I added new creeks #891-895 in one Saturday afternoon in Jackson and Macon Counties! I caught wild rainbows in Sugar Branch and Betty Branch, tributaries of Savannah Creek in Jackson County that cross 441 South.

I then went over the mountain to Cowee Valley, where naturalist William Bartram once had some interesting interactions with the Cherokee. In addition to being a great place to find rubies, Cowee Creek used to be recognized as Designated Mountain Trout Water by the NCWRC, but now Cowee and its many tributaries are considered undesignated water. Some of the extreme headwaters are located on National Forest land, and I assume they are Wild Trout Water, but most of the creeks flow through private property, requiring permission from the landowner. I caught rainbows in Mica City Creek, rainbows and specs in Blazed Creek, which is on public land, and browns in Matlock Creek.