Nantahala River Fishing

Saturday, 12 May 2007

The Nantahala River is famous all over the world for its exciting white water adventures, and is truly a place that exemplifies a great trout territory. The Nantahala is actually included on the United Stated top 100 rivers by Trout Unlimited. It has been discussed in articles features in various fishing magazines such as the North Carolina Sportsman, Trout Magazine among many others.

Nantahala River is one of the finest and most diverse fisheries in all of South Eastern United States. Here is where you can locate and fish species of different kinds, all in the same river.

From the choked headwaters of Mountain Laurel which is teeming with rainbow trout, to a very grand tailwater supporting a population of meanest brown trout in the state of North Carolina, the river definitely has the right kind of fish for every taste. The Nantahala River just above the power house is where Delayed Harvest section is located. This place is a favorite among many trout anglers because of great fishing action that’s offered the whole year round. It also has a high population of fish. You may catch numerous wild trout as well as stocked trout. Definitely the fishing excitement in this section of the Nantahala River is endless.

The brow and rainbow trout in the river usually take a great variety of forage, but they eat mainly crustaceans, insects, leeches, snails and other types of small fish that is available. All species of trout can be opportunistic eaters, which means anything such as a minnow or worm is perceived always by the trout as a favorite food.

Nantahala River trout prefer the water temperatures of 50 degrees to about 64 and enjoy swimming in the river’s cool and clear waters. They spawn during the spring season, which is usually the period of March to May.

Below the power house the Nantahala River changes once again to a very impressive and exciting tailwater fishery. This is the wild portion of the river where you can enjoy the endless, world-class white water kayaking and rafting. The fishing is likewise great all days of the year in this river section, even during the months of summer when too much rafting takes place.

The Nantahala in this section has lots of deep pools, a great number of runs and riffles and a good population of large trout. In fact, the North Carolina record for the largest brown trout came from this section of the river, with the fish weighing over 24 pounds. The Nantahala River is definitely your place to visit for some nice fishing in Western North Carolina.

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