Most anglers are focused on catching trout in the creeks and rivers that are stocked, but I would like to encourage you to consider chasing bronzebacks in the spring. If you are just getting into the sport then book a guide to help accelerate your growth and have a mentor that will teach you how to do things the right way. Young had to leave the tourney at 2 p.m. for another event. Ty Allison, left, and Brayden Padgett step toward the scales with their limit. July is hot, but so is the fishing for river smallmouth. This 90 degrees angles helps get the flies straight down underneath the indicator. CATT GOLD - $120 Entry $130 at Ramp. Weve been having to run very light tippet and downsize our flies this year due to low flows and spooky fish. If you are interested in hearing more about our bass fishing trips then please give us a call. The French Broad smallmouth were on a crayfish pattern this past week with water temperatures around the mid to upper 40s.Water temps are 60 degrees currently so fishing will be good until the fish concentrate solely on the spawn. 164 talking about this. They are the most tolerant trout species and can live in waters upward of 70 degrees. What a wonderful summer it has been! Dead Drift Em: This method is very similar to drifting dry flies to trout. The water temperature was 59 when we started and 63 when we finished. If you want to chase these bigger fish using large nymphs and streamers then this trip is for you. Bassmaster. NC: 57: Nick Herrman - Kyle Herrman: 3: 7-11: Capital City High School - KS: 58: Jameson Pursley . No, there is no official pairing process for our tournaments. The Catawba Angler was voted the best fly fishing guide service in McDowell County in 2019 and 2020. 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. Young had to leave the tourney at 2 p.m. for another event, so Allison finished out the day by herself. Lets get back to fishing. What was cool about catching this fish is that Ive had a few encounters with it over the last few years where I see it chase out smaller fish we hook. Smallmouth start chasing during this time and there is no better time to throw moving baits. 2023 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at James River presented by Bass Pro Shops April 21 - 22, 2023 View Series . Fish tournaments to win single event awards and earn points to qualify for the National Championship (High School). The bigger fish in the Tailrace are definitely carnivorous because the smaller stocked trout are their main food source. 7th Place through the last weigh-in position will be one (1) point increments with 7th receiving 87 points. April 9. The fishing in the spring is consistent all day long because of the suitable water and air temps. 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. In the winter time Im using 6-7x tippet. The fish are spooky after seeing a lot of pressure on the weekends. The water temperature here during the winter is 50-55 degrees which is alot warmer than the freestone streams in the mountains. Go big or go home. Weve been picking fish up in the deeper runs on nymphs and streamers in the riffles. The Catawba Tailrace offers some of the best brown trout fishing in North Carolina. As long as the French Broad stays clear we will be on it. Below is a resource for some of the lakes and rivers in the state that holds bass in them. August is normally our hottest month here in the mountains, but weve seen some cooler temperatures as of late that has kept the smallmouth and trout bite consistent. North Carolina stocks some very large rainbow trout. We are still running trips down there if clients want to chase trophy browns throwing streamers. The lake draws many anglers from the Piedmont and coastal plain region looking to catch both smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Bass Tournaments, Championships, Tournaments Phantom Outdoors Classic $ 225.00 Add to cart FIND MORE TOURNAMENTS CATT INCENTIVES The Carolina Anglers Team Trail is widely known for having some of the best cash paybacks available. The Catawba River and Linville River that flows into Lake James offers good wade fishing for smallmouth bass. There are plenty of wade fishing and float fishing opportunities available on one of the many delayed harvest streams in NC. If you are interested in spending eight days cruising 600 miles on the Tennessee River and raising money for the Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, then this is the place for you! Numbers of fish can be high and there are opportunities at some very large holdover brown trout. $5.00 from each entry will be withheld for the championship (Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022) and an additional $5.00 from each entry will be withheld to pay the Top 10 in total points at seasons end. Phantom Outdoors Opens TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Brett Collins PHONE: 803.413.7521 EMAIL: catttrail1@gmail.com TOURNAMENT NEWS & UPDATES Use PHANTOMCATT15 at check out and earn 15% off your order! We can handle last minute bookings, but if you want a preferred date contact us early. $10,000 1st Place with a minimum of 100 Teams entered! (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Life is good for anglers and guides here in western North Carolina. Winter trout fishing here in North Carolina has been excellent. The Catawba Tailrace and Tuckaseegee River systems offers some great streamer fishing in March, April, and May. If you werent within a foot of the bank you were catching fish. Give us a call today to schedule your fishing adventure this summer. Thanks for taking the time to read the article! We are thirty days away from the end of summer (September 22). Fishing has been consistent on the French Broad and Nolichucky Rivers. March 20th was the first day of Spring. Father/Son team of Fry & Fry win over $20,000 on day 2 at LbJ with 20.72 lbs. Check out some pictures from the gorge below. The spawn normally begins towards the later half of April and extends well into May. The Linville Gorge holds some very large brown trout and is slowly becoming more of a smallmouth fishery. To find out what the Tennessee River 600 is really all about (and no, it is not a race), check out our About Us page. October is usually the month we see our biggest smallmouth hit our nets. I believe its one of the most fun trips we offer. The best fishing will be on the rivers that have been stocked, but there are numerous wild trout streams that will be fishing excellent as well. Fly fishing for river smallmouth in the NC mountains is hands down one of the best things to do when visiting Asheville. Dont leave the house without some sort of crankbait, swimbait, or suspending bait. Those looking to fish the Yadkin for smallmouth bass should check out Burch Station and Yadkin Shore public fishing areas. You must fish 3 regular season tournaments to be eligible for our End-of-Year Championship Tournament. They fish hard from the time we push off from the put in to the time we take out. 1331 N. Green Street P.O. One indicator that it is a stocked fish is that some of its fins are nubs. There will be a Big Fish category for Largemouth, and another for Smallmouth (all bass that are not clearly pure smallmouth, will be weighed as largemouth for Big Fish calculations). We been wading some new stretches of river which has been fantastic. I recommend people to book at least 3-4 weeks in advance. As that temp drops the fishing will continue to get better and better. Hotbait. We invite you to fish with us from 6:00 pm 'til 10:00pm every Tuesday Night on the Foothills Marine Tuesday Night Trail! There are also additional volunteers and hired personnel who assist with tournament duties. If youve been wanting to book a guided trip, but have been on the edge of deciding I would like to encourage you to book. All the weight the fish packed on during the prespawn is worked off during the spawn. We look forward to fishing with you. Thats exactly what happened Saturday when the McDowell Titans thoroughly dominated the BASS Western NC High School and Junior Series at their home lake in the regular-season finale. The stretch runs through small sections of private land that isnt accessible by foot so these areas yield a bunch of fish. Its versatile. The last river that is worthy of mentioning in the bass fishing guide in North Carolina is the Pigeon River. The Tuckaseegee River always fishes well in the winter because it gets stocked in October, November, and December. We had a great day and we managed to get a good trout as well. Some of the best fly fishing is within a short drive of Asheville, North Carolina. Logan and Hannah Roberts placed third with 13 pounds. See the example magazine labels below. Dont miss out on some beautiful scenery and some good fishing in the mountains of NC! The best fishing on the wild trout streams is March through December. River smallmouth need to put on as much weight as possible after being in a lethargic state of mind all winter long. 2022 Foothills Marine Tuesday Night Trail We invite you to fish with us from 6:00 pm 'til 10:00pm every Tuesday Night on the Foothills Marine Tuesday Night Trail! From backcountry experiences to roadside pull offs there are plenty of trout fishing opportunities for the curious angler in North Carolina. We are going to keep this simple. The Catawba Angler was one of the first bass fishing guides in North Carolina to guide on Lake James. You wont be disappointed. In order to fish the bottom of the river well you got to be willing to fish slowly. Once this happens the bite turns on. These trips are fun because we can post up on fish and use different tactics to catch them. There is a time and place for fast retrieves but thats during the summer. Lake James is the lowest elevation lake in the Catawba chain that has good fishing for smallmouth bass. Your BASS member number is the 9-digit number that appears on your Bassmaster Magazine label. There is a healthy population of wild brown trout in the Davidson River so that is a good start for most anglers looking to catch one. North Carolina offers some of the best fly fishing in the country. East; Lake Gaston; Lake Norman; Lake Norman Opens; Neuse River; Old North; Roanoke Rapids Lake; SENC; . Their best fish was a 4.03-pounder. Register for Tournament; Team Trail Results 2023; AOY 2023; . The weather in the spring can be unpredictable so I tell clients we fish conditions not dates on a calendar. The smallmouth bite is good all summer. The reaction bite the last two weeks has been nothing short of amazing. Complete Bassmaster Tournament Trail Schedule - find out which lakes your favorite pro anglers are fishing and when the bass tournaments will take place. The Catawba Angler offers dry fly fishing trips on our mountain creeks for wild trout in the the Spring. Its our goal to help you become a better angler on the water. Below are some of our best catches in March and April. Skip to content. Remember to observe all applicable boating laws. Weve got a few more smallmouth trips on the books this year which we are excited to finish the year out strong. When Im fishing indicators, my set up is the following: My fly line connects to a section of 3.5 ft fluorocarbon (15 pound) line that connects to a tippet ring using a loop knot. All Tuesday night tournaments in the series are 100% payback tournaments. The Catawba Angler offers half day and full day bass charters on the lakes and rivers of western North Carolina. Anglers can register for the 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League season at MajorLeagueFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000, beginning at 8 a.m. CDT on the dates listed below: December 6, 2021 - Cowboy, Gator, Hoosier and Music City. Day 2 tomorrow. Trails Facilities About the Park Located in Burke and McDowell counties 50 miles northeast of Asheville, Lake James State Park includes two areas to access this picturesque lake that is perfect for boating, swimming, and fishing. Optional Sidepot - $50. The boat must be registered to one of the team members and must have been purchased directly from Foothills Marine. There are more wild rainbow trout in the wild trout streams than any other species. We prefer to put two anglers per guide so both anglers are getting the special attention they deserve. There is a five (5) fish limit during the Tuesday night tournaments. $100 will cover your entry fee and big fish prize. We encourage you to share your fishing photos, stories, and tournament info here. The Catawba Angler offers guided fly fishing trips in Asheville, North Carolina. Tournament Schedule ; Division Where When Entry Fee; Foothills Marine: Lake Norman, NC - Blythe Landing : . Normally Ill run lighter tippet because the water is usually very clear this time of year. The only problem is getting to the fish. (903) 984-0541. The paid entry fee applies only to the very next tournament in the series and can not be carried forward past that date. Fishers of Men Virginia West - Smith Mountain Lake - State Park Ramp. Lake James is a 6,800-acre reservoir with depths up to 120 feet, located in the north-central part of the state. There is nothing better than catching one of these native fish using a fly rod. Rainbow trout are native to the Pacific region, but were introduced to North Carolina around the 1900s. 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. The best fishing is below Waterville dam and into East Tennessee. The Catawba Tailrace is usually our go to float during the winter, but the rainbows that were stocked in the fall of 2021 did not make it through the summer of 2022 so fishing has not been great down there. Titans dominate Lake James tournament. I want to thank my savior Jesus Christ for creating these wonderful fisheries and beautiful places that I get the opportunity to work in every day! We are a BASS and BASS Nation affiliated organization. We had a great day of fishing on the Nolichucky River and Bennett reeled in a true trophy river smallmouth. They stock some big brown, brook, and rainbow trout in Curtis so a lot of clients that we take fishing normally catch their personal best here. Another prominent river that flows through the Piedmont region is the Yadkin. Below are some other pictures from our guided trips this winter. We understand that everyone likes to catch fish which we can definitely do that, but if you want to focus on some advanced fly fishing tactics to accelerate your growth as an angler then give us a call to set up a trip with one of our professional guides. The state also stocks the first week of each of these months so there are a lot of fish to target in the creek. Using poppers to catch river smallmouth is by far the most exciting way to fly fish. Crime fits a regional pattern. The Catawba River is a beautiful stretch of water that holds a good amount of stocked fish. All big fish must be alive throughout the weigh-in to be eligible for the big fish award. Smallmouth will sit in these lines waiting for bugs to drift by. Weve been having great success on the higher rivers this time of year with stonefly patterns, prince nymphs, and eggs. The key to fishing off colored water is to fish it extremely slow. Check out the setup below. 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