North Carolina Trout Fishing

North Carolina Trout Fishing

4/20/26 

 Visiting my Two youngest son’s in North Carolina we came together and went fishing. They took me to the Catawba River Sunday morning. The water looked in beautiful condition but the few places we fished we had very few strikes and didn’t catch any trout. In the afternoon we went to a smaller creek that was stocked a week or so ago. It was a much smaller, narrow stream with shallow riffles but quite a few deeper holes about. 

 We spread out along the creek as we headed upstream from where we started. We all found fish but they were pretty spooky. The sun shown through the trees upon the water so it was easy to see the groups of trout in deeper holes which mostly didn’t even look as deep as thigh high. Casting a streamer towards them was like tossing a tear-gas bomb at a bunch of protesters. They scattered momentarily but eventually returned as a group. Some of the trout would look at other offerings but refused to play our game. My son Giddeon was the only one that convinced a trout to bite. He was fishing above them from a bank. Maybe they couldn’t see him but anyhow he caught one. After that he and my son, Jesse Pete, went walking upstream to explore the creek before we headed home

 On the way back they told me up creek, from where we were, there was a string of trout looking like a group of steelhead ready to make a run upstream. They convinced me to fish the creek on Monday and get there early. Monday morning I was up early and ready to go.

 After assembling my Hardy Demon 3 weight fly rod and getting my gear together in the parking area I headed for the creek. The water was just as white tequila clear than the day before so I knew I had to try and be concealed. I found the area they informed me about. Sure enough there were plenty of trout in the stretch of a pool strung out much like a row of a bunch of people in line waiting for the doors to open at an arena event. I tried fishing for them from behind them, across from them and finally upstream from them. I sat on the stony bank like a kid pondering what to do? 

 I had boxes of offerings in my fly vest. I tried many varieties of flies from dries, wet flies and a few nymphs. Nymph fishing wasn’t feasible because of the stony, rocky bottom and slow moving current. The ones I did catch went like this;

 There were a few trout rising in different areas in the wide pool. My first catch was with a #16 elk hair caddis. I missed the first rise to it but was able to hook the second one.

He wasn’t a big trout so I didn’t take a picture. 

 My second catch was with a #18 Blue Wing Olive para-dun with a CDC post. The trout came up and slurped it in and I quickly wrist the rod for the hook set. As calm as the trout looked, just holding stationary, once hooked they took off and fought wildly in the wide pool. I got him to the net safely. The small dry was neatly hooked into the crook of his mouth. 

 I tried a couple of wet flies but couldn’t get a bite. On one occasion I knotted on a soft hackle wet fly and tossed it across creek from my sitting position. The dry fly didn’t have time to sink before a trout rose to it and grabbed it. I jerked the 3 weight up and back and the trout took off like a wild cat. It took some time, on my 6x tippet, but I was able to net him also. 

 After that they didn’t appear to want anything. By now the sun was pretty much above the far hillside. The water was as clear as a gin and tonic. The trout that I was able to see looked like they were still, relaxing under the sunshine. 

 The trout have been stocked a week or so ago here in NC. I figured, when they were hungry, they were used to the natural nymphs and hatches in the creek. They wouldn’t take any more of my caddis or small mayfly imitations. I tried wet flies and, except for the one on top, they appeared not to go for them. I was till determined to catch another. 

 A guy I have tied flies for, for steelhead, asked me to tie a glo-bug called a Dead Egg. When he showed me one it looked like a food pellet that the hatcheries feed the trout they raise. I had a couple in my steelhead fly box with sucker spawn and a variety of glo-bug patterns. I picked out one of the Dead eggs and knotted it on the 6x tippet. Standing up now I tossed the Dead egg across creek. I couldn’t see it, as the far side was shaded from the sun. It didn’t appear to drift very far when the line pulled. I just wasn’t prepared and missed the hook up. This did give me a good feeling that maybe the other trout might be interested. 

 A couple of casts later I watched as the Dead eggs drifted into a line of trout. A trout swam up and examined it like he was deciding what flavor it was. Kind of trying to pick out a jellybean, sniffing it, not knowing what it’s going to taste like. I watched as the Dead eggs was still drifting as the trout back swum deciding what or when to make a move. I saw the trout dart at the egg and when I saw the white of his mouth open, I waited a split second, and raised and rod to set the hook. I felt the rod bend and line tightened and watched the trout turn and take off down creek into deeper water. There wasn’t much space for him to go as the pool of water spilled over a narrow channel of riffling water. He tugged and pulled on the line as he circled the pool of water. I got nearer to the water and knelt down and netted the frisky rainbow.

 I played around and caught two more small rainbows before getting tired of teasing the pooled up trout and decided to head down creek. I lit a cigar and carefully crossed the tail end of the pool and walked the bank looking for trout. 

 Slowly walking the bank, trying to be inconspicuous, I spotted a few trout holding mid-creek. I was pretty sure they saw me upstream from them but I decided to try for them. I crouched down along the bank, on dry land, and made a cast up creek from them letting the Dead egg drift into their sight. A couple of trout swam up and inspected it. One must have noticed something odd and swam away. The other looked skeptical as it kept its distance as if smelling for a satisfying scent from the egg pattern. Not fully satisfied it turned a swam off. I gave a couple more drifts towards the half dozen of trout holding in the deeper water but they appeared wary of my offering. 

 I stood up briefly and noticed there were a few trout downstream on my side of the creek. I wasn’t sure they had saw me so I knelt down again. Sidearm backcasting up creek I tossed the egg down, mid-stream across creek. I watched as the egg pattern started to drift towards the trout holding in the back end of the deeper water. Suddenly a trout darted for the egg pattern and I waited till I saw the white of its mouth. He sucked in the egg without any hesitation but before he felt it was a trap it was too late. I reared back on the rod, as I stood up, and set the hook before the trout could spit it out. He took off across creek and some line slipped through my tensioning finger. As the rod arced the trout turned and swam down creek without me letting him have any more line. He tugged with head shakes and swam mid creek. In the meantime the other trout were swimming around as if clearing room for the frantic swimming hooked trout. After a short he settled some and I was able to get him nearer to me. He splashed the surface as I knelt down to net him.  

  I caught one more on the Dead egg of the few trout down creek before calling it a day. 

~doubletaper