan told me a few years ago while on our annual bass trip to explore new water. I understood what they were saying, but didn’t understand what it really meant. Im glad I’ve had the privilege of getting out and learning a lot of the “new water” Western North Carolina has to offer. Hope this makes sense, and if not well I’ll see you out there. Lets get down to business! Drifting bugs is the name of the game right now. The drift has to be perfect under and above the water. The fish are wild so we will work with you on everything we need to do to improve a drift. Drifting bugs is just a saying to some, but in March you better bring your A-game. The drift hands down, is the most important part when when it comes to throwing the fly. The fish are still in slower water, and till they move into riffles, we as anglers have to put 100% into the drift. As the days get warmer we will begin seeing fish push up and down the watersheds to find there Spring homes. Dry fly fishing is getting good at moments, but the hatches may only last a hour or so depending on where and when. It’s important to have a wide variety of bugs during the “March Madness” because you may be the first one to witness the transition into another type of bug for the Spring. We are seeing lots and lots of midges, caddis, mayflies, and stoneflies. Each bug may fish better in certain parts of the river, or certain types of water. March is a great month for really studying and learning about trout behavior from sun up to sun down. If we play close attention throughout the days we will see the transition and migration of fish moving back into there comfort zones. Once you hear the birds chirping all day just know your right where you are supposed to be. The Rainbow Trout spawn is just about over, but we need to be aware of clean gravel so that those eggs will hatch into future fly eating machines. Big bellies on fish means one thing. Its March, and its time to get you on the water. We are grateful to all of you who have supported the company and continue to do so. April is almost completely booked, and we cannot be more thankful to all of you wanting to learn to fly fish on public water. On another note, we have finally added a google reviews page online, and if we have taken you on a trip in the past we would love to get a review from you. Also, if you haven’t noticed we have a new logo that we are super excited about. We may offer shirts and hats online this year, but give me some time to sort all that out. I can barley type type as it is, yet alone setting up an online store. Thanks everyone for reading. Looking forward to another great Spring in Pisgah National Forest.