Yesterday The Kidd and I finally made our way to the Big creek section of the Smokies. Having never been there before we had no idea what to expect. The parking lot was already full and finding a spot was a little difficult. We pulled in at 11:15 am and made our way to the trailhead. It wasn't hot but it was humid like it had just rained, so we started sweating immediately.
The trail at first follows the side of a ridge overlooking the creek in places, but for the first 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile the water is nowhere to be seen. Soon enough the trail found its way back to the stream and it was a sight to behold. big boulders often bigger than a car, Lots of pocket water, some small runs and hopefully lots of trout.
We stopped and checked out a couple of spots along the way not knowing if the midnight hole was marked or how close we were. The water was low so I wondered if it would look anything like the pictures I had seen on Google. We found a spot with a little waterfall and a fairly deep pool and the Kidd spotted a bird nest under a rock overlooking the water, with a few trout feeding in the pool below.
We hit the trail again and within a few minutes I spotted something familiar through the trees. The water was just as blue as the pictures I had seen and there were several trout visibly feeding in the pool in front of us. We weren't alone but were fortunate enough to get a good picture before the hordes showed up and it turned into a swimming hole. I was amazed that the trout didn't hide when everyone started jumping and swimming. They were apparently used to it and kept feeding, never more than a few feet away. One hung out so close to shore I was able to get an underwater shot of him.
Well that looked like fun so I decided I wanted to jump too. The Kidd wanted no part of it and was content to hang out, dip her toes and mostly avoid the cold water. But me, first time here, and not knowing when I'll ever be back, I had to do it. The hard part was climbing the big rock (not visible) on the left. The 10 year olds were practically running up it compared to me at 36. I slipped and scraped my right shin while making the short climb up.
After I got that out of my system some lunch was ate, some drying out, and then we were off to find mouse creek falls. Its just a short half mile past the midnight hole and there were some really good views of the creek along the way.
At the falls I found some weird fungus growing on the side of a tree. There were alot of people down the path to the falls, and we had already had our fill of being in a crowd for the day, so we hung back and looked on from a higher perspective
I have read Don Kirk's book "Smoky Mountain Trout Fishing Guide" from cover to cover and still refer to it when I go someplace new. Occasionally I have found his assessment of fishing quality to be understated. On Big creek he wrote, "The quality of fishing on Big creek does not quite match the scenery" but the multiple trout I saw earlier said different. I brought along a fly rod and wanted to test the fishing once we passed mouse creek falls. My theory is that 60-70% of people turn around from there and head for their car, and the water above would be less crowded. We found an empty spot just a few minutes up the trail and I strung up the 'ol Temple Fork 4wt(RIP) with a Poor Mans Stimulator and a bead head pheasant tail dropper.
Don Kirk was partially right. This is one of the more scenic streams I've been on, considering proximity to the car. But the fishing I found to be awesome! In two short runs I missed three trout on the PMS and landed three on the BHPT. I only fished for around ten minutes before the incoming clouds went dark, and we thought we heard a little thunder. Not one to test fate while holding a 9ft lightning rod, I kept the tip low and we started our way back towards the truck. I hope to make it back one day soon to pierce some more lips and see what else this little big creek has to offer
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