There are so many different places to fish in the Blue Ridge Mountains that its impossible to talk about all of them. Instead we're going to talk about some of our favorite places to fish near Maggie Valley, North Carolina.
Maggie Valley NC is a great vacation spot for anyone trying to get away from it all. If you're trying to get away from it all and you don't go fishing you probably aren't doing it right!
Each location is going to have a rating of from 1-5 on the difficulty and a list of the fish you're likely to catch there. This will help you narrow it down to what places you want to fish.
Here are our top picks for the best fishing spots near Maggie Valley NC:
Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek, also known as J-Creek to the locals, is a small creek that runs through Maggie Valley. J Creek is regularly stocked throughout the spring and summer with trout, allowing for opportunities to catch your fair share of dinner!
The water is ice cold and feels refreshing when wading through it looking for fishing holes. The hunt is one of my favorite things about fishing Jonathan Creek. There are so many fishing holes and you have to cast it just right to get the fish to bite.
Jonathan Creek is a really convenient place to fish because you can access it from almost anywhere in Maggie Valley. The creek can be somewhat tough to fish for some amateur creek fishers due to the many narrow points and the slick rocks.
Whether you're fly fishing, spinner fishing, or any other way Jonathan Creek is an amazing place to fish. I do suggest bringing your waders though because it's best fished if you're in the water!
Difficulty: 3-5
What to fish for: Trout
Distance: In Town
Lake Junaluska
Photo by: Lori Tremper
Lake Junaluska is a man made lake that's a part of the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center and is one the easiest places to fish near Maggie Valley NC.
This lake is a great place to take your children or grandchildren to fish as it's open and easy to fish. If I want to drive right down the road and fish somewhere easy we highly recommend going to Lake Junaluska.
We've caught a variety of fish from here including Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, Common Carp, Sunfish, Bluegill, and Trout. We've seen people catch catfish as well.
There are also rumors of Lake Junaluska having Lake Trout. We've never caught or seen one but like to stay optimistic that if this rumor is true we'll eventually catch one!
Difficulty: 1
What to fish for: Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Trout, Blue Gill, Perch, Sunfish, Carp, Catfish
Distance: 7 miles from Maggie Valley
Sunburst
With crystal clear water, the crisp mountain air, and the quiet of the woods, Sunburst is truly an incredible place to fish. The drive is longer than others on this list but the drive is beautiful and enjoyable as soon as you get on Lake Logan Road.
Sunburst is regularly stocked with all sorts of trout. I've also caught plenty of Rock Bass while fishing up and down its many streams.
When we go out to Sunburst and get in the water we can't leave for hours because we're so entranced with the scenery. Each trip we can catch, on average, between 5-10 trout.
The downside to sunburst though is that its catch and release. When you catch a fish you have to put it back with the exception of a few throughout the year. Sunburst is also single hook artificial so you can only use single hooks and can't use live bait. Sunburst is an exceptional area for fly fishing as well.
Difficulty: 2
What to fish for: Trout, Rock Bass
Distance: 23 Miles, 30-40 Minutes