Home Care In Brook Cove, NC

The countless hours of restoration work is paying off the Great Smoky Mountains. The national park has now opened two additional streams to fish for the reintroduced native brook trout.

Great Smoky Mountains — Years of hard work by biologists and volunteers in the Great Smoky Mountains could lure even more anglers to the national park in 2018.

The park reintroduced and restored native brook trout to places like Lynn Camp Prong in the Smokies a few years ago. This year there are two additional streams to fish for brookies.

"We have a couple of streams we just restored. Anthony Creek, which is the first stream in Cades Cove to have brook trout in it since the 1950s. And a portion of Little Cataloochee Creek. Now we're up to 13

streams in the park that we've restored Southern Appalachian brook trout. That totals just over 30 miles," said Matt Kulp, supervisory fishery biologist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Credit: WBIR

Matt Kulp, supervisory fishery biologist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Brook trout populations were devastated throughout the Great Smoky Mountains by the introduction of non-native rainbow trout. The revitalized species and easier access to fishing locations helps lure customers to nearby outfitters.

"People drive here from other states specifically to fish for brook trout," said Daniel Drake, manager of Little River Outfitters in Townsend. ""You used to really have to hike in the backcountry for brook trout. Now there are several streams that are easily accessed. This is a good time of year."

Park biologists expect a strong season for brook trout and the dozens of other species of fish in the Smokies. The severe drought of 2016 put a dent in many populations.

Credit: WBIR

"The fish populations in these park streams are heavily influenced by floods and droughts. The low water levels, warmer temperatures, and fewer food sources take a toll. But what's cool about them is being native, they come back pretty quickly because they're used to that. Within a year or two they can

bounce back and that's what we've seen," said Kulp. "The Smokies offers people a lot of places to fish in native pristine habitat. People should take advantage of that."

You need a fishing license from Tennessee or North Carolina to fish in the Great Smoky Mountains. You can find all the fishing rules and regulations at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park website.

Tribal streams, ponds are put-and-take heaven

Cherokee Reservation Enterprise Waters are well known as some of the best catch-and-keep trout fisheries in North Carolina’s mountains, offering generous creel limits and heavily stocked streams.

The 30 miles of streams and three ponds that make up these waters are stocked annually with 360,000 rainbow trout that run between 8 and 10 inches, and a few brown and brook trout in the trophy category, plus some golden trout. Anglers may keep up to 10 trout a day, with no size, lure or bait restrictions.

In addition to its catch-and-keep waters, the tribe has a 2.2-mile section of Raven Fork in the Big Cove area that is restricted to catch-and-release, fly-fishing only. The majority of the fish are at least 20 inches with some in 30 inches or larger.

Streams in the system are the Oconaluftee River, Raven Fork, Bunches Creek and Soco Creek. The three ponds are in Big Cove. With the exception of Soco Creek, the headwaters of Enterprise streams are in the adjoining Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Oconaluftee, the largest section, runs through Cherokee proper, eventually joining the Little Tennessee River upstream of Fontana Lake.

While bait fishermen make up a majority of the anglers who fish Enterprise Waters, Cherokee streams also are excellent fly-fishing streams. Trout quickly adapt to their environment, and once they’ve been in a stream a couple of weeks without their daily allotment of trout food, they learn to eat whatever insects and aquatic life are available. Float a small Blue-Winged Olive over a likely run, and you’ll get a strike even after a bait fisherman has given up, convinced that the stream has been fished out. Despite heavy fishing pressure and frequent stockings, the streams do have limited, natural reproduction. Plus, a number of wild trout are either washed down or migrate from park streams.

Doug Reed, manager of the tribal hatchery at the head of Big Cove, said trout are raised from eggs, and the hatchery keeps between 700,000 to 800,000 trout in its raceways, everything from fry to stocking-size trout, the majority of them rainbows.

Enterprise Waters are stocked once a week during the winter and three times a week during spring, summer and fall. While the majority of the rainbows run between 8 and 10 ounces, weekly stockings also include trophy trout that run 4 to 12 pounds, and a few that top 17 pounds. The larger trout are stocked in the bigger waters of the Oconaluftee and lower Raven Fork.

Prime places for fly fishing are upper Raven Fork and Bunches Creek in the Big Cove section. Bunches Creek, a small stream, is a tributary of Raven Fork, and Raven Fork, a medium-size stream, is a tributary of the Oconaluftee River. Both streams are easy to get to and fairly easy to wade. Bunches Creek is accessible from a gravel road; a paved road runs beside Raven Fork from where it begins as Enterprise Waters to its confluence with the Oconaluftee River.

Spring is an ideal time to use flies. Blue-Winged Olives in Nos. 16 or 18 are deadly almost any time of the year in Cherokee or park waters. Other excellent spring-time patterns are Quill Gordon, Blue Dun, Hendrickson, and March Brown, all in Nos. 14 or 16. Excellent attractor patterns are a male Adams, Royal Wulff, Thunderhead or Gray Hackle in Nos. 12 or 14.

For nymph fishing, recommended patterns are No. 10 March Brown, No. 10 Dark Stone, Nos. 10 or 12 Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear, No. 10 Secret Weapon, or a No. 10 Tellico.

If you’re unsure whether to use a nymph or a dry fly, use both. Tie an 8- to 10-inch section of leader to a dry fly (usually a No. 2 or larger) and attach a nymph as a dropper. It’s a deadly combination.

The tribe sponsors several high-dollar, weekend fishing tournaments. This year’s events include the Memorial Day Trout Tournament, May 27-29, with $10,000 in prizes; the Tim Hill Memorial Trout Tournament, July 16-17, with $10,000 in prizes; and the Qualla Country Trout Tournament, Sept. 2-4, with $20,000 in prizes. Entry fee for the three tournaments is $11, plus the purchase of a tribal permit.

A two-person team tournament, Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Fishing Tournament, is scheduled Oct. 26-28, with $10,000 in prize money for the top three places. Entry fee is $225 per team.

Enterprise streams close in March but open a week earlier than managed hatchery-supported streams in the rest of North Carolina. To fish Enterprise Waters, all you need is a tribal permit ($10 per day). No other license is required. Permits for Catch-and-Release waters are $25 per day in addition to a $10 tribal fishing permit.

Maps, brochures, and other information are available by calling the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce at 828-788-0034, or visiting www.FishCherokee.com.

Delayed-harvest isn’t the only section to fish

On just about any day, fair weather or not, the delayed-harvest section of the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County is crowded with trout fishers, either wading or floating the stream. This 4.5-mile stretch of water is the queen of delayed-harvest waters. In the spring, in March to April and again in October and November, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stocks 49,000 rainbow, brook and brown trout. Fishing guides love this section because they can almost guarantee that their clients will catch trout — a lot of trout.

The delayed-harvest section, however, is just a small portion of the river’s fishable waters. The rest of the stream, upstream and downstream, has fair to good populations of trout. The fishing is not as easy as it is on the delayed-harvest section, but an afternoon of fishing can usually yield a limit, and it’s not uncommon for that limit to include a few stream-born trout.

The lower section of hatchery-supported waters begins below the site of the old dam at Dillsboro and flows west to Swain County where it joins the Little Tennessee River and, ultimately, Fontana Reservoir. The river flows adjacent to US 441 to the Cherokee Indian Reservation exit and continues along US 19 all the way to Fontana. From the Barker’s Creek Access on US 441 to Bryson City, the river has a healthy smallmouth bass population as well as trout — good-sized trout. In the spring, walleye often make their spawning runs up the river.

On a recent, drizzly afternoon, I fished the lower section, entering the stream at the Barker’s Creek Access. Within an hour, I caught four trout. The smallest was an beautifully colored 11-inch brown trout, one that obviously had never seen a hatchery. The largest was a beautifully striped 14-inch rainbow trout. Due to high water levels, I chose to fish with a spinning rod rather than fly fish. This is big water, and when the water is up, as it was this day, it’s not safe to wade.

My family had not had a good trout dinner since late fall, so later that day, my granddaughter and I went to another section of the Tuckasegee at the Locust Creek Access on old Cullowhee Road. This section is just above the bridge on NC 107, where the delayed-harvest waters begin. The bonus of this area is that trout from the delayed-harvest waters don’t always stay where they are supposed to, and many of them work their way upstream to hatchery-supported waters.

Within 30 minutes, my granddaughter and I caught three rainbow trout, all stockers, enough for a feast of fresh trout.

End to end, the Tuckasegee River is approximately 52 miles long, beginning at the junction of Panthertown and Grassland creeks — both wild-trout streams — and flowing northwest through Jackson County into Swain County. All of the lower section below Dillsboro is big water. Some sections can be waded when water is not being generated, but because of limited bank access, much of the stream is limited to floating.

In the upper section, the river splits into the east and west forks at the Walter Middleton Bridge on NC 107 at the small community of Tuckasegee. The East Fork flows between NC 281 and Shook Cove Road. Access is good most of the way, and although the river runs through private property, only a few sections are posted. The Shook Cove Access Area is 1.5 miles upstream. The East Fork is downstream from Cedar Cliff and Bear Creek lakes.

The West Fork, a smaller stream, follows NC 107 to Tuckasegee Lake, a two-acre Duke Energy impoundment. The lake does contain trout, but access can be difficult, especially in the lower section. Above the lake, the river is more like a typical mountain stream with a rocky bed and high-gradient flow. This is also prime trout-fishing territory. A large, gravel parking area is near the power plant, and steps lead down to the stream. The stream is wadable and is open enough for fly fishing. Above Tuckasegee Falls, the stream enters posted property, but there’s plenty of fishable water before that.

Neither the East Fork nor the West Fork is stocked, but both sections contain adequate numbers of trout. Both streams are designated as general waters.

The Commission stocks both hatchery-supported sections of the Tuckasegee with approximately 10,000 rainbow, brook and brown trout between March and June. The upper section is stocked beginning at the junction of the east and west forks. The lower is stocked beginning below the old Dillsboro Dam to the small community of Wilmont.

The hatchery-supported sections have many streamside pull-off areas for parking. On Old Cullowhee Road is the Locust Creek Access. The East Laporte Recreation Area on NC 107 above Cullowhee recently was upgraded with additional parking spots and a river-access ramp. This section of the stream once produced a state-record brown trout, and it’s a popular fishing area for locals. A large pool below the access is especially productive.

When I want an enjoyable day of fly-fishing, I go to the delayed-harvest waters, but when I want an enjoyable day of fishing with the option of keeping enough trout for dinner, I head for the other sections of the Tuckasegee.

Parts of 15 streams are highlighted on Trail, the only one of its kind in the U.S.

With summer approaching, where does a fisherman go to beat the heat? Want to go somewhere a little cooler where you can fish a lot of different places without driving too far?

The Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail (WNCFFT) fills the bill, with 15 prime fishing spots for brook, brown and rainbow trout, plus a bonus of smallmouth bass and other fish. It offers a variety of waters from small streams to large open rivers, stocked in some cases from March through November.

Jackson County is the home of the WNCFFT, the first and only fly fishing trail in the country, which features some of the best trout fishing water in North Carolina’s mountains.

The idea for the Trail came from Alex Bell, who owns and operates AB’s Fly Fishing Guide Service and Jackson County native Bobby Kilby; the Jackson County Tourism Authority joined the fun early on, realizing it needed something to replace the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad during the 2009 downturn in the local economy.

Waters on the Trail include portions of four rivers — the Tuckasegee, Chattooga, Whitewater and Raven Fork trophy water in the Cherokee Indian Reservation — plus several small streams and remote waterways, including Tanasee and Greens creeks in the scenic Natahala National Forest, and Panthertown Creek, which bisects Panthertown Valley, aka the “Yosemite of the East.”

Streams on the Trail are in all corners of Jackson County, from the Raven Fork along the northern edge to the Chattooga and Whitewater rivers along the South Carolina border. Cities along the trail are Whittier, Dillsboro, Sylva, Webster, Balsam, Cullowhee, Tuckasegee and Cashiers.

Most of the streams have easy access and are close to major roads. Generally, access to the water is not more than 100 yards. The streams are regulated as hatchery supported, wild trout, delayed harvest, wild trout/natural bait, catch-and- release and artificial-bait only.

Here they are:

• Scott Creek is a 10-mile stretch of water that runs from its headwaters near Balsam downstream to Sylvia. The stretch also includes North Fork Scott Creek and Bluff Creek, which are very scenic.

Parking and access points with pull-off areas are available along US 19/23. The water is hatchery supported and has a good population of brown and rainbow trout. This is a small creek for small, dry flies, hoppers and stoneflies.

• Moses, Mull, Rough Butt, Chastine and Piney Mountain are a collection of small creeks below the Blue Ridge Parkway in the eastern part of the county. They course through mounatinous terrain that includes several large waterfalls. The access points include Moses Creek Rd. (SR 1740) and Caney Fork Rd. (SR 1737). This water includes rainbow trout in good numbers and wild brook trout in the Nantahala Natural Forest, but it also includes some private land that should be avoided.

• Caney Fork is roughly 10 miles long from East Laporte Park in Cullowhee to the headwaters at the junction of Mull Creek and Piney Mountain Creek. Access is from Caney Fork Rd. (SR 1737). This is undesignated water with good numbers of brown, rainbow and some brook trout. A lot of land along this stretch, however, is posted and private property.

• Tanasee Creek is roughly two to three miles long from its headwaters downstream to Tanasee Creek Bridge, which is a prime access point on Tanasee Creek Road (SR 1762). This water features wild brown trout in good amounts and size.

• Panthertown Creek is roughly a three-mile stretch of stream with parking and access at the end of Breedlove Rd. (SR1121), with a two-mile walk to the creek. This area is managed under catch-and-release, single-hook artificial lures only restrictions, with good quantities of brook trout.

• Raven Fork (Cherokee Trophy Water) starts at the Blue Ridge Parkway bridge and runs north for more than two miles. Parking and access points are available at several pull-off areas along Big Cove Rd., with foot paths that run along the stream. Most areas will have a sign at the pull off, and it is usually a short walk to the water.

This is catch-and-release, fly-fishing only water with good numbers and size of brook, brown, Donaldson, golden, and rainbow trout, with fish over 20 inches common. This stream requires special permits from the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

• Whitewater River runs between two and three miles from NC 107 to the South Carolina state line, with parking and access along NC 107 a few miles south of Cashiers. This section features good numbers of wild brown, brook and rainbow trout. These waters flow into Whitewater Falls, the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River.

• Scotsman and Fowler creeks contain two to three miles of water flowing into the Chattooga River, with access available by Whiteside Cove Rd. (SR 1107) or Bullpen Rd. (SR 1100) in the Nantahala National Forest. These creeks feature wild brown and rainbow trout in good numbers, plus sizable fish in the Chattooga River proper.

• West Fork Tuckasegee River runs from the tailrace below Glenville (Thorpe) Lake for several miles yards. Parking and access are available on both sides of NC 107 near the dam. This stretch has hatchery supported brown and rainbow trout, with a concentration of stream-raised fish that will average between 12 and 15 inches.

• Tuskasegee River No. 1 runs two to three miles from East Laporte Park in Cullowhee to the NC 107 Bridge, with access available at the park and pull-off areas along the Old Cullowhee Rd. East Laporte Park has picnic tables and public rest rooms. This river features large numbers of hatchery supported brook, brown and rainbow trout.

• Savannah Creek is about 10 miles from the headwaters in Pumpkintown to the Tuckasegee River. Parking is available with several pull-off along US 23/44, but with limited access near the Tuckasegee. This stretch is hatchery supported with brown and rainbow trout in good numbers and is good for dry flies like parachutes, stoneflies and small hoppers.

• Tuckasgee River No. 2 is a four- to five-mile stretch from the NC 107 Bridge to Dillsboro Park. Parking and access is available with numerous pull-off along the North River Rd. This is delayed harvest water that offers the best place to achieve the Tuckasegee Slam — brown, brook, and rainbow trout — with good size and quantities.

The delayed-harvest regulations run from Oct. 1 until the first Saturday in June, with only single-hook, artificial lures allowed. The stream stocked from October thru May with approximately 50,000 trout that average 12 to 14 inches, with some in the 20- to 27-inch range. This a large stream that one can wade easily as well as float.

• Greens Creek extends three to four miles from the Macon County line to Savannah Creek, with access points along Greens Creek Rd. (SR 1370); it includes some posted land. Portions of the creek flow through the Nantahala National Forest. This is a small stream with limited access that supports wild trout, undesignated hatchery supported rainbow and some brown trout.

• Tuckasegee River No. 3 covers about a mile from Dillsboro Park through Dillsboro. These are hatchery supported brown and rainbow trout of good size.

• Lower Tuckasegee River extends eight to 10 miles from Baker’s Creek Bridge to Whittier, with parking and access along US 19. This section is hatchery supported, undesignated and has good numbers and sizes of brown and rainbow trout, plus, it’s home to some nice smallmouth bass. The last two sections of the Tuckasegee include some big-water float trips for smallmouth bass, rainbown trout and red-eye or rock bass.

DESTINATION INFORMATION

HOW TO GET THERE/WHEN TO GO: Jackson County is approximately 45 miles west of Asheville, with Sylva the county seat. Best vehicular access is from US 74, the Smokey Mountain Expressway, also US 441/23 from Franklin, NC 107 from Cashiers and US 19 from Waynesville through Maggie Valley to Cherokee. Trout fishing along the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail in Jackson County is good year-round.

FISHING INFO/GUIDES: AB’s Fly Guide Service, 828-226-3833 or www.abfish.org; Brookings’ Cashiers Village Outfitters, 828-743-3768 or www.Brookingsonline.com; Hooker’s Fly Shop & Guide Service, Sylva, 828-587-4665 or www.hookersflyshop.com. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Best Western Plus River Escape Inn & Suites, Dillsboro, 828-586-6060 or www.bwriverescape.com; Carefree RV Resorts’ Fort Tatham RV Park 828-586-6662 or http://www.carefreervresorts.com/rv-parks/north-carolina/fort-tatham/; High Hampton Inn & Country Club, 800-334-2551 or www.HighHamptonInn.com; Smokey Mountain Getaways, 866-586-8058 or http://smokymtngetaways.net/; Sylva Inn, 828-586-3115 or www.sylvainn.com.

MAPS: Jackson County Tourism, 800-962-1911 or www.flyfishingtrail.com; N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/TroutFishingMaps.aspx

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant reportedly has made his first personal investment since extending his contract with the franchise for an additional five years in July. This agreement locked the athlete in for $193 million, and with this additional bank, he purchased his next-door neighbor’s home for $3.05 million.

Morant’s new house, located in Eads, can boast it has been owned by several elite basketball players over the years. Most recently, it was the home of Kyle Anderson, who signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason. However, before that, it belonged to baller Monta Ellis, who bought it from the late Lorenzen Wright, according to the Memphis Business Journal.

While the history of the property is interesting, what is more profound is how the 23-year-old does his business.

When the Murray State alum purchased the first house in Tennessee, a month-and-a-half after being drafted second overall by the Grizzlies in 2019, where he signed a four-year contract for $39.6 million, he acquired it through an entity called Mountain Brook Cove Land Trust, paying $1.334 million.

For the new property, the Shelby County Register of Deeds notes he purchased it through Mountain Brook Cove Land Trust #2.

The 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year announced the new house and what he did with his old house on social media. The Bleacher Report reposted it on Twitter. A caption on the announcement says, “My parents & lil sis my neighbors … dats major.”

In the video, showing a beautiful estate, he can be heard saying, “Look at my crib.”

“Aye Pops,” he then yells across the way, and after the father responds, Morant says, “We neighbors now.”

The dad playfully tells him, “Go back to your house. We don’t need you over here.”

“I can’t come to your house?” he says, playing along with the joke.

The dad says “no.”

“Aight … I see you later,” Morant says as he still walks over.

“Security,” the parent shouts.

The South Carolina native finally submits, saying with a chuckle, “My Bad.”

In addition to his salary with the NBA — with Spotrac saying he brought in an estimated earnings of $27,500,400 over the last three seasons— he has a couple of endorsement deals. Morant’s reported net worth is $80 million. He earns over $11 million in salary annually.

The outlet Essentially Sports reports he has a Sneaker contract with Nike and another deal with BodyArmor for undisclosed amounts.