South Mills 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)
Brown Trout (wild)
Size
medium
Location
Western North Carolina
Nearest Towns
Ashville
Season
Year-round
Access:
Good but hiking required to reach it
Non-Resident License
State of North Carolina
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Season:
The season runs year-round
Winter:
Trout can be caught on warm days during the winter.
Spring:
Spring is the best time for fly fishing the South Mills
River because of its hatches.
Summer:
Summertime is okay but some of the water can get too
warm for good fishing on the hottest days.
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 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing South Mills River North Carolina
Fly fishing the South Mills River requires some hiking to access its remote waters. The river begins just below the Blue Ridge Parkway near Ashville, North Carolina. It’s a tributary of the French Broad River. The South Mills River is listed in Trout Unlimited’s “Guide to America’s Best 100 Trout Streams” Book. Its trout are all wild brown and rainbow trout and the state of North Carolina, manages it under its “wild trout” regulations.
This area is a popular hiking, horseback, mountain biking, camping and hunting area as well as a fly fishing destination. The lower part of the stream flows through private property. The South Mills River has one major tributary, Bradley Creek which is also a good wild trout stream to fish.
The South Mills River runs for about twelve miles through Pisgah National Forest land. It can be accessed from several points but basically, it amounts to the lower end of the stream that’s on public land, or its upper end near the Forestry Discovery Center. You
can access the stream from the lower end from the Turkey Pen Gap Trailhead at the end of the Forest Service Road #297 which is off Highway 280. You can also access it from the end of Forest Service Road #476 in the Pink Beds area. You have to ford the stream several times (or use suspension bridges) through its entire length. There are other ways to access the stream but they require long hikes. You wouldn’t get very far during high water. The trail is also a very popular horseback riding trail and that takes its toll on parts of the trail.
The stream consist of one deep pool after another, all at the ends of relatively short lunges. The decline of the stream is moderate and the trail is fairly easy to hike due to the relatively declination. It has both wild rainbow trout and wild brown trout that grow rather large. The trout probably average about eight inches but they get much larger. Only single-hook artificial lures/flies are permitted on the South Mills River.
Bradley Creek is also managed as a wild trout stream and it flows entirely on public land. About three miles of its uppermost waters can be easily accessed from Forest Service Road #1206 and about three miles must be reached by hiking. Trails follow its entire length. Fly fishing Bradley Creek produces mostly rainbows.
This stream flows through evergreen trees and mountain laurel. There are several small waterfalls and cascades along the way. You will find most of the rainbows in the fast water plunges and short runs. The browns hide in the deep pools and in crevices
underneath boulders and rocks. The trout stay active during the hot summer because the stream stays well oxygenated.
The South Mills River has an aquatic insect population consist of a large diversity of insects but only a few of them exist in large quantities. As with any small stream
with wild brown trout, the larger brown trout are difficult to fool. They tend to hide throughout the day and feed only during periods of low light conditions. The rainbows
are easier to approach because they tend to hide under the fast water surface turbulence. None of them are easily fooled and you must make sure you’re not spotted.