Nantahala and Tuck rivers

[flyakker]

I had the good fortune to fish both the Nantahala River and Tuckaseegee River DH sections this week. Both were excellent as usual, but a little tougher conditions than is typical for these DH streams.

On the Tuck the water was very low and clear in the morning (power was being generated in early evening this week so the high water occurred mostly after dark). Caught the majority of the Tuck fish on a small bead head Zug Bug and a couple on Elk Hair Caddis later in the day. Tried other nymph patterns but the Zug Bug was the ticket for some reason. I did not see many large fish at 12+....doesn't it seem like the average size of the stocked fish is smaller this year than in previous years?

The Nantahala was great with very few anglers for the first half of the day. Landed six fish and lost almost as many before bringing them to hand. Most were brookies and a couple were bows. I really had to work for these fish, they quickly ignored my offerings and there was no second chance with a pattern if I did not hook up on the first try. Hooked one nice bow maybe 15" who entertained me with several aerial launches before throwing the hook. Late in the day I fished a favorite pool stacked with 10"-12" fish (one lone hawg looked to be 24") that were actively feeding on a hatch of very tiny midges. The smallest dry in my box was a #18 Griffiths Gnat that was presented with #8 tippet, which landed one stupid fish but was ignored after closer inspection by many others. After that experience, I have vowed to stock up on some #22 dries and magnifying glasses!