Davidson River, NC Fishing Report

Don Hall fishes with Altamont Anglers guide Teo Whitlock a couple of days in Spring and a couple more in the Fall, usually in May and October. This year the Spring event happened a little early, but Don's annual assault on the trout population of the Davidson River was every bit as effective as if he'd arrived in May.

As usual, the secret to success is tiny tippets and #24 midges. Don't forget your Caddis patterns and Blue Quills and look forward the brighter, bigger bugs of May.

The water level is pretty high today.  If you fish you will need some extra weight to get your nymphs on the bottom.  If we don't get any more rain the level should be down close to normal by the weekend.

The water is high from the recent rains but should come down nicely for the weekend.  I'm getting reports of fish being caught with soft hackles and dry flies.  Look for caddis and BWO hatches.

The Davidson is fishing very well with good catches being reported.  It is supposed to rain the next couple of days so keep an eye on the level.  Size 20 and 22 zebra midges on a dropper rig will be a good place to start.  Have some BWO and Caddis for that evening hatch.

The flow is still high in the Davidson but I am hearing that the fishing is pretty good.  One of my friends told be he had a good day there yesterday fishing sz 22 Zebra Midges.

Currently the Davidson is flowing at +170 CFS,  It's been my experience that it needs to be below 100 CFS for decent fishing.  It will not be dangerous to fish now but you will need to add extra weight to deal with the increased current.  Keep an eye on the USGS data and watch for it to reach 100.

It's gonna be a few days before the river level is low enough to fish due to the recent storms. 

The river is closed out due to the recent heavy rains.  Snow is predicted for tonight.  keep watch on the level to come down before you venture out.

Looks like the weather is going to be great for the next few days.  Should be a great time to be fishing.  The latest reports I am getting from the Davidson say that the fishing is good around the hatchery area.  As usual a small midge nymph on a dropper is the way to go.

The Davidson is high due to the recent rains.  Check the levels and plan to fish when it gets to around 100 cfs.

The Davidson River continues to fish very well with good catches reported.  As usual small nymphs (on dropper rigs) are the best bet.

Water, Water, Water  with over 7 inches of rain reported in the county last Saturday evening and into Sunday, our finny friends have had plenty of room to move around.  No one fished on Sunday or Monday.  On Tuesday we say a few diehards start to venture out and today the water is still high and clear but more people fishing and the conditions seem to be improving by the hour.  Heath fished yesterday afternoon and caught a lot of fish on dries and reported a good hatch of Hendrickson’s and small Sulpher’s on the upper part of the Davidson.

The Davidson:  Water is high and clear today fishing is best above Looking Glass Creek.  By Thursday the entire river should be safe and fishable.  The best flies will be Howell’s Trip Saver size 10-16, Sucker Spawn Size 12, Squirmy Worms Size 12, Kevin’s Stonefly size 6-10 and Tungsten Beadhead Pheasant Tail and Hares Ear in Size 12-16.  For dries you should use Light Hendrickson’s size 12-16, March Browns size 12-16, and Sulpher’s size 14-16.  With the heavier water flow you can use heavier leader and tippet, so I would use a 9 foot leader tapered to 4x tippet.

The weather for the next few days is going to be glorious.  It's gonna be a great time for fishing.  The Davidson continues to fish well.  Expect the level to be low and the water very clear.

All the reports I am getting are telling me that the Davidson is fishing very well right now.  The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend  So get on the river.

The Davidson has been fishing very well lately.  The opening of delayed harvest season on other local rivers has decreased the numbers of fisherman some.  Water levels continue to be good.  A large stonefly nymph with a sz 18-20 zebra on a dropper just might be the ticket.

The Davidson is fishing very well right now.  With the fall temps the fish are active.  Try dropping a small soft hackle (18-22) off a stone fly imitation.

The catch and release, delayed harvest, wild trout, tailraces and private waters are all fishing well. All the Delayed Harvest streams have been restocked (except the North Toe which will be done around October 12th). Be prepared for crowds. The pressure has been off the hook (no pun intended). There are 4 new Delayed Harvest sections this fall- Big Horse Creek, Elk River, Little River and the Catawba River. Get out and give 'em a try.

With the weather getting cooler the Davidson is fishing really well.  As usual small nymphs on a dropper are the ticket.  You could see a BWO hatch late in the day.

The water level is very low and the water is very clear.  A careful and quiet approach is needed to catch fish.  But fish are still being caught on small nymphs on dropper rigs.

The days are getting cooler and the fish are getting more active.  I have heard of some good days on the Davidson.  Big fish are being caught near the hatchery on very small nymphs and emergers.