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Davidson River
Pisgah Forest, NC
Fall has begun in WNC with air temps peaking near the mid 70's and lows down to the upper 40's. The fish will begin to recover from the warm summer and the fishing will improve until the first frost. Rain is expected every day of the work week so check water levels frequently. Water levels are still low but should improve dramatically with the forecasted rain.
Davidson River: The "D" has been fishing well however water levels are still low but the fish are enjoying the cooler nights as it is bringing the water temperature down to the optimal range. The fish are still stressed from the pressure they received this summer but are recovering every day with the current temperatures and increased precipitation.
As usual, Fish can be taken on the surface with #24 or #26 Tan or Gray Midges and #20 Parachute Adams are another set of options. Sub-surface try a small (#22 or smaller) olive or black midge larvae, small (#18 or smaller) caddis larvae, non-beaded pheasant tails and prince nymphs. It's very unlikely that you'll see any hatches but a few caddis may still be lingering for the rest of the month. If the fishing gets slow, try a white woolly bugger or zonker and see if you can get one of the big browns moving.
More often than not, the fish have seen your flies if they have drifted in front of them. Be sure to use fluorocarbon tippet in sizes from 5X - 8X. These fish see a lot of flies and they will not feed on heavy tippet.
As for the lower river, Hatchery Supported stocking has begun and there are fish to be had there too. Sporadic mayfly hatches have been observed but mainly in the evenings. Consider fishing imitations of small Caddis, Little Yellow Stoneflies, and Light Cahills. With recent guide trips in the area, we've noticed the start of the Terrestrial season. Come by and stock up on hopper, ant, beetle, cricket, and inchworm patterns that fish well this time of year.