Ellis Ward Guide Service

This is a musky programme aimed at the upper French Broad, where the river’s headwaters near Brevard, North Carolina sit in pristine mountain-fed water and rugged terrain. The headwater area runs cooler and clearer than the lower sections, which the guide argues creates ideal conditions for musky habitat. Up there the river is narrower and flows rapidly through a series of rocky shoals and deep pools, water that suits a fish hunting from cover. Temperature is what governs the calendar: water temperatures tend to peak in the mid to low seventies during very hot weeks in mid to late summer, and the only time muskies are not fished is when temperatures run dangerously high, which he notes is rare in the upper reaches. Days are fished from a drift boat taking two anglers plus the guide. A full day is eight hours or more at $600 for two anglers or $500 for one, and a half day is $400 for one or two. Gear, tackle and lunch are provided.