Boone/Linville Falls

[Mobetter]

Headed up to the Boone area next week with the buggy whip. First time fishing the area.

Anyone have tips or places to start?

[mudminnow]

Get a copy of JEB Hall's book and it will give you plenty of information to start out anywhere in WNC.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/The-Southern-Appalachian-Fly-Guide/dp/0982737912[/ame]

[tsmart]

Stream in front of Tweetsie is General Waters.
No bait nor size restrictions, 7 fish limit.

Look for signs on streams.
If they are general waters, any bait is fine (as noted above).

Some streams are artificial lure, single hook only, with size restriction and other creel limits... some are catch and release only.
Get a regulations guide, and there are listed public waters in it too. Any Walmart should have one (free).

Prices park has some trout waters - main Lake, is general waters.

Might can cut your learning curve in half, if ya stop by here and talk to them:

http://www.foscoefishing.com/

T.

[Spur hunter]

I've only got a sprig of info to add. I've fished the Watuaga during November on the delayed harvest sections up around Valle Crucis once. There's some public access there at a park behind the Mast General store that was a decent area. Had some big fish in there, football 19" bows. Also fished downstream a bit further that trip and did well. Did some research on some blue lines in the area, plenty of that there but didn't have time to try them. From Boone you will be plenty close to some blue ribbon trout fishing over on the Watauga and S Holston. A day trip over there would provide some great fishing. Sulphurs on the upper S Holston should still be going strong.

[tsmart]

I've only got a sprig of info to add. I've fished the Watuaga during November on the delayed harvest sections up around Valle Crucis once. There's some public access there at a park behind the Mast General store that was a decent area. Had some big fish in there, football 19" bows. Also fished downstream a bit further that trip and did well. Did some research on some blue lines in the area, plenty of that there but didn't have time to try them. From Boone you will be plenty close to some blue ribbon trout fishing over on the Watauga and S Holston. A day trip over there would provide some great fishing. Sulphurs on the upper S Holston should still be going strong.

Yea, Mast Store in Valley Crucis - down behind the park/soccer field. Pretty nice stream.
Also close by - Hounds Ear - goes right under 105.

If you get adventurous - Meat Camp NE of Boone, has some decent streams.

T.

[Chap]

Native Brookie's on the Toe River are fun to catch. I'm headed up there this afternoon. Supposed to rain all weekend, unfortunately.

[Mobetter]

Get a copy of JEB Hall's book and it will give you plenty of information to start out anywhere in WNC.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Southern-A.../dp/0982737912

I looked all over Amazon trying to find the title of that damn book. I've seen it somewhere before. I kept searching for Western NC Flyfishing, Blueridge Fly Guide, etc.

Thank you!

[Mobetter]

A big thanks for all the info, fellas. It is appreciated.

[murraywader]

For warm weather fly fishing, I would head to the watauga.

[Mobetter]

Well, it was a pretty good time.

Not a whole pile of fish, but enough to keep it interesting. Olive Wooly Bugger was the most consistent producer, with a 14 Sulfur Dun taking a handful on top and a BH Hare's Ear got a couple.

Fished the Watauga and the Toe. We started at the Valle Crucis Community Park behind the Mast Store annex. There were a ton of folks fishing that stretch. I'm still not sure how their technique worked. It seemed to consist of beating the water to a froth with a ping-pong ball sized strike indicator, and then stare at the strike indicator as their line sat motionless in the water. They all seemed to ignore what few rising fish there were. I picked a decent Brown off from in front of a group of four guys when I realized they had no intention of casting to him. We headed to the Toe River for the afternoon and caught a few rising fish right at dusk.

There were a couple heartbreaks. After about three dozen casts to the same riffle, and numerous little snags and hang ups, I leased the rod tip up to un-hang the Bugger from where it lodged behind a big rock in front of me. A monster of a Brown did an almost lazy end-to-end swap pissing distance from my feet and the Bugger popped right out of his mouth. I sat on the bank and cussed and wallowed in self-pity before I decided to switch out the Bugger for a BH Hare's Ear. Three casts later a fat 18"-ish 'Bow cut a cartwheel and was gone. I seriously considered giving up fishing right then.

The happy moment for the trip was making a near-perfect long cast from the bottom of a big pool to a rising fish. A spunky 12" Brown cleared the water completely on the take just as the fly settled on the water.

I'll definitely go back.

[Mobetter]

Only took a couple pics.

[Phone Man]

its pretty up there. I wanna go back and fish. Ive been twice on vac and stared at those streams wanting to fish so bad.

[BigBrother]

Fish poet.

[Mobetter]

Fish poet.

Yea.

You know how you can tell you're growing up?

When you spend a weekend fishing in the mountains and you and your buddy are both on the phone with their toddler daughters talking baby talk and not being the least bit self-conscious about it...

[YoungBuckTX]

the hare's ear has done well for me recently too, dropped, under a big dry. I don't understand the indicators either. I also missed a big, rising brown. Need to get back soon.

[mudminnow]

Indicators, while annoying, catch a lot of fish when fished correctly. I fish a nymph rig with an indicator 75% of the time around here. Seeing one fish rise is great, but there are a hundred chowing down on nymphs in the run. I love dry fly fishing and if there is a steady group of fish rising I will switch, or fishing a small wild stream or when terrestrials are about.

Sounds like a great trip, you got me itching to go.

[ReelHard]

Eat breakfast at Louise's before you leave.

[YoungBuckTX]

Indicators, while annoying, catch a lot of fish when fished correctly. I fish a nymph rig with an indicator 75% of the time around here. Seeing one fish rise is great, but there are a hundred chowing down on nymphs in the run. I love dry fly fishing and if there is a steady group of fish rising I will switch, or fishing a small wild stream or when terrestrials are about.

Sounds like a great trip, you got me itching to go.

Isnt fishing a nymph on a drop under a stimulator or bright dry fly the same thing? But also gives you a shot for surface bite?

[Mobetter]

Indicators, while annoying, catch a lot of fish when fished correctly. I fish a nymph rig with an indicator 75% of the time around here. Seeing one fish rise is great, but there are a hundred chowing down on nymphs in the run. I love dry fly fishing and if there is a steady group of fish rising I will switch, or fishing a small wild stream or when terrestrials are about.

Sounds like a great trip, you got me itching to go.

I gots no problem with an indicator whatsoever.

I couldn't understand the giant indicator, slap-the-water-white casting style, stare at the indicator while it did nothing approach.

The majority of my big fish have came from a nymph under an indicator.

This'n here came out of a creek in Grafenwoehr, Germany about 15 years ago on a hare's ear under an indicator.

[mudminnow]

nice fish, yeah the appropriate size indicator is usually bought out in most flyshops. I like the smallest one that can suspend my rig. Those glorified ping pong balls just scare fish.

And Young Buck, fishing a nymph rig with an indicator can be done many different ways. I prefer to suspend my flies touching the bottom or just off. This can easily be done with an indicator and when the depth of the run changes I can just slide the indicator to the proper depth. With a dry dropper combo you are limited to the length of the dropper. If you aren't catching the bottom with some regularity, you aren't nymphing correctly. This usually involves big heavy nymphs or split shot that would sink a dry fly.