South Fork Mills River, SC

After a month of long shifts and scenery that included the confined walls of the OR during my surgery rotation, nothing could have been more what the doctor ordered than a day on the river. I recently moved to Spartanburg, SC for my third year rotations, and had yet to do anything in the way of wetting the waders since doing so. But today was a welcome day of exploration of my new local waters.

From Spartanburg, it's a short, easy drive on 26 to the rivers of Western NC. In another sense, you can basically throw a stone from Asheville in any direction and be in some good trout water. In fact, the few guys I ran into today stated that Western NC is fly fishing heaven.

I started the morning near Saluda, exploring the Green River. This is a tailwater probably best known for its Green River Gorge section called the Narrows, which is popular with kayakers. The two main access points are from a spot called Fishtop Access east off exit 59, and another from Big Hungry Road off exit 53. I was all set in my mind for taking on the Gorge section, but when I talked to the helpful guys in the Curtis Wright fly shop in Saluda, they informed me that due to the water release, I had better steer clear as it can be a dangerous section to fish. The river drops 900 feet in about 1/2 mile, making for some challenging pool fishing, but more importantly the unpredictable water release simply makes it a dangerous area for fishermen. I'll have to learn more about this, because I have heard some good things about the fishing in this section despite the difficult access.

So, the guys in the shop helped me out with a NC license, a map, and sent me on my way to the South Fork Mills River. This river, along with many other notable North Carolina streams like the Davidson, Looking Glass Creek, Avery Creek, and the North and West Forks of the French Broad River, can be accessed from route 208 past Hendersonville near the town of Brevard. The access for the S. Fork Mills River is from Turkey Pen road off 208, which is an immediate dirt road from the highway that takes you back a few miles to the river trail head. From there, you must hike about a half mile to the river to a wooden bridge, and from there it's best to follow the trail upstream (for as far as 12 miles if you like). I caught about a half dozen wild rainbows, the biggest being about 12 inches, during my few hours on the river. The guys in the shop told me that the river is actually known for its abundance of wild browns, which not surprisingly tend to be a lot more difficult to catch, especially in the low, clear fall conditions. For those of you more familiar with the Virginia streams, I would best describe the South Fork Mills as a slightly wider, flatter grade mountain stream that holds its share of bigger trout, with the chance for some nice browns.

After a successful first time on the South Mills, I decided to check out what all the fuss was about with the Davidson, which is about 10 minutes down the road on 208. The description would be about the same as that of the South Mills, although the access is much easier. The river essentially parallels route 276, and for that reason, along with its stricter catch and release rules, it is a much more popular river. I have read that due to the special regulations, the trout are in particular abundance here and can reach fish-tale size. Any conversation about North Carolina trout fishing apparently includes the Davidson, and certainly I am looking forward to finding a less popular time to go so I can have those big browns to myself.

The following are links to Davidson River Outfitters (intersection of 208 and 276), and the Curtis Wright Fly Shop:

http://www.davidsonflyfishing.com/

http://www.curtiswrightoutfitters.com/