bgcglassworks

I spend a lot of time fishing the highest reaches of this stream, up around 5,000 feet. Up there, it is exactly the kind of Southern Appalachian brook trout water you dream about: cold, tight, steep and full of pockets. On a good day, nearly every piece of holding water seems to have a native brookie waiting in it. Today I decided to explore farther down the mountain, somewhere between roughly 2,500 and 3,000 feet. Below this section, the stream eventually reaches Delayed Harvest water that...

Here I am, sitting in a tent with my wife, my four-year-old daughter, and our two dogs—Trout and River Dog—when my mind starts to wander. I think about what these mountains will look like 20 years from now. I imagine my daughter exploring these same river trails in Western North Carolina as a young adult, full of experience and confidence. But I also wonder: what will the rivers be like? Will they still hold fish? After the family went to bed — I snuck out to photograph undercut banks and...

Southern Appalachian brook trout. Salvelinus fontinalis high above 5,000ft elevation Here we are in the heart of summer, and—as always—there is plenty changing in the rivers. With the warmer weather comes an explosion of insect activity. Tiny gnats and other bugs fill the air, while healthy mayfly hatches are still providing trout with a much larger meal. Trout tend to key in on these bigger, fluttering insects because it is hard to resist an easy mouthful struggling across the...