Thread: Flat lander Moving Soon

Welcome from Salisbury

Welcome aboard FP. Where's Franklin ?

Can you bring Urban Meyer with you to coach NC State?

skeeter: its out past brevard going west.

i dont know of a whole lot out that way. check out chatuge lake. the asheville citizen times newspaper does a WNC fishing report. you might check out their website. i dont go that far west. wish i could be more help.

You will be in driving distance to Fontana Lake, Watagua Lake; also the Little Tennessee River runs by there with its tributaries and lakes that feed off of it--Mirror Lake, Lake Sequoyah. I have only fished Fonana and Watagua. You will have to check out the other. And, you will be within a few hours drive of Lake James. I love fishing Lake James even though I haven't done so in 24 years! It is a beautiful Lake.

Have a good and save move.

Bo Bryant

I live in Canton, about an hour from Franklin and fish Fontana pretty often. There is a fair population of crappie there but they don't grow as big as in piedmont N.C. Most folks overlook them in their quest for walleye and smallmouth. I spend about 90% of my time on the walleye (Fontana lobster), especially in May and early June. Fontana is a deep clear lake and that's what will probably be your biggest challenge coming from the shallow lakes of Florida. In places, you can be 30' off the bank and be in 100' + of water. I suggest talking to as many locals as you can to pick up on the particulars of fishing any of the WNC lakes.
Many of the boathouse owners will sink Christmas trees, brush, etc. around their houses to attract crappie and other gamefish and if they're not there when you are, then it's fair game. One thing to keep in mind is that Fontana is a TVA reservoir and the water level flucuates yearly. They draw it down in the winter to provide enough capacity to catch any heavy spring rains for flood control. Ordinarily it's about June before they stabalize the level, so that's another variable to deal with. There's some pretty descent fishing there but it may take a little while to get onto it.
Santeelah lake near Robbinsville is a gorgeous highland lake mostly surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest. Smallmouth and largemouth bass, trout, and walleye are the main targets there. Chatuge lake near Hayesville is a somewhat shallower, warmer lake with a descent population of crappie, largemouth, smallmouth, and hybrid bass. Good luck and I'm sure you'll find something to suit your taste.