The owner of Ela Dam, a 99-year-old structure that sits about half a mile above the confluence of the Tuckasegee and Oconaluftee rivers, is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to let it surrender its license to generate power there.

A three-week fly-tying course will teach participants to tie flies from the Southern Appalachians, 6-8 p.m. Mondays Jan. 15-29 at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. 

This one goes to the Pigeon River, due both to the actual metals found in a sampling site along its bank and to the very metal way its fish populations have rebounded after the Canton paper mill shut down in June. 

Delve into the amazing biodiversity of the Southern Appalachians with a program offered at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, at the University of North Carolina Asheville’s Reuter Center in Asheville or via Zoom. 

The economic impact of trout fishing in North Carolina has more than tripled since 2014, clocking in at $1.38 billion in 2022 according to a report  just released by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. 

Doug Mcelvy was only 3 or 4 the first time he picked up a fishing rod, but it sparked a love for the water that’s stayed with him throughout his life — at 36, that passion inspired him to open Canton’s only fly fishing shop, Mountain Fly Outfitters. 

More than 67,000 pounds of trout will be stocked in the mountain and piedmont regions of North Carolina between Nov. 29 and Dec. 21, including locations in Jackson, Macon, Buncombe and Transylvania counties. 

Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail celebrates kickoff 

When the impending closure of Canton’s paper mill was announced in March, conservation professionals predicted a swift improvement  in downstream water quality once papermaking stopped.

If you’re looking for a quick dinner protein, look no further than fish fillets – and rainbow trout, a farmed fish, is a perfect choice.