pigeon

The Pigeon river below Waterville Lake is a classic southeast fishery that provides epic float fishing opportunities for smallmouth bass. If you enjoy casting popping bugs tight to rocky banks or stripping baitfish flies through fast riffles for explosive strikes, the Pigeon is the river for you.

While smallmouth are our target species on the Pigeon, it is not unusual to catch a variety of other fish on any given day including; walleye, freshwater drum, and large rainbow trout. The river below Waterville Lake is a tailwater with the flows managed by Duke Energy.

When the generators are on, fast sink tip lines and weighted baitfish patterns are the ticket for fly anglers while conventional fisherman might use deep diving crankbaits, chatterbaits and soft plastics. When the generators are off, a well fished popper or gurgler style fly is all that is necessary. A large presence of damselflies on the Pigeon make blue and red poppers colors of choice.

The Pigeon river is best fished during the late spring through the fall.