Head for the Mountains
Catch trout, sleep under the stars
Combining camping and fishing is a great way to make sure you’re as close as possible to your preferred fishing hole. […]
Head for the Mountains
Columns
Delayed harvest: Kids open trout wars
Kids get first crack at opening day of trout season, but they aren’t the only ones who enjoy catching these tasty fish. […]
Head for the Mountains
Three streams that delight the senses
May is an ideal time to head for a mountain stream to target trout. Here are three steams that are excellent fisheries and excellent places to see scenery. […]
Head for the Mountains
Looking for a brown-out
Brown trout aren’t native to the Carolinas, but they thrive throughout certain waters in both states. Anglers shouldn’t be afraid to upsize their lure offerings when targeting browns. […]
Head for the Mountains
Enjoying those beautiful brookies
For thousands of years, brook trout had mountain streams to themselves. Around the turn of the century, however, brook populations began an irreversible decline as widespread logging, railroad construction, agriculture and unregulated fishing exacted heavy tolls on both numbers and habitat. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Cataloochee Creek is a real keeper
Few places exist where you can fish for trout with elk looking over your shoulder, and few streams in western North Carolina contain more brook trout than rainbows or brown trout. Cataloochee Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is such a place. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Don’t get stuck in a fishing rut
Trout anglers in the Carolinas have more options than they could fish in a lifetime, so they shouldn’t get stuck on just one or two streams. Winter is a great time for fishing these waters. They are less crowded, and the trout will still bite enough to make it worth a trip. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Keys to catching more winter trout
The key to successful winter trout fishing is to use more nymphs and fewer dry flies. With fewer hatches coming off, nymphs will be the most-productive flies until spring. The numbers of fish you catch may not be as big, but you’ll likely catch some big trout.
Bass Fishing
Living out a dream
Austin Neary developed a passion for bass fishing when he was four years old, fishing from a boat dock on Lake Wylie near Charlotte, N.C. — a passion fueled by his father’s love for bass fishing.
Freshwater Fishing
Park your tackle at this state park
North Carolina’s state park system stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to mile-high Mount Mitchell, offering a variety of activities, including camping and fishing in most of the parks.
Freshwater Fishing
Streamers are made for September trout
Thunderstorms and showers are as much a part of late summer as huckleberries, fireflies and bobwhites. Although summer storms arrive quickly and usually end just as quickly, even high-gradient mountain streams need a little time to calm down.
Freshwater Fishing
Hazel creek: A trout treasure
No roads lead to one of the most-celebrated trout streams in the East. Isolated, remote, accessible only by boat or foot, Hazel Creek lives up to its reputation as a trout-fishing Mecca. It’s all that everyone says it is, and more.