Thanks for the comment! Glad this video could be helpful to you. There is great fishing around here and these fisheries will bounce back so keep getting out and trying!

Thanks for the comment, I did not try any dead drifted woolly buggers but I bet they would work well!

This stream is delayed harvest so you cant keep any at the moment! I generally don't keep trout though unless I'm backpacking

Thanks! I am glad to hear it helped you out. What is your go-to, blood knot or double surgeons?

@@isaacness any urgency such as rebuilding leader or adding tippet quickly - double surgeons. If have time - stopping for lunch or making leaders at home - blood knot

I actually just fished exactly where you're at in this video the weekend before Christmas and had one of the best days of fishing I've ever had, caught somewhere in the 40ish range in just under 5 hours

I've been out 3 times since Helena and have done well

if you go to less effected water its ok, some places the fish may never recover. stocked fisheries like where you at are bound togive false perspective as always

I know this river well enough to ID it based on the parking lot lol I won't name the river (not my video), but it has been stocked post-Helene. I fished that same pool the Friday before you were there, on 12/27. I didn't have much luck standing where you did on that bank (some river keepers I think added the rocks/limbs in place to make a little trail to that spot)... I had a lot more luck when I went into the water at the crossing and dropped right into where that tributary comes in. Post-storm, it's SUPER deep right there and I spotted a couple dozen stockers posted up right there feeding. fd Also, a CAUTION for anyone fishing there: on the inside bank of the river going around that turn there, there are a TON of leaves stuck on the bottom. DO NOT STEP ON THEM and assume there is solid ground underneath lol The river has changed a LOT since the storm and it is super deep there as well. I had a bunch of luck with white squirmy worms along the bottom. Brookies love worms, I guess lol! Just for general trout angler info, I have fished a TON from Asheville going East since that's where I live. Curtis Creek, the Catawba, Jacob's Fork and (I think it was) Henry's Fork - I have seen ZERO trout activity in those streams. I know they stocked the Catawba, and I even heard from other anglers that fished it after the stock and had a ton of action, but I had zilch. Zero trout activity observed across five different access points and miles of river. I hope it was just luck of the draw, but the Catawba seems devoid of trout activity. I have had great luck on the stream featured in this video, as well as the west fork of the pigeon, big snowbird, the nantahala and a couple other spots, though.

Thanks so much for adding this context and info! Its helpful to get a sense of whats going on in all the different streams across WNC. I have been out to the Jacobs Fork as well and saw zilch in about a mile of river. I have been to a few different spots on the Davidson as well and saw some fish lower down by the campground but only saw a few up near the hatchery.

NC's private water laws are super ambiguous compared to other states! I agree with you that more than likely you are legally allowed to fish these sections but I personally steer clear just to be safe and to avoid confrontation!

Thank you! If you're looking specifically for Brook trout around that area I would recommend either going upstream of the Davidson river hatchery or fishing in either Avery creek or Looking Glass creek. All of these areas hold great populations of brookies. Most of the small tributary streams in that area hold brookies so do some exploring also!

Thanks for feedback and glad that you enjoyed the video! If you ever get a chance to go fish there I would highly recommend it. Its one of our favorite trips we have ever done!

Yes they are good fighters! I would say its most similar to fighting a brown trout. They can get big too, some can grow up to 30"

Thank you!

Thanks for the kind words! They do look a lot like tiger trout but these are actually their own species entirely (Salmo marmoratus) whereas tiger trout are a cross between a brown trout and a brook trout (Salmo trutta × Salvelinus fontinalis)

Thanks Jeff! Feel free to send me an email if you want some more info [email protected] If Im ever near Broken Bow Ill let you know! Ive heard theres some huge largemouth down your way

I go to the river for the super hatch, which I have never experienced.

Thanks for the encouragement Ron! I really appreciate it!

Thanks Nick!

Same here!

Hey Jack, great advice about the lateral line and gills! You are definitely right about these being one fly per Cuda! Check out what happened to one of these after a run in with a nearly 5 foot barracuda on my trip to Turks and Caicos! kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5vVhZ6ZqMeJaaM

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Awesome man! You are gonna have a great time. If you're looking for a guide Ziga was incredible!

Glad you enjoyed it! what is your favorite place you have fished?

@@isaacness I only started fly fishing earlier this year. I live in Spain currently and so far mainly fished some rivers in Spanish Pyrenees (Ara, Cinca, Segre). They are beautiful (I have some videos from them on my channel), but the places I fished aren't as spectacular as what we saw in your videos from Slovenia :)

My wife and I have talked about doing a trip to the Spanish Pyrenees! It looks like an incredible place to fish.

@@isaacness It's amazing for trout fishing, but best to do it with a good guide who can take you to places with big fish :) Rivers in Catalonia or Huesca region of Aragon can offer a good sport! We fish for fun and usually go to places that we like and enjoy, not necessarily with the biggest fish :) And you could tick off another species - Mediterranean zebra trout!

Sorry to hear about your bad experience in Colorado! I hate to hear stories like that but unfortunately there are some inconsiderate people out there!

Awesome man! this is a good time of year to be out. where have you been fishing?

@@isaacness I fish SW michigan/NW indiana, ive only been fly fishing for about a month. i literally went out with two flies this being one of them and have caught maybe 30 fish on that single fly within the 2 day span of that original comment.

Thanks! Kentucky is one of the few states I haven't fished. How are the trout in the streams near you?

@@isaacness Narrow and cold lol. Heavily stocked too. You have to be in the mood for a bit of a hike to hook a wild brown or a rainbow. But probably one of the trout world's best kept secrets is the Cumberland. All my personal bests have come out the tailwaters of wolf creek dam.

you definitely should if you have the chance! where are your home waters?

@@isaacness I am in Colorado. We're pretty fortunate here too. Cheers!

Awesome! I lived in Steamboat Springs for 6 years, I miss it every day haha

Hex hatch in Michigan

I've heard that the Hex hatch is incredible! I need to make it over there for that. Don't you fish most of it at night?

@@isaacness yeah it starts at dark and it can go for 15min to multiple hours. I have had nights where I have caught several trout 18in+ and nights where I struggle to catch one. But normally you head out before dark because there are smaller hatches that happen before hand.

Man sounds sweet! Ill definitely have to make it that way at some point

Awesome! where are you headed? Bufords work well also. I fish quite a few of those as well.

@isaacness I'm researching a couple places & haven't decided yet. But it'll be one of Pomme De Terre State Park, Hazel Creek Lake, Henry Sever Lake, Fellows Lake, or August A. Busch Conservation Area.

Let me know how it goes for you and what you think of the pattern once you fish it!

@@isaacness Will do. Thank you.

Thanks Alan! the stuff I used is called Pearl EZ Body by Hareline and its in the size Large. I think it holds is shape better than Mylar does. Here's a link to their site: www.hareline.com/item?phrase=&category=Body+Material&line=EZ+Body&stockcode=EZL284

This is some great added context and you're completely right. the river has changed a lot since that storm. I think it was Fred, does that sound right? I recently heard from an inside source that they are going to do a renovation on that hatchery in the next year or so hopefully allowing them to stock more and bigger fish in some nearby streams in the future.

@@isaacness - Yes, that Storm name sounds familiar. It REALLY changed the way a long stretch downstream, and a little upstream, from the Hatchery fishes...and not in a good way. I've been there 4 or 5 times since and the water through there is always lower than it normally was. Even far downstream, there is a 90 degree bend with a large pool I knew of and that pool water level is also commonly lower than it normally was. I sometimes would wade across the river just before the pool and water level was always waist high...now it's knee high. And the river banks along there was severely damaged...likely from both high, rapid water flow and floating debris pushed along. The river is subjected to flash flood conditions, depending on rainfall, but I never seen damage like that done on the Davidson. You are right about the refurbishment on that Hatchery...soon there is to be a major renovation I'm told...the Hatchery will be moved farther back away from the river, among other upgrades. The Trout stocking program has already put out the alert that Trout stocking quantity within the entire state of NC will be much reduced in 2025, and maybe also reduced some in 2026, until this renovation in completed.

Hey Zach! good to make the connection! Hope you guys had some good fishing there, its been tough out there with some of the heat recently!

Im putting the finishing touches on it now! it should be available later this year

Hey Randy, I've found this method to be pretty quick and easy and produces a reliable blood knot every time!

@@isaacness I’m sorry if I was acting like an ass. Your right this is a great way to tie the blood knot and you made it look easy! I just had a hard time tying it this way so I had to find a different way. The way I was taught seems to take a bit longer but it turns out really good. I wasn’t trying too diminish the way you do it. I guess I should have said that a different way. Take care.

Man I really appreciate that! I didn't take any offense to the first comment so no worries! Always happy to hear other points of view and learn new ways to do things!

Shhhhh

Yep it sure is! I found it 3 miles back in the wilderness in a river that has never been stocked and that has a waterfall blocking any upstream fish movement!

@@isaacness great fish!

Great questions! Let my try my best to answer. First, I think I’m decent at fly fishing, I would never claim to be the best fisherman out there so I’m always happy to have help. Second, hiring a guide saves me a ton of time trying to figure out which sections of river are available to anglers, what the regulations are on those waters, and what exactly the fish are doing/eating once I get there. Without a guide it may take me 2-3 days of fishing on my trip just to learn those things before I can really be productive catching. Fishing with a guide gives me the best possible chance at catching lots of fish and big fish in the limited time I am out. Third, usually when I hire a guide I am fishing with my wife who is pretty good at fishing but benefits greatly from one on one instruction. Hiring a guide means I don’t have to be the one giving that one on one instructions so I can fish the entire time myself! The last thing I will mention is that. I really only hire guides when I am in a different country, need the use of a boat, or am fishing for a new species that I have never targeted before. I would not hire a guide to fish for trout in the US where I am from. Hopefully that helps! I am a former guide myself so I know exactly what Im paying for and in the right circumstances I think it makes a lot of sense to tap into the local expertise that can only come with countless hours spent on one single fishery.

Hey! It is the Stowmaster tournament series musky net, I think its the 94" size. great net, everyone we fish with for musky uses this net

Wow! thats a great story, I love how you took the time to slow down and observe your surroundings to figure out what was going on in the river. to me stories like that embody the spirit of fly fishing. in your 70 years of fly fishing, what is your favorite place you have fly fished?

Great question… I wish he would answer.

haha true! how about you Sean? What is your favorite place you have fished?

Thanks! What is your favorite river?

@@isaacness still searching but one in Kalimantan Borneo recently took my breath away

Wow, I would love to fish some of the waters in Southeast Asia. What fish are you targeting there? Mahseer?

Thanks Pete! Im just blessed to have a wife who will fish with me!

Thanks Richard! I appreciate the kind words. The private section starts almost right across the street from The Hub itself. There is a rope with a sign on it that hangs across the river designating where it switches from private to public. Everything upstream of that rope is public! Hope you are able to get out and find some fish on the Davidson!

Thanks man! hope you like it, these have worked great for me and i've caught countless pike and roughly a dozen musky on them

Hey Jason, glad you liked the video and appreciate the concern. plain and simple you are right, Ill try to make sure to pull over next time. Just a little added context for this, the road I was on is an infrequently travelled forest road and I could see that nobody was coming up

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

Glad you like it!