By David Hulsey
The month of March is a welcome sight after the cold wet winter we’ve had here in the Southern Appalachians. Despite the lingering cold morning or two, snowflake, and the occasional tornado, March and April can be good months to be a fly angler. Upon those transitional winds of early spring can ride hordes of Black Caddis, hatching on our local tailwater fisheries such as the Toccoa, Hiawassee, and Tuckaseegee. Massive swarms fluttering above the river can give the fly angler the first shot at matching the hatch in the new year. This particular Caddis fly normally can be imitated by a swung little black soft hackle the most effectively. Size 16 or 18 is about right for your pattern. The temptation of throwing an Elk Hair Caddis or other dry fly usually will be met with some frustration being that the trout will usually be feeding on the bug on its accent to the surface. Splashy riseforms from the fish will be a telltale tip to watch for.
Another great thing about early spring is the arrival of the first big bugs of the year. The Quill Gordon is a large gray mayfly that get the fish pretty excited if there are good numbers of them coming off the water at once. This beauty is about a size 12 or 14, with large sailboat type wings sticking upright above the body. You can use a Catskill style Quill Gordon imitation, or an Adams dry will usually suffice if it’s the right size. Our freestone streams of the area will usually “wake up” when this bug appears and the dry fly fishing with other flies, will remain good until it gets hot in the summer.
The March Brown mayfly usually arrives the last week of March or the first couple of weeks of April. Similar in size to the Quill Gordon, it’s another fish exciter when it bounces down the river trying to get air born. They must taste good because I’ve seen very large trout that are normally very particular do some really stupid things to get to these juicy insects. The Catskill tied version of the March Brown works well to imitate it, in about size 12. They normally turn up in our freestone streams along with throngs of anxious fly flingers trying to speed up the warm weather ahead. Give us a call at 770-639-4001 to schedule a guide trip to shake off the winter blues and catch the fish of a lifetime. Check out our website at www.ncfga.com for information on our amazing trophy water fishing.
For a cold weather guided romp through the river give me a call David Hulsey at Southern Highroads Outfitters fly shop at 706-781-1414 in beautiful Blairsville, Ga.