Gas Shortage Affects Fly Fishing This May

The recent gas shortage has made its impact on local fly fishing in the Charlotte area this May.

But why?

Well, May is the last full month of North Carolina’s spring Delayed Harvest season, which runs from October 1^st to June 4^th, and during this time anglers must fish with a single-hook artificial lure and release the fish. The good news is that delayed harvest streams provide a closer opportunity to catch trout for Charlotte-area anglers.

The bad news? It still demands almost 2 hours of travel from Charlotte’s center! Trout need the cooler water to breath and this means getting in the car and burning gas to get from ‘Point A to Point B.’ You can see those streams and their location inside the Southern Appalachian Fly Guide ($39.95).

Plus, effective May 11, 2021, the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission has suspended the scheduled trout stockings. This decision was made in light of the ongoing fuel shortages and is not expected to remain in place permanently. All publicly stocked waters scheduled to receive hatchery fish are included in the stocking suspension.

Recently, Lead Guide/Instructor of Fly Fishing Wade Trips with Jesse Brown’s, Dave Bergman, was on the Carolina Outdoors talking about the great fishing happening during May and on into the summer. Despite the gas shortage, Bergman will continue meeting his clients, however because of it, many others are staying closer to home and finding new places to fly fish within Mecklenburg County – places that don’t require such an extensive drive.

These new places include neighborhood ponds, County Parks (Latta Nature Preserve is on Mountain Island Lake; McDowell Nature Preserve is on Lake Wylie) and along Sugar Creek on the Carolina Thread allowing you to fly fish without the longer drive, and allowing you to avoid those gas lines.

So, grab your Patagonia Stand-Up Shorts ($59.95), Jesse Brown’s Sunrise Hat ($27), and the Path Fly Fishing Outfit from Jesse Brown’s, and go explore the fishing locally during the gas shortage!

Follow Jesse Brown’s Outdoors on social media, or subscribe to our email blast, to receive updates on this story.