NCWRC Reg Changes

Changes for the 2011-2012 season:

- Buckeye Creek, Watauga County (Buckeye Creek Reservoir dam to Grassy Gap Creek) designated as Hatchery Supported.

- Spring Creek, Madison County (N.C. 209 bridge at Hot Springs city limits to iron
bridge at end of Andrews Avenue) designated as Delayed Harvest.

- Tuckasegee River, Jackson County (downstream N.C. 107 bridge to the falls
located 275 yards upstream of the U.S. 23-441 bridge [marked
by a sign on each bank]) Designated as Delayed Harvest.

- Tuckasegee River—upper (confluence with West Fork
Tuckasegee River to the downstream N.C. 107 bridge)
Tuckasegee River—lower (falls located 275 yards upstream
of U.S. 23-441 bridge [marked by a sign on each bank] to
S.R. 1534 bridge at Wilmot) designated as Hatchery Supported.

- Ararat River, Surry County (N.C. 103 bridge to U.S. 52 bridge) Designated as Delayed Harvest.

-Coffee Lake, Watauga County, designated as Delayed Harvest.

Hot Springs (Madison County): Spring Creek (N.C. 209 bridge at Hot Springs city
limits to iron bridge at end of Andrews Avenue) [Designated as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters Delayed-Harvest regulations apply]

- Elk Creek, Wilkes County (portion on Leatherwood Mountains Development) designated as Delayed Harvest.

To see the additional minor changes, click here to read them. Changes to the regs are in red.


Proposed changes for the 2012-2013 season:

A couple of new DH waters are being considered for 2012-2013. They include (but are not limited to) 0.6 miles of the Catawba (McDowell Co. portion), 1.5 miles of Elk Creek (Wilkes), and reclassifying the lower 2.5 miles of Big Horse Creek (Ashe) as DH. We'll see what happens! To see the full list of proposals, click here.

What regs do you want to see changed? What waters would you like to see designated?

The change of Spring Creek here in Madison should be good. Might take some of the pressure off Laurel River. We'll have two DH's in the county. Got to figure out who pulled that off.

Yeah, I'm thinking Spring Creek was a good move. Always is if you're taking pressure off of another river.

I'd like to see Bullhead Creek designated as Wild Trout. It's now (and has been) a great wild brown trout fishery. If they refuse to maintain its "trophy trout" stature, there's no point in keeping it as a pay-to-fish stream. I'm sure they're seeing a drastic decrease in income after the fee went up, so maybe they'll consider it in the future.

they need to take pressure of wilsons too somehow.and that would be sick if they made bullhead wild i would immediately drive up there and catch me a biggin:)

Tyler wrote:Yeah, I'm thinking Spring Creek was a good move. Always is if you're taking pressure off of another river.

I'd like to see Bullhead Creek designated as Wild Trout. It's now (and has been) a great wild brown trout fishery. If they refuse to maintain its "trophy trout" stature, there's no point in keeping it as a pay-to-fish stream. I'm sure they're seeing a drastic decrease in income after the fee went up, so maybe they'll consider it in the future.

Tyler, I've noticed that the nc regs don't even address Bullhead. It's regulated solely by the park (poorly, as we all know). Do you think it would even be possible for the state to change its designation? It just seems weird to me that the state doesn't have any authority over a public piece of water.

Yeah, Bullhead Creek isn't managed by the NCWRC. SMSP basically does what they want with it.

Here's what author Jim Casada has to say about Bullhead. I highlighted the major points Jim makes:

Bullhead went into a downward spiral a good many years back, and while I haven't fished it in the last couple of years (and won't), others tell me it is basically a waste of money now (and prices recently went up, I believe).

As for the privacy of a beat, that's a real plus, but most of those beats were of a length which the average angler would cover in no more than two hours.

Poaching, too much popularity, quite possibly to little attention from the NCWRC, and a host of other problems have made Bullhead a far cry from what it was before the state acquired it and, for that matter, for the first few years after the state had control.

I may be wrong, but I seem to recall that part of the agreement when the land was acquired was that the state had to maintain it as a fine trophy fishery. A lawyer could make a very sound argument that agreement (if one did indeed exist) has been broken.

Here's what an angler over on the SEFFF has to say. This backs up Jim's thoughts. Again, I highlighted the major points:

The park was established in 1969. Located on the property was a private fishing club and as part of the deal to transfer title to the state, the park agreed to manage it as a pay to fish C&R fishery. (BTW, the private club now operates on Wilson Creek at Edgemont.) I fished it a lot in the 1980's when the fee was $4 and they fed the fish 3 times a week during the summer, twice in the winter.

If you'll notice, the stream is not managed under NCWRC regulations instead it is operated as a concession by the park. Concession may not be the right word but it makes the point and NC fishing regulations do not address Bullhead.

As for Doughton park (Basin Creek) it also is not managed by NCWRC instead those are federal regulations and are enforced by the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I don't know how it can or should be managed in the future. I really haven't got a clue as to what the legal ramifications would be relative to the transfer of the deed back in the 1960s. I don't know that it can be turned back into a normal wild trout stream and it may just be what it is.

wilhelm