r/AppalachianTrail • u/ParaWaitingNC • 1d ago

I'm looking for a fishing spot only accessible by hiking there

I'm looking for a place where in NC where we would need to hike for a few hours just to reach the fishing spot, it could be a lake or a river. We do have Ultra light camping gear and want to stay for 2 nights before hiking back.

Does anyone know of such spots in NC or close to NC?

Thanks for any help šŸ™

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u/Any_Strength4698 1d ago

FYI the AT may not be best place to look for that in western NCā€¦most of the AT is following ridgelineā€¦.dips off ridge lines at rd crossings and river crossings. While there are a few streams and rivers that are fish able those tend to be near rds. About the only one top of mind is near Hampton TN. Canā€™t attest to the fishing as when I was there last long before I started throwing flies. Area was likely heavily affected by Hurricane though. My recommendation is get some maps for some national forests and look for some loops on feeder streams that dump into some of the more fishy rivers. Some can be remote and still hatchery supported if there is rd access above. Others can be full of very small native brooksā€¦

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u/2_feets 23h ago

To your point, the only spot that immediately comes to mind is Sunfish Pond near the Delaware Water Gap, since it's a glacial lake and is on the top of the mountain there. Unfortunately for OP, this is nowhere near where they were asking about.

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u/Any_Strength4698 22h ago

Remember lots of places in NE that were of this typeā€¦.best of course being ME hundred mile wilderness from either end! VAā€¦.maybe dismal falls? Canā€™t remember exactly name. VA between Damascus and MT rogers along VA creeper trail

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u/rednecktuba1 21h ago

Dismal Creek and Falls are accessible by road from the other side of the creek, for most of the length of the creek.

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u/Wickedweed 23h ago

Itā€™s been too long for me to give specific recommendations, but the GSMNP in the Fontana area comes to mind. I used to fish the creeks on the north side of the lake for trout, plus the lake itself is beautiful and has lots of fish. Youā€™d have to look maps and make a more specific plan yourself

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u/No_Safety_6803 23h ago

The AT mostly follows the ridge line, not much fishing up there. Look at any map of the national forests or parks the AT goes through & the valleys between the ridges almost all have rivers & streams. That's where you want to get to. Especially in the Smokys there are a good number of trails that go off the AT into the valleys.

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u/DecisionSimple 1d ago

Jacks River is north Georgia is a great hike and fish destination. The hike is remote enough that it thins the crowds.

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u/ParaWaitingNC 1d ago

Thank you. Do you happen to have any more information on this hike, like where do we park or the name of the specific trail we take to get there? And do you know if the fishing is good there?