October Fishing Report

October Blog

Delayed Harvest season is here!  And the fish are biting.  We started the first weekend off with a reservation book full of trips.  From seasoned anglers to brand new beginners, entire families to a father-daughter getaway it was a weekend full of smiling faces and plenty of fish tales!  We greatly appreciated seeing everyone that came through the shops and look forward to seeing those of you still on their way.

Now for the fishing, that’s why you’re reading right??  Trout in the Jackson and Swain county portions of the Tuck are mainly eating sub surface, per usual.  Your double nymph rig under an indicator or tight line setup will see the most productivity.  They should still eat the standard post stocking diet of mop flies, girdle bugs, eggs, squirmys, and small streamers for a bit longer.  As those fish get hooked over and over again you may want to consider some of the classics such as pheasant tails and hares ears in both beaded and soft hackle versions.  The Jackson county stretch has been very wadeable but always a good idea to check with one of our shops or Duke Energy’s posted generation schedule before you head out for the day.  Over in Bryson City, that stretch of the Tuck has seen smaller crowds and some really good action casting off the front of one of our guides boats on a float trip!

Over on the West Fork of the Pigeon and the Upper Nantahala River we’ve been getting good reports on dry fly action.  Stimulators and Chubbys are doing the trick just fine and make a great top fly in a dry dropper setup.  These smaller rivers tend to fill up pretty quickly on the weekends so I would suggest trying to fish them on weekdays if you can or later in the afternoon if you’re planning a weekend trip.  

And lastly, in the Smokies, we’ve seen some nice browns landed so far this Fall. Pre and post spawn browns can be pretty aggressive and for a short period of time these generally smart and picky fish can turn downright dumb!  Just be aware of actively spawning trout.  Do not cast to these fish and make sure to not wade near their spawning beds, or also known as Redds.  These areas can be identified by a lighter depression of gravel generally in a shallow section of the stream.  Being mindful of these areas will help support future populations of these beautiful fish.  For fly selection in the Park I would fish BWOs, little black stoneflys, and October Caddis.  Fish all of those in both the top water and subsurface versions.  

Have fun out there!