Cullasaja River North Carolina Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: 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
Highlands
Season
Year-round except closed during the
month of March
Access:
Good to none, depending on the
section
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 the Cullasaja River during the Springtime is the best time to fish it due to hatches.
Summer:
Summertime may get a little slow due to water temperature. Make sure it is less than 68 degrees.
Fall:
Fall is a great time to catch a large brown trout
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 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Cullasaja River North Carolina
The very first time Angie and I ever laid eyes on the Cullasaja River, we had never heard of it, yet we were on our way to another stream in North Carolina to fish for trout. We didn’t fish the stream at that time, but we thought it was a beautiful and from its appearance, we thought it probably held trout. We made a point to investigate it in the near future. The stream has several cascades and waterfalls. Its Bridal Veil Falls is formed by a small tributary that enters the Cullasaja River on the opposite side of the highway from the river. It’s unique because you can drive behind, underneath the falls. The next waterfall, Dry Falls, drops about seventy feet into a deep gorge that runs along the highway for seven miles. The final waterfall, which is actually a series of cascades, is over 250 feet high. Of course, as you may well imagine, the stream flows through a very rugged area and is difficult to access in some areas.
The thirteen-mile long Cullasaja River begins at Lake Sequoyah in Highlands North Carolina and flows from there through the Cullasaja River Gorge and finally, into the Little Tennessee River near Franklin. U.S. Highway #64 runs parallel with the river its entire length. The gorge is located on National Forest Land but below the gorge, the river flows through private property. The upper and lower ends of the gorge are difficult to access but the middle area can be accessed from several points along the highway. A Forest Service Campground is located near the middle of the gorge where a bridge crosses the stream.
The two times we have fished this river, we have not seen another person fishing. I’m sure that isn’t the normal case because the stream is stocked by the state and maintained as a hatchery supported stream. Both times we fished the stream was during the Fall season. From the number of wild rainbow trout we caught, we have to wonder why it’s stocked. The state stocks the stream with brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. My guess is that it’s to make the campgrounds more attractive or to satisfy the locals. I’m not sure if either is the case. It may be that it isn’t capable of supporting the required number of trout to satisfy the state. The elevation of Highlands is over 4,000 feet. Much of the water that forms the Cullasaja River is directly exposed to the sun and this may be the problem.
The Cullasaja River has its problems according to the locals we have talked to. Lake Sequoyah is fed with water from another lake and several small streams that flow through areas that have been developed. This causes the water to muddy up fast after a rain. It takes much longer to clear up than a normal forest stream. It has three main tributary streams – Buck Creek, Ellijay Creek and Peek’s Creek, which is the creek that had the horrible flood and mudslide in 2004. This is a case where poorly planned developments have created huge problems with what is a one of a kind, beautiful
mountain stream.
With all the other fine trout streams in this area of North Carolina, I couldn’t say its worth a lot of effort to go out of the way to fish, but for anyone visiting this part of North Carolina, it’s certainly worth fishing. Its a beautiful stream with plenty of wild trout. In fact, we have yet to catch a stocked trout from its waters. It appears that most of the trout that are stocked are placed in areas where they are easily and quickly caught.