The mountains of North Carolina host some of the best trout fishing in the southeastern United States. Within these mountains, there are a great number of streams, which beckon the fly-fishing enthusiast. Some of the mountain streams necessitate a great deal of fortitude, proficiency and tolerance; still others are so easily accessible that even the less experienced angler may catch a good number of fish. Brown, rainbow and brook trout can be found in these waters giving way to great sport for the fly-fisherman.
Native to northern Europe, the brown trout were brought to the United States in the late 1800’s. Imported from Scotland and Germany, by 1906 they they had been stocked in the streams of the western North Carolina Mountains. Brownies are easily spooked, thus making them rather difficult to catch leaving less opportunity for a stream to be fished out. When it comes to the brown trout, if you make a mistake you might as well move on to the next. Though the brown does well in small swift streams they thrive in larger streams and rivers. Look for them in larger holes in a stream where the water slows. Known as tough fighters, the brown trout will -as a rule- go for the bottom in an attempt to entangle the line seeking to escape the grip of the hook. The brown trout is easily recognized by it’s brownish-yellow coloring and the red, orange and black spots on its sides.
Introduced to the mountainous streams of North Carolina in the 1880’s, the rainbow trout is native to the Sierra Nevada range of mountains in the western United States. While relatively large rainbows are caught in North Carolina’s streams, the average is in the 10 to 14 inch range. The novice trout angler will easily recognize the rainbow trout by the many spots on the body, upper fins and tail as well as the reddish lateral band. Preferring clear, cool, cascading streams and rivers the rainbow unlike its cousin the brown, will tolerate less favorable conditions. The rainbow will usually put on a fantastic aerial show leaping time after time after being hooked.
Known as the speckled trout in the mountains of North Carolina, the brook trout is the only trout native to these mountains. A member of the char family, this fish is only found in the cold water streams of the mountains throughout its range. No stocking is done in the waters that the wild brook trout inhabit and as a result of heavy fishing pressure, the streams have to be carefully monitored. A trophy brook trout would be around 12 inches in length, with the average being between 4 and 8 inches. What they lack in fight they make up for in taste. A native brook trout will have an orange belly, a characteristic not present in the stocked fish until it has been in the water for a considerable time. Distinguished by red spots with blue aureoles on the sides, dark vermiculations (dark wavy lines) on the back and dorsal fin, pink or reddish lower fins edged with white on the leading edge.
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