Hookers Fly Shop and Guide Service

Hookers Fly Shop and Guide Service runs from 100 Mountain Creek Way in Waynesville and guides across western North Carolina, with the Nantahala among its regular destinations. The shop splits the Nantahala into two distinct fisheries. The upper delayed harvest water is described as the more wader friendly of the two, holding a mix of stocked and wild fish, while the section below the powerhouse is a cold tailwater with deep pools that produced the North Carolina state record brown trout at more than 24 pounds. Rainbow, brown and brook trout are all in play depending on where a party fishes, and the shop notes the river ranges from mountain laurel headwaters down to that tailwater. Wade trips are priced at $300 for a half day of four to five hours, $350 for a three quarter day of about six hours and $400 for a full day of eight to nine hours, with additional anglers added at a set rate. Travel time is not counted against time on the water. The shop reports running more than 300 trips a year.