As a Canadian fly fisherman myself, I find it quite hard to admit, but there are arguably better fishing spots south of the border.
With places like Jackson’s County Fly Fishing Trail, the brown trout blessed Watauga River and plenty of other rivers, creeks, and streams, North Carolina is quickly becoming a more prevalent fixture on angler’s bucket lists.
The fly fishing in North Carolina may not be quite as renowned as the fishing hot spots of Colorado or the vast national parks in Montana, but there are a growing number of healthy fisheries being protected throughout the state which make for excellent places to cast a line.
In this guide, I’m going to share with you some of the best fly fishing spots in North Carolina including a few more off-track destinations that even local anglers may not have heard of.
The Best Fly Fishing Spots in North Carolina
1. Jackson’s County Fly Fishing Trail
Let’s start with a couple that we introduced in the beginning of this post. As far as fishing in NC goes, the aptly named Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail is a fly anglers’ dream.
The trail brings you past 15 trout streams with over 36 points of public access where you can spot cast at brookies, browns, and rainbow.
Bring along your best waders for fly fishing and your best boots for hiking if you plan to do this trail. There are some wider parts of the river where you’ll utilize the former and some muddy parts of trail where you’ll need the latter!
2. Neuse River
Located just over 11-miles from downtown Raleigh, the Neuse River makes for a great day trip from Raleigh and is an excellent spot for fishing white bass shad in the spring, largemouth bass in the summer or white bass, striped bass, and tailwater trout in the winter.
Most people will tell you that if you want to get some good catches when fly fishing, you’ll need to head to the mountains.
While I agree, the best places to go fly fishing is definitely in the NC mountains, those looking for the best fly fishing spots near Raleigh will find the Neuse River to be your best local go-to.
The Neuse River, especially in Milburnie Park below where the dam used to be, is a great place to find wild trout, as well as smallmouth bass, catfish, crappie and small fish like this.
The guys over at Raleigh Flies put together some well-priced guided fishing packages and they know these waters really well. They can take you out to the Neuse or Tar, Haw, and Cape Fear Rivers. They also do float trips to some of the other spots on this list like Jackson and the Watauga.
You can also often find Fly Fishing Meet Ups in the Raleigh-Durham area. Check out Meetup.com for the latest events.
3. Watauga River
If you want to fish on a river where the trout are healthy and plentiful, then the Watauga River is hard to beat anywhere else in the country, let alone in North Carolina!
Before casting a line here, have a look at the water. The trout can be a bit more finicky here, so look to see if there’s a hatch or if terrestrials are landing on the water.
If there’s activity on the top, use a dry fly and fish topwater. If you scoop the net and see larva, try nymphing or fishing smaller streamers.
Change flies often here and once you find what the fish are feeding on, you’ll likely catch fish after fish.
You can check out the guys at Foscoe Fishing Company in the North Carolina mountains if you want a guide to maximizing your chances of getting the flies and casts just right.
4. The Toe River
The Toe River in Avery County is one of the lesser-known fly fishing destinations in North Carolina, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still one of the best.
This is one of the best trout streams in the state and the fish aren’t spooked as easily, thanks to fewer artificial flies landing on the surface of the river here!
There are rainbow here, but they tend to be a bit smaller, so wild browns are what most anglers are going after. These can be over 20 inches if you get lucky.
The Toe is a year-round fishing destination, but for fly anglers, visit the stocked fisheries on the river in the spring when the fish are starved from winter wait and hatches are prevalent.
5. Blue Ridge & Smoky Mountains
Western North Carolina’s famed Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain ranges tower around the city of Asheville and are teeming with healthy populations of Rainbow, Brook, and Brown trout, as well as small and largemouth bass, Sunfish and Crappie.
This is one of the best year-round destinations for fly fishing in North Carolina with the Nantahala River being a particularly popular spot for trout fishing.
White Oak Creek is a hatchery supported area of the Nantahala River and is along the upper section of the water and goes all the way down to the Duke Energy Power Plant where there are delayed harvest trout waters.
The Lower Nantahala is also a great area for trout fishing but the trout on both portions can be finicky here as well, so change flies often and bring along some midges, crayfish, and shrimp and nymph patterns.
6. Linville River
Last but definitely not least on this list of the best fly fishing in North Carolina is the Linville River which has plenty of stocked trout including browns, rainbows, and brooks. They definitely aren’t as picky of eaters as those found around the Nantahala!
These fish will devour pretty much anything you cast at them as long as it’s well presented.
If you want to land the massive browns that the river is known for, you’ll want to come in the fall, though the Linville can be fished pretty much year-round.
This is another spot where you’ll pretty much need waders as there are some tough spots and the trout can hold in deeper pools that aren’t reachable from shore.
For the easiest access to the Linville, you’ll want to park at the Linville Gorge and hike in from there.
When Is Fishing Season in North Carolina?
The official fishing season in North Carolina is all year-round with no closed seasons. However, you will find that certain fish thrive in certain seasons.
If you’re not picky about what you catch, you can cast your line anytime. You can have just as much luck in November as you might in July, but generally, the larger and more hungry fish are feeding in the Spring and Fall.
Trout is more catchable in March, April, May, October, November.
You should also take note of these regulations, as you can only catch a certain quantity and weight of some species of fish.
Best Flies To Bring Fly Fishing
In some fishing spots in NC, the fish will take pretty much anything. But some flies you’ll definitely want to have in your box include:
- Worm Pattern (Squirmy Worm)
- Girdle Bug
- Micro Spawn
- Pheasant Tail Nymph (PNT)
- Soft Hackle
- Zebra Midge
FAQs About Fly Fishing in NC
Do I need a special license to fly fish in NC?
Most places in North Carolina require you to have a fishing license, but the type of license you get depends on what you are trying to catch and where you are fishing. You can view details about fishing licenses and registration here.
What gear do I need to fly fish in North Carolina?
The gear you bring largely depends on what you’re trying to catch. When it comes to choosing rods, this is solely dependant on what you’re fishing for. As well as this, you should take sunglasses, flies (of course), forceps, nippers, fly floatant, split shot, and wear layered, quick-drying clothing.
Where is the best place to fish for trout in North Carolina?
For trout fishing, I recommend you visit Western North Carolina, particularly around the Great Smoky Mountains region. Other places that are good for trout fishing in NC are Asheville, Cherokee, and the Pisgah National Forest.
In Conclusion
North Carolina fly fishing is exciting and the spots are scenic and at times, challenging, but overall this is still one of the best up-and-coming destinations for anglers in the US.
There aren’t many places where there’s a trail with 15 river systems and dozens of fishing holes where you could literally spend a month or two and not see them all.
From Jackson to Asheville, give yourself time in NC if you’re an angler. Bring your camera and prepare to make some great fishing memories. You won’t be disappointed!
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