The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a great outdoor destination for guests who want to hike, bike ride, or go fishing. More specifically, the clear, quick moving streams are prime destinations for fly fishing in the Smokies. If you’re a fly fisherman planning a trip to the area, here’s everything you need to know about fly fishing in the Smokies:
The Streams
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains over 2,900 miles of streams, and over 700 miles of these are large enough to support a trout population. With over 300 streams to fish in, you can choose between remote headwater streams that require a hike to reach, or more easily accessible streams where the fishing is less challenging.
The Fish
The streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park house a ton of wildlife, but the species that will impress fishermen are brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, and small mouth bass. The brown trout are the largest species you’ll find when fly fishing in the Smokies. The brook trout is native to this area, while the rainbow trout and brown trout were stocked in the creeks decades ago.
The Rules
Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park spans the Tennessee/North Carolina border, you only need to have a fishing license in one of the two states to fish inside the park. Licenses can be obtained in Tennessee by people over the age of 13, and can be obtained in North Carolina by people over the age of 16. Fishing is allowed in the park from 30 minutes before official sunrise until 30 minutes after official sunset. Fishermen must also adhere to daily possession limits. Each person can take home 5 brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, or smallmouth bass, or a combination of these. The combined total must not be more than 5. In addition to these 5, each fisherman can take 20 rock bass.
Best Spots
Here are some of the best locations for fly fishing in the Smokies:
Little River from the Sinks to Townsend
This segment of the Little River is accessible by road, making it one of the most popular destinations for fly fishing in the Smokies, but it also means you have a longer stretch of water to choose from. With deep pools and rocks forming riffles, this portion of the Little River is abundant with brook, rainbow, and brown trout.
Chataloochee Creek
The Chataloochee Creek is over on the East side of the national park, and can provide more space for a fly fisher. This is the perfect spot for a fishermen because the crowds are smaller and the brown trout are plentiful.
Twentymile Creek
You’ll be able to see the Twentymile Creek from the Twentymile Creek Trail, but not many hikers venture down to the water. This is a moderate to difficult spot for fishermen to reach from the trail, but once you get down, it offers great fishing for rainbow trout!
The beautiful creeks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are perfect for fly fishing. Whether you’re new to fly fishing or you’ve been doing it for years, the Smokies have a bunch of different fishing spots that vary in location, accessibility, and ease of fishing. Check out our page for more information about fly fishing in the Smokies.
