Western North Carolina On The Fly

Guide to flyfishing the mountains of WNC!!

Short Leaders      No use in trying to cast 12 ft. leaders, unless you're fishing a stream that is wide open and the water is really low and clear.  Otherwise I tend to use 7' and shorter leaders nothing bigger than 4x, most of the time 6x.  By keeping your leader shorter your accuracy will improve and you'll spend more time fishing and less time getting out of the trees.  This is true most of the time, but in low clear water conditions mostly during the summer months a short leader can spook fish.  This is the only time of the year that I use a long leader 9' or longer, but still trying to stay as small in diameter as possible.  You'll need to experiment to find how short of a leader you can use and not spook the fish and also how long of a leader you can get by with and not stay in the trees.

Dappling    By dappling I'm referring to the process of basically just having your leader out of the end of your rod and dropping your fly into the hole.  To do this you must keep in mind how close you are to the fish and be even more sneaky.  I dapple mostly on brookie streams that have large rocks for me to hide behind.  You'll be amazed at how much a 8" brookie can fight with only your leader out.  Stealth is the key to dappling, stay low and hidden at all times.  I dapple a lot in the spring when the streams are running a little faster than normal.  I do this to keep my line out of the water to avoid drag on my fly.  I dapple my fly on the slow water pockets behind rocks, logs and anything else that will create a slower water pocket.

Using Rocks and Taking Your Time   To fish small streams you must be able and willing to use rocks to lay your line on in order to get good drag free drifts.  Feel free to cast over a few dry rocks to get your fly into the right spot.  Keep in mind that by using rocks you usually end up with slack in your line which can keep you from being able to set the hook as quickly.  To compensate for this I usually set the hook by lifting my rod and pulling the line in at the same time.  Basically picking up the slack line by lifting the rod and setting the hook by a quick yank on the line.  Take your time when approaching a hole and look for rocks that you can lay your line on to get a good drift the first cast.  Most small streams don't give you many chances to get your cast right, so take your time and get a good cast the first time.  You'll very seldom get a perfect cast so a cast that is close to where you wanted it, let it float.  By yanking your fly back and recasting you'll scare the fish more often then not.  Try to avoid false casting!!

Roll Cast    To me the most important part of small stream fishing!  You must be able to roll cast and to roll cast with small tight loops.  I'm not going to go into the basics of roll casting, there are many good source for learning how to roll cast.  Learn to roll cast and don't be afraid to roll into those place where most people wouldn't consider fishing.  Many times that is where the big 'uns are hiding.

Stalking-Staying Low     Small streams here in Western North Carolina require that you stay low and stalk the trout if you want big fish and big numbers of fish.  Don't just think about this when you're on the stream but think about it when getting dressed to go fishing and when buying clothes that you'll fish in.  A bright hat is the worse thing you can wear, along with a bright t-shirt.  Keep your clothing green, brown and tan and you'll have half of the stalking taken care of.  Staying low when approaching the hole is important also.   Staying behind the fish give you a big advantage!  For this reason I fish upstream always.  Keep out of his sight and pay attention to your shadow.  Don't cast a shadow over a fish you want to catch, even though he might not take off he still won't be nearly as likely to feed.

Moving On     Once you've fished a hole for a few minutes and cast to the major spots that you think a trout may be holding in don't waste your time.  This is a judgment call, some holes require more casts and more time but if you've made a couple of splashy casts and/or hooked a few limbs above the hole, there is no use to keep fishing the hole.  Once the fish spooks it takes them awhile to move back into their feeding lanes.  So just move on and try the next hole.

Stout Leaders      Smallies don't require the easy/soft landing like trout do so no use using a limp leader.  For bass you can get away with much heavier leaders.  I personally like to use 5-7 foot long leaders, I tie my own but here's a simple formula that you are welcome to use........
Keep in mind I only use Maxima leader and tippet material and they are stiffer than most other brands
24" of 25 pound test
20" of 15 pound test
18" of 10 pound test
I then add a short (12 to 20" section) of 1x tippet (which is 8 pound test) for the majority of my smallie fishing.  When the water is low and clear I'll add a section of 2x tippet if I see some fish refusing my fly.

Mending    Most fly rodders know about mending their lines across the current.  And if you are not sure about mending check out most instructional books about flyfishing, they will do a much better job describing the entire mending process.  When fishing the warm water rivers for smallies it very important to be able to mend you line across the current.  This will allow for you fly to "sit in the zone" for a longer amount of time giving the fish more opportunity to strike!  I mend on nearly every cast, if you are not mending your line you are missing the opportunity to catch more fish.  Mend you line upstream, try not to move your fly with the mend but sometime a slight twitch from the mend triggers the strike.  It's not trout fishing.....  a little movement on the fly will not kill your chances of catching smallies.  But the trick is keeping your fly in the most productive water for as long as possible before casting again.

Fishing Rocks and Down Timber   Smallies, like most fish, like cover and protection.  While fishing for river smallies you must fish the areas just upstream and downstream of rocks, trees and anything else that is breaking the current.  Smallies will hold just downstream of anything that breaks the current looking to ambush bait.  Of course it's easy to see the current when the rock, tree or whatever is sticking out of the water but you must also keep this in mind for under water.  Fish anything, I mean anything that is causing the current to be broken or slowing the current down, this means fishing rocks, trees, bridge pilings, washing machines, refrigerators, cars, tires or whatever else is in the river.

Making the Perfect Cast    One of the biggest mistakes my clients do is trying to make the perfect cast.  I'm not saying you shouldn't try to pinpoint your casts but what I'm getting at is if it's not perfect LEAVE IT ALONE!  Smallies are very aggressive, your fly does not need to be placed perfect, getting it within 2 feet on most days is close enough.  I've seen so many good fish spooked by folks casting close to a rock, thinking it's not close enough so they pick up and cast again.  Smallies will come to your fly!!  So if your cast is not perfect don't hurry up and re-cast, just fish that cast back in and then cast again.

Fishing Top Water Poppers and Sliders     99% of my smallie fishing is done using top water poppers and sliders.  I tend to fish for bass here in WNC from mid April to late October.  This is prime time for top water action.  I like big bugs, size 4-8 fished on short stout leaders and fished slow.  I like to have my fly land on the water nice and firm, this should produce a very visible ripple ring around the fly.  I then leave the fly sit..... let the rings disappear before moving the fly.  This is a good time for a small upstream mend.  Then after the rings are gone I like short (1-3") movement of the fly.  If fishing poppers I like the fly to pop with moving the very shortest amount possible.  If using a slider I like the fly to dart under and then back up quickly.  

Line-To-Terminal Tackle Knots Improved Clinch Knot This is probably the most common of all fishing knots, perhaps owing to its simplicity. You can increase the strength by doubling the line when you tie this knot. (1) Pull the line through the eye and double back, making five turns around the standing line. (2) Holding the coils, pull the tag end through the loop closest to the eye, then back through the big loop you just created. (3) Slide the knot tight and trim the tag end.     Palomar Knot One of the strongest, most durable and easiest knots to tie, recommended for almost any application, except extremely heavy leader lines. (1) Double about six inches of line and pass it through the eye. (2) Tie an overhand knot. (3) Pass the hook, lure or swivel through the loop. (4) Tighten the knot and trim the tag end. Make sure the two lines in the eye are parallel. If they are crossed, cut the knot and re-tie.     Uni-Knot A strong, versatile knot which can also be tied to form an end-loop that tightens down to a conventional knot once you hook a fish. (1) Run six inches of line through the eye and fold it back to make two parallel lines. (2) Bring the tag end back toward the eye and make six spiral wraps around the two parallel lines. (3) Snug the knot; to leave a loop, hold the knot at the point where you want it while you pull on the standing line. (4) If you don’t want a loop, slide the knot to eye. Trim the tag end.     Snelling a Hook “Snelling” is essentially a Uni-Knot tied around a hook shank. Where a hook has an offset eye, this knot allows for an efficient “straight pull” of the hook’s point. (1) Thread the line through the hook eye about six inches. Form a loop and hold it against the shank of the hook. (2) Make five or six turns through the loop and around the hook shank. (3) Close the knot and tighten by pulling the standing line in one direction and the hook in the other. Trim the tag end.     Line-To-Line Knots Blood Knot One of the best knots for splicing two monofilament lines of similar diameter — or for joining two dissimilar-diameter lines by doubling the lighter of the two. (1) Overlap the two parallel lines by 12 inches total. Take five wraps on one side and pull the end back through between the two strands. (2) Repeat on the other side, pulling the other end through the strands in the opposite direction. (3) Pull the two tag ends slowly to gather the knot, and (4) once gathered neatly, pull the standing line to tighten the knot. Trim the tag ends.     Surgeon's Knot This easy-to-tie knot is popular for joining a heavy monofilament leader to a lighter monofilament main line. (1) Lay six to eight inches of line and leader parallel and overlapping. (2) Using the two lines, tie an overhand knot. (3) Proceed to tie a second overhand knot. (4) Pull both lines in opposing directions to gather and tighten the knot. Trim tag ends.     Nail Knot Designed for splicing a monofilament leader to a fly line. As the name implies, a nail is needed to tie this knot, although a toothpick or straw can be substituted. (1) Lay eight to 10 inches of leader and fly line overlapping and parallel to each other, with a six-penny nail in-between. (2) Using the leader line, loop up to eight coils back around the fly line, the nail and the leader. Using the nail as a guide, run the leader line back under the coils. (3) Hold the loosely-gathered knot with one hand as you withdraw the nail with the other hand. (4) Pull on both ends of the leader line to tighten the knot. Trim the tag ends of the leader and the fly line.     Albright Knot This is one of the most reliable means of joining two monofilament lines that are of dissimilar diameter. (1) Create a loop in the heavier monofilament line. Pass about 10 inches of lighter line through the loop. (2) Take12 tight wraps back around the heavier strands and the standing portion of the lighter line. (3) Pass the tag end of the lighter line out through the loop on the opposite side of where it entered. (4) Hold the two heavy mono strands securely as you alternately pull on the tag end and standing part of the lighter line to begin tightening the knot. (5) Seat the knot by pulling on the standing parts of both lines. Trim the tag ends.     Loop Knots Surgeon’s End Loop One of the simplest and quickest ways of creating double lines for splicing to heavy leader material or for tying directly to terminal tackle. (1) Double the end of the main line to form a loop, with the amount you double determining the size of the loop. Tie an overhand knot. (2) With the loop still open, bring the double line through again. (3) Pull the standing line and loop in opposite directions to gather and tighten the knot. Trim the tag end. Once this knot is tied, create a dropper by (4) snipping loop. Then, for drift fishing, (5) use the shorter of the two strands for a weight, the other for a hook; (6) vice versa for vertical presentations.     Spider Hitch Though a bit more complicated than the Surgeon’s End Loop, this is also an easy way to create a loop or double line. (1) Double the end of the main line and bring the end of the double line around to form a small loop of double line, holding it between your thumb and index finger. (2) Wrap the larger double line loop four to five times around thumb and small loop; then (3) pull remainder of larger loop through the smaller loop so wraps will unwind off of thumb. (4) Hold the main line and tag end while you pull the double line to gather and tighten the knot. Trim the tag end.     Dropper Loop This is a good knot for creating one or more loops in a leader (or main line) for attaching hooks, jigs or a sinker. (1) Form a loop to the size you desire. (2) Twist the loop around the main line eight times. (3) Reach through the center of the twists and pull the loop through. (4) Hold the loop with your teeth (be careful not to nick the line) while you pull on both ends of the main line to tighten the knot.     Double Line Leader Knot Bimini Twist The strongest loop knot of all — but also the most difficult to tie — the Bimini Twist is used to create double line for pursuing strong saltwater fish with relatively light line. These directions are for creating a double line of five feet or less. Two people may be required for anything longer. You will need to practice this knot a lot to get it right. (1) Measure a loop slightly more than twice the footage you want for the double line. Holding the standing line and tag end together, twist the loop about 20 times. (2) Sit down and put your legs into the loop and apply outward pressure. At the same time, pull out on the standing line and tag ends to force the twists tightly together. (3) Maintaining leg pressure, hold the standing line in one hand with the tension slightly off vertical. With the other hand, move the tag end to a right angle from the twists and gradually ease tension. The tag line should begin to roll over the twists. (4) Continue outward leg pressure on the loop. Steer the tag end into a tight downward spiral over the twists. (5) Continue to maintain leg pressure once the tag end reaches the bottom of the twists. With the hand that has been holding the standing end, place index finger in crotch of line where loop joins knot to prevent slippage of last turn. Take a half-hitch with tag end around one strand of the loop and pull it tight. (6) With the half-hitch holding the knot, you can release leg pressure, but keep the loop stretched out. With the remaining tag end, take a half-hitch around both strands of the loop, but do not pull tight. (7) Take two more turns around both strands of the loop, winding inside the bend of the line formed by the loose half-hitch and toward the main knot. Put the tag end through the bend of the loose half-hitch created in step 6. (8) Pull the tag end to gather and tighten the loops around the main knot. Trim the tag end. OTFGS Recommends and Uses Only Maxima Lines and Tippet!