Novemebr Tuckasegee River Delayed Harvest Fly Fishing re-cap

The Tuckasegee River Delayed Harvest section has been nothing short of fantastic this fall season. Anglers from all across the country have descended on the river, sporting the latest and greatest in fly fishing fashion and gear. It’s been a hit parade of Gortex and Polartec, with some graphite, fiberglass and bamboo thrown in for good measure. While this style of fashion (tongue in cheeck) may not raise any eyebrows on the runways in Paris, it does strike a chord amongst anglers who are “in the know”. Thick fog from the river every morning gives way to the smoky rise of cigars and bank side toasts of bourbon in celebration of good fortune and fly fishing.

Then there is the “other crowd”. A group of dedicated and seriously fishy guys, who when approached, great with you a warm smile, and a fish slimed handshake. Sporting the same Gortex and fleece “fashions”, but tattered, weathered, and worn. Well fished you might say, as these guys practically live in their gear. These old boys happen to be local guides and unabashed Deans of the Tuckasegee River. These guys won’t be the flashy fellows yelling FISH ON!! at the top of their lungs every time one of their clients hooks a fish in hopes of drawing attention to their most recent success. Nope, these ol’ boys let their fishing do the talking. Sure if you listen hard, you’ll hear them give gentle instruction and encouragement to their clients, and you’ll hear the smiles and laughter from their conversations. You’ll also hear the drags on their client’s fly reels screaming for mercy as they’ve just caught yet another fish. You’ve just met the guides at Fly Fishing the Smokies.  These fellows have guided more Float Trips, Wade Trips, and taught more clients to fly fish on the Tuckasegee River than any of other outfitter in the area. They grew up here, and have spent years guiding and fly fishing the many rivers and streams in the Smoky Mountains.

The Fall 2011 season on the Tuckasegee River Delayed Harvest has offered some great fly fishing opportunities. The river is busting loose with nearly 11,000 trout per mile. While the vast majority of the fish are measuring between 12-16 inches, we are catching a few that are going over 20 inches. You just have to fish for these big boys a bit differently than you would the other fish.  Having a good knowledge base of the river that comes from years of experience guiding and fishing on it, we are finding big fish on a consistent basis. With the removal of the Dillsboro Dam last year, we have seen a general overall improvement to the river and its ecosystems. Many spawning Brown Trout that are longtime residents of the Tuckasegee River, are moving upstream to fall spawning grounds. We have been able to land of a few of these fish this fall, some measuring well into the mid 20 inch range. Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout seem to be the most abundant. You can easily catch these fish on most standard fly patterns, at this point they are eating well and not very picky.

This Fall has seen a generous water release from the folks at Duke Power. They have, this year, been kinder to wading anglers by generating power at night and leaving the day time for low flows which have been easy to wade. By December however, this will change drastically. Even on low water we were able to guide many Float Trips in October and November. We have specialized catarafts from the Creek Company which are kings of low water floating. They work equally as well on high water too.

Tight Lines!