North Carolina Brook Trout Association

05/20/2026

In the lead up to the , we want to give a shout out to everybody who donated to NCBTA's charity raffle for brook trout conservation!

Today we're going to feature

Bearwaters Brewing has been a fixture of the Maggie Valley community for years, and their $250 donation is a perfect example of a local business showing up for the mountains they call home. We put that donation to work at , picking up a Wrangler Trout rod and a San Juan vertical chest pack. Two great prizes for two lucky winners.

BearWaters sits right on Jonathan Creek, which means you can eat, drink, and be standing in a trout stream all within about 10 minutes. That is our kind of afternoon.

Raffle tickets will be available at our table at the Maggie Valley Fly Fishing Festival on May 22-23.

🎟 1 ticket for $5
🎟 6 tickets for $25

All proceeds go directly to native brook trout restoration in the Twentymile Watershed of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Tag a fishing buddy who owes you a beer.



📸 BearWaters Brewing Company

05/17/2026

In the lead up to the , we want to give a shout out to everybody who donated to NCBTA's charity raffle for brook trout conservation.

Today we're going to feature

Davidson River Outfitters has been a staple of the Western North Carolina fly fishing community for decades, and their generosity says everything about the kind of people that make up this community. Kevin and his team donated a $50 gift card, two hats, and a t-shirt to our raffle. Any angler would be proud to walk away with any of these items.

DRO operates out of Pisgah Forest, NC, right along the Davidson River, one of the most celebrated trout streams in the Southeast. If you haven't fished with them, put it on your list.

Raffle tickets will be available at our table at the Maggie Valley Fly Fishing Festival on May 22-23.

🎟 1 ticket for $5
🎟 6 tickets for $25

All proceeds go directly to native brook trout restoration in the Twentymile Watershed of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Tag a fishing buddy who needs to be there and come back tomorrow to see more items we'll be raffling off!

05/05/2026

Nearly a century after brook trout disappeared from these waters, we’re helping bring them back. The NC Brook Trout Association is proud to financially support the 2027 native brook trout translocation into Moore Springs Branch, Twentymile Watershed, in partnership with

Donate and show your support for Southern Appalachian Brook Trout!

04/14/2026

03/19/2026

This is why clean, cold, connected water matters.
Not just for the fish you see, but for the ones you don’t.

FYI, I sacrificed my iPhone for this post 😅

02/25/2026

At one time, every trout stream in these mountains held native brook trout.

Today, only about 18% of trout waters in North Carolina still contain brook trout alone.

This fish isn’t rare because it’s fragile.
It’s rare because its habitat has slowly disappeared.

Cold water warmed.
Barriers broke connections.
Introduced trout filled the gaps.

But where clean, connected habitat still exists, brook trout are still thriving. Just like this one.

Every restoration project, every protected headwater, every supporter matters.

If you want to help keep native brook trout in the Southern Appalachians, visit the website and see how you can be part of it.

Link in bio.

02/23/2026

This stream was restored with Southern Appalachian brook trout in 2009.

Today, it holds a naturally reproducing population.

Conservation is not a quick win.
It’s a long-term investment in habitat, cold water, and patience.

The return?
Wild fish that don’t need us anymore.

That’s the goal.