We had a great day Saturday fishing the Delayed Harvest and Wild streams at Stone Mountain State Park near Traphill, NC. The weather was beautiful, the streams were full of fish, I was prepared with Perfect Flies, and for the first time, I was able to take my young son fly fishing. The Delayed Harvest streams in the park provide a great place to develop fly fishing skills for young and old fishermen alike. The streams are well stocked, offer catch and release fishing this time of year, and provide easy access. The easy access comes with a cost, however: combat fishing on days with good weather.
We caught a total of three trout, which is actually very good for fishing with a 2 year old, and having trouble finding our own place on the stream due to all the other anglers. The Slate Drake Nymph was very effective at getting the trout's attention this mild, fall day. The fish tended to stack up together in large groups allowing a lot of action in small areas. The trout were prone to both slurp it up when fished near the bottom with the current, and chase the nymph (imitating the real insect's swimming capabilites) when being pulled through the calm water behind rocks.
To maximize your success on the delayed harvest streams, I recommend the following:
1. Come during the catch and release portion of the year.
2. Come early in the morning to get the best spots first.
3. Remember that the fish tend to be in large groups in the pools that are easily stocked. Pools that are difficult to access by a stocking truck tend to be overlooked during stocking, so they can be fished quickly since the stocked fish typically don't move far from where they are stocked.
4. Come during bad weather.
5. Come during the middle of the week.
6. Don't forget the out of the way areas that offer access for the stocking truck, but that are overlooked by the fishermen.
7. Use Perfect Flies, to catch even the pickiest trout, as these fish have seen many fishermen and many flies.
See our class on Fishing With Kids for more ideas on taking your little ones fishing.