RECENT TRIP TO MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE

If you live in North Carolina, the State of Maine is a far distance to go fishing, but since I wanted to enjoy the scenic rocky coast as well as the fall foliage, it did not seem unreasonable to take a small spinning reel along for the ride. We holed up in the Riverside Motel in Perkins Cove, Me. The view was spectacular. To wet a line and to enjoy the leaves, we drove to the New Hampshire White Mountains via the Androscoggin River. That river was totally devoid of fish prior to 1977 when the Clean Water Act went into effect. Today the river contains large numbers of trout over 12” and some trophy browns as large as 20” to 24”. We decided to see for ourselves, so we fished the Wild River, above its confluence with the Androscoggin Rive and a small portion of the Androscoggin River up to the border of New Hampshire. In a short time we caught 13 on spinners, and 5 on dry flies, ranging in size from 8” to 12”. We then continued sightseeing by driving over the Kankamagus Highway from Conway to Lincoln NH, where we saw some beautiful views of fall leaves.

NEW PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

All Weather Fishing Journal: Don't waste another gallon of gas looking for a GPS number that you missed by 100 yards because of a smudged number. With the All-Weather Journal, 50-sheets, you can actually write under water with a regular pencil. But don't make a mistake you can't erase. MSRP. Click here

Carolina Family Fishing Getaways

If you live in North Carolina and are looking for some local fishing hotspots, either for yourself or for the kids, these areas are where it is at. Dan Kibler writing in the North Carolina Game and Fish, covers the entire state from the Outer Banks to South Mountain and Lake Fontana. With the price of gas so high, this article will guide to fishing close by your home.
Click here for the full story.

EFFECTS OF 2007 DROUGHT

During the entire year of 2007, and even a portion of 2006, the rainfall in the South was very limited; as a result the wild trout population in the smaller creeks was impacted. In recent trout fishing trips the effects were noted. There was a marked decrease in the numbers of the wild trout over 9-10 inches. However, the good news is that there were significant numbers of the smaller trout all averaging 5-6 inches. This would be an indication that next year could be a fair year for wild trout.

Mountain Heritage Trout Waters

The Mountain Heritage Trout Waters program is a cooperative effort between the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and local governments to encourage trout fishing as a heritage tourism activity in western North Carolina cities that are designated as a “Mountain Heritage Trout Water City.” North Carolina residents and non-residents who want to fish in a stream that is designated as a Mountain Heritage Trout Water may purchase a 3-day license for $5. The license is valid only for waters that are designated as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters.
Mountain Heritage Trout Cities:
Newland Spruce Pine Waynesville Bakersville Maggie Valley
Call 1(888) 248-6834. Phone lines are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. From May to September, phone lines are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Sunday.

NATURAL BAIT NEW DEFINITIONS

Confusion over the classification of flavored and scented baits has led to some new rules which can be found by clicking here.

TIPS FOR FISHING WITH KIDS

Over many years, I have tried to get my children and grandchildren to develop a genuine interest in fishing. When they were small from 3 to 8 years old, their interest was mainly in throwing stones. They could not maintain their attention for a long enough time to catch many fish, and when they caught them, they were afraid to touch them. However, when they were a little older, we had many memorable trips. Here are a few tips to make their fishing more enjoyable. When fishing for trout, to make it easy for them to catch fish, we followed the state trout stocking schedules. Go to your state web site and search on “stocking”. NC Regs
After the stream is stocked, the fish were somewhat easy to catch and teenagers can do very well. For bass, we would go to local ponds, where there are plenty of small bass and some pan fish. Remember, children are not as impressed with the size of the fish as they are the quantity. The action keeps them interested!

My new Blog!

Hello,

I started this blog to share my experiences with trout fishing. I plan to start a web site to assist people to become trout fishermen and fisherladies. I will update this blog frequently with new information and the results of recent trips.