Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Fishing Newsletter

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Be sure to join us online for lots of great fly fishing information.  On our site you'll find information on Fly Fishing Schools, Casting Instruction, Fly Tying Classes, Private Fly Tying Instruction, Guided Fly Fishing Trips, Current News, Hatch Charts, a list of This Month's Effective Flies, lodging information, Leader recipes, Fly Tying Recipes, Fishing reports, current fishing conditions, water release schedules,  and more.  Simply put, its a great place to find the fly fishing information you need.  We have also added a fly fishing blog site, a fly tying site, and more.   Our site is updated daily with new information.
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25" NC Rainbow.... 

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Catching a Fish You can Hug
 
 
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Ron and Shap Davis w/Double

 

Brad Ball w/a Beast....
 
Dr. Todd Gerkin w/a rainbow

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Our Favorite Fly
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Dr. Keith Clance w/rainbow
Tennessee Sunset...
Mighty nice

October 2011
 

 

TN Tailwaters at dusk...
 
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 Beginning Fly
Fishing Classes
 Spring 2012
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Our Next Flyfishing Beginner/101 class is scheduled to begin on April 11,2012.  It runs for 4 sessions and concludes with a half day field trip. We will cover basic casting skills, reading water, entomology, fly selection, gear and equipment, knot tying and rigging, and more.
Don't want to wait?....We also offer private one on one instruction by appointment and do it as a Beginning Fly Fishing On the Water Lesson or School
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#20-22 Blue Winged Olive
 
Bob Stanford w/SoHo Brown

Alex Bruni w/SoHo Brown
 


 




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Bob Manning w/SoHo Brown

 

Mac Cheek w/SoHo Rainbow

 

Christmas is Almost Here...!

 

Jeff Wilkins Fly Fishing

3703 Windspray Court

Summerfield, NC 27358

[email protected]

 

:: 336-644-7775

Where Fly Fishing is a Professional Passion

 

                                                             Fall/Winter 2011

 

 

Dear Friends,  


 
Hello, hope you are having a great Fall so far.  Things have been very busy here with guiding trips, we've had some really good fishing too.  We are also preparing for the upcoming Christmas season....is it that time already?....     
 
 We have already fished in snow 3 times.....that's much like last year.  For those of you who know me or have fished with me.....I not only don't mind fishing in snow, but I love snow, and love fishing in it.  And its big fish time too.  So let's go fishing!  If Fall is any indication of how Winter will be, its going to be a good one.
There are actually a good many options for winter fishing, and that the fishing can good in a lot of places may surprise you.....the only problem is deciding where to go!  You can enjoy the experience of standing in clear mountain water amidst some snowy scenery and catching fish while your buddies are enjoying time in the office.......come spend a day with me in my office!

 

As I sometimes joke about, get some good gear and mock the weatherman...!

 

 Thanks as always and Good Fishing, and Happy Thanksgiving....

Tight Lines....

Jeff 

  

 

Christmas Gift Certificates

 


  November 2011 has been a great fishing month so far...we're on track to surpass last season's number of citation fish by a long shot....Jeff Wilkins photo November 2011 

 
   

Late Fall/Early Winter Feature Articles


  Presentation is Everything.....
Much of what I do and teach others to do is to think through problems on the water and find solutions.  When I got into guiding years ago it didn't take me long to figure out that perfect days were few and far between...and for me to be consistently successfully in putting clients and fish and putting landed fish in the net I was going to have to learn to adapt.  To think, to think ahead, and to learn the finer points of presentation.....which by the way, is like learning the Art of seduction.....Learn More

  

 
You can sometimes catch brookies and rainbows while making presentation errors......but if its wild brown trout you are after, better bring your 'A' Game......Jeff Wilkins Photo , South Holston River, Oct. 2011

Riseforms
...........The tell tale ring of a feeding trout on the water's surface. For many anglers its what fly fishing is all about.....casting to a rising fish. But rising fish, though feeding and an easy visible target, can be difficult to  ....Learn More

 

 

Take Me to Your Leader.... The business end of a line is very important, and deserving of more time and scrutiny than we often give it.  Some things that are great to know are .....Learn more

 
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Citation Catches
 
Anglers who catch trophy-sized fish that do not quality for a state record can have their fishing feats officially recognized by the Commission through the N.C. Angler Recognition Program (NCARP).

Anglers who catch a fish that meets or exceeds either weight or length requirements can submit their catch information to the Commission's Division of Inland Fisheries in exchange for a certificate of recognition featuring a color reproduction of the fish species by renowned wildlife artist Duane Raver.

These catches by customers on our recent guided trips over the past several weeks qualify for a NCARP Citation:

jessie
      Jesse Wormington.......Citation Rainbow 12/2010 Trip
bob
    Bob Stanford with one of 2 citation rainbows...Dec 2010 Trip

.csurles
       Dr. Charles Surles with a nice citation rainbow....Nov 2010 Trip
                                   

So Far this season we have registered about 8 citations....2 for Sam Clay, 2 for Gordon Saunders, one for Joe Goldston, one for Mike Riley, one for Brad Ball, one for JWFF......  Its going to be a great winter fishing season.....let's go fly fishing...!


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The Fishing Report
Be sure and check out our website fishing report for our most
recent trips.   Its been cold and snowy but we have still managed to find some good fishing.  You can check it all out  here .
 
 
New!!!  Real Time Fishing Reports
    We recently began a new service call Real Time Fly Fishing Reports.  These come straight from the field wherever I/we are
on that particular day be it a trip, destination trip, class, school,
etc.  To receive them to your Inbox via email, visit our main page here and enter your email address in the Email Subscription Box
in the upper part of the right margin or sidebar.  That's all there is
to it.  You'll then receive our daily and sometimes multi daily
reports on fishing, conditions, news, weather, etc., from the field. 
We can also send this report as a text message to your phone as well.  If you'd like to receive this report via a TXT message, email
us  with your name, cell #, and carrier or service provider and 
we can take care of the rest.  Messaging charges might apply with text messages depending upon your carrier /provider, so be sure
to check that out.  All Verizon subscriptions are free.  You can
also receive our Real Time reports as an RSS feed.  For this
service, click the link below:

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               Real Time Reports RSS Feed  Click Here



What the Fishing is Like Right NOW.....
 
 Wild Waters/DH Waters: 
Like the past month, DH waters have been fishing great while wild waters have been fishing pretty slow, if at all, the cold temps will reduce viable fishing opportunities on wild waters to midday and early afternoon when the water temps rise a little.   No need to get out early, sleep in and start fishing at 11:00am and beyond if you are fishing a wild stream at higher elevations.  DH waters, on the other hand, have fished well all day long.  When cold sets in for good we will find fishing from 10/11am on to be the best time on DH waters too.   Try the usual suspects, small bead heads (copper johns, pheasant tail bead heads, hares ears, old standbys), stonefly nymphs, small wooly buggers (dead drifted), small egg patterns, and two fly rigs with a midge dropper.  Fish slow, concentrate on the deep holes, forget the riffles.  As cold as its been your fishing is to be found where its deep and slow.  Also a good time to drift Y2K's, nuclear eggs, Mc Eggs and standard egg patterns.

    
wild bow

           Winter rainbows on the fly.....pretty awesome !
                       
.....Jeff Wilkins photo 2011     

 

VA/TN Tailwaters: 

In VA, the Smith River has been fishing fair and very
few other anglers, and there's some fishing to be had before generation during this week, both Thursday 11/24 and Friday 11/25,
both days releases will be 5pm to 7pm.  No generation planned for Sat and Sunday.
 
In town in the stocked water Egg patterns, bead heads, Y2K's in pink and orange shades, and Elk Wing Caddis #18 on top with a small bead head dropper (small copper john in red or chartreuse or black, or #20 Zebra Midge) should work well on the stocker rainbows and browns.  In the special regs area, try small bead heads w/a small dropper of some sort, early on,  Quasimodo PT's size 18,20, Micro Mayfly Olive 18/20/22.  You will see smaller BWOs' in size 24/26 (Pseudocloeon), midges, and maybe a few #18 winter black stoneflies, and if you encounter rising fish its quite likely
that is what they are eating.  Its a good week to fish the
Smith coming up........ Remember always double check as the schedule can change at any time and the Corps of Engineers, assumes no responsibility......276-629-2432
.
                             
Yours Truly w/a SoHo 20" plus brown that sipped one of my CDC emergers.... Jeff Wilkins Photo July 2010.

On the South Holston, the TVA has been doing a constantly changing schedule, and it has affected the fishing a whole lot,
The fishing had been fabulous.  Sulphurs were still going pretty
strong post midday pulse in the afternoon.  In addition to the sulphurs, blackflies, midges, and Baetis (blue wings)20 and 24 also, that is a #20,24 Baetis (tan/olive body and dun wing).  Small nymphs and assorted midge pupa patterns are working well either fished like a nymph or dropped off a dry fly.  The current generating schedule is changing daily, and the past few days its been an all day release...and only boat fishing possible.  Before heading over be wise and be sure and check the schedule before driving over.    The voluminous rains of late and resulting runoff could change things here a bit.   SoHo release schedule can be found on the TVA site here .  The browns have pretty much finished their spawn.  Don't forget the closed areas on the river and make sure you are fishing in open areas only.  We have had several great trips this fall already, most trips have been dry fly fishing exclusively (where else can you do that in winter?) and looks like the upcoming months will offer much of the same.  I know these fish, these hatches, and the fishery well....let me show you some dry fly action you wouldn't believe existed this time of the year.......Book a date

 
 On the Watauga the has been off from 1pm to 6pm and on again from 6pm to 10pm....in other words you can almost get in a full day here, as they are only releasing enough water to keep ample flow in the
river...but there have been times when the Doe has been swollen and off color and coloring the river below Elizabethton.    Afternoon BWOs have been pretty reliable on the Wag' and there have been times that this fishing on top has been excellent, as good as anywhere even with no bugs coming off.  There are a few black caddis, a few blackflies, and sometimes I find midday to early pm risers on the upper Wag and no one fishing them.  Also, look for rising fish on some calm days all the way until dusk.  Good opportunities with nymphing here as well.  In fact, that's the best way to fish the Wag right now and for most of the day, a good assortment of Princes, Rainbow Warriors, small CJ's and Zebras will serve you well. You can get Watauga Release info below .
            

 Release Info  South Holston    Watauga      Smith River

 Jackson River- - -- releasing 155 cfs and water temperature
around 53F, which is a few degrees better than it could be ---- and the level is a great one  to wade and on the Jax you can wade almost everywhere.  November and December, like everywhere on tailwaters,  is best fished on the upper part, this month on the Jackson, look for small Black Caddis #20, small BWO's #20 and #24, Blackflies #24, plus some midges round out what's on top.   Also, a box of small bead heads will serve you well, and  I'd have a #18 or #20 bead head Quasimodo in the box as well as some small copper Johns, and some Black Conehead Wooly Buggers.   The river can offer good streamer fishing, at times, particularly for browns.....post snow thaws with murky runoff/water conditions are ideal for this.
 

Smallmouth Bass:

  Stick a fork in it......its 'done' so to speak until late spring.


 

 

Bass & Panfish

 

  Sam Clay with a nice Surry County Largemouth Bass...Jeff Wilkins photo 2011

Local Bass /Panfish:  local Bass and panfish  are pretty slow
right now, up and down weather is definitely turning them off.   Many local waters have remained murky to muddy.  As of 11-23-2011 the water is beginning to clear on Lake Higgins, Brandt, and Jeanette...but many local ponds remain quite stirred up.  Fish deep and slow.   Lightly weighted buggers that slow fall/sink work really well and keep you off the gooey bottom.   Look for the first week of consistent or stable weather to get some fish moving again.  Water temps around here are in the low to mid 40s to low 50s.

 
 Private Water
  
We have had some great fishing on this water this year, some of it unbelievably good.  We will continue to have this opportunity available all winter long, and we'll have some fishing available
even in the snow and ice, so don't put away the gear - - - and
there will be some opportunities to catch fish that exceed 10lbs. 
One of our private waters has produced some fish in excess of
15lbs.....Let's Go Fishing!

 We have uploaded several new video clips to our YouTube channel, you can view them here  .  We have more trips here in the coming days and weeks and will have tons of great reports and photos to pass along to you. 
 
  
  
  Brad Ball of Greensboro, NC with huge rainbow
  
                    ....Jeff Wilkins photo Nov 2011

Coming up all winter long will be a great time to sample
some of this great water and fishing. 
Some of these waters offer great fishing all winter long and we are coming into
the peak of the winter season when lots of large fish are caught.  Great sight fishing possibilities, and if you have never watched and shaked as a 10lb trout pursues your fly then you are in for a treat.  Lets go fishing!   So far  bookings are up over last year and have been pretty good - --  would love to get you a great day on one of the several private waters we have available.  To book a trip  click here. We can put you on some water where we'll catch fish even if its really cold....as some of the water almost always presents some good winter fishing opportunities...  Want to catch a fish you can hug?... then Let's Go Fishing...!

 

 

                           
    



Winter Fly Assortments....
 
 
 
Micropattern Assortment
A collection of 10 patterns, 2 of each fly pattern.....these are my go to or bread and butter small flies when the fishing gets tough and you can't get the fish to eat. Those are the instances where it pays to have a selection of small flies. Skunk repellent you could call them......You will get 2 each of Black Midge Pupa, Olive Midge Pupa, Black Reed Smut (English blackfly larva), Microcaddis , Clear Head, Red Brassie, Copper Brassie, Cotton n Copper, Zebra Midge, Glass Bead CDC Zebra Midge. These are truly great flies....and purchased anywhere else you'd pay $20 more.......20 bugs for $19.95 plus tax and FREE shipping/postage....Truly an unbeatable deal.
 


  Click Here to Purchase


Most Eggcellent Winter Big Fish Assortment
When it comes to an assortment that can tempt large fish I am not sure that you could find a better set of flies for day in and day out cool weather fishing. This assortment includes 2 each of 6 colors of the incredibly deadly Y2K (stands for Yarn, Two Knots) fly.....I have been guiding fly anglers for almost 25 years and I have never fished a more deadly cold weather fly. When the water temps get cold, large fish look for more bang for the buck....and they won't move vertically to eat a fly. This fly gets down to them, and is large enough that any large fish would be a fool to pass it up. The last two seasons alone my clients have caught/registered over 100 citation sized fish (NC fish 18-20" or larger) on guided trips taken with me, and I would say that at least 80% of them ate one of these flies. Also included are a small assortment of mini eggs, a staple also when water temps dip below 50F. These are just plain deadly. You get 2 each of three different colors...each color a great color over a wide range of conditions. If you fish NC Delayed Harvest waters like Stone Mtn's East Prong Roaring River, the Mitchell River, Helton Creek, Reddies River, Ararat River, Wilson Creek, Curtis Creek, the Mountain Heritage Water on the North Toe, the Watauga River, The Tuckasegee, the Mills......you can't afford to not have an assortment of these in your arsenal. Ask any one who has fished with me and used this fly....I will let them speak for how effective these flies are. About 80% of the fish over 20inches we catch are on these flies.....Total Assortment is 18 flies....12 Y2Ks, 6 mini eggs....all for an unbeatable price. You'd pay ten dollars more for these anywhere else...

 


    Click Here  to Purchase



Until next time.......
 
  Thanks so much for your continued support and business.  We will be sending out Christmas emails very soon and we look forward to serving what ever Christmas gift needs you might have.  I will go beyond the call in making that fishing gift extra special and unforgettable...especially if its a guided trip gift certificate.  Its a gift that will be remembered for many years to come.

 

   Have a Happy Thanksgiving..!

 

 

   Jeff

 

 

 Its not often you get a double double....Chris Ramseur and Rob Fountain did just that........ Jeff Wilkins Photo October 2011

Jeff Wilkins Fly Fishing
3703 Windspray Court
Summerfield, NC 27358
336,944.3628