DEEP CREEK
I must confess that Deep Creek holds a special place in this angler’s heart inasmuch as it is my “home water,” the place where I cut my fly-fishing teeth. The lower reaches of Deep Creek in the park receive a great deal of fishing pressure, as do the two miles of state water after the stream leaves the park. However, from the Bumgardner Bend area on upstream there is reduced activity, and those seeking a day without seeing another fisherman can likely do just that on Left Fork, the Bend, or feeders, such as Indian Creek and Pole Road Creek. Access is strictly by foot in the park portions of the stream, with the Deep Creek Trail following the stream pretty closely most of the time from its beginning until one starts the climb (10-plus miles upstream) away from Right Fork toward Highway 441 hear Clingmans Dome. Increasingly, this is brown trout water, although you are likely to catch more ‘bows than browns, thanks to the difference in the ease of deceiving the two.

NANTAHALA RIVER
Should I be faced with the challenge of putting trout on the table and having my choice of streams in North Carolina to do so, I would opt to fish the Nantahala River’s lower reaches.

This section, which is a tailwater that draws whitewater enthusiasts from around the world, is an aesthetic nightmare during full flow, thanks to a non-stop “hatch” of canoes, kayaks and rafts. Yet, it is full of browns and rainbows, and though it is stocked and stocked heavily, most of the trout are stream bred.

You can actually wade much of the lower stream, which runs right along Highway 19, even when the water is “on.” It requires some wading skill and care, but the fishing is better than in the “off” conditions when moving from one pool to another can be accomplished with ease.

Mention should also be made of the delayed harvest section just upstream from where the massive outflow from a pipe running through the mountain creates the Nantahala tailwater. Likewise, there are many more miles of fine, albeit smaller, water in the Standing Indian area of the Nantahala’s headwaters.

One other fact worthy of mention is that when Trout Unlimited (TU) chose the top 100 trout streams nationally, the Nantahala River was one of two North Carolina destinations to make the list.

DAVIDSON RIVER
The second TU choice was the Davidson River in the Pisgah National Forest.

Virtually the entire stream is designated as catch-and-release, fly-fishing-only, so readers who are of my dear mom’s way of thinking (release to grease) need to turn elsewhere. It should also be noted that the stream’s ready accessibility and heavy stocking make for plenty of pressure, especially near the Pisgah Forest Hatchery. Access is easy -- Highway 276 follows the Davidson up to where Looking Glass Creek joins it, and afterward Forest Service Road 475 puts you at streamside.

In the lower reaches, you will find mostly stockers, but they get enough pressure to be pretty darn picky. The upper sections along with Avery Creek, which certainly merits attention, have self-sustaining populations of wild trout.

SOUTH MILLS RIVER
Designated as wild trout water throughout its drainage (better than a dozen miles), the South Mills in Transylvania County holds both rainbows and browns. It is appealing for several reasons, not the least of them being the fact it is accessible by road only at the upper and lower end (near the Cradle of Forestry and off Highway 280). Otherwise, access is exclusively by shank’s mare or horseback (the upper end is closed to horse riders), and the farther you walk from a trailhead the better the fishing.