north carolina fly fishing

Classic Fly-Fishing Story: “The Lesson”

Written by: Michael Doty


Merrill Tode and her Dad, Keith, proudly display her first trout. (See their story here.)
Photo by Keith Tode

[Michael Doty posted this story to the Orvis Facebook page out of the blue, and I enjoyed it so much that I asked if we could post it here. I’m sure you’ll find it as rewarding as I did.]

Sometimes you see angels in the strangest places. It was April 4, 2015, and I had gotten onto the North Mills River in North Carolina about mid-morning, along with several hundred other. . .

Read More

Video: “Homecoming” in the Southeast

Parker Smith–who lives right on the Madison downstream of Quake Lake–sent in this cool video from a trip back to his native South Carolina, where he made the most of his time. From. . .

Read More

5 Things to Know About Fly-Fishing for Bonito in the Carolinas


The Atlantic bonito is a blast to catch on a fly rod.
Photos by Capt. Gordon Churchill

It’s not bonita. Atlantic bonito are not the fish that anglers farther south call bonita; those are actually false albacore. But we are talking about the same fish that guys in the Northeast. . .

Read More

Photos: Zen and the Art of Brook Trout


Wild brook trout are well worth the hike in to headwaters streams.
All photos by Mike Jennette

Reader Mike Jennette caught this sweet, 9.5-inch wild brook trout last month in Mitchell County, North Carolina. He was casting a size 10 Olive Woolly Bugger in a crystal-clear, . . .

Read More

Photos: A Solo Brook-Trout Journey in GSMNP


They do not grow large, but Southern Appalachian brookies are stunning.
Photos by Damon Bungard

Recent Trout Bum of the Week Damon Bungard sent in these great images from a recent hiking trip into Great Smoky Mountains National Park in western North Carolina in search of brook. . .

Read More

Video: Birthday Browns, Part II

This is a horribly misnamed video, as there are more rainbows than browns on display, but it still offers a great look at a fun day on North Carolina’s Davidson River. (Actually, it’s a. . .

Read More

Video: False Albacore off Morehead City, NC

Here’s a cool video from North Carolina that really captures the run-and-gun nature about fishing for false albacore during the fall blitz. The schools of fish come to the surface and then. . .

Read More