Trout fishing on general waters is closed from March 01 – April 04.  The best fishing will be on Delayed Harvest sections like the Tuckaseege and Upper Nantahala.  Late March and early April will start bringing steel head, walleye and white bass out of Lake Fontana and up into the tributaries like the Little Tennessee and Tuckaseege.

Beautiful Rainbow Trout on the Nantahala
March is a good time to dry fly fish with Blue Wing Olives, Quill Gordons, March Browns and Adam’s patterns.  For nymphs Copper John’s, Hares Ear’s, Dark Stone Flies and Blue Wing Olive’s.  In general the best time to fish is mid day to early afternoon using dark flies.  Remember that the San Juan Worm, Ugly Bug and Wooly Buggers in black and Olive will still work well in all of the Delayed Harvest Streams.

Fly fishing in western North Carolina