EZ Meets Gee

EZ and I intended to fish the Elk Friday afternoon, time permitting, but the river was pushing too much water, so EZ and I drove to a relatively little known creek near the HI for some wild stream action.  We only had a few hours.  The time we had was consumed by a four mile hike, and very little fishing.   The water was low and clear, and the fishing wasn't good; though it was a great chance to get out on a wonderful Fall afternoon and explore a trout stream I haven't visited in nearly two years. 

Deep Creek - A Scouting Trip

I made a last minute decision on Friday to take my 3 year old son on his first over night camping trip.  My goal was to see if such a trip could be accomplished with a 3 year old, and at the same time, I was interested in exploring some trout water.  Someone suggested the Nanty DH, so we packed up and drove up that way during the late afternoon.  When we got there, after a rather long drive, there were no camping spots; though there were plenty of fishermen.  We drove on down to Bryson City, and I found Deep Creek.  I had never been to Deep Creek.  The campsite itself is fairly typical of GSMNP sites - a lot of sites cramped together, a little expensive ($17 to pitch a tent), but perfect for the occasion.  We got there late.  We set a fire, rigged up camp, ate dinner, told some stories, and went to bed.  In the morning, we went for a short hike up Deep Creek Trail.  I brought my rod, but my boy was not all that interested in fishing, so I only tossed the line in the water twice, and then just admired the stream.  Deep Creek looks to be an outstanding stream for fly fishing.  It is wide enough for casting, and the flow is good for just about any style of fly fishing.  There are pools for buggers and big dry flies, runs for nymphs, and a slow enough flow to get a good drift on a standard dry fly. 

North Carolina Trout Fishing

North Carolina is way ahead of Tennessee and Georgia in terms of managing trout streams and rivers.  Check out the link below. They have an interactive map that covers the entire state in terms of locating places to fish based upon species, water type, accessibility, etc.  Even more impressive is that an out of state trout fishing license in North Carolina is less expensive than an in-state Tennessee fishing license.  Check it out:  http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing.aspx