Johnson Branch is a tiny tributary of Campbell Creek in Maggie Valley. I finally got permission to fish the stretch that runs beside Johnson Branch Road, and I caught four wild rainbows on a bead-head nymph.

I then fished Jonathan Creek from Parham Memorial Park to Wheels Through Time museum. I started out with an inch worm and only caught one fish in the first 30 minutes. When I switched to a bead-head stonefly, the action heated up immediately! I caught around 20 trout, most of them wild, and a fat 18-inch stocked rainbow that took me 50 yards downstream before I could land him. A new creek, 20+ fish, a big one, and some Swisher Sweets - all adds up to another good day!

The big one!

More pics from the day - just click on the arrow in the pic below to see the slideshow.