Hayesville, North Carolina

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On The Fly Freshwater

September 2026

Article and photos by Jimmy Jacobs.

The tailwater trout fishery on the Hiwassee River in Tennessee is a known quantity and popular angling destination. On the other hand, there also is a tailwater on that river in North Carolina that is more of an oddity. Though the river below Lake Chatuge in the Old North State holds trout, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has never stocked it. Yet, stream bred rainbow and brown trout are both present.

The Hiwassee River rises in the mountains of Northeast Georgia to enter Lake Chatuge, where it crosses that state line. Once below Chatuge Dam, it cuts an east-to-west swath across Clay County, North Carolina, before again being impounded my Mission Dam on the Cherokee County boundary. The water between Chatuge and Mission Dam is where the river’s mystery trout populations appeared.

Two possible explanations are could explain the wild trout now found in this Hiwassee tailwater. One is that private landowners may have placed trout in the river at some point in the past and those fish began to reproduce. The other possibility is that trout from Fires and Tusquitee Creeks moved downstream into the river once cold water began releasing from Lake Chatuge’s powerhouse. Although Lake Chatuge was constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1942, the trout did not begin showing up until the 1990s.

Another factor may have been the addition of a weir dam less than a mile downstream of Lake Chatuge in 1992. That evened out the low flow level of the river at a minimum of 60 cubic feet per second, while also adding dissolved oxygen to the water. Both those factors improved the habitat for spawning and for the trout to survive through summer heat.

The weir dam downstream of Lake Chatuge.

As early as 1997 surveys of the river yielded young-of-the-year rainbow trout in the Poplar Cove area of the Hiwassee downstream of the village of Hayesville. Now the descendants of those fish populate the entire 15-mile stretch of water from Mission Lake upriver to the weir dam.

Most of the trout in the Hiwassee are going to be rainbows of 7 to 11 inches. But lunkers up to the 7-pound range have also been taken over the years.

Float trips offer the best access to fishing this part of the Hiwassee.

While there are a number of places along that part of the river that offer wadable shoals, the land along the shore is almost entirely private. In fact, there are but four public access points. However, all of these locations have canoe/kayak landings. Obviously, that makes float fishing trips the best option for angling on the tailwater. Such trips also allow the option for stopping and fishing some of the shoals along the way. One of the best of those wading areas is at the mouth of Fires Creek that enters the river from the north in Lance Cove.

Wade fishing at the mouth of Fires Creek.

The upper access point is at the weir dam on the river. To reach it, take US 64 east from Haysville and turn right on Myers Chapel Road. At 0.5 mile turn left onto Chatuge Dam Road. At 0.8 mile the entrance drive to the parking area is on the left.

The next downstream place to reach the water is the Hiwassee River Kayak Access. Following the above directions as above, just before reaching the turn onto Chatuge Dam Road, the entrance to this parking area is on the left side of Myers Chapel Road.

The kayak landing at the Hiwassee Public Fishing Area.

To the north of Hayesville, the Hayesville Public Fishing Area that is maintained by the NCWRC. To reach it, take Tusquitee Road north from downtown. The access point is at the Tom Day Bridge over the Hiwassee at the city limits.

The final access upstream of Mission Lake is at Sweetwater Community Park to the west of Hayesville. From US 64 turn right onto Fires Creek Road. Just prior to crossing the bridge over the Hiwassee, the park is on the right. At this location there is a shoal just at the upstream end of the park that can be waded during low water conditions.

Sweetwater Community Park on the Hiwassee tailwater.

Be aware that the Hiwassee through this region is a rather narrow stream. When power is being generated at Chatuge Dam, the flow is very swift and the river is not fishable. Click here to check the water release schedule at Lake Chatuge when planning your fishing.