The colder days are more challenging than the warmer ones but downsizing your flies on the colder days have been vital to our success. As long as the French Broad stays clear we will be on it. Weve got a few more smallmouth trips on the books this year which we are excited to finish the year out strong. October is when the big ones come out to play. When I started my business in 2017 I wanted to make guided fishing trips in western North Carolina available to everyone no matter their income. Tiger trout rarely exceed 8 inches, but what they look in size they make up for with their beauty. The Catawba Angler offers half day and full day bass charters on the lakes and rivers of western North Carolina. Need more information? Fall time anywhere from the second week of September to the end of October is when you can plan on catching your trophy smallmouth out of the river. Our smallmouth season starts in March and ends in November. $5.00 from each entry will be withheld for the championship (Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022) and an additional $5.00 from each entry will be withheld to pay the Top 10 in total points at seasons end. The are healthy, hard fighting fish which makes for a great day! Super Tournament Season About to Get Underway; MLF Marshals Rave About Their Time With the Pros on Lake Murray; Mundy Crushes 40-10 on Sam Rayburn; 2021 BFL Schedule; Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only, and are not intended to be an endorsement. There is always something to fish for when visiting the NC mountains. You are late at 10:01 pm and if you bring any fish to the scales you will be disqualified from the evening's tournament and receive 0 points. One of the best holes on the creek is going to be the handicap holes right off the main road. Remember the water temps are hottest in the evening because the water has warmed up all day. Below are two big fish we caught last year in early Spring. She is currently competing for Angler of the Year for IWFA so it was good to help her knock off a couples of species that can only be caught in western NC. Lisa and I chased red breasted sunfish, trout, and smallmouth on a local fishery and we managed to catch close to 20 fish on the fly rod. Normally Ill run lighter tippet because the water is usually very clear this time of year. There are no upcoming tournaments for this Series. I believe its one of the most fun trips we offer. We will go into more details about that when the time is right. Spring trout fishing means higher water flows which can offer some excellent streamer fishing opportunities on the bigger tailwaters in North Carolina. North Carolina stocks some very large rainbow trout. The Catawba Angler was voted the best fly fishing guide service in McDowell County in 2019 and 2020. Try this method the next time your own the water and see if it doesnt help put more fish in the net. The "conventional" bass tournaments, where anglers blast around in boats that can cost upwards of $85,000, can be hyper-competitive, with anglers rarely sharing information about hot areas or productive lures. The Titans, along with their adult boat captains, pose for a team shot after the tournament. There are more wild rainbow trout in the wild trout streams than any other species. Bassmaster. Teams holding the top 35 points positions will qualify to fish the 2022 Points Championship. The bigger rivers that meander through the NC mountains provide good fly fishing for river smallmouth as well. Brayden Padgett, left, and Ty Allison hold up their limit of smallmouth from Saturday's BASS Western NC High School and Junior Series tournament on Lake James. If youve been wanting to book a guided trip, but have been on the edge of deciding I would like to encourage you to book. (West to East) All three regions boasts some excellent bass fishing in the lakes and rivers. Crappie are a close second for fish fry enthusiasts. The river is not suitable to wade so its important to hire a guide to float you down the river to the best fishing spots. Successful anglers recognize how fish behavior changes during different weather conditions and adapt their fly selection and presentation. Ramsey Creek Park is a 46-acre waterfront park with 4 boat launching ramps and lights for 24-hour access. Below is a fish we caught dead drifting a popper right off the bank by a fallen down tree. The 10th place finisher each week, will win a paid entry fee for the next Tuesday tournament. We spent the day together on a local smallmouth river and had a blast catching the fish on a variety of methods. Pop Em: Normally the best time to pop poppers is early morning and late evening when the sun is low. Enjoy some smallmouth pictures below of some September 2022 smallmouth. We havent had consistent weather since early June so weve had to keep a constant eye on the weather. Fall fishing is special because you are likely to experience some excellent dry fly fishing, nymphing, and streamer fishing all in the same day. There is no membership fee for this trail. . The Southern Appalachian Brook Trout is our native fish here in North Carolina. The Linville Gorge holds some very large brown trout and is slowly becoming more of a smallmouth fishery. All Foothills Marine purchased boats qualify, regardless of make, model, or year. The five main insects in NC is stoneflies, caddis, midges, blue wing olives, and terrestrials. The Catawba River is loaded with hungry rainbows. We prefer to fish this river in the winter because its less crowded then and its a great time to rip big streamers for big fish. These warmer trends have provided excellent fishing on the Catawba, Davidson, Tuckaseegee, and Toe Rivers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. The clock is set back one hour at 2:00 AM (First Sunday in November). The delayed harvest waters will be excellent till the end of May. (opens in new window), Tuesday, September 13th: 6:00PM - 10:00PM, Tuesday, September 20th: 6:00PM - 10:00PM, Tuesday, September 27th: 6:00PM - 10:00PM, https://www.skeeterboats.com/About-Skeeter.php?content=sales_event, 2021Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2020 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2019 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2018 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2017 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2016 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2015 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2014 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2013 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results, 2012 Lake James Tuesday Night Trail Results. Numbers of fish can be high and there are opportunities at some very large holdover brown trout. If youre looking for a partner, we do have a Find A Partner page with a list of people lookin for partners. All tournaments are held on Lake James and launch & weigh-in at Blackbear Access. Same Top Gun registration methods as last year. The caddis and march browns were coming off the Tuckaseegee River this past weekend. They stock some big brown, brook, and rainbow trout in Curtis so a lot of clients that we take fishing normally catch their personal best here. We are throwing a variety of baits and flies for prespawn smallmouth. We threw a lot of smaller black streamers to mimic the stoneflies and hellgramites in the river so Lisa did a good job of slowly fishing the streamers. See your local Skeeter dealer for complete details. Contestants must be off plane, idling in, within a reasonable distance from the no-wake buoy by 10:00 pm. (903) 984-0541. I appreciate the hard work they put in on the guided trips weve been on over the last couple of years. All Tuesday night tournaments in the series are 100% payback tournaments. All big fish must be alive throughout the weigh-in to be eligible for the big fish award. In the event of a tie for total weight, the team with the heaviest single fish will be awarded the position. Shearon Harris Lake is considered North Carolinas best lake to catch trophy bass. If you cant catch them on the pats or the egg then most likely the fish want something a lot smaller so thats when you try your midges, pheasant tails, or flashy bead head nymph patterns. Topwater will continue to be good the rest of the summer. All totaled, the Foothills Marine Center Tuesday Night Trail & Championship are 100% payback. This will test an anglers/guide patience but its vital to ones success. Fishing the gorge isnt for the faint of heart because it will test you physically and mentally, but the rewards can be worth it. April has been nothing less than spectacular! All fish must me caught on a rod & reel using only artificial lures. The key to catching fish in the Spring is slowing down your presentation. There are some excellent wild brown trout fisheries in North Carolina, but much like the native brook trout streams getting someone to tell you where they are will be hard to accomplish. The best fishing will continue to be early morning to midday. Another notable bass fishing lake in the coastal plain region is Lake Waccamaw. The Prachyls wanted to fish a smaller smallmouth river so we did just that and had a great day targeting smallmouth using spinning tackle. The tippet ring can freely move around the loop knot while fishing and it creates a 90 degree angle from the butt section of the leader to your fly. We offer half day trips for $300 for two anglers and full day trips for $400 for two anglers. Fish tournaments to win single event awards and earn points to qualify for the National Championship (High School). Bass Tournaments, Championships, Tournaments Phantom Outdoors Classic $ 225.00 Add to cart FIND MORE TOURNAMENTS CATT INCENTIVES The Carolina Anglers Team Trail is widely known for having some of the best cash paybacks available. Please note: it is the responsibility of the team members to ask that their largest fish be weighed and to pick the particular fish. Thats exactly what happened Saturday when the McDowell Titans thoroughly dominated the BASS Western NC High School and Junior Series at their home lake in the regular-season finale. They are proud of their team and represent our sponsors to the fullest. Yes. Thats fishing though! Read our pre-tournament notes now and get all the information you need for our next tournament. Youve got to realize that everything in the river is moving slow. The best fishing on the wild trout streams is March through December. The 2023 season will feature over $2,200,000 in guaranteed prizes and payouts with events in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New York, North . Price does not include freight, dealer prep, tax, title, and license. Once the smallmouth are solely focused on spawning they arent actively eating. The sun directly over the water makes it tough to sneak up on fish. The state record rainbow trout in North Carolina weighed over 20 pounds and was caught out of a stream 60 miles from Asheville. Lake James is a 6,800-acre reservoir with depths up to 120 feet, located in the north-central part of the state. 164 talking about this. Send us an email or drop us a line. 5th In the James River Points $100. Start early and end early. Bigger isnt always better. The smallmouth bite will begin in March for the spinning angler that wants to get in on the prespawn bite. Lake Rhodhiss Events 21 miles Wildcat Lake Events 27 miles Lake Lure Events 28 miles Lake Hickory Events 35 miles W. Kerr Scott Reservoir Events 43 miles Bass Lake Events 52 miles Lake Norman Events 57 miles Lake Wylie Events 66 miles JULY 2023 July 4, 2023 Independence Day (U.S.) July 16 - 22, 2023 (10:00 AM) Tennessee River 600 Fish are beginning to favor the faster moving water when the water temps are getting up past 75 degrees so thats where our focus has been with the soft plastics. March 11, 2023. 4th through 6th place will be two (2) point increments with 4th receiving 92 points and 6th receiving 88 points. As a company we have decided not to raise prices this year for our half day and full day floats. Any Team that participates in ALL of the Tuesday Night Tournaments will receive an automatic bid to fish the Championship. East; Lake Gaston; Lake Norman; Lake Norman Opens; Neuse River; Old North; Roanoke Rapids Lake; SENC; . The Catawba Tailrace is slowly starting to fish better and better. We are thirty days away from the end of summer (September 22). This team is truly a pleasure to work with and I am honored to be a small part of it.. Enjoy the photos. There are a lot of June bugs out so weve been having some good luck using smaller bugs on the Toe River. We are getting a lot of repeat clients in the fall that want to chase those big smallmouth on fly or spinning tackle. Bennett Jordan and his dad make their annual outing to the mountains every year and Im fortunate enough to take them fishing each year. The river has the quantity and the quality every bass fisherman is looking for. There is a healthy population of wild brown trout in the Davidson River so that is a good start for most anglers looking to catch one. Its versatile. $10,000 1st Place with a minimum of 100 Teams entered! Jeffrey is well known for his passion, dedication and love for the sport of competitive bass fishing. Chartreuse on the sunny days and black on the overcast days. Below are some of the biggest fish weve caught out of the Tailrace. 2023 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Possum Kingdom Lake powered by TourneyX June 3 - 4, 2023 View . James River Membership - $35 Per Person. We were fortunate to run a few trout fishing trips after rainstorms because the water temperatures were in a suitable range for the fish. I cannot begin to describe how proud I am of this team, said Coach Allison. We grew up two miles from this creek so this is our home water. In order to fish the bottom of the river well you got to be willing to fish slowly. I want to highlight some of our best catches from spring time below. Lift the rod tip up or wiggle it. Below are some other pictures from our guided trips this winter. It is named fortobacco tycoon and benefactor of Duke University, James Buchanan Duke. Optional Sidepot - $50. On the warmer days we have been taking advantage of wading the river with clients. In February of 2020, a 7 pound, 3 ounce smallmouth was caught by Ken Whitesides. Phantom Outdoors Opens TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Brett Collins PHONE: 803.413.7521 EMAIL: catttrail1@gmail.com TOURNAMENT NEWS & UPDATES Use PHANTOMCATT15 at check out and earn 15% off your order! 97 teams competing this past Sunday on Kerr Lake but Daniel Boseman and Jordan Hughes brought 16.75 pounds to the Bass Challenge scales and took 1st place honors. Overall I think this July has been more productive than Ive seen in years past. Dead Drift Em: This method is very similar to drifting dry flies to trout. The biggest smallmouth weve ever guided a client into has come from the Nolichucky. If you are a bass fishing Angler then the Nolichucky should be on your bucket list. 899 Wildlife Recreation Area Access Road,Lexington, NC, 175 Wildlife Access Road, Hickory, NC 28601, 899 Wildlife Recreation Area Access Road, Lexington, NC, State Championships Lake Norman May 21-22, 2022. 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