Delayed Harvest stocking in October

wildcat3

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
After fly fishing in May for the first time I'm planning to try again next month on some DH water, after it's stocked. Previously I fished with a guide in the Brevard area but this time will be a solo outing ( different area as well). I learned a great deal with my guide although I'm sure there is still plenty to learn. I'm not expecting anywhere near the same success I had fishing with a guide. However anything I can do to shorten the learning curve would be great. I plan to keep it pretty basic by fishing nymphs with strike indicators and or a basic dry fly. I know the basic set up as far as line, leader and tippit, knots and such. Any of the guys with more experience want to offer any advice I'd certainly be willing to listen.
 

cloningerba

Old Mossy Horns
Get some pink or brown squirmy wormys with the bead heads that sink. Ive caught a bunch on those and Im not really a fly fisherman. I like to use a dry fly as my strike indicator and drop a nymph off of it. Youll see trout hit the strike indicator from time to time so you might as well use a dry fly instead with a hook in it. Fish the same way as you would with the strike indicator.
 

Helium

Old Mossy Horns
After fly fishing in May for the first time I'm planning to try again next month on some DH water, after it's stocked. Previously I fished with a guide in the Brevard area but this time will be a solo outing ( different area as well). I learned a great deal with my guide although I'm sure there is still plenty to learn. I'm not expecting anywhere near the same success I had fishing with a guide. However anything I can do to shorten the learning curve would be great. I plan to keep it pretty basic by fishing nymphs with strike indicators and or a basic dry fly. I know the basic set up as far as line, leader and tippit, knots and such. Any of the guys with more experience want to offer any advice I'd certainly be willing to listen.
If you look up “Lick Creek” then fish it😂

In all seriousness, I’ve never fly fished but cheated on a spinning rod during DH and used San Juan worms and caught fish.
 

alt1001

Old Mossy Horns
Worms are okay, typically everybody and their brother begins throwing worms and the fish get educated pretty quick. If you can get on them early, a San Juan works great, if not, go smaller. I like to use egg patterns, especially if I am on a river that has a wild population of trout blended in with stockers. If you can find a rainy day where the water gets a little murky, a black woolly bugger with a hot head is deadly. Even if it isn't rainy, so long as you have good flow, you can throw a streamer. October tends to be our driest month here, so throwing heavy streamers into shallow low flow water can lead to spooking fish, so be prepared to go light and small. My personal fall favorite is a blood midge, but that may be too tiny for your liking.
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
1663630941694.jpeg
Hope this helps. Also I usually used a 5x tippet but if the fish seemed really spooky or the water was crystal clear I’d go with a 7x.
 
Top