Linville 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
medium
Location
Western North Carolina
Nearest Towns
Linville
Season
Year-round except closed during the
month of March
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of North Carolina
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Season:
The season runs year-round
Winter:
Trout can be caught most days of the winter
Spring:
Spring is the best time for fly fishing the Linville River
due to the hatches.
Summer:
Summertime is okay – the water in the gorge stays cool.
Fall:
Fall is the best time for big browns in the lower section.
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 Linville River North Carolina
Linville River is considered one of the state’s better trout streams by some anglers. It is also quite different from many other North Carolina trout streams in some ways. The uppermost part of the Linville River starts close to Linville Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the little community of Crossnore. Fly fishing the Linville river is best during the Spring and Fall months.
The first odd thing you may notice about the Linville River is that instead of being the typical fast flowing, headwater stream, it flows only moderately in its upper sections. It meanders along as if it were going to stop; however, its upper waters are located at a high elevation and the water still stays well oxygenated. In that sense, it’s more like a Western alpine headwater stream than an Appalachian mountain headwater stream. It runs right along state highway #105 to Linville and then continues flowing moderately along U. S.
highway #221 to Crossnore.
The Linville River is small to medium size stream in the Crosnore area with plenty of water. From Crossnore, it flows onto National Park property at the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville Falls. Although the stream has plenty of wild trout, it’s stocked by the state. I guess this is primarily because of its easy access. Even when the stream gets on the park service property, it’s still stocked by the state of North Carolina. I would do well as a wild trout stream in my opinion.
About three miles downstream from its intersection with the Blue Ridge Parkway, the stream flows into the Linville Gorge Wilderness. The falls and 1100 acres around them are owned by the National Park Service. There is a visitors center and several trails that lead to various observation points of the falls and gorge.
The Linville Gorge changes things drastically. The river declines over 1800 feet in elevation in just a few short miles. It flows over Linville Falls and becomes a fast and turbulent stream downstream from the base of the falls. At least the easy road side access goes away. Its about a 1400 foot change in elevation from the ridge to the stream, so getting in and out of the canyon isn’t easy. The river can be accessed by a few very steep Forest
Service trails but it’s very difficult to fish the river on a day trip. Once in the gorge, or canyon would be a better word, the Linviille Gorge Trail follows the stream through the entire length of the canyon.
This section of the Linville River has deep plunge pools and large brown trout. The state still stocks this section of the river, but at least they use fingerlings. I’m sure they don’t use them to make the trout grow up to be more like a streambed trout. They do it because its much easier. I would be interesting in knowing how many fingerlings actually make it, if that is still the current practice.
It wouldn’t be a good idea for anyone to fish this area by themselves. It would be difficult to get out in an emergency situation. As just mentioned, it is also very difficult to get into the canyon, fish any length of time, and get back out the same day. The canyon section is
approximately fifteen miles long. Near the end of the Gorge the river flows into Lake James.
Another weird thing about the Linville River is the two dams. The dam at Lake James and another one on the Catawba River. That would be normal except there’s only one lake. The two original lakes merged into one after a flood and all the water is released through the
Linville Dam. That makes it a full size tailwater large enough that it can be fished from a boat. The tailwater section is also difficult to access in most areas and its difficult to impossible to wade, for that matter. It’s also stocked by the state of North Carolina.
In my opinion, the best thing going for this stream is the Linville River Gorge. If it were not for that, I guess there would corn cans stowed every few feet up and down the river. Although the gorge is a very tough area to fish, it is the only thing saving a beautiful, wild river. Fly fishing the Linville River in the gorge isn’t easy, but it is well worth the effort to do it.