2023 HIGHLANDS NC EXPERIENCE GUIDE
Col. Robert Sanders of Salem, S.C. heard the call of the plateau’s wild waters. When he retired from the U.S. Army, he set his sights on a home close to the Cullasaja and Chattooga rivers. “Some people retire and have no idea what to do with their time. For me, it’s fly fishing and hiking, and for decades I’ve been coming to Highlands; it’s why I bought a lifetime North Carolina fishing license,” he explained. “Fly fishing is a funny mix of science and intuition, and it’s always a learning experience.” Accompanying Sanders are his son, Chris (who grew up casting lines all over America), and Chris’ sons Jack, 11, Wade, 8, and Sam, 4. “All of the grandkids have learned the basics on Harris Lake,” Sanders explained. “Once they’ve mastered the essentials, we usually head out to the Cullasaja – although Sam has a Snoopy fishing rod and likes looking for salamanders. It’s a great activity that’s exciting, yet it also teaches patience. I think everyone could use a lesson in patience.” With 107 miles of waters within five miles of town, abundant with a variety of wild and stocked trout, it’s not hard to find that perfect spot to cast your line. Close to Highlands, the Cullasaja River flows through spectacular waterfalls and is filled with wild rainbow and brown trout. About a 15-minute drive away is the Chattooga, which earned designation as a National Wild and Scenic River in 1974. The N.C. portion is exclusively wild brown trout country. Home to the highest trout count per mile of river in the U.S. is the Tuckaseegee or “Tuck”, the largest in the area. Loaded with rainbow, brown and brook trout, along with smallmouth bass and walleye, it’s a dam-controlled river.
Forty-five minutes away in the Pisgah National Forest is N.C.’s most well- known river, the Davidson. Near Franklin is the Little Tennessee, a favorite smallmouth bass destination. With rainbow and brown trout aplenty, the Whitewater River, is about an hour away, at the S.C. border. The current state record brown trout was caught 52 miles from Highlands in the Nantahala, or “Land of the Noonday Sun” river, as the Cherokee language translates. The rivers all beckon equally with a chance to leave the world behind, to escape to a serene place where there’s only water, the mountains and the sky above. And, of course, the fish.
“TROUT DON’T LIVE IN UGLY PLACES”
CHRIS WILKES, HIGHLAND HIKER
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