[piano intro] - [Paul] I tell you.

We moved into this faster water.

There are fish stacked in here.

And like you said, right at the boat.

Did you see them come up?

- [Michael] Yeah.

That's a good one.

- [Paul] I stopped it.

Oo yeah!

And he just rolled on it.

Like a big piece of aluminum foil floating in the water all of a sudden.

Look how many in there chasing him.

Tell you what.

You get them in this current.

- [Michael] They don't want to come in do they?

- [Paul] There must be 30 more fish with him.

Look at 'em chasing him.

[light instrumental music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ - [Male Announcer] The "Carolina Outdoor Journal" is brought to you by: - [Female Announcer] "Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine."

- [Male Announcer]: And by EZ Bait & Tackle.

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We fish from fresh to saltwater.

We provide fishing supplies and advice to every type of angler.

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And by contributions from PBS North Carolina viewers like you.

- Hello, welcome to the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

Well today's program's going to take us up to the mountains of North Carolina.

- That's right John.

We're going to fish a new area that we haven't fished before and with a new guide, Michael Yelton.

Based at Lake Lure and we're going to actually be fishing one of the tributaries that feeds the lake, the Rocky Broad River right at the mouth where it comes into the lake, that's where we're fishing today.

Fishing for white bass and this is, actually, the first white bass show we've ever filmed and so we went up in the spring and Michael showed us how to do it using fly rods and playing with the weather.

The morning we did the show, the afternoon before they had some thunderstorms up in the higher elevations and so it was really on that fine line whether we were going to have clear enough water and the water temperature, too, can play into it as you'll see but we caught fish.

- [John] Anytime you mention fly rod, that always makes your time special.

- Yeah, they'll go back and talk about what they used and the flies that they used that day.

Using little Clousers that Michael ties and he'll go into that.

- [John] And we've got a recipe today with scallops and pasta salad.

- [Joe] Yeah again, a real tasty recipe from Donna, a little different representational scallops and anybody that likes scallops, pay attention.

- All right, let's head out to the mountains of North Carolina today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- [Paul] Well good morning Michael.

I go to tell you, I haven't been this excited about a fishing trip for a long time.

White bass on a spring morning, Lake Lure, it doesn't get any better than this.

I haven't fished for these fish in 15 years since I was in Texas.

So tell me what we're looking forward to today.

- [Michael] We're going to be headed right up here.

We got Chimney Rock right here in the background.

We're going to be heading up into Rocky Broad River.

We're going to be catching the white bass as they move up to the river to spawn.

We're going to be using seven weight fly rods, strippin' streamers and just kind of banging the banks as we go up there and try to find 'em.

- So a variety of different fly's and the fish have been up in here and you've been catching these fish for what?

The last week or so?

- Yep, yep.

- And they're making their actual spawning run up the river?

- [Michael] Yep, this is the main tributary that dumps into Lake Lure and so that's what we're doin' today.

- Well let's get on it.

You know, we're both avid fly casters and instructors and this is our passion.

So what better fish than white bass?

Let's do it.

- Let's do it.

- All right man.

Oh that was a good hit.

We have gotten up to a pretty shallow.

Water's a little dingy but I think that white-- - [Michael] Oh that's a Bluegill.

- [Paul] Big Bluegill.

Well if you're going to catch Bluegill, that's not a bad Bluegill to catch right there.

It's a pretty monster Bluegill.

- Yeah, they're fun on a fly rod.

- Every thing's fun on a fly rod.

He is fat.

(water splashes) Let's get a whitey.

He hit it like a white bass should have.

(Michael laughs) - [Michael] I keep doin' that same thing.

- That's a pretty good blue though.

- [Michael] Oh yeah, a monster.

- I wasn't expecting that.

He hit it on the fall.

Like you said, I slowed it down a little.

That seemed to do the trick.

I've seen multiple fish.

- [Michael] Yeah, I think it's just the clarity you know?

- We know they're here 'cause we've seen how many floatin' around and rootin' around.

- [Michael] Keep 'em tight, keep 'em tight.

- [Paul] Keep it tight.

Right up in that shadow line.

Like you said, you let it fall then get that strip goin'.

That's a better one.

There you go.

Nothing pulls like a fish with stripes.

- A big slaver.

- A big slaver is right.

Gettin' a little bigger.

Now that's a nice white bass.

Texas size I like to say.

- [Michael] A little football.

- [Paul] It is, you let it drop right off of that thing or that drop off there and he whacked it.

He's got some love marks on him as well.

- [Michael] Yep, where he's rubbin' that sandy bottom.

(water splashes) Go get big buddy.

Good job Paul.

- [Paul] Gettin' bigger.

Thank you man, you're puttin' us on 'em.

I tell you, we moved into this faster water, there are fish stacked in here and like you said, right at the boat.

Did you see them come up?

- [Michael] Yeah, that's a good one.

- [Paul] I mean I stopped it.

Oh yeah and he just rolled on it.

Like a big piece of aluminum foil floatin' in the water all of a sudden.

Look how many in there chasin' him.

Tell you what, you get them in this current.

- [Michael] They don't want to come in do they?

- [Paul] There must be 30 more fish with him.

Look at 'em chasing him.

I don't want to lose him in that current.

- [Michael] Yeah you lip him.

- (grunts) That is one serious white bass.

- [Michael] That's a slab.

What we call a slab.

- [Paul] That is the slab of the day.

(Michael laughs) The fact that I just saw 30 more in there like that.

(Michael laughs) (water splashes) - Fantastic, whoo.

This is a mixture of big brown trout up in the current.

Streamer fishin' for 'em.

Michael, we were talking about, you run a lot of trips out on the main lake in the summertime with poppers and what not for bass but this fishery up in the river system is pretty short lived.

- [Michael] Yep, you get a spring run, they come up, they'll spawn so you can catch them comin' in and comin' out and it really depends on the clarity and the water conditions.

Like last year, I had a couple of good days and then boom, it rained and rained two days straight, blew it out, this river turned chocolate milk and that was it.

And that was all she wrote for that time.

So, it just depends on what the conditions give you.

- So it's not that the fish aren't here it's just a matter they can't see the fly.

For fly fishing obviously, things need to be optimized.

- They've got to be able to see that fly to eat it.

- [Michael] You can all ready see it's clearing up.

Up in here, this is how it usually is down there but it just.

- [Paul] It won't take long.

Like I said, a lot of these-- - [Michael] There he is.

Strip, strip, strip, strip, strip.

- [Paul] You know the last one I stopped-- - [Michael] Yeah, yeah, and just let it.

They'll eat it on that and a real light take just a (slurp) they about suck it in you know?

- You let that sink a little bit with that line and get it on the swing and they hit it at the, kind of a classic-- - [Michael] Oh look at 'em running with them.

- [Paul] Look at 'em runnin'.

They do pull especially if you give them a little bit of current.

- [Michael] Yeah, another slag, whoo.

(laughs) - And that's not going to get old.

(water splashes) - [Michael] (laughs) Well done Paul.

- [Paul] Thank you.

We need to get you up here and get one.

(lively music) These fish were originally stocked in Lake Lure, I don't know the exact date but it's been years.

Obviously now, based on what we're seeing, these fish spawn and they're able to sustain they're populations.

- [Michael] Yep and this is the main tributary.

There's some other smaller tributaries where they run up as well.

Like little creeks that they'll come up.

You'll see 'em up in there.

It safeguards the species as well.

- [Paul] Again on the swing.

Wow again, on the swing.

Little marabou clouser, white bass.

Just killin' it in there.

One after another man.

That is unreal whoo and no one else here.

(water splashes) - [Michael] Good job Paul.

Paul bring that fly in, I want to change fly's real quick.

I'm gonna show 'em a different color.

- Well there's a little bit of murkiness, that white was doin' the trick, what do you got?

- Yeah we're going to try a little chartreuse.

And see if they can see that green a little better.

- I don't want to see a pigtail at the end of this so tie a good knot.

- Blame the guy if it comes off you know?

- I'm never on this end of things so I'm absolutely blaming you.

(Michael laughs) We don't tie bad knots do we?

- [Michael] Never.

- Never, it's always the client's fault.

Man, get a little bit of current and a little bit of fish make for a good fly rod day.

- Good fish.

- Yeah, it's funny how you got to really vary that retrieve.

I mean there's so many different ways to catch 'em, you know what I mean?

- Yeah.

- It's the dead drip, the burn it, the up stream-- - Yep, being proactive you know?

- [Paul] Yeah you got to definitely do explore with your retrieves and your casting styles.

- Paul, let me take a picture of that one.

(camera clicks) - There you go.

Couple of good shots.

(camera clicks) If you notice Michael, with their mouth, they're a striped bass and hybrids have two soft toothy patches where the white bass only has one.

Is that I remember somebody telling me that the way to identify them when you're fishin' for all three is they can look very similar.

- [Michael] Oh yeah.

- But that one tooth versus two is the key.

- [Michael] Good fish.

I actually tied some flies that just like with a hot chartreuse B and a hot collar you know?

Just white wooly boogers basically.

Tied some like that and we were catching them all night too.

As we ease down just target, kind of quarter that bank.

There you go.

- [Paul] Put it on that swing?

That seems to be the ticket right there.

That hole there.

- [Michael] Paul, check out all those monarch butterflies over there.

- [Paul] They look like they're at the local watering hole over there.

I mean, there's thousands of them over there.

That's pretty cool.

- [Michael] It's amazing they go that far.

- [Paul] Without a GPS.

- Yeah.

(laughs) - Oh there we go.

Now this fish here.

- He's a little spunky.

- Spunky, a big old female.

A bunch of males were chasing him.

- [Michael] Oh good fish, Paul.

- [Paul] That's good white bass.

- He's a little heavier fish.

- I usually mouth 'em.

It makes it family friendly fish.

- [Michael] Right in that current huh?

- Yeah, that's the first one we've caught up in that current.

I was so distracted by the butterfly's.

(laughs) That was a little different there coming across right out of that trough like you mentioned and he just came out of nowhere across that little flat and whacked it.

- [Michael] That's a good fish.

- [Paul] That is a good one.

- Boy they pull good don't they Paul?

-They do.

And they hit good.

I mean there's no mistaking the hit of a white bass.

Nose down, got all his buddies with him.

(laughs) That's another nice one.

Don't hook me, there we go.

Little football.

- Yep, beautiful fish.

- Good stuff, really good stuff.

(water splashes) - Good job.

Get that rock now yeah.

- [Paul] You just keep pointing out where to go, I'll do it.

That one was on the flat.

- I knew we were going by 'em this morning but it's just a little dingy cool you know?

- [Paul] This water has significantly cleared up.

- [Michael] See now it's 62 degrees, water temp.

- That was the technique that you had said to me when we started today about lettin' 'em chase it down, stop it, start it right at the boat.

He's a good one too.

In water that clear you can see these things so much easier than you could this morning.

It's way down there, there we go.

Need to take a picture of this one, what do you think?

- [Michael] Yeah, let's take a picture.

- Let me get my phone out.

- Joe tell me about the conditions that day.

- Well conditions played into it.

We started the morning with the water clarity a little off and the water temperature a little cooler than Michael likes to fish with these white bass and as the morning progressed, we saw clarity improve and the temperature came up and the fishing actually improved and we ended up catching some fish and having a relatively good morning fishing out of a flats boat and people noticed that.

It is kind of out of place in those conditions but Michael fishes that a lot, he knows how to navigate it and he put us right in there where the fish were.

- All right, let's go to school, let's go to gear time.

(lively music) - Well Michael this day on Lake Lures turned out to be fantastic.

We started out a little bit slow but we had some muddier water and we had water temperatures of 60 degrees.

As the day went on, we found some clear water up the Rocky Broad.

We could see these fish.

Water temperature was pushin' 63 degrees.

Those one or two degrees difference made a huge factor for us today and we really were able to put a lot of fish in the boat on the fly.

Any time we can do that, that's a fabulous day so.

What fly's do you recommend for the white bass?

You got to be a little flexible obviously, out here.

- So when we did come across that dingier water, I went with the white marabou clouser just 'cause it's more visible.

I like to make mine about, you're lookin' about inch and a 1/2 long, small dumbbell eyes, we've got something else.

Henry Cowan's pattern, great pattern.

- Yeah we used this more in the clear water.

- Yeah, that's grey/white with a little pink tuft behind it.

And then the chartreuse, dingy water again, deep holes, the chartreuse always seems to work.

- As far as our rod goes, we really didn't need anything crazy.

We had a standard seven weight fly rod and we were using an intermediate line.

Even though we talked about sinking lines but something that gets under the surface of it.

Intermediate was just enough.

- And you know with that intermediate, you can always do a five second count down.

You can always vary that so if you find a deeper spot and you need to get down, just do a longer countdown.

That's what I always seem to do.

My leader here, I've got about a eight 1/2, nine foot leader.

I'm goin' 20 pound chameleon, maximum chameleon and I go 15 pound fluorocarbon down to 12 pound.

And that's plenty enough.

You know, if you get refusals, you can always taper it down to 10 or whatever.

- So with this setup with the intermediate line, I mean you have some flexibility options like we just talked about because we don't know, the water may get a little bit cleaner, a little bit dirtier so, this is an ideal setup for the river.

It's been fantastic man.

Let's get out there and get a few more as the sun comes out.

- Good deal, sounds good.

- Michael thank you for that valuable information and a great day of fishing.

His number's down on the screen if you'd like to give them a call and spend the day with Michael in the mountains of North Carolina.

Now Donna's got a recipe today.

It's got scallops and pasta salad.

Let's catch up with her in the kitchen.

(lively music) - Hey, today in the kitchen we're making a scalloped pasta salad and this is a wonderful dish.

It goes together quick and easy like most of my recipes but it's a little twist on a basic pasta salad.

So we're going to go ahead.

We have our pasta that's all ready cooked al dente and is still warm in a bowl.

Then we're going to make our topping, our dressing that we're going to use.

We're going to use some lime juice, or lemon juice which ever you might have.

We're going to add some olive oil, some garlic and some Dijon mustard and if you'd like, I have some coarse Cajun Dijon mustard that my son likes so it adds a little bit more heat to it and that's always fun.

So you can use what you have.

We're going to use some mayonnaise and some grated Parmesan cheese.

And this just all stirs together.

You can add a little salt or pepper if you'd like to it.

We're going to add a little pepper to this.

We're just going to give that a good stir.

Then set that aside and you're ready to go.

It will look like this when you're finished.

So we have one that's all ready done.

Then I'm going to top my pasta with it or dress my pasta.

I'm just going to give it a toss.

Your pasta is going to still be warm so it's going to help wilt your, we're going to use some kale in this so it will help wilt that kale just a little bit and make it a little bit more palatable sometimes.

So we've got our pasta salad all ready mixed.

Then I did a kale mix, so I did some kale, I did some baby spinach and some other greens.

You can just buy this in a container so you don't have to spend a lot of time chopping your kale and that kind of thing.

Some people don't like kale, it's a little bit too harsh for them I think or a little bitter.

So this gives you a nice mixture.

Then we're just going to take our pasta and toss this with our greens and then set that aside and let the greens kind of wilt a little bit.

We're going to toss in a few radishes to this, add a little color.

You can slice them or I just quartered mine.

While that's just cooking just a little bit or wilting, we're going to sear our scallops.

We have some scallops in a cast iron skillet.

We're just going to sear those about three minutes on each side until they're nice and golden brown.

We're going to top those onto our salad and then you're ready to serve this.

You're going to get this nice flavor, this greens with a little bit of bitterness to 'em which is really great.

The sweetness of the scallops and then the yum of the pasta.

So it's gonna be a great dish.

You can serve this warm or you can serve it chilled, it's a great left overs.

So you can serve it chilled the next day which is great too.

So I hope you enjoy the scallop pasta salad and I look forward to seeing you next time here on Simple Cooking.

- As always, another great recipe from Donna.

Let's go back to the mountains of North Carolina Joe.

- Yep, it was a really good day on the water.

Considering we really didn't know when we woke up that morning if the river was going to be clear enough to fish.

One of the problems when you have thunderstorms in the afternoon before and higher elevations on the river like that, the conditions can change and lucky for us they didn't.

The water temperature came up and the fish were active but we had a lot of fun in a really, really pretty area of the mountains.

If you've never been in that Lake Lure area, the Rocky Broad River, go up and give it a shot.

Michael's been fishin' up there for a number of years and quite good at it and the white bass, like I said, we had never caught white bass on the show before so it was really new for us and a lot of fun.

- Just another good day in North Carolina.

- You got it.

- For Joe Albea, I'm John Moore.

Thanks for joining us today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- [Male Announcer]: Make sure to visit our website for more information.

The Carolina Outdoor Journal is brought to you by: - [Female Announcer]: "Wildlife in North Carolina" magazine.

- [Male Announcer]: And by EZ Bait & Tackle.

Family owned and operated.

We fish from fresh to saltwater.

We provide fishing supplies and advice to every type of angler.

For all your fishing needs, EZ Bait & Tackle.

And by contributions from PBS North Carolina viewers like you.

[light instrumental music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪