July 27 - Jackson County Blue Lines!

I headed over to Jackson County to do a little blue line fishing and catch trout in some new creeks. The creek in the picture above has a name, and part of it is in Nantahala National Forest, but it probably is someone's secret fishing hole, so all you are getting from me is that it is near Bear Lake. I caught six specs on a bead-head to make it new creek #1023.

Jackson County blue line, new creek #1023

Rock Bridge Road crosses the East Fork of the Tuckasegee River just upstream from Tanasee Creek Lake and dead ends at Flat Creek, a catch-and-release speckled trout stream. Before it gets there it crosses Slickens Creek, a tiny creek covered with dog hobble and laurel that ends in the Bonas Defeat gorge. There are specs in Slickens Creek, but I can promise you that it is nobody's secret creek! Because of the dog hobble and laurel, there was no actual casting involved. I just stood in the road at the culvert and lowered my line straight down through a small opening in the vegetation, and a spec attacked my bead head nymph. I repeated the process on the other side of the road to make Slickens Creek new creek #1024. After that I did crawl down into the creek to take the picture below from creek level.

Slickens Creek, new creek #1024

Spec caught while standing in Rock Bridge Road

I have fished the East Fork of the Chattooga River near it's confluence with the Chattooga, near the Walhalla hatchery. and near the state line at Sloan Bridge, all of which are in South Carolina. The river actually begins in NC and follows 107 downstream to the state line. I fished a short stretch just above the state line and caught four small wild browns on a green weenie to make it new (NC) creek #1025.

East Fork Chattooga River, new creek #1025

By that time I had caught browns and specs, but no rainbows, so I decided to complete the slam in an old favorite on the way home. Sorry, this one is MY secret creek!

Just for fun, some rainbows to complete the slam.