[cdeath]

I have made plans to go fishing on the French broad near the Biltmore house in mid September. I booked a cabin that is just south of where I26 and the Blue Ridge prky intersect. I have never fished on a river and was wondering if anyone had any advice on what to use. From the pictures I have seen the water where I will be at looks kind of slow and perhaps a little deep the owner of the cabin said the most people fish for catfish and smallies on his stretch of river. I am going to be fishing from the bank and have considered buying some waders but don’t think I will be able to use them. Also I have never tried using a fly rod but am considering buying a cheap combo like the Pflueger kit that basspro has its like $40 or so it comes with some tackle. If anyone has any tips on what kind of fly equipment to get would be great but keep in mind that its likely that I wont do a lot of fly fishing so I don’t think I need anything real advanced. Again any tips on how to fish this river are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[robgear]

I flyfish at once a week. You can get by just fine with a cheap reel, which is used very little fly fishing. But remeber the cheaper the rod, the harder they are to cast. you can buy a pretty good rod at wally world for under $20, for river get a #6 or #7. also a few dark wooly buggers, which smallmount cannot leave alone.

 

[sinker man]

CDEATH, I noticed the local wally world had some fishing stuff on clearance today. Among the stuff I saw was a pack of scientific angler trout flies. They might not be as good as some you could get at the fly shop but they are plenty good to get you started. If you shop wally world cruise their clearance isle. One near me usually puts their fly equipment on clearance at least once a year. I've bought a lot of Scientific Angler equipment from them at give away prices. You can get started on their equipment and if you ever decide to upgrade, you will know a litttle more about what you want and you will have a pretty fair backup that didn't cost an arm and a leg. If money is not an issue the guys running fly shops will take the time to answer questions & maybe take you out back for some quick instruction. Their equipment will be better but a little pricey for someone who isn't going to use it enough to realize the full potential of the outfit. That's your call.
AL

 

[cdeath]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[cdeath]

I took yall's advice and got a wally world fly combo. It was like $39.00 and came with a flyline, leader, backing, and a couple of lures. I messed around with it at the lake and caught a couple of brim on it. Then I decided to go to basspro in concord and talked with the guys in the white river section. They showed me some better knots to use and I went ahead and got some better flyline and leaders and a few dark colored wooly buggers as advised. It seems like a lot of fun and I cant wait to get out on the river and try it for real

 

[robgear]

I catch from 100 to 200 bluegills on most trips on my kayak. If you want to catch bluegill use a small popping bug nad cast as clost to the bank as you can get (1-2 feet best) let it sit for about 30 seconds, if no bite a few small jerks, if no bite then recast. most of the time they will hit about as soon as it hits the water.

 

[redfishtom]

cdeath depending on which part of the broad you will be fishing on its best just to wade wet most of the broads banks are too steep or rocky or overgrown to flyrod from and in sept. the water and air temp will still be comfy. if you are fishing the upper broad around rosman to the asheville airport , there is not alot of bank access other than a few scattered parks. from asheville to alexander there is easier access and the broad is more pocket water and suited for flyrodding. when you get farther down the river it takes on a more rocky , boulder strewn look and alot of the river is accessible by following the norfolk southern railroad tracks and a couple of forest service roads. this is also some great flyrodding but the amount of rafters will get on your nerves. from hotsprings to the tn. state line the river flattens out and it goes back to water thats better suited for floating. the rosman (upper) stretch holds more toothy suprises, and muskies will hit a clouser or other minnow immitators. the best tip for catching a musky is to fish for smallmouths. anyway hope this helps and hope you have a great trip, maybe the water will come down, its been up and muddy all summer. the french broad happens to be my 2nd home and ive fished it from the headwaters to douglas lake if you have any questions let me know. another thing its a fairly simple river to fish , just a handful of patterns or lures will go a long way .

 

[cdeath]

thanks for the advice Rob and Tom. Tom I am mostly will be fishing the area just south of Biltmore north of the airport. Here is a link to the property I am staying at http://www.parkwaylane.com/ incase anyone else is interested.