Best Flies for Davidson River (North Carolina)

What's hatching now

Month, insect, size, and pattern from the Davidson River hatch chart. August is highlighted when that month exists in the chart. We do not invent a hatch that is not on the chart.

Nymphs

Subsurface patterns matched to this river's chart and catalog. Fish them at the size the chart lists, not the size that looks good in the bin.

Emerger

Spotlight Emerger

A modern emerger pattern with a bright foam post for visibility and a sparse body that hangs in the film. The

Size #14

Nymph

Tungsten Soft Hackle Hare's Ear

Old Dominion Trout Bum's tungsten-bead jig take on the soft hackle hare's ear — a euro-style emerger with a CD

Sizes #14–#18

Emerger

Sparkle Pupa

Gary LaFontaine's Sparkle Pupa uses Antron yarn to trap air bubbles around the body, imitating the gas bubble

Size #12

Nymph

Flashback Hare's Ear

The Flashback variant adds a strip of pearl tinsel over the wing case of the classic Hare's Ear, providing fla

Sizes #12–#18

Soft Hackle Carrot

A hare's-ear-bodied nymph with a fluorescent-orange Glo Brite rib, CDC hackle, and a shrimp-pink ice-dub colla

Sizes #12–#18

Nymph

Nymph

Squirrel Nymph

Dave Whitlock's Squirrel Nymph uses fox squirrel body hair and tail as dubbing for a buggy, all-purpose nymph.

Sizes #10–#16

Nymph

Beadhead Caddis Pupa

This simple caddis pupa imitation features a dubbed body with a contrasting thorax and a soft hackle collar su

Sizes #12–#18

Nymph

Mop Fly

The Mop Fly — made from a strip of chenille mop material on a jig hook — is the most controversial and undenia

Sizes #10–#14

Dries

Dries and terrestrials for the Davidson River. If the chart says a size 18 PMD, do not start with a 12.

BWO Sparkle Dun

Craig Mathews design. Z-lon shuck, deer hair wing. Size 18-20 for spring BWOs.

Size #14

Dry

Dry

BWO Parachute

The BWO Parachute is a specific-color Adams variant tied to match the ubiquitous Blue-Winged Olive mayfly hatc

Size #16

Dry

Sparkle Dun

Craig Mathews' Sparkle Dun combines a deer hair fan wing with a Z-lon trailing shuck, bridging the gap between

Size #14

Dry

Elk Hair Caddis

Al Troth's Elk Hair Caddis is the definitive adult caddis imitation. The palmered hackle body and tent-shaped

Sizes #12–#18

Dry

Stimulator

Randall Kaufmann's Stimulator is a large, buoyant attractor dry fly that suggests adult stoneflies, caddis, an

Size #8

Dry

Blue Dun

One of the oldest and most storied dry fly patterns in the history of fly fishing, dating back centuries in Br

Size #14

Dry

Blue-Winged Olive Comparadun

The Comparadun's deer hair fan wing sits flush in the film, presenting a realistic mayfly silhouette that tail

Size #16

Dry

CDC Blue-Winged Olive

A CDC-winged BWO that rides perfectly in the surface film with no floatant needed. The natural oils in CDC fea

Size #18

Dry

Sulphur Dun

The Sulphur Dun imitates Ephemerella dorothea and E. invaria, the signature evening hatch on eastern and midwe

Size #14

Streamers

Streamers and wets for stained water, banks, and low light. This is not a claim that streamers are "on" today.

Wet

Partridge and Green

The green silk-bodied companion to the Partridge and Orange, this soft hackle wet fly imitates emerging caddis

Size #12

Setup

4X and 5X cover most nymphing. 4X on dries until the fish get picky, then 5X. A 3.0–3.8mm tungsten on the point and a lighter dropper is a default until you see the water. Tight-line the near bank and the heads of pockets. Use an indicator only when you need to search water you cannot euro.

FAQ

What flies work on the Davidson River?

Start with BWO Sparkle Dun and BWO Parachute, then match size to the hatch chart for the month you are standing in. The Davidson River does not need a 40-pattern box. It needs the right size on the insect that is actually in the drift.

When is the best time to fly fish the Davidson River?

The editorial window we list is April, May, June, September, October, November. That is a planning month range, not a guarantee. Shoulder months can fish well if flows and water temperature cooperate.

Do I need a guide on the Davidson River?

North Carolina has walk-up wade water and, on some sections, float water. A guide is worth it for a first float or a technical tailwater. A hatch chart and a gauge are enough for a first wade if you already nymph. We list local guides and shops on this page when we have them.

Where can I see live flow for the Davidson River?

Open the Davidson River river page for the USGS gauge, access notes, and the same hatch chart this fly list is built from. We do not publish other people's spots or fish counts.

Is this a report of what's working now on the Davidson River?

No. Executive Angler does not publish other anglers' catches, GPS, or a crowdsourced hot fly. This page is hatch-chart patterns plus catalog flies. Presence on the river page is gauge and weather only.

Related