Allen Creek, the headwaters of which provide Waynesville’s water supply, runs right through the heart of this booming little mountain town. It is paralleled on one side by the major highway serving the town, U.S. Highway 19-74, and on the other by Main Street and the other streets of the downtown area. It is home to both browns and rainbows, never mind the fact that it isn’t on the list of streams that are stocked or indeed in any way noticed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES FOR URBAN TROUT
None of the streams covered above are covered by special regulations or limitations, such as single-hook artificials only or catch-and-release. That means you can use anything, from the tiniest of dry flies to a big gob of night crawlers, which is legal under general trout regulations. It also translates, if you are so inclined, to keeping a limit of seven trout.

Any of the standard approaches favored for taking mountain trout will work. When it comes to pure-out, fish-catching effectiveness, nothing matches live bait in the hands of a skilled angler. Red worms, spring lizards, “nests” (the larva of wasps, yellow jackets or hornets), night crawlers, and a whole bunch of other naturals will work and work well. They are probably most productive when there is a bit of color to the stream, thanks to recent rainfalls.

Precisely the same holds true for in-line spinners, such as Mepps or Rooster Tails. Keep the size small, and if you aren’t bumping bottom, you probably aren’t deep enough. Don’t overlook tiny plugs. Pradco, the umbrella company for a whole bunch of lure manufacturers, offers all sorts of these imitators of crickets, grasshoppers, and the like -- which can be really useful, especially when it comes to drawing strikes from larger trout.

Personally, I’m a die-hard flyfisherman, and don’t think for a minute that the long wand and whistling line constitute a handicap. Far from it. My preferred approach is what is sometimes described as a “hopper-and-dropper” rig, although in most cases the dry fly at the top of the two-fly rig is not a grasshopper imitator. With a buoyant dry fly and a small beadhead nymph, you have the best of both worlds. The dry fly (good choices include Royal or Tennessee Wulffs, Parachute Male Adams, Thunderhead, Jim Charlie, or any of the many attractors) does double duty as a strike indicator. The small nymph trailer, dancing along 18 to 24 inches below the dry fly, probes the sub-surface, where the vast majority of a trout’s dining is done. Solid nymph choices include Tellico, Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear, Prince, Pheasant Tail and Copper John patterns. Don’t overlook streamers, although they mean a fair number of hang-ups. There’s no type of pattern better for taking bigger trout, because they imitate the big bites favored by larger fish. Good patterns include Woolly Bugger, Matuka (especially in olive or black colors) and Black-Nosed Dace.

Whatever your preferred technique, these urban trout streams (and there are more of a similar nature in northwestern North Carolina) offer a grand opportunity for some “back door” fishing whether you are looking for new horizons, want to combine family vacation with a bit of fishing, or simply like convenience.