Backpackers mocked me for fishing here...they didn't know about the amazing wild trout!

While hiking into stream I was gifted from my buddy Ben who guides out of Boone NC, I passed a group of backpackers who asked me some ridiculous questions and got a good laugh. Apparently, it isn't common to see anyone fly fishing here. Again, local knowledge proved incredibly valuable. This stream had some of the most stunning wild browns and rainbows and 2 stud brookies! I got a good laugh as I was hiking out at the end of the day. This is an amazing stream and I'd punch myself in the face for not having a fly rod in my pack if I were backpacking here.
I dig that social media connects me with others who share a passion for the outdoors! Ben guides locally and goes by "browntroutben" on Instagram... / browntroutben
Looking for a super friendly, knowledge and experienced guide? Contact Ben Wayne at Boone's Fly Shop: boonesflyshop....
Playlist for my 7000 mile fly fishing road trip thru NM, CO, ID and Wyoming here:
• Part 1 - 2 month campi...
Find me here:
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#flyfishing #troutfishing #truckcamping

[@jackrinderer7916]

There is an amazing wild and native trout stream that’s 2 hours away from me. Every time I go to start the hike it starts on a popular hiking trail so I pass a lot of people. They literally tell me that there isn’t enough water for fish and they think they know what they are talking about. Too bad I was catching 12 inch brownies

[@johnwood551]

I caught my first rainbow trout in a stream half that size back in East Tenn when I was about 8 (60 years ago.) And I’ve fly fished hundreds of streams smaller than that out in the western states since then.

[@smetlogik]

Don't let them backpackers mock you, man!

[@kirkrasmussen2601]

Those backpacking bullies need to be brought to justice!

[@johnmarston7563]

Your title reminded me of my favorite small stream, which won't be named. High mountain, in a primarily backpacking area. Snow-fed stream with few bugs, the fish averaged 7-9 inches, and eagerly went after dry flies (I fish it with a Sage 00 rod). They were also very hard to see - it was rare to see one before it hit my fly. I was hiking back to my campsite one time when I met another hiker, who wondered why I was trying to fish that stream as there were no fish in it. I've caught 100 trout twice there.

[@Meh-hr7gq]

7-9 inch fish is not a secret.

[@thomashead656]

Wow, gorgeous sound too. If you could loop that for about 8 hours, I'd probably sleep more restfully than I have in years

[@LooknFishy]

Yep, I love sleeping by the stream!

[@driftstone]

Those were some nice fish, especially those brookies! Good times!

[@LooknFishy]

You got that right!

[@ThomasJTuhrdwatter]

Oh, the stumbles ,tumbles and frustrations of fly fishing, makes the victory of catching those gorgeous trout worth it all! Good job Drew. Always a pleasure to virtually "tag along" on your adventures.

[@LooknFishy]

The scars remind me of the good times! I'll take em!

[@jimgollach6202]

Nice video drew. I've never known a long walk into a beautiful stream to be a waste of time. Always worth it 👌. Nice wild fish.

[@LooknFishy]

That is true!

[@grahamhunt6467]

After a rough start you crushed it man. Love those eats when you can see them coming for your fly. Beautiful stream and fish.

[@LooknFishy]

Earned a few of those fish for sure!

[@fredkinch]

Outstanding! These are my kind of streams!

[@LooknFishy]

Super fun!

[@gernblenstein1541]

Thanks for sharing the great footage with only nature sounds. And, boy, that is one beautiful stretch of river!

[@antoniomora1255]

As always a most beautiful scenery and a wonderful fishing day with a nice brookie as the icing of the cake. Also the red spots of that beautiful brown trout. I enjoyed video a lot.

[@LooknFishy]

That brown was stunning!

[@dabsafe]

One of the greatest thrills is having a trout (any species) come up and take a dry fly that you have handcrafted yourself during the off season.

[@jimkelehan1366]

That’s a dream stream! My favorite places to fish. Great video Drew! Keep them coming!

[@LooknFishy]

Have been really impressed with the water out east!

[@jimmymani]

Wow, what beautiful water and landscape. I even gasped at one moment it was so gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!

[@LooknFishy]

Happy to do it!

[@mmfruitveg]

Amazing the similarities of these eastern waters and the Big Sur coast waters out here in California....same kind of rocks, moss, foliage, trees.......and trout!!

[@garylee190]

Beautiful trifecta! Thanks for sharing.

[@LooknFishy]

Definitely was!

[@simonucaconmosca]

browns, rainbows and brook... thats a grand slam. Kudos

[@williamlafollette875]

On a random suggestion, I fished a creek just like this a few weeks ago. I was landing fish left and right just like this video. Did not see another person all day. Very satisfying.

[@shawnbergman6558]

It's what we strive to find

[@glenndotter5065]

Classic beautiful pocket water stream. Pretty nice Brookies too!. Reminded me of Pocono Mtn stream I fished as a boy. Thanks

[@jkashoto]

Love it! Thanks for posting it.

[@uni_shadow164]

Beauty Brookies! Well done Drew.

[@LooknFishy]

Thx buddy!

[@snaponjohn100]

Beautiful fish!!! Gorgeous stream!

[@adamwiech4874]

Those bookies at the end were beautiful,,,I just got back from yellowstone catching cutthroat and rainbows ,browns it was a dream come true.

[@jamesgaul3544]

Sweet!!! Bows Browns & Brooks.

[@Pwrcritter]

I fish very small warmwater streams often with my 2 wt. See lots of snakes, but the variety of fish is amazing.

[@LooknFishy]

Always nice to put a line in the water and pull something out!

[@mattpastell3728]

i do like a little variety in my fishing! Rainbows, browns and brookies in a beautiful fishing spot. It doesn't get much better!

[@LipRipper904]

wow, these mountain streams are awesome compared to my Florida habitats.... very cool.. thanks for sharing!!!

[@cg6594]

I grew up camping and fishing in Colorado. This type of steam/river fishing ❤️ is my favorite and I have so many memories of amazing times fishing. Unfortunately we are now overrun with transplants and can’t camp and fish like we used to. Thank you for this video, as it brings back so many awesome memories for me.

[@stephenbrody2717]

Serious rock hopping there for a moment. Great looking stream. Earned those fish. Some of the best memories I have are the fish hat I worked the hardest for irrespective of size.. cool vid thanks

[@LooknFishy]

Truth...the work makes it memorable!

[@jamesellsworth8147]

I like little lures and for streams like that one little salmon egg on a tiny little clamp weight because at the bottom of every waterfall there's a big trout for that pool every time I love brookies and goldens

[@Callaweginflyfishing]

I never saw a purpose in backpacking without the intent to fish. Good Video, Great Trout. Thanks.

[@johnweiskopf722]

Good video. Beautiful setting. Rewarding. Thanks.

[@Scotty_pickleball]

Great fishing that day... Very nice,,,

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Great fishing action! Nice looking stream.

[@mikeherman6434]

Beautiful looking stream nice fish

[@johnhutchison2268]

Great video thank you

[@brianb6969]

That Place Looks Amazing!!

[@Malcolm_Q]

Sorry you slipped Drew. Ouch. Happens to all of us. Still, a very nice day on the stream! 🎣

[@heppisaxm8316]

Magic fishing,splendid creek,super mister❤

[@LooknFishy]

The best

[@jimpyle560]

Another entertaining video. You’re really getting good at this.😊

[@LooknFishy]

Fortunate to get lots of practice!

[@russellkeeling4387]

That fish @ 13:01 was a really nice brooky. That one I would have kept to eat.

[@FlyFishDan]

I'm not a very graceful 'faller' either - at least the rod didn't break! Thanks for taking us along Drew!

[@driftstone]

haha right? I fall all the time too

[@LooknFishy]

Haha and you have a lot further to fall than me! Rod hand always goes up!

[@FlyFishDan]

@@LooknFishy The older I get...the harder the falls seem to be...Lol. Congrats Drew on your channel's success, very cool.

[@FlyFishDan]

@@driftstone I was on a long streak until I took a swim in northern Idaho...ugh!

[@LooknFishy]

Thanks man, I admit I have no clue how yt works but I'm humbled by the interest my channel gets! Have read many positive comments about your channel also!

[@stevemiller2470]

Find you a place that sells cheap wool socks. Keep a pair in your fly bag. If it gets wicked slippery, slip them over your boots and secure them with the laces. Works like a charm

[@GaryP747]

They don't understand wild Trout! Keep on trucking ✌👏

[@TheStratfanatic]

Good Day huh?...thanks for sharing

[@dionblasco727]

Nice place to go and wet the line.Even if you don't catch anything just to unwind

[@cartajulian1]

Giant brook trout. Def wild. Looked like northern strain

[@LooknFishy]

Stream was excellent!

[@ievibes]

Thanks for letting nature be the noise. Very chilled video

[@fishinisgood8119]

Gorgeous Stream

[@andrewfinlay5160]

Beautiful wow ..

[@davejennings5458]

That’s awesome, I love small water/quiet little streams…just being out away from the hustle is good for the soul

[@williamreeder3660]

Great video…. Thanks for releasing the fish

[@gregheard9425]

Very cool too watch I did alot of what we called creek fishing for natural brook trout speckled trout we called them in Northern Ontario Canada some beautiful fish caught thank you for such an awesome video

[@sashmask]

Genie: “As a show of gratitude for releasing me from the bottle I grant you three wishes” Me: “1) world peace 2) the end of hunger 3) Drew’s hookset’

[@LooknFishy]

Haha, well done!

[@danmassaviol8646]

Looking good as always, keep on keeping on.

[@LooknFishy]

Thanks, will do!

[@quietcast]

perfect water levels. great video.

[@somerandomguy706]

I had a guy stop me on a creek yesterday to ask if there would even be fish in such a small creek. I answered some of his questions, but dodged some others. His wife was less amused and thought it was ridiculous to fish such a small creek, but was still cordial. I told them I'd seen a fish, which was true: I'd just caught a 14" golden trout. :)

[@LooknFishy]

I always tell them the fish don't know it's a small stream. They've only been here lol!

[@troutman8495]

Amazing stream! Nice work buddy

[@LooknFishy]

Thank ya!

[@johnweiskopf722]

Good video. Great fishing. And the brookie!

[@fishduckdog]

Heading on a flying trip in 20 days with an old Army buddy. Can't wait! Will be watching 👀 your videos till then! Thanks for sharing 👍! Check out the west side of the Driftless zone next time you are up.

[@LooknFishy]

I have lol!

[@fishduckdog]

@@LooknFishy mn side 😉

[@wherethefishare]

Graceful fall. Ouch. I felt that one. Killer video.

[@LooknFishy]

Me too lol!

[@chuckreasy1003]

Like your net! Looks like you repaired last years model... I remember when you lost a fish to a hole in that net. Nice repair! Nice video as always.

[@k-dawg3893]

My favorite kind of fishing! Nice job!

[@steveperry1344]

i'm from and live in massachusetts but i used to have some real remote creeks and small lakes in the high mountains of california that i used to go to back in the 70's. we almost couldn't miss up there and never saw anybody else or signs of it. there would still be some snow around in july and we could see the trout making a nest and laying eggs in the gravel along the shore which seemed quite remarkable to us. the trout looked like rainbows but had pink meat. we only kept what we would eat that day. caught them on ultra-light spin rods with tiny panther martin lures.

[@dalerash6285]

I pulled a 15 3/4 inch brown trout out of a tiny hole that was only about 10 inches deep, so nice fish can be found in tiny brooks, the key here was a tree root, where the water was deepest under that root wad.

[@russellkeeling4387]

Years ago when I first started stream fishing folks told me to always fish upstream because the fish are always facing upstream so if you approach from upstream they will spot you. After dealing with tangled fishing line all the time I began to fish from upstream. I know how to approach the stream and I know that all the food a fish eats comes from upstream. I have taught many people to fly fish and bait fish and have never ever told anyone to fish from downstream. You can if you like but if you want fish for supper try something different. If you have any idea of which type of fish inhabits the stream you will know where in the stream to fish for them. My favorite to eat are Brook Trout, which is actually a char, and my favorite to catch are Brown Trout. Browns like faster water and really strike when they take your bait. Browns can get much larger than you might expect in a mountain stream and they are resistant to more ailments that other trout get.

[@frankieknuckles9610]

Beautiful fish man

[@lowvpro9651]

It's amazing how people just assume they know so much about something they really know absolutely nothing about. It's not just in fishing either.

[@royborgersen8092]

A really nice stream

[@MrBluoct]

Great channel And the greatness of hiking the river stream banks Yet Some probably don’t really appreciate the hikes in and out , slip and trip hazards etc

[@LooknFishy]

Thank u, I certainly didn't when I started but now I absolutely dig the adventure that comes from every part of it!

[@nickbrett8642]

Awesome God bless.

[@monmixer]

Great videos, reminds of my younger days when about every spare second I had was in one of the few non polluted streams we had here in Belmont County Ohio. I mostly fished for small mouth though. Great times just walking that creek looking for that strike.

[@rockytopwrangler2069]

... Their ignorance is bliss ,, but they probably do have Mountainhouse .. so , there's that ... ..Nothing better than a quiet day, a small stream and willing fish ... life is good ...

[@alexhendrick8288]

Living the dream!

[@Handle-q6x]

Beautiful water. That’s what I look for.

[@LooknFishy]

You and me both!

[@robertschmitt5596]

Looks like Kenlockwood gorge.

[@schpaff]

Awesome water.

[@ramthangkuihon5120]

Good jobs brother i like fishing 🦈🐟

[@holyworrier]

A wading staff on a retractable cord is a must on a stream such at that one. You're lucky you didn't break your rod. Or your wrist.

[@williamdonaldson7188]

Mr. Lookinfishy, awesome videos and awesome trips. If I don’ auger in at least once every time I wade fish, the day just doesn’t feel complete. Your video on using maps to find fishing spots was very interesting. I fish the Wisconsin part of the Driftless area and am hesitant to walk across farmers’ fields to get to the water. I am hoping to put your tips to good use.

[@LooknFishy]

I've fished there several times and I'm always hesitant too! But the people there are also some of the friendliest I have meet!

[@jamebrooke894]

I would fish it, just to see!! Love it!!!

[@scottsoucy6186]

Gorgeous fish!

[@rickchandler2570]

My choice of gear in a stream like that would have been Tenkara. Nice video!

[@LooknFishy]

Not a bad choice!

[@thedojo9782]

I do some backpacking and fishing here in the Colorado mtns. People always seem so shocked that I have a fishing pole. Most trails follow waterways, so why not get in some good fishing:) Fan of the collapsible tankara rod for backpacking and fishing the smalls streams

[@jeffreygoldman1083]

Nice Bows!!

[@lennierichardson1387]

I love the way the brookies disappear as they swim away. They turn invisible in the blink of an eye. I *think* I recognize that stream but I'm not going to say its name because I'm going up there tomorrow and don't want any excess company. :)

[@cheezhead6007]

I have been to Boone a couple times excellent area nice brookies Linville Gorge is treacherous but has some huge Browns I love the tye river but too bad it's private

[@LooknFishy]

I've heard that about the gorge!

[@andrewfinlay5160]

In the beginning you walked over 10 nice holes that I would have fished .... would use mini night crawlers or anything else like a mayfly

[@dhaneyart]

beautiful stream!

[@johnboyd6198]

Never trust the dark rocks. When your moving keep a free hand. Stay safe nice video

[@LooknFishy]

I don't trust any rocks!

[@johnboyd6198]

@@LooknFishy I bust my butt at least once a trip. I could rock hop pretty good in my 60s I’m 72 and sorta stumble up the Stream. Gotta test those rocks before trusting them.

[@ericintampa9352]

appreciate it drew.

[@LooknFishy]

Thank u!

[@guiart4728]

Feisty fish!

[@LooknFishy]

I dig the ones with some attitude!

[@2299jsimon]

As soon as I opened the video, My firrst thought was that looks like the Boone area.

[@blackflycreations]

Beautiful country, awesome fishing!👍 Steve @blackflycreations

[@TassieTroutGuy]

beautiful stream. Wrong way Dude!

[@LooknFishy]

If your dumb better be hard lol!

[@NCflyfishingguides]

NIce mix!!...looks like you ripped sum lips today. How did the water temps hold up for you. I started my day at 66F...by 1pm water was 75F and done.

[@LooknFishy]

I was good but this was in May before mothers day lol.

[@sgdukerable]

Nice stream. What dry-dropper setup were you using?

[@markhaven5638]

Hard to believe those are wild fish. If true, you’ve stumbled upon the best wild fishing I’ve ever seen in the SouthEast. I’ve fished a ton of wild streams and caught a few decent fish but most are around 6” or less if I’m being honest. Now, I’ve had many days with fish in this size on DH streams but wild, never. Great find, you’ll never find better wild fishing down here then that.

[@LooknFishy]

Definitely a great gift from my buddy!

[@martinhrubik9785]

If you ever come to the southern Ontario area, i will take you fishing to nice spots with bigger fish. No one fishes in the cities hear lol