The Catawba River Tailrace below lake James continues to grow as a fishery every year! We are catching lots of fish on our high and low water float trips. A majority of the fish are being caught on nymphs and streamers. If you haven’t floated the Catawba Tailrace, or you want to learn how to fish it, give us a call! 828-446-5552
So far the Catawba Tailrace is still fishing good for late May! Tandem nymph rigs and streamers are our go to rigs for high water. Dry dropper and light nymph rigs are the norm on low water. Duke energy seems to like the 10-3 generation, so it’s giving us high and low water scenarios on our floats. The water surge usually slows the bite, but once the water stabilizes the fishing picks back up. We typically hang up running guide trips on the Catawba Tailrace in June, and we resume around Oct/ Nov. So if you want to fish the Catawba, now is the time. Give us a call 828-446-5552.
Chris with a high water brown!
Spring has arrived that’s for sure! The Catawba Tailrace below lake James continues to fish well on and off generation! We are boating consistent numbers of 8-12 fish every trip with fish in the 14-18 range here and there. We have landed fish over 20 as well. Tandem nymph rigs and streamers have been out go to on high water and dry dropper and light nymph rigs on low water. To book a float give us a call… 828-446-5552
Folks, I have fished the Catawba River long before the new flows and powerhouse. While there is still a long way to go, the fishing this spring has been nothing short of spectacular. The browns are fat and willing to eat! AFG was one of the first guide services on the Catawba Tailrace, so we know what it takes to be successfull here. The Catawba will continue to fish through spring into early summer. If you want to beat the crowds and see a beautiful stretch of water give us a call @ 828-446-5552 or email is @ appflyguides@yahoo.com.
Another day on the Catawba Tailrace below lake James is in the books. Folks, the river is on fire right now, we are boating great numbers on our low water floats! This is a Fall, Winter, Spring fishery. We leave her alone in the Summer, so if you want to see what she has to offer now is the time. I am seeing more and more bug life every year. The new minimum flows are helping, while it’s still way to early to tell what will happen, things are definitely looking up. I fished with Mark H. from Winston Salem today and he was into fish from start to finish. Despite the lack of top water activity, the nymph and streamer bite was on! Give us a call @ 828-446-5552
Dustin and I hit the Catawba River Tailrace below lake James on Good Friday for a quick afternoon high water float. The fishing started off slow, but after the flows stabilized so did the fishing. We didn’t spend anytime anchoring, it was a run and gun kinda trip. The best fishing was on streamers fishing mid river seams. We did pick several up on nymphs, but let’s face it, who wants to throw nymphs all day!
If you have wanted to fish the Catawba, give us a call. Dustin and I are one of a handful of guides who know this river, we fished it before the new flows and all the press. We remember the days when one boat was a crowd! 82&-446-5552 or appflyguides@yahoo.com
The Caddis hatch on the the Catawba is in full swing! The browns are gorging themselves on these tasty insects. Low water floats have been the key to success for the dry fly bite! If you have ever wanted to float the Catawba River Tailrace below lake James, now is the time. Give us a call @ 828-446-5552.
Folks the Catawba Tailrace below lake James is still giving up the goods! The streamer and nymph bite was good all winter and as spring approaches the fishing should do nothing but get better. Caddis are here, so now is the time to book your trip. I am seeing more and more guide services frequenting the Catawba, this is a sign that the river is fishing well! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the So Ho or Watauga, but she is worthy! I personally consider the Catawba a fall, winter, spring fishery because summer temps can push the upper edge of a trouts tolerance level. If you haven’t fished the Catawba River below lake James give us a call and come see what she has to offer! Here is a nice holdover I caught on a streamer back in January. Full day float trips on the Catawba are $300.00 for 1 or 2 people! Appflyguides@yahoo.com or 828-446-5552
2014 has been a great year on our private water in northwest Ashe county. Despite Old Man Winter’s kung fu grip, we have been catching fish. The biggest factor for success is fishing the conditions, because the conditions have been less than ideal. We have dealt with ice, snow, rain, and wind. When the water temps drop, we look for fish in deep slow pools, and we concentrate on perfect drag free drifts. The fish will not move far to eat, so its crucial to make multiple drifts to ensure you hit the strike zone. Dustin and I have ran several trips with great success. Our clients are getting chances to sight fish some of our large rainbows, not to mention they are catching some really nice wild fish to boot. Fish are being caught on double nymph rigs and streamers.
If you have a case of cabin fever and don’t mind the cold give us a call and lets go fishing!
We are offering a winter time special on our private water and Catawba river tailrace float trips. Private water trips taken between now and March 1st are $300 for one person and $350 for 2 people. This includes a deli lunch and all necessary gear. In addition we are offering a float special on the Catawba river tailrace below lake James. Float trips are $300 per boat (1 or 2 people) and that includes a deli lunch and all necessary gear. Give us a call at 828-446-5552 or email us at appflyguides@yahoo.com to book a trip.
Its been a while since I have posted a fishing report on the blog. We focus most of our pictures and reports on Facebook these days. If you are not following us over there your missing out! Check us out at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Appalachian-Fly-Guides/124600047612154 .
The Catawba river tailrace below lake James continues to improve and we are seeing more and more holdovers from past stockings! This means that the new minimum flow and dissolved O2 from the generators is improving the trout habitat down river. Dustin and I spent a couple of trips helping our amigo and fellow guide David Grossman with a story on the Catawba that will be featured in the Winter 2014 issue of Southern Culture on the Fly. We had the pleasure of boating the Catawba Tailrace in Dave’s Hog Island jet skiff! I really want one of these boats now!
Back to the fishing….. Streamers and tandem nymph rigs are still our go to rigs. The caddis hatch is around the corner. We are boating good numbers of fish on our trips. The key is to fish the conditions.
Shad eating Catawba brown!
That’s right…..we be jet boat’n the river!
Appalachian Fly Guides is the exclusive guide service for guided fly fishing float trips down the Catawba river tailrace below lake James! It is our home water, so we know it better than most. We focus our energy on the Catawba tailrace during the late Fall, Winter and Spring months. We usually leave her alone during the summer as water temps tend to creep up towards the uncomfortable range for trout during those months.
Give us a call at 828-446-5552, or email us at Appflyguides@yahoo.com for info on our Catawba River Float Trips!
Appalachian Fly Guides 