Late post, but figured I'd share some memories of a great getaway.
Hot Springs is a little town on the crest of the Appalachian mountains in a valley carved by the beautiful French Broad River which flows North from Asheville.
Some good friends and Crystal and I went "camping" from a pop-up, grilled out, and ate/drank way too much. Guided white water rafting and occaisional river fishing were on the agenda. I would absolutely reccomend this place as a family getaway or a place to take your wife or girlfriend.
What I found:
The river up here is wide, relatively shallow, and gorgeous. Smallmouth are abundant, but you have to work hard to wade fish and catch good numbers. Lots of water to cover, so I converted to spinning gear to search the water thoroughly. Usually, you had to catch about 10 tiny bass before you'd get a good one, but all were fun. Floating would definitely be the way to go for flyfishing, but a raft or driftboat would be your safest bet.... Several pics of some large MUSKY in a local bait shop....so you know there out there.
Drank plenty of these. A great Pale Ale. Wish I had some more
Crystal and I fishing just a short stroll away from the "campsite." It was quite a crowd that weekend, but the river fishing was relatively untapped.
I managed to sneak away while the others were sleeping in late....This was a stretch of river that I wade fished for a couple hours in the morning. Caught about 20 smallies, but only 3 were of decent size....(over 15"). You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful morning.
Upstream view:
Downstream standing in same spot:
One of the residents:
Breakfast when I got back to the campsite.
I can't wait to go back....with a boat next time
Travis