Since it is a remote area, be prepared to arrive with plenty of tackle due to the large number of trees, brush, and other obstructions. He is presently completing a massive treatment on fishing in the waters of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Don't overlook a major feeder, Bone Valley Creek, and the adventurous can find solitude and speckled trout in the uppermost stretches. The amount of advertising on social media portraying Western North Carolina as the fishing capital of the south is not all that it is made out to be during the summer months. North Carolina’s 10 Best Trout Streams 2 hours ago ExclusivelyFly . The ecological history of trout in Western North Carolina has created a relatively diverse fishery as it stands today here in the mountains. Trout need cold water to be happy! I like it for guiding, but there are lots of wild waters for people who want the extra challenge," said Matt Maness, professional fly fishing guide with the Foscoe Fishing Company. Did you know that North Carolina is known for its fishing? They are smaller in size and generally found in tiny streams. Access is easy -- Highway 276 follows the Davidson up to where Looking Glass Creek joins it, and afterward Forest Service Road 475 puts you at streamside. While some are private water, most of the stream mileage is open to the public. Your reel isn’t particularly important in the Smokies as most of your casts are short and very few of the fish are capable of pulling line. The Appalachian chain in North Carolina, running from the southwest corner of the state northward and eastward for the entire length of North Carolina’s boundary with Tennessee, embraces some of the finest trout water east of the Rockies. We have several more catches in the same spot before the trout are onto us, and we wade downstream a bit, this time trying a shallower pocket with slower moving water. Bear Archery's newest bows - Redemption EKO and Legit RTH - are light, adjustable and fast. With over 10 pristine spots to wet a line, North Carolina boasts thousands of miles of trout waters. The Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail is a selection of the best trout waters in Jackson County. The Toe River can be fished year-round, but spring is one of the best times to fish due to the hatches of aquatic insects. There are many public access points, like the ones we used at Valle Crucis Community Park and the Watauga River Gorge Access area. Trout Fishing Tournaments in Cherokee. The picks that follow come totally from first-hand experience. It provides excellent fishing year-round, with both wild and stocked rainbow, brown, and brook trout. The Chattooga River spans the border between Georgia and South Carolina and is notably the best stream in the state. Public Mountain Trout Waters Search. This river is remote and scenic, but that is exactly why some anglers choose it. The upper sections along with Avery Creek, which certainly merits attention, have self-sustaining populations of wild trout. The high elevations cool the melting snow and rain runoff to create ideal trout habitats all the way downstream. Use your Thermometer for Best Trout Fishing. VA. ElevationRange. You can get fly and line recommendations from local bait shops throughout the year depending on when you visit. Sight fishing is very popular in the East Fork and is one of the best ways to catch trout. Use the Public Mountain Trout Waters Search to locate a great new place to fish for trout in the mountains of North Carolina or learn more about the rules and regulations of trout fishing. We use a roll-casting technique to land the fly into a fast current near the bank. You can fish the Davidson River year-round, but the best seasons for trout fishing are fall and spring. He’s also a former Trout Bum of the Week . TN. Go to the top of... 1.02 Acres : $34,900 The secret of North Carolina trout fishing is that the cold water flowing from the mountain streams and rivers creates ideal habitats for the fish to thrive, giving anglers thousands of waterways to navigate. Wild, native and stocked specimens of brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout can be found throughout many of the clear, cold streams in this area. Raven Fork is a pristine freestone stream that flows directly from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This section of North Carolina has an abundance of quality trout streams, many of which pass thru public lands. The trail features waterways of varying sizes and characteristics, from several prime sections on the Tuckaseigee River to creeks like Caney Fork, Panthertown, and Raven Fork and small streams in the county. This tributary of the Tugaloo dances through the Appalachian foothills and flows southwest from North Carolina to become part of the northernmost border between South Carolina and Georgia. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. One other fact worthy of mention is that when Trout Unlimited (TU) chose the top 100 trout streams nationally, the Nantahala River was one of two North Carolina destinations to make the list. Likewise, there are many more miles of fine, albeit smaller, water in the Standing Indian area of the Nantahala's headwaters. There are a number of designated backcountry campsites from the one at Proctor near Hazel Creek's mouth on upstream, and the best way to enjoy this wonderful water is by camping for two or three days. Rainbow trout | Photo Copyright: Justin Costner. Below Avery Creek the stream is regularly stocked by the state, meaning it is more heavily fished but there is also an abundance of trout to catch. All the streams in the park noted above, along with a couple of others, have restrictions on types of lures or involve catch-and-release fishing only. Fly fishing in the forest | Photo Copyright: Justin Chew. State. Camping and fishing go hand in hand in the mountains of North Carolina. Virtually the entire stream is designated as catch-and-release, fly-fishing-only, so readers who are of my dear mom's way of thinking (release to grease) need to turn elsewhere. Otherwise, access is exclusively by shank's mare or horseback (the upper end is closed to horse riders), and the farther you walk from a trailhead the better the fishing. Perhaps that is why the Mitchell River House, located on the banks of the river, was the backdrop for the Hollywood movie The Longest Ride. Asheville, North Carolina. Learn more about two new Elite Archery bows, the Enkore and Remedy, two new broadhead from Slick Trick and a new site from Custom Bow Equipment (CBE). Fly fishing, boat fishing,and pier fishing are all found in NC and only a short distance from Avalon. Best Trout Streams in North Carolina If you found your way to this article expecting me to share my favorite streams, or any streams that I fish, then just go ahead and click somewhere else now. The South Mills River is located in the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County and is close to Asheville and Hendersonville. If you hike into the Smokies, which is just a short journey from Asheville, you will find some of the best mountainside streams to catch large trout. The river is also ideal because of its high elevation and many cold-water feeder creeks coming off the mountains. First, because fishing on the reservation is special in its own right and second, because there are plenty of fish to catch. See also: Best Trout Fishing in Texas (TX). Some of our neighboring states contain great fly fishing trout waters also. Fly fishing in the mountains | Photo Copyright: Justin Chew. It is appealing for several reasons, not the least of them being the fact it is accessible by road only at the upper and lower end (near the Cradle of Forestry and off Highway 280). Users should identify boundaries on the ground before fishing. The Cherokee Fisheries and Wildlife Management stocks these clean mountain waters with nearly 400,000 rainbow, brook and brown trout annually. The Tuckaseegee River rises from a series of high headwater streams northeast of Cashiers, N.C. and flows northwest for more than 50 miles through Jackson County. To get to the trout waters in western North Carolina it is best to fly into Charlotte, rent a car, and drive to the Banner Elk area or Dobson in Surry County. Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. The Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina that surround Asheville are well-known for their many fly fishing streams and creeks with diverse stream conditions, from tiny, plunge-pool headwater streams to broad, open-valley rivers. NE. The South Mills Trail follows the stream virtually its entire length, and there are plenty of attractive camping spots along the way. Any attractor pattern, perhaps fished in tandem with a nymph dropper, should serve you well. The fishing is so good they made a fly fishing trail out of it. We understand that, and want you to fish some great water for fantastic fish and have that stream all to yourselves. The river runs through the Ellicott Wilderness Area. Top Trout Fishing Streams in North Carolina. Since this is the Pisgah National Forest, you don't need a camping permit (you do in the park), and as long as you don't pitch a tent too close to a stream, you can make your home away from home anywhere. It does not take long to attract a hearty brown trout. See also : Michigan Trout Fishing (MI) This giant trail has more than 4,600 miles of streams that are full of wild and stocked rainbow, brown, and brook trout. You can fish the Linville River year-round, but the best time to go is in the fall, when your chances are best for large brown trout. The Davidson River is located near Asheville, with many public access points, and it is close to the interstate. The river has been listed as one of Trout Unlimited best streams and provides the angler with a number of different fishing styles to slow drifting nymphs to larger pools, or dry fly fishing while sight fishing large fish. North Carolina Department of Environment & Natural Resources May 19, 2009 . Looking to expand your fall Chinook fishing repertoire? The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are the first targets for quick access to wild, pristine trout fishing. In this river, you will find small pools combined with long stretches of bank-tight ditches. Nantahala Macon R, BR Open 8 Good Moderate. In the southwestern corner of North Carolina, hundreds of trout-packed streams wind their way through the thick canopy of the Nantahala National Forest and the rugged hills of the Great Smoky Mountains.It’s here that anglers and fly fishing enthusiasts flock to catch rainbow, brook, brown, and even golden and Donaldson trout on the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail. However, from the Bumgardner Bend area on upstream there is reduced activity, and those seeking a day without seeing another fisherman can likely do just that on Left Fork, the Bend, or feeders, such as Indian Creek and Pole Road Creek. Fish are generally stocked in large pools located just off roadway access points, making it an easy way for anglers to try this waterway. Then, too, there's always a chance of making meaningful contact with a really hefty brown trout. Fly fish Elk River's best trout fishing sections. "The Watauga River is great for both beginners and experienced anglers because it is a wide stream and it is hatchery supported. The Davidson River is 40 minutes from Waynesville, NC in the Pisgah National Forest also known as The Land of Waterfalls. "The rig works so well because it gives the trout a choice of two flies, and I believe that even on days when the attractor fly is seldom taken by the fish, it does draw their attention to the natural imitation. You might even catch a native Appalachian brook trout in the headwaters of the upper section. That said, these are my choices, in no particular order of preference, and I'm sticking to them. Making the short list of Virginia's top trout streams is the Jackson River. You may find a quiet new spot and maybe the greatest fish story ever told. Deep Creek and the Bradley Fork are in the The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Chattooga River spans the border between Georgia and South Carolina and is notably the best stream in the state. Tract boundaries and designated portions of streams are not precise, but are approximations of actual locations. One look at a map of Brevard and its immediate surroundings and it’s easy to see why. Spin casting small spinners, spoons and crankbaits can be productive as well. You can pick up a fly fishing trail map at the Jackson County Welcome Center in Sylvia, NC or online at FlyFishingTrail.com. Another quality fishing spot located near Asheville is the Rocky Broad River. The exception is when the aquatic insect hatches bring the fish to the surface to feed, which is easy to assess as you wade in the water. There are many public access points, and the Mitchell River is the closest public trout stream to Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Charlotte, so it offers easy accessibility, especially for anglers coming in from out of town. Take a day trip to Elk River Falls or drive through the scenic Linville Gorge! The trout streams in the Blue Ridge , Appalachian , & Great Smoky mountains of North Carolina from Cherokee to Asheville to Boone host the best fishing streams there are in North Carolina. Today, it's small stoneflies. For more details on his work or to sign up for a free subscription to his monthly e-newsletter, visit www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com . The Appalachian chain in North Carolina, running from the southwest corner of the state northward and eastward for the entire length of North Carolina's boundary with Tennessee, embraces some of the finest trout water east of the Rockies. City. The lower reaches of Deep Creek in the park receive a great deal of fishing pressure, as do the two miles of state water after the stream leaves the park. With 31 public access points, the trail is easy for fly anglers of every skill level to try. With such close access to Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Georgia the fishing possibilities seem endless. My Mitchell River fly fishing guide, Marty Shaffner, walks me across one of many small bridges that cross the smaller sections of the river to fish the pools in shallower waters. Bull Shoals Lake and North Fork River are some of the best for catching trout on the fly. This gives you broader opportunities to try flies like Blue-winged Olives, White Belly or Olive Matuka Sculpin, Light Cahills, and Little Yellow Stoneflies. Like Hazel Creek, it flows into the north shore of Fontana, but it is more distant from boat-launching areas on the opposite side of the lake. Access is strictly by foot in the park portions of the stream, with the Deep Creek Trail following the stream pretty closely most of the time from its beginning until one starts the climb (10-plus miles upstream) away from Right Fork toward Highway 441 hear Clingmans Dome. The lower reaches of the stream, up to a place known locally as The Junction (the site of an old logging railroad turnstile), are accessible from Big Snowbird Creek Road (State Road 1120, which turns to a gravel Forest Service road) a few miles out of Robbinsville. It is a wild trout river, so it is catch-and-release and there are limitations on lures. It requires some wading skill and care, but the fishing is better than in the "off" conditions when moving from one pool to another can be accomplished with ease. Professional Guides . |   North Carolina is a state that is just brimming with fly fishing opportunities in both saltwater and freshwater. One other fact worthy of mention is that when Trout Unlimited (TU) chose the top 100 trout streams nationally, the Nantahala River was one of two North Carolina destinations to make the list. And each of these streams is a springboard for exploring more secluded creeks in the area. SC. 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