Smoky Mountain trout fishing

[anieman]

My family is planning a vacation and one of our ideas is to go fishing in the smokey mountian national park. We have never been their, and were wondering what the good areas to fish would be. I enjoy fishing small streams for wild trout, and am not afraid to hike in. I have search the internet for information but if seems there is so many streams that I have no idea what the best areas are. Any information on access to visit or names of streams would be appreciated. Also what flies would you reccomend for this time of year?

Thanks,
Austin

[Bryan Trantham]

Austin,
Would you be staying on the TN or NC side of the park? I am more familiar with the NC side as I live there and fish it regularly.
The water is pretty low right now and the fishing is tough, although the fishing has been pretty good. Most of the fish are small, averaging about 6-10". Larger ones can be had after a thundershower if the water is discolored.
I would recommend Deep Creek near Bryson City for some good fishing and family recreation such as tubing, Great Smoky Mountain Railway, etc. Cataloochee Valley near Waynesville is a nice place to visit and one of my regular haunts. It has the elk restoration and some good hiking.
If I can help in any way, don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions.
Bryan

[jeffnles1]

Austin,
Here is a message board operated by a fly shop on the edge of the smokies and it is mainly dedicated to fishing in the park.
http://littleriveroutfitters.com/forum/index.php

They also post a daily fishing report
http://littleriveroutfitters.com/pages/ ... report.htm

[anieman]

Bryan- We have not decided which side to visit, we might go to both sides if we have enough time. What flies would you recommend for this time of year? From what I've read it seems that any yellow dry fly is a good choice.

Jeff- I checked out that website and it is exactly what i needed.

Thanks for all the info so far.

[bassman]

Austin you are right about the Yellow dry flies. But I would also add some Green Weenies and maybe a few ants to my fly box, just in case. I never go to the smokies with out them.

If you will be on the TN side I would recommend the Townsand area to stay in and I highly recommend Little River Outfitters for your fishing supplies and information.

Hope this helps a little. John

[anieman]

I already have the ants, but Ill be sure to add some green weenies to my fly box. Townsand seems like it would be a good place to stay because of the fly shop and the streams near by.
Thanks for the help.

Austin

[Bryan Trantham]

Can't go wrong with a yellow palmer(think bivisible with a yellow body) and a peacock bodied parachute. Dropper flies, if you use them, would be a PTN, bead head Prince, or various colors of Copper Johns. Sizes 12-18 for dries and nymphs will catch fish on most any day.
Lowe Fly Shop in Waynesville recently closed but the guide service is still operating. They can be contacted at 828-452-0039 if you would like to book a trip.

Bryan

[anieman]

Dry dropper combos are my favorite way to fish. I also tied up some yellow palmers last night. How do you fish these, by stripping them right under the surface or just as a dry fly? I have nothing against people who use guides, but I probably won't book a guide because I think part of the fun is learning on you own and experimenting. I probably couldn't afford it anyway and I dont think my dad would pay for it.

Austin

[jeffnles1]

Austin,
Townsend is the place my family usually stays when in the Smokies. It's much quieter and less crowded than Gatlinburg. Check some of the web sites, there are a number of cabin rentals in and around townsend. That's what we usually do. There are some motels in town but never stayed there. They look nice.

If you're looking for night life and tons of tourist junk shopw, Gatlinburg or Piegon Forge are the places to stay, but if you want a little quieter, Townsend's the ticket.

Jeff

[anieman]

I think we are going to stay in Townsed, we don't do much shopping, and the less people the better.
I have been trying to find out as much as i can about the fishing, but can't figure out if I need waders or not. I guess it probably depends on which stream I am fishing?

Austin