Please help us welcome Dave Alexander to the Asheville Fly Fishing Company guide team!
Fly Tying: How to tie "Spring Peeper" for Smallmouth Bass
This is a great pattern to use when fly fishing for Smallmouth Bass. When the little frogs known as spring peepers come out to play, so do the smallies. Here in Asheville, NC this pattern has produced for us time and time again on our freestone rivers the Nolichucky River & French Broad River.
Asheville Fly Fishing Company's newest guide addition - David Grossman
Asheville Fly Fishing Company featured in Dun Magazine
AFFC recently featured on R.L. Winston Rod Co., Dun Magazine, Angler Report and Moldychum.com
Featured Video
The video we did last year "A trip into the wild", which features Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing, Overnight Trips with Safari Camp and Whitewater option, has recently been featured by R.L. Winston Rod Co., Dun Magazine, the Angler Report and Moldychum.com. Check it out!
Special thanks to producer Josh Branstetter and all those involved!
If you are interested in this experience, we are now booking mid-June through mid-October 2018. You can read more info on this experience by clicking here.
Smallmouth Bass + Whitewater Float Trips
These trips are not geared toward whitewater like a whitewater rafting trip.
We venture into these class III & IV waters to target the big,
aggressive Smallmouth Bass that live within.
Trips are full day floats with a two boat minimum.
Multi-day trips with Safari Camp are available.
All guides are River Rescue 3 International &
ACA Level 4 Swiftwater Rescue certified and fully insured.
Recent Trip Pictures
Spring weather has been like a roller coaster. Never the less, the spring fishing for both Trout and Smallmouth Bass has been excellent. The following pictures are from recent trips...
Smallmouth Bass Fishing - Asheville, NC
GUIDED SMALLMOUTH BASS FISHING TRIPS
NOW BOOKING 2018 SPRING SEASON
Smallmouth Bass fishing in the Southern Appalachian Mountains is renowned as some of the best on the continent. We target these fish on our float trips on the fly and with tackle. If you enjoy a tenacious pull from the surface and seeing acrobatic fish dance, then this is for you. We target several rivers located in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. Click here for more information.
GUIDED SMALLMOUTH BASS - WHITEWATER FLOAT FISHING TRIPS
For the adventurous angler looking for a remote experience, Asheville Fly Fishing Company is the only guide service in the Asheville area offering a smallmouth bass fishing trip on Class III-IV whitewater. While it is becoming rare to find a true remote wilderness experience in the east, we are fortunate to have access to the French Broad River section 9 and the Nolichucky Gorge. These trips offer excellent Smallmouth Bass fishing and flow through two of the most remote, beautiful sections of river found in the eastern US. All guides are ACA Level IV Swift Water Rescue and CPR/First Aid certified and fully insured. Click here for more info.
GUIDED OVERNIGHT SMALLMOUTH BASS FISHING TRIPS
So much water, so little time. If you need more than one day of fishing, we understand all too well. We offer multi-day trips with Safari style camping. Click here for more info and watch the video below.
REVIEWS
At Asheville Fly Fishing Company, we value long-lasting relationships with our guests and enjoy sharing memorable days on the water. Click here to read what people are saying about their experience with us.
ABOUT US
Guiding is our passion. Sure we love catching fish on our days off, but sharing the experience is far more rewarding. We are problem solvers who enjoy the connections and process just as much as the pull. We push each other to be innovative, aware of the fine details and to always anticipate the next move gracefully and with respect. Our goal is to give you the best service you have ever experienced, and to always enjoy as much river experience as possible while putting fish in the net. Our first time out with you, we are taking notes on the details that make a difference to you. From the moment we meet you onward, we go the extra miles so you are right where you want to be, fishing better and laughing louder. Click here to read more about the guides.
FISHING REPORT: SPRING FORECAST
With several good snows under our belt the ground water table is up as we move into the rainy season. We anticipate good water levels for spring fishing on our freestone rivers. This week we are getting our first taste of warmer temperatures and perhaps the beginning of the warming trends that will take us into spring. As this trend progresses, we recommend your fishing efforts be spent during the end of each warm spell. Don't go the first day it warms up. If you've got five days of warmer temps in the forecast, hit the water on day 3, 4 or 5. This will give the water temperature a chance to increase resulting in more active fish and more fish in the net.
Asheville Fly Fishing Report
Summertime is officially here in Asheville, NC! Water levels are above average and conditions are great for fishing and enjoying the outdoors. We've noticed the fishing has been better than the previous two years and we anticipate the trend will continue. Here's a few highlights of what you can find on the water in the Asheville area.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Water temps are just now getting above 70 degrees with average to above average water levels compared to the 100yr. average. While spring has been hit or miss due to rainfall and blown out rivers, the fishing has been very good this year. Those windows of time when the river clears just enough before the next rain are gold. The fish know the rain is coming and they must feed while the livin' is easy. As summer continues and temperatures rise, fishing will start to slow down mid-day. Please consider practicing catch and release and keeping the fish wet. An 18" Smallmouth Bass takes 8-10yrs. to get that big. The top water bite is hot and fish are exploding on frog patterns and boogle bugs. Enjoy!
TROUT
Sulfurs are hatching on the both the South Holston River & Watauga River, offering great dry fly fishing. Any time now the Japanese Beetles will start falling out of the trees. The Brown Trout will be there waiting and so will we. This event is a blast and offers both beginners and experts the opportunity to sight fish. These rivers fish well year round and boast a dense population of wild Brown Trout. Both rivers are most effectively fished from a driftboat as water levels change daily. Please use caution if you plan on wading and make sure you know the generation schedule.
WNC Delayed Harvest waters have opened as of June 3rd, so wade fishing just got a whole lot tougher. During summer months we recommend floating but if you prefer wading, we recommend going for wild trout in the higher elevation streams. This will take you away from the crowds and into to the wilderness where native Brook Trout aggressively rise to dry flies.
A few shots from recent trips...
Canada: Bad bacon. Decent beer. Unforgettable smallmouth fishing
Asheville Fly Fishing Company guide Knox Campbell just got back from fishing Canada. His trip was of a "Guide's day off" nature. A little R&R, R&D, and quality time with friends. Upon his return he had a serious case of perma-grin and a skip in his step. We knew what that meant and being Smallmouth Bass fanatics, we wanted details. So we slid to the edge of our chairs and let the good times roll. Here's what Knox shared with us...
I touched down in Toronto just past mid-night on June 18th. Coincidentally this date has a lot of meaning for me, but for this post the most important fact to keep in mind is that June 18 is the opening day for smallies in Ontario, something we don't appreciate here in the south. The plan was set a year before. Ben, a buddy that I had originally met on a flight to Portugal a few years ago, picked my girlfriend and I up at the airport. Once through customs we walked out the doors and immediately saw Ben waiting. Hugs and back slaps were exchanged and then we were off. After a non-stop 4 hour drive we arrived at our destination- a tiny, glacial lake 20 miles from the St Lawrence Seaway that Ben's family had a cottage on and that had no public access.
It was 4:15 and the sky was just turning grey. Rod, reel, and fly box had been stashed strategically on top of the food rations in the back of the car for easy retrieval, and withing 10 minutes of pulling into the drive we were in the Lund, cutting through the morning air with me standing at the bow, 8 wt in hand, fly line lying at my feet, a freshly tied yellow popping bug on the leader, and the unforgettable feeling you have just before doing something you'd been envisioning and anticipating for a long time. The outboard was silenced and the boat went into a quiet glide. Before Ben even had time to point out a rocky reef I threw my first cast. One pop. Two pops. Pause. Rod tip just over the water. Boom. Big eat and even bigger fish. That first fish of the trip came just as the warm colors of morning bled across the horizon. There were countless fish caught on that trip, but that first fish, and that first morning in Canada, blending with all of the emotions of the past year and a half, was one of the most powerful moments of my life. I said a silent "thank you" to no one in particular, and for a few moments, even with my hands still wet and fishy, forgot about the fishing. I took in the lake and the light, looked at my buddy, and smiled. He knowingly smiled back, and without a word and with eye brows raised, pointed to a rise ring behind me.
Read more about Knox Campbell here
FISHING REPORT: Smallmouth Bass in Asheville
The Smallmouth Bass fishing has been above average this year. Currently we are getting rain and cooler temperatures and the fish are happy. Guided trips have been producing trophy fish on the fly and spin tackle. We target these fish by Drift Boat and Raft and offer all inclusive full day and half day trips. Here's one from last week...
