Summer 2024

Summer of 2024 has been a very productive season of both guiding and fishing. With guiding taking up fewer days than I had hoped for, I have been able to get out and fish for browns and muskies on my own and with friends a good amount.

On the trout front, a lot of afternoons and evenings saw great hatch activity, and I have to say, I had them dialed in - timing and location along with patterns that had ‘em eating when they should be eating. We lost a few fish that would have gone north of 20 inches, and a couple that may have eclipsed that special 2 foot category…on size 18 and 20 dry flies!

Streamer fishing has been, as it always is, feast or famine. The tough days can get tougher, since we don’t get the feedback that allows us to tweak what we’re doing, and if the angler isn’t experienced, the only confidence bestowed is by me and my voice - much less effective than a brown trout.

That said, more of our time spent streamer fishing would fall under the ‘good, bordering on great’, as consistent big water on the watuaga along with my own continued, incessant fishing, has provided an understanding of both how to make a tough day good, and how to make a good day one for the record books. There is an immense amount of time that goes into my understanding of these rivers, and how our day - the flows, release schedule, conditions, mood of the trout, cloud cover, atmospheric variances - overlaps with different strategies, flies, and retrieves. I have seen more fish over 2 feet this summer than in any year past, and they have come in all sets of conditions. I’ve also seen more fish blow a streamer through the surface while eating it than I have in any other season of fishing or guiding, which remains one of the coolest ways to fish for and to catch a big brown. We managed a nice striper a few weeks back, when a regular client and excellent angler/streamer fisher fed one a big drunk and disorderly hours after we saw any other fish. It was a pretty muddy day, and felt somewhat unfishy, so we knew were swinging for home runs and might not make contact. Even with that perspective, it’s challenging to stay on your game, and continue fishing harder as the light drops and our best chances are still in front of us - so thank you to Hunter for sticking it out and boating the first river stripe of the season, on fly!

Musky fishing has been productive, with a number of follows and eats from fish in new sections of river, and a number of ‘new’ fish and zones better understood and bookmarked for fall floats with clients. I did stick a 45”incher in mid august, with water temps in the low 70s. Our headwaters are beginning to drop in temperature, while flows remain consistent, with a great mix of murk and clarity, conditions that encourage active predtory behavior and as much commitment as we could ask for from our muskies.

I’m excited to fish with everyone who has already booked for trout and for musky this fall. and I am truly appreciative and grateful for the anglers who have found me. Growing a guide service has been challenging, but one thing remains consistent: I keep doing the right thing, run trips the way I think is the most fun, gamble on finding the big fish and teach people new things, and the right folks will find me, come back, and spread the word.

Thank you, and see you with a hoodie and pants on!