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Great American Trout Streams

PORTION OF AN ARTICLE FROM TROUT MAGAZINE SPRING 2000

by James Casada

IN 1904, THE MAN WHO WOULD COME TO BE known as the "Dean of American Campers," Horace Kephart, came to the North Carolina high country seeking to restore his troubled soul in a region he described as being "back of beyond." Over the ensuing 27 years, "Kep" immortalized the mountain culture in his book, Our Southern Highlanders, as well as penned his opus on life in the wilderness, Camping and Woodcraft. A key if sometimes forgotten figure in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail, he gave those of us who cherish wild, rugged places and the trout that call them home ample reason to revere his career.
Thanks in no small measure to Kephart's tireless efforts, the steep ridges and deep hollows of what the wonderful angling writer Harry Middleton called "the spine of time" have healed from the scars of logging. Indeed, in the more remote reaches of the high mountain ranges--the Smokies and Unakas, the Nantahalas, Unicois, and the Balsams--time and nature's miraculous healing powers have combined to return forest and stream to the pristine state of the pre-logging era. The ravages of acid rain pose considerable cause for concern, but in Kephart's beloved back of beyond, wild trout thrive.

Some streams, primarily those with natural barriers in the form of waterfalls or cascades, hold only "specks" or "natives"(the terms locals use to describe brook trout). In others, fish old-timers still describe as "California trout" (rainbows) or "German trout" (browns) have long since "taken holt." As a result, the million-plus acres of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, together with the portion of die Great Smoky Mountains National Park that ties in North Carolina, offer anglers hundreds of miles of wild trout water that arguably constitute the finest public fishery of this type in the eastern United States. Here's a look at three choice destinations, but as we probe them in depth, keep in mind that one of the great joys of fishing here (or anywhere for that matter) involves the process of discovery.

SLICKROCK CREEK

LOCATED IN THE NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST in Graham County, Slickrock Creek forms the boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee over much of its drainage. The stream has a number of special or unique features. Unlike most of the areas creeks--which feature a mixture of browns and rainbows or, where natural barriers have prevented upstream migration, brook trout--Slickrock is home exclusively to brown trout. Following the Forest Service's purchase of the watershed in 1936, Civilian Conservation Corps workers made the long hike to Slickrock Creek, carrying fingerlings in specially constructed backpacks.
The browns found the habitat, which was last logged in 1922, to their liking and immediately began natural reproduction. They have thrived in Slickrock ever since this original implantation, with no further stocking having been attempted or needed. The descendants of these Depression era imports, with vivid red spots and goldenbronze bodies, are truly lovely. As tends to be the case with brown trout everywhere, they can be capricious. Hit Slickrock Creek when things are right, though, such as in the midst of a green drake hatch in the spring, and you will understand why an area resident once spoke of it being the "backside of heaven."
In addition to its plentiful if sometimes fickle population of browns, Slickrock Creek has several other characteristics that add to its appeal. It is in a designated wilderness area, and the sole means of access is by "Shank's mare." The most common approach is from Calderwood Lake at the creek's mouth, but for the angler with a high degree of fitness, a better one is hiking in from Big Fat Gap (the trailhead is reached by a Forest Service road off U.S. Highway 129). The trail drops more than a thousand feet in a mile, and the climb back out is strenuous. On the other hand, when you reach Slickrock Creek near its juncture with Nichols Cove Branch, you are in some of the stream's most productive water.
The best way to fish Slickrock is to camp and then make day hikes from the site where you pitched your tent. As so often holds true in this part of the world, the farther upstream you go, the fewer folks you will encounter and the better the fishing.

BIG SNOWBIRD CREEK

ALSO LOCATED IN GRAHAM COUNTY, Big Snowbird might be described as a stream with a split personality. Downstrearn from "The junction" (an old railroad turnaround that now marks the end of Forest Service Road 1120, also known as Big Snowbird Road), the stream is put-and-take stocked water. From the road's end upstream, however, there is no stocking. For better than three miles, anglers will find a mixture of wild rainbows and browns. Then, a short way above where Sassafras Creek enters Big Snowbird, things change dramatically. A series of cataracts see the stream drop several hundred feet in a quarter of a mile in what is known as Mouse Knob Falls. This sudden change affords an effective barrier to further upstream migration by rainbows and browns, and from the head of the Falls (which is where Mouse Knob Creek enters the main stream), anglers encounter nothing but brook trout. Interestingly, long stretches of the upper reaches of Big Snowbird Creek are quite flat, although the spectacular Middle Falls and the massive pool at its foot present a dramatic contrast.
The recent completion of the Cherohala Highway linking Robbinsville, N.C. with Tellico Plains, Tenn. will likely, in time, change the nature of Big Snowbird. A classic example of a highway that should never have been built (it serves no useful transport purpose and has already proven to be anything but the tourist bonanza promoters promised), it makes access to the upper end of Big Snowbird relatively easy and almost invites poaching of the all too vulnerable brookies. For the present, though, Big Snowbird probably ranks as North Carolina's finest brook trout stream, and certainly it has the largest, longest stretch of water where brook trout hold exclusive domain.

TACKLE

FOR ANY OF THE STREAMS COVERED HERE, AND indeed for the North Carolina mountains in general, a three-, four-, or five-weight rod equipped with floating line serves quite nicely. In the warmer months you can wade wet; otherwise, plan to use stocking foot hip waders and good wading shoes with felt soles. The name Slickrock Creek should provide ample indication of the type of footing you can expect. A nine to 12-foot leader, tapering to 6X or 7X, normally suffices, although in the low water conditions of fare summer and fall, you may want additional length.
Choice of fly patterns is not, in my opinion (based on a full 50 years of fishing this region), nearly so important as presentation. Streams in this part of the world are not particularly fertile, and as a result trout tend to be opportunistic feeders.
Among the more popular patterns with local origins are the Thunderhead, Tellico Wulff, Adams Variant, "Yallarhammer," Tellico Nymph, Yellow Palmer, and Jim Charley. Good additions to these flies would be Elkhair caddis, Royal Wulff, Parachute Adams, and about any small beadhead nymph. In the spring sizes 12 and 14 work well, but with lower water conditions of summer and fall, it is wise to drop down to size 16, 18, and even 20.
For those interested in more information on hatches, Roger Lowe's booklet, "Smoky Mountain Fly Patterns," covers them on a month-by month basis with suggested flies to match.

TACTICS

ABILITY TO READ THE WATER, SKILLS IN STALKING, and precise placement of the fly are among the most important characteristics for anglers in North Carolina's highland homeland. Every pool and riffle, every place where the stream breaks its back or cuts beneath a rock, will hold trout. Brookies and browns tend to prefer slower currents, eddies and backwaters, while rainbows more frequently haunt rough water and swift runs. The savvy angler will use boulders, stream-side vegetation and other features of the terrain to hide his or her approach, and anyone unwilling to stoop appreciably lessens the likelihood of success. Similarly, knowledgeable locals have a distinct preference for clothing in earth tones.
In most situations, making long casts is impossible, but the ability to place the fly precisely where you wish at distances of 25 to 35 feet is vital. Roll casting helps avoid line shadows from false casting, and in every situation do all that is possible to avoid drag or any semblance of an unnatural drift for the fly. One way to do this, particularly in the rough water and conflicting currents so often encountered, is by "dabbing." This involves short casts followed by an immediate lifting of the rod tip so that nothing but the fly remains in contact with the surface.
Another effective technique, although it requires first-rate casting skills, involves use of a two-fly rig. A high-floating dry fly such as a Parachute Adams or an Elkhair caddis does double duty as a strike indicator. Beneath it drifts a tiny beadhead nymph at the end of an 18 to 24-inch section of tippet, which is attached to the bend of the dry fly hook with an improved clinch knot. If most of your strikes come on the dry fly, the nymph can be removed, but that is seldom the case. On die other hand, if virtually all the action takes place on the nymph, you might consider removing the dry fly and tight-lining with the nymph.
Whatever approach you take, it is worth remembering that the first and last hour of daylight during late spring, summer and early fall produce the finest action. Conversely, during early spring, late fall and winter, the middle of the day is better. No matter what the season, here in the North Carolina mountains, you will have a better understanding of why being back of beyond so enthralled Horace Kephart.

Jim Casada, who serves as president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, grew up in the heart of the North Carolina mountains. He has written or edited more than 20 books, including the award-winning Modern Fly Fishing (North American Fishing Club, Minnetonka, MN, 1993).