Fly Fishing

finatic · Posted: Mon 10/19/09 10:22 pm Post subject: Spruce Pine, NC help?

I live in Florida and am heading up to Spruce pine North Carolina to get away from the salt for a few days (just a few though!) and would like some info on streams and stream access around that area.
Any help would be great and I will surely steer you in the right direction if you're ever in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.
thanks,
Jeff Harrell-finatic designs

Matt1515 · Location: Greensboro, NC

Spruce Pines is a good spot to be in. You have a variety of options. You can either west towards Asheville or north east towards Boone. Boone and Banner Elk would be the closest so I'll concentrate more on that general area. If you feel like hiking, Linville Gorge is right there at Spruce Pines. It has a variety of wild streams as well as some stocked sections. I fish alot in Banner Elk. You would take 19E to 221N then left on 184 (there's a McDonalds on the corner). Go three or four miles and you will see a lake on the left. Turn left at the lake and drive to the bottom of the dam. This is a fly only/ catch and release year round stream. I fish this a lot. Lots of pocket water and nice sized fish that have been in there for awhile. This is one of the less pressured but easy access steams. Plus, its very scenic. Another option is to take 105 towards, Boone and fish the Watauga River. You stay on 105 and turn right on Shoals Mill Rd. You will be on a ridge looking down at the stream. Park when you get to the end of the golf course and I usually fish down stream. This is a delayed harvest section. Its pretty pressured but I always catch fish here. This is a good area if you just want to catch fish and not worry about advanced technics or sliding on your belly trying to be stealthy. I have several other options if you're not feeling these.

finatic · Posted: Tue 10/20/09 10:40 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the info. How's the fishing in the Toe river right in Spruce Pine?

Matt1515 · Location: Greensboro, NC

The Toe is great. It used to be a quiet stream that no one ever fished but now, more and more people are going to it. There are two sections, the North and South. You can't go wrong with either.

finatic · Posted: Mon 11/30/09 9:49 pm Post subject:

Matt, thanks for the info. We had a good time fishing in NC and got alot of good info from a local shop in Spruce Pine called Rivers Edge outfitters. Thankfully we found some nice water to fish. Most streams and river water levels were high and murky which led to alternate plans but, it paid off and we caught fish. Each day led to mixed bags of some wild trout but, mostly stockers. On one day I slammed out w/ a brook, rainbow, and brown. Most fish were typical stocked size but, we did find the occasional larger fish. I spent some time working a very large brown I spotted but, never did get him to eat and lost a real big rainbow the following day.
Got a few pics that I will use for reference for a painting. The mountain scenery was great and look forward to going back to take a break from the flat heated lands of florida!
Jeff-finaticdesigns.com

Matt1515 · Location: Greensboro, NC

Excellent! The weather this fall has been tough. Tons of rain, more than I can remember for the months of October and November and the temps have fluxuated day to day. I've guided a lot through the last couple of months and everytime out was a different strategy. Glad you had a good time and enjoyed the mountains. That area is home away from home for me.