After a frost overnight, I decided to try the newly stocked catch and release area of the Watauga River. The fall colors are at their peak and the river was just beautiful. The fishing was slow as the fish were hugging the bottom with not much interest in feeding. I started swinging a black wooly bugger and got a couple hits, but no hookups. I worked my way downstream with no luck. I decided to try my favorite spot further upstream, even though the fly shop said the state did not stock up there. Two quick pickups off the bottom told me that the fish were feeding down deep. There were lots of big leaves hitting the water, and this might have been the reason the fish were staying down. Whatever, it was a beautiful day on the water in NC.

Dave Beerbower