.... of the Month

September

Fly of the month - Bionic Ant

Tip of the month - Aluminum Thermometer

Trout fishing in NC can bring large swings in water temperature are very possible. It may be a good idea to carry an aluminum thermometer along on your next trip. They can be purchased from Mad River Outfitters.

August

Fly of the month - Pine Squirrel Zonker

Tip of the month - Rod Holder
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Have you ever needed a third hand on the water? Try a Rod Holder. Click here for the article from Fly Lords Magazine about rod holders.

Stream of the month - South Toe
There’s a clichee, old cartoon showing someone dipping a toe into the water to see if it’s too cold to dive in. Turning that idea on its head, there’s no need to dip anything in the South Toe River to check the temperature. This flow is formed from a number of tributaries tumbling down from the southeast slope of 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains, and has some of the coldest water found in North Carolina.
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Here you find fast tumbling sections with shoals and plunge pools, along with other sections that flow slow and deep. Within those waters both wild and stocked brook, brown and rainbow trout swim. Those range from mere fingerlings to browns measuring more than 20 inches.
Access to the South Toe River can be done via Black Mountain Campgroud

July

Fly of the month - Pat's Rubber Legs

Tip of the month - Water Temps and Trout
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With the weather heating up, we need to pay attention to how rising water temps can affect the health of trout. See the chart to the right for suggestions on handling fish.

Stream of the month - Big Horse Creek Delayed Harvest
Big Horse Creek is one of the newer Delayed Harvest creeks. The city of Lansing, NC has developed a beautiful park in the town called the Creeper Trail Park. Big Horse Creek flows along the edge of the park and the river was included in the plans for the development. Along the park several waterfalls and chutes were developed as fish structure and to help aerate the water.

June

Fly of the month - Blackburn Tellico Nymph

Tip of the month - Catch and Release Tool
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This tool was developed to all the release of fish without having to touch them, thus no damaging their protective coating. You can check out this tool at their website.

May

Fly of the month - Fly Fish Food - Perdi-Worm Euro Nymph

Stream of the month - Mill Creek Delayed Harvest
The best access point is the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort, NC. The Delayed Harvest Section starts at the Main Street Bridge and runs down to the connection into the Catawba River. Access is fairly difficult in any other area, however, the water appears to be shallow and accessible for wading.

Tip of the month - Tippet Ring
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I first read about and started using them a little more than a year ago, but I have become an advocate. The advantage is that you tie your tippet to the ring rather than directly to the leader. If you tie directly to the leader, each time you replace the tippet you lose a little more leader and you can use up that leader rather quickly. Manufactured leaders are not inexpensive, especially if you are using fluorocarbon which can cost north of $10 each. By using a tippet ring you can make that leader last a year or more.

April

Fly of the month - Ron Gaddy - Secret Weapon Smoky Mountain Fly Pattern

Stream of the month - Marion Greenway - Catawba River
The delayed harvest portion of the Catawba River lies on the Marion Greenway on the northwest side of town. Set your GPS to 860 US Hwy 70 in Marion for the west entrance to the Greenway. The delayed harvest starts at the bend at Major Conley Road and continues downstream to Business 221. There is almost a continuous channel the whole length of the Greenway, but only an occasional hole. There were a few rocks and trees to create some structure, but mostly it is just a clear open river.

Tip of the month - How to wade Safely
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One of the most dangerous activities in fly fishing is wading the the potential of falling. This link will take you to an article by Orvis on how to wade safely. Click here to learn more information on the safety tips.
1) Use a wading staff
2) Always wear a wading belt
3) Pivot upstream
​4) If you get tired stop and rest or trace your steps back to safety

March

Fly of the month - X Caddis

Stream of the month - Jacob Fork River
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Jacob Fork River delayed harvest is located entirely within the South Mountains State Park, just over 1-1/2 hours from Winston-Salem. Only a small amount of the park is accessible by car on the eastern side. There is a very large back country section to the west that has some good wild trout streams if you’re young and like hiking, but fortunately for those of us past our hiking prime, Jacob Fork runs along the park entrance road.

Tip of the month - Catching Stocked Trout
Kent Klewein, Gink & Gasoline
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Tip 1: Big flies and bright flies are generally the best choice for freshly stocked trout
Tip 2: Don't move, change your flies first
Tip 3: Search out the slower moving water like pools and deeper runs
Tip 4: Go natural with fly choice after the trout have been around for a while
Tip 5: Hit the pocket water and riffles
Tip 6: Swing your flies
Tip 7: Go tiny and downsize your tippet

February

Fly of the month - Egan's Red Dart

Stream of the month - Elk Creek
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Elk Creek (not to be confused with Elk River) is one of our newer Delayed Harvest rivers. It’s only about an hour and 20 minute drive from Winston-Salem, but there are a lot of bends and turns to get there, so you’ll need a good map or a GPS to find it. If you set your GPS to 7262 Elk Creek Darby Road; Ferguson, NC you will arrive at a fire station at the intersection of that road and Triplett Road. If you head north along Triplett Road (after a mile it becomes Elk Creek Rd) you’ll find the northern portion of the delayed harvest which runs to the point where it becomes a dirt road.

Tip of the month - Knots
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Here is a great article on the strength of knots. The article discusses various knots and the strength of each.

January

Fly of the month - Black Reg Tag Grayling Bug

Stream of the month - Helton Creek
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This month’s featured stream is Helton Creek, just north of West Jefferson and near the Virginia border, the creek where an 18.5” brookie was caught for our contest. This stream is almost two hours from Winston-Salem, but worth the trip.  See map to the right for direction.