I spend the morning fly fishing the South Toe River, chasing mountain trout during the spring stonefly hatch.
Morning on the South Toe River
As the mist rises slowly off the surface of the water, I quickly make my way down the bank of the South Toe River near Spruce Pine, North Carolina. I’m targeting mountain trout on the fly, hoping to capitalize on the spring stone fly hatch that comes in early May. It’s almost 8 and I’m running late. Stone fly hatches are an early morning affair here: the bugs take advantage of the cool mountain mornings and give it up as the temperatures rise throughout the day.
The surface of the river a few hundred feet away is marked with the ripples of fish surfacing to feed on the hatching flies; I quickly wade toward them. Of course, hurried casts are not well cast, and I snag on a tree behind me before my fly ever touches water. It’s an easy fix however, and I’ve only lost a couple minutes. Taking more care the second time, I toss my line towards the pool and let it drift. Nothing.
That’s Just Fly Fishing on the South Toe River
After several casts and no bites, I move down the stream to a slow-moving run. The South Toe River’s dark green water slips lazily over some rocks into a deep channel, warbling away. The soft chatter of the water and the rhythmic cast-and-drift foster a sort of zen and soon, it’s only the river and me. I almost miss the small bump on the line as a trout swallows my fly.
Setting the hook, I strip line in, trying to avoid horsing the fish but making sure to keep pressure on the line. The fish gets under a branch and breaks off before I can get him close enough to net. Disappointed but excited nonetheless, I tie on another stimulator and sink back into the rhythm of the cast-and-drift. That’s just fly fishing on the South Toe River.
After about a half hour without another bite, I notice the fish are no longer surfacing and it seems like the hatch is finished. I switch to a bead-headed prince nymph and a strike indicator: it’s starting to get overcast and I figure the bead head might stand out more in the darker water. Plus, I want a little help getting that nymph at the right depth. I’ve been fishing for well over two hours and having only hooked into one trout that never made it to the net, I’m starting to get antsy for a fish.
Rained Out
Suddenly, there is a quick flash of lightning and thunder rumbles in the distance. Wanting to keep fishing, I start to slowly wade back toward the shore while casting toward a pool on the far side. A second flash of lightning illuminates the valley less than a minute later. I quickly reconsider that decision and start to beeline for the van just as rain begins to pour down in sheets. The radar seems to indicate that my day of fly fishing on the South Toe River is over.
I will be making another trip to fly fish the South Toe River in the fall when the weather begins to cool. The river is beautiful and the fishing quite technical. In certain spots, the fish see a lot of pressure but the crowds lessen the farther up the mountains you go. It is true Western North Carolina trout fishing!
Parker Outside 