It’s time!

March 13 - 15 is our Southeast TU Regional Rendezvous at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain. We hope you can join us - even if just for Saturday (registration information is listed below). The packed agenda features outstanding topics and speakers, including TU National President Chris Wood, and offers a great opportunity to learn about local, state, regional, and national initiatives.

We’re also looking for a few volunteers to accompany visiting anglers from out of town. If you’re interested in helping out (and getting in some fishing), please contact me at jones0922@gmail.com.

We are honored to welcome Sean Sieler, TU National Engagement Coordinator - Volunteer Operations at our March 12 chapter meeting. Sean will share about priority issues that TU is working on and how chapters can support them.

Jeff Yates, TU Senior Director of engagement has been instrumental in securing 10,000 trees to plant throughout western North Carolina to support Helene recovery efforts, including tree planting on Lewis Creek in Edneyville on Sunday, March 8. Be sure to look for the sign-up link below.

Please don’t forget the Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival on March 6 - 7. With great speakers, fly tyers, casting demonstrations, and music, it promises to be a fantastic event.

Finally, it’s time to go fishing! I recently got out with a little snow still on the banks and landed my first trout of the year on a newly acquired 3-weight and a gnat pattern. What a great feeling to be back on the water after some cold and miserable weather.

Bruce Jones, PCTU President

North Toe River

• Meeting and tree distribution location: Buladean Community Center, 12190 NC226, Bakersville
  
• 1,000 trees – planting 600 on Saturday, March 28, giving away 400 to the community on Sunday, March 29.
  
• Planting at four private properties with direct river frontage on the North Toe River. Meet at the community center for the planting and riding as a group to each location.
  
• TU is managing the event, partners include NC Outdoor Adventures, The Beacon Network, and the Buladean Community Center.
  
• Welcoming as many volunteers as we can get for the tree planting date (March 28); 4 - 5 volunteers for giveaway date (March 29).
  
• Registration link HERE.
  

Armstrong Creek

• Meeting and tree distribution location: Turkey Cove Baptist Church, 3146 NC226A, Marion.
  
• 800+ trees - planting 400+ trees, giving away 400 trees to the community.
  
• Planting locations on several tributaries of Armstrong Creek including Roses Creek and Three Mile Creek.
  
• TU is managing the event, partners include Wildacres Retreat and Turkey Cove Baptist Church.
  
• Event day itself we could use as many volunteers as we can get as both the giveaway and planting will be running concurrently.
  
• Registration link HERE.
  

The Southeast Regional Rendezvous will take place March 13 - 15, 2026 at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain. Information and an exciting agenda are linked below.

• Friday – Optional fishing outings with local TU members. We are looking for PCTU members to help host folks from out-of-town. You won't be guiding them, just taking them to the North Mills River or other streams you like. Email jones0922@gmail.com if you are interested.
• Friday Evening – Welcome reception and film screening.
• Saturday – Full day of programming: engagement sessions, leadership workshops, and partner presentations.
• Saturday Evening – Dinner and conversation with Chris Wood, TU President and CEO, and national leadership team.
• Sunday Morning – State and regional policy update breakouts.
• Sunday Late Morning/Afternoon – Tree Planting/Hurricane Helene restoration work.

Click these links to learn more, review draft agenda, and register. Various options are available including a "meetings only" option that is free (does not include meals).

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has operated the Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery located in the Pisgah National Forest outside Brevard since 1983 when they took over from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The facility was built in the 1950’s and was already in need to renovation before being damaged by Tropical Storm Fred in 2021. Funding was secured by NCWRC in 2023 for a total renovation of the facility and plans were underway to begin the project last year. However, Hurricane Helene damaged the Armstrong Fish Hatchery near Marion, and NCRWC deferred renovating Setzer until Armstrong was repaired and brought back into operation. 

Renovating Setzer is badly-needed; crumbling concrete raceways and water pipes compromised production and the obsolete design precludes the use of state-of-the-art technology to raise fish more efficiently. Advanced water treatment and recycling, and shaded raceways will reduce nutrient and organic waste loading and elevated water temperatures of discharge water. A modern facility will significantly reduce the downstream impacts to the Davidson River from discharge water. 

The plan is to demolish most of the existing infrastructure and build a completely new facility. The renovation is expected to take two years at a cost of nearly $40 million with $20 million from the NC Wildlife Endowment Fund and $20 million from funds approved by the General Assembly in 2023. After completion, fish production will begin, and it will be another year before the facility will have stock-size fish available for release. If all goes well (managing construction delays, timely procurement of aquaculture equipment, working out bugs of the new system, etc.) the facility will be able to release fish in 2029. But may be 2030 until the hatchery is at full production capacity.

The Setzer Fish Hatchery is the state’s largest and produces about 60% of all trout stocked in NC waters. An aging facility that is vulnerable to further damage from future storm events puts the state’s trout put-and-take fishery in serious peril. According to the NCWRC, trout fishing in the state’s 26 counties that support trout generates about $1.3 billion each year. Relying on a hatchery that is held together with duck tape and baling wire is a bad idea. Replacing this facility will ensure that the state’s trout fishing industry is sustainable, and reduce the downstream impacts of hatchery discharges on a highly-popular catch-and-release section of the Davidson River. 

During construction, NCWRC will rely on the Armstrong and Marion hatcheries as well as a private hatchery recently purchased near Rosman. NCWRC is also working with the USFWS, other states, and private hatcheries to obtain additional fish to include in their stocking schedule. The NCWRC website updates information about the project and recently released the projected stocking schedule for 2026. Their goal is to stock all Delayed Harvest and Hatchery Supported locations under the Public Mountain Trout Water program. That said, fisheries managers will be working with a significant reduction in the number of trout available to stock.

So what does this mean to anglers who enjoy fishing Delayed Harvest and Hatchery Supported streams? This is a large segment of the angling public. According to NCWRC, 1,500 miles of the state’s 8,000 miles of trout waters (19%) receive hatchery fish, and about 80% of the state’s trout anglers prefer fishing stocked streams. Their favorite streams should still receive fish, albeit lower numbers and sizes. The plan that NCWRC is developing to offset the reduction in fish availability will hopefully satisfy the large segment of trout anglers who like to fish for stockers. If your finances allow, many fly fishing outfitters offer guided and unguided fishing on sections of streams that they own or lease that contain fish purchased from private hatcheries. The demand for this service will be high so check around if you are interested in this option.

Over 80% of NC trout streams are Wild-designated supported by naturally-reproducing populations, and while many are not as easy to access as most stocked waters, those on public lands are great places to fish and are near well-known hiking trails. Many trout anglers, biologists, and forest managers are concerned about the potential impacts of significant increases in anglers fishing Wild and headwater “blue line” streams. Higher fishing pressure on these small streams increases the potential for overharvest, high catch-and-release hooking mortality, and fish stress from being caught during summer. A large increase in foot traffic along stream banks could tramp down vegetation that provides habitat for adult stages of aquatic insects and stabilize bank soils preventing erosion and sedimentation.

Sharing information like “Leave No Trace”, “Keep Fish/Em Wet”, and other practices to reduce our impact in these smaller, sensitive streams is important. Please keep these important reminders in mind as you talk to anglers, especially our out-of-state visitors who may not be exposed to messaging in our local areas. 

-Make sure you clean and sanitize your boots, waders, and landing net to remove potential aquatic invasive species that you may have picked up in other locations. 

-Be careful as you enter, exit, and transverse streams to avoid damaging vegetation.

-Use barbless hooks.

-Blueline trout are small, don’t net them - just bring them in, briefly handle with wet hands, and release immediately.

-Resist the urge to photograph your catch. Less handling reduces stress and mortality. 

-Bring a thermometer and don’t fish when the water temperature is over 68 degrees. 

-Small streams have slippery rocks that will cause you to fall - use a wading staff even in tiny, shallow streams. Three points of contact will keep you upright.

-Fish with a buddy for safety. If you don't have a fishing buddy you can meet one at our Fishing Meet Ups (details below).

Also for your safety, many Wild Waters and blue lines are in remote areas with no cell coverage. Fish with a buddy and tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return to cell coverage. The newer phones have the capability to transmit texts via satellite but need an open sky. A tree canopy within a deeply-cut valley may not allow your cell phone to connect with a satellite. A GPS signaling device like a Garmin may send a stronger signal, but can also be less reliable in deep valley streams. Carry a whistle that produces a loud, shrill sound. Mountain streams are loud and you will not be heard shouting for help if you are injured.

Be careful for yourself and the environment around you. Practice catch-and-release and treat your catch with care. When you are fishing a stocked stream, enjoy the day and try to put less emphasis on how many or how big the trout you catch. 

We are excited for Spring! Warmer days bring the bugs out and the trout are hungry. Join us for our monthly Fishing Meet Ups.

These are not guided fishing trips but opportunities for us to safely fish with someone and meet new people. We can learn from each other by sharing our knowledge and experience.

If you are interested in joining us, please register for updates by sending an email to Diane Luebbers at flyfishgirl888@gmail.com.

Look ahead and see our planned events through June by CLICKING HERE for our Spring Event Calendar. If any of our volunteer opportunities interest you, please email news@pisgahtu.org.

Click Here for minutes of the January 22 PCTU Board Meeting. The next PCTU board meeting is on Thursday, March 19 at 4:00 p.m. at First Congregational Church,1735 5th Avenue West, Hendersonville. All members are welcome to attend.

We will no longer be meeting on Mondays for fly tying. Thanks to Karl Brandt for hosting these learning opportunities. Stay tuned for when we may resume these later this year. In the meantime, our area has many opportunities to join others to learn new skills in this fun and rewarding hobby. Hendersonville Outfitters, Davidson River Outfitters, and Headwaters Outfitters, and the Orvis store in Biltmore Park all provide fly tying classes. Give them a call or check their websites for details.