North Carolina Freestone
Nantahala River - Upper Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
The upper Nantahala above Nantahala Lake, a small mountain freestone with wild and stocked trout running the classic Southern Appalachian hatch progression. A quieter alternative to the powerhouse-release Gorge below the lake.
Freestone
North Carolina
3,070 ft
Gauge 03504000
Right now
Live conditions
An expert read, in your pocket
Rivus knows your river right now. Live conditions, what’s hatching, and what to tie on, the moment you open it.
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The hatch chart
Nantahala River - Upper hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Nantahala River - Upper 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 | ||||||||||||
Quill Gordon Mayfly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
Blue Quill Mayfly, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #18-20 | ||||||||||||
Hendrickson Mayfly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
Little Black Caddis Caddis, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
March Brown Mayfly, #10-14 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Little Yellow Sally Stonefly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Light Cahill Mayfly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant Ant, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Terrestrial Beetle Beetle, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #8-12 |
How it fishes
A North Carolina freestone
A freestone river runs free off snowmelt and rain, so it swings hard with the seasons. It blows out and browns up in spring runoff, then drops and warms into summer. The hatches track the water temperature more than the calendar, so you time your trip to the flow and the thermometer.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Nantahala River - Upper is metered at USGS gauge 03504000. 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.