I managed to take advantage of the brief window of nice weather we had this week to have a crash course in Mountain Trout Fishing from my longtime friend and local guide Ollie Smith of Blue Ridge Anglers.
The water was up about a foot from where you would ideally want, and still a little chilly but we were able to snag one rainbow trout in the short time that we were out there.
I myself ,hailing from the coast of North Carolina, grew up fishing although not particularly well. It was a lot of fun to see the difference in the two styles.
We set out from Valle Crucis Park on the Watauga River and used a basic roll cast since there wer
e lots of trees overhead. One thing I learned that’s a pretty important point is that the trout basically sit in one place and face with their mouths open upstream the majority of the time. Therefore, if you get a bite and pull back (like I’m used to doing) you’re just going to pull the hook out of their mouth so ideally you’re going to “set” to either side or downstream if you’re at the right angle. There is just so much to learn about different methods and other intricacies but I think it’s pretty easy to develop a base knowledge and be able to get out there and enjoy yourself. We’re hoping to get out there again in a couple of months so I’ll have to come back with a part 2 to this post once I’ve got a little more knowledge on the subject.
Just keep in mind that fishing up here is complicated because there are about 5 different categories of streams and different rules and regs for all of them. Make sure you have your current fishing license and check the Wildlife Commission Website before you set out.
Above: Pumping the fishes stomach to see what it’s been eating that day and then throwing him back.
Above: Me catching the trout on my own (sort of)!!!
Above: The Fearless Leader
