Davidson River · fly box
The most accessible trout water in the southern Appalachians, and surprisingly technical.
| Pattern | Imitates | Size | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pheasant Tail Nymph | Mayfly nymph | #16-18 | Fish it in the film on a short line and watch for a white flash rather than a rise. |
| Yellow Sally Dry | Isoperla adult | #14 | Skitter it across the fast pocket water in July; the takes are splashy and fast. |
| Green Weenie | Terrestrial caterpillar | #12 | A regional favourite in high summer; fish it under the rhododendron overhang. |
| Tan Elk Hair Caddis | Caddis adult | #14-16 | Evening drift on the riffle above the hatchery bridge. |
| Midge Zebra, black | Chironomid | #20-22 | Winter fly; fish it 50 cm under a small indicator in the slower pools. |
The dressing plate
On this river
Fishing educated hatchery fish
Fish in the Davidson's C&R reach see hundreds of flies a week and they react to the line, not the pattern. Use 6X or 7X, a fly two sizes smaller than you would choose at home, and put your first cast where you think the fish cannot be, then work toward it. Casting to the obvious spot first is a wasted day.
Pocket water upstream
Above the falls the gradient steepens and the river becomes a staircase of small pockets behind boulders. Fish them with a short line and a single nymph, no indicator, and move 10 cm per step. This water holds the wildest fish on the river because it is hardest to reach.
Summer terrestrials under the canopy
In July and August the canopy closes and almost nothing hatches, so fish a foam ant or a Green Weenie tight against the rhododendron branches. The drift is only two metres long before the fly is in the shade line, so the take has to happen immediately — plan for one good cast, not a long drift.