Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Fishing Newsletter
Where Fly Fishing is A Professional Passion August 2009
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Dear Friends,
 
I trust  that the summer fishing season is going well for you, things still are fairly wet  in some parts of the high country.  Most high elevation trout waters and tailwaters are fishing fine but the smallmouth fishing has sketchy at best and the past week we have been on some favorite stretches in VA and they remain high and colored, though there are some clearer pockets/stretches here and there.  The most recent rain changed a lot of that though.
 
 Our Guided Trip business remains good and so does our website and online traffic.  The trips have kept Jeff busy, and also getting ready for our upcoming Western Trip (Wyoming) in August.   We are expecting some great fishing.  On this years trip it will be Mike and Steve Lalumondier, Dr. Pat Burney, Mikael Tedeborg, and Bob Manning.   Should be fantastic trip and I look forward to working with everyone and making sure they catch as many fish as possible.
 
   Our  private water trips have been stellar.  One of my regular clients, Mac Cheek and I were on the private spring creek I have access to and Mac landed around 110 fish altogether and we fished all day and saw no one!    With the wet weather the opportunity to fish private water will continue as well as the small stream fishing and tailwater fishing that is good this time of year also.   Join me fishing over lots of fish, some of them huge, and all in a situation where the whole stream is ours!
 
 
Thanks! and Good Fishing,
 
 
 
Jeff 
 
 
 
 
mac_cheek_rainbow_spring_creek 
JWFF Regular customer Mac Cheek with one of many
 rainbows on our trip on Aug 4, 2009
 
Fishing Report
Be sure and check out our website fishing report for our most recent trips.   Its been wet but we have still managed to find some good fishing.  You can check it all out  here .
 
 
What the Fishing is Like.....
 
 Wild Waters:  most of our wild waters remain in good shape because we have continued to get rain, mainly the central and northern mountains, as you get further south the dog days of summer have set in and the areas near Asheville to the far western corner of the state need rain!  Water temps will range from high 50's to high 60's, the higher up you go the time of day won't matter as much.  Lower elevations the fishing early and late will be best.  Often, the last two hours of the day will be better than the whole day.   Best flies:  Dry Attractor patterns, Sulphurs, Anything Yellow, Beetles, Ants, Inchworms, etc., but by far in just catching fish  the best rig is a Dry fly with a dropper - one of my personal favorites is a Elk Caddis, PMX, or Stimulator size 14 or 16 with a beaded copper john bead head dropper in copper or red in size 18 or 20. 
 
 VA/TN Tailwaters:  the fishing in TN has continued to be GOOD, and the TVA has generated a few days this week to get rid of the abundant runoff from SW VA and NW NC.  They should be backing off later this week making it possible to get in a full day's fishing whether wading or floating if you are willing to hop around a bit.  Sulphurs have been out still, only on the South Holston, and both low and high water, and some good dry fly fishing- - and a good many size 16s and 18's too.  Otherwise its been small Bwo's, Blackflies, midges, the usual small stuff when the sulphurs aren't coming off.   On the Watauga its business as usual, generating 1 to 6pm, recreational releases, you can get in most of the day here.  An assortment of the small stuff midges, small bwos (size 20 always seems to work here as a "I don't know what they will take but what should I use?" type of fly), and of course, terrestrials.
 
  
In VA, the Smith has been decent as well and the sulphurs are gone.  Though the 'beetle hatch' has yet to happen in earnest this season you can still fool a few of these browns on terrestrials - beetles, ants, etc.  Dry /dropper rigs work well here, like Elk Caddises and Small copper johns, Batmans, Micro mayflies, and tiny hunchbacks or quasimodos (all size 18-20), and zebra midges,  and the usual summer Pseudocloeon emergence (Tiny BWO size 24/26) has begun........ if you see 'pods' of fish delicately making pin prick type rises on the surface in slow water this is likely what those fish are eating.
 
 
 
 Release Info   South Holston    Watauga      Smith River
 
 Jackson River- - -- maybe some fishing early and late, and definitely have some terrestrials, but for the most part I'd wait til September when it cools off.  Simply put, pray for fall....
 
Smallmouth Bass: 
the fishing so far this season continues to be sketchy, and thought there might be pockets of clear water here and there it it will take some effort to find.  I was this week near the Glen Lyn area up near the VA/WV line and that was the only area that was even close to being fly fishable clear.  The front blew through on Wed and the whole area got more rain, 2-4" in places, and on Friday 8/7 the flow in Jefferson, which had been 354, shot up to 650 and was at a little over 500 at lunchtime.  In the Galax/Hillsville area, the flow went from 887 to 1024 to 2420cfs early on 8/7.  Allisonia, Radford, and Glen Lyn all also started to rise, Glen Lyn which is normally at about 2800 was over 4400.  Give it a few days and if we don't get any rain things will settle down a bit.  Hardware fishermen might still fare pretty well. 
 
   New River NC Flows
 
 
Local Bass /Panfish:  things are fair early and late, slow midday, and you should find that pattern to be true whether pond or lake fishing.  The local lakes have really begun to drop lately with the dry weather and high heat, and quickly too!  I was on Lake Brandt with my friend Rick Trautman and the lake was 2.5ft low.....we managed a few bluegill and a crappie.  You should find fishing much the same as it has been.   Right now you should continue to find some  topwater action early and late as well as a few late.  Now is popper or popper/dropper time and you can have a ball fishing surface bugs.  We had a front pass through this week and I relearned an old lesson.   For post front fishing  on warmwater fish it often helps  to slow down your presentation, downsize your offering, and fish slowly and methodically close to cover.  During and after a cold front bass tend to relate closely to cover and will often respond to a smaller fly and a more deliberate presentation and are often unwilling to "chase" or "attack" anything.  Apparently, like most fish  warmwater fish have  a swim bladder (an internal air sac that allows them to just 'hover' in the water column without moving and they don't sink) and the pressure change associated with the passage of a front makes them unstable and they slow way down. 
 
 
 
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 Dr. Pat Burney hooked up on a Soda Fork Cutthroat on
our 2008 Wyoming Trip....Jeff Wilkins photo
 
WYOMING TRIP 2009
Final preparations are being made for this year's trip and in two weeks in flyfishing paradise we'll be.  We had listed this trip as full but could sneak one more in if anyone is interested in joining us.  If you are interested please contact me via email here or by calling me at 336 338-2664.  The deadline is end of the day on Monday August 10th.   The trip dates are Aug 22, 2009 through Aug 29, 2009 (Saturday to Saturday).  Don't fret over the details - - I can help walk you through that if you are interested in joining us. 
The trip cost is $2295.00
 
2008 Wyoming Trip Photo Album  click here
 
 
 
 Private Water
 
On Tuesday of this week Mac Cheek and I fished near Glen Lyn, VA and caught around 110 fish from a private spring creek we have access to.   We caught fish on big dry flies, nymphs, streamers, you name it.    And all in total solitude and having the whole creek to ourselves.  To read it all and see some video clips from our fishing day visit our fishing reports page here .
 
Coming up in the next few weeks will be a prime time to sample some of this great water and fishing.  One of the streams I will continue to guide on will fish red hot no matter how hot and dry the weather gets.  So if you get tired of fishing low, clear water with skittish fish then join me for a day on the wonderful spring creek water.....you will be amazed how such a small stream can have numbers and sizes of fish you will catch.  To book a trip while there are still days open click here
 
Tips:  Killer Fly Combos for Summer Fishing...
 
Smallmouth - a Size 6 or 8 popper with a black rubberleg bug as a dropper ; tie a 18-20" piece of 2x or 3x for the dropper.  Another good dropper fly is a size 8 rubberleg hares ear, as well as a large prince nymph w/long rubberlegs.  This is a good rig for using some of those big Montana/Western stonefly patterns that maybe you bought way back when and have never used.
 
VA Tailwaters -  Elk Wing Caddis size 18 and a #20 Red or Green Copper John dropper tied 18-20" off the hook bend.  CDC Sulphur size 18 with a size 20 brassie or red wire brassie or zebra midge as the dropper.
 
TN Tailwaters - size 16 or 18 CDC Sulphur Dun or emerger with a PMD Split case size 18 tied 18-20" off the bend of the hook.  Also, the same sulphur on top but with size 20 Baetis nymph as a dropper.
 
Small Streams - Elk Wing Caddis size 14 or 16 with a #18-20 Red or Copper Copper John as a dropper.  Black Gnat Parachute size 14 with a wet Black ant dropper size 16 or 18.
 
Pond Fishing - for bream try a popper with a size 12 or 14 fur or epoxy ant dropper 18" off the bend of the popper.  For bass just use a larger popper and either a black ant (yes, trophy and even 10lb bass will eat an ant....who knows why but go figure) or a rubberlegs bug or something with rubberlegs on it.
 
Any Water:  Tie a large nymph or small streamer then another streamer about a foot to 15 inches behind it.  The larger end fly appears to be chasing the lead fly and often a large fish isn't going to stand for a little fish getting a meal before him....try it it works..
  
Great Tips on Fishing droppers  click here . 
 
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 New on our Website:
 
Current Fishing Report Information  
 
New Summer Fly Patterns & Recipes
 
Fly Fishing U  Some great fly fishing tips
 
Fly Fishing Blog
 
 
FALL ESCATAWBA FARMS TRIP
 October 21, 2009
 
Escatawba Farms has become a premium destination for us, and for good reason.  The Farm is an equisitely manicured, well-maintained fly fishing haven with an abundance of heavy rainbow, brook, and brown trout.  Located in Alleghany County, Virginia, Escatawba is situated on Dunlap Creek, a spring-fed stream that runs between wooded mountainsides and fenced pastures.  Its the perfect balance of superb angling and picturesque scenery that keeps calling you back, time after time.
For novice anglers and seasoned experts alike, Escatawba boasts a beautiful one and a half acre spring fed lake;  in addition to the nearly two and a half mile stretch of water you'd swear was Montana.  And, with three ponds teeming with huge trout where you can try out your technique or watch them laugh at you from the comforts of the underbrush, there's something for everyone, at every skill level.  With only 8 rods permitted on the property per day, you'll have no trouble spending a little extra time matching that perfect fly.  Most outings are spent catching fish and seeing no one.  We will take up to 4 anglers on this trip.  While on each trip we will usually "highlight" a particular method or technique,  it could be said we'll use many methods during the day to catch fish.   The point is to catch fish but also to give our guests something to learn that they can take back to their home waters and catch fish.  Trip Rate is $250.00 per angler and includes guided fishing, flies, lunch.  Transportation, Lodging, license, and gratuity not included.   Photo Gallery from past trips click here.

 
 
                               
 
    Our summer has continued to be busy and I have
 been working to keep a regular fishing report and e-news coming out.    Check out our Fishing Reports web page here to see what type of fishing we have been doing.  Also, we regularly update our available Guide Trip calendar on our Guide Service page here .  Our Fall bookings are already pretty good and the best times are filling already.
 
    We have had a good summer even despite the economy and we realize that without you this business couldn't and wouldn't exist.  I thank each and every one of you for supporting us.  I think to think of myself as not a fly fishing guide per se, but a counselor, therapist, GMHP (general mental health professional) promoting the health and sanity to all who can manage to escape the confines of the office........in any case and capacity thank you for your continued support. 
 
   Until next time, I hope you have some great fishing and catch some nice fish.  And by all means, if you catch one worth bragging about, don't keep it to yourself, let me know!  Best of fishing to you in the coming months and see you on the river.....   I wish you and your family a blessed summer fishing season. 
 
May your casting loops be tight and all your hatches match...
 
Tight Lines & Threads......
 

jeffsig

Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Fishing
3703 Windspray Court
Summerfield NC 27358
:: 336-644-7775
 
 
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 soda_fork
There's nothing like fishing where you count on two hands how
many fish here in a year ...Our Wyoming Backcountry
Trip takes you there..... Jeff Wilkins photo Aug 2008