Tag Archives: fly fishing

Fly Fishing Trips with Jesse Brown’s & Updated Fire Ban



Segment 2, November 11th, 2023

Deer hunters wake up!  But please be safe with tree stands & motorists need to be aware during the deer rut.
False albacore is happening at the southern Outer Banks on Harker’s Island & the Cape Lookout area. A Sage nine-weight fly rod or a Sage ten-weight Fly Rod is perfect for this type of fly fishing.

Trout streams continue to be low. However the low water has helped the top water fly fishing action in the mountains.  Fly Fishing trips have continued to be popular with the guides from Jesse Brown’s.  The guides are helping everyone from beginners to more experience anglers that are working on specific portions of the sport.  Please pick a date and email us at jesse@jessebrown.com.  The rest following that is easy.

The lack of rain has put burn bans on thirty counties in western North Carolina.  However, the burn bans don’t mean that you cannot have a camp fire?

No.  You can still have a campfire in a fire ring or a managed fire area.  This can change depending on the situation which not only includes rainfall but also wind situation.

UPDATE on FIRE BANS:  thirteen state parks in NC have a campfire ban in place now.  These state parks include:

Chimney Rock State Park
Crowders Mountain State Park
Elk Knob State Park
Gorges State Park
Grandfather Mtn State Park
Lake James State Park
Lake Norman State Park
Mount Jefferson State Natural Area
Mt Mitchell State Park
New River State Park
Rendezvous Mtn
South Mountains State Park
Stone Mountain State Park

 


Fall Fly Fishing with Elijah Saint Blancard



Segment 2, October 28th, 2023

Several weeks ago we welcomed Head Fly Fishing Guide & Lead Instructor from Jesse Brown’s, Elijah Saint Blancard.

He’s hit the ground running by speaking to groups in Charlotte & taking several fly fishing trips around the NC mountains.  He knows where the water is flowing and where the fish are biting.  More importantly he knows the sport of fly fishing (the how to learn properly, have fun, and catch fish).

In the segment of the show, Saint Blancard, speaks with host, Bill Bartee of the Carolina Outdoors about fly fishing western North Carolina during this time of year.

Things You’ll Learn by Listening:

Show Highlights:

  • How the fall fly fishing is shaping up thus far?

  • Addresses the concerns of water levels and the benefit of the cooler temperatures

  • The people going on the fly fishing trips are men & women of all ages.

  • What they’re catching and what flies are working

  • Saint Blancard’s recommendation of a few places to Go:  Wilson Creek, Old Fort’s Curtis Creek, Catawba River in Marion, NC, Mitchell River in Surry County, & the East Fork of the Roaring River in Stone Mountain State Park

More Insights from the Outdoor Guys: 

The Carolina Outdoors is brought to you by Jesse Brown’s.  Check out this Charlotte outdoor store located in the Southpark-area.


Fall Fly Fishing in the Mountains with Sam Johnson



Segment 2, October 20, 2023

Fall in the Carolina’s brings cooler weather, beauty, & cold water.  The cold water is what we want to talk about on this segment of the Carolina Outdoors because it is where the rainbow, brook, & brown trout are living.

Guest Sam Johnson of WIld Bearings Outdoors is an author, speaker, & sportsman.  He joins the Carolina Outdoors to talk fly fishing in western North Carolina this fall.

You’ll Learn:

The Lakes of the Biltmore Estate
Information about filming Wild Bearings Outdoors program on The American Country Network
Beauty of fishing in the fall
Challenge of fishing with leaves falling & how to solve it
Five places to fish that are featured with almost 200 other streams in Fly Fishing the Blue Ridge Parkway-NC.

Johnson names:
The Doe River that eventually flows into Elizabethton, TN
Lower Creek in the Mount Mitchell area of North Carolina
Dutch Creek outside Valle Crucis, NC
East Fork of the Chestnut Creek below Galax, VA

 


Fly Fishing the Delayed Harvest Waters of NC with Elijah Saint Blancard



Segment 3, October 7th, 2023

Let’s go fly fishing!  Since the 1970s, Fly Fishing has been an important part of the business at Jesse Brown’s.  A new contributor to the Carolina Outdoors, Elijah Saint Blancard, is the head fly fishing guide & lead instructor at Charlotte’s local outdoor store, Jesse Brown’s.  His start was at age twelve in Pennsylvania.  His teacher was the famed Joe Humphreys at Penn State University.

During this conversation, we’ll learn about Elijah’s background & fishing the streams of Central Pennsylvania.  He speaks on his time being trained as a fly fishing guide at World Cast Anglers in Victor, ID, & the fly fishing trips in North Carolina.

His passion is teaching the sport of fly fishing & whether it’s a 9 foot 5 weight Sage fly rod or a 7 foot 2 weight Winston fly rod he can help you learn the sport properly.

 

 

 


Women on the Fly with Linda Hickle



Segment 3, September 23rd, 2023

A huge growth of people joining a sport that we talk about a lot on the Carolina Outdoors.  The people?  Women The sport? Fly Fishing

According a report published earlier this year by the OIA, female participation in fishing grew from 16 million to almost 20 million from 2012 to 2022.  They represent nearing forty percent of total anglers and forty-two person were first-time anglers.

Linda Hickle was mesmerized the first time she saw someone fly fishing.  She went on to help found & organize a Women’s Group of Anglers, called Women on the Fly.

She joins the Carolina Outdoors to tell that story, inform everyone about the upcoming Wine-Women-Waders Event at Jesse Brown’s, & tell her favorite places to fish.

 


The Health of Fly Fishing with Raz Reid



Segment 2, August 19th, 2023

The Outdoor Industry Association recently released the report that over fifty-four million people over the age of 6 went fishing during 2022.  This was a four percent increase from 2021.  The same report also noted that the Hispanic population going fishing has increased 45% over the past decade.  Also, the number of female anglers increased nearly by 4 million people since 2012, from 16 to 19.8 million.

Raz Reid of Reid & Associates has travelled the southeast purveying fly fishing goods to fly shops like Jesse Brown’s.  He’s done this for the past thirty-five years & joins the Carolina Outdoors to share his insights.  He’ll report on the influx of fly anglers from the movie, A River Runs Through It, released in 1992 & it’s comparison to the number of the fly fishing public that entered into the sport during the Pandemic.

Reid has worked through the sport since its perceived time as a tweed sport coat-sport to the growth of the sport on the coasts of the world with Saltwater fly fishing.  The sport continues to grow but there is literally still space for more.  He speaks on the places to fish.  You may see more people fishing but you can always find a place to escape.

Take a listen to this world record-holding angler, personality, & business person in the fly fishing industry.

Bill Bartee, from Charlotte fly shop Jesse Brown’s, interviewed Raz Reid.  Reid has been a long-time contributor to the Carolina Outdoors & represents one of the best fly fishing brands, Fishpond, available at Jesse Brown’s

 


Quick Review of the Show



Segment 4, August 19th, 2023

Great conversation with:

Langston Wertz, Jr., the host of Talking Preps & senior journalist from The Charlotte Observer.  His conversation with Bill Bartee from Charlotte outdoor retailer, Jesse Brown’s, gave us some great insight on the teams, players, & games that are upcoming this high school football season in the Charlotte area.

Raz Reid of Reid & Associates represents some of the finest fly fishing brands that are found in the fly shop of Charlotte, Jesse Brown’s, & other fly shops around the country.  Brands like Sage, Tibor Reels, Rio Fly Line, & Redington are a few.  He lets us know what he’s seeing with the fly fishing business around the southeast in recent months.

The Carolina Outdoors is brought to you by WBT Radio & Jesse Brown’s Outdoors.  The host, Bill Bartee & producer, TJ Boggs.


Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians with Alen Baker



Segment 2, May 13th, 2023

There is a fly-fishing hall of fame that opened in the Catskills, NY, back in 1985.  It was opened there because of the rich history that the area had within the sport.

However, the southern Appalachians also have a rich history of fly fishing.  For that reason, in 2013 the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians  (FFMSA) opened.  The first location was in Cherokee, NC.  It soon moved to Bryson City, NC, & recently has relocated beside the Appalachian Rivers Aquarium on Island Street.

Alen Baker was the driving force in the opening of the museum & continues on the Board.  After growing up in the Lenoir-area & working for Duke Energy, he became a leading advocate for fly fishing & conservation.  His work for Trout Unlimited & the NC Wildlife Federation, along with authoring several books have made him a mainstay in the community.

Baker joins the Carolina Outdoors to share the Museum’s place as a center point for education, history, & the arts, as well as the crafts & science of the sport.  Baker describes the goal of capturing the history of fly fishing as “old-timers” pass away & technology changes.

Technology has helped add to the sport & bring new people into it but the Museum’s intent is helping them know the techniques, styles, & people that came before them.

Bill Bartee spoke to Alen Baker with a Winston fly rod in Charlotte just to keep the spirit of the conversation in-style.


Show Recap & Black Bass Slam in SC



Segment 4, May 13th, 2023

Special thanks to Alen Baker of the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians & Allyn Morton from Appalachian Trail Days for joining the program this week.

One announcement:
The SCDNR Black Bass Slam is being promoted & celebrated by the state of SC.  The goal is getting people to fish more places in the state while pursuing other species of fish.  The four targets are Largemouth, smallmouth, redeye, & spotted bass.

Participants must email photos of the fish from the side & a pic of themselves with the fish.  Each submission must include date, location, angler contact info & your fishing license number.  This can be sent to SCBassSlam@dnr.sc.gov

Check out this link for more info; Black Bass Slam (sc.gov)

The Carolina Outdoor producer, TJ, thinks that an 8-weight fly rod in Charlotte would be perfect to pursue all four of the black bass species.

Wardrobes for the podcast host are brought to you by the outdoor store in Charlotte, Jesse Brown’s Outdoors.  Bill Bartee was wearing Mountain Khaki pants from Jesse Brown’s along with his Free Fly Shirt in Charlotte & Jesse Brown’s Leather Patch Hat.  His performance underwear? Worn just for this performance & from the other side of the store, the fly shop in Charlotte.


Fly Fishing the Delayed Harvest streams with Dave Bergman



April 29th, 2023, Segment 2

In the early 1990s, North Carolina began the Delayed Harvest program in the western part of the state.  It opened up the streams available to fish for trout.  Trout require cold water due to their gill system & its ability to create oxygen.

Dave Bergman, Lead Fly Fishing Guide & Instructor, at Jesse Brown’s, knows this.  His knowledge has helped hundreds of people learn the sport of fly fishing.

Bergman shares with the listeners of the Carolina Outdoors why this time of year is so good.  May’s warming air temperatures, warm the water temperatures, & enliven the insect activity.  Also, the state stocks the streams & the requirement of catch & release until the first Saturday of June, helps build confidence for people fly fishing.

Learn the biggest challenge for new anglers, along with the different types of new anglers.  We’ll learn about the growth and success of ladies joining the sport & the biggest & smallest fish caught on a fly fishing trip with Jesse Brown’s.

Trips available for booking now.  Pick a date and contact us at jesse@jessebrowns.com or call 704.556.0020