Jim Mills, a fly tyer and rod maker who lives in Whittier, and Alen Baker, a Charlotte resident who spearheaded the creation of the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians, located in Bryson City, are both on the list of nominees. Other nominees from the larger region include Jeff Durniak of Rabun County, Georgia; Byron Begley of Townsend, Tennessee; and Cap Weiss of Caldwell County, North Carolina.

Inductees will be chosen based on an online poll at www.southerntrout.com/hall-of-fame/, with voting open through Jan. 3, 2018. Voters can choose from new candidates as well as from the list of candidates nominated last year. North Carolina candidates from 2016 include Jim Casada, Roger Lowe, Rex Wilson, Kevin Howell, Jim Gasque, Ben Craig and Fred Hall.

Winners will be announced Jan. 5, 2018.