Located in the beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains, between the towns of Brevard, Asheville, Hendersonville, Lake Toxaway, and Cashiers sets the small hamlet of Pisgah Forest, NC. Pisgah Forest is located on the banks of the Davidson River one of Trout Unlimited Top 100 Streams in America. This small town is our home base for guiding Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.

Our unique location places us within an hour’s drive of over 500 miles of trout stream. In addition to the exceptional trout fishing, you will find exceptional Musky fishing in the French Broad River, and some of the best Smallmouth Bass fishing in the southern Appalachians.

Our staff is anchored by some of the biggest and best guides in the industry. Our guides have a combined fishing resume of local, regional and national fly fishing championships, and television appearances. Not to mention the combined 150 years of fly fishing experience and nearly 100 years of guide experience.

The DRO crew was some of the first in the south to offer western style float fishing trips for trout on the Rivers of Western North Carolina. Our guides row either hard McKenzie Style boats or rafts with oar rigs depending on the current water levels and conditions. This allows us more versatility with the rivers we fish, allowing us to enhance your fishing experience.

Guide and owner Kevin Howell pioneered float fishing for Smallmouth bass on the rivers of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. Over the years he has trained all of DRO's guides in the unique aspects of guiding for Smallmouth Bass. Recognizing his research and guiding, both Umpqua Feather Merchants and Montana Fly Company have hired him to design bass flies for sale.

Davidson River Outfitters also pioneered the Private Trophy Water fishery in Western North Carolina. Their stretch of private water on the Davidson has been the foundation and model for several other shops in North Carolina as well as the model for the Cherokee Reservation fly fishing only water.

Whether you are looking to escape to the back country under the Blue Ridge Parkway and catch true Southern Strain Brook Trout, or want to float the new Catawba Tail water in search of a trophy Brown, our staff can get you to some the best fishing in the world.

Get started by booking a guide, scheduling a class, or gearing up in the shop.