Hello everyone,
I wanted to announce that I'll be hosting a Carolina Conclave somewhere in or near the Western North Carolina Smokies April 27-29 2018. I'm still putting details together regarding exact location and further info. Hopefully this is enough notice to get it on your calendars.

Anyone willing to help host and put together details please contact me and I'll add you to the planning committee. And of course, sponsors are welcome too! Please contact me here: http://cbarclayflyrods.com/contact/

This said, and to help answer some questions, I will not be able to work out hosting the Coulee Conclave so I am holding this in place of the Coulee Conclave.

Great news!

That sounds great. Fishing in WNC is usually about perfect that time of year. Looking forward to hearing where you pick for a location.

Have some new stuff to bring also. Maybe this would be a good venue for the roll-out...

Marty

I'll try to make it

I apologize for the silence but I'm glad for the interest!
I'm narrowing in on the location and know it'll be in the Asheville/Hendersonville/Davidson River area. Lots of great water (bigger and smaller) and accomodations there.
As for rods, 6-8' 3-5wts generally speaking. Lots of variety!!

I'd love that, Dave!

Hi Roy (and everyone else), I’ve been delayed in my planning this but am headed to the WNC area tomorrow to finalize some things.
I hope to have a good answer for you soon.

I'd really like to make it down there, and will someday. If all goes as planned, my wife and I will be in Hawaii.

ALRIGHT! Thanks for your patience.
We have been making good progress on details for this shindig.

It'll be just outside of Asheville, NC near the town of Brevard in the Pisgah National Forest.
We'll be HQ'd at Sycamore Flats Picnic Shelter: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/map_of_Sycamore_Flats_Picnic_Shelter/r/campgroundMap.do?page=map&search=site&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=109585

The Davidson River Campground is a great campsite and is very close to Sycamore Flats. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/davidson-river/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70204

Nearby are many other lodging possibilities (make reservations soon to make sure you've got a place to say):
-Brevard/Pisgah Forest Area
https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/brevard/bvdnc/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-US-_-BVDNC
http://thesunsetmotel.com/
http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/north-carolina/hampton-inn-brevard-BVDNCHX/index.html

I'm also working on the possibility of a cluster of cabins nearby and will update that info as soon as possible.

-Airport Area (20 min from location)
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/avlnc-fairfield-inn-asheville-airport/

-Outlet Mall Area (30 min from location)
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Country+Inn+%26+Suites+By+Carlson,+Asheville+at+Asheville+Outlet+Mall,+NC/@35.4961199,-82.6228395,12z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sasheville+airport+hotels!3m4!1s0x88598d9e1af06e37:0xe987ac3214a8aa15!8m2!3d35.5313381!4d-82.6060737

We're working on various raffle items and giveaways from some fly shops and companies. So far we've got some small items and a guide trip and a rod (from me).
There are quite a few breweries and tasty BBQ in the area we're looking for help from as well as so come thirsty!

There is a lot of fishing in the area: delayed harvest, hatchery supported, wild and wary and everything in between in the immediate area. And if you're willing to explore the possibilities are unlimited too! Trophy water at the Davidson River Outfitters as well! I know some guides who'd be willing to take a few guys out too. But like I said above, book early to ensure yourself a spot.

I'll have a registration page up soon. Registration will include a tshirt, raffle ticket, tasty meal saturday night and a casual meet and greet Friday night and hopefully some other goodies too.

Looks to be a 14hr drive from my doorstep...

Chris, you picked the perfect venue for this event. I'm going to try like the dickens to get there at the end of April. If you're coming from other parts of the country or globe, the Davidson is one of the finest streams you'll find in the Southern Appalachians - above average fish size for the area, and Spring brings some of the best dry fly action in this part of the world. There are also some excellent hikes and waterfalls nearby for those less interested in fishing.

If you're lucky, you can catch some live bluegrass at the Oskar Blue's brewery to pair with your Dale's Pale Ale only 10 minutes from some prime spots on the D. I also highly recommend the Davidson River Campground, but make sure you reserve a site soon.

One more thing...there are some excellent brookie streams in the area, the names of which retain a classified status on the internet. I imagine if you bend the right ear at the conclave, someone will point you in the right direction to catch some of our colorful native specks in the high country.

March browns, blue quills, quill gordons, and hendricksons will some of the likely mayfly candidates, depending on conditions. It also doesn't hurt to carry some caddis imitations in tan and gray. Sizes will be 14-18 for the most part.

When I'm not seeing consistent rises or can't identify a steady hatch (usually the majority of the day), I like a dry dropper with an EHC, stimulator, or some kind of irresistible mayfly on top and pheasant tails, copper johns, soft hackle variations, midges, etc. etc. etc. dropped below.

There's a great fly shop on the river a few miles downstream from the Davidson River Campground. I'd recommend stopping in to get up to date reports there.

Davidson fish can be picky with their fly patterns and will only oblige properly matched flies at times, but if you venture out to less pressured wild and brookie water, a well presented parachute Adams or humpy will do the trick.