Western N.C. A Trout Fishing Paradise

Western North Carolina: A Trout Fising Paradise



Fishing paradisePosted in Fly Fishing US | This article was written by siestafred


Western North Carolina: A Trout Fishing paradise

I need to be careful, pretty soon I’m going to run out of superlatives to describe these unbelievable fly fishing trips I’ve been able to enjoy this year. So forgive me, here’s another one that turned out to be simply fantastic.

My wife Linda and I left last Friday AM on our annual trek south to Florida. Only this time, we decided to stop over in Waynesville, N.C. on the way down for three days or so to visit some friends, who have a place there, and to play some golf and do some fly fishing.

Waynesville is located in the extreme western section of NC, just west of Asheville in the middle of the Great Smokey Mountains and the Pisgah National Forest. This area is bounded by Tennessee on the west and by Georgia on the south, and is a true gem. It’s very mountainous and chock-a-block full of lakes and rivers. It’s a bit of a stretch to say it’s ‘hillbilly’ country, but everybody seems to live in a valley, or a ‘gap’, or a ’hollow’, or a ‘cove’. It’s all ‘applewood’ this and ‘smoky’ that, and if you’re a golfer there’s not a flat lie to be had anywhere. Because it’s so beautiful there and because of the elevation (5000-6000 feet or so) it’s become a fashionable summer destination for southerners wanting to escape the heat. The 3 days we were there, it was up to 70F each day, and nice and sunny. The leaves had just peaked too, as you’ll see in the pics.
Now, I’m no dummy, so I did a lot of research to check out the fly fishing in the area before going. The signs were encouraging indeed, because the area boasted up to 15 rivers and 1000 miles of fishable trout water within 50-60 minutes drive from Waynesville. Think about that a minute. We’re talking about an area stretching say, from Toronto to Fergus, Lake Ontario to Orangeville! All these streams and rivers wander and meander hither and yon and all have extensive headwaters, and that’s what adds up to so many miles of fishing. Not only that, there seemed to be a very active trout management program in place and a river, the Davidson, which is rated as one of Trout Unlimited’s top 100 wild trout rivers in the USA!
Ok, so I booked a guide through Davidson River Outfitters, a local fly shop, for Monday AM. Not knowing the area, I was willing to spend the $ to avoid getting lost and/or frustrated, and figuring that on the next day I could go out on my own.
We started out on the French Broad River, which is regularly stocked with brookies. Linda is an occasional fly fisher, so I mostly let her have the guide, a great kid (to me) named Phil who is 21 years old and has been fly fishing since he was 3.
Now, I’m fresh off a great summer catching trout in Ontario, so I just know these brookie stockers are going to jump all over themselves trying to get at my selection of soft hackles and nymphs . I’m fishing my St. Croix Ultra Legend 3 wt, 9’ 4X leader, 24” of 5X and 12” of 6X tippet.
Phil warns me that they have been fished hard, and the only thing hatching this time of year is midges and tiny BWO ’s. Not a prob, says I, wait ‘til they see my ammo. Soooo, Linda basically stands in one spot for 2 hours or so with a rig Phil sets her up with (small PT nymph as a dropper below a pink egg fly beneath an indicator) while I ply my wares up and down the river. She gets 4 fine 9” brookies, and I’m humbled to admit I get only one, plus a few chub. Luck, of course!