Head to the mountains for rainbow trout and cooler weather

The other day, Brody and I were fishing in Beresford Creek. Conditions were unbearably hot. The surface water temperature was 88 degrees. The air temperature was 92 degrees. The heat index was approaching 100 degrees.  

 

Surprisingly, the trout bite was also hot.  

 

The trout were congregating in small creek mouths and eating shrimp forced out of the creek by the falling tide. They were not particularly large, but they were hungry and plentiful. A Z-Man Finesse TRD cast into the creek mouth produced a strike on nearly every cast. However, after about an hour of fishing, Brody and I could not endure the heat any longer.

 

Back at the house, we sat down and began to cool off. Brody laid down on an air conditioning vent, blocking the cool air from hitting me. I figured he deserved to cool off first because he fished in a fur coat.  

 

While waiting my turn at the air conditioning vent, I thought about fishing in places with cooler conditions. It occurred to me that the mountains of North Carolina offered cooler weather and great fishing for rainbow trout.

 

That evening, I tied a few hopper flies and packed my 4-weight fly rod. The next day, Brody and I were standing in a cool mountain stream. We could see rainbow trout rising to the surface and eating bugs that had fallen into the water. Quietly, we approached the feeding fish. I cast a hopper fly and let it drift with the current. A rainbow trout gently sipped the fly off the surface.  

 

After a short fight, the trout came to the net for a quick picture before release. As I watched the rainbow trout swim away, I reflected on the unbearable heat of the previous day. 

 

If you are struggling to fish in extremely hot conditions, the mountains of North Carolina are a good way to cool off.

 

 

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.