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Wade Fishing Trips

Wade Fly Fishing Trip RATES

# of Anglers + Trip DurationPrice
Two Person Half Day Wade$330
One Person Half Day Wade$275
One or Two Person 3/4 Day Wades $450
Full-Day Wade Trips$475+
Contact us if you have any questions.
We can accommodate various groups and sizes; Families, Corporate, Parties, etc. We have a staff of fully trained professional guides ready to help!

Book a wade Fishing Trip in Boone and the surrounding High Country of North Carolina

Wade Trips

Please Note: Booking a fishing trip requires a NON-REFUNDABLE 50% deposit. The full value is non-refundable within 7 days of the scheduled trip date, however, we will honor your deposit and reschedule for a future date if we are completely booked on your preferred date or other conflicts arise.

What are Wade Fishing Trips?

Our wade fishing trips are walking and wading excursions based within Watauga and Avery County on our Delayed Harvest, Hatchery Supported, and Wild Streams.

We try to fish as close as possible to the shop – typically within just a few miles of Boone. All trips include any gear necessary; waders, boots, rods, reels, and more.

We have waders for all ages and enough gear for large group trips! 

Wilderness System Walk and Wades

Looking for a more challenging and adventurous wading experience? Try out our Wilderness System Walk/Wades! These excursions combine walking and wading, offering a unique hike-in day trip style expedition inside of the beautiful Pisgah National Forest, typically accessible within an hour’s drive of Boone, NC.

Unlike our regular wade excursions, anglers on this trip should come prepared with previous wading/hiking experience. We hold the necessary permits to guide you through these secluded hike-in streams, providing a rare opportunity to explore and fish this area in the company of an experienced guide.

Please Note: The availability of Wilderness System Walks/Wades may vary based on weather conditions, permitting guidelines, and guide availability. If you’re interested in booking one of these excursions, give us a call at the shop to see what’s available!

Past Catches from Wade fishing Trips near Boone

5-Star Wade Fishing Guides

Joel Ferg
Joel Ferg
Great guide service with great guides. Highly recommended. Very knowledgeable guides, work with all skill levels, and great communication prior to departure. If you're lucky, you might also get to meet or ride to the river with "Cowboy", Guide Colin's dog.
Erik Kikut
Erik Kikut
Great trip with my son. Dave is an extremely professional patient young man. Had a blast. Will be back.
Ward Price
Ward Price
Incredible experience with High Country Guide Service. I'm just getting into fly fishing and wanted to go out with a guide to see what fishing is around Boone, NC. I was paired with Kirby who was an absolute fantastic guide. Super patient (even after having to fix my multiple tangles in trees!) and extremely knowledgable. A really great no nonsense approach to fishing. Focus was on good fishing and less about getting bogged down in owning this or that item of gear. He was happy to answer all of my questions throughout the day and was just a great guy to spend 6 hours with while fishing. Best of all, we caught some great fish! All three species available in NC including a beautiful small stream brook trout and three larger Browns. Day ended at the shop with a pint of Guinness (on draught!) and a conversation on what flies i should add to my box. I highly recommend High Country Guide Service. I will definitely be using them again next time I'm in town!
Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp
Amazing experience! Best fishing trip my son & I have ever taken. Our guide, Kole, was an outstanding instructor, who patiently coached us into fly-fishing form. We caught fish throughout our 4-hour wade trip, which I had my doubts in the late July heat. Definitely go in the morning! As the trip was winding down, Kole lengthened the leader on one of my wet flys, suspecting a trout was holding in the deeper, cooler water. He was right, as I caught my biggest trout of the morning! These two trout fishing rookies are now "hooked' on the sport. Look forward to coming back! Thank you Kole!
Alex Cobb
Alex Cobb
I've used High Country Guides at least 5 times now and every single trip is nothing less than exceptional. The guides are extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and cater each trip to their customers' skill levels. I went from an absolute beginner to slingshotting dry flies in extremely tight spaces for large browns in less than a year. This outfit isn't just convenient because they're in Boone. They're the real deal.
Christian Olsen
Christian Olsen
I want to share with the owners/managers of High Country Guide Service (HCGS) about a recent float trip my 17-year-old son Kjeld and I took with one of your guides last week. Alyssa Adcock guided us down the Watauga in what I think is one of the best float trips I’ve ever had in 30-years of fishing. I booked the trip to celebrate Kjeld, a graduating High-School Senior, and all the work he has grinded out since the first day of school. Kjeld loves to get after the bass with his spinning rod and he’s never been on a float trip fishing a fly rod before. He loved every minute of it and said "he has never met anyone cooler than Alyssa." Alyssa is stunning – she is a fantastic communicator, she has a shiny & positive attitude, and she is delightfully patient. She was so competent on the sticks as she moved us from hole to hole, which put us onto some beautiful and chunky fish. At one-point, Kjeld and I had a double hook-up with a pair of rainbows. Alyssa was incredibly quick to keep the rods rigged up through-out the day and was gently helpful in correcting a bad habit or two when it came to mending my line. Clearly Alyssa is driven to share and teach, which is exactly what you need in a guide. We look forward to booking her boat again and have even begun to talk about Alaska. Thank you HCGS for the unforgettable trip. Your guide service needs to do everything it can to hang on to her. She's a keeper.
herman roberts
herman roberts
My son and I had an awesome time. Kirby was a great teacher and guide on our wade trip. We caught a lot of trout, even on a half day trip. Highly recommend this service if you’re looking to learn fly fishing and catch fish. Ask for Kirby.
Ken Bergmann
Ken Bergmann
I was part of a Project Healing waters trip yesterday. Our guide was Alyssa. I just wanted to say she was amazing! So personable, patient, knowledgeable about the river and fly fishing in general. She is a consummate professional, a master of her craft and credit to her profession! The other guides, Cory and Sky were equally as amazing!!! The best guided trip I have ever done! My wife and I, will be planning a trip later this year and we want to fish with Alyssa! Your shop is awesome, your other guides are amazing as well and I wanted to Thank all of you for an amazing experience!
L Motluck
L Motluck
Two girls and their dog looking to get a little local fishing in on vacation. We found High Country Guide Service who was gracious enough to allow our small pooch to go on the float! David took us on a half day fly fishing float trip on the Watauga River. Keep in mind we are very green at fly fishing. David was professional and very informative. He answered all kinds of questions and helped us get the hang of fly fishing. He was very patient and extremely helpful! Just what we needed! We had a wonderful day on the water with him and would absolutely go on another guided trip with him! Thank you so much!
Emily Goatcher
Emily Goatcher
We had the BEST day learning to Fly Fish outside of Boone, NC. Our guides (Nick, Collin, and Kirby) were super knowledgeable and taught our family of six (all first timers) with patience and expertise! We caught a ton of fish and had the best day!! We will definitely be repeat customers the next time we are in the area. A “zen” experience for sure and we are all hooked!! Thank you for the great memories!!

Frequently Asked Questions about Local trout streams

Can you wade fish year-round in the North Carolina mountains?

Absolutely! Western North Carolina is a fantastic wade fishing destination all year round. Delayed harvest streams are stocked in the first couple of weeks of October and again in March, April, and May.

What types of fish do you catch wade fishing in Western North Carolina?

The mountain rivers of Western Carolina are home to many species of fish you can catch fly fishing, including Rainbow, Brown, and Brook Trout, and sometimes Smallmouth Bass!

Do I need a North Carolina fishing license if I’m with a guide?

Yes, our guided fishing trips require a fishing license.

You will need to purchase a North Carolina Fishing License if you are 16 years and older for Wade Fishing Trips in Boone and the High Country of North Carolina.

Purchase Your North Carolina Fishing License Here

Can I tip my guide?

You sure can! Our guides appreciate it. Gratuity for our Wade Fishing Trips is typically 10-15% of the total trip cost and cash is preferred.

Can your guides accommodate large groups for Wade Fishing Trips?

While we can accommodate groups of any size, we like to ensure there is one guide for every two guests. For groups of 8 or more, you can customize your Wade fishing trip by submitting a contact form, sending us an email, or calling us at ​828-386-6216 to set up a trip for the entire family!

Be sure to check out our Family and Group Friendly Trips too.

Will you cancel our trip if it is raining or snowing?

Our guides have the answers for where to find fish in all conditions. If the weather is bad, we typically can adjust and find plenty of fishable water.

In the event of danger, you can refer to our cancellation policy. 

Details such as meeting time and location will be established upon booking, and our reservation system allows for the guide to reach out the day before the trip to confirm details as well.

Check the weather in the High Country here.

What is your cancellation policy for Wade Fishing Trips?

High Country Guide Service requires a NON-REFUNDABLE 50% deposit to book a trip. The full value is non-refundable within 7 days of the scheduled trip date. We fish rain or shine unless the weather is deemed unsafe by the guide. In the event of dangerous weather, we will reschedule for a future date.

Have a question?

Give us a call or Drop our anglers a line

​828-386-6216

​highcountryguides@gmail.com

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