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Before accessing these waters ensure you... 1. Have a valid license. 2. Practice leave no trace. 3. Harvest within limits or Release ethically.
Three species of trout are found in the Wild Trout waters of western North Carolina: the brook, rainbow, and brown, Of these three, only the brook trout is native. Wild browns and wild rainbows are descendants of introduced populations.
"Trout exist at the latitude of North Carolina only by virtue of altitude. An ecologist once advanced a rule of thumb to the effect that essentially the same environment exists 1000 feet straight up as is encountered by going 500 miles to the north. Trout, being a cold water fish, exist at sea level in the general latitude of New England so reversing the rule of thumb one would expect that trout find a congenial environment in North Carolina only at elevations exceeding some 1500 feet. As a matter of fact, this turns out to be a fairly accurate calculation, certainly for a rule of thumb." Frederic F. Fish writing in Trout Fishing Waters of North Carolina, 1971.
Brook Trout
Brook Trout
The brook trout is not likely to be confused with any other species for it is a brilliantly colored fish immediately recognizable by the bright white stripe backed with black along the leading edge of all fins other than the adipose and the dorsal. Their body coloration may be quite variable but usually, the back is a deep olive green strongly motted with darker green or black vermiform markings. The grayish-green sides blend into an orange belly which becomes a bright orange during the spawning season when all body coloration intensifies. The brook trout also has light-colored areas punctuated with numerous vermilion spots each border with bright blue along the sides.. An absolute work of art.
Brown Trout
Brown Trout
The brown trout is perhaps less spectacularly colored but still quite gorgeous. The deep olive brown of the back blends through the brown and gold of the sides, to a buff underside. The upper part of the body from the nose to the tail is marked with heavy and irregular black spots while white halos interspersed with smaller red or light orange patches dot the sides.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow Trout
The background color of the rainbow trout is a deep blue or olive along the back, blending through bluish silver on the sides to a white belly. The name derives from a broad pink to a bright red band extending along the sides from the cheek to the tail. A profuse and sometimes highly irregular pattern of small black spots which is intense along the back extends downward on the sides.
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