This past weekend I had the chance to visit a part of the country I hadn't seen before. The good folks in Jackson County, North Carolina invited me to drop by to check out everything that the region has to offer in terms of outdoor activities. And while I was there for the better part of three days, it was quickly evident that it would take longer than that to experience everything there was to do there. As a result, even though my stay was brief, I'm already thinking about making a return trip to explore the area more fully.

During my travels this year I've been fortunate enough to get the chance to learn how to fly fish in a number of different places across the country. On the three or four occasions where I've been able to try the sport this year, I've come to discover that not only is it a lot of fun, it is incredibly calming too. There is nothing quite like being out on the water, casting your line, and finding yourself completely immersed in nature. So, when I saw that fly fishing was on the agenda I got pretty excited. I would later learn that I had plenty of reason to get excited, because Jackson County is one of the best spots to go fly fishing in the eastern U.S., if not the entire country.

As it turns out, Jackson County happens to be home to the very first fly fishing trail in the United States. The Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail was created a few years back, and remains a labor of love for those involved. It was created to spotlight some of the amazing places for anglers to ply their craft, and trail maps are available for anyone who is coming to visit. Those maps share 15 top spots that are found in the area, providing both locals and visitors with some fantastic options.

While I was there, we traveled out to Tuckaseigee River to see if we could catch anything. Rainbow, brook, and brown trout are all found in the waters in this part of North Carolina, and on the Tuckseigee the can often be found in large numbers.