North Carolina Tailwater
Nantahala River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A cold western North Carolina tailwater in the Nantahala Gorge, where bottom-release water from the powerhouse keeps trout on through the year. Delayed-harvest sections and cold temperatures make nymphing the go-to.
Tailwater
North Carolina
1,800 ft
Gauge 03505550
Right now
Live conditions
The hatch chart
Nantahala River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Nantahala by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #16-20 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Sulphur Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Little Yellow Sally Stonefly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Light Cahill Mayfly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant Ant, #14-20 | ||||||||||||
Isonychia / Slate Drake Mayfly, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #10-14 |
How it fishes
A North Carolina tailwater
A tailwater runs out of the bottom of a dam, so the water comes out cold and steady all year. That stable temperature is why the bugs stay small and the hatches run like clockwork, and it is why the fish grow picky and well fed. The flip side is that the dam sets the flow, not the weather, so a release can change the river overnight. You read the gauge, not the sky.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Nantahala is metered at USGS gauge 03505550. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.