Fishing on the Nantahala River in Murphy NC

Great Catch Four of the Region’s Best Tailwater Fisheries

By Nick Carter

Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine

March 2022 Edition

Nantahala River North Carolina

The Nantahala River between Murphy and Bryson City is well known for a couple of things: a beautiful stretch of delayed harvest trout water upstream of Nantahala Gorge and whitewater rafting through the gorge. An aspect of the river that’s often overlooked is its excellent tailwater trout fishery.

Ken Kastorff, of Endless River Adventures, will tell you adventurous anglers can have their cake and eat it too. With a raft, it’s possible to fish while running the rapids downstream of the powerhouse. The ride is a thrill, and the fishing is fast-paced and underutilized.

Most of the Natahala’s flow at the tailrace comes out of a pipe. It is drawn from Nantahala Lake and channeled for miles over the mountains to a powerhouse at the top of Natahala Gorge. Water is released into the gorge at a steady 45 degrees, with high levels of oxygen perfect for trout. The tailwater trout fishery spans about eight miles of river running north toward Fontana Lake.

On low water, the tailwater resembles a gurgling mountain stream. During generation, the river is unleashed in a raging torrent. The tailrace is wadeable on low water, and this is when most anglers fish it. But it’s not necessarily the best time to catch fish. Low flows reveals wide, slick pools where trout by the dozens slurp bugs on the surface under clouds of midges or blue-winged olives. It takes delicate presentations and stealthy wading for a fish to even look at your tiny size 18 to 24 fly.

Kastrorff prefers fishing among the whitewater paddlers during water releases, when heavy flows are constricted into a narrow gorge. The fishery is unique, and it’s highly recommended anglers go with a guide. The rapids are mild by whitewater standards, but they can be rough to flip a raft and make a yard sale of your gear. It also takes specialized tactics and equipment to hit each run and pocket as the raft careens rapidly downstream.

With a heavy tandem nymph rig or streamers slung on sinking lines, a pause of just a few seconds results in missed opportunities. Fish diligently, and the action can be outstanding.

The Natahala tailwater is densely populated with a good mix of wild and stocked rainbows and browns, as well as a spattering of brook trout. Typical fish measure from 9 top 15 inches, but the river is known for producing giant 30-plus-inch browns on occasion. The North Carolina state record came from a pool just beneath the powerhouse. It weighed 24 pounds, 10 ounces.

The only drawback to this fishery is all the paddlers. You’ll have to watch your backcast, because every few minutes a flotilla of rafts bearing helmeted tourists or a pack of nose-plugged kayakers rolls through. They’ll inevitably ask, “How’s the fishing?” So be ready with an answer, and know that the boat traffic doesn’t affect the fishing at all.

As Kastorff put it, “It’s a good thing boats don’t spook these fish, or they’d starve.