Fishing in Big Laurel Creek (Hatchery-supported), Madison County, North Carolina
Big Laurel Creek is a hatchery-supported trout stream that begins in the northeast corner of Madison County and flows down a steep and winding mountain valley for approximately 20 miles to its convergence with Laurel River. Its head waters are comprised of Puncheon Fork Branch and Laurel Valley Branch. These two streams begin on Bald Mountain and converge at the Ebbs Chapel Community Center and become Big Laurel Creek.
A number of small branches feed into Big Laurel Creek and add volume to its flow and also provide spawning places for both hatchery bred trout and native stream trout to lay their eggs in the spring and also serve as nursery streams for the fingerling trout that are hatched in them. As these fingerling trout grow they instinctively move down into Big Laurel Creek and become a part of the trout population there. Big Laurel is approximately 12-15 feet wide at Exit 3 on I 26 and grows to 50 to 60 feet wide at its confluence with Laurel River.
Tip: Best stretches of water are between Lewis Branch and Wilde’s Branch and between Wolf Branch and Foster’s Creek. There are places where you can do bank fishing as well as wading.
Tip: Good choice of artificial flies is a generic wet fly with brown tail, olive body, brown hackle, and white wings tied at 90 degrees to the body like a spent dry fly that as fallen into the water.
Directions: Interstate Highway 26 at exit number 3. This exit ramp crosses the head waters of Big Laurel Creek and intersects with US Highway 23. Turning left onto US Highway 23 for approximately 3 tenths of a mile and turning left again onto Big Laurel Road puts you at fishable waters. Big Laurel Road parallels Big Laurel Creek for approximately 9 miles and then leaves the stream and goes on to intersect with NC highway 208 at the community of Belva. Big Laurel flows through a gorge for about 4 miles before emptying into Laurel River about one mile west of Belva..
Disclaimer: Refer to the North Carolina Regulations Digest for the most up-to-date information.
Fishing Roaring Fork & Little Creek in Madison County North Carolina
Meadow Fork (which is located south of the town of Hot Springs) has two tributaries–both of which are hatchery-supported trout streams. Roaring Fork is a small creek that is only about 5 miles long and 6 to 8 feet wide. It is somewhat difficult to fish because of the brush so you have to get in it to fish. The other tributary is Little Creek which is about 2 miles long. The upper end of it has a fair population of small native rainbow trout.
Fishing in Upper Shut-In Creek, Hot Springs, North Carolina
North of the town of Hot Springs, Upper Shut-In Creek is a small hatchery-supported stream (marginal at best) which is approximately 8 miles long and is about 12-15 foot in width.
Tip: Best place to fish is at Mill Pond where there is the biggest pool on the creek. This is about 6/10 of a mile south of the US 25/70 where there is a 8 to 10 foot waterfall.
Madison County Tourism Development Authority, visit www.VisitMadisonCounty.com.