Freshwater Fishing
Make a meal of trout
To keep or not to keep a trout is sometimes a question and sometimes a dilemma. […]
Head for the Mountains
Freshwater Fishing
From stem to stern – Three days, three distinct Oconaluftee fisheries
The Oconaluftee River is widely considered one of the top trout streams in North Carolina’s mountains, offering a mix of wild rainbow trout and a smaller population of brown trout in its upper reaches and large stocked trout in the lower section. It is also a rarity in that is has three distinct fisheries. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Sample Cherokee waters for trout fishing
Cherokee Reservation Enterprise Waters are well known as some of the best catch-and-keep trout fisheries in North Carolina’s mountains, offering generous creel limits and heavily stocked streams.
Freshwater Fishing
Beware of rock snot – Unwanted algae shows up in WNC streams
Something nasty this way comes — to paraphrase novelist Ray Bradbury — an alga called “rock snot” that creates carpet-like mats on stream bottoms, smothering aquatic organisms that trout and other fish depend on for sustenance.
Freshwater Fishing
Spring trout are hard to beat
Beginning around the middle of March and continuing through May, brown, rainbow, and brook trout become active and hungry, and mountain anglers enjoy some of the best trout fishing of the year. […]
Freshwater Fishing
A fisher’s primer on flies
Fishers have been fooling trout into taking artificial flies since the days of ancient Macedonia — and probably much longer — and that practice has changed very little in the intervening years. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Don’t you dare delay – Delayed-harvest is a winter angler’s dream
If you want to catch good numbers of trout in the winter, head for a delayed-harvest stream. These streams are heavily stocked in October and November, and fishing remains good throughout the cold months. […]
Freshwater Fishing
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s best streams for fishing
If you like getting away from the crowds, enjoy beautiful surroundings and don’t mind working for your trout, consider heading for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on your next trip to the western end of the state. The park has some great streams, and the best ones are on the North Carolina side.
Freshwater Fishing
Fish with slower presentation during cold spells
Even in the coldest weather, trout have to eat, so don’t stay home just because the mercury drops. Use these tips to catch quality fish during cold spells. […]
Freshwater Fishing
If it’s brown, it’s down
In early October, fall arrives in the mountains with the first dull-red coloring of sourwood, dogwood, and sumac leaves. […]