July 25, 2024

S6, Ep 81: Small Creeks and Big Wins: Summer Strategies with Mac Brown

Join host Marvin Cash on The Articulate Fly for another insightful episode of Casting Angles with Mac Brown. In this episode, they discuss the current hatch, focusing on tiny mayflies and midges, and the importance of fishing cooler waters where small creeks enter larger bodies of water.

Mac also provides an update on the new TFO Elevare, highlighting its balanced swing weight and versatility for both wet and dry fly fishing. He shares his thoughts on the evolution of rod technology and the importance of a balanced rod for reducing fatigue and enhancing the fishing experience. Additionally, Mac touches on the TFO Solution, praising its medium action and suitability for both long-distance casting and close-up line manipulation.

Whether you're an avid angler or new to the sport, this episode is packed with practical advice and insights to enhance your fishing adventures. Tight lines!

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Transcript

Speaker:

Marvin: Hey folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: We're back with another Casting Angles with Mack Brown. Mack, how are you?

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: I'm doing great, Marvin. How are you doing?

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: As always, just trying to stay out of trouble. And you know,

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: it's been pretty darn hot in our neck of the woods.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: But, you know, for the next week or 10 days or so, it looks like it's going to be cloudy.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: Decent amount of rain and probably temperatures in the 80s. So the fishing ought

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: to pick up a little bit, right?

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: Oh, it has. I mean, I was down at Lowcountry last week and, you know,

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: it was up triple digit heat index.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: And the day I got home, I think it was Wednesday morning.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: We were 72 for the high, overcast. And it's kind of been that pattern this whole time.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: You know, and here it is Monday and it stayed like rain every day, overcast days.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: Fish are looking up. It's a big change from what it was before I went down there.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: Yeah. And so on the hatch front, I mean, what's the bug of choice these days? Nothing.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: I'm throwing a lot of pseudocleon, like little tiny mayflies in the morning.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: They're similar to trichos, mahogany color.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: We're having those, like huge spinner falls of those about 10 a.m. every morning.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: That's really what's been best is throwing really tiny, either midges or the

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: little pseudos, one or the other. But the small flies are king right now.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: Yeah, and so I would imagine you're probably fishing up in the park and not down low, right?

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: Well, I'm fishing a lot right below the house, too. I mean, just,

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: you know, the state water, I mean, it stays plenty cold just because it's just

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: a lot of foliage the whole way down.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: And when it comes out of the park, it's not a big difference going up a mile

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: or two miles than what it is right here.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: You know what I mean? The lower elevation before it goes in,

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: you know, into Bryson, into the Tuckasegee.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: So, yeah, I mean, I think all the park streams with these rains are cooling down quite a bit.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: Yeah, which is also a little tip for folks if they're on the big water to go

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: fish where the small creeks come in because the water's going to be cooler.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: That's right. That's right for sure. And it's like, I haven't done a lot of

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: warm water fishing the last few weeks.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: I mean, mostly, mostly when, as soon as I got home, it was back to,

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: um, you know, a lot of, a lot of stuff on the freestones teaching.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: And it's like, they all want to do trout. So if they want to do bass,

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: I'd go do it. It's just everybody that's here right now wants to do trout.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: So, so the trout, I'm just thankful it's cooled down.

 

 


Speaker:

Mac: The water temp this morning was 56 degrees, which is nice temperature for this time of year.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: Yeah, absolutely, because I know checking the temperature gauges over on the

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: Davidson and Brevard, I mean, in the afternoon, that water's up in the low to

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: mid-70s, so it's no good.

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: And, you know, I was talking to—actually, it's kind of funny, right?

 

 


Speaker:

Marvin: I was at ICAST last week, and I literally w

Mac Brown Profile Photo

Mac Brown

Guide | Casting Instructor | Author

Mac Brown is the owner of Mac Brown Fly Fish and Fly Fishing Guide School in Western NC. Mac created the first full-time fly fishing guide service in Western North Carolina. The first Delayed Harvest on the Upper Nantahala River in early 1993 was also a result of his efforts.

Mac Brown is the author of “Casting Angles” which is a fly casting handbook for those on the journey of understanding the mechanics of the cast. The ACA, FFI, and others have endorsed this text as a reference for instructors as well. Mac is a Master Casting Instructor through the Fly Fishers International.