A friend takes me fly fishing for trout in the Nantahala National Forest of Jackson County, NC. Watch the vlog on YouTube here.
Fly Fishing for Trout on the Upper Nantahala River
It’s a chilly, misty mountain morning in mid-October and I’m standing outside Rivers Edge Outfitters in Cherokee, NC. It’s 7:30 and we’re waiting to meet our guide for a day of WNC fly fishing for trout on the Upper Nantahala river. I’m a complete newby and am buzzing with anticipation, though I have very little idea of what to expect.
The guide, Eddie, pulls in at 7:45 and we quickly transfer our bags into his truck. He fits us up with waders and boots and we head down US 441 towards the Nantahala National Forest. As Eddie tells us more about himself, we quickly realized we’ve lucked out: Eddie is a junior fly fishing world champion. He now guides part time while studying conservation at Western Carolina University just up the road in Sylva.
Kicking Off the Day on the Side of the Road
It’s 8:15 by the time we pull over on the side of a small two lane road winding through the Nantahala gorge and gear up. The morning air is crisp and the sun is just starting to light up the vibrant fall colors along the western wall of the gorge. Eddie nimbly winds his way down the river bank as I stumble along behind him, mine the clear opposite of his graceful decent.
Eddie gives me a quick overview of what I’m supposed to do and my trout fly fishing adventure begins. I toss the nymph Eddie has rigged up out into the stream and quickly snag my first rock. Eddie unsnags me and a couple of casts later, I’m starting to get the hang of it. It’s not long before I’ve gotten a couple bites, though I’m still struggling to properly set the hook. Turns out fly fishing is a bit harder than it looks! We spend about 45 minutes working up and down the short section of river Eddie has picked out for us. My fishing partner for the day lands a beautiful rainbow trout, but I come up empty handed. Setting the hook is proving to be my weakness.
Landing my First Trout on a Fly
It’s almost 10:30 and we’ve moved farther up the river, passing by a Duke Energy power station that produces the power for upstate region of South Carolina. The sun is higher now, highlighting the beauty of the October fall colors. We’ve been fly fishing for a little over 2 hours and I’ve yet to land a fish. Up the river, Eddie is helping out my friend while I work on casting accurately at the hole he’s pointed out to me. Suddenly, I feel a slight bump on my index finger, resting against the line, and I quickly jerk the rod up. Success! Fish on! Eddie comes roaring down the river, net in hand and whooping loudly. There’s no way we’ll catch any more fish at this spot now. But I’m not thinking about that. Rod tip high in the air, just like Eddie said, I wind the reel frantically, pulling the fish toward Eddie’s waiting net. In the net, the fish looks smaller than I thought, but I’m more excited by the long-awaited success. It’s a wild rainbow trout, only about 5 inches long, but with vibrant yellow and blue bands running along its abdomen. Sadly, we don’t snag a photo, but this trout fly fishing adventure is suddenly much more satisfying.
Chuckling and acknowledging the futile nature of trying to catch fish after the commotion of landing my first trout on a fly, Eddie suggests we head back to the truck and break for lunch. He has roast beef sandwiches and cold beer waiting. Sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.
An Afternoon Fly Fishing the Lower Nantahala
After lunch, we try a couple more spots before heading back in the direction of Cherokee several miles to try out some spots on the lower part of the Nantahala. Eddie promises the trout fly fishing is supposed to be even better on the “Lower” as he calls it, but he warns that the water is much deeper. Instead of water up to our ankles, we’ll be wading in water up past our waists. Doesn’t seem to scary to me, so I’m ready for the challenge.
Casting is much harder in deeper water. Or at least, it proved so on my way out. I didn’t end up catching any fish again until the very end of the day, standing on the bank near a take out for white water kayakers. But still, I was hooked! Expect to hear much more about my fly fishing adventures as things keep going.
Check out Rivers Edge Outfitters
Our guide worked out of Rivers Edge Outfitters in Cherokee, NC. I’ve changed his name to protect his privacy, since I never got permission to publish his name. Rivers Edge took care of us really well on both of our days fishing with them. All of the staff are very knowledgeable about the area, what flies are working that week, and anything else you may need to know. I highly recommend them for any of your Jackson County fly fishing trips.
Parker Outside 