…for the Greater Asheville Area I would like to take a moment to reiterate the importance of fighting, handling and releasing trout this time of year. Please remember to get your hooked fish to hand as quickly as possible. I prefer not to even lift the fish from the water if at all possible. Sometimes a photo or two is in order, so if you have to take a photo, keep the fish in the water until you and all the camera gear are ready. Lifting a trout by the gills is a real “NO-NO” as this not only damages the gill plate, but touching the red gill “rakers” inside is about the same as someone sticking their hands inside your lungs. Cradle the fish with both hands if possible as this eliminates a single handed “death grip.” Most importantly, get that fish back in the water as soon as possible – it’s amazing how many photos you can take in 5 seconds if you’re ready & prepared. I like to hold the tail and face the fish into the current until it’s ready to be released. Stress kills more trout than can be imagined – the fish may swim away initially, but the damage done from a hard fight, unnecessary handling & improper revival can be insurmountable. Wild Waters/Great Smoky Mountains The dog days of summer are not only nipping at our heels, but are trying to bite a huge portion of our backside as well. With incredibly hot & humid weather the past month and a half, the higher elevation streams is where you want to be. Lots of shade from the heavy forested canopy will keep the water much cooler than lower elevation streams. A stealthy approach on these smaller wild waters can result in some outstanding dry fly fishing. This time of the year, the color a fly fisherman wants to focus in on with their dry flies is yellow, yellow…and cream. Yellow Humpies, Little Yellow Stoneflies, Light Cahill’s, or maybe even something like a Yellow Adams will produce in sizes 14 & 16. Don’t forget to bring along several Ant & Beetle patterns as well – wild trout can’t refuse them. Davidson River Very low and clear summer water conditions make this river even more of a challenge than it already is. My rule of thumb on the “D” is that if you can see the fish, they sure the heck can see you. Stealth plays a huge role; so does staying out of the river if possible. Tiny midges both dry and in the nymph stage are go to flies here. Zebra Midges (both red & black), WD 40′s, Blood Midges and Brooks Sprout in sizes 22, 24, & 26 while using 6X and 7X fluorocarbon tippet are crucial to being successful. My favorite time on this river is right after an afternoon thunderstorm when the water turns murky and the fish become more active. Should this happen, tie on a subsurface streamer pattern using 3 or 4X and hang on. Cherokee: Raven Fork Trophy Water The fish here can be as picky as on the Davidson River. Long gone are the easy days of catching fish on just about every cast. Fishing the deeper water with heavy nymph patterns such as a size 8 or 10 stonefly or a tungsten bead headed caddis can be deadly. The big fish love to hold on the bottom where the current is not as strong and naturally the water is much cooler. So get it down… Eastern Tennessee: Watauga & South Holston Rivers Dry Fly action here has been spotty the last several weeks. Some evenings are phenomenal with major sulpher hatches coming off. Other times it can be extremely frustrating. Soft hackle patterns such as a Partridge and Yellow in a size 16 fished just under the surface can move some weary fish. For top water flies the typical Sulpher, PMD and Comparadun patterns in sizes 16-20 will work, and for a little variety throw in a Beetle pattern as well. As for nymph flies, it’s hard to beat the tried & true Zebra Midge in sizes 20 – 24 here. ~ Kelly J. Bandlow