The last day of February usually signals the end of winter in the mountains, but Mother Nature doesn’t always consult the calendar. Winter can, and often does, linger long past its scheduled departure date, greedily eating into spring’s precious time.
The only thing certain about the end of February is the closing of state hatchery-supported trout waters and Enterprise Waters on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Trout fishers, however, still have a number of fishing options until trout season opens in both areas — options that include bait fishing.
As has long been the practice, Cherokee Enterprise Waters re-open a week earlier than state hatchery-supported waters. Enterprise Waters open at sunrise on Saturday, March 28; state hatchery-supported waters open at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 4.
Not all Enterprise Waters will be closed, however. Cherokee Fish and Game Management recently designated a 2-mile section of Raven Fork in the Big Cove area as trophy waters, open only to catch-and-release fly fishing. Some of the trout in this section exceed 10 pounds, and the smallest weigh at least two pounds. Fishing in this section is open year-round and requires a special annual permit.
Opening Day on both hatchery-supported streams and Enterprise Waters is a much-anticipated event. The trout are hungry, spread out, and usually fairly easy to catch. It’s put-and-take fishing at its best.
In the meantime, fishers don’t have to stay home tying flies, sharpening hooks, and cleaning their gear. Numerous streams are open year-round, and a few are even open to bait fishing: those designated as wild trout/natural bait waters. Fishing, however, is restricted to a single hook, a minimum-size limit of seven inches, and a daily creel limit of four trout — the same restrictions that apply to wild trout streams. Nineteen streams in seven counties have this special designation.
A few of the better wild trout/natural bait streams are the Chattooga River (from the bridge on SR 1100 to the South Carolina line) and Kimsey Creek in Macon County, Buck Creek in Clay County, and the North Fork of the French Broad River (Game Land portion downstream of SR 1326) and the Thompson River (from SR 1152 to the South Carolina line) in Transylvania County.
Trout fishers also can take advantage of delayed-harvest streams, which were stocked in October and November and will be stocked again this month. The fishing is excellent and the rules are simple: only artificial lures or flies with a single hook may be used, and all trout must be returned to the stream. Delayed-harvest streams are open until sunset on June 5, and then revert to hatchery-supported rules at 6 a.m. Saturday, June 6.
Delayed-harvest waters will be open only to youths under 16 from 6 a.m. to noon on Opening Day, June 6. After noon, streams are open to all fishers.
Three excellent delayed-harvest streams are the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County (from the bridge on N.C. 107 between Sylva and Cullowhee to the dam at Dillsboro), the Nantahala River in Macon County (from Whiteoak Creek to the Nantahala Power and Light powerhouse discharge canal), and the North Mills River (the Game Land portion below the Hendersonville watershed) in Henderson County.
Wild trout waters are open year-round, and fishers may keep up to four trout, seven inches or longer, per day. Fishing is limited to artificial lures and flies with a single hook.
Excellent wild trout streams are Big Snowbird Creek in Graham County (a mix of wild rainbows and browns in the lower section and native brook trout above the first waterfall), Tanasee Creek in Jackson County (an excellent brown trout stream), Whitewater River in Transylvania (primarily rainbow trout), and the South Toe River in Yancey County (from the Game Lands boundary to Clear Creek.) The South Toe is noted for its large brown and rainbow trout.
Other streams are managed under more restricted regulations: catch-and-release fly-fishing only, and catch-and-release artificial flies or lures. Wilson Creek in Avery County and the headwaters of the Tuckasegee River in the Panthertown section of Jackson County are excellent streams in the catch-and-release artificial lures only category. The headwaters of the Tuckasegee hold some of the biggest wild brook trout in the state.
Top streams in the catch-and-release fly-fishing only category are the upper Davidson River in Transylvania County, Lost Cove Creek in Avery County, and the South Toe River in Yancey County (from Black Mountain Recreation Area to the Game Lands boundary.) These streams are noted for trophy-size brown and rainbow trout.
Streams are posted with N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission signs that list stream designation, seasons, creel limits, and lure or bait restrictions.
Additionally, streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and streams along the Blue Ridge Parkway are open year-round under wild-trout regulations. The creel limit in park streams is five fish per day, seven inches or longer.
Recommended flies for late February and March are Blue-Winged Olive, No. 14 and smaller; Blue Dun, No. 12 and smaller; Quill Gordon, No. 12; Hendrickson, No. 16-14; and Olive Midge, No. 20-18, for dry-fly fishing. Preferred nymph patterns are Yellow Stone, No. 12-10; Giant Stone, No. 10-8 (Navy blue with double ridge back for big browns); Hare’s Ear, No. 12-10; Tellico, No. 10; Stick Bait, No. 10; and Coffey’s Stone, No. 10. A No. 10 olive, chartreuse or black Woolly Booger is also good bet.
Depending on the weather, rainbow trout spawn between the end of February and the first of April. For spawning rainbows, use a long leader (at least 12 feet), cast to riffles above a pool and allow the fly to float into the pool. Let the fly drift until it begins pulling in the current, because rainbows often will strike near or at the end of the drift. If fishing with a Caddis pattern, fish it downstream and strip it back through the current for best results.
Early spring is an ideal time to get out on a stream. The fish are hungry, only die-hard fishers will be on the stream, and you can enjoy the first budding of wild ramps, branch lettuce, and other mountain delicacies.
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