Wilson Creek North Carolina Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies:
04/14/24 Conditions remain good. Stream levels are near a normal level and the water clear. The upper wild trout section is in good shape. Good hatches of Blue-winged olives, Blue Quills, Quill Gordons, little Brown stoneflies and little Black Caddis are taking place. Hendricksons/Red Quills should start anytime now.
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Rainbow Trout (wild and stocked with
holdovers)
Brown Trout (wild and stocked with
holdovers)
Size
Small to Medium
Location
Northwestern North Carolina
Nearest Towns
Edgemont
Season
Year-round except hatchery
supported water is closed during
March
Access:
Good in most areas
Non-Resident License
State of North Carolina
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Season:
The season runs year-round
Winter:
Trout can be caught on most warm winter days.
Spring:
Fly fishing Wilson Creek during the Springtime is good
due to the hatches of aquatic insects..
Summer:
Summertime is okay in the headwaters.
Fall:
Fall is a beautiful time to fish this stream
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing Wilson Creek North Carolina
Wilson Creek, a tributary of the Johns River, flows from its headwaters on Grandfather Mountain near the Blue Ridge Parkway above Edgemont, North Carolina. It is a National Wild and Scenic River. The creek flows through several different sections of private and public lands. For purposes of fly fishing, there are two basic sections. Fly fishing Wilson Creek in the Wilson Creek Gorge area, and fly fishing the upper Wilson Creek headwaters.
The lower section in the gorge is just over two miles long. Just above the gorge is more public water mixed in with private sections of the stream. The lower end of the gorge section ends at the Brown Mountain Beach Campground. The creek in this section is rather large, with deep pools and short sections of riffles. It’s heavily stocked by the state. Ralph Winchester Road follows the creek through the gorge up to state highway #90 but access is not exactly easy. The road runs high above the water and you have to follow steep trails down to the stream. Above the gorge, there’s another mile plus of public access mixed in with private property.
Fly fishing Wilson Creek in its headwaters where the stream is managed as wild trout water is well worth the effort. It’s fly fishing only, single hook artificial – catch and release regulations. It has a good population of both wild rainbows and brown trout. There are some brook trout in its uppermost headwaters.
The upper part of Wilson Creek is more typical of the small to medium size freestone mountain trout stream with runs, riffles, plunges and short pools. The only problem with this section of Wilson Creek, if you want to consider it a problem, is access. You have to hike to reach any of its water although it can be reached in one area with about a half-mile hike. Downstream of Forest Service Road #192, Forest Service Trail 258 follows the creek through the public lands but reaching its fishable waters can require a long hike depending on where it’s accessed. You should have a map for sure because the trails that reach the creek are rather complicated.
There are other small tributary streams in the area such as Buck Timber Creek and Cary Flat Branch. The trails range in length from a half mile to three miles from the trailhead to the stream depending on which one or combination of trails you select. Although Wilson Creek is a little difficult to access in its upper parts, it’s well worth fishing. It’s lightly pressured and it seems to have a good population of trout.
Wilson Creek also has a “Delayed Harvest Section” that runs for three and a half miles from the game land boundary downstream of the Lost Cove Creek bridge on state highway #90 and follows state road #1328 to the Phillips Branch bridge. This has become a very popular area to fish. It’s heavily stocked with rainbows, brook trout and brown trout.
There are two other main tributaries of Wilson Creek – North and South Harper Creeks and Lost Cove Creek. Both of these streams and their tributaries are large enough to warrant their own article. Lost Cove Creek is an excellent small wild trout stream. These streams will be covered separately from Wilson Creek in the near future.