Frustrated with the lazy summer trout in Western North Carolina, some friends and I decided to spend a few days up in Tennessee fishing for more active trout. Loaded down with gear, boats, and plenty of food, we made our way over to the S. Holston River to find a great weekend of dry fly fishing.

The generation schedule has been pretty compromising to both wade fisherman and floaters, which enabled us to capitalize on the amount of time spent on the water. Interestingly enough, we woke up both days to the sound of rising fish sipping black flies and various dry midges. As the first day progressed, the Sulfurs started to make an appearance just in time for the water to greet us. LUNCH TIME! We headed down to see the boys at Webb’s Grill to gorge on the infamous lunch special…..ya you know it……SPAGHETTI with Garlic Bread. I ate so much I needed help getting back to the truck. Nonetheless, we dropped  the boats and proceeded to anchor up on pods of rising brown trout, feeding on emerging sulphers and any dun that dared to land on the water. Most fish we boated were in the 12-14 range, but every fish was healthy and gave a 5 wt z-axis all it could handle.

Day 2 was spent tracing our steps from the previous day… rising fish being caught on black sprout midges and then switching over to the sulphers as the water began to rise. It was a nice change of pace casting dries on 10 & 12 foot leaders to rising fish instead of the usual tandem rig under a strike indicator.

If you are looking some great dry fly action, a float trip down the S. Holston River is where it’s at!

Go Early, Fish Hard… Stay Late!

Yesterday we were in full pursuit to feed a smallie addiction no matter what obstacle came our way. The French Broad River was blown out so we decided to take our chances on some different scenery in hopes that the water would a little less colored. Armed with 2 XP 6wts and a Ziploc bag of various clousers, we headed down to Franklin, NC.

Soon after we started the drive, we realized that we had no shuttle, don’t know of any shuttle service, and began brainstorming how to rectify the situation. Hitchhiking seemed like the only rational solution, but my partner had another idea that he thought was the best thing since sliced bread. “I’ll buy us an old beat-up scooter,” he shouted! “Ya man, I’ll get us an old scooter or kid’s dirt bike for a few hundred bucks, and we can throw it in the back of the truck to use all summer.” Bound and determined, he led us to two pawn shops, two motorcycle dealerships, one salvage bike shop, and 9 U-turns.  We soon figured out that the used-looking scooters and dirt bikes that sit out in front of the dealerships are not for sale, and the pawn shops want top US dollar for any P.O.S. they have.

Behind schedule and still without a shuttle, we continued on. And as luck would have it, we just so happened to pass a friend on the highway in Franklin that agreed to help us out on our shuttle issue. At this point, I was thinking that today might just be our lucky day. That thought lasted all of about 10 minutes; we had arrived at our destination only to find that the Little Tennessee was as dirty as the French Broad had been earlier in the day. Not that I should have been surprised, but what the heck!

 We fished pretty hard until around 7:30pm and managed to catch a few fish that had pitied us for our efforts on the day. All in all, it was great to be out on the water, sharing some laughs with a good friend under the summer sun.

Looking back on the day, the true joy did not come from how many smallmouth we caught or didn’t catch but from the comradery we shared.  Going out on an expedition, knowing that we were setting ourselves up for failure, and coming out with a smile on our faces at the end of the day is what flyfishing for us was all about.

For a limited time, when you purchase a pair of the Patagonia River walker Wading Boots ($150), you will receive a FREE pair of Patagonia neoprene insulator socks. This combo is great for summer wet wading. Patagonia Island Hopper Long Sleeve Shirts ($80.00) are BUY 1 GET 1 FREE! Stop by the shop or order online at Davidson River Outfitters.

With summertime temperatures setting in and little to no rain, the water levels have begun to drop rapidly. Although water levels are higher this year than they were this time last year, the Davidson River is running at 52cfs and water temperatures are hovering around 66 degrees. This time of year, our mission statement of “GO Early, STAY Late… and FISH HARD” is the divine truth. The good news is that the lower water levels and the warm sunny days are providing plenty of top water action on big hoppers and beetles. All of us at DRO have been making the best of the situation, and it has been rewarding for both us and our clients to experience consistent top water action.

If you are looking for an up-to-date fishing report, here it is: Terrestrials, terrestrials… terrestrials! If you don’t have the bugs you need or want, then check out our online retail shop at www.davidsonflyfishing.com, and we’ll send them out to ya ASAP!

On June 13th, Jeff Turner and his son, Taylor, began a nation wide quest to fish 50 states in 50 days in hopes that their adventure will inspire others to realize their dreams for adventure and connect with family and others. This amazining journey will span 15,000 miles by land, 6,000 miles by air, and 500 miles by water.

Fourtunately for Davidson River Outfitters, the mighty Davidson River was on their list, and we were excited to be a part of their journey. Jeff and Taylor arrived at the shop on June 16th to fish with DRO guide Landon Lipke. After a few minutes of instructions, the guys geared up and were catching good numbers of fish throughout the day. Both rainbows and some of our larger brook trout provided some great video for the Turner’s website. With nonstop action, the day was over before they knew it. Big smiles and tired bodies were a true testimate that a day on the Davidson River was the inspiration they had been looking for. For all of us at Davidson River Outfitters, we hope the trip continues to be a success. If you are interested in the Turner adventures, you can follow them though their website: http://www.fish5050.com/North%20Carolina.html

Hook: Mustad 94831 #10
Body: Sponge foam ant body
Legs: Black rubber legs

To order these materials, go to www.davidsonflyfishing.com.

Congratulation to Pauletta Thompson for being Davidson River Outifitter’s ”Fish of the Month” Challenge Winner for June!

Paul was fishing the French Broad River in Asheville, NC and landed this 5 lbs Smallmouth on Popper. Paul will receive a dozen free guide choice flies for his savy angling skills. There were several great photos submitted this month so keep up the good work. We will be posting some of the runner ups on the photo sections of the blog.

Do you think you’ve caught the best fish of the month? Prove it!

Take a picture of it and submit it for us to judge! From May 2009 to December 2009, we want to challenge you to have the best catch of the month. To enter the contest, submit the following information:
- a picture of your fish
- the fish’s species
- the lake or stream where the fish was caught
- the date of the catch
- your email address

Your picture will be judged by 4 of our top fishing guides, and a winner will be announced each month on our website at www.davidsonflyfishing.com. The winner will also receive 1 dozen guide choice flies absolutely free.

All photographs will be judged on:
- quality of fish
- clarity of photo
- particular species caught
- creativity of photo.

Strut your stuff, and submit your photo today. ONLY ONE PHOTO CAN BE SUBMITTED PER ANGLER EACH MONTH.

Submit your photos and information to bstrickland@davidsonflyfishing.com!