Owl--I've caught "migratory" fish from Cherokee Reservation waters as far up as Kephart Prong and last summer I caught perhaps a dozen of them in the Tow String area. Clearly they do move a good ways, although as you suggest, the reason for going up a little stream like Mingus Creek is one I don't get. Just one of the endless mysteries which makes the sport so alluring.
Jim Casada
www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com