Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies 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. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
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
Location
Northwestern North Carolina
Nearest Towns
Robinsville
Season
Year-round except hatchery
supported water is closed during
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 on some warm winter days.
Spring:
Fly fishing Santeetlah Creek during the Springtime is good due to the hatches of aquatic insects..
Summer:
Summertime is okay and when most fishing takes place on Santeetlah Creek – the water stays cool.
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.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
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.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing Santeetlah Creek North Carolina
Santeetlah Creek is another stream in western North Carolina that’s known for its wild brown trout fishing. The stream also has a good population of wild rainbow trout. It’s also called Big Santeetlah Creek by some anglers because there’s also a Little Santeetlah Creek.
The lower section of this stream is stocked. Santeetlah Creek a small stream with several headwater streamsthat flows through Nanthala Game Lands in the Nanthala National Forest. It’s located not far from Robinsiville, North Carolina, and flows into nearby Santeetlah Lake.
The uppermost tributary is Sand Creek. It has a population of mostly small rainbow trout. Down stream from Sand Creek is Whiggs Branch, another small tributary with mostly rainbow trout. Indian Creek is farther downstream in the wild trout section and below it another small stream tributary, Wright Creek. These small tributaries also have mostly rainbows.
There’s also a Little Santeetlah Creek. It flows out of the Joyce Kilmer – Slickrook wilderness Area known more for Big Snowbird Creek than anything. It has a good population of wild, small rainbow trout and the state manages the stream as a wild trout stream. The lower half mile of LIttle Santeetlah Creek can be accessed off Kilmer Road on Forest Service Road #416. It has a trial that follows it from that point upstream. Fly fishing ittle Santeetlah Creek is a lot of fun. You shouldn’t have much trouble catching plenty of small wild, rainbows.
From John’s Branch downstream, the state stocks Santeetlah Creek. It has a population of stocked,holdover and wild trout. There’s about four miles of stocked water that’s above the bridge on Forest Service Road #81. Below the bridge, you have to hike to reach its water. This section has approximately a mile of stocked water.
Upstream, from the confluence of Wright Creek, the stream is followed by Forest Service Road #81-C. This is all managed under wild trout regulations. You can reach the section just above Santeetlah Lake from the Horse Cove and Rattlers Cove Forest Service Campgrounds. These campgrounds are accessible from Kilmer Road but that section is hardly worth fishing.
Several primitive campsites are along the river is you want to choose that option to fish the stream; however, since most all the water can be reached from a road, it isn’t necessary in order to fish its wild trout waters.
Most of the fishing that takes place on Santeetlah Creek is done along the stocked section of the lower stream. The wild trout waters are not pressured very much at all and they provide some very good fishing for brown trout. You will still catch more rainbows as a general rule but there are plenty of beautiful wild brown trout to go along with them. They are just more difficult to catch and especially if you fish dry flies. Of course, you will find the larger browns much more difficult to catch.
Fly fishing the upper part of Santeetlah Creek well justifies a trip to this stream if you are in Western North Carolina.