 Carolina Fly Fishing Club |
Welcome to the Carolina Fly Fishing Club!
JUNE MONTHLY MEETING JUNE 14, 2023 Basspro Concord Mills Mall Concord, NC 6:30PM Speaker starts at 6:45PM Kelly McCoy THE ONE AND ONLY RIVERGIRL! Kelly filled the room in 2022 and was rated one our best presenters, even though we had no sound system, computer or video to support her! The community voted her the best fishing guide and outdoor educator in her area.
It is no wonder she filled the room and entertained the CFFC membership. The Watuaga Democrat said, "being around Kelly McCoy, the founder and owner of RiverGirl Fishing Company in Todd, NC, was like getting a vitamin b12 shot. she is full of energy the topic of conversation, but when she talks about local rivers and the life beneath the surface, you've hit a gold mine of information and energy!" WOW! Kelly is a college trained and educated fisheries biologist. She worked for the Florida fish and Wildlife Commission. Kelly is very knowledgeable about trout and smallmouth fishing in the Watuaga and Ashe County area of North Carolina. The last time she spoke to our club, she reluctantly told of a secret fly, a killer fly! Did anyone tie one? I did and it was very effective. Don't miss this meeting! Listen to her passion for the river. Kelly will speak about trout and other fishing opportunities in the Todd, NC and surrounding areas.
Don't miss this live in person meeting! Non-Member guests are encouraged to attend.
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NORTH CAROLINA ALERT Warmer temperatures, more stocking, more people fishing often yeild more sightings. RALEIGH, N.C. (March 3, 2023) – Wildlife biologists at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are asking the public, particularly anglers as opening day of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters approaches (April 1), to report any sightings of hellbenders and mudpuppies. Both types of aquatic salamanders are found in western North Carolina and listed in North Carolina as species of special concern. Commission biologists want to know more about their distribution in the state and how their populations are faring. These two giant salamanders often get confused with one another, but they have distinct differences. The largest aquatic salamander in North America and typically only found in fast moving, clean mountain streams, hellbenders can grow to 2 feet long but average 16 to 17 inches long. Hellbenders have flat, broad heads and flattened bodies, wrinkly skin on their sides and are brown – sometimes mottled with dark splotches. They are sometimes also referred to as “water dogs,” “snot otters,” or “Alleghany alligators,” and because they breathe through their skin, are considered “bio-indicators” of good water quality. Smaller than the hellbender, adult mudpuppies can grow over a foot long but average around 8 to 10 inches in length. Mudpuppies have light brown, smooth skin that is typically speckled with spots, and red external feathery gills they retain through their whole life. They primarily live in deep rivers, lakes, large ponds and reservoirs, but also thrive in unpolluted streams like the hellbender. “We know less about mudpuppies than we do about hellbenders, but we’d like to know much more about both,” said Lori Williams, a wildlife diversity biologist with the Wildlife Commission. “Challenging logistics in lake systems have made it difficult for us to conduct mudpuppy population surveys, but those habitats may be hot spots. Mudpuppies are attracted to baited hooks in lakes and deep rivers, so anglers fishing from boats may catch one. We need anyone who fishes deep river sites and impounded waters to let us know if they find one.” Hellbenders, on the other hand, have been the focus of a long-term inventory and monitoring study the agency has been conducting with partners since 2007. Their populations have decreased mainly due to declining water quality and habitat degradation, and to a lesser degree, ill treatment from anglers who mistakenly think they decrease trout populations. The latter is not true; however, both hellbenders and mudpuppies may go after fish on a line or stringer when scavenging for an easy meal. Their main source of prey is crayfish, but they will also eat minnows, snails, tadpoles, worms, discarded bait or other injured or dead animals. “While some misinformation regarding hellbenders still exists, it has been rewarding to watch more and more anglers embrace these animals and their conservation need throughout the years,” Wildlife Commission Mountain Coldwater Research Coordinator Jacob Rash. “It’s important to remember that trout and hellbenders need the same clean, cool waters, and what’s good for one is good for the other. We are very grateful for trout anglers who help spread the word, report encounters, and provide a much-needed ally for our hellbender conservation efforts in NC.” Neither the mudpuppy nor the hellbender is poisonous, venomous, toxic or harmful to humans, although they may try to bite as a defensive reaction if someone tries to pick them up. If sighted, they should be left alone and reported. Williams asks that their location be noted (physical location or GPS coordinates), a photo snapped if possible, and any other details shared with her at Lori.Williams@ncwildlife.org. People can also call the Wildlife Commission’s NC Wildlife Helpline, 866-318-2401, and provide details of the observation. It is illegal to take, possess, transport or sell mudpuppies or hellbenders, or attempt to do so. The violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which can result in a fine and up to 120 days in jail. If anglers happen to catch one on by hook and line, they should carefully remove the hook if it is safe to do so without harming the animal, or cut the line as close as possible to the hook and return the salamander back to the water. Learn more by visiting the NC Partners in Amphibians and Reptile Conservation’s mudpuppy webpage and the Wildlife Commission’s hellbender webpage.
TIPS FROM ONE OF OUR MEMBERS Tips to catch more fish this Spring By Richard Griggs Carolina Mountain Sports March, April and May are great months for trout fishing. All the designated Delayed Harvest and Hatchery Supported streams will get a bunch of “new” fish. It's a great time to be on the water, developing and honing those skills. Some of us will catch a bunch, but others....well, not so many. Here are a few tips to help you progress with your skill as an angler and terrorize some trout in the process. Most of these have been acquired over more than 20 years of running a fly shop and listening to customers brag, and complain. Learn to tie a couple of good knots well, and quick. For many, the standard Clinch Knot and Surgeons Knot work just fine. Practice before you get on the stream....and yes, most of us will benefit from wearing “readers” or some other magnifying aid. What's really embarrassing is taking 10 minutes (or more) working out tangles and re-tying knots when the fish are eating. Take a casting lesson or two from a good instructor. As one of our members was fond of saying: “there is no penalty for casting better.” That is so true. But, some will say, we don't need more than a lob cast or a roll cast (or maybe a water haul) on our trout streams. That is very true in many situations. But, the better you understand and can implement the basic principles of casting, the better is your “short game” on our trout waters....that means more fish and fewer tangles and hangups. Take a tip or two from the Euro Nymph anglers: Add a longer section of Flourocarbon tippet to your leader, just below a section of colored monofilament “sighter material” tied into your leader; don't have a bunch of line and leader lying on the water's surface...instead get use to “high sticking” or tightline fishing: ...and, OMG, maybe eliminate that big strike indicator/bobber/cork, which only indicates some strikes and scares educated fish... and get your flies on or near the bottom. Recently stocked trout certainly key in on bright colored flies like yarn egg patterns; squirmy wormies, and mop flies. Some refer to these at “junk flies” and Christmas tree “ornaments.” Keep in mind that “new” fish have not yet learned what real stream food looks like. But, even wild, born-in-the-stream fish, love to eat fish eggs; and all the thousands of aquatic worms that live in the sediment; and the crane fly and caddis fly life stage that mop flies imitate. (Ok maybe not the bright orange Cheeto version!) Tight lines! 
Looking for fishing information? Not sure exactly where to go? The Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail gives great suggestions.
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