Welcome to the Boone Adventure Guide’s Best Fly Fishing Adventures section. Below you will find information on fly fishing in the Boone, NC area including wild trout on Wilson Creek tributaries, smallmouth on the New River, delayed harvest sections on the Watauga River, private trophy waters near Boone, and the South Holston Tailwaters.

Wild Trout in Small Streams (Boone & Surrounding Area)

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The majority of trout water in NC is classified as wild trout water and is marked with gold and blue diamond signs.  Single hook artificial lures are required and although not advised, anglers are allowed four fish with none smaller than seven inches.  These streams are quality trout waters and sustain trout through natural reproduction.  Stealth is required to catch fish in these streams due to their wary behavior.  Many of these streams can be found a short distance from Boone on Pisgah National Forest Land and along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Many of the tributaries of Wilson creek are regulated as wild trout water and offer moderate access.

Directions: To access wild trout water in the Pisgah, take Hwy 105 S for 17 miles to turn left onto Hwy 221 N (towards Grandfather Mtn.). Follow for 4.1 miles which will then take you under the BR Parkway and look for Edgemont Rd. on right.  The pavement will quickly turn to gravel.  Continue on Edgemont Rd. and look for designations.  For detailed directions to other streams contact a local guide service.

Smallmouth on the New River (Ashe County)

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For the angler in search of feisty bronzebacks, the New River flowing through Ashe County into Virginia area is one of the nation’s premier free-flowing smallmouth rivers.  This area offers both wade and float opportunities along several sections and presents fishermen with wonderful top-water action during the summer and subsurface patterns work well throughout the spring, summer and fall.  North Carolina and Virginia have a reciprocal license which allows anglers to fish to the confluence of the New and Little Rivers.

Directions from Boone:  Contact local rafting, canoeing or fishing guide services for specific directions to certain sections and water level data.

State Managed Fisheries (Boone & Surrounding Area)

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Boone and the surrounding areas possess several state designated trout waters.  Hatchery supported and delayed harvest streams are stocked regularly by the wildlife commission and offer year-round fishing.  The Watauga River and Wilson Creek are the two primary delayed harvest sections in the area, offering relatively easy access and plenty of fish.  There are several hatchery supported waters including the New River, Howards Creek, Toe River and Dutch Creek.  Hatchery supported designation allows anglers to keep seven fish per day with no size limit and no bait restrictions, while delayed harvest is single hook artificial lure and catch and release from October 1 until the first Saturday in June.  Hatchery supported regulations are effective on delayed harvest streams following opening day in June.

Directions from Boone: To access a delayed harvest section of the Watauga, take Hwy 105 S for 4.8 miles to right on Broadstone Rd./ Hwy 194. Head 2.8 miles to a right into the Valle Crucis Park. To reach the Middle Fork of the New River, take Hwy 321 S towards Blowing Rock, past Tweetsie Railroad on the right and look for gravel pull-offs on the left side of the road.  For detailed directions to other streams contact a local guide service.

Private Trophy Trout Water (Boone)

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The opportunity for the trout of a lifetime can be found just south of Boone.  A small section of fly-fish only, catch and release private water has been managed to guarantee anglers a shot at massive, hook-straightening, leader breaking browns and rainbows.  A guide and rod fee are required to fish this area, but the adrenaline dump from hooking and landing these fish is worth the price of admission.

Directions from Boone: Contact Foscoe Fishing Company for access 828-963-6556.

Float/Wade the S. Holston Tailwaters (Elizabethton)

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The South Holston is well-known for high numbers of wary wild trout as well as trophy browns and rainbows.  Typical techniques call for long, light tippets and small flies presented with flawless drifts.  Anglers should ALWAYS check the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) generation schedule to avoid dangerous wading situations caused by rapidly rising water.  If generation does occur, fishermen should float the river with a local guide.  A Tennessee fishing license is required to fish these waters.

Directions from Boone: Take Hwy 105 S for 12.9 miles to right onto Hwy 184, then left in 4.2 miles in Banner Elk on NC 194. In 6.9 miles turn right onto US 19 E and continue for 29.8 miles to Elizabethton. Pass through town to a right onto Bunker Hill Rd. which turns into Chinquapin Grove Rd. then veer right onto Rock Hold Rd./Hwy 44 with access points on the left.