Marty Maxwell nets a fine Big Snowbird Creek brown trout. In sections of this creek anglers can take browns, rainbows and brook trout. Photo by Jim Casada.

The Appalachian chain in North Carolina, running from the southwest corner of the state northward and eastward for the entire length of North Carolina’s boundary with Tennessee, embraces some of the finest trout water east of the Rockies. There are hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand, creeks and rivers that hold trout in the state. While some are private water, most of the stream mileage is open to the public. This is thanks to the fact that the waterways of close to a million and a half acres of land in the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along with the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, are suitable for trout.

If you want to start an argument among the trout-fishing fraternity, just make a bold statement that one stream or another is the “finest trout water” in North Carolina. Everyone has an opinion and likely can make some cogent, although not totally convincing, arguments in support of their stream of choice. That leads directly to the matter at hand -- selecting not one but 10 top streams. As we turn to that task, fairness dictates a bit of what pointy-headed lawyers describe as “qualifying the witness.”

The picks that follow come totally from first-hand experience. Mine has been a marvelously misspent life that has seen me, as a native Tar Heel and hopelessly addicted trout fisherman, spend appreciably chunks of a full six decades in pursuit of these inhabitants of bright, sparkling waters. My early experiences were largely confined to waters of the park and a few streams in the Nantahala National Forest, but in adulthood they have expanded to encompass delightful days all up and down what a good friend and fellow angler, the late Harry Middleton, described as the ancient “spine of time” of the Appalachians. That said, these are my choices, in no particular order of preference, and I’m sticking to them.

HAZEL CREEK
On a national level, this stream in the heart of the park is possibly the best-known Tar Heel trout water. Flowing into the north shore of Fontana Lake, it is a medium to large stream in its lower reaches, and its relative remoteness (it is accessible only by boat or long hikes) keeps it from being too much a victim of its fame.

Like all park waters, Hazel Creek contains exclusively wild trout, with browns becoming increasingly prevalent in the first few miles although this is still primarily a rainbow trout stream. There are a number of designated backcountry campsites from the one at Proctor near Hazel Creek’s mouth on upstream, and the best way to enjoy this wonderful water is by camping for two or three days. Don’t overlook a major feeder, Bone Valley Creek, and the adventurous can find solitude and speckled trout in the uppermost stretches.

FORNEY CREEK
Of all the streams in the park, Forney Creek is my personal favorite. Like Hazel Creek, it flows into the north shore of Fontana, but it is more distant from boat-launching areas on the opposite side of the lake. On the other hand, it can be reached by a reasonable hike (about four miles) from the trailhead, which begins at the end of the “Road to Nowhere” (some maps show it as the Lakeshore Road).

This medium-sized stream gets far less pressure than Hazel Creek and is every bit as productive when it comes to rainbows and browns. For those who cherish solitude combined with fine fishing, Forney is about as good as it gets. As is the case with Hazel Creek, backcountry camping, as opposed to one-day trips, is the way to go.