By Ken Kastorff
With the onset to summer, delayed harvest streams are open to catch and keep, and warmer weather will bring warm water to most of Western North Carolina streams and rivers. While it will get harder to find quality trout fishing escapes, trout anglers can still find some good fishing opportunities in our area by going up higher in the surrounding mountains. Heading into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and fishing upper reaches of Deep Creek, Nolan Creek, Forney Creek, or Hassel Creek will give the die-hard trout angler some great summer options.
There is one exception to these smaller, sometimes hard to get to, streams for outstanding summer trout angling – and that is the Nantahala River. The Nantahala River is unique to the area due to the consistent, 50-degree year round water temperatures. It is an outstanding trout fishery and has been referred to as one of the top 100 trout steams in the United States. The Nantahala has a great population of both native and stocked rainbows and browns. Two state record brown trout have come from its waters. Two years ago, I had a guest catch a brown that would have easily been another state record if we had kept and registered the fish. We released this 34 inch beautiful female brown back into the river. I hope she will produce many more just like her.
The Nantahala River has a fixed release schedule each day of the week. Early morning and late in the afternoon/evening, the river levels will drop and it is possible to wade fish. On normal days from 9:00 am till 5:00-6:00 pm, the river will have too much water flowing in it for most fly anglers to wade safely. This is prime fishing time! I catch far more fish on trips during the power generation release than any other time. Hands down, the best way to fish the river at that time is to do a float trip. A float trip gives the angler the opportunity to cover lots more water. It is the most enjoyable way to fish the river. There are a couple of Forest Service licensed outfitters that offer float trips on the Nantahala. Commercial trips must be licensed in order to legally fish the river. This helps make sure that there are not too many boats fishing the river on a given day, thus providing a much better quality trip. Guides have to have a minimum number of trips on the river and also must have first aid and CPR training, and be insured.
The tailwater section of the Nantahala River is eight miles long. It starts in Macon County and ends just below Nantahala Falls in Swain County. The river drops almost 30 feet per mile ,which is much more than most tailwater streams. If you are planning to fish it, definitely remember your supply of split shot or tie some special weighted flies. This is nymph-fishing paradise. It is a challenge to fish the fast deep, water here. This is by far my favorite guide trip as it gives me an opportunity to show both new and experience fly anglers different techniques on how to fish this kind of fast water.
While the Nantahala is a popular rafting river, with a good guide at the oars, you will not have any trouble catching a good days worth of beautiful rainbows and, an occasion, large brown. The trout are so accustomed to the river traffic that it is not unusual to catch fish out from under a passing raft. The river fishes very well all summer long. Later in August, weekday traffic drops off once school starts and that is the same time the brown trout will start moving. In late August and September, an Angler can have a morning of great nymph fishing and follow up with an afternoon of outstanding dry fly fishing. During the peak of the summer season, the only day we try not to book trips on the Nantahala are on Saturdays.
Saturday’s are a great time to check out some fun smallmouth fishing on the Little Tennessee. That is the other preferred summer angling destination in our area. Here again, it pays to float the river. You will get the opportunity to get off of the beaten path and cover a lot more of the river. You will find small mouth, spotted bass, red eye and brim. This is a wonderful float through spectacular country.
More about the Little Tennessee in next month’s edition of The Angler Magazine WNC.
Ken Kastorff is a Guide and the Owner of Endless River Adventures. To book a guided trip near The Nantahala Gorge or The Cheoah River, give him a call.