Davidson River North Carolina

The Davidson River area is located in Blue Ridge Mountains of Transylvania County, in Western North Carolina close to Brevard and Hendersonville. The Davidson offers a variety of fishing opportunities including backcountry trout fishing on Cove Creek, more accessible stream fishing on Avery and Looking Glass Creeks, as well as trophy brown and rainbow trout fishing on the Lower Davidson River.  

The middle Davidson River flows between Avery Creek and the Pisgah Forest Fish Hatchery. There are many anglers who will say that the middle Davidson is one of the top fly fishing rivers on the east coast. The reason it is so highly esteemed is that the middle Davidson supports an excellent population of fairly large trophy trout and it provides some of the most excellent hatches. This section is characterized by slow moving pools with little overhead obstructions. The trout in this section are mainly browns and they are cunning as they have survived a good deal of fishing pressure, or they would not be there. 

It is interesting to point out that both the Avery Creek and the Looking Glass Creek feed into the Davidson River and they provide some good fishing for wild browns and rainbows. This area is easily accessible by car; although a hike to the headwaters may prove to be worthwhile since the fishing pressure will be much less. Avery Creek and Looking Glass Creek are managed under the NCWRC Wild Trout regulations, and may be fished year-round with artificial lures having one single hook. No natural bait is allowed. Four trout at least 7 inches in length may be harvested per angler per day. These areas are posted with blue and yellow diamond-shaped signs stating local fishing regulations.

How to Fish the Davidson River:   

Although you may be after some of the trophy trout population, think small in the area of size #20 through 24. Remember that these trout have seen a good many imitation flies in their life so the stream may present a technical challenge according to Ralph McClellan Jr of Mountain Fly Fishing Adventures. who has guided on the river for many years.  Try using midges or try to match some of the naturals that you see. Fish the lightest and longest leader that you can be comfortable with, pehaps a 7x leader.  Use a longer rod in the 5 WT or 6WT, especially in the lower portion as it will allow you to achieve a drag free drift and you will get longer casts in the open runs.

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