I am new to fly fishing, and have been in NC for about two years. I looked on the interactive map on the NC wildlife website to locate fishing streams/creeks for fly fishing but I am having trouble understanding certain things...
When I look and see the creeks and such listed as wild trout or hatchery supported, where am I allowed to access these? Are all the ones listed on there public use, or is it just listed on there for the people who own the property there to know regulations? How do you differentiate between onces you are allowed to access publicly or not?
I am basically trying to figure out where I am allowed to go and try different creeks/rivers to explore different places.
Hatchery supported streams usually follow roads and access points are mostly obvious pull offs on the roadside. Any landowner bordering the hatchery supported stream that doesn't want you on their land will post against trespass. This can be with signs or paint on trees. Hatchery trucks will usually not stock the stream near posted areas to help avoid user conflict with owners. Look for the green signs that designate the water as hatchery supported as they are likely access points. No stream is the same. Some hatchery streams are bordered by national forest or game lands and are more public in nature. Trout fishing is a part of life for the landowner on a hatchery stream. I always try to be courteous and respectful and pick up any trash left by others. If you have any doubts just strike up a conversation with a landowner and ask permission to access the stream. They can at least point you in the right direction. Many wild trout streams will be on public lands in national forests etc. I know of one wild trout stream locally that runs through many miles of private property and there are no roadside pull offs. This one you have to secure permission from a landowner for parking and stream access. Otherwise it is a very long wade upstream. Sometimes hurdles to access are rewarded with excellent fishing. Use the interactive map to identify a stream you want to check out. Use google earth to get a better idea of what to expect in terms of access. Then travel to the area , explore, and have fun. Don't forget to cross reference the stocking data for streams you are interested in. Some hatchery supported streams receive thousands of fish annually, others very few. Streams that get more fish or have a longer stocking season will have more holdovers through the winter. Don't forget that most hatchery streams close for the month of march. Time to focus on wild trout, delayed harvest, or undesignated waters. I scout for fishing areas on winter afternoons when I have cabin fever, and I often catch holdover trout in the process. Most importantly I find the premium spots that I want to hit when the season is at its peak.
Thank you. So wherever you park/access you can just wade up or downstream as much as you want in/along the creek? Are the wild trout streams still worth fishing? Also how do you differentiate the ones getting thousands of fish stocked vs not many? Does it show anywhere how much each one gets? Thanks!
If the stream is designated fishable and it's within the lawful season you'll be fine as long as it's not posted against trespassing. Many streams are public in some areas and off-limits in others.
There is a lot of options where to go in WNC. The Davidson from just upstream of Davidson river Outfitters in Brevard is all stocked waters and several miles upstream its fly fishing only catch and release. No private property to worry about there. Mills river, has stocked put and take, flyfishing only and delayed harvest. There is some private property access issues on some of it. There is several branches of the Mills to fish. The upper Swannanoa is right behind my house, a lot of it goes untouched, get away from the easy access areas and you will find lots of rarely fished waters and some surprisingly nice sized trout. You can access it from my house if you would like. If you want to catch some nice Browns and Smallmouth the Green river is great, just don't go if it has rained hard recently, muddies up fast.There is a flyfishing only area on it too. The upper French Broad around Bozman has Trout, Smallmouth and you could even hook into a Muskie. If it has a green Trout stream designation you can fish it, just look at the rules according to the type of green signs. There is so many options of places to go, add the Natahala, Tuckasegee, Linville and loads of smaller streams. It would be hard to cover them all in one season.
Thomas, meet us tomorrow, Tuesday the 3rd, morning at Fish Top on the Green River at 10:00 and help us stock some fish. Not only will you find places to access the river you can see where we put the big ones in.
I am also fairly new to fly fishing and was trying to find some waters in the Old Fort/Black Mountain area. I just joined the forum today. This is great information sharing in this thread! Thanks for sharing!
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