Article by Justin Ide
Located in the beautiful Pisgah National Forest in Brevard, North Carolina, the Davidson River Campground was the venue for the Western North Carolina Tenkara Campout, October 3rd to the 5th, 2025, and in all ways it was a resounding success. Victoria Smith and Ben Colonnese of Appalachian Tenkara Anglers were hosts this year, and Dr. Rob Worthing of Tenkara Guides, LLC made the trip from Kentucky and held a very enlightening demonstration on some advanced tenkara casting lessons.
I arrived a day earlier, before the campout started, and had some time to refamiliarize myself with the area and meet Victoria and few of her friends from Charlotte over a beer at 185 King Street. We made plans for Friday morning, and Victoria and I left the campground and headed to Panthertown Valley bright and early. With 30 miles of public trails, Panthertown Valley holds the headwaters of the East Fork of the Tuckasegee River and twenty miles of native brook trout streams and offers a variety of fishing locations.
Victoria and I made our first stop at Schoolhouse Falls, and were quickly rewarded with beautiful little brookies, including one 9 incher that was as black as coal. We made two others stops on our seven-and-a-half-mile trek and continued to catch fish each time. In the end it was a long day, my legs were tired, but the scenery, the company, and the fish made it well worth the hike. That evening we gathered in town at Ecusta Brewing Company, and shared a few drinks and some great food, along with conversations of all sorts, fishing and non-fishing related. The beer and food were both exceptional, and It was a great seeing some familiar faces and getting to know a few new ones.
Saturday morning, we all gathered at a large field in the campground and Rob Worthing and Ben Colonnese shared some valuable tips for every level of tenkara fisherman, from traditional to the untraditional, the instruction level was amazing. I learned a lot about “Oni Loops,” and Rob was very generous with his time with everyone.
After a brief pause for lunch, everyone scattered to the various river spots Victoria had noted, and I got together with Rob, Bryan Trantham and Matt Sment and we went to the upper Davidson above the hatchery. We took turns casting into little pools and long riffles, and it was educational to watch everyone’s approach to different potentially “fishy” locations. We were all rewarded numerous times over with the little jewels that inhabit the waters of western North Carolina.
That evening the 20 plus members of the group, with family and friends, all gathered at a site in the campground, shared some amazing chili and cornbread cooked by Victoria, and gathered around the firepit to tell lies and swap stories.
This was my first tenkara campout, but it won’t be my last for sure. It was comforting to see and talk with others and share experiences while fishing. I was also able to learn a few new techniques, as well as meet some new people, which is always a pleasure…