Trout Season Opens on the Tuckasegee and Nantahala Rivers and in the Streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
With the coming of Spring brings the highly anticipated “opening day” of trout season. The first Saturday in April was the season opener for hatchery Supported Trout streams in North Carolina. Temperatures were warm and the weather pretty for the weekend, so anglers grabbed their gear and headed to their favorite stretch of water to enjoy the magic of opening day of trout season!
The last Saturday in March is always the season opener for Cherokee’s Trout Season. This year’s season opener in Cherokee was reported one of the best ever seen and every angler that I came into contact with shared the same sentiments. The waters have been stocked with more fish, and bigger fish, than any previous year. Fisheries Manager Robert Blankenship has really breathed a new life into the fishery in Cherokee. Get to Cherokee and see for yourself what you have been missing. You’ll be presently surprised. If yo haven’t tried it yet, the Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only section offers some of the most exciting fly fishing in the country. Landing and releasing trout over 20 inches is a common occurrence.
The Nantahala River above the powerhouse is fishing great right now. Lots of Rainbows and Brown trout are being caught there, and the water levels have become more “angler friendly” as of late. Expect good hatches of Quill Gordons and March Browns mid morning and throughout the afternoon.
The Delayed Harvest section of the Tuckasegee River is fishing well right now. The fish are plentiful and scattered out, so finding a good spot to fish is pretty easy. The water levels still play an important part if you’re planning on wading. Generation schedules have been hard to pinpoint, and have seemingly not followed the posted generation schedule on Duke’s website. So if you’re wading here keep an eye on the water levels.
The streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are warming up and the fish are just starting to take a dry fly. No need to get on the water early, wait until the sun warms things up a bit and plan on spending the afternoon and early evening fishing sporadic hatches of Quill Gordons, March Browns, Tan Caddis, and Blue Quills. Dredge a black or golden Stone Fly nymph through riffles and runs and you’ll be rewarded nicely.
To fish in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you must have either a valid North Carolina or Tennessee fishing license. No license is required to fish in Cherokee Reservation waters, however a tribal permit is required. The cost is $7 per day with a creel limit of ten.
You can purchase a basic North Carolina license for a period of one day, three days or one year. The one-day cost for a resident is $5 (one year is $15); for a non-resident is $10, two days $15, one year $30. If you plan to fish for trout outside the National Park, an additional “trout stamp” is required at a cost of $10. Some of the trout streams are strictly catch-and-release.
Fishing licenses are sold on-line through the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources or may be purchased at Signal Ridge Marina on Hwy 107 across the lake from our luxury lake lodge.
My favorite recipe for cooking fresh caught trout is below. (When I have a “hankering” for fresh trout and no time to prepare it myself, I head over to Happ’s Place Restaurant where chef Kathy serves some of the best trout I’ve ever tasted. Happ’s is located in Glenville on Highway 107 about 7 miles from our vacation rental home. Call ahead for reservations especially on the weekends. 828-743-2266.)
| Pecan Crusted Mountain Trout with Lemon Brown Butter |
| Cook Time: 15 minutes Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients |
| 4 whole rainbow trout, heads removed and all bones removed flour for dredging fish, seasoned with salt and pepper 2 eggs, beaten, seasoned with salt, scant ¼ cup water added 3-4 cups almonds or pecans, finely chopped in food processor(but not pulverized) ½ pound unsalted butter clarified butter or peanut oil to sauté fish with 1 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
| Instructions |
| 1. Dredge flesh side of fish in seasoned flour and shake off excess. 2. Dip floured side of fish into egg wash. 3. Put fish into nut topping flesh side down. Press down on fish to insure a good coating. 4. Refrigerate fish for at least one hour before sautéing. 5. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, and allow it to cook until it becomes nutty brown and fragrant. When the butter stops foaming, that is a clue that it is about to turn into brown butter. Be careful not to burn. It is very easy for the butter to turn into black butter and you do not want this. Removebutter from heat and reserve. 6. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add enough clarified butter or peanut oil to cover the bottom of the sauté pan with a thin film of fat. Add the fish crust side down and allow it to get lightly golden brown. Turn fish over carefully and place the pan in a 350 degree oven to finish cooking the fish, 6-8 minutes. 7. Place the brown butter over low heat. Add lemon juice to taste. Add Parsley and season with salt and pepper. 8. When ready to serve, pour sauce over and around fish. |
Tags: fishing, fly fishing, Nantahala River, trout fishing, trout recipe, trout season