North Carolina offers some of the best fly fishing in the country. The North Carolina mountains boasts plenty of fisheries that contain wild and stocked trout. Some of the best fly fishing is within a short drive of Asheville, North Carolina. From backcountry experiences to roadside pull offs there are plenty of trout fishing opportunities for the curious angler in North Carolina. I’d like to highlight the four trout species that are available in our public waters.
Brook Trout
The Southern Appalachian Brook Trout is our native fish here in North Carolina. These trout are not stocked and naturally reproduce in the cold water coming off the highest mountain peaks in the east. These fish have been in our creeks since God created the world. These fish thrive in cold mountain creeks that can only be reached by foot. If you are looking to catch these fish find a creek above 3,000 feet and go explore it. There is nothing better than catching one of these native fish using a fly rod. This is the pinnacle of fly fishing in the mountains of North Carolina.
The brook trout directly above is a stocked fish. The state stocks a lot of these fish in the Delayed Harvest streams in the fall and the spring. These fish lack the beauty of the native brook trout but are still pretty fish nonetheless. These fish are prevalent in the 34 creeks and rivers that get stocked across the mountain region of NC.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow Trout are prominent in North Carolina. There are more wild rainbow trout in the wild trout streams than any other species. Rainbow trout are native to the Pacific region, but were introduced to North Carolina around the 1900’s. The logging operations at the turn of the century almost depleted the native brook trout populations so that’s when non-native trout were introduced in NC to help bring back trout populations. The rainbow trout gets confused with the brook trout, but rainbows have a long lateral line on their sides that are pink or red.
North Carolina stocks some very large rainbow trout. The rainbow trout above was caught out of a delayed harvest stretch north of Asheville. The state record rainbow trout in North Carolina weighed over 20 pounds and was caught out of a stream 60 miles from Asheville. Out of all the fish stocked by the state 40% of them are rainbow trout.
Brown Trout
Brown trout are at the top of every anglers list. Brown trout are elusive and considered one of the most difficult trout species to catch. There are some excellent wild brown trout fisheries in North Carolina, but much like the native brook trout streams getting someone to tell you where they are will be hard to accomplish. There is a healthy population of wild brown trout in the Davidson River so that is a good start for most anglers looking to catch one. Brown trout are native to Europe, but were introduced in the 1920’s in alot of the streams in North Carolina. They are the most tolerant trout species and can live in waters upward of 70 degrees.
The brown trout above is a stocked fish. One indicator that it is a stocked fish is that some of its fins are nubs. Most likely the fins were rubbed off during the time this fish was in the holding walls of the hatchery. North Carolina brown trout can get very large and attracts anglers all over the country to try to tango with one.
Tiger Trout
Tiger trout are extremely rare in North Carolina. They are a cross between a brown trout and a brook trout. Tiger trout rarely exceed 8 inches, but what they look in size they make up for with their beauty.
The Catawba Angler offers guided fly fishing trips in Asheville, North Carolina. We offer wade and float trips for the four trout species found in NC. Fly Fishing in North Carolina is one of the best experiences to do when visiting the mountains.