Trophy Trout in NC Delayed Harvest Waters.
20 inch brook trout taken from a small creek in McDowell County.
The Delayed Harvest waters around western N.C. have been stocked and there are many opportunities to land trophy trout. I was fortunate to land this brook trout in a delayed harvest creek on a black stonefly pattern. The fish was in a challenging spot since there were fallen trees to the top and sides of the run. I spotted the fish and knew I had one chance to make a good cast without spooking the fish in the crystal clear water. I made the cast and it actually bounced off the fallen tree in the top of the run and landed close to where I wanted it to. The stonefly I was using had two tungsten beads on it so it went straight to the bottom of the run where the trout was holding. As I began to raise my rod, my sighter went straight and I immediately knew it was the big trout because it pulled like a freight train. The fish ran straight for the fallen tree and I prayed the 5x tippet I had on wouldn’t break. Low and behold my tippet held and I was able to land the trophy fish after a fight that seemed like forever.
I have been fly fishing for over ten years now and fishing the delayed harvest creeks and rivers will never get old because of the trophy fish that are stocked in them. Whether your a beginner or experienced fly angler the delayed harvest waters have opportunities at catching the biggest trout of your life. The coolest thing about it is that all delayed harvest water is public water! Contact us today so we can show you the great fishing opportunities we have right here in McDowell County, North Carolina.