North Carolina - A Place for Everyone

North Carolina, not a state you hear a lot about when it comes to fly fishing, or at least it’s a state that wasn’t on my “fish list” until recently. I even lived there for four years and had no idea what it had to offer. Four years ago, I went down to fish for False Albacore with my friend and guide Jeff Coen, conditions weren’t amazing, but I managed to catch two and it left me wanting more!

I have returned every fall since my first time, and I have never been disappointed. They say the coast of North Carolina is the best Albie fishing in the world, with bait of all sizes congregating up and down the coast. Bay Anchovies, Silversides, Snot Bait, and Glass minnows navigate the coast in masses and with that the Albies follow them!

Besides the Albies, if you know where to look you can get into all kinds of other game fish, two of my favorites being bull reds and amberjacks. You might have to get a little creative with the flies and the techniques in the open ocean but hooking into one of them makes it all worth it.

If you have the means, you can also head into the skinny water and look for sea trout and reds in the marshes and flats.

Spend some time down there, and it will be on your list for years to come!

Fly Lines for Smallmouth Bass

Check out this video I did with Tim Cammisa from Trout and Feather. We discuss my favorite fly lines for smallmouth and a general overview on what to take into consideration when choosing a line for smallmouth bass. I will say one thing, the SA Bass Bug does not come in a 5wt if you are going to down line a 6wt rod, however the Titan Long does come in a 5wt. It is basically the same line without the hot water coating, I have not had any issues with that line in water up to 88 degrees. Check it out and give the video a like!

The Toothache Fly Pattern

The Toothache fly is a simple nymph that I started tying last season for steelhead and it quickly become my go to patterns. It is tied on an Ahrex FW550 which does have a barb on it, typically I pinch the barb, but you can also tie it on any barbless jig hook you want. I also tie this in much smaller sizes for trout and so far, they seem to enjoy it as well. This particular one is tied in pink, but I have also tied it in Chartreuse, Blue, Orange, and Black.

Most of the time I fish this pattern under and indicator as my point fly with something a little more nature as my second fly, you can also fish this as your anchor fly on a euro set up or drop it off the back of a large dry fly for a stealthier approach.

Jake's Brood X Cicada

Jake’s Brood X Cicada:

The Brood X Cicada is a 17-year fly angler’s dream. Every 17 years these noisy protein packed meals crawl out of the ground and make a mess for the real world, but for a trout, smallmouth, or carp, it is an endless buffet. Fish all sizes lose their minds for about 2 months, eating every one that hits the water until they can’t fit any more in their bellies. I’m convinced that they have the same internal conversation humans do when we are reaching that moment of total discomfort from eating but can’t stop. “Should I eat this last bite and feel like crap for a while, or do I just stop while I’m ahead?” I don’t know about you, but I always fall for that and take the last bite. These Cicadas pop up around the country in different locations yearly, but without tracking them and doing a little traveling, they only come around locally every 17 years and this year the Cumberland Valley is in the bullseye.

When I found out it was our year, I sat down and trolled the internet looking for cool patterns to tie, even purchased a few from other tiers, but I still wanted to tie a couple of my own design. After about 6 semi decent attempts I landed on this design as my favorite and I wanted to share it with everyone. I don’t have a fancy name for it yet so we I just kept it basic and to the point.

 Enjoy the video and get tying they will be here before we know it.

Snowbirding :-)

Sometimes it’s hard for me to sit down and write, especially when the sun is out and there are snook lurking in my mind. I have been obsessed with redfish and snook for some time now. I have boxes of flies tied, hours of YouTube videos watched, books purchased and read, trips booked and canceled because of weather, and well for a while I thought I might just have an awesome supply of flies that are never going to be fished. But it did happen, many of saltwater trips have happened, tarpon, bonefish, redfish, but still until this week no snook.  

As I sit here in Florida and write you this short story, my mind is at peace (for the moment).

I have finally held my first snook, caught a redfish on a Roamer, and went tight to a couple nice trout. We came down to relax and get away from the snow, but that was far from what happened. I spent hours in the truck, hours on google earth, hours tying flies, waking up hours before sunrise, and as I write this list, I realize, ha, yup that is relaxing to me.

There were no trophies caught, but definitely some hero shots taken!

I met up with a good friend who spends his winters down here and he showed me around with a lot of success for less than ideal conditions. When the schedule allowed for it, and I couldn’t meet up with my buddy, I was in a kayak exploring new water. Hoping with each cast to have something besides an oyster shell pull back.

There is a solid possibility, after my amazing time down here, and my ever-growing urge to explore, that a couple boat companies have been emailed about getting a price quote. (Wide Eyed emoji placed here)

Is relentless fly fishing going to do some wintertime expanding to Florida? Who knows, but I’m already planning my next trip down here.

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