Nantahala River

Fishing, stocking, and current conditions

Stocked monthly April through June in 2026, heaviest in June: trout, 4 plants in all. The most-stocked water on the Swain County record for 2026. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.

Swain County · North Carolina · see it on the national map

last stocked Jun 10 135 days ago

flow 187% of seasonal normal

best window 10:35 pm-12:35 am solunar major today

Water right now 2.74 ft gage height flow 659 cfs, 187% of the Oct 23 median USGS gauge 03505550 (NANTAHALA RIVER NEAR HEWITT, NC) · read 8:15 pm this evening

4 stockings 2026

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Trout 4 stockings

Stocking record 2026

Agency feed checked today.

Date	Species	Size	Status
Apr 8wk	Trout	catchable	stocked
May 27wk	Trout	catchable	stocked
Jun 3wk	Trout	catchable	stocked
Jun 10wk	Trout	catchable	stocked

When to fish Nantahala River

	Major periods (~2 h)	Minor periods (~1 h)
Today	10:12 am-12:12 pm and 10:35 pm-12:35 am	4:29-5:29 am and 4:46-5:46 pm
Tomorrow	10:58 am-12:58 pm	5:34-6:34 am and 5:13-6:13 pm

Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).

What the record actually says

Last stocked Jun 10
Flow 187% of the seasonal median

Computed this evening, Oct 23 · North Carolina fishing forecast

Gear for this water

It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.

For the trout (trout stocked 4 times here in 2026, moving water)

Light spinning rod	5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches
Inline spinners	1/16 to 1/8 oz silver or gold; swing them across the current seams
Drifted bait	single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom

Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.

Nearby stocked waters

The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.

Water	Distance	Most recent
Alarka Creek	1.1 mi	May 13
Tuckasegee River	3.7 mi	Oct 5
Fontana Reservoir	5.6 mi	2026 season
Stecoah Creek	6.0 mi	May 20
Deep Creek	7.9 mi	May 13

Follow Swain County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule

Records from N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: North Carolina fishing regulations.