Fishing opportunities in and around Black Mountain.

Black Mountain is a quiet, little mountain town that is surrounded by some great fishing opportunities. Within a 15 mile radius of downtown, you can fly fish for wild trout in the Pisgah National Forest or float the French Broad River for smallmouth bass. I will highlight the fishing opportunities below.

Flat Creek

Flat Creek is smaller creek that holds wild rainbow trout below and above Lake Susan. We like to call the fish in this creek “Montrout” because of their close proximity to Montreat College. Approach this creek using a smaller fly rod because it involves some technical, tighter casts than some of the larger creeks and rivers in the area. Late Spring and early summer provides some great dry fly fishing. You can find some great dry fly patterns at One Fly Outfitters which is the local fly shop in downtown Black Mountain. Don’t expect to catch any fish over 10 inches. Most trout will range in the 6-8 inch range. What these fish lack in size, they make up for in their beauty.

Lake Tomahawk

Lake Tomahawk is a lake in Black Mountain that gets stocked with trout and channel catfish certain times of the year. If bank fishing is your thing then this lake would be a good spot for you. Most anglers will fish live bait here, but fishing jigs or soft plastics can be productive on the perch and bass. Pay attention to the local fishing regulations on the lake if you plan to keep anything you catch.

Curtis Creek

Curtis Creek is located 12 miles from downtown Black Mountain and is in the heart of the Pisgah National Forest. There are great fishing opportunities here for stocked trout in the spring, fall, and winter months. The wild trout fishing on the headwaters of Curtis Creek is best during the spring and summer months when the bugs start to hatch. The Catawba Angler has the required permits to take people fishing on Curtis Creek. Curtis Creek has something for everyone whether you are an angler, hiker, biker, or explorer. It is great for beginners looking to learn the sport of fly fishing or experienced anglers looking for some more technical wild trout water.

The wild trout waters on Curtis Creek hold some nice rainbow and brown trout.

Newberry Creek

Newberry is a tributary to Curtis Creek and has an abundant population of wild brook trout. This is a catch and release only creek. A forest service road parallels the creek so access is somewhat easy. The fishing is always better the higher you go, but similar to most higher elevation creeks casting can be tight. If you are looking for solitude and some good trout fishing near Black Mountain this creek is a must.

Joseph McDowell Greenway

This greenway provides great access to the Catawba River in Marion, NC. This stretch provides some great trout fishing in the spring/winter months and bass fishing in the summer. Some of my favorite flies here are wooly buggers and any type of egg pattern will catch fish here. If you want to target bass here try flukes, spooks, and smaller spinnerbaits.

French Broad River

The French Broad River is one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the South. This river is about 15 miles from downtown Black Mountain. The best way to fish the river is by raft, but there are some wading opportunities near Woodfin and Carrier Park.
The smallmouth bass in the French Broad River can range anywhere from 10-20 inches. This river fishes best when it runs somewhat clear. We offer full day and half float trips here so if you want to enjoy some smallmouth fishing on one of the oldest rivers in the world then contact us.

Smallmouth fishing on the French Broad River.

Tuckaseegee River

The Tuckaseegee River is the heaviest stocked trout river in western North Carolina. It’s an hours drive from Black Mountain and provides some excellent float fishing in the spring, fall, and winter months. We offer half and full day floats on this stretch.