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The trip started off following heavy rains of spring.  Little could we guess the bridge crossing over the stream would be washed out.  After several minutes of study we devised a successful plan of crossing.
 

Driving on out the single track road we had to navigate fording the stream.  With the water coming up to mid tire height on the land cruisers wheels we continued on.  Easing over the boulder strewn road we went by a nice camping area and an old homeplace.  After what seemed forever we reached our destination, the falls on Jacobs Fork.  Yes friends, this recalls my first trip in the 70's to visit what is now South Mountain State Park.
 

I don't remember the date exactly, but the dredging operation had ceased.  You could still drive up the mountain to the falls if you dared.  I was not a trout fisherman at the time, but I soon learned the passion.
 

In the early years of the park, the fishing was good following visits by the stocking truck on the lower sections.  There were generally some holdover fish, but the fishing would get slow between stockings.  The native sections were my preference.  If I had the energy to hike above the falls to start, there was still a good days fishing before coming upon the falls.  The ten inch minimum size limit on native trout meant I could most likely fish all day without a keeper, but I could depend on releasing at least a few little ones.  If I didn't catch fish, I couldn't have picked a nicer place to have spent my day.  I still miss the old days when half the fun was trying to get the old Volkswagen van all the way to the park. If I expected the road to be real bad, I would sometimes call John Sharp at the park and tell him I was coming.  At least someone could look for me in the ditch.  Although I only got stuck one time, I still call John from time to time.
 

John Sharpe was the first superintendent, around 1977, with the task of building one of North Carolina's finest wildlife accesses.  In particular a fine trout fishery.  In the original stocking of these streams, which were barren of trout till this occurred, mostly rainbow trout were stocked.  Some brook trout were stocked on the Henry Fork, but the prevalent fish remained the rainbows from the 1940's stocking.  During the 70's brown trout were backpacked in as fingerlings on Jacob's Fork and Shiney Creek headwaters.  Today both fish are well established, with the rainbows being most abundant, the browns being larger.  It's hard for me to imagine that this stream had no trout before the 1940's
 

Walt Gravley came to the park from Stone Mountain state Park bringing with him a well managed idea of how the park should be developed.  State funding came through and the roads were widened, bridges were built, signs were painted and all the people came.  Within a few years the remote park I remembered was being accesses by thousands.  Ruined, I thought!  Walt assured me that most of the cars belonged to hikers not fishemen.  As an additional insurance to keep the fishermen happy, the delayed harvest was started.
 

The delayed harvest is a tremendous success.  As one who has fished the park for years, I have caught more fish on the lower sections than in the early years.  If I feel more adventurous or desire solitude.  I just hike the trails or take the drive to the Henry Fork.
 

The loss of the once remote park I knew years ago has been replaced with a place many people can easily access, and still expect successful fishing.  we should all thank walt and those others who have helped create a place we can be proud to leave for our kids.
 

By:  Jim Terrell

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