WNC Trout Hatch Chart

Keep a few small flies handy for a winter outing. Midges give you a useful starting subsurface profile, with Blue Winged Olives and small dark stoneflies worth watching for as you explore. Begin with a small nymph or midge pupa in a slower holding lane, and adjust the weight until the fly has time to settle into that water.

During the warmer part of the day, take a look at sheltered seams and pool edges for subtle rises. If you find feeding fish, spend a few minutes watching where and how they're taking food before casting. On the Davidson, let the day's weather and flow shape which runs you choose and how long you stay. A few well-worked spots can make a comfortable winter session.

Starting flies: Zebra Midge 18–24; Griffith’s Gnat 18–22; Pheasant Tail 16–20; small BWO dry 18–22.

February trips can feel wintry one week and closer to spring the next. Carry midges and small olive patterns so you're ready for either kind of day. On a mild afternoon, watch the softer margins for insects and rises while you work a nymph through the deeper lane. That gives you a starting presentation with room to switch as feeding changes.

If trout begin feeding near the surface, watch a few rises before tying on a fly. A low-riding emerger and a small dry give you two ways to explore that lane. Small dark stoneflies around streamside rocks are another useful clue. Try the profile that fits the activity, then pay attention to how the fly lands and drifts past the fish.

Starting flies: Zebra Midge 18–24; RS2 18–22; BWO dry 18–22; small dark stonefly 16–18.

Keep the small winter flies in your box as you add the first spring mayfly profiles. BWOs and Quill Gordons are worth watching for, with dark caddis and stoneflies adding other possibilities. Carry a few mayfly sizes and both surface and subsurface patterns. That mix will help you adjust between colder days, mild afternoons and streams at different elevations.

Look at the insects drifting through the lane and choose a fly with a similar size and shape. If fish are feeding just under the film, try an emerger or a lightly presented nymph. When you see adults being taken on top, a dun imitation is a useful next step. Give the fly a clean drift through the feeding lane before changing it again.

Our Blue Winged Olive Hatch Guide will help you recognize the stages and choose a presentation when small olives are on the water.

Starting flies: Pheasant Tail 14–20; RS2 18–22; BWO dry 18–22; Quill Gordon or Parachute Adams 12–16.

April gives you several spring profiles to work with. Pack medium-sized mayfly dries alongside the small BWOs, and leave space for caddis dries and pupae. Where Hendricksons and Quill Gordons occur, their imitations give you more specific options. Pale mayflies and small yellow stoneflies can join the mix as the season develops, so take a look at what's active on your chosen stream.

Watch a feeding fish long enough to see which insects are passing through its lane and where the takes happen. Match the approximate size first, then choose an adult, emerger or nymph that fits the feeding depth. If the drift pulls across the current, change your position or shorten the cast. A fly that stays in the lane gives you a better chance to learn what the fish wants.

Starting flies: Parachute Adams or spring mayfly dry 12–18; Elk Hair Caddis 14–18; Pheasant Tail 14–18; pale mayfly dry 16–18.

For May, a caddis dry, a pupa and a few pale mayfly imitations make a useful starting selection. Sulphurs and Light Cahills give you pale profiles to compare with the naturals, while Yellow Sallies offer a small stonefly option. Keep a range of sizes so you can match the insects you find on that particular stream.

Watch for activity as the day develops, especially when you're able to stay into the later part of the afternoon. If a high-floating dry gets ignored, try a lower-riding pattern or an emerger before making several color changes. Ants and beetles are also worth carrying as warmer weather brings more insects around bankside vegetation.

Starting flies: Elk Hair Caddis 14–18; caddis pupa 14–18; Sulphur or Light Cahill 14–18; Yellow Sally 14–18; ant 14–18.

June is a good time to have both aquatic insect patterns and a few terrestrials in the box. Caddis, pale mayflies and small yellow stoneflies give you surface profiles to try where those insects are active. Add ants and beetles for shaded banks and overhanging cover, with a light nymph available when the fish are feeding below the surface.

Bring a thermometer and check the water as the day warms. Choose a comfortable run with a clear approach, and leave yourself room to shorten the session or move if conditions change. When the water is too warm for trout, give them a break. On suitable water, a quiet cast along a shaded edge is a useful place to begin.

Starting flies: Light Cahill or Sulphur 14–18; Yellow Sally 14–18; Elk Hair Caddis 14–18; ant 14–18; beetle 12–16.

Small terrestrials give you a practical starting selection for July, with caddis and midges still worth carrying. Where local reports or observations point to Tricos, add a tiny dry and spinner imitation for that feeding opportunity. Look at the bankside cover as well as the surface to decide where an ant, beetle or hopper might fit the first cast.

On a small mountain stream, choose a fly you can land quietly beside the cover. A light hopper-dropper can explore two feeding depths where the water and casting room suit it. If the rig lands hard or drags, simplify it and shorten the cast. Check temperature in the reach you're fishing and keep the session on water that's cool enough for trout.

Starting flies: Ant 14–18; beetle 12–16; hopper 10–14; Elk Hair Caddis 14–18; Trico dry or spinner 20–24 where present.

The July selection carries well into August: ants, beetles, caddis and a few small dries for local mayfly activity. In low, clear water, take a moment to watch the holding lane before stepping closer. A smaller terrestrial with a quiet landing can give you a useful first presentation around a shaded bank or pocket.

Cover the near-side water first, then move carefully as you work farther along the run. If trout refuse the dry, improve the angle or try a small nymph through the same lane. Keep the thermometer handy as the day develops. When the water warms too much, leave the trout fishing for another outing.

Starting flies: Ant 14–18; beetle 12–16; small hopper 10–14; caddis dry 14–18; Zebra Midge 18–22; local Trico imitation 20–24.

Keep some summer patterns available as you build your fall selection. Ants and beetles can remain useful around vegetation, with caddis and small mayflies adding aquatic profiles to watch for. BWOs deserve a little space in the box for suitable days, and a larger fall caddis imitation gives you another option where local activity has begun.

Take a fresh look at flow and temperature when you reach the river. Dry weather may leave a familiar run shallower, while rain can change the current and your approach. Start with a fly you can present cleanly in the available water, then adjust as you see feeding. A few minutes watching the lane can help you decide whether to begin on top or underneath.

Starting flies: Ant 14–18; Elk Hair Caddis 14–18; BWO dry or emerger 18–22; Trico 20–24 where present; larger fall caddis 10–14.

Pack both small olives and a larger fall caddis profile for October. Where you see October Caddis, an orange or ginger imitation is worth trying. BWO feeding may call for a much smaller fly riding close to the surface. Keep midges and smaller caddis available too, so you've got options when the insects or feeding depth change.

Watch the feeding lane before putting a cast through it. Leaves can make a small dry hard to follow, so choose a presentation you can track and give each drift time to reach the fish. A more visible reference fly can help where the rig suits the water. If fish are feeding underneath, try an emerger or light nymph along that same lane.

For a stocked-water trip, check the NC trout stocking schedule and current notices as you choose your destination. Once you're there, use the insects and feeding activity to decide how to fish the run.

Starting flies: BWO dry and RS2 18–22; orange or ginger caddis 10–14; Griffith’s Gnat 18–22; caddis pupa 14–18.

Keep your small olive and midge selection ready as streams cool through November. Carry a BWO dry and emerger alongside a few nymphs for quieter stretches. Small caddis can still give you a useful profile, with a larger fall imitation as a spare where that activity continues locally. Let the feeding depth guide which one you start with.

On a Delayed Harvest visit, check the current stocking information and section rules while planning your trip. At the river, watch the runs before rigging and choose a presentation that fits the fish you can see feeding. If the surface is quiet, work a nymph through a manageable lane and adjust depth before moving on.

Starting flies: BWO dry 18–22; RS2 18–22; Zebra Midge 18–24; Pheasant Tail 16–20; small caddis dry 16–20.

Bring the small-fly selection back to the front of the box for December. Midges are useful to carry, with BWOs, small caddis and early dark stoneflies adding possibilities where they're active. Pack a few profiles for different feeding depths so you can work a nymph first and switch if a surface opportunity develops.

Begin in a slower holding lane when no fish are rising, and adjust the weight until the fly reaches a useful depth. If trout start feeding higher, watch the insects and try an emerger or dry that fits the activity. Choose a comfortable approach for the day's weather and flow. A short session on a few accessible runs can be a satisfying way to fish through winter.

The Winter Midge Fishing Guide will help you put together a small-fly rig and work on depth and drift in colder water.

Starting flies: Zebra Midge 18–24; Griffith’s Gnat 18–22; Pheasant Tail 16–20; BWO dry or emerger 18–22; small dark stonefly 16–18.

It's a seasonal planning reference rather than a live report. Use the calendar to decide what to carry, then look at recent stream conditions and the insects on the water to choose what to fish.

Midges remain useful through the year. They often get more attention in winter, when other adult insect activity is limited, but a midge pattern can earn its place in a summer box too. Watch the feeding depth to decide whether to try a larva, pupa or surface pattern.

The Davidson is a freestone river, with flow and temperature responding to weather, rainfall and its watershed. The lower Nantahala below the hydropower discharge is a tailwater. Choose the reach you're visiting first, then check its current conditions as you build the trip plan.

A dot places that month outside the group's main packing window. Local timing can vary, and nymphs or larvae may be available beyond an adult hatch. Carry a few useful subsurface patterns and let the insects you find refine the selection.

You can fish nymphs, pupae and other suitable food profiles while the surface is quiet. Look for a manageable holding lane and work on getting the fly to the feeding depth. If a hatch develops, you've got the option to move toward an emerger or dry.

Stocking information helps you plan around fish deliveries, while the hatch chart helps you pack for seasonal food. Use both as you choose a stocked-water trip, then watch the insects and feeding fish when you arrive. Check the current section rules before fishing.