Watauga, NC

[fwhitaker]

Fished the Watauga, south of Boone today. It was cold, made your hands burn if they were in the water for more than a few seconds.
Fishing was slow....I threw everything in the box at them, wooley buggers and their likes, Y2K, and even my never fails Hurless Nymphs...NOTHING I floated on a perfect drift and nothing worked. I forgot to pack the one true never fails, my pistol (just kidding guys).
Even went to the local fly shop and picked those guys brains. I uess the temp and pressure changes with fronts moving in and out have effected them.

[chuckwagon]

Mr Whitaker

That river requires a whole new flybox to your arsenal. If you are throwing anything over a size 18 its way to big. If you were wading on low water those fish are ultra spooky. I would check in with some of the East Tennessee Boyz for mor info. Small micro-mayfly nymphs and midges trailing are the ticket for the cold weather.


Trey
CW

[merganser]

FW, try the DH up near Foscoe also. Never fished below Boone, but I bet the DH a little more hospitable.

Not any warmer, though :(

[Appanglr]

The DH section of the Watauga River is south of Boone. It runs from near Foscoe to Valle Crucis. Above Foscoe is the Wild Trout designated water and below Valle Crucis is mainly bass and sunfish water because of the rising temps in the summer. The fish in the wild section are very selective but numerous. By this time, the fish in the DH have seen it all. The river south of Boone is not very wide, and every fish in the DH has seen most flies. To be successful in the DH this time of year, you either have to match what they are eating (bwo's, midges, little stones) or you have to give them something they havent seen yet. The state usually stocks this section of river again at the first of March and April. South of Valle Crucis, the river runs west into Watauga Lake in TN. It is below the lake where the famous tailwater is, in Elizabethton, TN. The fishing there should be dynamite right now. Midges, Midges, Midges.

[oscarflytyer]

I fished the Watauga about every other week for two years, about 10-12 yrs ago. If you are looking for patterns/ideas/etc, PM/IM/email me. I still have
some local contacts there and a very good personal friend of mine guides there as well. One of the locals ties/creates patterns professionally for Umpqua.

See my other post ref the Glanrose emerger. This is a pttern I have seen save the day on the Watauga R.