On the other hand, its rugged nature means lots of plunge pools of just the sort ideally suited to holding good trout. The last four times I’ve fished Twentymile Creek, the only other people I saw were hikers, and despite being accessible by road it has to be one of the least fished streams in the park.

SLICKROCK CREEK

For much of its flow, Slickrock Creek forms the boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee. It lies in a region nationally designated as a “wilderness area,” and is unique among North Carolina streams, at least to my knowledge, in holding exclusively brown trout. These browns are descendants of fingerlings carried in by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in specially designed backpacks during the 1930s, and obviously the fish, in mountain parlance, “took holt.”

Slickrock Creek can be difficult, both in terms of getting to it and when it comes to getting the fickle browns to hit. However, as Graham County native Marty Maxwell, who has fished the stream his entire life and may well be the best fly-fisherman I’ve encountered in the high country, says, “It is truly a stream of dreams.”

No matter how you approach it, Slickrock Creek demands energy and more than a fair measure of fitness. The easiest way is to take the Ike Branch Trail from the U.S. Highway 129 bridge immediately below the Cheoah Dam. The other alternative, and it has the advantage of putting you squarely in the best section of the stream, is to take the Big Fat Gap Trail. It is reached by taking Forest Service Road 82 off U.S. Highway 129 out of Robbinsville and following the narrow gravel road for several miles. It ends at the trailhead. Take Forest Service Trail 41 (not 400) from here and a walk of a mile and a half will put you on the stream. That’s easy enough, but when you begin the steep climb out, you’ll find out why guidebooks describe the walk as “difficult.”

The best times to fish Slickrock Creek are the same times that angling for brown trout are best: dawn, dusk, or on grey, overcast days. Should you be so lucky as to be there on a day in late April or May when a green drake hatch comes off, you will discover that the fish go into a feeding frenzy.

When it comes to coloration and sheer beauty, you won’t find lovelier browns anywhere. This is designated “Wild Trout Water,” which means a limit of four fish, 7 inches or more in length, and use of single-hook artificials only.

BIG SNOWBIRD CREEK

Like Slickrock Creek, Big Snowbird Creek lies in remote Graham County. The lower portion carries a “Hatchery Supported” designation, but for walk-in fishing you want to concentrate on the many miles of stream that begin at a place locally called The Junction.

Getting there requires several turns, but here are the details. Take U.S. 129 out of Robbinsville toward Tennessee. Shortly after leaving town, turn left on State Road 1127 (toward Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest).

Follow this winding, paved road until it crosses Big Snowbird Creek just above where the stream enters Lake Santeetlah. Shortly afterward, you will turn left on State Road 1115. Follow this road to the point where it crosses a bridge at the juncture of Big and Little Snowbird, then turn right on gravel Forest Service Road 1120. After several miles, it ends in a parking area at The Junction where the Big Snowbird Trail begins.

For the first two miles above The Junction, up to Sassafras Creek (a good campsite), the trail follows the left side of the stream, although the trail is often quite far up the mountain. This stretch offers good fishing for both browns and rainbows and is a fine day trip.

Just above Sassafras Creek, Big Snowbird drops through a series of cascades known as Mouse Knob Falls, and from this point upstream you will find specks (brook trout) only. This is far and away the biggest stream in North Carolina holding exclusively native brookies, and that characteristic makes it truly special.

Camping at Mouse Knob or farther upstream is recommended for brook trout fishermen. As with Slickrock Creek, all of Big Snowbird above the Junction is Wild Trout Water.

This gives you five interesting choices of streams for your next trip, so let’s close with thoughts on tactics and techniques.

For the flyfisherman, particularly in the spring and early summer, attractor patterns or nymphs are preferred. Presentation, far more than fly pattern, matters most.