[henchman]

So my son and I braved the crowds on sat for kids morning on Helton creek the first day after the delayed harvest ended. We weren't going to keep any anyway but went just for the fun of the catch and new they'd be all over it if we used live bait (worms). We caught 11 Browns and rainbows between 6 and 10 am the first four being from 6:00 until about 6:30. All of them were in the 12-14" range. We did see some others catch a few that were larger and those got kept by them. By 10am the crowds ran us off. We came back at around 2 so I could catch a few and they were few and far between. I did manage a brown and a rainbow that were in the same range. Although it was crowded it was still worth it and was a good time. Caught multiple suckers and some with some weird horns. Thanks to the Ncangler members who answered my questions about this.

We we also tried big horse creek DH in Lansing for a little while with no luck.

We stopped by stone mountain on the way home and tried the DH section with no luck there but saw a guy catch a nice 15"-16" on what he called his homemade dough bait. I hadn't thought about that for trout. I'll have to do some googling about that.

Has as anyone fished the bullhead and rich mountain "fish for fun" streams? Is it worth doing? Cost is $22/day which is probably a drop in the bucket after I've spent so much on other fly gear but thought it might be a good place to go later in the summer and there might still be some fish there since it is catch and release only.

 

[cardsfan]

Im sure you will hear the same from others, Bullhead is not what it was 20 years ago. Not worth the investment IMO. Glad you got your son on some trout!

 

[BrushCreek]

Quick note... Those trout that aren't rainbows are brook trout...
Congratulations to your son...I know how much fun it is to fish with your kids. My daughter will never forget her first trout, and that set the stage for a lifetime love of fishing in the mountains. BTW... The dough the guy was talking about was "powerbait" trout dough which you can buy at Cabela's, bass pro, and likely at Walmart. It works as well or better than worms. If I'm taking kids (other than my daughter) to catch and keep stocked streams and I want them to get a tug early before they lose confidences/interest, that's what I have them use.... I have them roll about 1/2 a pea sized amount around a #14 barbless hook (totally covering the hook) in the shape of a little worm/caterpillar, and then a pea sized split shot 18" above the hook. Have them cast it out, let it sink to the bottom and very slowly retrieve.... If there are trout in the water, they'll catch them. I like the small barbless hooks because they are easy to remove to release the fish.

there are too many free streams in NC to consider paying to fish.

once I got my daughter hooked on fly fishing and blue lining for stream bred trout, she swore off the spinning gear. She caught a big one this year on a fly she tied over the winter.... It was awesome.

 

[henchman]

Thanks for catching that about the Brook. I thought it might be but wasn't sure. That was our first Brook trout then and I guess we got lucky that we took a good pic because we didn't take a pic of every one.

I had had some power pro in my bag just in case and didn't use it. The guy I saw claimed he had a homemade recipe for something like it that he has used for years ( and obviously didn't share it with me...).

Thanks is for the advice about stone mountain. I'm glad I took the time to ask before making a long trip and hitting the pay part only to be disappointed. We've caught some other trout in NC in the past few years but never this many at once. Fly fishing is a lot more challenging for sure.

 

[Dash]

I did Bullhead a few years ago and didn't even see a trout. Not saying there weren't any in there, but I didn't even spot one let alone get one to bite.

 

[Dash]

And congrats on a good day, Henchman. Go back during DH in the fall and have a blast when there's no one around. I took my nephew there spinning reel fishing with trout magnets right around Christmas and we caught over 40 fish in a few hours. Got him hooked on trout fishing.

 

[BrushCreek]

I'm not sure why anyone would make their own powerbait trout dough???? The stuff you buy works like magic and practically takes the fun and challenge out of fishing. I'm just glad that you can't use it outside of the hatchery supported streams or we wouldn't have any fish left to fish for. If you're looking to quickly fill the cooler, it's the ticket. I've heard that the normal powerbait trout bait/dough isn't biodegradable. The gulp is biodegradable if that matters to you.

 

[Chiefly Fly'n]

good place to go later in the summer

I certainly agree that the cost of fishing Bullhead etc is not worth the money....even though I feel confident that some wild fish are there. There are plenty of other free options for both wild and stocked fish.

For summer planning, it is well worth becoming familiar with the stocking plans and schedules that are posted on ncwildlife.org. In one area you can find the annual stocking plan month by month for all the designated streams. Now they have added the weekly stocking plans....so you can see, in advance, which week a particular stream will be stocked.

Many folks are often surprised to learn that some of the more popular DH streams will get one on more stockings in mid-summer....under Hatchery Supported regs...

And, in many of our higher elevation streams, even in very populated areas, there is a population of wild trout in addition to the stocked fish being added. A little exploration and investigation can result in decent trout fishing... And on several of these, the more popular/easier accessed sections for bank fishermen may be devoid of fish...but a few yards up or down stream you may find trout just waiting on wading anglers to find them....

 

[wademaster]

A little exploration and investigation can result in decent trout fishing... And on several of these, the more popular/easier accessed sections for bank fishermen may be devoid of fish...but a few yards up or down stream you may find trout just waiting on wading anglers to find them....

I'll attest to this. Put a little work into it. You'll almost always be rewarded. Even where there isn't fish....there's fish. Amazing.

 

[Dylar]

I'm not sure why anyone would make their own powerbait trout dough???? The stuff you buy works like magic and practically takes the fun and challenge out of fishing. I'm just glad that you can't use it outside of the hatchery supported streams or we wouldn't have any fish left to fish for. If you're looking to quickly fill the cooler, it's the ticket. I've heard that the normal powerbait trout bait/dough isn't biodegradable. The gulp is biodegradable if that matters to you.

Powerbait isn't nearly as effective on wild fish or stockers who have been in long enough to be feeding naturally in the creeks. Gulp is another story.

 

[stripes]

Ditto, there are a few summer fish in Stone Mt., and the warden told me that it is stocked just not nearly as heavily. I fished a section of the east prong last weekend. To my dismay I discovered that some enterprising individuals had constructed a rather large stone dam right below an obvious stocking location to prevent the fish from moving downstream. This effectively isolates about a 1/4 mile section of stream, maybe a little more. Could be netting, at the very least it's BS. It sure ain't a swimming hole based on the evidence that I saw. I emailed two Wilkes County wardens yesterday to see what the deal was. No word as of yet. Stay tuned.

 

[Reelpure]

Probably somebody's swimming hole. the park rangers ride up and down the road by the stream all day long. looks like they would have noticed something

 

[Dash]

Was it inside the park or down on the HS portion?

 

[shaggist]

We went to Bullhead this spring and fished sections 3 & 4. I have fished NC trout streams for over 40 years and know what to look for to spot fish. Not only did we never get a strike, I never saw a trout of any size, including minnows. The stream is not being maintained as it was supposed to be, with all the fish gone, and I, for one, will never go again. I had been several times in the distant past and it was superb, but not anymore. Don't bother wasting your money and your time.

 

[Troutgirl]

....and some with some weird horns....

That looks like a Stoneroller....many folks call them Hornyheads. I have a friend who catches 'em for bait. He claims that the 3-5 inch ones are one of Smallmouths favorite foods.