North Carolina Spring Trout Extravaganza

PLEASE READ: This trip is extremely popular so sign up now to show if you are seriously interested. We will need a deposit of $150 by 1/25/2019. We have secured the Red Bridge Lodge again this year as well as three, two person cottages up the street and feel we can accommodate up to 20 people.

For the past 18 years I have left KY and traveled south to TN for an extended weekend of fly fishing the Great Smokey Mountains National park. We have always stayed at my dad’s cabin in Cosby TN. The last several trips we have found ourselves spending a great deal of time in Hot Springs North Carolina. We have fished Spring Creek, Shelton Laurel Creek and Big Laurel Creek again this year we have actually booked reservations at an awesome house that sleeps up to 12 & is located right on Spring Creek, called the Red Bridge Lodge. This will be a great centralized location for us to venture out to explore and fish anywhere we want, even Nantahala is a possible day trip. The cost for the lodging will be divided among the attendees of the trip. I will work out ride share etc. but expect to pay your portion of the gas down and back. We will also cook most of the meals, so we will also have a grocery expense. The trip will probably cost your around $200 – $250 depending on # of people attending, the house will sleep up to 12-14 people and the cottages will sleep another 6 people, so I will cap this trip at 20.

Over the 18 years I have fished with several members of various skill set and some have actually started making this annual pilgrimage with me. Outstanding members such as John Branam, Don Becher, Jack Randall, Tom Bader, Tim Guilfoile, Wayne Noakes, Mo Cecil, Ron Kilmer, Jerald Benson, Tom Smith, Charlie & Sheila Meyer and even Chris VanDyke all have been on this trip. I would highly recommend this trip for any new members and even inexperienced fly fishermen/women. It’s also a great trip for those with many years of experience. It’s always nice to leave the cold conundrums of the North and catch the first part of spring in North Carolina, and with a lot of the water being a delayed harvest catch and release stream, you generally catch an abundance of fish which is always a bonus!

I would have to say that my favorite part of these trips is definitely the camaraderie with everyone that attends as we sit about in the evening and discuss the days catch and plan where we are going to go the next day.

So if your interested in this trip reach out to myself or anyone that I have mentioned above and give it a try this coming spring. Trust me it will be alot better submitting the pics to our Facebook page than looking at them and wishing you had planned to attend this trip in advance.

I hope that whether your a returning member of the spring NC trip or a new face on the trip that we get to make some awesome memories together fly fishing for hatchery stocked trout in beautiful mountain streams.

Tight Lines – Josh Lillard