October is now here and what a great month to be in the NC High Country to take advantage of some excellent fishing! Although water levels are still low, cold water has blessed us with some great trout fishing this month.

Brook trout as well as browns are beginning their annual spawn and will be more aggressive in the coming months. In October look for sulphurs to taper off. Blue winged olives will soon be the predominant mayfly along with sporadic dun variants. Also, a second wave of caddis is hatching. Most are brownish in color and around a 14-16 in size. Larger stoneflies are also present with most hatching in the early morning and late evening.

The ponds located along the Blue Ridge Parkway should start to fish better with the cooler weather. Look for fish rising early in the morning and late in the evening. Bass Lake and Trout Lake will also provide the angler with bass and bluegill action on the fly. Poppers will work great on top as well as streamers for subsurface.