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	One county’s trout magic 1 hour ago Jackson County is a rising star in the world of trout fishing. It has the longest and most popular delayed-harvest waters in the state. It has the first and only official Fly Fishing Trail, featuring 15 of the area’s finest trout streams, and it will soon have the distinction of joining the state’s Mountain Heritage Trout Waters program.

	Spring is rebirth of trout April 18 at 9:00 am Spring is a magical time in the mountains, a time when dogwoods bud and the reddish-pink flowers of redbuds and white and pale pink flowers of serviceberry trees reach full bloom. Wildflowers break through the tangle of dead weeds, stems, decaying leaves and other debris as extended sunlight warms the earth. The delicate blues, stark whites, pinks and yellows of hepatica, windflower, trout lily, wood anemone, spring beauty, bloodroot and a variety of violets and trillium brighten trails, stream banks and forest edges.

	Deep Creek is a jewel March 18 at 9:00 am Deep Creek near Bryson City is one of the more-accessible streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and one of the park’s most-popular ones. The stream is ideal for fly fishing: wide and shallow enough to wade in most places, with a satisfying mix of large, open pools, numerous shoals and plenty of pocket water. It is also noted for its large brown and rainbow trout.

	Duke Energy, NCWRC adds to Tuckasegee River access February 28 at 7:00 am The Tuckasegee River in Jackson County is one of the most popular rivers in western North Carolina for fishing and boating, but access often can be a problem, especially during prime fishing and boating seasons. Boaters and fishermen often have had to use limited-space pull-off areas to get on the river. One popular access point on the delayed-harvest section of the river is a giant mudhole, especially after a heavy rain. Getting on the river will be much easier with the opening of new access areas and improvements of existing sites. When work is completed over the next few years, nine official access points will be available, spanning the river from below Glenville Lake to Whittier. The access areas are a joint collaboration of Duke Energy and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. All of the new areas have graveled parking lots and launch areas for boaters. A few will have toilets and information kiosks.

	High levels of mercury found in bass, perch, walleye in 2 mountain lakes February 27 at 7:00 am State officials have issued fish consumption advisories for Lake Chatuge in Clay County and Nantahala Lake in Macon County after recent testing showed unsafe mercury levels in smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch and walleye in Nantahala Lake and white bass and largemouth bass in Lake Chatuge. Similar consumption advisories were issued for Santeetlah Lake and Fontana Reservoir in 2011. David Yow, a fisheries biologist for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said mercury is present in most fish, but some have higher levels than others.

	Wildlife sting successfully targeted illegal bear hunting; 47 are arrested February 21 at 7:00 am A four-year undercover operation conducted by wildlife enforcement agencies in North Carolina and Georgia has resulted in the arrest of 47 people for illegal black bear hunting activities as of Wednesday, Feb. 20 – with at least that many more arrests imminent. All of those indicted Wednesday are from Western North Carolina, wildlife officials said. Most of the 980 violations occurred on national forest lands in the western third of the state and in Georgia, with a smaller number occurring in the western Piedmont. Violations include hunting during closed seasons, exceeding bag limits, trapping, using bait to attract bears, and guiding hunts on federal lands without the required permits. Speaking at a news conference in Asheville on Wednesday, Col. Dale Caveny, chief law enforcement officer for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said while most of the violations centered on bear hunting, charges also include numerous other state and game law violations.

	The other Nantahala February 18 at 9:00 am The Nantahala River in Macon and Swain counties is primarily known for its challenging white-water rapids that attract paddlers — amateur as well as Olympic-class — by the thousands during the summer and fall, It is also widely recognized as one of the mountain area’s premier trout streams, so good that Trout Unlimited included it on its list of the top 100 trout streams in the United States — along with the Davidson River.

	A life-long fishing affair January 21 at 9:00 am I’ve had numerous romances, affairs, dalliances, one-time stands and flirtations over years — too many to care about counting. Only one do I return to time after time, the one that I never tire of, the one that always makes my heart and soul sing, my one true love: Santeetlah Creek in Graham County.

	Not ‘Tuck-ed’ away December 24, 2012 at 9:00 am A multifaceted stream, the Tuckasegee River begins at the junction of Panthertown and Greenland creeks in southeastern Jackson County and flows northwest through Jackson into Swain County, where it eventually flows into Fontana Reservoir.

	Time travel: weir wonder November 19, 2012 at 9:00 pm I fantasize about time travel, being able to go back in the time before Europeans came to this country, when it was populated by indigenous people, when forests were full, game was abundant and streams were clean and full of fish. Scientists hint now of that possibility, but it sounds more like science fiction than reality. If it happens in my lifetime, I’ll be ready to go with fly-rod in hand.

	Don’t ‘spare’ the rod October 22, 2012 at 9:00 am Jim Mills has been plying his trade for more than 40 years, meticulously handcrafting one-of-a-kind fly rods from graphite and bamboo, using only the best materials available to create what many of his customers describe as works of art.

	Take time to study a stream September 17, 2012 at 10:00 am Before stepping into a stream and making my first cast, I pause for a minute or two and study the stream, looking for breaks in the stream flow, pockets of slow water next to rushing water, plunge pools, and other places where trout are likely to be. It’s called reading the water, something every good trout fisher does.